Kingdom of Marionettes: Horror Visual Novel

1. How to use this walkthrough

Kingdom of Marionettes begins with a deceptively ordinary job. The player is hired to guard an abandoned puppet theater, keep intruders away, clean the building, and ensure the puppets remain where they belong. The creator's introduction quickly reveals the problem: the puppets can move. Jestyn, the jester, is particularly interested in the new guard. The setting is a horror visual novel, so progress is driven by reading, observation and dialogue decisions rather than combat or a conventional inventory puzzle.

If you have not finished Act 1, the gentlest way to play is to follow the story once without this route chart. Notice the names on doors, the way Jestyn reacts to your answers, and the difference between a choice that expresses kindness and a choice that simply avoids a penalty. Return here when you want a particular result. A route guide is most useful when you can recognize the scene yourself; reading every answer in advance can flatten the mystery the game is trying to create.

For a planned run, make a separate save before the four scored decisions when the game allows it. Write down the option you selected at each one. The published score is small enough to calculate on paper: start at zero, add or subtract the listed values, and compare the total with the thresholds below. You do not need to assume that every friendly-sounding answer gives a point. One choice gives two points, another gives one, and several leave the total unchanged. That difference is the reason a seemingly warm playthrough can still miss a scene.

The table below is a route planner for Act 1, not a promise about every future build. The creator has since released Act 2 for PC and Mac. Its new story and choices should be explored on their own terms until the creator provides an equivalent route list. Likewise, a browser build embedded on this independent fan site may not match the current files on the creator's game page. If your menus or sequence of scenes differ, check your build first.

2. The complete published Act 1 point chart

The creator identifies four decisions that change the affection total: the farmers' problem, the proposal to purchase land, your response to Jestyn's criticism, and the chocolate prank. The scores below are the values from that published guide. An unmarked answer is neutral, worth zero. Keep the secret name entry separate; it is a route trigger rather than a fifth numerical choice.

At the end of a normal route, three or more points lead to the Act 1 good ending and two or fewer lead to the Act 1 bad ending. The collar scene choice needs at least four points. These are three distinct facts: the bad and good endings divide at two versus three, while the collar option sits one point higher. The creator lists the secret ending separately from this arithmetic.

The maximum shown by the published choices is five: two from helping the farmers, one from refusing to buy the land, two from finding Jestyn funny, and zero from leaving the chocolate alone. The minimum is negative three: minus one at the farmers, minus one at the land purchase, zero at the criticism, and minus one at the chocolate. A negative number is not an error; it is simply the sum of the listed answers. You only need to know whether the final value reaches the relevant threshold.

3. Read the four decisions in story order

The farmers and the drought

The in-game theater screenshot above shows the narration introducing drought, failed crops and farmers who have suffered serious losses. That context makes the first choice easy to remember. The published guide gives the same plus-two result to three different attempts to help: money, water channels, or new seeds. You can pick the version that fits your reading of the situation without sacrificing points. This is useful because guides sometimes present one answer as the only correct solution; the creator's table does not.

Asking for more time is neutral. It is not equivalent to refusing help, but it also gives up the largest early point gain. The dismissive answer, in which the farmers are left to solve the problem alone, loses one. If you choose that answer intentionally for a bad-ending run, note it clearly, because later kindness may not compensate for it. If you choose it by accident and want the good ending, you will need both later positive opportunities: refusing the land and finding Jestyn's criticism funny gives a net of two after this minus one, so you still fall short unless another published value changes. Under the four listed values, a farmers' minus-one answer cannot reach three: the remaining maximum is three, yielding a final two. Restart from a save if the regular good ending is your goal.

The proposed land purchase

The land decision looks less dramatic than the first scene, but its swing is large. Refusing adds one, delaying adds zero, and agreeing subtracts one. Compare agreement with refusal: changing only this answer improves your final total by two. A player who helps the farmers for two points and then agrees to buy the land drops to one before Jestyn's later criticism. If they also call the criticism annoying and skip the chocolate, they finish on one and receive the bad ending under the published rule.

Delay is a legitimate neutral route choice. It can still lead to the good ending if you have enough positive points from helping the farmers and finding Jestyn funny. In fact, those two answers already total four before the chocolate scene. That makes delay useful when you want to see different dialogue while retaining access to the collar option. Refusal remains the safest choice when you are building the highest margin possible.

Your opinion of Jestyn's criticism

When the story asks what you think of Jestyn's criticism, the creator's chart rewards the amused reaction with two points. Calling it annoying is neutral. That neutral value is easy to misread. It does not take a point away, but because the alternative grants two, it may determine whether a route passes the threshold. For example, helping the farmers and delaying the land produces two. Saying Jestyn is funny raises that to four; saying he is annoying leaves it at two. With no later positive option in the published chart, one answer changes a collar-eligible good route into a bad-ending route.

If you are trying to understand the character rather than optimize an ending, there is room to pick the answer that feels natural on a first run. Jestyn's presentation is playful and unsettling at the same time, and the choice is part of the game's tone. A route guide can explain the mechanical consequence without declaring one reaction morally correct. For a repeat playthrough with a target, though, mark this as one of the two big scoring scenes.

The chocolate prank

At the chocolate scene, the safest numerical answer is simply to decline. Skipping the chocolate adds zero. Eating it subtracts one. The creator explicitly describes it as Jestyn's prank, so do not expect a reward for accepting it. The absence of a positive answer also means that a route sitting at two points cannot rescue the good ending here; declining merely holds the total at two. Conversely, a route sitting exactly at three will drop into bad-ending territory if you eat it.

This is the best moment to recheck your running tally. If you are on four points, eating the chocolate leaves three: the regular good ending remains available, but the four-point collar option is lost. If you are on five, eating leaves four, so you still clear both thresholds. If you are on three, eating leaves two and changes the regular ending. This one-point subtraction has different effects depending on the route you built earlier; there is no universal claim that eating chocolate always causes the bad ending.

4. How to get the regular good ending

The ordinary good ending requires at least three affection points. One simple exact-threshold route is to help the farmers in any of the three approved ways for two points, refuse to buy the land for one, call Jestyn's criticism annoying for zero, and leave the chocolate uneaten for zero. The sum is 2 + 1 + 0 + 0 = 3. This demonstrates that you can miss the positive criticism answer and still earn the good ending. It also demonstrates why the good ending and the collar scene should not be treated as the same unlock: three is enough for one, but short of the other.

A more forgiving route takes the maximum positive choices: help the farmers (+2), refuse the land (+1), find Jestyn funny (+2), and do not eat the chocolate (0). That totals five. If you then choose to eat the chocolate during a later run, the total becomes four; under the published chart it still passes both the good-ending and collar thresholds. This is a useful way to experiment with one scene while keeping a high score, although the dialogue itself may change.

You can also reach the good ending without refusing the land if you compensate elsewhere. Helping the farmers (+2), delaying the purchase (0), finding Jestyn funny (+2), and declining the chocolate (0) totals four. Even agreeing to the purchase (−1) can be offset by both plus-two answers: two minus one plus two equals three, provided you do not eat the chocolate. These examples are arithmetic from the creator's values. They are not separate named routes, and they do not claim that every intervening line of dialogue will be identical.

5. Unlocking the red collar option

The red collar is a scene option, not a fourth Act 1 ending. The creator's feature list names one good, one bad and one secret ending. The ending guide adds that the collar option appears at four or more affection points. This distinction matters when a player reports, “I got the good ending, so why was the collar missing?” A score of exactly three is a complete explanation: it qualifies for the good ending and fails the collar test.

For a four-point route, help the farmers (+2), delay the purchase (0), find Jestyn's criticism funny (+2), and skip the chocolate (0). The total is exactly four. Another four-point route takes the strongest three positive answers, then eats the chocolate: +2 +1 +2 −1 = 4. The second route is less conservative because it uses the prank scene, but the published arithmetic still reaches the threshold. If you want the least chance of confusing the route, use the first example or the five-point maximum instead.

The threshold also gives a clear recovery rule. If your total before the chocolate is four, decline it. Eating removes the one point that distinguishes the collar route from an ordinary three-point good ending. If your total before the chocolate is five, either listed chocolate answer leaves you at or above four. If your total before the chocolate is only three, the chocolate scene cannot raise it: the best available value there is zero. You would need to return to an earlier decision, usually Jestyn's criticism or the land purchase.

The screenshot is a visual reference to the in-game red collar with its central gold bell. It is not a screenshot of a choice menu, so use the numerical guide to plan your route rather than trying to identify the answer from the image.

6. Reaching or avoiding the bad ending

The bad ending is the normal Act 1 result at two points or fewer. You do not have to choose every harsh answer to see it. Help the farmers (+2), agree to buy the land (−1), find Jestyn annoying (0), and decline the chocolate (0): the total is one. A single charitable decision does not guarantee a good route, because all four values are added together. This example is useful if you want to see the bad ending without choosing the farmers' minus-one answer.

For another clear bad-ending example, ask the farmers for time (0), delay the land purchase (0), find Jestyn funny (+2), and decline the chocolate (0). The result is exactly two. This illustrates how the amusing response alone is insufficient. If you change the land answer from delay to refusal, that same route becomes three and crosses the good-ending line. If you change the farmers' answer to one of the helpful options, it becomes four and reaches the collar threshold as well.

If you accidentally receive the bad ending, compare your recorded choices with the point chart instead of replaying the whole story blindly. The biggest missed gains are the farmers and the criticism, both worth two. The land decision can swing the total by two when you move from agreement to refusal. Chocolate can lower a borderline good route by one. The fastest fix depends on your exact four answers: at a score of two, a single one-point improvement is enough for the good ending; at a score of one, you need two; at zero or below, seek one of the two-point answers or combine smaller changes.

Do not read the bad ending as a failure to discover the secret route. The creator's secret trigger is a name-entry clue and is described separately. If you entered the special name, your experience may not follow the ordinary score comparison at all. When testing the regular bad route, use an ordinary player name and keep the special door clue for a separate saved run.

7. The Crownus secret ending and its clue

The creator's instructions for the Act 1 secret ending start with observation. Examine the puppet room, find the King puppet's room door, and read the name written there. Later, when Jestyn asks for your name, enter crownus. The creator says that this locks the player into the secret ending. This sequence has two parts: finding the clue in the setting and using that exact name at the prompt. Merely building a high affection total will not substitute for it.

If you know the name from a guide, it may be tempting to skip the room inspection and type it immediately. The published instruction specifically tells players to look at the King puppet's door first. Following that order is the safest way to reproduce the intended discovery. It also preserves the narrative logic: the name is not a random password supplied by a website, but a clue the game places in its own space. Pay attention to the spelling and avoid adding a title, surname, punctuation or extra spaces.

A useful save strategy is to separate the secret run from your point experiments. Make a save before the name entry when possible. Use a normal name for the regular good and bad routes, then return and enter crownus for the secret. This prevents the secret trigger from obscuring whether your three-point or four-point plan worked. The creator also suggests trying other puppet names to see Jestyn's reactions, but those experiments should not be confused with the documented Crownus ending trigger.

There is a dedicated Crownus secret-ending page if you need a shorter reminder. This homepage chapter gives the complete confirmed trigger and the common distinction between name and affection. It does not describe unconfirmed later-act secrets. If you are looking for an Act 2 loop or another hidden result discussed by players, check whether the creator has published instructions for your build before treating a fan theory as a guaranteed route.

8. Worked route plans and score changes

The quickest way to understand the small point system is to compare routes that differ by only one answer. In the examples below, the four values always appear in the same order: farmers, land, criticism, chocolate. These are score plans based on the creator's chart, not claims about hidden dialogue flags or an Act 2 branch. Use them to decide where to reload a save if your last run missed a threshold.

Compare the exact-good and exact-collar rows. They share the same farmers' help and refusal of chocolate. One uses land refusal for a single point; the other uses Jestyn's funny response for two points while delaying land. You can reach four without taking every positive answer. Now compare the exact-good route with the highest-margin route: changing “annoying” to “funny” adds two, moving the total from three to five. This is why the criticism answer is particularly useful when you are repairing a run.

Another comparison shows the chocolate's role. Starting with the five-point row and eating chocolate gives four. Starting with the exact-collar row and eating gives three. Starting with the exact-good row and eating gives two. The same minus-one choice can preserve both unlocks, remove only the collar choice, or change the ending itself. When someone asks whether chocolate is “safe,” the honest answer depends on the first three decisions.

The secret route has no row in this table because it is not a point target. Keep it as a separate checklist: inspect the King puppet's door and enter crownus at the name prompt. Likewise, do not use the table to predict which character appears in a later Act 2 scene. The table solves the specific Act 1 ending problem the creator documented and deliberately stops at that boundary.

9. What changes when you move to Act 2?

Thepipi announced the release of Act 2 on 7 October 2026. The announcement says Act 2 is currently available for PC and Mac. The Android update requires more development time and is planned for later. It also says a Simplified Chinese translation is available for Act 1, with Act 2 translations to follow. The project remains listed as in development. Those are release facts; they are not a walkthrough of the new story.

If you installed an older desktop archive before the update, check the current file listing on the creator's game page before assuming your copy has Act 2. The current listing is the right place to verify the build, supported platforms, download files and any later corrections. A file labelled for Android on that page does not by itself mean Android contains the newest act. Similarly, playing the browser build on this fan portal is not proof that you are seeing the newest desktop story.

The February Act 1 ending guide should remain attached to its original scope. It tells you the value of four early decisions and how they lead to the Act 1 good, bad and secret endings. It does not say whether the same affection score carries into Act 2, whether later choices have the same weights, or how many new outcomes exist. We do not assign invented scores to Act 2 answers. If you are exploring the new act, keep your own saves and observations, and distinguish what you saw in your build from a creator-confirmed route rule.

Language matters too. The announced Simplified Chinese support covers Act 1 at the time of the Act 2 post. A reader who selects Chinese and sees Act 2 in another language is encountering the published translation boundary, not necessarily a broken installation. For the most recent platform and language information, follow the creator's development log and the Act 2 version guide. Release availability can change faster than a fixed walkthrough page.

10. Troubleshooting a route that did not appear

“I helped the farmers, but I got the bad ending.”

Helping is worth two, not an automatic ending. Agreement to buy the land removes one, eating the chocolate removes another, and calling Jestyn annoying adds nothing. Write the four values in order and sum them. A route of +2, −1, 0, 0 is only one point. If you want the good ending with minimal replay, change the land answer to refusal: the difference between −1 and +1 is two points, taking that example from one to three.

“I got the good ending, but there was no collar choice.”

Check whether your total was exactly three. The good ending begins at three while the collar choice begins at four. If you used +2 for the farmers and +1 for refusing the land, then chose neutral answers afterward, you have the exact-good route. Find Jestyn's criticism funny instead of annoying to add two, or use one of the other four-point examples. The red collar screenshot in this guide shows the scene object, but the picture alone does not tell you your score.

“I had enough points, but I saw another ending.”

First, check whether you entered crownus at the name prompt. The creator describes that as a lock into the secret ending, separate from regular affection totals. Then confirm which build you played. The Act 1 values were published for Act 1, and the browser player here may differ from the current desktop download. If your options have different wording or you are already in Act 2, do not force the older chart onto the new scene.

“My total seemed to change for no reason.”

Revisit the neutral answers. Delaying the land and saying Jestyn is annoying are both zero, but they miss positive alternatives. Declining the chocolate is also zero, while eating it is minus one. It is common to remember “I made three friendly choices” without recording their actual values. Reconstruct the route as four numbers. If your sum is still inconsistent with the expected Act 1 result, compare the exact text of your build with the creator's post and keep a save or screenshot of the choice screen.

“I cannot find Act 2 or the Chinese text I expected.”

Use the creator's current downloads and the October release note. Act 2 was announced for PC and Mac, with Android later. Simplified Chinese was announced for Act 1 only at that point. An old archive, the Android file, or this site's browser build can therefore show different content. This is a version question before it is a route question; changing dialogue choices will not install a missing act or translation.

11. Questions before another playthrough

Do all three helpful farmers' answers give the same score?

Yes. The creator assigns plus two to money, water channels and new seeds. Choose the answer you prefer for the story. The route total is the same for all three in the published chart.

Is a neutral answer the same as a wrong answer?

Not always. Neutral means zero, whereas buying the land, dismissing the farmers and eating the chocolate can remove points. Neutral choices can still miss a threshold because you pass up a gain. A zero is therefore harmless to the current total but may be costly compared with the alternative.

Can I get the good ending without the collar scene?

Yes. A total of exactly three qualifies for the regular good ending but not the four-point collar option. This is a normal outcome, not evidence that your copy is broken.

Does the collar count as another ending?

No. The creator's feature list names three Act 1 endings: good, bad and secret. The collar is identified separately as a scene option within a sufficiently high-scoring route.

Can affection points unlock the secret ending?

The published secret instruction is different: inspect the King puppet's room door and enter crownus when Jestyn asks for your name. A high point total by itself is not the documented secret trigger.

Should I use this chart for Act 2?

Use it to understand the creator's Act 1 guide only. The Act 2 announcement confirms release, platform and translation details, but supplies no new choice values. Treat any later-act route theories as unconfirmed unless a source documents them.

Where should I download the newest version?

Check Thepipi's current game page. It lists the creator's files and development posts. This independent site offers a browser player and guide, and its embedded build may not match the latest desktop release.

Are these illustrations really from this game?

Yes. The illustrated guide uses screenshots from the game, and the gallery above shows game scenes and the browser build's opening artwork. Captions identify when an image is a scene reference rather than a screenshot of an exact choice menu.

What should I know about the content before playing?

The creator labels the game for adults and lists mature themes, including manipulative behavior, toxic relationship dynamics, jump scares, obsessive behavior, light BDSM, suggestive content, player death and screen-shaking effects. Read the current warning list on the creator's page before starting; future builds may add more warnings.

For a concise route card after reading the full explanation, use the Act 1 walkthrough or ending point planner. They present the same documented thresholds in shorter form. For an unspoiled replay, close this guide, choose a new save, and let the theater's dialogue lead you through the decisions again.