In Falsus Story Walkthrough — Arc 1

This guide explains how In Falsus Scenario mode works, how to navigate the story Timeline, and what you can expect from Arc 1 “The First Lie” — without walking you through endings or major twists. If you want structure before you play, this is that scaffold.

The embedded video covers the game’s opening sections. Watch it before reading if you prefer visual context.

How Scenario Mode Works

Scenario is In Falsus’s visual novel component. It runs alongside the rhythm gameplay rather than replacing it. Key story moments are pinned to Encounters — unique charts that play during narrative scenes.

The Scenario screen shows a branching node map. Each node is a story moment. Some nodes are dialogue-only. Others are Encounters. Moving between nodes unlocks the next branch.

The in-fiction calendar (year 10277) tracks time within the story. Encounter screens show Remembrance numbers that correspond to specific calendar dates. This is how the game tells you where a fight sits in the timeline — not as a difficulty indicator, but as narrative placement.

In Falsus | Introduction - 1-6

The Five Protagonist Perspectives

Each of the five girls has a full perspective route through the Scenario. The routes are interconnected — the same events are shown from different angles — but each protagonist’s route has exclusive scenes and Encounters.

The routes are not locked behind difficulty. You can access any character’s route from the character select screen at any time, provided you have reached the appropriate point in the Scenario.

Character	School	Social Context	Route Energy
Nia Cana	Akie High School	Isolated, lives alone, leaks blue	Quiet, introspective
Mei Alder	Akie High School	Performs at night, lives alone	Lonely performer
Ayame Takatsuki	Amachi Institute of Art & Design	Social, dorms, lie detector	Social observation
Iris Leal	Different school	Confrontational, swing-first	Direct conflict
Story Étienne	—	Mute, opted out of Bind broadcast	Redacted silence

The Bind System

The Bind is a collar worn by citizens that physically exposes false statements. When a character tells a lie, their Bind glows and emits a sound. This is central to the social mechanics of the world.

Key facts about Binds:

• Binds react to falsehood, not to emotion. Sadness and anger do not trigger them.
• A character who is silent is not necessarily lying.
• Some characters have learned to work around Binds in social situations.
• Mutes are characters who have surgically opted out of the Bind system. They cannot lie because they cannot speak — but they also cannot participate in the normal social signalling that Binds enable.

The Shroud is a separate element: a cover over the real sky. The relationship between the Shroud and the Bind system is a core mystery of the Scenario.

Arc 1: The First Lie

Arc 1 is the opening arc of the Scenario. It introduces the world, the five protagonists, and the central question of what it means to live in a society where lies are visible.

The arc follows a government program that removes certain students from ordinary high school life. This is the inciting event that brings the five protagonists into contact with each other.

Nodes in Arc 1 establish:

• The classroom dynamic at Akie High School
• The Bind’s social presence in ordinary conversation
• The existence of Mutes and the Shroud
• The first Encounter tied to a lie being exposed

The arc does not resolve the central mystery. It plants the context and asks the question. Resolution comes in later arcs.

The Timeline System

The Timeline is a calendar interface accessible from the Hub. It shows the in-fiction dates of past and upcoming events. It is how the game communicates narrative progression without a traditional chapter numbering system.

Encounter screens reference the Timeline through the Remembrance system. An Encounter labelled Remembrance 3 | 10276/9/1 occurs after Remembrance 2, regardless of which character’s route you are on.

This means the five routes are temporally synchronised. You can play Nia’s route to Remembrance 3, then Iris’s route to the same date, and the events will align.

How to Approach Your First Route

If you are starting fresh, the recommended path is:

1. Play the demo Encounters to learn the chart mechanics
2. Start with Nia Cana’s route — it is the most centrally connected to Arc 1’s inciting event
3. Follow the node map without rushing dialogue
4. Watch for the first major lie exposure — this is the narrative hinge of Arc 1
5. After the first Encounter in Nia’s route, try Mei’s perspective on the same events

Do not try to read all five routes simultaneously. The connections between routes become clearer as you complete them one at a time.

What This Guide Does Not Spoil

This guide stops at the following line:

• Specific endings for any character route
• The resolution of the Shroud mystery
• The government’s full motivation for the program
• The identity behind the character labelled Story Étienne
• Any Encounter that requires reaching Arc 2 or beyond

For the game mechanics that the story assumes you understand, see:

• Controls — Floor lanes, Field flicks
• Card Integration — how cards work in Encounters
• Encounters — the dual-score system
• Beginner Tips — 20 things the game does not explain

The full story is yours to discover. September 9 is when it all unlocks.