Spectral Scream is a horror and exploration game playable solo or in co-op with up to 4 players. The game was released in Early Access on May 6, 2024, and officially launched in version 1.0 on August 29, 2024.

You play as a prisoner who must escape purgatory by collecting orbs that power each level (Level 1: purple orb, Level 2: yellow orb, etc.).

To do this, you will have to face—or avoid—the monsters in each level (but trust me, you won’t always have a choice!).

Fortunately, several tools are at your disposal, such as a stake, a talisman, an exorcism book, and more.

This guide will improve over time with updates. Currently, only the first level is detailed, but the others will be added later.

The Safe Zone is also the spawn/start area:

• The NPC on the left allows you to revive an ally by bringing their body in front of them and giving them 100 coins. His name is Daniel, and he specializes in resurrection.
  
• The NPC on the right is the vendor and allows you to buy essential items for your survival.
  
• The NPC in the middle is your sponsor and collects the orbs, playing a central role in your progression.

In this same Safe Zone, you will find a chest with a raven perched on a mound of gold:

• This chest allows you to obtain money. Simply place (not throw!) useless items in it (vases, plates, worn objects).
  
• Each item has a defined value.
  
• The raven acts as an accountant and tracks who deposits or spends money.

And finally, you will find a door, Suzume's door? the entrance to purgatory.

1. The Stake: Basic weapon against the undead. There are 2 different stakes:
   
   • The wooden stake can be found by searching Walter's house. It is single-use.
     
   • The silver stake is more durable, purchasable for 600 coins, or can be found in chests. It is multi-use.
   
   
2. The Bell: Paralyzes ghosts and temporarily stuns them. There are 2 different bells:
   
   • A version with 2 bells can be found by searching Walter's house. It is fragile.
     
   • A reinforced version with multiple bells is purchasable for 500 coins or can be found in chests.
   
   
3. The Talisman: Exorcises ghosts. There are 2 different talismans:
   
   • A worn version can be found by searching Walter's house. It is single-use.
     
   • A more effective and new/beautiful version is purchasable for 700 coins or can be found in chests. It is multi-use.
   
   
4. The EMF: Detects the waves of nearby creatures, useful for locating creatures.
   It is not essential to use it, but if you're just starting, I recommend it. It is available for free after passing through the purgatory door or purchasable for 100 coins.
   
   
5. The Healing Potion: Restores 50 health points.
   Found by searching Walter's house or purchasable for 50 coins.
   
   
6. The Hourglass: Allows you to teleport to the Safe Zone for 15 seconds. After these 15 seconds, you will be teleported back to the location where you used the hourglass. Found by searching Walter's house or purchasable for 250 coins.
   
   
7. The IMP: Used to guide you to the door of the next level of purgatory. Once used, you will see purple footprints leading to this door. Found in Walter's house or purchasable for 250 coins.
   
   
8. The ANK: Allows you to revive a dead player directly on the spot without needing to bring the body to the Safe Zone. Found rarely in Walter's house or purchasable for 350 coins.
   
   
9. The Soul Fly Lantern: Allows you to locate the chess pieces needed to complete the first level of purgatory. Only purchasable for 1000 coins.
   
   
10. Keys / Keychains: Allow you to open hidden or locked rooms. These rooms hide treasures. It's up to you to find them!

In this first level, you will mostly encounter undead creatures and (normally) the Wraith just once.

1. The Ghoul: A very aggressive undead that spots you from a distance. If it spots you, two scenarios arise:
   1) You have a stake, kill it immediately.
   2) You don’t have a stake, flee to the Safe Zone.
   
   This creature is very troublesome. Keep in mind that if there are two of you, it won’t attack, but as soon as you separate, it will relentlessly hunt you down!
   
   
2. The Ascetic: A less aggressive undead at first. It is blind and relies on its hearing.
   You can easily recognize it by the way it walks (short footsteps).
   To avoid it, crouch and move away when it gets close. Also, it's unclear if it's a bug or if it's overpowered, because it spots you even if you try to sneak away from it. It's said that if you wash yourself, it can detect you by the smell of soap, but who knows if that's true?!
   
   
3. The LivingDead (Skeleton): It’s rare for it to appear in the first level, but if it does, you’re out of luck.
   Initially, it’s lying down and sluggish, but it stands up as soon as it hears a noise (such as footsteps) and walks toward the sound. Once it sees you, it will sprint toward you, and you’ll need to act quickly, just like with the Ghoul!
   
   
4. The Gan Ceann :An undead without a head, it is not aggressive at all. It cannot see or hear. Essentially, it is harmless as long as you don’t get too close. If you do, it becomes a threat and won’t leave you alone.
   
   
5. The Wraith: The only ghost in this first level. It’s not very aggressive and isn’t a major threat. However, this is true as long as you don’t look it in the eyes.
   If you do, it becomes dangerous—it will chase you for a while before giving up and wandering back around the map. It’s easy to recognize by its crying.
   To banish it, you need two people: one to control it with a Bell and the other to exorcise it with a Talisman.
   It’s manageable solo if you alternate between the Bell and the Talisman. However, at the start, I highly recommend having two players!

Now, let’s talk about the boss of the first level: The Maid!

The Maid is a ghostly-type creature. She watches over Walter's house in his absence. She has a very long neck and a beautiful smile.
If she sees you, she will come to give you a big hug. It's up to you whether you want to return the hug or not!

The Maid doesn’t appear right away (this was the case in previous versions of the game), but only after 11 minutes (on hard mode) or 12 minutes (on normal mode). It seems that on easy mode, she doesn’t appear at all.
During these 11/12 minutes, she hides in a room guarded by talismans and a door with a timer.




After these 11/12 minutes, you will hear her sweet laugh and a door opening. This means she now has free access to the entire map and is hunting you down.
If you cross paths with her, you can immobilize her with a Bell and stun her with a Talisman. But be careful, this won’t exorcise the Maid.
She will just be on "pause" for a few seconds, and she will make this face:

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For a few months now, a system has been implemented in the game to temporarily make her disappear. These are the "Bells" or "Doorbells" that you will see everywhere.

By using this bell, you will hear a "YEESSS MASTERRRRR," and the Maid will reappear somewhere else.
This is very useful when you're being chased by the boss.

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To defeat the Maid, you will need 3 chess pieces, which are scattered throughout the map. There are 5 chess pieces in total in the level, so don’t be surprised if you find more than 3 pieces.
These chess pieces need to be placed in the center of the map on the board, and once the 3 pieces are placed, a drawer will open, revealing an orb inside.


Congratulations, you’ve cleared the first level by defeating the Maid. You’ve earned an orb!

Congratulations! You've completed the first level with little to no trouble.

It took me over 3-4 hours of gameplay to fully understand the game mechanics and finally defeat the Maid for the first time.

Now that you've obtained an orb, you might be wondering what to do with it. A valid question.

You have two choices: either you give the orb to the sponsor in the Safe Zone and finish this session, earning in-game currency (for cosmetics) and experience, or you continue the game by placing the orb in the pedestal of the door leading to the second level of purgatory, unlocking it and giving you access to the Richard's Office.

Be ready, as this level is much harder, there’s a significant difficulty jump here because the map is much larger.
Here’s what you can expect to face as the boss:

I will continue to update this guide for levels 2 and 3. Level 4 is very demanding and difficult. Currently, my friends and I are struggling with it. So, level 4 will be added later to this guide.

I hope this guide will help beginners in this game that I really enjoy!
Feel free to comment if you spot any mistakes or errors.

Thank you for reading, and have fun playing!