Dark Riddle Walkthrough Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Uncover Your Neighbor’s Secrets

Dark Riddle is an adventure game created by Ukrainian developers PAGA GROUP where you investigate what secrets your crabby neighbor is hiding from the rest of the town. You will have to find a way to sneak into his house and find out what is going on inside. Along the way, you will find various tools to help you explore further: from keys to unlock certain doors, to traps that can slow your neighbor down, and to a startling abundance of apples you can collect and throw.

This game should not be confused with the similarly-named Dark Riddle: Classic. Also by the same developers, it is based on an earlier build of the game and has a different graphic style but is otherwise largely identical to Dark Riddle. While some of the things in this walkthrough may apply for both games, do not be surprised that there will be some slight differences between them. Regardless, this walkthrough will primarily cover Dark Riddle.

This guide will cover Dark Riddle up to its third chapter, though the game’s ending suggests that there will be more chapters released as time goes on. These three chapters are enough to get to the bottom of this mystery. Stay with us and check out our Dark Riddle walkthrough guide to uncover what your neighbor is keeping from everyone!

Covering Controls And content

Now, upon starting Dark Riddle, you will notice that the game has its own in-game currency labeled “Yellow Apples,” which is earned mainly through in-app purchases. There are a lot of alternatives available to earn Yellow Apples without spending real money:

– The first method is by watching an ad for 25 apples, a small amount but it helps;

– The second method is by playing the daily luck spin and potentially earning 20, 40, or 100 apples, along with other goodies;

– The third method is by watching ads at Riddle TV, which gives out increasingly lucrative rewards for every ad watched and is reset daily;

– The fourth and final method is by completing achievements related to Dark Riddle itself. These include things like story progression or challenges, which can reward varying amounts of apples.

Yellow Apples are used primarily to buy supplies for your next run of the game, so chances are you will end up hoarding quite a fair bit once you have gotten the hang of it. During gameplay, you have ten item slots: four for your belt and six for your backpack. Items in your belt can immediately be reached for by tapping the belt icon at the center of the screen, while items in your backpack have to be swapped with items on your belt in order to use them. To access these, tap the backpack icon next to the belt slots.

You start off with only six backpack slots but you can expand your backpack by six additional slots via in-app purchases, and this transaction can be done up to three times for a total of 24 backpack slots. This should not be necessary as we will tell you which things you can drop before progressing to the next area. Among the items you can find or purchase are:

Apples – Plain old apples you can find scattered around. You can collect them and throw them to either break windows or stun pursuers for five seconds. Apples are reusable as long as they do not get tossed out of bounds. Apples can also stack so there is no need to worry about them cluttering your inventory.

Traps – Scattered around the neighbor’s property are traps that will stun you for several seconds, but can only affect you once. If you can get to them without setting them off, you can pick them up for your own use. Similarly, they can only be set off once before they are rendered useless for the rest of the run. One particular trap makes a sound that draws the neighbor to its location.

Batteries – Batteries are used as ammunition for the two guns you can find, though only one of them is really necessary for progress. These guns can stun enemies from a distance, but Batteries are limited so you have to make your shots count. Like Apples, Batteries can stack.

On the lower right corner of the screen, there’s a button that, depending on how you press it, controls whether you jump or duck and stand up. Tapping the button will make your character jump, while holding and flicking the button will make your character duck or stand up depending on what direction you flick. Keep this in mind so you do not start jumping in place while trying to get out of cover.

The upper right corner has a map that follows your movement and shows where your neighbor is at all times; it will flash red if he has spotted you. However, later on you will encounter security robots that do not shot up and exist either to immobilize you or alert the neighbor to your location. In the event you do get caught by your neighbor, you can either spend 25 Yellow Apples or watch an ad to escape his clutches and stun him for five seconds, giving you some time to escape.

Dark Riddle has four difficulty options available:

Ghost – From the neighbor’s point of view, you do not exist, and he will continue on his path without getting bothered. His security robots will react to your presence, but they are otherwise harmless.
Easy – The first difficulty level where the neighbor is an actual threat and you get two hints.
Hard – The neighbor is more aggressive, and you get one hint. Traps are more dangerous and it is harder to get key items.
Insane – As expected, the neighbor is at his most dangerous, as are the traps. You also get no hints whatsoever.

Paying A Visit To Your Neighbor

You start a new game at your house, with your neighbor’s house across the street. In the event that you want to buy stuff, there is a small store behind your house. But before exploring that, we suggest you pick up the apple that should be right next to you. There is also a chest next to you that lets you store items, which will come in quite handy later.

The front gate is locked up tight, so grab a nearby crate, place it next to the neighbor’s fence and climb over. Make sure you climb over the fence when the neighbor is out of sight. Be careful: there are security cameras on each side of the house which will alert the neighbor to your location if you stay in their line of sight for too long.

Once you are in your neighbor’s front yard make your way to the front door; there should be some extra apples near the porch in case you need them. We recommend using the apples to break a window or two open so that in the event you are spotted, you can use the window as a means of escape. Just bear in mind that the neighbor can follow you out of windows quite easily, so either outrun him or stun him with a thrown apple.

Now back to the task at hand. Once you are inside, make your way to the living room by taking the door to the left, and pick up the Copper Key lying on the dining table. Once you have the Copper Key, head to the TV Room and use the Copper Key to unlock the cabinet, gaining access to the Silver Key.

Across the cabinet, you might notice a gray keycard reader that appears to be broken, preventing you from opening the door nearby. We will get to that later. As a sidenote, you only need keys in your backpack to unlock their corresponding doors; they do not need to be equipped on your belt. Batteries can be found around the house as well, and we recommend picking them up and moving them to your backpack.

Pick up the Silver Key and now you can head upstairs. You might notice a heavily-locked safe with a keypad on the way up; we will get to unlocking that later. Once you are on the second floor, you can use the Silver Key to open a door leading to the Library. However, every other door there is locked for the time being. Ignore it and head to the attic.

After you have entered the attic, head to the telescope to pick up the Nippers and the Rocket Part. The Nippers are important for progress while the Rocket Part allows you to access a secret room for an achievement. With the Nippers on your belt, head back to the second floor and use it to unlock the chained-up door close to the stairs. This door leads to a closet containing the Gold Key.

After you pick up the Gold Key, head back to the attic and jump down onto the roof below. You do not take falling damage, but it is best not to miss otherwise, you will have to head back inside and try again.

On the roof, head left towards a window leading to your Neighbor’s bedroom and break it open either with a leftover apple or one of the boxes nearby. Climb into the bedroom and use the Gold key to unlock the drawer. This will give you access to your first gun, the Taser. The Taser can stun anyone it hits for five seconds but can only hold one shot before reloading. There are also a couple of batteries nearby for ammo.

While you are in the bedroom, unlock the other two doors inside: the door across the drawer leads to the library from before, while the door at the far end of the bedroom leads to a balcony, where you will find a Yellow Keycard on a nearby table. Be careful as the balcony has a sound-making trap as well as a ladder leading to the yard below. At this point, the keys are no longer needed so feel free to drop them off somewhere.

If you are willing to risk it, pick up the Yellow Keycard and head to the shed at the far corner of the yard. The Yellow Keycard unlocks the shed door, leading to another gun you can pick up: the Crioblaster (sic). Unlike the Taser, the Crioblaster can hold up to four shots and freezes its victim for eight seconds. Just watch out for a nearby trap guarding the gun.

As for the Rocket Part, head back out to the roof and to the window on the other side. Smash the window open to gain access to the study, and you should find an incomplete rocket resting on a cabinet to your left. Use the Rocket Part on the incomplete rocket and gain access to a secret room containing the Universe Map. This is only for the sake of an achievement and nothing else. Nonetheless, we included this for the sake of curious readers.

Head back to the TV room and fire the Taser at the broken Keycard reader. This will open the door leading to your neighbor’s security room. There is no way to disable the cameras outside, but your main goal is to locate a smartphone on a nearby shelf.

The phone will have a four-digit code that randomizes each play through so remember the code or pick the phone up. Head back to the living room and punch in the code on the keypad. It will take some time for the safe door to open so watch your back while it unlocks. Once unlocked, you will be able to access the next chapter of the game.

What Lies Beneath The Floorboards

Sure enough, your neighbor’s basement is a lot more elaborate than his house, and while you will be alone for a while, the game will warn you that your neighbor has entered the basement as well. You will also encounter security drones patrolling the basement. They are harmless, but if you are in their sights for too long, they will alert the neighbor to your location; stay out of sight or stun them.

Your first objective is to collect two Keycards, Blue and Green. The Blue Keycard is located on top of a truck (how that got inside is anyone’s guess), and you can get there by navigating to a broken portion of the catwalk and jumping onto the truck. The Green Keycard is located in a locker on the other side of the room. While you are in the first room, you might notice a couple of things near the Keycards:

Near the Blue Keycard is a console with a big red button that requires two items to access: a Red Keycard, and a triangular shape. Near the console is a locked door that also requires the Red Keycard.

Under the stairs closest to the Green Keycard is another randomized four-digit number. Remember it as well.

Once you have both Keycards, unlock the door that requires the Blue Keycard. This will lead you to a hallway where you will meet the first security drone. Find a way to evade it and your neighbor then head to the far end of the hallway. Once there, there will be another door locked with a keypad and a small room with electricity flowing through it. Use the second code on the keypad and enter.

This second room has another nasty surprise in the form of an ice turret, which freezes you in place just like the Crioblaster. You can turn off the turret via a switch close to where you entered, so take care of the turret before doing anything else. At the opposite end of this room is a locked door and above that door is a console with three levers. Make sure the levers are pushed up to unlock the door beneath.

Under the door locked with the keypad is a door that requires the Green Keycard. Unlock it, and you should find a box of wires on the opposite side of the door. Take out your Taser and shoot the wires. This will temporarily shut off the electricity, blocking access to the small room for 15 seconds, so move fast.

The important thing is to collect two items: the Laxian Key (which matches the triangular shape on that console in the first room) and the Valve. In the event the electricity comes back while you are inside the room, there is a button that shuts off the electricity for 15 seconds.

Before you continue, you will need to activate the Laxian Key. Head back to the room with the ice turret to find another console with a triangular slot. A cutscene will play where you insert the Laxian Key (thankfully stopping time in the event the neighbor is nearby). Push the purple lever to activate it.

With the activated Laxian Key, head to the room you unlocked with the three levers to find a flooded sewer. Near your position is a place where you can install the Valve which will drain out all the water, allowing you to head down; do not forget to bring the Valve with you. Once you are down in the sewer there is a gate that requires the Valve to open, and across that gate is the Red Keycard!

Pick it up while the gate opens and head on through to discover a mysterious portal. There should be an elevator leading back to the first basement room and a door that requires the Red Keycard. Unlock that door by using the Red Keycard and the Laxian Key to push the button. This will activate the Portal and once its running, jump into to it to the next (and as of this writing, final) chapter.

Out Of This World

Congratulations, it appears that the portal leads to some sort of space station, and after a cutscene of you waking up onboard said station, you end up learning why your neighbor is so crabby to begin with.

Horrible joke aside, now you have to find a way to get back to Earth. There are two chests that contain items vital to your escape. The first chest has a special tablet that tracks down Energy Cells, while the second chest not only contains items you stored back on Earth, but also a keycard that lets you leave your room. There is another console that gives you access to the store if you need it. You also have to deal with mobile versions of that ice turret you found in the basement.

Now, your main objective is to find a way to leave the station, and to do that you will need to power up a spaceship to fly back to Earth. To power up the ship, you will need Energy Cells, which are scattered around the station itself. You will need to collect 18 of them in order to escape. The station is quite large so we will break it down into three rooms: the Hangar, the Hallway, and the Garden.

If you are having trouble locating Energy Cells, you can spend 300 Yellow Apples to temporarily highlight any missing Cells through walls. Energy Cells do NOT stack so prepare to make repeat trips to fuel up your escape vehicle unless you have fully expanded your backpack. Four of these Cells are carried by security drones and you will have to stun them in order to get the Cells they have on them.

You start off in the Hangar and right as you start, there is an Energy Cell lying next to the store console; pick that one up immediately. Navigating the Hangar can get a bit tricky, so we will break it down to make things easier:

The lowest floor of the hangar has two Energy Cells. The first one is lying right next to the ship’s fuel pump, which has a display on how many cells are still needed. The other Energy Cell is located in a storage crate atop a pile of brown, moveable boxes. Either move some of the boxes away or jump onto the pile from above.

The second floor has one Energy Cell in a set of crates that you can only access by jumping onto their platform from above.

The third floor has two Energy Cells in crates located across your starting room. The crate in between them has a couple of Batteries.

Now that all the Energy Cells in the Hangar are accounted for, head to the Hallway. On the far end of the Hallway is a flight of stairs and under those stairs is another set of crates with one Energy Cell. We would recommend climbing the stairs to find another pair of Nippers. You will need it for the Garden.

The first floor of the garden is split into four “slices,” each with a different soil. The slice with blue soil has an Energy Cell partially buried into it. To dig it up, head to the slice with Sand and find a Shovel in roughly the same place as you found the Energy Cell. Use the Shovel to free the Cell.

The second floor has an Energy Cell at the end of the stairs; you cannot miss it.

The third floor of the garden has several Energy Cells for you to find, and like the Hangar we will simplify locating them:

You might have noticed a fountain at the center of the Garden when you first entered. At the top of the Garden is a series of levers. Interact with the red lever to shut the fountain off and get two Energy Cells: one should fall from the fountain and onto some nearby stairs, while the other one is located inside the fountain itself.

One Energy Cell is hanging from the third floor via a hardy vine. Once you are up there, use the Nippers to cut the vine and free the Cell.

There is a moving platform with a crate held in place by two vines, one from the center of the garden, and the other on the far edge. Use the Nippers to free the platform and carefully jump onto to the platform. It can be a bit tricky to get onto the platform, even more so to get to the correct side of the crate to get another Energy Cell.

The last Energy Cell in the garden is located on the leaves of the purple drooping tree. Jump onto it from the center of the third floor.

Once you have all the Energy Cells, fuel up your escape craft and head to the second floor of the Hangar to activate a console, powering up your ship. The console is marked with a white icon floating above it so it should be easy to spot.

And that concludes our walkthrough guide for Dark Riddle! We hope our walkthrough will help you in uncovering your neighbor’s secrets and living to tell the tale. If you guys have any tips, tricks or strategies we may have missed, please let us know in the comment section below! Have fun and happy snooping!