Trace Definitive Edition Demo - A Complete Walkthrough

Trace can be a huge challenge for even the best of players. There are no easy puzzles; you must use your brain to find all sorts of hidden clues. From hidden tiles, to mysterious scissors, to numbers that don’t seem to quite add up, there are a lot of roadblocks in your way.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

If this sounds worrying to you, don’t get too stressed! In this Trace Walkthrough, we’ll take you step by step through the entire first room to make sure you get out unscathed. If you ever get stuck and don’t know where to go, you can easily refer back to this guide to find your next step. It’s like the ultimate safety net.

Spawning In

When you first open up Trace, you’ll spawn into an odd and mysterious room. Take a minute to gain your footing and get familiar with the controls. If you need additional help with how the game works, feel free to read our blog on how to play Trace.

The first thing that you need to do is grab the half of the scissors sitting nearby in the sink. Once you click on this, the scissor half will be placed in your inventory. While you’re near the sink, take notice of the lightbulb fixture above. Remember this pattern as you will need it in a minute.

Turn left and head to the bookshelf that has various items scattered around. One of these items is a small chest with 5 buttons on the front. Enter in the same pattern that you noticed when looking at the 5 lightbulbs on the chest. The chest will open up and reveal a clue. Take a picture of this clue, you’ll need it for later.

Drawing the Spider

You’ll notice that at the top of the mantle is a geometric picture of a spider. Take a picture, you’ll need this as a reference in a little bit. Find the domed wooden drawer near the ground. When you click on it, there will be a set of arrows that you can use to draw images. Create the image of the spider that you just saw, and another door will pop open to your left.

Upon opening this door, you will find two key items: the second half of your scissors and a flower pot. Click on the pot and take a picture of the number drawn on it. Afterward, pick up the second half of your scissors.

Combine the Scissors

This is where the game starts getting really good. Open up your inventory and combine the two scissor halves to create a fully functional pair of scissors. Go back up to the view with the mirror and take notice of the key dangling by a piece of string. Use your scissors to cut the key down and put it in your inventory.

Once you have retrieved the key, go to the mantle and use the key to open the small box with the red keyhole. Inside, you’ll find a piece of crumpled-up paper and another number on the inside of the box. Take a picture of the number and click on the crumpled paper to put it into your inventory.

X Marks the Spot

Go into your inventory and uncrumple the paper. Once the paper is flattened, you’ll see a rough sketch of the jagged mirror, marked with an “X.” Use the map to find where the X would be next to the real mirror and click on it. When the proper tile has been clicked, you will zoom in on it. Click on the tile again to reveal a geometric drawing of a fish.

Just like with the spider, use the arrows down below to draw the fish that you found on the tile. Upon completion, another small door will open up. Click on the door to reveal a plate that has four numbers on it. Take a picture of these numbers, you’ll need them in just a second!

Take a quick peek at the toilet paper hanging up by the window. Click on it to reveal a final number that you can take a quick picture of. This may not seem like a very big achievement, but it’s building to something much more important.

Divide and Conquer

Now it’s time to review all of the photos that we’ve taken. You will notice that there are 4 numbers with a line under them, and four numbers with a line above them. These lines are numerators and denominators. Combine the numerators and denominators, then divide each function to find a four-digit code. If you’ve done this properly, you will get the code ‘5472’.

Punch this code in and the safe will swing open, revealing a . . . Pumpkin? While this may not seem helpful, it’s actually one of the key steps to escaping. Take a picture of the pumpkin, then go back to the arrows that you drew the spider and the fish with. Make the shape of the pumpkin's face, and a final cabinet will unlock.
Upon opening the cabinet, you will find a single object: a red square. Place the piece in your inventory, then go up to the door and place the red square into the key slot. 

Slow and Steady Escapes the Room

This last part of this Trace Walkthrough is a little bit tricky, but it's not as difficult as it may look at first glance. You simply have to slowly make room for your red square by sliding around the other tiles surrounding it. This puzzle is all about making slow progress; it’s not going to happen in a mere couple of seconds. However, if you stay persistent, you’ll end up making it all the way to the green tile that unlocks the door.

Once you’ve done that, take a step back and relish all the work that you’ve put in. The screen will slowly fade to a gray fuzz as you revel in your victory. You’ve done it!

Play the Full Version on Steam

Of course, once you've read this Trace walkthrough and defeated the game, you can always check out the entire Trace game on Steam. If you think this demo was fun, just wait! There's an entire world out there waiting to be solved.