Episode 2: Smoke and Mirrors Walkthrough

Where should you focus in Smoke and Mirrors?

Original-game reference; remaster verification pending. This route covers Episode 2 and includes its major discoveries. Finish Faith first if you want the opening surprise preserved. The remaster comparison separates confirmed presentation changes from original-game mechanics.

This episode is about questioning your initial reading of the crime. A familiar face does not settle a victim’s identity in a world with glamours. Follow the evidence the investigation supplies, rather than assuming that an early suspect must be responsible for everything that follows.

How should you handle the opening interrogation?

The suspect available for interrogation reflects the end of Episode 1. You can use conversation or intimidation to extract information; aggression is not a requirement for reaching the next location. Listen to the answers, examine what is available, and notice when Bigby’s conduct becomes the subject of the room rather than the investigation itself.

Ichabod Crane and Bluebeard apply pressure in different ways. Their impatience does not make every violent option an effective investigative shortcut. If you want a restrained Bigby, keep the questioning focused and decline optional blows. The original route still moves forward. For the difference between a reaction and a changed outcome, see major choices.

What should you examine in the business office?

Work through the body examination with Snow and Dr. Swineheart. Inspect the available details instead of jumping straight to a conversation exit. The investigation exposes the role of a glamour and identifies Lily, Holly’s sister. This redirects the case toward the Trip Trap and the people who knew her.

Snow’s involvement is also a relationship decision. You can object to her accompanying you or accept her judgment. The original episode ultimately brings her into the Trip Trap conversation either way. Do not interpret the initial response as a permanent companion-selection system.

What matters at the Trip Trap and Pudding and Pie?

At Holly’s bar, explain what you have learned with care. Holly is receiving devastating news, not simply handing out the next quest marker. Ask about Lily’s work and connections. The lead takes you to the Pudding and Pie, where Georgie is hostile and the people around him have reasons to be wary of Bigby.

You can pressure Georgie without destroying every object in the club. The original route provides the information needed to continue whether you use restraint or wreck the surroundings. Once you can search further, inspect the dressing-room belongings, notes, and records. These connect Lily’s movements to a room and a client, but the records alone do not answer the entire murder mystery.

Nerissa becomes important here. Listen to the limits on what she can say and follow the arrangement that gives Bigby access to the next lead. Her difficulty answering direct questions is a clue about her circumstances, not evidence that she has nothing useful to contribute.

How does the Open Arms investigation end?

At the Open Arms, Beauty’s situation complicates the investigation and Beast misreads what is happening. Defend yourself during the fight, but distinguish required action prompts from the optional decision to keep hurting him. Continued violence affects how Beauty and Beast react; it is not necessary to unlock the room investigation.

Inspect the room thoroughly once you gain access. The scene is staged, and its objects and photographs matter together. The ending points Bigby toward Crane, but treat this as the next investigative lead rather than the game’s final verdict. Continue with Episode 3: A Crooked Mile, where the order of locations becomes more consequential.

Which sources were used?

Gamepressure’s Episode 2 choices supports the interrogation, Snow, and Beast distinctions. Its Skin chapter documents Georgie’s club, the records, and Nerissa’s lead. The original Steam page identifies this as the second episode of the original season.