On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness/Tutorial

Once you've created and named your character, the scene shifts to Desperation Street, and your house at the end of it. This introductory section will be overseen by a disembodied narrator who will give you guidance through most of the challenges in the area.

Desperation Cul-de-Sac
First of all, pick up the rake by your house. You'll start raking the leaves on your lawn, only to be interrupted by a giant steam-powered robot which crushes your house. As you stand in disbelief, two men run past, in pursuit of the mechanical destroyer.

Once you're back in control, head to the right. You'll see, and have to fight, a pair of Fruit Fucker (Mark I) enemies, which serves as an introduction to the basics of combat. Wait for the attack gauge - the middle one - to fill, then attack each of the robots in turn. At this early stage of the game you'll need to hit each of the miniature robots twice to destroy them.

Once they're defeated, continue until the narrator points out the cat. Speak to it, and select "Meow convincingly" followed by "Purr gently" to have T. Kemper (the cat) join your party as a support character.

There are another couple of Fruit Fucker (Mark I) enemies to fight on this panel as an introduction to the use of support characters; when you're done with them and have investigated everything, continue to the next panel, The Old Orange Tree.

The Old Orange Tree
As you pass the orange tree, the narrator will point it you and you'll automatically walk over to it. Click on the orange to pick it up, then walk towards the next pair of Fruit Fuckers to start another battle that instructs you on how to use items.

Desperation Elementary
On the next panel, walk over and talk to either Gabe or Tycho to have them join your party, after a brief introductory conversation. Fight some more Fruit Fuckers for an introduction to Team-Up attacks, then pass onto the final frame of Desperation Street, Desperation's End.

Desperation's End
There are quite a few Fruit Fucker (Mark I) enemies in this area; head over to the ones at the gas station to fight them. This is the first battle with a Roll For Initiative, where every character on the battlefield rolls a d20 and the highest-scoring player receives a bonus. Additionally, this fight lasts significantly longer than your previous encounters and has your party facing off against a large number of enemies; this is the first fight where you should be keeping an eye on your own health and practicing your blocking.

Once you've killed all the Fruit Fucker (Mark I)s, a Fruit Fucker (Mark II) will join the battle. With 50HP he's a good bit tougher than the previous enemies you've faced, but still shouldn't provide too much of a challenge so long as you watch your health.

Once it's been defeated, you'll have another conversation with Gabe and Tycho; insist on joining them in the hunt for the giant robot that destroyed your home and they'll gladly accept you onto the team. This will open the first case, Up, From The Ashes and unlocks a new map location, Anne-Claire's Room.

The map is accessed by pressing or clicking on the  icon in the top right.