Red Chat Ritual: TSUMIMI TIME Hints and Tips
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Stuck in Red Chat Ritual: TSUMIMI TIME almost always means a keyword that will not turn into something you can use in a deduction. This page explains how to turn keywords into investigation files, how saving, fast-forward, time and money work, and which clues to chase in the Chapter 1, 2 and 3 deductions.
The short version: a keyword is only a starting point. Search it, follow it up, and wait until a file appears in your investigation files. For Chapter 1, send the potato gun by Day 4. For Chapter 2, send the stun gun by Day 6. Both gifts unlock a specific Mega Chat choice, covered under Specific actions.
Spoiler warning: only the Basic controls section is spoiler-free. Everything after it spoils clues, gift deadlines and stream choices. This page covers the Steam edition, written against version 1.0.1 at the time of writing.
Basic controls
Keywords and investigation files
Keywords from streams and the files you use in a deduction are different things. To get from one to the other:
- Search the keyword on the in-game social media or the map.
- On social media, open a matching post and read the replies. You never need to write one. On the map, select a location from the results to see its information.
- Open the investigation files from the home screen and check that something new was added. Select a file to read it in full.
- Use that file in the deduction.
Not every search result gives you a file. If one is missing, run through this table in order.
| Check | If the answer is no |
|---|---|
| Do you have a relevant keyword? | An earlier Mega Chat choice or action may need another look |
| Did you search it on social media and the map? | Do that first |
| Did the result land in your investigation files? | Re-read the search results and related replies |
Matching files to blanks
Titles can mislead, so read each file's details next to the full prompt. Then:
- Decide what kind of answer the blank wants: a person, a place, an event, a piece of evidence or something else.
- Check which candidate files fit that kind.
- Read the sentences on both sides of the blank to see whether your choice makes sense.
If no candidate has the information you need, go back to the table above before moving answers around.
Saving, loading and the demo
Look along the top of the home screen for the save and load icons. Saving means picking a slot and confirming. Loading means choosing one of the saves listed. Saving on the home screen before a stream, or before you try a different action, lets you return to a choice later. Check what a slot holds before you overwrite it.
Demo saves do not work in the full game, so start a new game there.
Fast-forward and Auto
Holding Ctrl during a stream skips ahead at very high speed until the next Mega Chat choice. Use it when you replay a scene to get back to a choice, and release it on scenes you have not seen. As of version 1.0.1 this is a new feature, so if it does nothing, check the Steam announcements for news of the update rollout.
The Auto button is separate. Each press cycles through automatic, double-speed automatic and normal playback.
Time and money
Every search, on social media or the map, moves the clock forward. So does a part-time job, for as long as its listing says it runs. Money pays for Mega Chats and gifts, and you do not have to buy every item.
| Where | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Bottom of the home screen | Day, time period and money |
| Part-time job menu on the home screen | Available hours and pay |
| Confirmation screen after choosing Apply | Working period and reward, before you go ahead |
Plan which keywords you want to follow up before you pick an action, keep some money back for the stream, and compare a job's working period (morning, afternoon or all day) with its pay.
Reporting a bug
If controls or the display misbehave and nothing above helps, post on the game's Steam discussion board at https://steamcommunity.com/app/4413070/discussions/. Include:
- Your language, chapter, in-game day and time period.
- What went wrong and the action just before it.
- A screenshot.
- Whether it happens again if you repeat the action.
- Whether you are on the latest version.
Mark posts with story or deduction details as spoilers, and keep personal or account information out.
Investigation and deduction hints
Mega Chat price and gift reactions
A pricier Mega Chat is not automatically better. Different choices give different keywords, and gifts or earlier progress can also change what you get. After a Mega Chat, check whether you received a keyword, then search it.
A wishlist gift can fail to trigger its special reaction for three reasons. You did not finish the gift action, you missed the deadline before the stream, or the hint you are following belongs to a different chapter or route. Buying everything on offer does not guarantee the reaction. Wishlists, Mega Chats and files can differ by route, so when you compare with another player, match chapter, in-game day and earlier deduction results first.
Deduction results and routes
Deduction results affect both progress and route branches, and sometimes one specific answer matters on top of overall accuracy. Reaching the next chapter therefore does not mean you met the conditions for a different ending. To aim for another outcome, review earlier deductions and how you collected information, as well as your latest choice.
Which save to load
| What went wrong | Save you need |
|---|---|
| Keyword never searched | Any save from when searching was possible |
| Wrong or skipped Mega Chat choice | One from before that choice in the stream |
| Gift sent too late | One early enough for the gift to go out on time |
| Route set by a past deduction | One from before that deduction was resolved |
You cannot load a point you never saved, and some missing conditions cannot be fixed from your current position.
Chapter 1 deduction: location blank
The third blank is about travel time and the distance between places. Read the sentence around it to see whether it wants a place name or how far a place is from somewhere else, then compare your files that deal with travel and distance. The gift and Mega Chat steps for this chapter are under Chapter 1: the newspaper.
Chapter 2 deduction: two pieces of evidence
One piece is something made to resemble a human figure. Check whether the prompt wants the person or an object standing in for them. If you have no such file, see whether you searched the keywords for objects shown in the stream. The gift and Mega Chat steps for this chapter are under Chapter 2: the religion.
The other piece is a gift that can be worn. Match the file describing what was given to what the prompt asks you to conclude from both pieces. Gift information inside the story is a separate matter from buying items on the wishlist.
Chapter 3 deduction: relationships
For the third blank, look at family ties and the beliefs of the person involved. A name match is not enough. Read the surrounding text about whose ideas were passed on, then compare each character's relationships with what the files say about their beliefs.
Prompt and file text that do not match
Compare the file's full description with the whole prompt. If the wording still does not connect in your language, report it as described under Reporting a bug, and add screenshots of the full prompt and the file's title and description.
Specific actions
Stop here if you want to find the gifts, deadlines and stream choices yourself.
Chapter 1: the newspaper
- Send the potato gun by Day 4.
- Wait for the newspaper scene in the Day 5 stream. There, pick the Mega Chat that asks about the paper's date.
- Check that you received the search keyword about that day's local newspaper.
- When investigation opens, search that keyword on social media and read the replies. The clue to pick out is the region where the paper is distributed.
- Compare your investigation files with the deduction prompt.
If you missed the Day 4 cut-off, see Which save to load. Without a usable save, you need a new game.
Chapter 2: the religion
These steps apply if the stun gun appears on your gift list. If it does not, your route differs, as described under Mega Chat price and gift reactions.
- Send the stun gun by Day 6.
- During the matching scene in the Day 7 stream, pick the Mega Chat that tells Tsumimi to inspect the floor.
- Check that you received the search keyword about a religion promising an "ideal ..." of something.
- When investigation opens, search that keyword on social media and read the replies that mention old occult forums or archived discussions. Follow what they point to and read the files you obtain.
The same Mega Chat can react differently depending on gift timing and earlier progress. If you missed Day 6, see Which save to load.