Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate Follow the Meaning, including a step-by-step walkthrough and a complete list of achievements to unlock as you progress through the game!
Walkthrough
Island Start
- Wake up on the island and head over to the mailbox. Open it to read the letter inside.
- Open the lighthouse door and collect the oars from the boat. Use the oars to paddle out.
Arrival in Town
- Once you arrive in town, take the bone near the campfire.
- Give the bone to the dog at the house by the pier. This will unlock a drawing and an axe from the house.
Using the Axe
- Chop down the tree near the fountain with the axe.
- Search the trash can by the lamp post to find a club ticket.
- Pick up a signboard from the playground.
Cat Quest and Club Entry
- Visit the cat house on the right side of the area to begin a quest (details on the cats are in the achievements section below).
- Use the club ticket to gain entry to the club.
- Place the signboard over the hole in the floor, then use the lever on the right to turn on the lights.
- Walk past the security guard without being caught.
Inside the Club
- Talk to the bartender and piece together the drawing using the bottles.
- Take the bottle and offer it to a patron. When they fall asleep, grab the coin from the table.
- Exit to the hallway and use the coin to pay for bathroom access.
- Inside the bathroom, search the trash can for a screwdriver. Use it on the ventilation shaft above.
- Collect the faucet and attach it to the sink. Turn on the water to retrieve the worms.
Outside the Club
- Give the worms to the fisherman in exchange for a pass.
- Use the pass on the wall to the right. When the ID doesn’t work, an assistant will appear from the bushes. Click on her to receive a key.
- Return to the club, use the key on the door next to the bathroom, exit to the roof, and pull the rope.
Secret Door and Puzzle
- Enter the new door that opens in the club hall.
- Take the hat from the chair near the bar and give it to the bald man on the couch.
- Examine the painting left of the bar and replicate the image in the box below. Input the code from bottom to top to unlock it and retrieve a wrench.
Outside Puzzle
- Use the wrench on the electrical box near the multi-story building.
- The lighting sequence should match the pattern on the submarine near the pier. Replicate this pattern to board the submarine.
Submarine Maze
- Pay attention to the blinking lights in the lower section of the submarine, or follow the provided route in the guide.
- Take the rusty device and extract its battery.
- Collect the key hanging on the wall near the workbench.
Submarine Boiler Room
- Look at the boiler near the entrance. Insert the battery into the socket and the key into the slot.
- Retrieve the “hole” item and use it on the pipe entrance to the right.
Further Exploration
- Flip the switch on the wall in the next compartment.
- Enter the room and take the hat from the young man. Retrieve the token from his head.
- Return to the main room and insert the token into the central mechanism.
- Enter the pipe to the right and input the code illuminated by the mechanism. Two other symbols are in the room.
Final Segment
- In the tunnel, a grumpy old lady blocks your way. Enter the side room where a man requests a bottle from a dead end.
- Retrieve the bottle, return it to the man, and observe his unfortunate fall from a window. Use the scheme from the window to brew a potion.
- Collect the potion and use it to deal with the old lady.
- Solve the panel puzzle by selecting the correct shapes for the tunnel parts.
Hospital Area
- Interact with documents, folders, and the left wall in the hospital to progress.
- Use the token to open doors and navigate the maze.
- Solve the puzzles in the hospital to unlock the path to the laboratory.
Achievements
Follow the Meaning offers two endings, each with its achievement. To achieve 100% completion, you’ll need to play through the game twice. Below is a list of all the achievements, ordered by location and time of day.
Endings
- The Cloud
Complete the game with the ending described in the first part of the guide.
First City Location (Day)
- Gizmo
Found on the roof in the lower part of the location after visiting the cat lady. - Gone Fishing
Look at the upper-left corner of the screen. Once you see a fisherman on a boat, click on him. - Stinky Job!
In the nightclub bathroom, flush the toilet several times.
First City Location (Night)
- Peanut
The cat can be found partying in the nightclub after dark. - Greeting Gone Wrong?
Click on the person sticking out of a window on the street. - Shadow
Click on the shadow under the streetlight at the pier.
Submarine
- Biscuit
Visit the submarine at night. Look at the upper-left corner of the screen in the second compartment for a cat swimming past you.
Tunnel
- Muffin
After the submarine, enter the tunnel. In the room with potions, click on the mouse under the table. A cat will pop out—catch it!
Hospital Location
- Tigger
The cat is hiding in the bushes near the boiler rooms. - Whiskers
After visiting the house, look near the telephone booth beside the bald tree. A cat will be sitting there—click on it. - Luna
When aliens abduct you from the computer, click on the meteors. A cat will be hiding behind one of them. - Mind in the Maze
Find the dead-end on the left in the hospital’s corridor maze (check the map). Click on the painting on the wall and peel back its corner.
Final Scene
- A New Beginning
In the hospital’s final scene, when prompted to choose an app to launch, open “transfer.exe,” but cancel the installation. A warning sign will appear on the app’s icon, and the system will ask if you want to delete the program or relaunch it. Select “delete.”
Completion
- Reunited
You’ve collected all the cats! Congratulations!