Episode 1: Little Star Walkthrough

Overview — What Actually Happens and What You Need to Know

I remember finishing Episode 1 on my first run and thinking "okay, that was a solid intro." Then I checked a guide afterward and realized I'd already missed a collectible and picked a dialogue option that would come back to bite me in Episode 5. This episode sets up a lot more than it lets on.

The opening chapter puts you in control of Brooke Osmond, co-pilot of the Cassiopeia, in the immediate aftermath of a hull breach. You'll meet every major crew member, establish relationship baselines that ripple through the entire game, and — importantly — witness the scripted deaths of two characters that the game wants you to believe you could have saved. You couldn't. More on that below.

The thing I wish I'd known on my first playthrough: Carter and Simms die in this episode no matter what you do. I spent forty minutes reloading checkpoints trying to save Carter because the game frames his death like a consequence of a choice you made. It isn't. Their deaths are hard-coded into the narrative. Accept it early and focus your energy on the five characters who actually can survive: Osmond, Stafford, Eisele, Cernan, and Cooper.

Scene 1: Hull Breach — Your First Real Choice

After the cinematic, you're Osmond and the ship is venting atmosphere. This is where you make a call that sets the tone for how the crew perceives your leadership.

Before you do anything, turn around and go up the stairs to the left of the objective door. There's a Simms Recording collectible sitting on a crate up there. It's easy to miss because the game directs your attention forward, and once you trigger the next scene you can't come back for it. I walked right past it on my first playthrough and had to replay the entire episode for that one pickup.

Key Choice: Initial Response

Sealing the breach takes maybe thirty extra seconds and costs you nothing long-term. Evacuating immediately feels like the pragmatic call — and on Survivor difficulty, the game pressures you hard to pick it — but the relationship penalty with Stafford carries into Episode 2 and makes a key persuasion check harder later.

Scene 2: Medical Complex — The QTE That Tricks You

Power's out. You trace lines with the scanner, redirect flow through a wall panel to the vent. Standard tutorial stuff.

Then a QTE triggers. Button-tap sequence, timed. If you're like me, you'll tense up and try to nail it — and then fail anyway because this specific QTE is scripted to fail regardless of your input. I tapped that button perfectly on my second playthrough and still "failed." It's designed to establish that QTEs have stakes. Don't let it rattle you.

Key Choice: How Do You Handle Stafford Here?

After choosing Honor, you get a follow-up:

Honor → Consider is the golden path here. Stafford is your commanding officer and the game tracks whether you treat him like one. Undermining him this early creates friction that makes Episode 4 and 5 harder than they need to be.

Scene 3: Crew Quarters — Your First Turning Point

This is where the game introduces Turning Points — checkpoint markers you can jump back to after finishing an episode or the full game. If you're the type who likes to explore alternate choices without replaying everything, these are your best friend.

The Crew Quarters has two collectible secrets tucked into side rooms. Explore thoroughly before you trigger the next objective marker — once you advance, this area closes off.

Key Choice: What Do You Do With the Weapon?

This feels like a small choice in the moment but it's actually one of the most consequential decisions in the entire game. Authorizing the weapon unlocks a conversation branch in Episode 5 that lets you resolve the Williams standoff non-lethally, and it feeds into trophy conditions you cannot get otherwise. On my first blind run I refused because it felt narratively wrong to arm up — and I paid for it five hours later when I had one less option during a life-or-death moment.

The Scripted Deaths — Stop Trying to Save Carter and Simms

I need to say this plainly because the game absolutely does not:

Carter dies. There is no QTE, dialogue option, or hidden path that prevents it. He dies in a scripted event at the end of Episode 1 and it's going to happen every single time you play.

Simms also dies. She becomes corrupted by the alien Growth and her death is equally unavoidable. The fact that she appears in later episodes as a mimic — not the real Simms — is one of the game's major reveals, but that reveal only works because she actually died here.

This is intentional design. The Dark Pictures Anthology games feature 5 playable characters in co-op mode. Directive 8020 has 6 crew members total. Carter and Simms exist as narrative catalysts — their deaths establish stakes and motivate the surviving five. The math doesn't work any other way.

I spent my entire first playthrough believing I'd screwed up and gotten Carter killed, and that feeling of "maybe I could have saved him" is exactly what Supermassive wanted. Don't fall for it.

Episode 1 Checklist

• Found Simms Recording #1 (stairs near Medical door — go upstairs before triggering the objective)
• Explored Crew Quarters for both hidden secrets
• Chose Honor in the Stafford confrontation
• Chose Consider in the follow-up
• Authorized weapon use in Crew Quarters — this matters way more than you think
• Completed all QTEs (the Medical Complex one failing is normal — it's scripted)

Next: Episode 2

Continue to Episode 2: Best Laid Plans →

Still finding your footing? The Save Everyone tracker shows you exactly which choices matter across all eight episodes — open it alongside this guide and you'll never miss a critical decision.