Tenebris Somnia controls and tips
Face the object before the interact button does anything. That rule is from the v0.4 notes. A full keyboard and controller chart was not on Steam, Nintendo, or Xbox when this page was checked, so none is printed here.
Last checked 2026-10-18.
| Interact | You must face the object. Added as a demo v0.4 requirement and still the rule people trip on. |
|---|---|
| Saves | Checkpoints can be spent. The silver bottle needs three of them and then those three are gone. |
| Sanity | Lavendoleum restores it. The menu portrait darkens as health falls. |
| Keys | Not listed on the store pages as of October 18, 2026. Look at the in-game control screen. |
What the route feels like
The mistake I kept seeing in the early routes is walking past a switch because the character was not aimed at it. The announcement is blunt about this: interaction requires facing the object. I also would not spend the first three save points I find on the silver bottle. The film-school checkpoint is the one the walkthrough tells you to keep, and I believe that after reading how long the canister stretch is.
Weapons and the book
The iron pipe is an early pickup (the 36.2% achievement). The wrench can, in theory, clear the whole game: Wrench Queen is 0.2%. The revolver is in a box in the Floor 2 study and the candle-arena fight expects it if you are not doing the wrench-only version. A shotgun shows up later. Star lockers hold ammunition and healing items. Any copper star opens any locker, and the star is consumed.
The Old Book records the elevator colors and the projection-room password. If a puzzle looks random, open the book before you open a guide. Drinking Lavendoleum at full health is its own achievement and, in the demo notes, the item gives less sanity than players expected. The demo announcement spelled it Labendoleum. The achievement spells it Lavendoleum.
Small actions that are achievements
These are easy to miss because they are not on the critical path.
- Look at Ivan’s picture five times.
- Knock on Iván’s door ten times.
- Keep walking the endless corridor.
- Let Sanguis break every mannequin.
- Die to Lacuna’s drop, or let Hermes eat you. Both are hidden achievements, not tactics.
Questions people ask
What are the Tenebris Somnia controls?
The store pages do not publish a bind list. The verified rule is that you must face an object to interact with it. Check the pause menu in your own build for the keys.
Can I save anywhere?
No. You save at checkpoints, and some of those checkpoints are items. Filling the silver bottle removes three of them.
Keep reading
Sources
- Steam achievements — Bottle, weapons, book, sanity item
- Steam news — v0.4 facing-the-object rule
- TV Tropes — Portrait darkens as health drops