PAPERHEAD getting started
Learn the verbs in EP.0 if you own it. Do not wait for a shop — that lands on October 9.
Your first hour in PAPERHEAD is movement, then a pencil, then a shotgun. The prologue already taught that loop. The October 9 build adds shops on top of it. Do not wait for a shop in EP.0 — there isn't one.
The loop in one pass
You are in an abandoned cardboard research facility. Something in the paper started bleeding. The tools Steam lists are:
- A shotgun for the obvious solution
- A pencil that is both a weapon and a room editor
- Your boots — toss, kick barrels, stomp
That is the whole beginner kit. There is no published HUD legend and no official keybind sheet. If you are on a pad, the store promises full controller support (including DualShock / DualSense). Keyboard players should expect a standard FPS layout; we will log the real bindings against the 1.0 build, not guess them from a trailer.
| Tool | What the public record says it does | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Boots | Toss enemies, kick exploding barrels, stomp heads | Always. This is the movement game. |
| Shotgun | "Blast them to smithereens" | When the joke stops working |
| Pencil | Sketch bombs, draw doors, write on walls | When the room is the puzzle |
| Clips (EP.0 / demo) | Collectable. No shop in those builds | Pocket them; 1.0 spends them |
| Clips (1.0) | Regular → consumable shop. Golden → upgrade tree | After October 9 |
First session if you still have EP.0
Boot the prologue you already own. Spend the first twenty minutes on three habits:
- Kick before you shoot. Barrels are the resource. If you dump shells into the first hallway you will feel poor later.
- Treat the pencil as ammo craft. Official copy: sketch a bomb, then kick it. That is the loop, not a gimmick cutscene.
- Do not hunt a shop. Demo and EP.0 players all assumed clips were currency. Devlog 4 says they were right about the instinct and wrong about the build — the shops land in 1.0.
If a room feels like a dead end, try drawing. The store literally lists "draw doors to kick down" and "write words on walls — no reason needed." That second one is flavour. The first one is a lockpick.
Controller users: enable the in-game rumble/aim options if they exist in your build, then leave them. The Next Fest notes called out controller support as a first. Keyboard users: cap FPS if the prologue hitching reports match your machine — see demo vs EP.0.
First session if you only have the October 9 build
Same three habits, plus one new rule from Devlog 4: two clip colours. Regular clips buy consumables (HP, ammo, armor, extra weapons, and at a high cost a skill point). Golden clips sit in secrets and feed the upgrade tree. Do not spend regular clips like they were gold. Do not skip secrets if you care about the tree.
The developer framed both shops as comfort, not a mandatory grind: a pencil-only run or a coin-farming run should both be possible. Until 1.0 is in hand, that is intent, not a tested build.
What not to do
- Do not wait for a Mac build. The store is Windows.
- Do not wait for a pre-order. There isn't one.
- Do not treat YouTube "full achievement" videos from EP.0 as a 1.0 checklist. Achievements are listed for the full game; the count is not on the store yet.
- Do not copy numbers from random "best build" posts. There is no published damage table.
From here, split: combat if the shooting is the part that clicked, pencil if the drawing is, clips and upgrades if you are already thinking about the shop.
FAQ
How long is the campaign? Not published.
Is there a map? Not documented. EP.0 played as authored spaces, not an open hub.
Should I play EP.0 first? If you already own it, yes, as a movement gym. If you don't, you can't claim it anymore.
