Exact developer choices for Endings 1–5, how to unlock Duskbound's sixth ending, and why the last two gallery slots stay empty.
Duskbound has five standard endings and one unlockable final ending. The crucial step is simple but easy to miss: finish Endings 1 through 5, then start the game again. The extra loop also explains the missing gallery artwork. Full route spoilers follow.
All six endings
| Ending | Requirement | Choices and result | Evidence | Build / spoiler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portrait question | Ask about the portraits → Panic. Unlock Ending 1. |
Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
| 2 | Stay silent | Keep quiet → Confess your love. Unlock Ending 2. |
Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
| 3 | Play along | Ask about the portraits → Play along → Confess your love. Unlock Ending 3. |
Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
| 4 | Reject him | Ask about the portraits → Play along, OR Keep quiet → Ask about him instead; choose Refuse near the end. Ending 4. |
Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
| 5 | Follow an Ending 4 opening | At the last two menus, ask him questions rather than refuse. Ending 5; the developer does not transcribe every final menu label. | Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
| Final | All five standard endings seen | After Endings 1–5, restart the game and follow the newly available loop. Unlock the sixth ending. | Official walkthrough | itch.io: displayed v1.3 / guide 2023-07-03 · ⚠ |
A sensible collection order
Take the three short, fixed sequences first. For Ending 4, the developer gives two possible openings, both leading to a refusal. Ending 5 reuses that path but replaces the final refusal choices with questions. Save near the early fork and before the final menus to reduce replaying; save placement is a practical suggestion, not a documented unlock flag.
The difference between Endings 4 and 5
Be careful not to treat the two alternative openings of Ending 4 as two different endings. The official guide's wording for Ending 5 is deliberately brief: ask questions at the final two menus rather than refusing. It does not provide a complete verbatim list of the last questions, so no invented option names appear here.
Why the gallery still has blank slots
The store advertises three CG illustrations with variations. A player reported filling only three of five gallery slots after exploring the routes. The developer answered that restarting after the first five endings reveals a new loop and the final illustration, which occupies two slots because of a subtle variation. An early patch also added a way to return to previous endings after the final one.
Versions, language and what is verified
Japanese localization arrived October 20, 2024. Steam released January 7, 2026, with the developer stating that it adds no story content. The itch.io download filenames say 1.2 while the displayed version is 1.3; those are separate labels. The route guide dates to July 3, 2023. This is a source-based walkthrough, not a firsthand six-ending replay on the current build; exact Japanese menu wording and internal flags remain untested. Search volume has not been measured.
Sources
- Official game / itch.io — Nefferinthia; current listing checked 2026-10-21.
- Official ending walkthrough — Nefferinthia, 2023-07-03.
- Gallery/final-end bug fix — Nefferinthia, 2023-06-29.
- Japanese localization announcement — Nefferinthia, 2024-10-20.
- Steam release announcement — Nefferinthia, 2026-01-07.
- Steam game page — release 2026-01-07.
Conclusion
Get the first three with the listed sequences, distinguish refusal from questions for Endings 4 and 5, and restart only after collecting all five. In Duskbound, pressing New Game after completion is not a reset of your progress—it is the next piece of the story.
