This game doesn’t lock you into a single ending based on one big decision at the end. Instead, everything quietly stacks in the background through something called karma points. Almost every meaningful interaction nudges an invisible counter either toward positive or negative, and by the time the game wraps up, that balance decides which ending you see. There’s no dramatic “karma meter” on screen, so most players don’t even realize what they’re doing wrong or right until it’s too late.
The important thing to understand early is that actions have weight, and some of them are limited. You can’t endlessly grind good karma the same way you can bad karma, which is why planning your run matters more than reacting in the moment.
How You Gain Positive Karma
Positive karma usually comes from restraint and obedience, not heroics. During night shifts, choosing not to let “it” inside is one of the most reliable ways to gain good karma. On the flip side, letting in normal, harmless customers during those same night shifts also counts as a good action, which can feel counterintuitive at first but becomes important later when you’re balancing points.
There are also a few one-off decisions that matter more than they seem. Donating ten dollars to Father Grayson is one of those moments. It’s small, easy to miss, and impossible to repeat, which already tells you how rare positive karma really is. Conversations matter too. Whenever the entity visits the store, especially on Day 7, choosing dialogue that supports supermarket rules or shows obedience pushes you toward positive karma.
The game gives you subtle feedback when you do something right. A distinct chime plays when you gain positive karma, and if you’re paying attention, that sound becomes your best confirmation that you made the correct call.
How You Gain Negative Karma
Negative karma is much easier to earn, sometimes accidentally. Being rude to customers is the most obvious path. Insulting them directly, mocking people they talk about, or generally choosing hostile dialogue options all stack negative points faster than you’d expect.
One mechanic that almost feels exploitable is the change system. If a customer is owed a specific amount of change and you insist that your incorrect amount is right, the game treats that stubbornness as a bad action. What makes this especially important is that you can repeat it. You can argue with the same customer multiple times and keep farming negative karma without any hard limit.
Just like with positive karma, dialogue choices matter when the entity visits the store or confronts you on Day 7. Choosing options that push back against rules or show resistance consistently adds negative karma. A different chime plays here too, and once you recognize it, you’ll immediately know when you’ve crossed another line.
Save Slots and Why You Need Multiple Runs
Because the game uses an auto-save system, there’s no way to rewind a bad decision. Once a run is locked in, it stays that way. Thankfully, you’re given three save slots, and the game is clearly designed with this in mind. If you want all three endings, you must dedicate one fresh run to each. Trying to pivot halfway through usually backfires because karma math is less forgiving than it looks.
The Good Ending – Keys to the Kingdom
The good ending requires you to finish the game with more positive karma than negative karma. That sounds simple on paper, but in practice it’s the hardest ending to achieve. Positive karma opportunities are limited, and missing even one can push you into neutral territory without realizing it.
This run demands discipline. You need to avoid unnecessary confrontation, handle customers politely even when they’re annoying, donate when given the chance, and consistently support rules and order during key conversations. Night shifts become especially stressful here because one mistake can undo several good decisions. If you’re aiming for this ending, assume you have very little margin for error.
The Neutral Ending – Walking the Line
The neutral ending is all about balance. You need roughly the same number of positive and negative karma points by the end of the game. The problem is that night shifts introduce randomness, so perfect symmetry is hard to maintain.
A safer approach is to lean slightly positive early on. Let normal customers in during night shifts, avoid major mistakes, and collect a small cushion of good karma. Then, during the following day, deliberately offset it by being rude or insisting incorrect change. The change argument method is especially useful here because it gives you controlled, repeatable negative karma without affecting major story beats.
This ending feels less like a moral judgment and more like the result of hesitation, inconsistency, or exhaustion, which fits the tone surprisingly well.
The Bad Ending – Easiest, but Still Intentional
The bad ending is the simplest to get, but only if you commit to it. Be rude whenever possible. Argue with customers. Insist that clearly wrong change is correct, even when they push back. You can do this repeatedly, even with the same person, and the game will keep counting it.
Resist rules, push against authority, and choose defiant dialogue during every major visit. Unlike positive karma, negative karma has almost no ceiling, which makes this run straightforward once you decide to stop caring.
The biggest mistake players make is assuming the game will “even things out” for them. It won’t. Karma is quiet, persistent, and unforgiving. If you want a specific ending, you need to roleplay it from the start and stick to it, even when the game tries to tempt you into reacting emotionally.