A mostly complete guide by me, who has 100%’d the achievements and has a slight idea of the game’s mechanics
 
 

Introduction

Welcome! If you’re reading this, you’ve most likely either just picked up the game and have no idea what you’re doing or you want a better idea of how the game works. Well, look no further! I’ve spent quite some time playing the game and have developed a relative idea of each monster’s movement patterns, behaviors, and bits of information to help myself (and maybe you) to get through without too much trouble. Do be aware though that there are guides built into the game itself, which don’t reveal too much about each level, just enough to figure out the basics. I’ve not taken too much care to trim spoilers. This is everything I know.
 
 
 

Classic Mode

You begin in the middle of a sprawling labyrinth almost completely empty, save for some furniture, the precious blue glowing orbs, and the monster, whose name is Legs.
 
 
You have two tools at your disposal: Your flashlight, and the Radar. So lets talk about those :
 
 
The flashlight is exactly what it sounds like. There are next to no lights in the maze, so it is almost necessary for navigation. If pointed at the monster, it will scare him away, at least most of the time. More on that later.
 
 
The radar serves as a sort of map. Up on the radar is forward, and it can be rotated. It shows the location of orbs, yourself, and occasionally shows the position of Legs. The radar has a tendency to show passages and walls that aren’t really there, but it does not lie about the orb positions. Use it to find them.
 
 
Your goal is to find and collect all 14 blue orbs scattered around the maze. The orbs will emit a high pitched sound that indicates their presence, so listen for this noise to find them. Once you collect 2 orbs, the game will tell you that you must collect 200 orbs. This is not the case; the last two orbs hold the key to your escape.
 
 
Running is optional, but not recommended. Doing so alerts Legs to your position. Only run if you have to!
 
 
Legs is no ordinary horror game creature. He is afraid of your flashlight, and will run away if he is flashed. He will never attack you from a set position, instead stalking you on your trip through the maze. Listen for him, as he makes noises when he gets close, and his eyes glow faintly at the ends of the checkered halls. If he reaches you without being flashed, blood will appear on your screen, and if he reaches you again, it’s game over. After roughly three times being flashed by your flashlight, Legs will stay completely still and flash a prompt on your screen that says RUN. You have about 4 seconds to make distance before he charges you.
 
 
This enraged phase of Leg’s isn’t much to worry about. His running speed is close to yours, so he cannot meaningfully catch up to you unless you make a mistake. Watch out for dead ends! In the event of reaching a dead end in this phase, always try to escape; it’s a better option to losing, by a long shot. This phase is life or death, as he can instant kill you if he reaches you. When the chase music stops playing, the game will resume as normal.
 
 
You will only ever survive one enraged phase. The second enraged phase makes him go berserk, running much faster than you, unrelenting in his chase. Listen for his howl and find the last orbs as quick as you can!
 
 
That isn’t it though, as legs has a few behaviors to keep you on your toes. Once you are down to at least 6 orbs, his red eyes can flash blue and he will play the sound that indicates that an orb is near. If the blue light moves, it is not an orb. He is not guaranteed to do this every game, but the chance of him doing it increases slightly for every orb collected. It mostly only happens around 1-3 orbs remaining. Keep your eyes open.
 
 
Once 1 orb is left, glowing red eyes can appear on every wall, imitating his own. Once again, this is not guaranteed to do this. He can use this ability in conjunction with his orb mimicking behavior as well. This can also rarely happen at the start of the game.
 
 
 

Shutter Mode

Shutter mode is very similar to classic mode, yet much higher in difficulty. Although you must only collect 9 orbs to win compared to classic mode’s 14, the difficulty is heightened by the removal of the flashlight. You are instead armed with a camera.
 
 
The camera can be used to scare the monster away, as the flashlight is. It can also be used to completely illuminate a room. Its main drawback is batteries. The camera is charged to maximum at the beginning, leaving exactly 10 camera uses before batteries run out. The battery meter on the side of the screen will turn red when one charge remains. At all costs, do not use the camera when one charge remains, as Legs will become enraged and you will have no method to fend him off.
 
 
Collecting orbs recharges the batteries by one charge, meaning you have a maximum of 19 charges in the level. Do not use them unnecessarily. The batteries may not be a problem for you, seeing as on a normal level it tends to never drop below five charges.
 
 
As previously stated, Legs behaves differently in this level. He is slightly more aggressive and hunts you from the start. Do not open the radar until you have flashed him once, or he will catch you early. Because of the lack of light, Legs will be much louder to aid you in flashing him before he finds you. Headphones recommended, because the audio is directional.
 
 
The enraged mode in this level is different and more difficult to identify. The RUN prompt does not appear. Instead, he just stands completely still, with the usual timer before he charges. Do not underestimate this phase. In shutter mode, he is now significantly faster than you while chasing. Make distance and flash the camera on him to stun him. This will usually need to be done 3-4 times before he looses interest and the chase ends. As with classic mode, chase 2 is death. The camera will not help you.
 
 
As the only illumination other than the camera is a small circle of light around you, stay close to the walls. This will help you navigate easier and can limit the angles from which Legs can attack you. Again, running is not recommended, but doable if you’re careful. Run and listen for it.
 
 
 

Hide And Seek

This mode is, again, very different from classic mode. The monster in this mode is unnamed (at least judging from the information given to us) so for the purpose of this guide we will refer to him as Edward.
 
 
This mode gives us a few new abilities. For one, we are now able to crouch, and we are able to turn off our flashlight.
 
 
Edward hides as a black and white lump, pictured here:
 
 

 
 
This is Edward’s hiding form. There are two conditions to the activation of this form:
 
 
– Looking at it from afar for an extended period of time while your flashlight is on will cause it to activate. If your flashlight is off, this condition is ignored for the most part.
 
-Coming too close to it will cause it to activate. This distance is similar to that of the natural illumination in Shutter Mode.
 
 
Note that in his hiding phase, he will constantly reposition himself, so memorizing his position is a waste of time. His repositioning will become more frequent until found. Do not find him, at all costs.
 
 
When found, phase 2 of the Hide and Seek mode will begin. Now Edward is “It,” and he will give you five seconds to find a hiding place. Make as much distance as you can in this time. Crouch to make less noise. You can keep your flashlight on, unless you can hear him close to you, indicated by the siren noise. If you hear this, find somewhere to hide, crouch and turn your flashlight off. Do not stay in this position for too long. As soon as he leaves, depart in the opposite direction, if any.
 
 
Unlike the other monsters, Edward is able to be seen by the radar in phase 2, indicated by a red glowing circle. You can crouch while using the radar, so use this to your advantage to look out for him. Do note that the radar’s distance is quite exaggerated. He is always closer than he looks.
 
 
Phase 3 of this level begins when Edward finds you, emitting a victory screech and flashing the prompt THERE YOU ARE! on the screen. As soon as he does this, make as much distance as you can. Edward can occasionally burst through walls, indicated by a banging sound, so always try to run a straight path to prevent him from making distance in this way. Do not slow down. When the music stops playing, you have become “It” again, and Edward begins to hide once again.
 
 
This is the safest mode to make use of the Radar, so be sure to do that. This mode holds 22 orbs, an intimidating number sure to make the game long and hard without the use of the radar.
 
 
The radar can also help find alternative ways through an area where Edward is hiding. Alternatively, to get through an area where he is, turn off your flashlight and walk close to the wall of the room until you reach the exit, if possible.
 
 
In the endgame, Edward often hides next to orbs to make you find him. In the event that this happens, you can either try to collect the orb with your back to him, or wander far away from the orb to bait him into switching spots.
 
 
If you somehow manage to get through the game without finding him at all, at 1-3 orbs he will jump up from his current hiding place and flash the prompt PLAY WITH ME! BAD SEEKER! WHY WONT YOU PLAY WITH ME? This will skip from phase 1 into a more intense phase 3. Advice for that phase applies here. Make distance and do not stop.
 
 
 

Living Halls

Possibly the most difficult game mode in the game is living halls, combining several mechanics into a very challenging experience. There is no longer just one monster, there are several, blending perfectly into the wall. Along with your flashlight and radar, you are armed with a new tool, the sensor, which can be used by pressing the space bar.
 
 
The sensor is the most valuable tool, as it does two very important things :
 
 
– It acts as a timer, displaying 120 seconds until 0. It is useful to keep track of this time, because at 0 you need to be hiding inside of a vault to live. At ~30 seconds remaining the flashlight will break and begin to dim. At 0 most wall monsters will enrage and begin to chase you.
 
 
– It also, as the name implies, acts as a sensor for the many creatures in the wall. By default the screen is black and faintly green. It will become dull green if there is a dormant creature detected, and bright green if a creature likely to attack is detected. It will beep if it detects an attacker, and beep faster depending on proximity.
 
 
There are three vaults : Vault A, Vault B, and Vault C, all placed at a mostly equal distance from each other on the map. You will always begin inside of a vault, though which vault you spawn in is random. After the vault has been used once, it will die, indicated by the sounds of it shutting down. A dead vault’s door will not be able to be closed again, and the creatures will still be able to enter.
 
 
The sensor’s sensing functionality won’t be of much value to you, because any monster that intends on attacking you will awaken when you get close, and the sensor will quickly beep even when not being used if a would-be attacker is near. If it intends on attacking you, it will remove itself from the wall and begin to shuffle towards your position, making a great amount of noise while it does so. Think of it like SCP 176 or a weeping angel from Doctor Who, freezing when looked at and moving forwards when your gaze is not focused upon it.
 
 
Running increases their chance to attack you, though it can be vital to save time. A big gamble to take, but one that could surely pay off. This becomes a riskier strategy for every orb you collect. There are 20 orbs in total.
 
 
 

The Phantom

The 5th and final gamemode features the Phantom, Presumably the creature at the end of Classic Mode, who has a whole new set of mechanics and is quite severe in difficulty.
 
 
The phantom is invisible, however to it you are also invisible. The maze is littered with furniture which is will toss around while navigating the maze looking for you. Press space to hold your breath to avoid detection. If it finds you, you can both see each other and it will lead to a fatal chase which ends only on two conditions: You finish the level or you catch it with a device.
 
 
Devices can be planted by left clicking. You only have two and they take a while to charge up, but when active can send the phantom to the other side of the maze while it is chasing you, disengaging the fatal chase mode. Use them sparingly! It helps to place one where you initially start off and save the other until you trap it with the first. Place the second in an area you often cross. At all costs, don’t get lost.
 
 
Shuffling furniture around will make noise and attract the creature to you. Though inevitable most of the time, try to avoid doing so. Do not run at all unless being chased. It is faster then you are, even when not engaged.
 
 
Remember to always try to make use of the devices. If the monster begins to repeatedly checking the room which you are in, start making your way to the nearest one.
 
 
It helps to also play by sight. Since holding your breath is timed, do not do so unless you are certain it is in the room with you, indicated by the tossing of furniture.
 
 
Risky strategy, but if a hallway is blocked away by debris, you can sprint around to call the phantom to you, who will fly through the hallway and remove it. Again, risky strategy, but possible. Just find another way around.
 
 
Not really a whole lot of strategies for this one. You might get lucky once. Just play carefully and watch/listen for it.
 
 
 

Secret Game Modes

Because these are secret, I’ll let you find out how to unlock them yourself (Unless you don’t care, in which case, click the stars you’ve earned under the first three modes. Phantom and Living halls do not have one).
 
 
THE LABYRINTH
 
 
Hard mode version of classic mode. Legs is 3x more aggressive, the map is twice as big (and outside this time), and you must collect 40 orbs. Legs will spawn once you have collected 7, or 33 remaining. The radar gives you a full view of the map this time, not just the spots close to you, so use this to your advantage.
 
 
Also, forget everything I said. Run everywhere. The maze is twice as big and, though I have no means to prove it, I believe Leg’s AI is always under the assumption that you’re running because whenever I do run vs when I don’t he doesn’t seem more inclined to attack.
 
 
His enraged phase is brutal and unforgiving. His running speed is similar to yours again, but this time the whole maze darkens and your flashlight breaks. On the second enraged phase, he will not go berserk, but the labyrinth will begin to tilt. This can also happen on the subsequent chase phases.
 
 
On occasion, instead of the game playing normally, the run phase will begin, Legs will spawn immediately, and the enraged phase will play similarly to the berserk phase from classic mode. It’s only ever happened to me once so I’m not very sure how to deal with it.
 
 
SHUDDER MODE
 
 
Follows the same concept. Map is larger, 18 orbs must be collected instead of 9, Legs is much faster, maze is larger. This one actually has a day/night cycle, where the sun sets and the maze darkens over time. Run everywhere. Legs is a lot faster and the best way to flash it is to navigate by sight.
 
 
If you hear it, stand in the middle of the room and point your camera to the direction which you think he is likely to come from. DO NOT STAND AGAINST A WALL! It only takes a few frames for him to get from point A to point B, and he is also likely to hug against a wall as he travels to you. His enraged phase is also much more unforgiving. Make distance.
 
 
Other than that it’s not much different than shutter mode.
 
 
THE JUNKYARD
 
 
Hard mode Hide and seek. 52 orbs must be collected to win. The map is much larger, and instead of checkered halls, tons of furniture line the map and form a maze of their own. These are quite advantageous: Edward cannot break through these, and you can see over them. Because he produces light when looking for you, you can almost always tell his position.
 
 
The problem is that it is much harder to navigate. Edward favors hiding near orbs in this gamemode, so you may have to leave some behind.
 
 
I honestly find this mode easier than Hide and Seek, simply because he’s easier to see before you go somewhere because of the light. It’s not going to be difficult to not find him for the whole game, but you’d better hope you don’t, because his chase phase is, say it with me, much more unforgiving. He moves a bit faster than you do but stays out for about half as long.
 
 
 

The Three Last Achievements

Three achievements remain :
 
 
CLOSE CALL
 
 
Replenish your batteries after running out of batteries in Shutter Mode
 
 
You could probably get this achievement by chance, but the best way to do it is to purposely run out of batteries on the last two orbs. Or the beginning, if you enjoy a challenge run.
 
 
BOLD
 
 
Beat Classic mode without walking forward
 
 
The game refers to this achievement as the backwards achievement, but you’re better off crab walking down the halls. Make use of A and D. Basic rules for Classic apply.
 
 
DEAF
 
 
The most challenging achievement by far. Play this mode like classic mode, always look for it. Make sure it has exited the room before continuing about your business. PLACE THE DEVICES! Check the room for out of place furniture. If the lamps or chairs are flipped over, it’s been somewhere. Be cautious.
 
 
I find this one to be pretty luck based. Just keep at it.
 
 

 
 
Here we come to an end for It Steals Survival Guide & Game Mechanics Gameplay hope you enjoy it. If you think we forget something to include or we should make an update to the post let us know via comment, and we will fix it asap! Thanks and have a great day!