General advice
P·O·L·L·E·N is a narrative exploration game whose gameplay is not just about progression. This guide will point you towards puzzle solutions as well as the game's story. There are no explicit waypoints or quest markers, but you might find environmental clues that help you proceed. To experience the full story, you need to explore every nook and cranny of the game. If you find yourself stuck, browse through this guide's categories down below and see if you can find your specific issue.

P·O·L·L·E·N is fully playable either on a virtual reality headset or on a traditional monitor, the choice is up to you!

Gameplay
P·O·L·L·E·N uses traditional first-person controls and supports both a mouse and a keyboard as well as a gamepad. You can jump, run and crouch, as well as operate buttons and levers. The world around you is highly interactive, so try picking up objects and examining them closely by rotating them in your hand and zooming in closer to them. Some items have hidden actions that you can try out by pressing the middle mouse button. You can throw a non-inventory item away by holding down and releasing the left mouse button. Remember to use the flashlight to find your way in the dark!

Inventory
Some items will automatically go into your inventory. You can access the inventory by pressing TAB or D PAD DOWN. You can manually pull items from your inventory to be used in the game, but you can't throw inventory items away. In some situations an inventory item will be pulled out automatically.

Controls
The basic controls for mouse and keyboard are as follows:
W, A, S, D: move around.
Left shift: run.
Left control: crouch.
Space: jump.
F: use flashlight.
Left mouse button or E: operate machines, grab objects, push buttons.
Right mouse button: rotate items in your hand.
Middle mouse button: secondary action for an item in your hand.
Z: zoom.
Tab: open and close inventory.
Q: open a localized textbox to help you read the texts in the game.

Highlights
An object highlighted yellow helps you move forward. Items highlighted white are related to the story. The highlights can be turned off and they have a downtime of a couple of seconds. When in doubt, slow down and look for highlighted items!



Saving
Your game will be saved automatically whenever you see the following icon:

Hint 1:
You can die in P·O·L·L·E·N but never without a reason. Run!

Hint 2:
RAMA Industries doesn't win awards with usability design. The levers to open doors may not be by the doors themselves.

Hint 3:
The lever for the stormshields is on the left side of the shields. The airlock operating lever is in the middle of the airlock.

Hint 1:
If a door is closed, why not try the window?

Hint 2:
There's something in the room trying to catch your attention.

Hint 3:
Why is the helmet in the corner glowing?

Hint 1:
Did you also listen to the tape in the recorder? Use your flashlight to find it.

Hint 2:
Karen mentioned the airlock.

Hint 3:
Karen must have been terrified of what she found. Maybe she tried to throw something out of the airlock?

Hint 4:
Collect the loose door panel from the bridge outside the station. Insert it into the slot on the door and press the button.

Hint 1:
How about using a door?

Hint 2:
If you fell down, you can surely get back up.

Hint 1:
Did you listen to the tapes?

Hint 2:
Karen couldn't work in the dark. Follow the light.

Hint 3:
Doors, cables, access panels, manual override... After listening to some tapes, you should remove some tapes.

Hint 4:
Don’t know how to override a locked door? Don’t worry, you’ll find a welcome reminder at the doorstep of Karen’s new home, in the gym.

Hint 1:
Remember the helmet in the airlock? Perhaps there's something similar around here.

Hint 2:
Can you discover the Entity?

Hint 3:
Look around for the most suspicious book in the room and examine it.

Hint 1:
It is really heavy. Remember this place for future reference.

Hint 2:
You should be able to figure this out with a map and a view from the control room.

Hint 3:
Use the storage crane to remove the obstacles. Is the power on already?

Hint 1:
Try another door.

Hint 2:
If you can’t turn off the electricity, can you avoid touching it?

Hint 3:
There is a way of skill and a way of wit. Somewhere in the hydroponics there is a photograph that provides a hint.

Hint 4:
Attach two fertilizer tanks to a pump and press the green button. It will dry out the floor and you can safely walk to the laboratory.

Hint 1:
There must be some kind of emergency instructions.

Hint 2:
The power is controlled from somewhere else.

Hint 1:
If a door is locked, why not use a backdoor?

Hint 2:
Have you checked the station map for hints?

Hint 3:
Reactor generates a lot of heat. There must be ventilation.

Hint 1:
How are the overalls located?

Hint 2:
You need some heavy machinery to lift something very heavy.

Hint 3:
Go upstairs and use the anti-gravity beam to lift the computer off of Vasili’s overalls. Go back downstairs and take a round look at Vasili’s prosthesis.

Hint 1:
Look around, up and down, what catches your attention?

Hint 2:
As a piece of fan service, there are several ways to progress here.

Hint 3:
Try an unconventional use of unconventional tool. You should be familiar with that by now.

Hint 4:
Use the anti-gravity beam to remove the ventilation fan behind the luminescent bees.

Hint 1:
Which parts of the base are out of electricity? Where are they are located on the map?

Hint 2:
Compare the gauges and lights on the control table. Which ones are different?

Hint 3:
Adjust the readings, one at a time, by twisting the knobs.

Hint 4:
Try to make the needles of the two gauges hit the right side of the gauge by pressing the button below the gauge and rotating the three knobs next to it.

Hint 1:
Did you try it with keys?

Hint 2:
Oh, the keys are hidden? Well, they were given to the key personnel on the station. They have them in places they find suitable.

Hint 3:
Philip is a man of order, as you can tell by his room. Amanda was always prepared but used her key as a sign of authenticity. Vasili is the station's medical officer with a cluttered office.

Maybe you didn’t explore all the logical places in the game? Try going back as far as you can and search your surroundings one more time.

Station map:
The crew doodled their plans on a piece of paper after their last supper.

Wiring instructions:
It's been repurposed as a mat on the doorstep of Karen’s new home.

Karen’s keycard:
The last survivors left her keycard on the kitchen counter.

Ion’s keycard:
Ion was putting on the suit and entering airlock when something happened.

Amy’s keycard:
Amy was done loading the databarrels on a train. She was talking on an intercom when something happened.

Vasili’s keycard:
Vasili tried to destroy a sample in the lab.

Philip’s keycard:
Philip was making final preparations in the study room.

Amy’s key:
She was always prepared, but wanted to use the key as a sign of authenticity.

Philip’s key:
He is somewhat neurotic about keeping things in order.

Vasili’s key:
He is the medical officer and spends most of his time in the medbay.