It seems that there are still a fair number of people who have yet to grab this achievement, so here you all go. The only other Steam guides for Minimalist at the time of me creating this guide are either in YouTube video form or require cheats. I personally prefer seeing guides written out step-by-step, so this is for people like me. If you follow these steps, you should be able to get the achievement fairly easily.

The goal here is to only use three of your ink splats to finish the first level of the game. Once you get to Part 2: The Watchtower, you no longer need to conserve your clicks. You can theoretically finish the level with no ink if you memorize the layout of the level or draw it on a piece of paper, but this method still requires a little bit of luck. You should focus on using your ink only in places where you know you'll get stuck. My ink is placed where I got stuck, but you might want to place your ink somewhere else.

Start by playing the level normally and using your ink to learn where everything is and how paths are laid out. This will help you feel more confident going through it when everything is blank.

If you get really stuck and you've used up all three of your allowed ink balls, it's best to reset. You can just click to skip the opening narration. That will save you a ton of time and frustration if you find yourself resetting a lot.

Step 1: Upon starting the level, turn slightly to the left and reveal the wall there. This is the entrance to the corridor you need to go down in order to get to the rest of the level. It's highly recommended to use one ink ball here because you're about to enter a sea of white and navigating will be challenging. Placing some ink at the beginning as a marker allows you to know if you've accidentally returned to the beginning of the level. The following images are the same ink blot from different angles.


This is what it looks like from the starting point




This is what it looks like part of the way down the hall



Step 2: If you did what I said in the previous section and learned the layout of this path before starting your Minimalist run, this will be slightly easier for you than going in blind. Use your ears to listen to Monroe's footsteps. If you no longer hear crunching then you're not walking, meaning you've hit a wall or another obstacle. Please enjoy this crudely drawn map of this section that I made in Paint.


Step 3: Your goal is to make it to the first set of swan tracks. These are technically visible through the fence on the curvy part of the path, but you won't see them for a while if you're going backwards. I usually stumbled into them eventually, so just keep calm and keep using your ears.




This is what you'll see if you succeed. Do NOT follow the first set of tracks, as this will cause you to get stuck on a log that goes nowhere. Instead, walk right until you come to the next set of tracks.


This is where the stone bridge is. You might need to hop over an obstacle to get to this point, but you shouldn't need any ink unless you're desperate. Follow it until you get to the stairs. It should be somewhat easy to walk backwards and listen to Monroe's footsteps to navigate up these stairs. Watch the swan tracks fade into the background. You'll know you're close when you hear music playing.


(This is what you should be seeing)

I made another crudely drawn map of the palace entrance (where you are) in case you want some help climbing the stairs. Again, it's not to scale.



Step 4: You should be able to see a crown indicating that you've found the statue of the king. Walk around until you can see both the crown and a pair of gold chicken feet at the same time. The chicken feet are in the back left hand corner of the room.


Face the chicken feet and walk backwards.


If you've done this correctly, you should end up on a wooden ramp going upwards. I like to place one of my ink balls at the very beginning because if I fall off, it can be tricky to find the beginning of the ramp again.


I also like to place an ink splat further up the ramp because falling off is very easy.


(The same ink blot from two angles)

After that, you'll be navigating your way up the ramp and around the wall until you're able to drop on the side with the chicken. Be very careful not to fall off before then. This area was harder for me to draw due to all the obstacles lying around, but hopefully this should show you what to do. Again, not to scale.


You're looking for another pair of swan tracks.


Once you reach them, it should be safe to lean against the wall and follow it all the way to your destination.

Step 5: Fall and look for the chicken feet.


Look around until you see a gold pig tail and a ring that's on a hand holding a goblet (you will only see the ring, of course).


Walk towards the pig tail until you see a gold unicorn horn.


Then walk until you see the gold handle of a spit with a roast on it. It helps a lot if you've already unlocked the storybook page at the top of the stairs.


Walk towards the handle and face it until it looks like a capital "I" with no protrusions and walk backwards onto the stairs.


Step 6: you should be past the hardest parts now. When you're at the top of the stairs, follow the tracks and walk towards the storybook page.


Turn left and keep following the tracks. You will not need to throw any ink to move the blocks blocking the way, as Monroe's body is heavy enough to do that anyway.




Once you see this pit, you're home free.

Step 7: Follow the swan into the next chapter.



Once you see this, the achievement should pop up and you can start throwing ink willy nilly again.

Thank you for reading my guide. Please leave a like if you found it helpful so others know that it's useful. Please also let me know if something is confusing or if there's a mistake in my drawings that might prevent people from getting the achievement if they use them. You're obviously welcome to use different ink placements (or use none at all), but this is just personally what I found the most useful. Hope you all can finally get this difficult achievement!