Fears to Fathom: Norwood Hitchhike Walkthrough

Stranded, But Not Alone

Fears to Fathom: Norwood Hitchhike is the second game in the Fears to Fathom series, which is based on true events, and the developer has noticeably improved with this game.

You play as a girl named Holly Gardner who is taking a 12-hour drive home after a video game convention. Disaster strikes when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Furthermore, the area is rumored to be haunted, and wild animals are roaming through the woods.

You have no choice but to hitch a ride to somewhere where you can call for help. Can you trust the strangers on the road to get you to safety, and will you make it home alive?

The Gas Station

After the opening cutscene, you’ll start out driving in the middle of the road. Use your WASD keys to drive, and make sure you stay in your lane to avoid any collisions that could send your car bouncing off the map (I learned this the hard way).

Eventually, your gas light will turn red, and soon after you should see the gas station on your right. Park at pump #2, close to the building. Enter the gas station and talk to the clerk, paying for gas on pump 2. There are also a couple of achievements you can get here:

The Nuisance achievement can be earned by picking up items off the shelf and throwing them at the cashier. I had a lot of fun with this, and if you land them right you can stack things around him while he stares at you with the deadest eyes imaginable. Eventually he’ll say, “What are you doing there?” and that’s when you’ll get the achievement.
For the Shoplifting achievement, there’s a wall behind the shelf next to the cashier that’s noticeably darker. You can throw items through this wall. Go outside and pick up something you threw out to earn this achievement.

Before you leave, your mom will text you a task to pick up some dog food for your dog Milo. Reading all texts throughout the game will give you the Reader achievement. Buy the dog food (or steal it), then go to your car and open the trunk and toss it in. Then interact with the pump to fill your car. Now you can head back out.

Driving Into Danger

Keep driving down the road. Eventually, you’ll drive over the spooky bridge the gas station clerk told you about. Soon after that, you’ll come across an area with a big roof over the road. Get out here to get another achievement. To your left, there’ll be a fence. Look out at the left side of the fence, and you will hear and possibly see a bear, giving you the Explorer achievement. Now get back in the car and continue your journey through the dark.

A while later, you’ll find two logs in the road, blocking your path. Get out of the car and move them aside. Once the road is clear, get back in the car and try to start it… It won’t start.

Call AAA? I’m Calling AAAAAHHHH!!!!

Here you are, a 19-year-old girl stranded in the middle of nowhere, with your car broken down and no cell service to call AAA for roadside assistance. There is nothing to do but wait for someone to come by, depend on their kindness, and pray they have no evil intent. So, you wait.

Eventually, a truck will stop ahead of you. Walk over and talk to the driver and ask him for a ride. He’ll allow you to throw your stuff in the back and hop in, so walk back to your car and make several trips to move the stuff in your trunk. When everything’s loaded in, talk to him again, and hop in the passenger’s seat. Make conversation with Jason, and he’ll eventually drop you off at a motel that offers roadside assistance. Nice, right?

A Motel from Hell

At the Rodeway Inn, walk inside and pay the owner for a room. He gives you room #9 across the parking lot. Before you go, buy some candy or soda from the vending machine here, it will make you sprint faster.

Find your room and go inside. Open the bathroom door for a jumpscare, then talk to Tommy, a motel employee. While he’s getting your room ready, you’ll need to move your stuff into the room. Head back and forth from the front desk to your room until you have everything inside. Then talk to Tommy again, and he’ll leave. Lay on the bed and try to get some sleep.

The Coffee Was 1-Star, Never Again!

Holly wakes up a bit later and decides she would like a cup of hot coffee. There is a coffee machine across the way, to the left of door number 4. Buy any coffee and drink it. Instantly, things get trippy. The controls will be backwards, so going left will move you right and going back will move you forwards. Make your way back to your room and go back to bed. Do not open the closet here or you will die and go back to the beginning of your motel stay.

After fading to black, you’ll wake up again to the phone ringing. Look out the window to see someone knocking on your door. Ask who it is, then open the door for Joe, the front desk guy. Tell him about the coffee machine and he’ll deny that they have a coffee machine. To prove it, you’ll have to lead him to it. Unfortunately for you, the coffee machine has mysteriously vanished.

Joe will tell you about some pills you can take in your room to help you sleep. Return to your room, then look in the drawer next to the TV to find the pills. Go to the sink by the bathroom and get some water, then go back to bed.

Intruder Alert!

You awaken again to another visitor at your door. You can peek at him through the blinds if you want. Go to the door and interact with it. Ask “Who is it?” and “What do you want?” and choose to do nothing instead of opening the door, because if you open the door he will kill you. After a pause, he’ll start asking for help again. Tell him “Please leave.”, then “Please go away or I’m going to call the cops.”

Now, he’s going to start banging on the door and try to break in. Quickly open your closet and go hide in it, closing the door so he doesn’t see you. The game uses your microphone to pick up the sounds that you are making, so stay quiet as if he’s really in your room! Turning the game volume down can help with this.

The intruder will search the room for you, eventually going into the bathroom. Joe will come in and save you fighting the intruder. Now you’ll get the Survivor achievement since you’ve lived through the end of the game!