Toby Fox has a specific way of making you feel like a genius and a complete idiot at the exact same time. We've been waiting for what feels like a decade, and now that the TV-themed world of the Dark World is finally open, the puzzles are... well, they're weird. If you're stuck on a Deltarune Chapter 3 puzzle guide, you probably already realized that the mechanics here aren't just a rehash of the block-pushing from Chapter 1 or the color-swapping from Chapter 2. This time, it’s all about the "Green Room" energy.
It’s about signals. It’s about static. Honestly, it’s mostly about Susie threatening to smash things if you don’t figure it out in thirty seconds.
The difficulty curve in Chapter 3 feels a bit more jagged than previous entries. You’ll go from a brain-dead simple "walk across the line" puzzle to something involving three different remote controls and a timed light sequence that feels like it belongs in a different game entirely. If you're struggling, it’s likely because you’re overthinking the "TV logic."
The Remote Control Chaos: Getting the Signal Right
The first real hurdle you’re going to hit involves the infrared sensor puzzles. You’ll see these early on in the studio halls. Basically, Kris has to hold a "Remote" item while Ralsei and Susie stand on specific tiles to boost the signal.
Most people mess this up because they try to move everyone at once. Don’t.
Focus on the floor patterns. Notice how the carpet changes color near the receivers? That’s your hint. If you’re trying to open the door to the prop room, you need to align the "Static" blocks so the beam bounces off the mirrors. It’s a classic light-reflection puzzle, but with a Toby Fox twist: the mirrors aren't fixed. You have to "Act" on them during a pseudo-battle to change their orientation.
One specific room has three mirrors and two beams. You’ll think you need to hit both receivers simultaneously. You don't. You actually need to "break" the first receiver by overloading it with a double-reflected beam, which short-circuits the door lock. It feels like you’re doing something wrong, but that’s the intended solution.
Susie will even comment on how "jailbreaking" the door is way faster than solving it "the nerd way."
🔗 Read more: Why the GTA Vice City Hotel Room Still Feels Like Home Twenty Years Later
Why the Stealth Puzzles Feel So Different
The "Sneak" sections are technically puzzles, even if they feel like mini-games. You're hiding behind cardboard cutouts of Mike and other TV personalities to avoid the searchlights.
Here is the trick: The searchlights move to the beat of the music.
If you’ve played Undertale or the previous chapters, you know the soundtrack isn’t just window dressing. It’s the blueprint. In the section where you’re navigating the "Commercial Break" hallway, the lights pulse on every fourth beat. If you time your dashes to the snare drum, you’ll never get caught. It sounds simple, but when the tempo speeds up halfway through the hall, most players panic and run into the light.
Stop running. Just rhythm-step.
Also, keep an eye on Ralsei. He’s surprisingly bad at hiding. Sometimes you have to backtrack slightly to "lure" his AI into a safe zone before the next light sweep. It's a bit clunky, but it's consistent.
Dealing with the "Green Screen" Logic
Midway through the chapter, you’ll encounter the Green Screen puzzles. These are the highlight of the Deltarune Chapter 3 puzzle guide because they require you to manipulate the background to reveal physical platforms.
You’ll see a console with three sliders:
💡 You might also like: Tony Todd Half-Life: Why the Legend of the Vortigaunt Still Matters
- Hue
- Saturation
- Brightness
The game gives you a "Reference Image" on a side monitor. You have to match the background color to the reference to make "invisible" platforms solid. But there's a catch. The sliders drift.
If you’re stuck here, stop trying to get a perfect match. You only need to be within about 10% of the correct value. The real "puzzle" is that one of the sliders is actually controlled by an enemy on the other side of the room. You have to initiate a fight, "Spare" the enemy to calm them down, and then the slider will stay still.
It’s a meta-puzzle. You can’t solve the environment until you solve the encounter.
The Finale Puzzle: The "Live Broadcast" Sequence
This is the big one. Without spoiling the story beats, the final gauntlet involves a series of rapid-fire puzzles while a "Live Audience" meter ticks down at the top of the screen. If the meter hits zero, you get sent back to the start of the sequence.
It's stressful. It's loud. It's meant to distract you.
The sequence requires you to swap Kris’s soul mode between "Red" and "Yellow" (the shooter mode from the Spamton fight) to hit switches across a gap. The mistake most players make is trying to shoot every switch.
Look for the "Master Switch." It’s usually gold or glowing more brightly than the others. Hitting this one switch often triggers a chain reaction that clears the rest of the board. It’s about efficiency, not accuracy.
📖 Related: Your Network Setting are Blocking Party Chat: How to Actually Fix It
There’s also a section where you have to "Edit" the floor tiles in real-time. Susie will ask which "Camera" to switch to. Always pick Camera 2 first. It gives you a top-down view of the maze, making the pathing obvious. Camera 1 and 3 are "cinematic" but useless for actually solving the layout.
Common Misconceptions and Troubleshooting
A lot of players think they’ve soft-locked themselves in the Soundstage area. They haven't. If a door won't open and you've solved the puzzle, check your inventory. You might have the "Egg" or a specific "Key Item" that is drawing power away from the room's electronics. Toby loves these weird, hidden interactions.
Also, talk to the NPCs in the "Backstage" area. Many of them provide "flavor text" that is actually a direct hint for the next three rooms. For instance, the guy complaining about "the blue wires always being live" isn't just world-building; he’s telling you to avoid the blue tiles in the floor-is-lava puzzle coming up.
Step-by-Step Action Plan for Clean Progress
To make your run through Chapter 3 as smooth as possible, follow these specific tactical steps:
- Listen to the Snare: In any puzzle involving moving lights or disappearing platforms, sync your movement to the percussion of the background track.
- Check the "Recruits": If a puzzle feels impossible, ensure you've spared the local enemies. Some puzzles require a certain "Atmosphere" level that only increases when you have more friends in the town.
- The "Susie Method": If you’re genuinely stuck for more than five minutes, interact with Susie three times. Frequently, the game recognizes you're struggling and will trigger a dialogue where she "accidently" breaks part of the puzzle, making the solution easier or bypassing a step.
- Interact with the Static: Any TV screen that shows static can usually be "tuned" by pressing the interact button repeatedly. This often reveals hidden paths or clues for the current room.
The puzzles in Chapter 3 aren't designed to be "hard" in the traditional sense. They’re designed to be atmospheric. They want you to engage with the theme of being inside a television. Once you stop treating them like math problems and start treating them like a TV production, the logic clicks into place. Stick to the rhythm, watch the background colors, and don't be afraid to let Susie smash a few things when the prompt appears.
Make sure you've saved at the "Catering" point before the final broadcast sequence, as you won't be able to backtrack once the "On Air" sign lights up. Grab the Tea from the vending machine—you'll need the HP boost for the final puzzle-platforming hybrid section.