WARNING. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ECHOES OF THE EYE.
Walk through detailing how to obtain the “Ghosts in the Machine” achievement
Intro
“Ghosts in the Machine: Reach all 3 Forbidden Archives in a single loop without getting caught.”
You’d think this involves a lot of playing hide and seek with pursuers, when in reality you rarely engage with them at all!
Follow this route I found, and the achievement should pop up as you take the elevator down to the final archive.
I hadn’t seen an in depth guide for this achievement yet, so I decided to make it myself.
Walk Through Video
We’re going to be travelling between all three dreamscape locations via raft, so this first step mainly consists of unlocking each of the locations piers for use later in the run.
Use the hangar entrance facing the sun, it should be easiest one to reach once you know the location of the stranger.
Once inside, raft over to the riverside hut on your right, the one surrounded by ghost matter, take the artefact inside, and then enter the river lowlands dreamscape using the nearby dreaming chamber.
In the dreamscape, turn right and blow out the totem fire to open the tunnel that leads to the pier.
Continue further right and light the totem pillar that summons the bridge leading across the river, we’ll use these two things once phase two of the run begins.
Jump in the water to wake yourself up.
Back in the real world, raft down towards cinder isles, and enter the dreaming chamber in the tower.
In the dreamscape, enter the main complex and take a left to light the totem fire that summons the building next to the tower you just exited, the pier is attached to this newly created building.
Once again, jump in the water to wake yourself up.
Now that we’re back in the real world, raft on over to our final location, hidden gorge.
When you enter the dreamscape in hidden gorge, make sure you throw yourself on the fire instead of just resting by it, we’re going to be using our “formerly alive” status to avoid a whole chunk of pursuers later on.
And now the real run begins!
Archive #1: Hidden Gorge
Now that our body is dead and our mind is in the dreamscape at hidden gorge (morbid, but effective!) were going to head right and light the totem fire to summon the bridge to the main building.
Head inside and up to the top floor, past the stage with the instruments, and over the invisible bridge so that we can extinguish the totem fire on the other side, turning off the lights inside the main building (which opens the mural on the bottom floor).
Normally you would sneak through the pitch black building, but instead we’re going to head back to the first totem we lit here, the bridge totem.
Once back here, head to the far right side of these cliffs to cross the hidden bridge that leads towards the elevator down to the pier.
Use the path around the back of the elevator to easily get to the bottom floor of the main building, at the bottom of the stairs head straight, you’ll get chased by a stranger as you pass through the doorway where the mural used to be, but don’t worry, it’s scripted.
Head across the invisible bridge, and down the elevator to the archives.
(I put my lantern on the projector once I got here just to be certain that it counted as a visit, however this isn’t necessary, stepping off the elevator then riding it straight back up again should suffice).
When you cross the invisible bridge and return to the main building, hug the left wall and head up the stairs, or you’ll risk bumping into the stranger that hassled us on the way down.
Walk back to the elevator outside and take it down to the pier, once there, summon a raft and sail to our next destination, the river lowlands.
Archive #2: River Lowlands
By the time your raft arrives at the river lowlands dreamscape, the dam should have already blown away all the pursuers in this area.
from the pier, head through the tunnel we opened earlier in the loop, exit the tunnel and take a hard left up the stairs, on this raised area, focus your light across the river at one of those grabby-hand things.
travel through another grabby-hand and cross the bridge on your left into the darkest part of the forest.
head down into the secret passage under the tree, at the bottom of the bridge that lead you here, turn 45 degrees to your right and focus your light, you should see a tree, the tunnel tree is right behind that one.
From here simply take the tunnel to the empty mansion, jump through the fire like normal, and head down to archive number two.
Come back the way you came, once you’re over the bridge out of the dark forest, turn left, and use the bridge we summoned all the way back at the beginning to get back to the pier.
Summon a raft and set sail for our final destination, cinder isles.
Archive #3: Cinder Isles
This is it, the home stretch.
Step off the raft and make your way back up stairs to the bridge connecting to the main complex.
Now that we’re immune to the effects of the bell (thanks to our slightly less than alive status) we don’t have to switch off the lights in this area, meaning our pursuers won’t even know that we’re here!
Head inside the complex and take a left, walk all the way over to the elevator, and ride it down to the ground floor, now make your way to the gaping hole with the spiral staircase, and don’t worry about the bell guarding it.
Cross the bridge into the very large room, there are a few strangers here, but stick to the left wall as you head down stairs and you should easily avoid them all, however be sure to stay on the right hand side of the last staircase, so that you don’t miss the bridge at the bottom.
Head over the bridge and through the door at the far side of the room, down the staircase, past the bell, and into the elevator to the third and final archive room.