Fading Afternoon – Game Mechanics and Extra Endings

Here are some interesting discoveries that players have made in the game, including hidden companion interactions, interactions with Kato, player interactions, and other great interactions:

Hidden Companion Interactions

• There’s a Mezuki flashback at the school grounds where you can press the action button and up to trigger it. This is a 3-part flashback that reveals more about the MC’s backstory and why he ended up in jail.
• If you go to prison one day after receiving a letter from ‘GUY’ on the street, you can meet up with a prison mate/friend named Chiba. Afterward, he can be found running a bar in the same district as the Hostess Club, called Bar Rocket. You can do companion missions with him, and there are 3 parts to this interaction.

Kato Interactions

• Taking Kato with you during your first visit to the harbor and speaking with the gun supplier will provide a different outcome. Follow up by speaking to Kurata, the guy you meet on the train who will be in between shipping crates, then come back and speak to Kurata again weeks later.
• During the hostage situation in the main story, you can talk to Kato twice: once at the bar and once at the train station. It’s possible that there are more opportunities, but this is what’s known so far.
• Using Kato in fights will make him level up and get stronger. Make sure to press the item button with Kato in your party during fights.
• You can take Kato to a tattoo parlor and choose from several tattoos. There’s also an option to slap Seiji during this event, which may affect Seiji’s respect value.
• You can do karaoke with Kato in the back room of the karaoke bar. He might be uneasy, but he’ll sing an entire song, maybe even more.
• You can play pool with Kato, although he’s not very good at it.
• At the beginning of the game, Kato will not bow properly. If you slap him enough, he will bow properly for the rest of the game.
• When you go baseball with Kato, he gains stars in the relationship. You need to get at least 10 gold stars per game, and there might be some bugs, but you can achieve 3 stars and a cutscene.
• The second friendship interaction with Kato involves taking him to either a bar in the bar district or the bar at the disco. Start with a fresh drunk meter and fill it completely to earn 1 star per day.
• The third friendship interaction with Kato involves taking him to the pier (ocean) or the river (countryside) and catching 3 fish. This also earns you 1 star per day.

Player Interactions

• Pressing up and the action button can trigger various interactions that might not be prompted otherwise, such as drinking from a cup at a restaurant or sitting on a couch in a house.
• Other interactions can be achieved through the action button and pressing down, such as sitting in the far corner chair at the second office.
• You can light a cigarette next to a surviving member in your turf after a defense event, and they will light Seiji’s cigarette. This can be done to any character that is bowing to you.
• During winter when there is snow on the ground, you can sit as usual, but if you press X again, you can make a snowball and throw it.
• Using Sawada (the cop/detective at the shrine) to decrease gang hostility in different districts will cause the shops to close down, and a cop car will be stationed on the street for that day.

Other Great Interactions

• There’s an alcoholic guide to Fading Afternoon 1-3 where you drink until the drink meter is full.
• At the bar, after a few shots of sake, you can try to make a move with a girl sitting at the right corner. Depending on your actions, the outcome varies, and you can have interesting interactions.
• At the disco, after a few shots, you can dance with a girl sitting at the bar.
• If your drink meter is full, you can’t defend in fights, so be prepared for a hospital stay if you get caught in a turf war with only one protection star.
• Taking over the district with the massage parlor not only changes how the masseuses greet you but also grants you free rubdowns.

Other Interactions Leading To Major Npc Deaths (But Not Game Overs)

• You can kill Sawada, the cop/detective at the shrine, with a gun, though there are no known repercussions for doing this.
• You can take the max loan from loan sharks, come back the next day with a gun and high gun proficiency, and start firing outside of the loan shark office. This results in free Yen, and there don’t seem to be any repercussions.
• After maxing Azuma’s friendship, a cutscene involving Tanaka and Azuma will play out in the mahjong parlor. Refuse the orders, and after a couple of days, visit the bridge in the city hub for a scene involving Iwao, one of Azuma’s captains.
• After killing the Yakuza in the countryside and being back with your ex-wife, you will receive a letter. Go to the forest (or don’t), refuse their offer, and wait a few days. Visit the secondary branch office that you are in charge of for a scene. Be sure to hunker close to the body for an additional scene.

Additional Endings

These endings were not mentioned in the achievement guide.

• Childhood Memories Ending: To achieve this ending, ensure you are in charge of the secondary branch office, resolve the war with Tanaka through a truce (with Kato’s help), experience all 3 nostalgia memories of Mezuki on the school yard, and take the blame in the “Kill celebrity” quest by going to the police station after the kill. This ending reveals a unique memory before Seiji’s death.
• Natural Death Ending: If you die naturally in your bed after finishing all Mezuki flashbacks, you will have one last flashback on your final night. This ending can be obtained without going to prison instead of Kato.
• Taking out Azuma via Chiba Ending: To achieve this ending, make sure Kato is in charge of the secondary branch office, make it to the prison when Chiba is released, do the mission involving the train when prompted, visit the secondary office and Azuma’s office, continue taking territories, and follow the storyline with Chiba and Azuma. A fishing trip with Azuma is part of this ending.

This game is full of different variations and hidden mechanics, so there may be even more discoveries in the coming months. The guide will be updated to reflect any new findings, and there may be visual hints and additional guides in the future to make things easier to understand.