Squiggles the Clown sits behind bars in a hidden cell under the second-floor lab in Animal Hospital, and reaching him takes one specific drop through a broken vent. He is an anomaly who claims to have worked at the hospital for eighteen years before turning on patients, and talking to him counts toward a Journal achievement rather than triggering a fight.
Quick answer: Survive until Shift 6 to open the second floor, walk to the lab corner beside the “Insert Sample” machine, step onto the floor vent and jump to break it, then drop into the gap to enter Squiggles’ cell and earn the “Clown” achievement.
What you need before you can reach the Clown
The second floor is the gate here. It stays locked until you finish the Emergency Shift and start Shift 6, so there is no shortcut to the Clown before then. Once the upper level is open, the path to the vent is short and repeatable.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Progress | Complete the Emergency Shift and begin Shift 6 |
| Access point | Stairs opposite Room 6 lead up to the second floor |
| Location | Corner of the lab room, near the “Insert Sample” machine |
| Reward | “Clown” achievement in the Journal |
How to reach Squiggles the Clown
Note: There is a second door beside the cell that connects back to the receptionist area through a locker on the first floor. Once you have opened it, you can move between the two floors without climbing the stairs again.
How to confirm the Clown achievement unlocked
Speaking to Squiggles in the hidden cell rewards the “Clown” achievement. You can check it in the Journal from the menu before you load into a run. If it shows as completed there, the encounter registered correctly.
During the conversation he introduces himself as Squiggles, an anomaly imprisoned beneath the lab by the Animal Corporation. He offers balloons in exchange for release, and if you open the door next to the cell he retreats into the darkness, seemingly freed. The achievement is tied to interacting with him, not to letting him out.
If the vent won’t break or the Clown won’t appear
The most common reason the cell is unreachable is progress. If you have not started Shift 6, the second floor stays sealed and there is no vent to jump on. Reach that shift first, then return to the lab corner.
If you are on the second floor but can’t find the vent, check the exact corner near the “Insert Sample” machine rather than the center of the room. The vent breaks only when you jump while standing on it, so a single deliberate jump on top of it is what opens the drop.
Squiggles remains locked in his cell for the whole encounter, so there is no danger in visiting him. He is confirmed as an anomaly, and the developers have signaled more lore is planned, which leaves open the possibility that he becomes a threat in a later update. For now, finding him is purely a Journal completion, and the vent drop is the only way in.
