The Chameleon is Timesville’s killer, the one turning dead townsfolk into puppets and then swinging those puppets at you. He waits behind a locked door near the waterfall at the end of chapter 2, and the game lets you settle him two different ways. Beat him in battle or refuse the fight entirely. Each path hands you a separate achievement, and you can only earn one per run.
Quick answer: To skip the fight, read the killer’s name off a Timesville graveyard headstone (usually Ozzie, sometimes Ollie), then answer his five questions correctly for Case Closed. To fight him for No Strings Attached, block when a puppet arm bends, then punch whichever side arm or head leans forward. Decide which one before you enter the den, because your first dialogue picks lock the route.
Reach the Chameleon den near the waterfall
This is the longest gate in Timesville. The door by the waterfall needs a keypad code, and that code lives inside a VHS tape you have to assemble yourself. Work through the tape first, then the code, then the keypad.
Build the VHS tape
| Object | Correct state |
|---|---|
| Bowl | Pushed to the left |
| Bowl contents | Filled using the microwave |
| Bathroom mouth | Closed all the way |
| Television | Set to the bird channel |
| Ceiling fan | Flattened |
Note: If you don’t have the VHS player yet, that comes from the cow and the Black Rose. Place the rose on Rosie’s grave, then crawl right through the dark until you reach the hidden chamber.
Pull the code off the tape
Enter the waterfall keypad
Skip the fight for Case Closed
The peaceful route is pure conversation. He asks a set of questions, and you need the right answers to make him walk away. The one that trips people up is his name, which is carved on a headstone in the Timesville graveyard. Read the graves before you head to the den.
The name changes between runs, the same way the blue clown’s insecurity shifts. It is usually Ozzie and sometimes Ollie, so the answer that worked last playthrough is not guaranteed this time. Check the grave every run, and if the first name gets rejected, try the other.
| Step | What he asks | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who are you | Ask who he is |
| 2 | His name | Type “Ozzie” (or “Ollie”) |
| 3 | What you thought of his film | Say it was impactful |
| 4 | What it was about | His story, not the victims |
| 5 | What themes it had | Irony |
Get all five right and he simply leaves. That resolution unlocks Case Closed.
Win the fight for No Strings Attached
This is one of the harder fights in the game. The Chameleon strikes through three puppet bodies, so you are reading multiple threats at once. The whole battle comes down to two calls, when to block and when to punch.
When to block
Watch the arms. When one bends, that side is about to swing. Move to that side and block, then move to the other side and block again, because he usually follows with a double hit.
Do not hold block for the whole fight. Blocking stops your stamina from regenerating, so if you turtle you will never build the energy to hit back. Guard right before the punch lands, then release.
When to punch
Your openings arrive when parts of him lean forward. Each of the two side arms and the middle head can drop into a vulnerable position, and that lean is your window to swing.
Land one or two hits, then back off and let stamina refill. You cannot attack on an empty bar, and getting caught mid-swing with nothing left is how the fight ends badly. Patience wins this one; rushing loses it.
Chameleon achievements and the Ending C warning
The two achievements are mutually exclusive within a single playthrough, so you need at least two runs to collect both. Case Closed is the rarest of the game’s three “avoid” achievements, and the Chameleon is the most commonly spared boss.
| Achievement | How to get it | Players who have it |
|---|---|---|
| No Strings Attached | Defeated the Chameleon in battle | 30.3% |
| Case Closed | Avoided battling the Chameleon | 7.8% |
Warning: If you are chasing Ending C, you must fight every boss. Sparing the Chameleon closes that route for the run, so pick the battle path if the secret ending is your goal.
Tip: Make a save right before you step into the den. Your opening dialogue choices decide fight versus avoid, so a clean save there lets you grab the second achievement without repeating the whole VHS chain.
What happens after the Chameleon
Whether you fought him or talked him down, the exit is identical. A chain with a lightbulb on the end drops into the den. Click it, and you are pulled out of Timesville and back to the house where you started.
From there, head up to Mellow’s room and you’ll spot Clockey in the window. Fight him, climb through the window, and crawl into the Freelance Surgeon’s cave to continue. Beating the Chameleon does not save Timesville, by the way; the town is abandoned regardless because of the supernatural activity, which is very much this game’s attitude.
Common Chameleon bugs
He stalks you at night after you died to him
That is his ghost form, and it appears if you died to the Chameleon and then left the den. Banish it with the camera by snapping a photo of it. This used to be a softlock in older builds, so update the game if it keeps returning.
The game crashed as you beat him
This crash happens when you finish the fight at 0 HP. It was patched in 1.02, with a second Chameleon softlock fix in 1.03. On an older build, update the game and redo the fight to get past it.
