If you find yourself stuck in a certain stage or studio, not getting the invitation letter you've been waiting for to move on to the next round, don't fret! I'm gonna help you get all 5 endings in Passpartout: The Starving Artist Simulator, as well as all of its 25 Achievements. Edited 6/11/2022: Added my gameplay for Minimalism Route and added correction about black paint in Passion Route.
This guide was originally published in my older art blog back in 2017. But thought it's better to move all my gaming stuff here now (similar to my Sims 4 and Sansar shenanigans lol), and also update this (added tips about Bad Ending and Achievements Guide) before the release of the 2nd one, Passpartout: The Lost Artist.
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I highly recommend using whatever style comes to you naturally first and play this "blind", then be surprised at what ending you get!
I. How to Get All Endings in Passpartout
There are currently 5 endings in Passpartout -- the one you end up in depends on the following factors:
1. your "art style"
2. your art tools
3. pleasing the right NPCs
4. monitoring your cash flow
5. painting speed
How quickly you progress to the next round and reach your desired ending mainly depends on your consistency in the factors above.
Keep that in mind as we go through the 5 routes and endings below.
1. The Bad Ending
TL; DR - Don't go broke.
First, let's get this bad boy out of the way.
"And so it came to pass.Lost and alone.No money nor fame.Another forgotten name."
So you, as Passpartout, live in a daily dose of baguettes and wine. But you don't have to pay for the baguettes -- I suspect, (sexy) Benjamin supplies you with that for free in exchange for getting a huge discount on your art.
🐣 Fun Easter Egg: If you type in "SexyBenjamin" at the main menu before starting the game, you get to play as the really funny and entertaining Jazza here instead of Passpartout.
Anyway, aside from wine, you also need to pay for rent and taxes:
To stay "on the green", you need to convince your art patrons that your ahrtt is valuable enough for them to make a regular purchase. Payment is deposited directly to your account at Banque La Flamme.
Art Revenue > Weeky Expenses
Once you get an overdraft, meaning your weekly expenses are greater than your bank balance, that's it.
Game over.
You don't really have to constantly monitor your cash flow -- this is an art simulator and not a boring accounting simulator lol! But if you're in the Minimalism or even in Expressionism route, or actually any route you find challenging (some find Realism challenging), then finding ways to manage your cash flow better by checking out the tips in the next section is very important!
This was way back 2017, I was quite new to Youtube, so please excuse the 720p pixel goodness quality.
I got this Bad Ending during my first attempt at Minimalism Route -- and I thought that was the ending for Minimalism.
So I've corrected that mistake recently.
1.1. Tips to Avoid the Bad Ending in Passpartout
Here are some tips to make sure you stay profitable and avoid The Bad Ending in Passpartout. I guess these can also be applied in real life if you wanna be a successful and profitable professional artist.
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But if you're a newbie or hobbyist (like me), don't take these too seriously -- yet. Instead, check out Marc Brunet's channel (#UniversityofYoutubeGang😈).
Tip #1: Stay consistent with your art style so you're not confusing your patrons. Your consistency will help you build a reputation (aka "brand") among your fans.
The more consistent you are and the more your reputation (or notoriety) increases, the faster you get sales and the easier for you to negotiate a higher price for your art.
Tip #2: Target a particular group of art patrons per round.
There are 4 main groups of art patrons and depending on whom you
Tip #3: Avoid copying another artist's works. You can copy and "steal" from multiple artists and have your own flair. But avoid copying just one artist like I did here.
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| A bad copy of Piet Mondrian's Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue |
Not only were those snobbish art critics, patrons, and viewers muttering that they've already seen that art somewhere, they were only willing to buy them for $1 or $0.
I've been experimenting with what type of Minimalism they want (i.e. Rothko, Morellet) because I had to clear my unsold art as quickly as possible
Hence, I accepted even the lowest $0 -- a HUGE mistake.
And that leads us to the 4th tip.
Tip #4: Never, EVER, sell your art for $1 or for free. Know your worth! Price your art well. Or else, they'll disrespect you and from then on, will only offer such price.
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| Shut up, Claude. |
I'm not sure if this is only in the Minimalism route where my imposter syndrome took over, and these nerds, Claude and the rest, sensed that I'm a fraud, and began offering $0 to my art. I've never experienced this in other routes. (This is around the 13:20 mark in my Bad Ending playthrough above).
Tip #5: Avoid selling to Benjamin if you can help it. Remember about the baguettes above and his discount perk? Yeah. That's the reason why he offers the lowest price all the time in your artwork (well, except for Claude's $0 insult).
Save him for later when you're really in dire need of cash and can't sell your art quickly. There seems to be a limit to the number of times you can sell to Benjamin before he goes saying that he used to like you when you weren't popular yet, or something like that.
2. Passion Route
TL, DR: sketchy, angsty, loud colors
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| Such fiery passion!🔥 |
There are 2 main routes in Act I which lead to 2 different endings each.
The first one is the Passion Route where you need to appeal to the punks roaming around the dark streets of Paris.
I found this a bit challenging at first until I got comfortable with just scribbling away.
Think of rough sketches anyone will most likely make if only given 5 minutes to draw a portrait, or you know, angsty street art like city graffiti and tags.
Don't be afraid to use bold, loud colors like red, yellow and neons. Black is also perfect. Think of the usual colors used by street artists -- however, it's better if you don't use that as background color like I did here. I wasn't able to sell those art above. You may still use black as background but "cover" it up with more neon stuff or at least make it look like just a minor part of your paintings. Both the punks and hipster grandpas don't like black theme aside from pink.
AVOID PINK. even if one of the punks named Maggie wears all-pink.
Impressing the 1st critic in Act 1 unlocks Making An Impact: Impress the Critic achievement.
Completing Act 2 for the first time in either of the 2 Passion Route Endings below unlocks the Successful Delinquency: Master Passion achievement.
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| Passpartout Passion Route Invitation Letter |
2.1. Expressionism Ending
TL, DR: bright/neon colors, flowy lines, accents
"Goats, tires and everything that inspires.These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect art.But Passpartout added an extra ingredient.Passion.In doing so Passpartout created the most expressive art ever seen by the art community."
After accepting the invitation from the critic in Act I and reaching Act II - The Pursuit of Passion, minimize the angst but continue scribbling and sketching away, but add a dash of vibrant color as an accent to your paintings.
Stick to the normal brush and avoid spray paint (or minimize its use). Use broad bold strokes as much as possible -- and bold colors too!
Avoid selling to the punks now (especially to Cynth) to progress faster. Avoid selling to Benjamin as well (see tips to avoid Bad Ending above).
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| Passpartout Expressionism Route Invitation Letter |
One of the nerds wearing neon suspenders will soon invite you to a proper gallery.
Once in Act III - Where No Art Has Gone Before, stick to your art style in Act II but give it some fresh spin.
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| My concept of spin is simping on one of my patrons and making him my muse -- notice me senpai lol |
Add more vibrant colors-- the more neon, the better!
Upon reaching the Epilogue, you'll unlock The Flabberghasting!: Master Expressionism achievement.
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2.2. Minimalism Ending
TL, DR: Stay calm. Take it SLOW.
Most players find this THE most difficult route (again, including me).
It took me 3 times, 4 if I include the failed attempt I did in my Bad Ending playthrough above years ago before I finally made it to the Minimalism Ending.
"Passpartout made art.The art was minimalist.It was excellent."
The key to progressing in this route is appealing to the emo nerds in Act II - The Pursuit of Passion. Use the precision tool A LOT, but minimize your number of brush strokes as much as possible.
You can progress a bit "faster" by sticking to blues and neutral colors. Also just limit your color palette to 4 at most in every painting.
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| Be a low-key sellout. |
Also, the secret to surviving this Minimalism Route without hitting the Bad Ending is to create some art here and there that appeals to the punks earlier in Act I. You may also sell occasionally to the vibrant-looking nerds -- but not too much, or you'll end up in the Expressionism Route instead.
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| Passpartout Minimalism Route Invitation Letter |
Make sure you have sold enough in Act II earlier and have enough savings as a buffer to survive this round.
Sales will be very minimal during this round. Claude (or some other emo nerd) and even Benjamin may pester you with $0 bids. As mentioned in Bad Ending above earlier, DO NOT GIVE IN.
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Just ignore them and continue slowly painting with deliberate strokes and colors. Keep using the precision tool and avoid sudden jerky movements.
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| Go away Benjamin! |
Even if you don't sell that much during Act 3 in Minimalism, over time you'll soon finally reach the Minimalism Ending.
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| Finally!😤 |
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3. Craftsman Route
TL, DR: cartoons, clean lines, muted colors
The second route in Act I is the Craftsmanship route. Just make your artworks appealing to the old men in Act 1 by drawing clean lines and painting relatively understandable figures.
Avoid red which might give them a heart attack (or use sparingly), and also again, avoid pink.
Also, avoid too many scribbles and "violent" lines.
Think of what kind of art appeals to your grandparents in general, especially the choice of colors (i.e. blue, green, black, gray). Maybe even think of nature!
Completing Act 2 for the first time in either of the 2 Craftsman Route Endings below unlocks the With A Steady Hand: Master Craftsmanship achievement.
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| Passpartout Craftsmans Route Invitation Letter |
3.1. Design Ending
TL, DR: vibrant colors, logos, posters, ads, cartoons, simple but not minimalist
This is the most popular ending aka The Sellout Ending, where Passpartout got notorious for being, well, a sellout. I'm not even ashamed to admit that this is the easiest and the first ending I got.
"Money talks.That was Passpartout's motto.Passpartout went on to become the richest painter there ever was.A golden statue was erected in their honour.It is so huge. Tremendous.Passpartout then proceeded to continue making art for clients.The art was so expensive. Fantastic clients.Money talks and Passpartout talked back."
Once you accept the invitation from the critic, continue painting that way in your own dedicated studio in Act II. Make sure to keep things simple and company-friendly as much as possible.
Avoid selling to the hipster grandpas you met in Act I unless you want to stay longer in this stage. If the posh umbrella-twirling ladies love your art, avoid selling to them too.
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| Daddy sure loves his horses. |
Only sell to these daddies businessmen who see your art as a "good investment." You'll receive an invitation from one of them soon to join his studio.
In Act III - Wolf of Paint Street, continue painting clean lines and shapes.
Think: logos, cartoons, ads, posters, and the like. Avoid too many details but avoid minimalism either.
Just stay balanced and once you get the news that your art provides euphoria to customers, you'll know you're almost there.
Completing this route for the first time unlocks the Million Dollar Babies: Master Design achievement.
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3.2. Realism Ending
TL, DR: details, details, details... and good color combination
This is the most tedious but highly rewarding route (actually my favorite).
"Refine your craft. Become one of the greats.That was Passpartout's motto.People have doubted Passpartout along the way and who wouldn't?Becoming one of the greats is no easy feat.However, doubt should never stop great art from being made.Passpartout fought through trials and tribulations just like the greats.Passpartout never gave up on the dream like the greats.Passpartout is now one of those greats.
Ignore the businessmen in Act II, and put more time and effort into your paintings with the help of the steady pen tool.
Use spray paint sparingly, or at least don't make it too obvious by adding more details. The more details and "realistic" it is, the better.
Use "girly" colors and themes profusely (like flowers, but avoid too much pink-- every NPC hates it for some reason). If using a tablet or you're very comfortable with using the mouse, painting realistic portraits is highly encouraged.
Avoid black backgrounds, and also too many contrasts, or else, all that effort will be wasted and your artistic skills even questioned (mocking laughter included in this masochistic package).
You'll soon be invited to come to the castle, where they'll imprison you ask you to paint one artwork at a time inside a tower.
This is when rejection stings the most.
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| Just like the daddies in suits, these madames are hella generous! |
So again, more details and good colors!
Just take your time.
What I like most in this route is that it seems like only fewer artworks are needed to be sold before progressing to the next round, compared to the other routes.
But still, it is the most time-consuming route.
So far this is the route I enjoyed the most followed by being a sellout commercially successful.
Completing this for the first time unlocks the Ladies Swoon: Master Realism achievement.
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II. How to Get All Achievements in Passpartout
Here's a list of all 25 achievements (including 3 secret ones) you can unlock in Passpartout.
A. 8 Achievements Related to Level Progression
1. Making an Impact - Impress the 1st Critic in Act 1 for the first time
2. Successful Delinquency - Impress the Delinquents and unlock Passion Route for the first time.
3. With a Steady Hand - Impress the Hipsters and unlock Craftsman Route for the first time.
4. Flabberghasting! - Impress the Nerds in Neon Suspenders in Acts 2 & 3 under Passion Route and witness the Expressionism Ending
5. Art. - Impress the Emo Nerds in Acts 2 & 3 under Passion Route and witness the Minimalism Ending
6. Million Dollar Babies - Impress the daddies in suits during Acts 2 & 3 under Craftsman Route and witness the Sellout Ending
8. The Many Lives of Passparout - Witness all 5 Endings in Passpartout
B. 9 Achievements Related Gameplay
1. Managing Finances - open your cash register for the first time and check your cash flow
2. Begone Beggar - reject Benjamin and others' offer
3. Cold Feet - scrap your painting that you already posted on the wall for sale
4. Copycat - copy a famous painting
5. Let's just start over - clear your painting after spending at least 3 minutes on it
6. Obsessive - spend at least 15 minutes on a painting
7. Distracted - click the wrecking ball, walls, boards, etc. to hear their sounds
8. On a High Horse - reject 20 lowball offers
9. Corny - become blessed by your daddy/mommy for receiving an offer above 9k euros
C. 3 Achievements Related Sales
1. A Diminutive Enterprise - have a cumulative total of 10 paintings sold in your user profile
2. Two Score Half of Art - have a cumulative total of 50 paintings sold in your user profile
3. Feeling the Carpal Tunnel - have a cumulative total of 100 paintings sold in your user profile
D. 3 Hidden Achievements in Passpartout
1. Enter Euphoria - gain loyal fans and be talked about after selling some paintings
2. Colourful - use all available colors on one canvas
3. Piece de Blanque - post a blank canvas for sale
III. Where to Get Passpartout: The Starving Artist Simulator
Back then Passpartout was only available on PC via Steam. Unless you have a drawing tablet connected or are highly adept with using the mouse, it's highly frustrating to get all endings.
Now Passpartout is also available on iOS and Android, so it's more accessible to a lot of players -- yey!
Thank you! Got stuck in the minimalism and realism routes. Your art in realism is really cool btw😊
ReplyDeleteWill you have a Hats guide too soon? Thanks!
ReplyDeletegreat help! thanks 😉
ReplyDelete