Tears of Themis Episode 1: The Hand That Feeds walkthrough

The Hand That Feeds is the first chapter of Tears of Themis, the episodic otome detective visual novel created by HoYoverse. This introductory episode is available as soon as the player creates their account, and introduces the main character – a young lawyer who’s recently been hired at the Themis Law Firm – as well as the first two of the game’s four romanceable characters.

This episode is a relatively low-stakes story about a case of food poisoning at a local restaurant. Naturally things turn out to be much more complicated than a case of accidental food contamination, but there isn’t a huge amount of peril involved as you progress through what is very much a tutorial level introducing most of the game’s systems.

By the end of the chapter you’ll have unlocked free-time invitation options with both the protagonist’s boss Artem Wing, and Luke Pearce – her childhood friend and former foster-brother who recently returned from an eight-year absence and has, surprisingly, set himself up in business as a private detective.

Tears of Themis Episode 1: The Hand That Feeds walkthrough

The Hand That Feeds is made up of 17 stages, nine of which are visual novel style story sections, with two point-and-click investigation sections added into the mix. The remaining stages are five debates and one concluding trial.

Read on below for a spoiler-free overview of the stages in Episode 1, allowing you to prepare your deck in terms of card attributes and levelling strength in advance, but without giving any answers to the investigation itself:

1. Story
2. Debate – Boss Attribute: Empathy / Suggested Power: 2617
3. Story
4. Debate – Boss Attribute: Intuition / Suggested Power: 2711
5. Story
6. Story
7. Investigation – Partner: Luke
8. Debate – Boss Attribute: Logic / Suggested Power: 2906
9. Story
10. Investigation – Partner: Luke
11. Debate – Boss Attribute: Intuition / Suggested Power: 3000
12. Story
13. Story – Completing this node unlocks Luke as a love interest
14. Story
15. Debate – Boss Attribute: Empathy / Suggested Power: 3575
16. Trial – Boss Attribute: Empathy / Suggested Power: 3575
17. Story – Completing this node unlocks Artem as a love interest

Tears of Themis isn’t nearly so inclined to punish you for making a mistake as some of the games that inspired it – indeed, if you present the wrong evidence during a deduction or trial, you’re free to keep trying with no particular penalty.

Nevertheless, it can be frustrating trying to trial-and-error (no pun intended) your way through an episode if you’re truly stuck – so if you’re looking for answers and story solutions to The Hand That Feeds, scroll down below the banner image, but beware of spoilers.

Tears of Themis Episode 01-06: Inspection answers

When inspecting Vernon Green’s appearance for clues, the following deductions are correct:

• Eyes: (no decision needed)
• Lips: Heart problems
• Hand: Intravenous injection site

Tears of Themis Episode 01-09: Analysis answers

During the different stages of the analysis, combine the following clues:

1. Contaminated spring water + Customers’ medical reports
2. Dispenser – fingerprints + Smart Lock – fingerprints

Tears of Themis Episode 01-14: Analysis answers

During the different stages of the analysis, combine the following clues:

1. Failed hard sell + Pedro’s performance pressure
2. Vernon’s testimony – water delivery + Pedro’s exit/entry times
3. Receipt – purchaser’s account + Records of financial support for Pedro

Tears of Themis Episode 01-16: Trial answers

Present the following when prompted to provide evidence during the trial:

1. Insecticide 330 receipt (In answer to “The poisoning insecticide was purchased by Mr Brooks. The evidence is…”)
2. Fingerprints on the receipt (In answer to “That’s a wild guess! The receipt only shows a part of an account number. You can’t prove that’s my account!”)
3. Front door surveillance video (In answer to “Pedro went to the restaurant before the incident and had the chance to poison the water. The evidence is…”)
4. Water dispenser (In answer to “The evidence that proves Mr Brooks poisoned the spring water is…”)
5. Audio recording of Pedro’s confession (In answer to “Mr Brooks has a motive to commit such a crime, and the evidence is…”)

Finally, present the kitchen security footage when given the option to withhold it – this is set up like a branching choice for the player to make, but in actuality you need to present this piece of evidence to progress and conclude the trial.

Though it’s easier to ignore than in the case of many of its peers, Tears of Themis is still a gacha game when the ugly subject of money changing hands comes up. If you’re looking to pull for a limited-run Vision of your favourite husbando, be sure to check out our Tears of Themis codes page for some free currencies to help you out!