We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough: Opening Puzzle Guide

Solve the opening co-op puzzles, chemical recipe, timed dials, and green access pass in this We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough.

Before You Start: Walkthrough Scope and Quick Answers

One missed monitor can leave both players stuck in an otherwise straightforward puzzle. This We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough helps you coordinate the opening wellness check, shrinking-room challenges, and equipment tutorials without wasting attempts on unclear instructions. Use this We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough through arrival at the Exotic Matter Lab—not as a full-game or ending guide.

We Were Here Tomorrow official screenshot

Official screenshot · Source: Steam store

The solutions below follow player experience documented in the supplied opening gameplay video. Specific symbol descriptions and dial sequences reflect that playthrough; compare them with your own displays before entering an answer.

For official series information, visit Total Mayhem Games, the developer behind We Were Here.

Opening puzzle answers at a glance

Puzzle	Answer or essential action	Common obstacle
Alien-symbol buttons	Tentacled creature, starburst creature, butterfly-like brain	Describing symbols inconsistently
Physical-control test	Follow the partner’s updated monitor instructions	Assuming the monitor has nothing new
Battery transfer	Send the battery through the tube, install it, then pull together	Leaving the doors in the wrong configuration
Chemical mixture	Styrene → acrylonitrile → butadiene → styrene	Adding styrene only once
First timed dial set	Right → up → up → left in the recorded attempt	Starting before both players are ready
Second timed dial set	Upper-left → lower-left → upper-right → upper-right in the recorded attempt	Confusing diagonal directions
Green access pass	Reproduce the target pattern using the printer’s grid controls	Reversing left and right between viewpoints

Spoiler warning: The following sections explain opening puzzle solutions directly. Section names are descriptive labels rather than a claim about official chapter names.

Wellness Check: Symbols, Controls, and Battery Transfer

The opening establishes a recurring rule: the player with the controls may not have the information needed to use them. Before experimenting, explain what you can see and ask your partner to inspect their displays.

Match the alien symbols

One player sees creature-like images on monitors, while the other has three buttons to operate.

In the recorded player experience, the successful order is:

The tentacled creature associated with an omega-like outline.
The spiky, starburst-like creature.
The butterfly-shaped or brain-like image.

Use these visual descriptions instead of copying button positions. “Middle, then this one” works poorly when your partner cannot see where you are pointing.

A useful communication habit is to agree on three short names—tentacles, starburst, butterfly—and repeat the sequence before pressing anything.

Read the monitor again for the physical controls

The next room offers more interactive devices than the puzzle requires. That makes random experimentation tempting, but the important clue appears on the other player’s computer.

The recorded instructions identify a large pull lever, a crank or dial-style control, and a sliding bar. Because the spoken descriptions are imprecise, use the on-screen pictures to confirm exactly which devices are intended.

Player operating the devices	Player reading the display
Identify every available control before starting	Check the computer after the preceding puzzle
Match each pictured device to a physical object	Describe the control’s appearance, not just “lever”
Execute the displayed sequence promptly	Read the complete sequence before the attempt
Report whether the door opens	Recheck the display if the attempt fails

This is an important lesson in the We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough: a screen that previously showed one answer can become relevant again. “I already checked that” is not always enough.

Transfer the battery and pull together

After navigating the door section, you need to combine a battery delivery with synchronized interaction.

The successful player experience follows this general sequence:

Operate the door mechanism so your partner can pass beneath the opening.
Reach the shared pulling mechanism and interact together.
Locate the battery pack and the pneumatic delivery tube.
Change the door configuration to reach the tube’s loading point.
Send the battery to the other side.
Restore access as needed, then install the battery.
Pull together again to complete the check.

If progress stalls, verify the battery’s location before repeating the synchronized pull. Coordination alone cannot compensate for a missing power source.

R&D: Shrinking and the Component Circuit

After reuniting, continue through the common area toward R&D. Pay attention to access-card requirements: an unresponsive interaction may need authorization rather than more precise timing.

The next portion of this We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough introduces a size-changing machine. One player operates equipment at normal scale while the other explores miniature routes.

Establish roles before shrinking

For clarity, use these temporary labels:

Explorer: The shrunken player entering small passages and working inside equipment.
Operator: The normal-sized player handling the chamber, larger objects, and external clues.

These are walkthrough labels, not official role names.

The operator must manage chamber access so the explorer can enter and leave. If the explorer is waiting inside, check the door before assuming the machine has malfunctioned.

Match components to sockets

The circuit puzzle’s central instruction is that components must fit compatible sockets. The explorer manipulates pieces, while the operator helps interpret their symbols.

The recorded conversation contains several similar-looking component descriptions, including two that resemble bicycles. Avoid using a single vague nickname for both.

Circuit task	Practical method
Identify a component	Describe distinctive features, including open versus closed loops
Interpret its clue	Read the entire shape sequence in order
Find its position	Compare the required symbols with available sockets
Check the connection	Follow the circuit through neighboring placements
Correct a mistake	Change one uncertain placement at a time

Examples spoken during the playthrough include square–pentagon–plus, triangle–Y–star, and square–Y–star. These help identify the clue format, but the transcript does not establish a reliable, complete placement diagram.

Use the visible socket markings as your authority. Do not treat those examples as a universal component map.

After the circuit is completed, explore onward. The normal-sized player can rearrange books to create a route for the miniature explorer. If progress seems impossible, check whether an object outside the explorer’s reach can become a platform.

Chemical Recipe, Computer Disk, and Timed Dials

This stretch contains the clearest fixed recipe in the We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough, followed by a size-dependent item interaction and two timed direction challenges.

Mix the chemicals in the correct order

The chemistry station provides three named substances:

Styrene
Acrylonitrile
Butadiene

The inspected clue places acrylonitrile before an equal amount of butadiene, with styrene added both before and after that pair.

The successful sequence is:

Styrene → Acrylonitrile → Butadiene → Styrene

Remember it as S–A–B–S.

Addition	Chemical	Position in the recipe
First	Styrene	Opening addition
Second	Acrylonitrile	Before butadiene
Third	Butadiene	Equal-part partner to acrylonitrile
Fourth	Styrene	Closing addition

If you have already dispensed an incorrect mixture, empty the container using the station’s extraction function before restarting. Adding the right ingredients to an existing wrong batch does not reproduce the intended sequence.

Coordinate each addition: the explorer confirms the container’s position, and the operator confirms the selected dispenser setting.

Restore the disk to usable size

At the computer, the miniature explorer encounters numbered floppy disks and cannot proceed. Meanwhile, the external display asks for a disk to be inserted.

The missing step is a return to normal size.

Leave the miniature route using the available return path.
Have the operator restore the explorer to normal size.
Insert the carried disk into the computer’s external slot.
Shrink the explorer again.
Return inside to continue.

The key lesson is that an item’s scale can be part of the solution. When an inventory object seems appropriate but unusable, consider whether it needs resizing.

Complete both timed dial sets

One player activates the mechanism and reads four stopped directions. The partner reproduces them on external controls before time expires.

Recorded round	Dial 1	Dial 2	Dial 3	Dial 4
First	Right	Up	Up	Left
Second	Upper-left	Lower-left	Upper-right	Upper-right

These sequences come from the recorded player experience. Follow your own indicators if they differ.

Before starting, agree on dial numbering and diagonal names. Say “dial three, upper-right” rather than “that one goes there.” Confirm success through the puzzle’s response or opened route, not merely whether one player thinks the timer expired.

Green Access Pass and Equipment Tutorials

The final stretch covered by this We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough connects a printer-pattern puzzle with two complementary tools.

Reproduce the printer’s target pattern

After the computer section, the explorer reaches the 3D printer area. A visible target pattern must be recreated using directional controls and a central button that changes a selected cell’s state.

The recorded players initially confuse left and right because their viewpoints differ. Solve that problem before entering a long sequence.

A reliable approach is to:

Choose one viewing orientation for all directions.
Make one test movement and confirm its effect.
Describe target cells by row and column where possible.
Toggle only cells that differ from the reference.
Check the whole pattern before assuming it is complete.

A raw movement list is unreliable without a known starting cursor position. Matching the displayed target is safer than copying the players’ improvised directions.

Once the pattern is correct, the printer produces a green access pass. Collect it, return the miniature player to normal size, and use the pass at the green reader.

Combine cube placement with pulling

Beyond the green door, the players obtain different tools. One creates cubes; the other uses a hook-like pulling function.

Tool	Observed use	Helpful check
Cube-producing device	Creates platforms and interacts with suitable surfaces	Look for elevated routes and cube-compatible areas
Hook/pulling device	Pulls compatible targets, including cubes	Check high targets as well as eye-level handles
Both together	Combine positioning, climbing, and activation	Decide who must reach the next interaction point

In the recorded PC player experience, shooting uses the left mouse button, and the hook prompt instructs the player to hold F. Follow your own control prompts if your bindings differ.

The tutorial includes colored objectives and elevated interactions. Use cubes to gain height where appropriate, then inspect overhead targets before concluding that a mechanism is out of reach.

Complete the following cooperative tool exercise and board the transport. The recorded opening ends upon arrival at the Exotic Matter Lab; it does not show that area’s puzzle solutions.

FAQ: We Were Here Tomorrow Walkthrough

Does this We Were Here Tomorrow walkthrough cover the full game?

No. It covers the opening wellness check, R&D shrinking puzzles, chemistry station, computer, printer, and equipment tutorials through arrival at the Exotic Matter Lab. The supplied gameplay does not establish later solutions or endings.

What is the correct chemical recipe?

Use styrene, acrylonitrile, butadiene, then styrene again. Empty an incorrect batch before restarting, and coordinate the container position with the dispenser selection.

Why can’t I progress past the computer’s floppy disks?

In the recorded player experience, the carried disk first needs to be restored to normal size and inserted into the external computer slot. Afterward, the explorer shrinks again and returns inside.

What should we check first when a puzzle seems stuck?

Revisit your partner’s monitor, confirm access-card requirements, and check doors and object scale. For directional puzzles, establish a shared viewpoint. The opening repeatedly asks one player to act using information available only to the other.