We’ve all had those awkward family road trips — now imagine one where your sibling might literally kill you. “The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” doesn’t sugarcoat its stakes, and nowhere is that clearer than in the notorious Decay Route. This isn’t your typical “bad ending” fare; it’s more of a spiraling showcase for how relationships can go sour, choices can haunt, and every comeback has a catch.
What’s in it for you? If you’re after every gnarly twist, or just want to avoid hours retracing your steps, you’ll want to look closely at how the mechanics, moments, and moral implosions stack up.
Introduction: Decay Route, A Path Built on (Bad) Chemistry
Here’s the setup. The Decay Route emerges in Episode 3 as a direct result of how Andy (or Andrew, if you made a certain violent choice) and Leyley behaved toward each other in Episode 2. If the pair “don’t get along” — bickering, betrayal, empty threats — you’re on the expressway to Decay. Think less “team up for horror hijinks” and more “mutual sabotage, sponsored by trauma.”
This path isn’t tucked away behind obscure achievements or 1-in-1000 RNG rolls. It’s the product of repeated frictions — the game wants you to see what happens when empathy takes a vacation.
How to Trigger the Decay Route: Spotting the Signs
The core trigger is alignment. You’ll land on Decay if Andy/Andrew and Leyley have low trust and high animosity by the end of Episode 2. What does that actually look like? Missing chances to support Leyley, letting jealousy simmer, or consistently taking the crueler dialogue options — that’s it. No secret code, no secret handshake, just a steady drip of bad sibling decisions.
A quick heads-up: the Route isn’t just a detour for the morbidly curious. Episode 3 plays out entirely in Decay mode if you hit the criteria, and Episode 4’s content will also build from this foundation. If you manage to keep things civil (a feat for these two), you’ll be gated off for now — those chapters are still in development.
Main Plot: Duct-Taped Alliances, Flashback Fuel, and Fate’s Middle Finger
Right out of the gate, the siblings are forced together, but only technically. Andy’s resentment oozes through every encounter. Leyley, far from her earlier passivity, has pivoted — she’s now working directly for the demon/entity you glimpsed in past episodes. Andy plays tag-along, both required and reviled for much of the journey.
Flashbacks pepper the story, revealing years of dysfunction. Expect scenes like Leyley sabotaging Andy’s social life at school, and the ill-fated ritual at their grandparents’ house that set the demon loose. These bits don’t just break up the action; they surface choices from the past, recontextualize present drama, and foreshadow the wrench the entity tosses in their dynamic.
The coolest thing isn’t the jump scares, but how each flashback bleeds into the present — doubling down on the why, not just the what.
Key Moments and Decisions: Gold Rings, Grudges, and Growing Up Chaotic
Let’s get practical. Here are spots where what you do actually matters:
The Ring: Early in Chapter 3, there’s a missable ring. Bagging it dials in the “Shots and Such” ending — a subplot you’ll miss without a sharp eye.
Andy vs. Andrew: Episode 2’s climactic “shoot or spare” tosses you between Andy and Andrew personas. Some endings are hard-walled depending on your choice here. The game remembers.
Leyley and the Demon: Leyley cozies up to the demon/entity, learning about soul-gathering. She and Andy drift even further, making each encounter itchier.
Petty, Brutal Fights: Andy fantasizes (and threatens) about leaving or offing Leyley. Tension cooks whether you chase a good ending or not.
Frequently, you’re volleyed between moments of empathy or spite — with the latter flinging you deeper into Decay. Pick wisely, or at least be prepared to ride the consequences.
The Endings: How the Decay Route Breaks Bad
Here’s the cheat sheet you wanted. Several distinctly “bad” endings — and one unresolved lead-in — are on offer, all spun from the same string of choices. Think of the following as quick bookmarks:
| Ending Name | How To Trigger | Notable Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Leyley Wins (Bad) End | Pick Andy at the big decision in Chapter 3 | Leyley triumphs, Andy left in the lurch |
| The Happy End (Bad) End | Pick Andrew after shooting him in Chapter 2 | Dubiously named “happy” end; still quite grim |
| Andrew Wins at Tag (Bad) | Win a minigame as Andrew | Andrew out-maneuvers everyone; little solace |
| Graves in Graves (Bad) | Specific calls in “graves” sequence | Fatal, dark, no light at the tunnel’s end |
| Deadest of Dead Ends | Very poor choices throughout | Maximum bleakness. Game over, utterly |
| Shots and Such Ending | Secure the ring at start of Ch. 3 | Focuses on secret subplots relating to the ring |
| Cliffhanger Ending | Unlock a hidden Episode 2 requirement | Leaves you hanging for Episode 4 |
Why so many bad outcomes? Because that’s the point — Decay is about seeing how wrong things can go, not how to keep the family together by sheer force of will.
Themes: Trauma, Influence, and Replay Value
Let’s not gloss over the vibe here. Every route variation is a fresh case study in animosity. The dialogue rarely lets you reset with a hug — it’s more, “how are these two not strangers yet?”
Leyley turning to the demon isn’t purely about power. It’s about finally escaping, even if it means losing herself (and Andy) in the process. The demon isn’t just a background boogeyman — it’s the accelerant for Leyley’s persona twist, turning her into a collector of souls, not just resentments.
And replayability? Here’s where the replay crowd eats. Decay is meaty, nearly 6+ hours by most counts, with dozens of branch points that change how deaths, betrayals, and resolutions shake out. Each time you load up, a minor scene can nudge you closer to a different ending. The content is thick enough that even dedicated YouTube chroniclers clock multiple playthroughs before mapping everything out.
Practical Tips: How to Play Smart (or At Least Less Dumb)
So, how do you ride this spiral with some style?
Mind the meta decisions.
The choices you make in flashbacks — school, rituals, the time you left Leyley behind (or didn’t) — morph not just dialogue, but core variables for later endings.
Don’t skip item hunts.
That ring at the start of Chapter 3? It’s easy to breeze past if you’re not methodical. If you want the “Shots and Such” or related secrets, you need to get it.
Track Andy versus Andrew.
Who are you playing as? If you shot Andy in Episode 2’s standoff, you’ll be “Andrew” — and some endings lock unless you are that person. The game is keeping score, even when you aren’t.
Bookmark YouTube timestamps.
With no official branching chart (per, well, every guide forum out there), playthrough videos are a goldmine. Filter by ending name, seek out timestamps, or just scrub to the reactions. It’ll save you redoing 45-minute blocks just for one scene flip.
Want a more macro, bird’s-eye perspective on managing messy forks and forks-in-the-road? The principle isn’t far off from improving your business workflow — build from solid early decisions, track variables, and always keep a log.
The Limitations: Why Full Completion is an Investment
Let’s be clear — Decay Route isn’t just a fire-and-forget choice. The dialogue trees, flashbacks, and every missed artifact add up, so collecting “every ending” is a significant time sink. No one public branching chart exists yet (as of mid-2025), and even platform walkthroughs warn of possibly missing minor scene swaps if you aren’t parsing every interaction.
Even so, if you miss something, there’s nothing wrong with tagging in an external vid (try a timestamped Let’s Play) rather than slogging blind. You’re not less of a completionist for using shortcuts — just more efficient.
If you like this style of multi-path challenge, or you want more on how choice-based mechanics reflect real-world systems, check out this resource. Quick, practical reads on strategy, workflow tweaks, and what actually pays back.
Conclusion: Why The Decay Route Is Worth The Grind (And a Little Guidance)
So, that’s the Decay Route — harsh, bitter, and weirdly fascinating. It asks you: What if two people kept making the wrong move, but never lost hope they could one-up the other? What, really, is “winning” when everyone walks away haunted?
Of course, the route is tough to 100% on your first try. But that’s part of its brilliance — as with any high-leverage project, the payoff is bigger for those who plan, backtrack, and aren’t afraid to learn from others. Stack up some saves, track your personas, and don’t scoff at a good Let’s Play guide.
In a game — or at work — everyone can use a blueprint for what not to do. “The Coffin of Andy and Leyley” just happens to give you the grimmest, most replayable one on the market.
Also Read:
