Cole Phelps is now a part of the homicide squad of the LAPD. What he doesn’t know is that with this first case, he’ll be tasked with the biggest murder mystery of the 20th century…
Central Station
Going out of Central is the same routine as always. It will be easier this time since the door is swung wide open automatically so no camera tricks are needed and you can have your new partner drive you to the crime scene.
Crime Scene
Arriving on the scene, skip the initial cutscene, then sprint forward between the gap of the wire barriers and skip another cutscene.
Now head for the table lighter that is straight ahead and past the greenery. You will want to take a curved path where you go through the edge of the bush, allowing Cole to still be jogging. If you don’t do that and you’re too close to the body, Cole will start to walk.
Once the table lighter is in hand, spam the “interact more” button to solve the puzzle:
- Rotate left 3 times, move up
- Rotate right 1 time, move up
- Rotate left 2 times
The table lighter will open up to reveal an address to the Bamba Club. Put down the lighter and backtrack on the same path and have Galloway take you to the Bamba club in the coroner’s van, which is the first car on the left.
The Bamba Club
Entering in this tropically themed bar will put you in an unskippable cutscene, where a guy who has barely worked there can easily identify a woman upon vague descriptions.
After the cutscene, go down to the end of the restaurant at the very last table in the middle to talk to the owner, Mr. McColl
- Suspect seen with Victim: Truth
- Knowledge of Husband: Truth
After talking with Mr. McColl, go out the left door and have Galloway drive you to Celine Henry’s house.
The Henry Residence
Skip the initial cutscene, then go up to the front door and skip the next cutscene where Galloway is able to let you in. Then go around the left corner going into the living room and turn right past the couch. Go through the two archways and look at the note on the refrigerator on the other side of that tiny section of the wall.
Once Cole lets you put the note back, turn left out of the kitchen and stand in this exact spot as pictured below while Cole and Galloway have their conversation. This will have Galloway in the perfect position to make a phonecall without taking extra steps.
As Galloway makes the call, use your notebook to manually mark Jacob’s apartment as a waypoint. Head back towards the car, and once you hear Galloway put the phone down, make him drive you to the apartment.
Jacob's Apartment
The initial cutscene transitions into gameplay, quickly aim and shoot your gun, then skip the cutscene of Galloway kicking open the door. Then sit down with Jacob using the talk button to question him about his wife’s murder.
- Movements of victim: Lie
- Last Contact with Victim: Truth
- Motive for murder: Truth
The cutscene after the interrogation immediately follows a fist fight with Jacob, so be ready to dodge any incoming punches. If he doesn’t punch immediately, you can try to bait him by punching once and then dodge his incoming punches. The optimal situation is to get two dodge counters back to back.
So, the ultimate goal is to punch him 4 times to trigger the next cutscene where you cuff him. Skip that cutscene, and then turn right around the wall to use the phone on the counter for a 95 second phone call.
During the call, make a custom marker over to Mendez’s apartment. Upon hitting the map key, pan down and marker to the street corner nearest to the top of the C in CENTRAL. You can always make your own reference to remember where to marker.
Skip the cutscene that follows the phone call, then turn around and have your partner drive you to the marker. Don’t skip the drive yet, because you need a radio call to come in and give you the objective of going to Mendez’s apartment.
If there is dialogue between the detectives, press the skip button once to get the radio call, but most of the time the radio call will come in on its own. Once the new objective comes up on the left, skip the drive.
Mendez's Apartment
If the spawn location is bad, going to the southernmost building usually works, or go to the building opposite to the billboard with the condiments on it. Skip the cutscene that triggers when you get near the building. Then go through the entrance and go up three flights of stairs to get to the top floor.
Bust down the door at the end of the hallway. Turn right around the corner and go down the hall and open the far door on the left. Go to the bloody box on the other side of the room and inspect the socket wrench by rotating it left.
Put down the socket wrench, skip the following cutscene and now you’ll be chasing Mendez.
To skip the chase, spam LMB, A or X as Cole automatically chases after him. The goal is to inspect the key on the table next to all the liquor to stop Cole from going through the window.
If you’re successful, put down the key and run out of the front door and down the stairs to “fail” the chase.
If you’re not and Cole goes through the window, just go back through the window and out the front door and down the stairs. Do this three times to fully skip the chase.
After chasing, skip all the cutscenes leading to the finish line.
You have now solved your first murder case, cheers to more successes!
