Leaves: The ReturnLeaves: The Return

Game Details:  Fantasy, 2017

Links:  Moby Games, Steam, Adventure Gamers

Walkthrough Updated:  4/18/2020

Suggested Listening:  Caught Up in the Panic (Ash 25)

Leaves: The Return is the second fantasy puzzle adventure set in the land of Mononino, and is the direct sequel to Leaves: The Journey. You again play as a nameless protagonist on a mission to return the 30 lost leaves to the tree belonging to the Treefruities. There are 16 Steam Achievements, all documented in the walkthrough below.

North Path

After the leaves fly off the tree, click on the tree Upset the Treefruities. Pick up the first leaf (1/30) from the ground on the left. Take the palette being offered by one of the Treefruities, then head through the path towards the right. Examine the head of the large statue here, and click on it to open it. Examine the palette in your inventory, then adjust the positions of the levers - from back to front they should be right, left, middle, left, left.

In your inventory, use the magnifier Detective. Drag this across the screen here to find your first inhabitant (1/15). Now continue forward along the path. Pick up a leaf (2/30) from the right of the bright orange rock. Break the tape on the rock, then head inside. Pick up the portal symbol from the ground. Examine the puzzle, but you cannot interact with it yet, so head back outside and continue right.

Collect a red water drop from the flower here. Drag the pole on the right upwards until you find the next leaf (3/30). Climb down the ladder. Use the magnifier here to find the next inhabitant (2/15). Examine the mouth cage on the left. Press each of the buttons once to remove all the bars, then take the next leaf (4/30) and a new palette showing 5 symbols. Back out and pull the lever, then open the door on the right and go inside. Pick up another leaf (5/30) and pull another lever. Exit to the left.

Pull the lever, then take the leaf (6/30) that is revealed. Head to the right. Take another leaf (7/30) from the far left. Use your magnifier to locate the next inhabitant (3/15). Now examine the controls on the base of the electrified head, and look more closely at the small controls at the very bottom. Rearrange the panels as follows (the connectors are indicated in orange):

Everything should glow red when it is active Engineer. After automatically backing up, use the 5 buttons to highlight the symbols shown on the recently acquired palette:

Return to the left, then examine the new puzzle here. There are 6 groups of puzzle pieces. Each group must contain 6 different symbols - just use a process of elimination to work out where each piece must go Underground Opened.

Examine the large portal that is revealed and insert the portal symbol at the bottom Explorer. Grab another leaf (8/30) from the left, then head through the new opening.

Northeast Path

Pick up the purple bean from the ground here, then use your magnifier to find an inhabitant (4/15). Approach the green glow and take a leaf (9/30) from the top. Also use the magnifier to find an inhabitant (5/15) to the left Student. Back out and go to the purple glow, then drop the purple bean into the bowl here. Take another portal symbol and a new palette. Back out and return to the portal. Insert your new portal symbol at the top and go through.

Southeast Path

Use your magnifier to find another inhabitant (6/15), then grab another leaf (10/30) from the ground. Examine the puzzle on the rock wall here. Using the palette you just picked up, press the buttons on the right in this order: up, down, down, up, down, down. Now you need to click on pairs of symbols at the bottom that when combined form the 4 symbols at the top (you have to do them in order from left to right). Repeat this twice more, then continue forward along the path to reach a city wall.

Pick up the green bean. Use the magnifier to be able to read the time on the clock more clearly, which is 7:15. Return left and back to the portal, then go through the bottom opening.

Northeast Path

Approach the green glow and drop the green bean into the bowl. Take the next palette, then go back past the portal.

North Path

Pull the lever right to call the elevator, then open the door and get inside. Pull the lever in here right, then exit left, climb the ladder and go left and back. Examine the dial on the rock here. Use the palette you just received to enter the correct combination: clockwise 5 times, anti-clockwise 6 times, clockwise 5 times, anti-clockwise 7 times, clockwise 3 times. Grab a leaf (11/30), another palette, and the next portal symbol. Back out of here, then go back once. Click on the Travelstone here twice to teleport to the portal, then go through the top opening.

Southeast Path

Go forward to the city wall again. Use the palette you just found to work out which 9 lights to turn on, then go through the door that opens near the bottom right. Pick up the leaf (12/30) from the ground. Click on both hands on the right to raise them, but you don't have the solution for the puzzle here yet. Use your magnifier to find another inhabitant (7/15). Back out, then continue left and back to the portal. Insert your portal symbol at the left and go through.

Southwest Path

You will be confronted by a large maze, with a set of controls on the front. Examine the controls, and take a leaf (13/30) from the left. You can choose your path through the maze by clicking buttons on the right (starting at the bottom) indicating whether you will follow the blue or red markers.

Start by selecting blue, red, blue. Click on the left target to go there. Use your magnifier to find some inhabitants (8/15). There are six numbered buttons on the wall here, but you don't know the combination yet, so go back to the start of the maze.

Examine the controls again and select blue, red, red, blue, red, blue, blue. Click on the right target to go there. Pick up another leaf (14/30) from here. Use the magnifier to fine another inhabitant (9/15). Take the cover off the cabinet, and press the button on the stand (1/4). Now look inside the cabinet and piece together the ornate key, rotating the pieces before dragging them into position. Take the key once it is finished. Go back to the start of the maze again.

Examine the controls and select blue, red, red, blue, red, red. Click on the middle target to go there. Insert the key into the slot and turn it to make the red statue rotate. Go back, then set the controls to blue, red, red, blue, red, blue, blue and go to the right target again. Take the rope, then go back once more.

Examine the controls and select blue, red, red, blue, blue, red. Click to go to the exit of the maze. Take the leaf (15/30) from here. Pfeffersack will not let you pull the lever, so go back for now. Head left from the maze and grab the leaf (16/30) from behind the right hand. Examine the colorful puzzle and drag the squares into position to create the matching symbols above:

4
8
2
6
3
1

Drag the device over the squares to reveal the numbers shown above. Back out of the puzzle and use your rope on the bull statue. Go through the opening behind it. Press the button on the stand (2/4). Pick up the leaf (17/30) from the ground. Use your magnifier to find an inhabitant (10/15) sitting on the pulsing rock Nerd. Now head left. Grab a blue water drop from the right side of the large head. Examine the panel at the base of the large head. Take a leaf (18/30) from the ground here, and use your magnifier to find another inhabitant (11/15). You need to click on the hand symbols so they match the large hand statues you saw recently. From left to right they should be as follows:

  • Gap between middle and ring fingers
  • Index finger separated
  • All fingers together
  • All fingers separated
  • Index and little fingers separated
  • Little finger separated

You will get an achievement for getting this correct Handy Man. You will automatically return right and see a panel open in the stone. Examine this to see your next puzzle. You need to group all the bands on the sticks that match the bands at the top, by sliding them off the bottom and depositing them on top. Once you are done, take the red bean. Go back through the tunnel and head right, then look at the maze controls. Select blue, red, blue and go to the left target. Now enter the following numbers on the wall:

3
1
6
8
2
4

Take the red salad, then slide the cushion aside and pick up the hidden leaf (19/30). Go back and set the maze controls to blue, red, red, blue, blue, red, then go to the maze exit. Feed the red salad to Pfeffersack, and he will pull the lever for you Chef. Go through the opening and use your magnifier to find the next inhabitants (12/15). Open the slot on the right and examine it. You need to spin the 3 discs here to uncover a total of 8 red beans and 4 blue beans at the same time. From the starting position, do the following:

  • Click the inner brown disc to rotate it clockwise 6 times
  • Click the middle green disc to rotate it anti-clockwise 3 times
  • Click the outer brown disc to rotate it clockwise 3 times

Grab the leaf (20/30) that is revealed in the slot below. Click on the Travelstone here twice to teleport to the portal, then go through the bottom opening.

Northeast Path

Approach the red glow and drop the red bean into the bowl. Take the leaf (21/30) and palette, then go back to the portal and through the top opening.

Southeast Path

Go forward and through the small open door. Use the information on the palette you just obtained to set the colors on the shapes puzzle here. Pull the cord once it lowers from the ceiling, then continue forward. There are 6 small niches extending out from this central room, and they all are numbered 01-06 in embossed writing. In niche 01, pick up a leaf (22/30) from the small hole in the back wall. In niche 02, press the button on the stand (3/4). In niche 04, use your magnifier to find the next inhabitant (13/15). Open the panel on the back wall, then zoom in to see a puzzle. You need to insert the numbers listed at the bottom into the grid so they all intersect like answers to a crossword puzzle:

6
4
1
4
2
3
0
5
2
5
3
2
4
1
1
6
3
2
6
5
4
0
4
3
4
5
1
1
2
4
5
1
2
4
3
4
5
6
3
1
2
1
3
6
3
4
3
6
6
6
5
4
0
5
4
0
2
1
2
1
2
6
1
5
1
3
1
3
6
0
5
0
6
4
6
0
5
3
2
5
3
5
2
4
4
4
1
0

There is an achievement for solving this puzzle Number Cruncher. Pick up the leaf (23/30) and press the button on the stand (4/4). Return to niche 02 and take the leaf (24/30) from the opened window. Next go to niche 06. Collect the leaf (25/30) and use your magnifier to find another inhabitant (14/15) peering out from the right. You now need to set the buttons on the gate correctly. The settings for the left gate can be determined by following the pipes from niche 05, where the same symbols are shown. The settings for the right gate are determined from the hint of color changes back on the left column in niche 01. Assuming 0 is the blank state, click on each of the buttons this number of times to get the correct settings:

1
4
2
3
4
3
1
2

You should now see energy crossing across the gate. Return to niche 05 to see a 4x4 grid of colored tiles - the top tiles are fixed, and you just need to drag the others around so the widths of their left portions match up as follows:

Go back to niche 01. Now you need to translate the previous 4x4 grid of colors here, but adjust them using the rules on the left column:

Head to niche 03, where you can pick up the yellow bean, and collect a yellow water drop Water Master. Click on the Travelstone twice to teleport back to the portal. This should be the third time you have used a Travelstone Traveller. Head through the bottom opening.

Northeast Path

Approach the yellow glow and drop the yellow bean into the bowl. Take the leaf (26/30) and palette, then go back past the portal.

North Path

Go all the way back to the orange stone and head inside. Use the blue, red and yellow water drops on the 3 small vials at the top of the puzzle. Now rotate the tiles so that the liquid flows through every tile, to every symbol, and out through the exit pipe. The puzzle will then slide to the left, revealing the same set of 9 symbols arranged in a circle. You need to rotate these so that the line coming in to them enters at the same orientation as in the previous puzzle (you can go left from the puzzle screen to check). This puzzle will then also slide to the left. Now you just need to light up the squares matching the shape from the first puzzle:

Go through the open door. Use your magnifier to find the final inhabitants (15/15) Professor. Pick up the palette from the floor. Now examine the puzzle on the sign here - you just need to click on the 9 differences between the two scenes:

  1. Waterfall near the top
  2. Light bulb near the top
  3. Branching pattern near the top right
  4. Third step heading up to the right
  5. Portal door in the middle
  6. Dot above the third archway
  7. Pathway shape at the far right
  8. Small statue at the far left
  9. Small platform at the far bottom left

Take the leaf (27/30) that is revealed. Now head all the way back to the portal and go through the left opening.

Southwest Path

Set the maze controls to blue, red, red, blue, blue, red, then go to the maze exit. Go right to see Pfeffersack blocked by a gate. Click on doorways to guide him through the maze (sometimes back through the same doorway as he came out), until he can eventually go through the lit hallway Pfeffersack's Luck. Now examine the pattern of noses along the back wall. Have these match the silhouettes on the black/yellow palette you are holding, then take the leaf (28/30) that falls down.

Leave the hallway and return left, then go through the stone archway and continue towards the red glow. Go towards the building ahead and find a leaf (29/30) above the door mechanism. Now click on the palette in your inventory and it will stay on display to help you open the door. You need to rotate the 6 symbols so that match the orientations of the symbols on the palette you are holding (bear in mind the palette is flipped horizontally). From top to bottom, make the tip of the Y-shape point in these directions:

  • Up-left
  • Up-right
  • Up-left
  • Left
  • Down-right
  • Up

Go through the door when it opens. Examine the eye on the wall, and take the 16 charms from around the edge of the eye. You now need to walk throughout the different paths and drag these charms down to parts of the corresponding scenes. If you number them across the top from 1-16, these are the locations:

  1. North Path: On the base of the tree next to the orange rock
  2. North Path: Inside the doorway of the orange rock
  3. North Path: Face on the pole you dragged up to find a leaf
  4. North Path: Face of the stone head on the second screen of the game
  5. North Path: Hole near the base of the starting tree
  6. Southwest Path: In the right target of the maze
  7. Southwest Path: Above the maze of doorways
  8. Southwest Path: In the lit hallway where Pfeffersack is now sleeping
  9. Southwest Path: The metallic stand behind the pulsing rock
  10. Southwest Path: Part of the large maze
  11. Southwest Path: The large head where you collected the blue water drop
  12. Southwest Path: On the pillar next to the Travelstone
  13. Southeast Path: Just left of the gate in niche 06
  14. Southeast Path: The face over the color puzzle just inside the city wall
  15. Southeast Path: The statue holding the moon over the city wall
  16. Southeast Path: The right pillar in niche 02

Once you have located them all and changed their symbols, come back to the final room and examine the head on top of the triangular stone prism. There is a button at the bottom that switches between symbols and black/white patterns. Use the charms across the top of the screen to help you set these patterns correctly. Once you are done, take the blue bean. Head back to the portal and go through the bottom opening.

Northeast Path

Approach the blue glow and drop the blue bean into the bowl. Take the final leaf (30/30). Go back to the portal and step backwards.

North Path

Head all the way back to the starting tree and use the leaves on the tree. There are additional achievements now for completing the game without hints Genius and for completing the game in one sitting (without quitting the game) Seven-league Boots.