Human Farm Investigation Keyboard Controls Reference

Default PC bindings

Human Farm : Investigation : uses RPG Maker-style keyboard defaults on Steam. The following bindings apply to the full release (app 3953160) and the Day 1 demo unless 072 Project notes otherwise in patch notes.

Movement

Arrow keys (↑ ↓ ← →) move Iori on field maps, in the cafe hub, city districts, and underground farm tunnels. Diagonal movement may or may not be enabled depending on engine plugin settings — if diagonals fail, use cardinal directions only.

Movement continues while dialogue boxes are closed. During some cutscenes, movement locks until animation completes.

Confirm and interact

Z key and Enter act as confirm buttons. Use them to:

• Talk to NPCs when facing them
• Open doors by standing adjacent and facing the door tile
• Pick up items on the ground
• Advance dialogue lines
• Select menu entries

This is the most important distinction for new players: mouse clicks do not open doors. If a door appears unresponsive, you are likely clicking instead of pressing Z or Enter. See Controls hub for troubleshooting.

Cancel and menu

X key and Esc open the main menu and act as cancel in submenus. From the menu you access save/load, options, scene gallery (full game), and cheat/unlocker settings documented in Cheats and Unlockers.

Cancel does not skip unread mandatory story text on first viewing — it backs out of optional prompts only.

Running

Running is not a separate key by default. Enable run mode in Settings and Run Mode, then movement speed increases without holding a sprint key. Some players expect Shift-to-run; that is not stock behavior unless added in a patch.

Dialogue and text

During conversations:

• Confirm advances lines
• Cancel may open log or skip depending on build — test once on optional dialogue
• Auto mode, if present, toggles from menu rather than a dedicated key

Text language follows Steam UI language among English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Map-specific interactions

Doors — keyboard confirm only; face the door.

Examine hotspots — sparkle or tile events trigger with confirm when standing on or facing them.

Travel points — city-to-farm transitions use confirm at train or exit tiles; missing the window wastes in-game hours — plan with City Quests.

Minigames and action segments — some story scenes include button prompts; cheats can auto-resolve these per Cheats and Unlockers.

Steam Input and controllers

Steam may expose partial controller support via Steam Input. Layouts vary by player profile and are not officially documented on the store page. Wiki walkthroughs assume keyboard defaults for reproducibility.

If you map controller A to confirm, ensure door interaction still sends confirm on the field map, not only in menus.

Comparison to earlier Human Farm titles

Series veterans from Rehabilitation or Practice Section will recognize the same confirm/cancel split. Investigation adds larger city maps where run mode matters more — see Series Comparison.

Practice drill (five minutes)

On a new save or demo Day 1:

1. Walk a square using arrows only
2. Open the menu with X, close with cancel
3. Enable run in settings, walk the same square faster
4. Open one door with Z while facing it
5. Talk to one NPC with confirm

If all five steps pass, you are ready for How to Play and Beginner Tips.

When keys seem broken

• Confirm game window focus
• Check for stuck text box off-screen edge
• Verify Steam overlay is not capturing keys
• Reboot after patch — rare stuck input states clear on restart

Report persistent bugs with Steam build ID through official channels; fan wiki cannot patch executables.

Related pages

• Settings and Run Mode
• Controls hub
• Demo Day 1
• How to Play

Keyboard mastery removes the largest mechanical barrier before story and routing complexity begins.