I liked the puzzle. Like you said, it's a nice way to break up some of the reading. I almost got it on my first try but needed a few hints for the 12 part. I'm also a person who likes puzzles though so I may be a bit biased lol. All in all though I wouldn't mind there possibly being more puzzles in the future.
You can save up to three "outfits" and then quick equip them from the equipment menu. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but it helps save some time.
You might have to wait for Scar to wake up to be able to go to the red forest. The steppe is unlocked by exploring in the red forest (I don't know if you have to do everything at the camp first or not).
I'm pretty sure that you can first find him on the track and then later on at the river's bank and at his house in bareshade after doing the bareshade's expansion event.
That's a really good point. They do all seem kind of religous in a way. I don't really have any ideas for the mark, but I don't think that the red hood is Carlos, but I could be wrong, escpecially after that one "hallucination" when Carlos found Ben after he first got the medicine (I know it was said that it was a hallucination, but I feel like we can't be too sure if it was a hallucination or the real thing). This could certainly support Carlos being the red hood if it wasn't just a hallucination. I also feel like the whole blood in jars thing will somehow come into play. Like we might end up seeing someone with a suspicious amount of jars hidden somewhere or see them buying/carrying jars.
Semi off topic
Another thing that doesn't sit right with me is Dr. Hernandez's murder. I don't know what it is but I feel like she isn't really dead and could also be the red hood. I feel like she could be alive because of ben seeing her figure at the top of W.H. after her death. That and the fact that I think in the first nightmare that we see on the plane, the red hood seems to possibly have a beak ike Dr. Hernandez, not sure if that is a clue or just a random detail.
Then there's the whole thing after the Russel situation. I have no idea of what to make of it unless it was supposed to be a metaphor for something. Possibly Ben or Chris pushing Russel off of a metaphorical cliff representing the sudden ending of their frienship.
I definately think that you're right again. Chris is definately not as air-headed as we think he is. I forgot about the fact (and didn't fully realize at the time) that he picked up on what Russel was doing without it ever being hinted at/mentioned. I also feel like Zach might have known Russel when they were younger (like you said). The car scene when they "first" meet with Zach already knowing/recognizing Russel's name and hugging Russel and acting comfortable with him, which is completely out of character for Zach, helps point to/support the theory that they have some kind of history that we don't know about. This would explain why Zach thinks Russel is innocent (like you said). Zach's connection to the "red hood" is interesing. I think that Zach might have some knid of personal connection to them in some way based off of how invested he is in them and how much he knows about them and their murders. Maybe he could have possibly known or been related to one or more of the "red hood's" victims. Or he might even know/be related to the "red hood", but that one is a bit of a stretch.
All in all, theorizing about all of this just makes me even more excited for the next public update. Hopefully it will help answer/give more evidence that can point us to more clear answers for our questions/theories and not just leave us with more questions (even though that wouldn't be too bad if it did, just more to theorize about).
I think that you're onto something. Spoilers and theory:
Something about Chris just seems off. Especially with how Russel refers to him as a kind of "back stabber/traitor" and how he wants to "protect Ben from Chris". Something felt off about the whole forrest scene too. I think that either you are right about Chris or that he is the murderer because so far he has been at the places where the murders (that we have been there for/know more about) have taken place (the restaurant and the place with the forrest for the trip (I even think that it was mentioned that Chris left the group at some point during the dinner while Ben was sleeping, which makes me even more suspicious of him and Ben's "hallucinations").
