Sinister Forest Walkthrough — Code 9898 & Tear of the Forest

Overview

The Sinister Forest is the first full adventure map in Bring Back The Sun and a significant step up in difficulty from the Wizard's House. Set in a twisted woodland where trees loom overhead and fog limits visibility, this area introduces platforming obbies, gardening mechanics, and multi-step environmental puzzles. Your goal is to navigate the forest, solve every challenge, and claim the Tear of the Forest — the first of four legendary relics.

The map is divided into three major zones: the entry grove with the code-locked gate, the fertilizer garden where you grow a red plant, and the twin obbies leading to the owl treasure chamber. Each zone connects through hidden paths, so exploration is rewarded. Allow thirty to forty-five minutes for a thorough first clear.

The July 2026 quality pass included mobile obby performance improvements for the canopy and cave routes — jumps feel more consistent on phones, but puzzle answers like 9898 and fertilizer order did not change. Use the video above (Sinister Forest begins around 1:33) or screenshot the fertilizer recipe while playing.

Entry Gate — Code 9898

The forest entrance is blocked by an iron gate with a four-digit keypad. Clues are scattered across the first clearing. Look at the carved tree trunks — each one bears a number, but they are not in reading order. A stone path near the gate shows four owl statues facing different directions; turn each owl to match the arrow directions painted on the nearby rocks (north, east, south, west) and a hidden compartment opens in the largest tree.

Inside the tree compartment you find a slip of paper with the digits 9, 8, 9, 8 arranged around a tear-shaped symbol. This is the gate code: 9898. Enter it on the keypad and the iron gate rises, granting access to the deeper forest.

If 9898 fails, verify that all four owls are rotated correctly. The compartment will not open unless every owl faces the right direction, and the code paper only appears once the owl puzzle is complete.

Fertilizer Puzzle and Red Plant

Past the gate you enter a garden clearing with empty planter boxes, bags of fertilizer, and a watering can. Three fertilizer bags are colored red, brown, and green, and a sign reads: "Feed the hungry earth in order of the sunset." Sunset color order is red, orange (represented by brown fertilizer), then green — so apply fertilizers in that sequence to the central planter.

After fertilizing correctly, plant the seed you received from the wizard's house (or find in a nearby crate if you missed it). Water the seed three times using the pond source, then wait for the growth animation to finish. A red plant blooms, and its petals can be collected to craft the Forest Tonic needed for the obby section.

The red plant also reveals a hidden path behind the garden wall when fully bloomed. Follow this path to reach the lower obby entrance. If your plant stays a sapling, recheck the fertilizer order — applying green before brown will reset the planter.

Twin Obbies

The Sinister Forest features two distinct obby courses. The first is a canopy route — jumping between tree branches, swinging on vines, and avoiding falling logs. Take your time on the vine section; the swing timing is generous but the final branch requires a running jump from the third vine.

The second obby runs through a cave system beneath the forest floor. Here you need the Forest Tonic from the red plant to survive toxic spore patches on the ground. Without the tonic, the spores drain health and send you back to the cave entrance. The cave ends at a rope climb leading to the owl treasure chamber.

Both obbies must be completed, but you can tackle them in either order. A shortcut opens once both are cleared, linking the garden directly to the treasure room for any future backtracking.

Owl Treasure and the Tear of the Forest

The owl treasure chamber sits at the end of the cave obby. A large stone owl statue holds a glowing teal gem in its talons — the Tear of the Forest. Before you can grab it, light four torches around the room in the order indicated by the owl's eye color changes: blue, green, yellow, red.

Once all torches are lit, the owl opens its wings and releases the relic. Bring the Tear of the Forest back to the collection altar near the forest exit portal. The altar activates the return portal and marks the first relic slot as complete on your quest log.

With the relic secured, step through the portal to unlock Ancient Ruins on the world map. You can revisit the Sinister Forest anytime, but the relic only needs to be collected once.