Resident Evil 7 – How to Solve the Happy Birthday Tape, Out Before Dessert Trophy

Not So Happy Birthday

BEST OF PRIMA GAMES – 2021

With the release of Resident Evil Village many players decided to revisit other entries in the series like Resident Evil 7. Prima Games can help to solve all the puzzles in the game! Here, we walk through the Happy Birthday Tape, one of the hardest early puzzles.

After surviving the first few hours of Resident Evil 7, and taking on Jack and Marguerite Baker, players will find themselves facing off against the Baker’s oldest child, Lucas. Along the way Ethan finds himself in a bit of a pickle, locked in a room and tasked with solving a puzzle.

In this article we’ll show you how to solve the puzzle, which is first revealed in the Happy Birthday tape found in the Kid’s Room Attic in Resident Evil 7.

How to Solve the Happy Birthday Tape

In order to be able to solve the Happy Birthday puzzle with Ethan, you must first play and solve the Happy Birthday video tape left behind in the Kid’s Room Attic. Once you have the tape, head back to Zoe’s camper and plop it into the VCR. You’ll be playing as Clancy during this tape, who many might remember from the Beginning Hour demo.

In the tape, Lucas traps Clancy in a room and asks him to solve a puzzle. Learning how to solve this puzzle through the tape will save you a lot of trouble later on in the game. The objective of the puzzle in this area is to place the lit candle on the birthday cake.

Lucas has set up motion-activated sprinklers, though, which douse the candle anytime you try to move through them. You’ll need to turn the sprinklers off to complete the objective.

First, take the lit candle from the clown mannequin to the right of the entrance. With the candle in hand, make your way to the room with the birthday cake to trigger Lucas’ taunting. 

After he finishes taunting you, grab the Winding Key out of the large barrel on the nearby table. You’ll need this later on.

Now head back to the mannequin and flush the toilet to the left of it. This will cause a Dirty Telescope to appear in the water. Pick it up.

Now head back through to the sprinklers at the entrance of the cake room. Use the Dirty Telescope inside them to wash it off.

Back out of the sprinklers and use the now clean Telescope to look at the monitors aligned on the wall in the room just beyond the kitchen area. This will reveal a combination. 

Head back into the cake room and use the combination on the lock on the small box on the wall.

The combination is: Hanging Noose, Bird Perched on a Tombstone, and a Fetus. You’ll find a Straw Doll inside the box.

Take the Straw Doll and return to the kitchen. Use it on stovetop to burn the straw and reveal a Dummy Finger. Now light your candle again.

With the candle lit, Head past the monitors on the wall and use the candle on the rope locking the door.

Look inside for a Balloon on the ground.

Use the Balloon on the pipe sticking out of the wall near the kitchen. It will inflate and burst, revealing the Quill Pen.

Now it’s time to take all the items and put them to work.

Return to the mannequin and place the Dummy Finger on its hand, insert the Quill Pen, and then use the Winding Key. 

The mannequin will grab Clancy’s arm and write the password on his arm.

The password is “Loser”. Now, head back to the room with all the balloons and use the password to open the door.

This will reward you with the Valve Handle.

Return to the cake room and use the Valve Handle on the pipe to the right of the sprinklers. This will turn them off.

Relight your candle at the stove, and then return to the cake room and set it on the cake. This will end the puzzle.

How to Complete the Happy Birthday Puzzle as Ethan

Now that you know how to complete the puzzle, and what the password is, it’s time to actually do it for real. Later in the game, Ethan will find himself trapped in the same room as Clancy. Unfortunately, Clancy didn’t make it out of the puzzle room alive, which means you’ll need to do something differently.

Instead of following the guide above, use the steps below to quickly solve the puzzle and stay alive. It should be noted, you cannot use this method in the video tape. You must complete the video tape the regular way.

• Grab the candle from the mannequin.
• Move through the sprinklers to activate Lucas’ taunting.
• Turn on the burner and relight the candle.
• Burn the rope on the door that leads to the balloons.
• Enter the passcode on the door with the Valve Handle inside. Password is “Loser”.
• Grab the Valve Handle and return to the cake room.
• Use the Valve Handle to turn off the sprinklers.
• Return to the stove and light your candle once more.
• Place the candle on the birthday cake.
• Take Lucas’ bomb and place it in the hole in the wall next to the oil barrel that led to Clancy’s death.

If you follow these steps as Ethan, you’ll be able to survive the puzzle and continue the game. You can return to our Resident Evil 7 guide, where you’ll find more helpful walkthroughs like this, or find out how to get the shotgun with our handy guide.