Shadows Over Loathing Character Creation Guide

Selecting ‘New Game’ will immediately bring you to your character, who has a newspaper stuck to their face. You can go left and right a bit, and going right gives you the option to go back to the main menu, and you can also walk into the street and get hit by a car for an immediate game over. Your only path forward is through the doors into the diner.

After entering the restaurant, you make your way to the bathroom to pick your character’s face. This appears to be completely cosmetic and doesn’t seem to effect gameplay. After that, speak to Ethel and she’ll ask you for your first and last name (no known special name interactions yet) and then ask you for your background, which determines your starting perk.

I just really want to help:
– Of course he is. He’s family, after all: Big Heart (+3 Maximum HP)
– Everybody who needs help deserves help: Scout’s Honor (You just love helping people) [Gives themed dialogue options]

I got in some trouble back home:
– I beat up a phone booth: Checkered Past (+1 to Melee Weapon Attacks)
– I shot a parking meter: Checkered Past (+1 to Ranged Weapon Attacks)
– I started a fire in a mailbox: Checkered Past (+1 to Magical Weapon Attacks)

I’m searching for something:
– No. That’s the problem: Lost Soul (???) [unknown effect]
– Just trying to find myself, I guess: Voyage of Self-Discovery (Maybe you’re in a mirror somewhere) [Gives XP when interacting with the mirror in the prologue, and possibly other mirrors, note that this prevents you from getting XP for riding the tractor in the prologue – Credit to Bowshatter]
– Something dark: Haunted (Don’t worry, it will find you soon enough) [unknown effect]

Just seeking my fortune:
– Money: Meat-Minded (+20% meat drops)
– Fame: Ambition (Whatever it takes) [unknown effect]
– Having lots of stuff: Acquisitive Nature (+20% item drops)

Mind your own business, Ethel: Guarded (+1 physical armor)

The jukebox contains 1 meat, which you can either take with you, spend on changing the music in the jukebox, or spend on a cup of diner coffee (that you can’t drink yet!).

There are other patrons, a group of older people complaining about the youth and a group of younger people using slang your character doesn’t recognize, as well as someone having their first cup of coffee, but there doesn’t appear to be any reason to talk to any of them, so go ahead and head out the door to end character creation and start the prologue.