[MAJOR SPOILERS] Ending, the loop, Otus.

[rejoice]

Welp, after finishing the game I was left with so many doubts and mysteries. Something I actually enjoyed quite a lot, but when trying to find answers I see how little people actually played the game. In some respects, that's also quite refreshing. I feel we're a considerably small group of people discussing a game's mysteries, instead of a large majority where everything has already been discussed and analysed. There are no articles about it, not even a fully working wiki page.

That said, I would like to adress some of topic's I've already seen discussed, but not deeply.
So after beating the game and all, specially after talking to Noctae, I'm left with many many doubts.
For example, when Noctae says Otus dies in a great battle above a floating city. Is he referring to the final battle -say, all the stuff with the anti-hex and all- or does he mean the first battle on Advent? I get the sense it should be the last battle, because it's deeply inplied that Otus does in fact die right there. But why say above a flying city then? Advent was a flying city, and in the last battle I don't recall being above a floating city, more all of the continents.
Secondly, and what I gather, the loop is the repetition of all historical events, so Noctae would say she died over and over again through all history and future, always the same way. Now I've seen people saying that Otus dies and will die over and over again the same way, and that the loop has not been broken, althought Noctae herself putting that to question. After buying the soundtrack, though, one of the last tracks is actually called The Loop has ended. So I'm guessing the anti-hex actually broke the loop?

If that's the case it would make some sense. I guess we could say that Otus DID die in the last battle, and his sacrifice powering the anti-hex actually broke the loop. So in that case, Otus died, but he could as very well survive in the next cicle, seeing how with the loop out of the way anything would be possible.

What do you think my dudes?

[GSandSDS]

The battle "over a floating city" being the final battle would not make sense since Noctae's hologram said that there is a contradiction with Otus visiting the hologram. However the visit of the hologram is before the final battle when the landmasses are still floating. And if he visits the hologram before the final battle, there would be no contradiction. So, the floating city must be Advent (besides the fact that the final location, where the Anti-Hex is stored, is no city at all but a giant research facility with a huge library).

[QuantumLeap215]

The contradiction is that Otus could not possibly have all three of the ancient medallions. The third is at the library, so there is no logical way that Otus could get all three and visit the sanctuary before "dying above a floating city." The floating city is the library.

[GSandSDS]

A library is a library. It is not a city. o_O Furthermore, the final battle was in the research complex, not above it. However during the battle of Advent Otus' confrontation with captain Molstrom was indeed above the city.

[rejoice]

that's why I had so many doubts. Noctae seems to contradict herself with that statement. I guess it could be both. At first I thought she meant the battle on Advent, because it's indeed the floating city she mentions. But then again, besides that point it would not make much more sense, because it's never hinted that Otus dies that day, but it is strongly hinted that he dies in the last battle. And the contradiction in Noctae's maths I thought was due either to the broken loop at the end of the game, and taking his visit to the eternal sanctuary is indeed in another cicle were the loop doesn't exist and it's possible for Otus to go there because he doesn't die in that time. Either that or being some kind of easter egg where the video game mechanichs allow us to reload the game and deliver the last coin, thus breaking Noctae's calculations (because they cannot include video game mechanics). Either way it's really confusing. I don't mind the mysteries and speculations, but I think at least they should clarify what Noctae meant with Otus' death, and where does it take place according to the maths. If not, it's just really vague.

[~As'yl]

In reddit I read about cheat mode by pressing C H E in main menu, that allows you to load maps and scenes. In game files there is map file named "villie dream.xnb". If you load this file, you will see the final scene where "Asio" says you're not dreaming... but file name.. Maybe it refer that Otus IS dreaming.

And also file named dream.xnb. It launch a scene where Otus falling with islands toward to ocean and in the backround appears flying ghosts which was in the beginning of the game and they says bad thing about Otus ( "He can't talk" "He's mute" etc.). And then giant Asio's face appears and says that Otus must wake up. Soon Asio's face becomes very angry and shouts at Otus. Near the end of scene you can notice a yellow star like anti-hex and as you remember from after credits scene there something was falling like that star. And after that you wake up in your home with Asio. LOOP
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=809508377
There also was file named "BomboFamilyHouse.xnb" whic appears a very raw map with two grey sketchy sprites of baby and probably mom.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=809508772

[rejoice]

interesting.. there's so much about this game they left out. Sadly, I don't think we can expect any dlc. So to recap, I believe Otus dies in the end, but having broken the loop, he can survive in the next cicle. That "dream" Asio tells Otus in the final scenes, I believe it's not much of a dream, but the last images he sees before death. The dream you talk about is the dream in the very beggining, when Asio wakes Otus to begin his watch.

[GSandSDS]

Let's agree: The ending is very confusing. ;D However, the left out maps are most likely exactly that: left out. Remnants of earlier developement stages of the game. But very interesting that Otus' fall was apparently supposed to be foreshadowed in a similar nightmare scene.

[Veezora]

I've seen a few interesting theories, specifically about the nature of The Loop, and the characters of the story.

As far as Noctae citing Otus's presence in the Sanctuary as an anomaly, as Quantum said, it's likely because Otus had no way of reaching the Sanctuary before the events near the end of the game, as one of the crucial Medallions is housed in the research facility. Otus is only able to return to Ville through his memories, but he would have no way of knowing what was housed in the Sanctuary, having never been there before.

As far as The Loop goes, I've seen two theories:

1. The Loop is a hard reset of history, the universe restarts, the Owl civilization rises, prospers, and falls after a disastrous attempt to end the Loop with the Hex machine, irreparably damaging the planet in the process, leading to the extinction of all remaining life as landmasses gradually drift out into space during Otus's time, eventually the universe winds down and ends, only for the Loop to begin anew.

2. The Loop is a cycle of rebirth/reincarnation, where history must repeat itself, or a kind of soft reset. Notae seeing his own death again and again as a repeating function of history is each of his future incarnations meeting the same fate. Knowledge that future actions are already predetermined would have been cause for Owl society to be consumed by panic and discord upon discovery of the Loop, as well as searching for a means to end it.

[GSandSDS]

Originally posted by malbuche:

I believe Otus dies in the end, but having broken the loop, he can survive in the next cicle.

Well, when he has broken the Loop, how can there be a next cycle? Too bad that nobody knows what Hex and Anti-Hex are actually doing. o_O

[rejoice]

Originally posted by GSandSDS:

Originally posted by malbuche:

I believe Otus dies in the end, but having broken the loop, he can survive in the next cicle.

Well, when he has broken the Loop, how can there be a next cycle? Too bad that nobody knows what Hex and Anti-Hex are actually doing. o_O

Seems that the anti-hex did the work.. I'm not sure either. But if you look at Owlboy's soundtrack pack, one of the last themes, the second to last, is titled "The Loop has Ended". I think there's not much mystery there, but... What I hadn't think about is that maybe breaking the loop doesn't actually mean the next cicle will be different, but that there will not be a next cicle at all. Maybe that's what it means. It will stop being a circular timeline that always repeats itself and will start being linear, so Otus cannot come back to life. All really confusing. I get the feeling that if this game was more popular creators would have said something about it.