Apparently there is a "hidden story" in the game...

[MichaelMagicks]

There hasn't been any discussion about this, but AtDeadOfNight made a Twitter reply talking to SuperHorrorBro about his story explanation video. It hints at there being some hidden story in the game. IDK what that could be referring to, but I am intrigued to hear what other people think about this.

[Boppin' Billy]

The dev left a hint in one of my forum posts. I was confused on why there's magic in the game when it is seemingly pointless and ruins a bit of the immersion.

It's also a reason I was trying to identify the sigil in the first store room. The dev said that the ornaments and paintings all are hinting towards the same idea. The paintings are about: WW1, possibly the colonization of India by the Brits, and circus acts. There's also the Venetian masks commonly used by magicians and also a lot of elephants.

My guess is that Hugo was dabbling with demons to "earn" demonic powers. However one of the demons took over his body and soul, which is the reason he is a magician that has actual powers but also is evil.

When Hugo died the demon then took over Jimmy's body under the pretense of Hugo and when Jimmy started to assume the role of "Hugo Punch", he finally "gave in" to the possession and allowed complete control by the demon. This is why in the store room there's a ouji board, smudge sticks, sigils, and garlic. Smudge sticks and garlic are commonly used to "clear" the air of demons. Jimmy was trying to summon the demon and cleanse it from his body. Possibly another reason why he was obsessed with the spirit box.

I tried looking into Witchcraft in India but came up short. I also was unable to identify the sigil. I even looked into the books that are located on the table (they are real books). The dev states that the topic is something that is real and possibly practiced in real life, I was just unable to find the branch of witchcraft or beliefs that this falls under

[Leadfoot.Fred]

One detail I can't get out of my mind is that Jimmy's birth certificate says that Hugo Hall was born in India. This combined with the colonization images, the 'fire burning through the Halls for centuries' and 'laying waste to the poor and the weak' lines and the image of the skull lingering on Jimmy's face at the end makes me think that maybe his ancestors made some shady deal to gain power in the past that has corrupted the bloodline.

Another thing people seem to forget pretty fast is the Jimmy only turns to his Hugo Punch persona when Maya turns down his invitation to his show. After this his anger gives Hugo an opening to take control. This is also what happened when the guest antagonized him about his sick sense of humor. And let's not forget that most of his pranks weren't deadly until Dr. Bose and Harvey made him feel afraid or angered him.

Next I would like to point out that the maker of the game added a disclaimer about Jimmy and DID. In this he literally says that Jimmy doesn't suffer from multiple personality disorder. This combined with the quotes at the end of the game pointing to a psychological school that speaks of a deep unconscious darker side of us all hiding behind our public persona, reminds me of the teachings of the Atlas course in 'Contradiction'.

This is the previous game of the developer These guys used mirrors to teach their students to differentiate between their public persona and their inner desires. They would also use pagan rituals and things like hypnosis to learn to abandon morals, so they could use everything and everyone for their own gain. 

Maybe Hugo had some kind of connection with Atlas? And how does Maya know about the use of scrying mirrors? Does she have some kind of connection to them too or does she have a more personal connection with pagan traditions?

[Baggy Cat Entertainment]

It's not my place to comment on this but... you're very good. That's all I'm saying. ;)

[MichaelMagicks]

Jimmy did tell Maya that they were "destined to be together". I do think that Maya has some superstitious power that gives her the ability to see things that have happened or will happen with the mirror (clues to solve Jimmy's "secret"). Sound familiar? I think this superstitious power is what connects Jimmy and Maya together. Horror fans would know that this power is referred to as "Shining". I believe At Dead of Night and The Shining have some similar connection.

So we know Maya has some superstitious power, but what makes me think that Jimmy also has this power? The answer is that damn Mirror. It has been made crystal clear that Jimmy DOESN'T have DID. So what is HUGO exactly? Hugo is clearly a different entity from Jimmy. When Hugo says that Rose "failed" to kill him, he meant it quite literally. Those who Shine are not only are able to see the past/future but are able to communicate with others by using only their mind.

My point is that Jimmy has been communicating telepathically with Hugo and has manifested himself inside Jimmy by possessing him. Much like possessed Danny in Doctor Sleep, Jimmy loses control when Hugo is in charge. Hugo has truly never left the hotel and Jimmy hasn't either. Of course, you don't need to have the Shine to communicate with spirits, but Maya interacts with spirits based on the information she receives from her shine.

I know what you are thinking. But MAYA needs to use the spirit box to TALK to spirits. If she had the Shine, wouldn't that be redundant? Well, my answer is that Maya can only communicate telepathically with people who have the Shine. This theory at the end of the day is speculation, but there are moments where Maya is talking to Jimmy but he is nowhere to be seen. There is a possibility that Jimmy has the same gift and that is why he doesn't like mirrors, however, there isn't evidence to support my speculation.

The connection with At Dead of Night to The Shining isn't direct or corporate. The parallels are not the exact same. The Sea View Hotel is very different from the Overlook Hotel. The difference comes from the fact that the Spirits at the Sea View want to bring Jimmy/Hugo to justice by helping Maya. The Overlook Hotel primarily hosts vengeful spirits who possess people (much like Hugo) and reincarnate themselves based on previous tragedies (the Axe).

I believe that the theme of Jimmy/Hugo being a reincarnate is also present in At Dead Of Night. "The fire has been burning through the Halls for centuries laying waste to the poor and the weak." By the time Rose was able to kill Hugo, it was too late. Hugo passed on his fire to Jimmy.

Now, this doesn't confirm that Jimmy/Hugo has the same exact gift that Maya has, but the connection is that Hugo's life and death left a trace behind. A trace that not ordinary people can see, but only people who can shine can see. This proves that Maya has a connection to Jimmy/Hugo by being able to see the traces of the past with her gift. The spirits of course being a separate entity for her power. She is able to solve Jimmy's secret connecting her to Hugo by learning more about him. Leading Hugo to say they're destined to be together.

Thank you for attending my TED talk. Or Game Theory. I thank Tim Follin for creating the game.