What is even happening

[snow-cheirus]

I am so confused by the end cutscene, why are there conveyor belts, why did the steam page say we were born, please explain.

[Cheese Pastry]

Hope it isn't too late to respond to this.

There was the POSSIBILITY of being born, but being thrown onto the belt broke your egg casing. It all happens so quickly, and as a sea creature you are given no context, only ambiguous non-organic noises.

I think the oddly-colored cell you eat to trigger the ending may have been bait set by whatever land-beings run the conveyor belts. Judging by the variety of creatures on the belts, it's likely you were caught by a net or another method of mass-capture.

Speaking of net-fishing... A massive crushing blow isn't the most elegant way to process meat, but with how parts of the creatures and environment look damaged, some people even saying they're rotting, it's possible that whoever's catching these things doesn't want to be too aware of what they're eating. That, or it was just one of the easier/more dread-inducing machines to animate for this scene.

.....
You've spent the entire game trying to climb the food chain, consuming everything beneath you, with no way of knowing you'll never truly "win." The world has been rigged at levels beyond your comprehension and you are crushed like a bug by a higher power before your life can truly begin. Therefore, Swallow the Sea is a metaphor for capitalism.

[snow-cheirus]

Publicado originalmente por Cheese Pastry:

Hope it isn't too late to respond to this.

There was the POSSIBILITY of being born, but being thrown onto the belt broke your egg casing. It all happens so quickly, and as a sea creature you are given no context, only ambiguous non-organic noises.

I think the oddly-colored cell you eat to trigger the ending may have been bait set by whatever land-beings run the conveyor belts. Judging by the variety of creatures on the belts, it's likely you were caught by a net or another method of mass-capture.

Speaking of net-fishing... A massive crushing blow isn't the most elegant way to process meat, but with how parts of the creatures and environment look damaged, some people even saying they're rotting, it's possible that whoever's catching these things doesn't want to be too aware of what they're eating. That, or it was just one of the easier/more dread-inducing machines to animate for this scene.

.....
You've spent the entire game trying to climb the food chain, consuming everything beneath you, with no way of knowing you'll never truly "win." The world has been rigged at levels beyond your comprehension and you are crushed like a bug by a higher power before your life can truly begin. Therefore, Swallow the Sea is a metaphor for capitalism.

Huh. It's like Across the Spiderverse.

[Cheese Pastry]

Yeah, that's one of the things I was thinking of as I wrote that last line! Glad it came off like a quip.

[snow-cheirus]

Publicado originalmente por Cheese Pastry:

Yeah, that's one of the things I was thinking of as I wrote that last line! Glad it came off like a quip.

I wasn't expecting you to understand my response! That's probably my favorite line in the whole movie.

[GloriousZote]

Publicado originalmente por Cheese Pastry:

Hope it isn't too late to respond to this.

There was the POSSIBILITY of being born, but being thrown onto the belt broke your egg casing. It all happens so quickly, and as a sea creature you are given no context, only ambiguous non-organic noises.

I think the oddly-colored cell you eat to trigger the ending may have been bait set by whatever land-beings run the conveyor belts. Judging by the variety of creatures on the belts, it's likely you were caught by a net or another method of mass-capture.

Speaking of net-fishing... A massive crushing blow isn't the most elegant way to process meat, but with how parts of the creatures and environment look damaged, some people even saying they're rotting, it's possible that whoever's catching these things doesn't want to be too aware of what they're eating. That, or it was just one of the easier/more dread-inducing machines to animate for this scene.

.....
You've spent the entire game trying to climb the food chain, consuming everything beneath you, with no way of knowing you'll never truly "win." The world has been rigged at levels beyond your comprehension and you are crushed like a bug by a higher power before your life can truly begin. Therefore, Swallow the Sea is a metaphor for capitalism.

Or y'know, just overfishing,,,

[Cheese Pastry]

Publicado originalmente por GloriousZote:

Or y'know, just overfishing,,,

I'm well aware that the capitalism comment is an overshoot from the point of "commercial fishing would be so disturbing if you were a fish," but what surreal indie game doesn't want you to over-analyze it?

[GloriousZote]

Publicado originalmente por Cheese Pastry:

Publicado originalmente por GloriousZote:

Or y'know, just overfishing,,,

I'm well aware that the capitalism comment is an overshoot from the point of "commercial fishing would be so disturbing if you were a fish," but what surreal indie game doesn't want you to over-analyze it?

Are you an English-teacher by any chance?
Possibly socialist or communist? Just curious.

[Cheese Pastry]

Publicado originalmente por GloriousZote:

Are you an English-teacher by any chance?
Possibly socialist or communist? Just curious.

None of these things. I like to vivisect media I enjoy to get the most out of it, and it apparently makes me look like a wizard and/or weirdo on Steam. We're all strangers, so I don't think I'm better or worse than anyone.
As for my political beliefs? I like it when people are happy and healthy. Vague? That's by design.
By the way, do you think the similar-sized orro embryo hidden behind that wall at the end would've been fished up as well if you didn't eat it, or would it outlive you and scour the emptied caves?

[snow-cheirus]

I wanna sequel where the fetus continues Swallowing the Sea and becomes Godzilla.

[Cheese Pastry]

Publicado originalmente por snow-cheirus:

I wanna sequel where the fetus continues Swallowing the Sea and becomes Godzilla.

I can't imagine Swallow the Sea getting a sequel unless YouTubers start showing it off again and the creator decides on a new and interesting way to make it even more disturbing. But it looks like an orro gets a cameo in another game!

[snow-cheirus]

Publicado originalmente por Cheese Pastry:

Publicado originalmente por snow-cheirus:

I wanna sequel where the fetus continues Swallowing the Sea and becomes Godzilla.

I can't imagine Swallow the Sea getting a sequel unless YouTubers start showing it off again and the creator decides on a new and interesting way to make it even more disturbing. But it looks like an orro gets a cameo in another game!

who orro

[Cheese Pastry]

the long fellow

[snow-cheirus]

which one

[VeriBeri]

the biggest one that chases you all the time until you eat it (pink)

[snow-cheirus]

what