List of red herrings?

[BeanBoi]

So we know that the game only has a single route/ending along with a mostly unchanging story (save for slightly different dialogue here and there), however the game PRETENDS like you can perform different actions or influence how things turn out

I'm curious who else knows of any red herrings so we can make a big list of them just to really look at how much the game trolls you.

I'll start:

- Being told by the Save Point that you are able to 'Lure' Yellow out without fighting her (you can't)

- Being told by the Save Point that you can help Pink without killing her (you can't)

- Evren telling you to do the Boatman sections alone (nothing changes)

- The Lab door being locked (can't be opened)

- Sam's door being locked (can't be opened)

[Foxassassin]

Honestly, the entire game is a red herring. The game practically lies to you at every opportunity, it's something I was discussing with a friend of mine.

[BeanBoi]

found a new EVIL one.

- You are able to use Sam's Crystal Key (the one to open the Alien door at year 3000, 4000, 5000, forgot which), on a locked door in the Cursed Castle which leads to Purple Mage but nothing else.

bonus ♥♥♥♥ points because it locks itself when you leave

[Aumires]

Originally posted by BeanBoi:

found a new EVIL one.

bonus ♥♥♥♥ points because it locks itself when you leave

And some extra more points because when fleeing the castle it won't let you open it. So you are forced to leave Purple Mage to be crushed not just mentally but physically.

Let's add a new one: Toilet room codes when expecting stuff.

[BeanBoi]

another one - Sam's room has a map of the Death Mountain area with the zombie villagers, with three X's labelled. These X's are NOT correspondent to the Zombie Villager spawns/locations, yet there's nothing to them.

[Fezzes]

I don't know which Lab door you are referring to, the one in the EH1 section or the Dmitris lab one but the one in Dmitris lab can be opened by going into a portal in the 3.5D space

Also I'm pretty sure letting Lucy out of the bottle changes only some dialogue, if even that and no matter which weapon you pick for the smith to forge you it always comes out as the katana and after 2 choices he gives up and just leaves you with it

Also you can pick up the "spirit flowers" in the forest of the human dimension but they seem to do nothing and they respawn when changing zones

there is a Mushroom guard guarding a zone transition in the moon insignia room in the mushroom bureau who talks about "only letting speedrunners through" but after getting quickly to him he only tell you "you are a runner so what are you speaking to me for?" not sure if there is anything more to it or if it just another red herring

[Fezzes]

In the first Torment Dimension, or Hell 1 as I have seen referred to it, there is a pendulum going between the words Insanity and Stagnation and there is a fork in the road left or right, if you go right going past "stagnation" you find yourself in a endless corridor that sometimes warps and bends reality around it and if you run far enough you are stuck there the corridor going seemingly indefinitely in both directions, I mean there could be some obscure or obnoxious way to get somewhere through it but I spent far too long trying that theory out and also the label "stagnation" makes me think its another troll/red herring

[BeanBoi]

interesting. some of these do just seem like basic upfront trolls at the spot though, or really just normal dialogue that obviously wouldnt have an impact (like lucy)

that speedrunner one is hilarious though

[Opera_Ghost]

Originally posted by Fezzes:

In the first Torment Dimension, or Hell 1 as I have seen referred to it, there is a pendulum going between the words Insanity and Stagnation and there is a fork in the road left or right, if you go right going past "stagnation" you find yourself in a endless corridor that sometimes warps and bends reality around it and if you run far enough you are stuck there the corridor going seemingly indefinitely in both directions, I mean there could be some obscure or obnoxious way to get somewhere through it but I spent far too long trying that theory out and also the label "stagnation" makes me think its another troll/red herring

THANK you for mentioning the stagnation hallway!! that drove me insane when I first got to it. I couldn't tell if it was another 3-5 hour commitment or just a troll from the devs, but I couldn't get out either way and had to reload :/

[Aumires]

Originally posted by Fezzes:

I mean there could be some obscure or obnoxious way to get somewhere through it but I spent far too long trying that theory out and also the label "stagnation" makes me think its another troll/red herring

You just keep holding right for a couple minutes. You get to a door you can try going out but get jumped by Shade. IF you keep then going right... well, you also will encounter Shade, after a couple more red slimes though like in the before room.

[truffle_worm108]

The entire Lab section is honestly a one giant red herring to me,other than katana(which doesn’t feel that useful if other weapons are powerful enough to easily beat the entire game) there is nothing there that affects anything in the story(Frankie saying It’s not the last time you will see them)not that anything in this game matters anyway,right guys?
But I want to do my own review of this game at some point,I’ve been thinking a lot about doing so since it released

[gen3king]

Originally posted by truffle_worm108:

The entire Lab section is honestly a one giant red herring to me,other than katana(which doesn’t feel that useful if other weapons are powerful enough to easily beat the entire game) there is nothing there that affects anything in the story(Frankie saying It’s not the last time you will see them)not that anything in this game matters anyway,right guys?
But I want to do my own review of this game at some point,I’ve been thinking a lot about doing so since it released

Do it, it'll at least give you more closure than this game ever will

[Hygoro]

Originally posted by Fezzes:

In the first Torment Dimension, or Hell 1 as I have seen referred to it, there is a pendulum going between the words Insanity and Stagnation and there is a fork in the road left or right, if you go right going past "stagnation" you find yourself in a endless corridor that sometimes warps and bends reality around it and if you run far enough you are stuck there the corridor going seemingly indefinitely in both directions, I mean there could be some obscure or obnoxious way to get somewhere through it but I spent far too long trying that theory out and also the label "stagnation" makes me think its another troll/red herring

I just went through stagnation. As you keep moving there is a point there the floor seems to be going counter the direction you're moving and if you go backwards (left) when that happens it'll reverse again and you can proceed. After there was an exit door that when interacted just takes you to the shade fight. There was also a hall going farther but I didn't try it.

[Penguwren]

The lucy interaction in the lab not amounting to anything?
The ghosts in the Lab acting like they're gonna come back later.
The end of year 7000 with them giving you the soul weapon to "Fight the god machine" when the god machine never shows up ever again (Less so for this one cause it is majorly characterization for sam AND giving you a soul weapon but still)
I feel like Bobo's entire existance and Dmitri are kind of a weird red herring that amounts to nothing. Besides Bobo fighting you randomly.

[gen3king]

The game existing lmao

[brickey.8]

Originally posted by Penguwren:

The lucy interaction in the lab not amounting to anything?
The ghosts in the Lab acting like they're gonna come back later.
The end of year 7000 with them giving you the soul weapon to "Fight the god machine" when the god machine never shows up ever again (Less so for this one cause it is majorly characterization for sam AND giving you a soul weapon but still)
I feel like Bobo's entire existance and Dmitri are kind of a weird red herring that amounts to nothing. Besides Bobo fighting you randomly.

I think the Lucy thing was just meant to build her up as a generally ominous and untrustworthy character, which is her main characterization. But the detail about Dimitri being worried he might have breathed some of her in is just... very weird.

As for the year 7000 thing, Shade seems to be directly responsible for corrupting the God Machine. So you could read this as them wanting to help you get revenge against Shade. You never successfully do that, but you do at least try during the finale.

Not really sure what you mean about Bobo and Dimitri. Relative to most other bosses both of them move the plot forward quite a bit.