Lore Theory....

[Reagle]

So I've read the reddit threads that have been trying to explain the story behind the game, and this is what we CERTAINLY know:
- There were 4 races (Raccoon, Crow, Otter, Lizard) that originally lived in peace
- A large source of power was created (supposedly the core)
- The source of power caused a huge explosion, which was followed by large mechanical titans attacking the 4 races
- Our drifter saw this all- whether time travel or vision, we're not sure
- There are 2 deities that phase into reality- the black monster named 'Judgement' and the black jackal who seems to help you
- You are a drifter that needs to destroy a core that holds the cure to a disease of yours.

That's all we know for sure. Here's some small ideas:
- Maybe the Jackal/Monster represent a sort of life/death yin/yang thing? It seems as if they are intertwined, as one always shows up when the other is around, so...
- As a small jump from the last idea, what if the great source of power the races created was basically a harness to contain life and death (Jackal/Life and Monster/Death)? Over time the harness grew weaker, until the physical manifestation of Death escaped and caused the explosion, trying to destroy Life (In the literal and figuative form). Death wormed it's way into the technology of the races and activated the titans... This would explain why the crows seem to recieve a sort of corrupted power when they go crazy (praise death instead of life) and how half-dead creatures (I'm thinking of the crystal soldiers and the biomechanical soldiers) always seem to try and stop you.

Leave your thoughts, comments and ideas in the comments below.

[Pixel]

Final boss is Judgment... don't you get it? It's supposed to be evil... He released the Titans to erase the civ...

[Void_Incarnate]

Originally posted by Karu:

Final boss is Judgment... don't you get it? It's supposed to be evil... He released the Titans to erase the civ...

That sounds a little too clear cut to me.

One unanswered question I have is the role of the monoliths and the librarians in all this. In most theories I've seen, the librarians predate the four races.

If this is true, the story that is told in the monoliths could record a cataclysm that predated the most recent one.

What if it was the librarians who created the original immortal cell? Notice that the monolith text says AN ISOLATED PEOPLE, FEARFUL AND OPPRESSED, which implies that the creation of the IC was from a singular race and not the work of the four collaborative races. Fearful of what they had unearthed, the Librarians hid the cell away and created the Titans as a safeguard should anyone ever try to use the immortal cell.

Over time, the Librarians died out and the four main races came to ascendancy. They discovered the Immortal Cell and tried to use the Four Pillars to control or contain the power of the Immortal Cell. This causes the cataclysm shown in the opening (which notably is shown *after* the representation of four races activating a pillar in the north, south east and west). However, the Titans were activated and attacked the four areas where the pillars were, to try and stop this from happening.

In the course of the battle, the Titans were defeated (many of them defeated just before they reached the pillar), resulting in the detente of the present day, with each of the four races reduced to a remnant of their former glory, and the Immortal Cell released to the world but imprisoned by the pillars.

In this theory, Anubis represents the Immortal Cell and Judgement either its transmogrified purpose or the means of its imprisonment.

I know I throw out a lot of theories, but the game continues to make me think and speculate about it, so that can't be all a bad thing, right?

[Pixel]

Originally posted by Void_Incarnate:

Originally posted by Karu:

Final boss is Judgment... don't you get it? It's supposed to be evil... He released the Titans to erase the civ...

That sounds a little too clear cut to me.

One unanswered question I have is the role of the monoliths and the librarians in all this. In most theories I've seen, the librarians predate the four races.

If this is true, the story that is told in the monoliths could record a cataclysm that predated the most recent one.

What if it was the librarians who created the original immortal cell? Notice that the monolith text says AN ISOLATED PEOPLE, FEARFUL AND OPPRESSED, which implies that the creation of the IC was from a singular race and not the work of the four collaborative races. Fearful of what they had unearthed, the Librarians hid the cell away and created the Titans as a safeguard should anyone ever try to use the immortal cell.

Over time, the Librarians died out and the four main races came to ascendancy. They discovered the Immortal Cell and tried to use the Four Pillars to control or contain the power of the Immortal Cell. This causes the cataclysm shown in the opening (which notably is shown *after* the representation of four races activating a pillar in the north, south east and west). However, the Titans were activated and attacked the four areas where the pillars were, to try and stop this from happening.

In the course of the battle, the Titans were defeated (many of them defeated just before they reached the pillar), resulting in the detente of the present day, with each of the four races reduced to a remnant of their former glory, and the Immortal Cell released to the world but imprisoned by the pillars.

In this theory, Anubis represents the Immortal Cell and Judgement either its transmogrified purpose or the means of its imprisonment.

I know I throw out a lot of theories, but the game continues to make me think and speculate about it, so that can't be all a bad thing, right?

Ok, I get it. You want to get more into the details. But firts you have to get the simbology, this is pretty much about get through peoples words and actions in real life.

That's the purpose of visual narrative, to make the player to <discover> meaning and stories during his journey, it's not about telling the player... this is like art & life.

To begin with, do you even have a clue about what is a "Drifter"?

[Javerlin]

Originally posted by Void_Incarnate:

Originally posted by Karu:

Final boss is Judgment... don't you get it? It's supposed to be evil... He released the Titans to erase the civ...

That sounds a little too clear cut to me.

One unanswered question I have is the role of the monoliths and the librarians in all this. In most theories I've seen, the librarians predate the four races.

If this is true, the story that is told in the monoliths could record a cataclysm that predated the most recent one.

What if it was the librarians who created the original immortal cell? Notice that the monolith text says AN ISOLATED PEOPLE, FEARFUL AND OPPRESSED, which implies that the creation of the IC was from a singular race and not the work of the four collaborative races. Fearful of what they had unearthed, the Librarians hid the cell away and created the Titans as a safeguard should anyone ever try to use the immortal cell.

Over time, the Librarians died out and the four main races came to ascendancy. They discovered the Immortal Cell and tried to use the Four Pillars to control or contain the power of the Immortal Cell. This causes the cataclysm shown in the opening (which notably is shown *after* the representation of four races activating a pillar in the north, south east and west). However, the Titans were activated and attacked the four areas where the pillars were, to try and stop this from happening.

In the course of the battle, the Titans were defeated (many of them defeated just before they reached the pillar), resulting in the detente of the present day, with each of the four races reduced to a remnant of their former glory, and the Immortal Cell released to the world but imprisoned by the pillars.

In this theory, Anubis represents the Immortal Cell and Judgement either its transmogrified purpose or the means of its imprisonment.

I know I throw out a lot of theories, but the game continues to make me think and speculate about it, so that can't be all a bad thing, right?

Not a bad thing at all, I didn't think there for can be perfect theory because it's so open to interpretation, so if you have fun making them go ahead.

I too am not actually too sure about a progenitor race and I don't really know who built the Titans or who built the cell. Maybe the librarians aren't a progenitor race but instead came after the four races and just like to record history. And it was the four races that built everything.

[Javerlin]

Originally posted by Karu:

.


Ok, I get it. You want to get more into the details. But firts you have to get the simbology, this is pretty much about get through peoples words and actions in real life.

That's the purpose of visual narrative, to make the player to <discover> meaning and stories during his journey, it's not about telling the player... this is like art & life.

To begin with, do you even have a clue about what is a "Drifter"?

I've discussed symbology with void in a couple of different threads, and the symbology in this game can be twisted in a lot of ways to fit a theory.

We are indeed discovering our own meaning and always thinking of new ones that fit into the story as we get new ideas. This game has a very interpretative narrative that does make it very art-like.

We also know that to be a drifter is a job or lifestyle where one roams around to collects old technology for profit. Though some argue that all drifters are the same blue skinned race I disagree.

[Reagle]

What I just don't understand is the 'Incredible Power' that's concentrated into the cell. In every theory I've seen, they all sort of gloss over it, and I think there's a bit more to this power. We see the cell in the beginning, but it changes colour- from white, like the Jackal's halo-square, to the pink colour of Judgement.

Also, a bit more certain conclusions:
-Drifter is an occupation, not a race; this is shown on the kickstarter page's description of Drifters

Drifters of this world are the collectors of forgotten knowledge, lost technologies and broken histories.

This could mean that the 'Librarians' are simply drifters of a time long past. I don't know.

[Robin]

Why do you say we know there are 2 deities and that they are phasing into reality? Based on what evidence do you know this?

[Javerlin]

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

What I just don't understand is the 'Incredible Power' that's concentrated into the cell. In every theory I've seen, they all sort of gloss over it, and I think there's a bit more to this power. We see the cell in the beginning, but it changes colour- from white, like the Jackal's halo-square, to the pink colour of Judgement.

Also, a bit more certain conclusions:
-Drifter is an occupation, not a race; this is shown on the kickstarter page's description of Drifters

Drifters of this world are the collectors of forgotten knowledge, lost technologies and broken histories.

This could mean that the 'Librarians' are simply drifters of a time long past. I don't know.

I don;t think we'll get a definate awnser for what the cell did. our best geuss is from the libuary text about the Immortal cell. We probably think it was supposed to make people immortal or link everyone into an AI network. But we don't know and ew theories are always plausable and welcomed.

You're on board with what drifters are, that's good.

As for the libarians I completely agree, and I think it likley whatever they were before they are probably all drifters now.

[Reagle]

Originally posted by Robin:

Why do you say we know there are 2 deities and that they are phasing into reality? Based on what evidence do you know this?

I say this because the jackal and Judgement never seem to directly interfere- they always are seen through our drifter's eyes- and these two beings interfere with a selected few. They seem to be impervious to most danger, and mentally destroy those they affect (diseases and such seem to follow in their wake). So they aren't bound to the physical realm, or if they are, they sure seem like deities. I mean, why else does Judgement appear every time you collect 4 pink triangles? (I refrain from calling them otherwise because I don't want to look stupid if they already have a name). They both seem to know everything that has and will happen, and both act accordingly.

Now, there is the old theory that applies with everything- this is all a dream/protagonist is in a coma- but I think Heart Machine is a bit more creative than that.

[Robin]

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

I say this because the jackal and Judgement never seem to directly interfere- they always are seen through our drifter's eyes- and these two beings interfere with a selected few.

Agreed so far.

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

They seem to be impervious to most danger, and mentally destroy those they affect (diseases and such seem to follow in their wake).

I don't know how you can say they "mentally destroy" those they affect. We don't get to see any introspection in the characters in the game afaik. The only thing we know for sure is that everyone who has this type of (physical) disease sees both the jackal and a form of Judgement

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

So they aren't bound to the physical realm, or if they are, they sure seem like deities. I mean, why else does Judgement appear every time you collect 4 pink triangles?

Why do you assume they exist in any objective way in the first place? As you said at the beginning, the only ones ever noticing them are the people struck with a particular deadly illness.

I also remember reading that the 4 triangle appearence was labelled as "hallucination" in the gamefiles (or something of the sorts), so imo that gives a big hint as to what those two are.

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

They both seem to know everything that has and will happen, and both act accordingly.

How do you figure that one?

Originally posted by Alexander Hamilton:

Now, there is the old theory that applies with everything- this is all a dream/protagonist is in a coma- but I think Heart Machine is a bit more creative than that.

Agreed, let's toss the unfalsifiable stuff into the trashbin where it belongs.


And just to add my own 2 cents here. We see Judgement killing the Drifter multiple times (every time after the 4th piece is collected) yet he wakes up passed out after each time, not having any more scratches than before (and bleeding from the illness).
Furthermore after being defeated he doesn't leave a corpse behind like all the other bosses and enemies.
Those two points show imo rather clearly that he's not a real being but a hallucination that those struck by the illness have.


Now, my opinion/working theory would simply be that, since we know the blueskins are beeing bred for war in the tubes underground (like a lot of other enemies we encounter in the game) they must have received some sort of mental conditioning to keep them in line and fighting. That part would be Judgement (along with being struck by deadly illness if you defect, which all the drifters do basically).

Also since the story is about the immortal cell that's being inbued in other lifeforms (and whose purpose has been changed drastically), I would assume that this is the source of the mental conditioning. Like a "brainbug" that tries to control you basically, with jackal being (or rather representing) the original cell and Judgement being the transmogrified version, so both are biological beings that are in your body somewhere (most likely brain). With jackal showing the drifters visions of the power cell that they can destroy to stop Judgement from amassing another army and Judgement making them sick and trying to scare them off with his own visions of him killing you over and over.

[Focksbot]

As I recall, when you deliver the final blow to judgement, the screen shifts and you're actually stabbing the massive power core. I suppose this does suggest the boss fight is an internal battle - with the illness, or what have you - and that the drifter doesn't face any physical obstacle at all at this stage.

[Reagle]

I can certainly get behind Robin's theory. Makes sense. But if the blue-skins were bred for war, what about the other drifter going to see his family (Or whomever they were)? And the town drunk- if they were bred for war, it doesn't seem likely that he'd happily stay a drunk after getting mugged. However, what if there were 2 different versions- the blue-skins, created during the Jackal's period of power, and the odd orc-things, created during Judgement's reign? Blue skins simply being the first beings that were imbued with the perfect cell (simply citizens) and the orcs being bred for war, as you said before?

Hallucinations, though- yes, I agree. And your theory of the core makes sense- the Jackal is the original cell, hence the symbol of the Jackal in the center of the 4 races in the intro sequence. The Jackal is very structured, controlled; Judgement is chaotic, disorganized. (By saying they seem to know what has and will happened- it was a jump in judgement.)

And JonSkeletone - Agree. As you said, it's most likely an internal battle.

(I love that we live in an age where you can talk about the story of a game the same way that you discuss literature. That's awesome.)

[P_R_A_E_T_O_R_I_A_N]

Now, first of all. I feel i must apoligize for joining the discussion this late. But i could,t help but write this after reading so many intersting points and i want to add one me' self.
First of all what do we see in two oncredibly interesting entities? One, is a Jackal (Unnoficially named "Anubis) that looks like anubis, while the judjment looks like a giant shadow with humanoid look who most likely caused a massive man slaughter. think how different those things actually are..but before we get there, a little detour to ask what is anubis? Anubis is an egyptian god of death as it sorts the souls and manages the afterlife things. Then forth come the judgement, the creature of power that vrings forth death and destruction, much like anubis. This may mean that these two entities are of one base and one creation, but their forms are 180° different. Anubis is a small, four legged, dog looking being that looks like a very real jackal, while the IC is a giant creature, composed of something simialr to shadow, with a look of two legged creature. This may be a hint that the two of them have almost nothing in common, meaning that no one came from the second or something like it. Now forth comes the already stated opinion that these two beings don't really have a phisycal form (yet...maybe) and are in fact in minds of the living. Now i must ask, where the blueskinned ones created exclusively for purpouse of war? Or were they the first Drifters to ever be made, for some pourpouses? But as most of beings in sci-fy are human-mentality based, it may be considered as arrificia creatures are created by intelectual and mortal beings, it may imply that blue ones are not perfect and may need an assisting force to help the out. So now returns the ritorical question of the jackal diety...what does it do it manage? Meaning that jackal is a guide system (that constantly guides player to do good) implemented in them (as i don't recall seeing it with the pink drifter) MANAGES them and after some cataclysm it just became useless and fadded eway into the su concious waiting to be used again, that may explain that dead end one of you faced about that mugged blue guy. And what is judgment through symbolism of the game? It is a core, a main reactor who's objective is to MANAGE the energy.

Now before we move to the desease itself, i must remind you of Greg Pharshey's Bionicle novel series, there he introduces a dark being calle d "Makuta Teridax" ( a full blown badasss and master planner) later in the novel it is revealed that this character evolved from a bio-mechanical being to a being of dark energy, the abtidermis that can affect minds of the living and even enslave them in zombie-like state, similar? Oh i just began. There is an underwater section in that world, Mahri nui and there were some sorts of pipes with an energy scource in them, which then broke allowing the enrgy to leak and as it turned out that energy mutated the Mahri nui's inhabitans. So now we have a creature of shadpwy energy which most likely through that very energy poseeses and mutates others. I think HLD and bionicle have in common (The one being another's inspiration).

Now, i think at some point IC went rogue and started possesing creatures with its energy (That may explain the corpses filled with shadowy and purple substances and most of them being in energy rooms with purple substances)

And here we have a cpnclusion! So the two entities are of same base and serve similar purpuses. Anubis being the creature managment system, IC the power managment. After the cataclysm Anubis became useless, while judgement went rogue and started infecting the living with its energy disease. Anubis reaweakend wehn coming in contact with the system, allowing the drifter to come into mentall strugle with the Ic that became a part of him and may have given some powers too. And now it is clensed.

P.s an interesting fact to back up the theory that Ic is does not have a body is that in co op, the second player emerges from the first's shadow, turning dark as judgement and even having the same colored crystal as him

Another P.s. sorry for spelling errors, i write on galaxy note. Sry

[Asshole Investigator Dark]

An interesting thing i just realized, is that Judgement and Anubis are fighting for control of the drifter. As its speculated, Anubis granted Drifter Immorality as per the powers of the IC. So every time we see Judgement killing Drifter, its Judgment attempting to consume the mind of Drifter. Were not seeing its actual physical death, but its Ego Death. And Anubis brings Drifter back every time, until at the last moment, when the IC is shattered, and Anubis's power is no more.

[P_R_A_E_T_O_R_I_A_N]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Investigator Dark:

An interesting thing i just realized, is that Judgement and Anubis are fighting for control of the drifter. As its speculated, Anubis granted Drifter Immorality as per the powers of the IC. So every time we see Judgement killing Drifter, its Judgment attempting to consume the mind of Drifter. Were not seeing its actual physical death, but its Ego Death. And Anubis brings Drifter back every time, until at the last moment, when the IC is shattered, and Anubis's power is no more.

Bit(ches)...always use you up and they throw you out like trash, once your job is done