New game explanation - matches all naration points in the game [SPOILERS]

[the_tadosaur]

Played this game through twice in a row tonight and I think I have a bit of a different take than what others have mentioned in the comments which I think seems to incorporate all aspects mentioned in the narration in the game so I think it could possibly be correct.

I've split it in 2 parts; first part is the history of the cave and the myth that's mentioned in the game (which is key), and then the second part will be how this then relates to the player and what happens in the game;


The cave history and myth
My theory is that the myth he mentions is that the caves are cursed and full of evil spirits. There are 4 events in history in the cave that all seem to suggest this and tell different stories about it. It appears that as you go deeper you see events that go further back in history (confirmed by the dates on the map). As we're making our way up from the bottom we see them in the order from the oldest to the most recent.

The first we come across are the cultists (this is the oldest story which the map says was from ~1000AD). The cultists were essentially in there worshipping some evil and sacrificing people to them in the cave. He says that they believed their spirits remained, stuck down in the cave forever, reliving their torture. They are likely some of the odd figures/monsters you see in the cave (i.e. around the lake).

The second you find are the people down their burning witches (this is said that was around 1600BC). He says there was a good reason they used these caves. I think they've essentially been drawn in by the myths of the cult, which are that spirits are trapped in the cave. They burnt the witches there hopeing their spirits would be trapped in the cave where they can't do any more harm.

Third is the miners (think it said ~1900AD). Obviously they're there to mine out metal/minerals etc, but he said they didn't want to be there and were scared of the curse. Basically they were sent here to work, but they know about the myths from the cultists and the people who burnt witches. They're scared the caves are evil and cursed and that they'll behave accidents and their spirits will be stuck here too. Obviously there are at least 2 big accidents (mentioned on the map) with lots of people dying. You can assume their spirits also do get stuck down here, and that from the bad luck from 2 big accidents anyone left refuses to work and they shut the dig.

Fourth is the memorial museum for the miners. This is pretty recent from the date on the map, but it also looks like despite all the cost and effort they did in setting it up it was only open for 4-5 years. We can assume this is because of the spirits and that they find or notice things that seem to suggest yet again that it is cursed and haunted.


The players story and game
The character we're playing has essentially heard about the history of the cave (as covered above) and is there looking into the curse - possibly looking for the source. This is why everyone, including his family thinks he's crazy (as he mentions early in the game). Obviously we know he's dead. Just like everyone else that died in the cave he's stuck there for eternity. In the game he's trying to work his way up to the top. He's doing this because he wants to see his family again (this is also stated in the narration in the game) as they're always at the lake at the top throwing petals in the pond in memory of him. We can guess that possibly they don't want to go in the cave as - because he never comes back - they then also believe in the curse of the cave.

Every time the player reaches the top and sees his family, he's sent right back to the bottom again. This is because, just like the belief of the cultists, his spirit is forever trapped in that cave and he can't leave. Climbing up to the top to see his family again just to then be sent back and to have to do this all over again is his torture. All of this is evident when we see him at the very end as a spirit with the red LIDAR spots and he's screaming in anguish.

One part that isn't totally clear is how he died. My belief here is that he got to the very end of the cave (where he set up camp) and here he found the source of the curse. I think this is what he's referencing when he says he was the "first". All the people before came down here, but he was the first to reach the very end of the cave and find the source of the evil. When he said he wish he'd been better prepared though, this is because even though he came in looking for the source of the curse, it obviously killed him, and he wasn't prepared for that and for how he's then essentially become part of the very curse he was investigating by being one of the spirits now stuck in the cave. In New Game+ you can see a body by the tent which is obviously his, proving something near the end of the cave kills him.

A more grounded possibility for the death though could be that he asphyxiated. In the tend we can see he has lots of supplies but no air tank and deep caves are known to have little oxygen and some times toxic gasses. Another option is that he had an accident (possibly falling from one of the broken bridges we reach early in the game - especially as there's an event here where we see a "figure" standing on the bridge). He was possibly then crawling back to the tent where we can see a first aid kit but he never made it. All of these could also possibly explain why he doesn't remember why he died too (either because of the spirit that killed him in some supernatural way, or that he wasn't compos mentis from lack or air or the accident).


Interesting to see what people think if anyone reads this far or sees this! :)