Story Exploration Thread

[Kirathel]

This thread will contain my attempts to understand the deliberately befuddling story to this game. Will be updated as I continue researching.

Basics:

The game concerns some kind of organization existing somewhere in the game world. They will be referred to as The Managers.

The main character (henceforth to be called the Donor) is inside this building the organization uses/controls.

The Donor is an Elevator Tenant, which means he carries out "cargo deliveries" and "tasks" on the behalf of the Managers. The tasks relate to building maintenance (turning off the generators, messing with the brain nodes, rewiring the explodey-bots processors) and dealing with the "tenants" (sacrificing one of them, or infecting the disease carriers).

The tasks are given by the unit computer (a computer on each floor detailing the task), and The Donor is able to acquiese or refuse tasks. The computer, on behalf of the organization, will then inflict penalties on Guy. This ties into the game's nature, which I will reference later.

The Causative Entity:

At numerous points a hostile entity will spawn (corresponding to the task computer being found and interacted with), called by the Dev's and the one guide that exists as "The Causative Entity". This creature is SawFriend, a large, friendly (read; not at all) biomechanoid human-thing with a large saw and an even larger desire to put said saw through your face. SawFriend can only be killed (though he will respawn each level) by usage of two explosive shells fired into his body, which will defeat him for the moment.

Due to the nature of the building, it is possible TCE is an agent/enforcer of the Managers working to either force The Donor into action (by presenting an immediate threat they must work around to continue and escape) or to punish said Donor for failing to comply with Managerial commands.

It is also possible TCE is a tenant in the same way The Donor and the various infected figures (as well as the sacrifice and the node-finding being) are; a creature trapped/habitating inside the building and suffering from whatever anomalous effects the building is exuding.

The words "Causative Entity" reference TCE as being a creature that acts as a cause. This could fit in with either Theory, though I think it is slightly stronger for the first.

Managers' Goals:

Due to the punitive effects inflicted on The Donor if they do not comply with tasks, and the ending resulting in fully submitting to all tasks (that ending being when you give into their whims) indicating The Donor has fully submitted to the Managers' will.

In this case it is possible the building's trials may be intended to provide fully-acclimated agents for the Managers' uses. Judging from the dialog of the first cutscene (where the second voice that seems to be inferior in rank/position to the first) it is possible the Managers are either lying to the second voice, or view their actions as being ultimately good in nature.

It is also possible the Managers' "test" is designed to break or make The Donor, either fully autonomous (refusing their tasks and making their own way) or nonautomatous (giving into and having their agency replaced with the Managers' own).

More to come/updates as I continue the game.

If the development team wants to answer/clarify anything here they are welcome to.

[Kirathel]

Update 1 of ???

From the indiegogo campaign page, which I found a few minutes before this post;

"The Last Cargo is a top-down exploration survival horror where your road to independence leads through the hell of imprisonment.

This is not another game aimed at scaring you for no purpose. Its main theme is the general problem of indoctrination, especially religious one. We would like to share with you our feelings on how it is to be an atheist in a world full of countless beliefs. We also would like to manifest our disapproval of early enforcement of beliefs on young people. That is why the main character of our game found himself, already as an adult, in a critical spot. Despite having been raised in a religious and orthodox family, his uncompromising and curious nature led him to undertake a difficult task.



This stage of his life manifested to him as a dark and mysterious structure whose foundation is his shaking faith, stretched to the point of absurdity. There is no going back: there is only one way to end this nightmare. You must go through the hardships of every subsequent floor in order to achieve what you are striving for.

The situation of our character is unique. His beliefs, imposed onto him, have limited his movement (in the form of a wheelchair), dulled his senses and magnified all his fears. The only safe haven for him is the elevator. Unfortunately, this symbol of independence
requires fuel. Therefore, you must explore floor after floor looking for fuel, food, light sources and, what is the most important, reflecting on the purpose and meaning of this whole place."

This actually explains...a lot of things.

In this case the Manager's alignment is still uncertain (due to the lethal nature of the Causative Entity, but reflecting on the previous messages I have observed (from Floors 1 to 3);

The two discussing voices, The Manager and the Donor, make more sense. The Manager/Managers have some interest in restoring the autonomy of the Wheelchair man, using the Donor to guide them through the building, and by overcoming their weakness, restore autonomy to the wheelchair man fully.

The remainder of the game's plot is to be seen by me.
May update as needed.

[Ehnenu]

I like reading this :)

[Kirathel]

Update:

I played to what I think was the sixth or so floor, and seemed to be the second to last. Here, the Manager and the Donor talked further, the Manager directly saying it used to be a helper like the Donor in the past.

At the end of the conversation they discussed why the Tenant/Cripple could not walk, and the Donor was able to...somehow...instill enough self-confidence/autonomy for them to stand up and walk out of the elevator.

The Tenant proceeded into an open room with a cross facing away from him, and a soccer ball atop it. However shortly after kicking it around and moving to test his newfound legs...

...the Causative Entity spawned. And I think it was because the Tenant was new to walking (because a wheelchair bound Tenant can drive circles around TCE given enough room), he was caught and the screen faded to black.

The next mission spawned Tenant in his wheelchair, aside a bed....with his legs on it.

After completing the room, another discussion followed where the Manager talked with the Donor and explained how it didn't seem to make sense for Tenant to lose his legs, and that they were almost at the end.

They also discussed how the Tenant was feeling guilty, broken, which ties heavily back into the previous post about religious indoctrination.

This seems to cast the Manager in a less malevolent light (being a former helper of other indoctrinated), though the role of the Donor (their origin namely) is still in doubt.
I'm further confused as to The Causative Entity's role; while normally it seemed to be a "spur to action" as it were, its actions here didn't make a lot of sense. Did it act outside the Manager's intention? Is this (somehow) part of the plan and they're going to staple Tenant's legs back on?

I'm not sure. But it seems I only have one more floor to go.

I will return.

[Kirathel]

Update 2:

There are six endings.

I now have ending 1/6.

At the final floor, after being given some crates, I ran through an odd portal and ended up down a hall with three doors. The bottom and left hand doors were locked, causing me to go up...where I met a dismembered man.

There proceeded to be a dialog between the dismembered man and the Tenant. The dismembered man, from its dialog, seems to be a former Tenant who was being helped but in some way failed and was left on a sacrificial altar.

Its limbs were detached from the body, attached by cables to a machine in the wall. There also was a pillow where its face was, propping it up.

When it spoke, the dismembered man had two voices; one in normal text, and then text in the following configuration; <LIKE THIS>

This text config, combined with its discussing its failure, lead me to believe that it is in fact a failed former Tenant, but also a former Donor, somehow fused with the Tenant and both awaiting disposal. They directly said in fact;

"I am not afraid of death <US NEITHER>"
"Not true, these were not my words <NEITHER OURS>"
"I am only waiting for the final diagnosis <WE ARE TO BE DISPOSED OF>"

So not only are failed cargoes disposed of, their Donors are potentially as well, and in some regard their wills are controlled too.

Looking back at the pillow, there was another interesting bit of text referring to it; the failed tenant said it "reflected badly on them" but it was comfortable, with the failed Donor saying it "had many advantages". Taking into account the bit in the Kickstarter about blind faith, is it possible this Tenant chose was unable to break whatever religious or other conditioning destroyed them? It would explain the failure, and also potentially the pillow; a support that is comfortable but also "reflects badly on" and since the tenant is facedown on the altar, blinds them. Perhaps jiving with the fact he's on an altar.

I returned with the legless Tenant to the elevator, only to be met with a 3 min countdown timer, and a message about this time being a regulatory period to dispose of stray cargo.

The arena area was then flooded by exploding creatures (which I'm fairly certain at this point are android-like failures) and The Causative Entity. After a bit of jockeying for position I was hit by an explosion and stunned enough for TCE to decapitate the Tenant.

This did not lead to a game over.

This in fact led to the 1/6, first ending. I'm not sure if they have titles, I'll have to check.

In the ending the Tenant appeared, legs rebuilt somehow and reattached, walking down a hall to an elevator. The Manager's text appeared again, congratulating the Donor on restoring the Tenant. It also specifically mentioned how the Donor's adherence to the system, and acceptance of it, had been passed on to the Tenant. The scene ended at last when the Tenant reached the elevator, opening to reveal a slumped man in a tank top, sitting atop another wheelchair.

"Go on."

"You are already in control."

And thus the credits rolled.

[Kirathel]

1/6 Analysis And Possible Interpretation:

As always the game leaves a bunch of questions whenever it gives answers. In this playthrough I did always follow the cargo management system's commands.
This probably explains why the ending was the Tenant walking upright and meeting with another cargo; he's been conditioned by the Donor's (my) obedience to the system that runs the building, and is almost certainly going to become another Manager voice leading others into subservience.

With the reveal of the dismembered and failed Tenant, in retrospect of the dilapidated and broken exploding androids, I have at least one potential interpretation of things;

- The Tenants are human, and broken by something, but their "healing" by the Donors and the Managers is not for their good. They're actually being conditioned to follow orders, and any injuries they sustain are repaired, turning them from human to cyborg, so they can follow Managerial commands to the letter.

This explains the existence of the exploding bots and the dismembered, the disposed of Tenants are the death bots, with built in self-destruct systems (the bombs) who are set loose through the building to serve as obstacles for the new (and potentially useful) Tenants.

The Causative Entity in that case is another machine created to force Tenant decisions into action; the Managers want people healed and smart enough to work, but not smart enough to defy them. That's why denying the cargo management system has such drawbacks, and why it spawns TCE immediately.

If you don't play their game they'll make it much harder for you.

Questions:

I'm not sure about this, and with the other three rooms and endings, and the fact I failed to outlast the timer, perhaps there is an ending for each room, and then a branch where you live past the timer, and don't.

I'm still unsure as to why the timer was activated and the "stray cargo" line was said; given I'd been following orders up till then why wouldn't the Tenant just be sent down? Perhaps it was a final test, to see if they were creative enough to elude the enemies (and thus a threat) or succumb (and thus not be a real threat).

If the Tenants are stolen people repurposed into cyborgs, what are the Donors? They seem to be dissociated consciousnesses more than actual humans so what is their deal?

Lines from the awakened Tenant in the last level reveal that he could actually hear both the Donor and Manager talking in the elevator. How aware/alive are these people before they get brainwashed?

Aside from being associated with religious indoctrination, what exactly is causing the Tenant and his kin to be broken in the first place? Is it caused by the Managers, or are they genuinely healing the Tenants (albeit enslaving them).

So many questions still remain.
I'll do some more runs and see if I can answer any of them.

[akbaar]

wow u deserve a badge of honor

[Unseen]

It would be interesting if you compiled all this into a lore guide like the very good one for darkwood.

Altho it sounds like there is a lot left to interpretation you did an excellent job at deciphering it.

[Mogg]

ugh. Interpretations.
Does this mean the game has no actual plot or story as it were, and was purely designed for people to make up their own stories? There's better games for that.

[Ehnenu]

Originally posted by Mogg:

Does this mean the game has no actual plot or story as it were, and was purely designed for people to make up their own stories?

No. But everyone can give their own interpretation of what they saw in the game.

Originally posted by Mogg:

There's better games for that.

Of course there are better games. And even the simplest often have a lot of interpretations.