Sundex's Theories

[Sundex]

On the Topic of Layers

Layers of reality are touched on in the 7th Submachine game, and utilized in the 8th, 9th, and 10th. However, although it is known what layer you are in for the 8th and 9th game thanks to the navigator, there is seemingly no way to know what layer you are in for the 10th, or so it seems. The layers the Submachine 10 locations are in might have finally been figured out.

OOO: Angel Ruins. We already know that this is part of the First Layer. The explanation behind this is simple: The karmic locations of this area are the lighthouse & basement. There have been items placed there by the player in previous games. The player was in the first layer during this time.

OOI: Iron pyramid. In this location, there is a machine which can be used to transport items from one of seven layers to your layer. Each button correlates to a layer. This device is similar to another in Submachine 8, in the Cardinal Mosque except instead of transporting items to your layer, it shows a picture of the layer you are in. In the eighth game, the player only has access to seven layers, meaning that the device can only show you those seven layers. Even if the eighth layer was part of the eighth game, if it is difficult for S.H.I.V.A to access the eighth layer, what are the odds that a simple machine could do so. Because of this, the device at OOI can only access layers 1-7, meaning that OOI is part of the 8th layer. This can not only be used to figure out the layer of OOI, but also to figure out the location of the other areas.

OIO: Resin Mines. This is most likely part of the 5th layer. When you press the 5th button on the machine in OOI, a brick can be seen, but not obtained. Although red bricks are mainly found in OOO, it has already been estabished that it is the 1st layer. The only other place that shows red bricks is the rooftop, which is the karmic location associated with the Resin Mines.

OII: S.H.I.V.A Access point. This location is in the third layer. There is a simple explanation for this. Since Murtaugh's home is in the 3rd layer, he probably found explorers that were in the same layer as him. One of the explorer's skulls can be found in the karmic location of the S.H.I.V.A access points. Not only that, but when the 3rd button is pressed on the machine in OOI, you can obtain a stone grape from the transporter, similar to the one you find in the Winter Palace, further proving that SHIVA access point is part of the 3rd layer.

IOO: Royal Storage Facilities. This area is part of the 2nd layer. Some storage units could make theorists beg to differ but there is one specific storage unit that proves this true: Level X, the karmic location that associates with the facility. When the 2nd button is pressed on the machine in OOI, a fragment of a wall can be seen. This wall seems to have the same texture as Level X.

IOI: Stabilizer Bay. This is part of the 6th layer of reality. When the 6th button of the machine in pressed, a piece of Greek-like architecture can be seen. This might not seem it correlates with this place, but it definitely correlates with the newer portion of the karmic location that associates with this location, the docks. Both the newly unexplored portion of the docks and this piece of architecture have very similar textures.

IIO: Karma Studies Facility. This is part of the 7th layer of reality. When the 7th button of the machine in OOI is pressed, a circular fragment of a wall can be seen. This wall has the same texture as the walls in the Karma studies lab. Some people could argue that this is part of the 3rd layer since it is the most deteriorated of the locations: however, Layer 3 is called the home layer not only because it is Murtaugh's home layer, but because in that specific layer resides SHIVA.

III: Meditation Temple. In this area, there are some signs of a moss growing in certain places. This moss is the same type of moss than can be seen if the 4th button on the machine in OOI is pressed. Because of this, the Meditation Temple is in the 4th layer.

Although places that are part of the knot are not different from layer to layer, all of the layers in submachine 10 are different in design. Sector_9, the setting of Submachine 8, also follows this pattern.

So to conclude, the order of the 8 locations in terms of layers and not binary numerical order is as follows:

OOO, IOO, OII, III, OIO, IOI, IIO, OOI.

-Sundex

[ENIHCAMBUS]

Personally, I think Sub10 takes place in Layer 8 striking through Layer 1 and the portal itself takes us to different sublayers of the area.

[Prupp]

I like the idea of this theory over all, but shouldn't the eighth layer be covered in white light? in my mind, we were only in layer 8 at the end of sub9, then the submachine transferred us to... hyper-layer-ality (docks)? o_O

[Sundex]

@Prupp You can go to the 8th layer after completing Submachine 9 and the only place that has a sign of light is a room where you can get a brass key. Just because it is called the layer of light doesn't mean there has to be light wherever you go.

[Prupp]

true! but some light maybe?

[Sundex]

@prupp The light in submachine 10 is the light spheres. The only reason they can exist in all the layers is because the 8th layer, although it is a layer itself, is the layer that "floats around" with the others.

[Prupp]

ooh, nice one.

[Sundex]

Just realize that this theory beings up another question: If Level X is in the second layer, does that mean the 3rd game takes place in the 2nd layer?

[ENIHCAMBUS]

No, the loop is not a specific layer, they can be anywhere.

[Sundex]

@ENIHCAMBUS phew. Thought I was going to have to make another ramble.