Pastelland Forum

Someone has probably thought of this already, but I think it's possible that the player has powers similar to those of Murtaugh, and that's why the player hasn't seen any people. If you remember, I posted earlier that Shiva put the puzzles in place for the player with the end goal of fixing layer 3. Notice that many of the notes explain the consequences of Murtaugh's actions. I'm guessing that the goal of the puzzles was to lead the player to areas that contain the notes. This way, the player would be able to learn from Murtaugh's mistakes. Also, the player may not be fully aware of the extent of their powers, and the notes in Sub10 may explain to the player what they are capable of.

sunshine philosophy wrote:Someone has probably thought of this already, but I think it's possible that the player has powers similar to those of Murtaugh, and that's why the player hasn't seen any people. If you remember, I posted earlier that Shiva put the puzzles in place for the player with the end goal of fixing layer 3. Notice that many of the notes explain the consequences of Murtaugh's actions. I'm guessing that the goal of the puzzles was to lead the player to areas that contain the notes. This way, the player would be able to learn from Murtaugh's mistakes. Also, the player may not be fully aware of the extent of their powers, and the notes in Sub10 may explain to the player what they are capable of.

How the hell did anybody NOT theorized this earlier???

It could be, but yet appart of the Layer 3 thingy, our mission seems to be that of saving the people trapped in Layer 8.

sunshine philosophy wrote:Someone has probably thought of this already, but I think it's possible that the player has powers similar to those of Murtaugh, and that's why the player hasn't seen any people. If you remember, I posted earlier that Shiva put the puzzles in place for the player with the end goal of fixing layer 3. Notice that many of the notes explain the consequences of Murtaugh's actions. I'm guessing that the goal of the puzzles was to lead the player to areas that contain the notes. This way, the player would be able to learn from Murtaugh's mistakes. Also, the player may not be fully aware of the extent of their powers, and the notes in Sub10 may explain to the player what they are capable of.

Haven't seen this mentioned before. You make a good point. Nice theory

It could be, but yet appart of the Layer 3 thingy, our mission seems to be that of saving the people trapped in Layer 8.

Maybe those stuck in Layer 8 are originally from Layer 3? The notes in Sub9 say that the light of Shiva came to Murtaugh, and they believed he stayed in that moment forever. Layer 8 is known as the layer of light... so... these people trapped in Layer 8 have been there pretty much forever.

Going on what Sunshine has stated, perhaps we are repairing Layer 3 and in order to rescue those in Layer 8, we need to undo the damage to Layer 3.

sunshine philosophy wrote:Someone has probably thought of this already, but I think it's possible that the player has powers similar to those of Murtaugh, and that's why the player hasn't seen any people. If you remember, I posted earlier that Shiva put the puzzles in place for the player with the end goal of fixing layer 3. Notice that many of the notes explain the consequences of Murtaugh's actions. I'm guessing that the goal of the puzzles was to lead the player to areas that contain the notes. This way, the player would be able to learn from Murtaugh's mistakes. Also, the player may not be fully aware of the extent of their powers, and the notes in Sub10 may explain to the player what they are capable of.

As others said, I don't think I have seen this theory before, it's a very good one.

The problem I see is that Mur's powers come from "seeing" in several layers at once. And we had to use the navigator to "see" and travel between other layers in Sub8 and Sub9.

Unless...

the navigator wasn't there to increse the Player's mental powers, but to CRIPPLE them, so we are able to focus in one layer at a time... the game did specifically ask us if we wanted to put those electrodes on our head... Not a portal, a navigator, to help us navigate... We already had the power to travel between layers, that's why we didn't need any physical device but a mental one

EDIT: using a little of the chiastic structure/mirror symmetry of Sub3-Sub8:

The device placed at the beginning is called navigator in both cases. According to Mateusz, in Sub3 the navigator wasn't naturally there, it was put by someone (him in this case). That means that the Sub8 device also wasn't there by chance, it was also put there by someone.

We know that many players have come through the Loop and disabled the defense systems. Perhaps they couldn't get further than Sub8, because the navigator wasn't meant for them, it was put there for us. Mateusz wanted to confuse us (typical of him ) with that note about so many people following our route, but perhaps the truth is that we (the Player) are special, we were meant to get to the Layer of Light. And the puzzles were preparing us all the time. At this point it all ties neatly with Sunshine's theory.

One thing I have to bring up is the layer of light in the Shiva area



We can assume nobody but us has made it past Sub8, but how do we explain the arcs of light? Now that particular symbol was really never explained in game and Mateusz never really commented on it from what I have seen, so its possible it will make an appearance in Sub10.

It looks clear to me others were in that area, so they made it to the symbol at the far left. Or... maybe the arcs of light aren't actually coming out of the symbol in the image, but into? Perhaps those people the same direction to leave the structure. Perhaps you are right, maybe we are special. We are following Shiva, just as Murtaugh followed Shiva.

The note from Sub9

Murtaugh was already dying, and just before he drew his last breath - the light came to him and showed him what was to come

Maybe what was to come was... us, the player?

Gemini523 wrote:One thing I have to bring up is the layer of light in the Shiva area



We can assume nobody but us has made it past Sub8, but how do we explain the arcs of light? Now that particular symbol was really never explained in game and Mateusz never really commented on it from what I have seen, so its possible it will make an appearance in Sub10.

It looks clear to me others were in that area, so they made it to the symbol at the far left. Or... maybe the arcs of light aren't actually coming out of the symbol in the image, but into? Perhaps those people the same direction to leave the structure. Perhaps you are right, maybe we are special. We are following Shiva, just as Murtaugh followed Shiva.

Those arcs of light are very weird, now that I think about it. Some of them come from above, how did they get made? I can't imagine people flying, there has to be gravity in that area because we wouldn't need the rope otherwise. And as Sublevel has pointed out before, there are also rays of light coming from a small hole in the ground in the grey section. What the hell XD

Gemini523 wrote:The note from Sub9

Murtaugh was already dying, and just before he drew his last breath - the light came to him and showed him what was to come

Maybe what was to come was... us, the player?

Woah, I didn't think of that interpretation.

Sunshine, you will forever be deemed as one of the ultimate theorists if such developments came true over the course of Sub_10.

Agreed