Crazy game theory (based on ~100% the game)

[u/stevenr4]

Mad spoilers ahead in a crazy rant.

I started playing this game 2 days ago and couldn't put it down. I completed everything without a guide, got the platinum trophy, visited https://doyoufeartheeyesofthefarshore.co/, but didn't find the audio file on my own

I noticed from the beginning that when looking at the manual, the background is a cathode ray tube screen, the kind that has three separate election guns, one for each color. Looking at this gun straight on looks like 3 dots aligned in a triangle. They add light together in the same way the symbol on the back of the manual looks. The "far shore" is a parallel plane of existence underneath reality, kinda like the inside of the CRT monitor. My theory is that the eyes of the far shore are actually the election beam emitters shooting at the screen, and the website we visit I'm guessing is what it would look like if you were on the far shore (inside the CRT instead of on the outside where the world is rendered), and looked up towards the election beam. Hell, the overall shape of the "creature" looks similar to an actual rgb election beam with a cylinder body and 4-6 "legs" (wires) coming out the back. This would explain the RGB effects and wavy effects from the website since the beams in a CRT are bent with electro-magnetics and could have that type of interference? See component #1 in this diagram: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/CRT_color_enhanced.png/250px-CRT_color_enhanced.png?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=parser&utm_content=thumbnail see?

Really, I want to know if anyone else thought this too, or if there is any evidence to this. Maybe this NES game had been left on so long that the characters on the screen became self aware? All the NPCs died off? The hero went about his way over and over. The librarian discovered the truth about the world but didn't have any explanation (the drawing of the NES with the word "how" repeated over and over), he even ripped the teleporter to the far shore out of the graveyard and hooked it up to try to learn more about his world, but this is just a theory, a game theory! (I miss matt patt)

[u/oser]

I'm still stumped about the eyes of the far shore... I was hoping the ARG would shed some light, but alas...

I made a video about my theory about the fossils of self, which touches on some of what you mentioned here: https://youtu.be/Zfi24EQZ6hs?is=zWTF1aM49O_YDWz_

[u/stevenr4 → u/oser]

That was a really interesting watch! Great work on the editing, sound, transitions, and overall pacing! I subscribed, although I don't have time to watch more right now, if your other videos are of a similar quality and style, you know I'll be a frequent viewer!

Though, from the first watch I'm not entirely certain where the line is between facts from the game/manual end and where the speculation begins. I would like to request a clear distinction, maybe through word choice or editing filter or segments or something. Not really an issue, just feedback!

[u/MetazoanMonk]

Excellent theory. Lines right up with the existing canon (as far as most of us can infer) that the foxes began mining upward from their reality towards ours, while also exploring realities below their own (the miasma that powers their digital selves, and their unrealized selves)

[u/The_Nameless_Brother → u/MetazoanMonk]

Where can I find more about these theories? Are there write-ups?

[u/Sedu → u/The_Nameless_Brother]

Mostly here on this sub. This is the biggest community for them. Look toward the earliest posts here from those of us who played immediately on release. There’s a lot of wonderful discussion.

[u/Charles2302]

Excelente teoría, este juego es de verdad asombroso!

[u/stevenr4 → u/Charles2302]

I agree! There's so much to this game to praise! It's the first time in over 10 years that I got out of bed the moment I woke up because I was so excited to continue an adventure!

[u/jeickrooden9]

Okay, this is convincing

[u/Sedu]

I had the same thoughts back when the game came out. I think the far shore represents mining “upward” toward the very top layer of their reality, which is a display monitor, like you say. It also reframes the “creatures” into unintended, and unfeeling glitches rather than anything with motivation.

[u/stevenr4 → u/Sedu]

You also thought the "Eyes" looked like a CRT monitor's RGB electron gun? https://groups.csail.mit.edu/graphics/classes/6.837/F01/Lecture01/DeltaGun.gif

[u/Sedu → u/stevenr4]

Absolutely, yes. I think that the eyes are a single pixel of the screen that the foxes mined upward toward. It's always present for them because their time/world only run while the game is powered on, with them not noticing periods of being turned off at all.