#Ultrakill lore

[owlgoddess24]

so, ultrakill's violence layer is unbelievably cool. like, i was not prepared for any level of it. but on top of obscenely awesome gameplay and setpieces, it also delivers some REALLY juicy lore, especially about the war that we've been hearing about for so long.

and it's just occurred to me that one figure of time given in a lore entry has revealed so much more context surrounding it than i could ever dream of.

in a terminal entry that i won't be specific about to avoid spoilers, it's stated that the war lasted roughly 200 years. this would be useless if we didn't know when the war ended...

but we do.

in the opening of the game, we see this.

i've always assumed this was the current date, but i only now realize that it's not. it's the last time V1's firmware got an update, which would have to be during the war, since the V1 project was scrapped when it ended. and since we know V1 was made around the end of the war, we can assume the war ended around 2112. 200 years earlier would be somewhere around the 1910s.

all of this makes it extremely likely that this isn't just some fictional war. it's World War 1. this is a world where WW2 never happened, because WW1 never ended. it kept going and going and building and getting more and more horrific until eventually literally becoming the war to end all wars.

this also recontextualizes machines being fueled by blood, as its now clear that the invention of the machines happened in the middle of the war, and its likely that battle was their sole purpose. it always seemed weird to me before, but i had always assumed that machines existed before the war broke out. if their goal has always been to kill, it seems reasonable that the killing should be able to fuel them. only makes it more horrific, though.

#owl hoots #ultrakill #ultrakill lore

[brimstonetrees]

I want to talk about V1 being developed for combat on the Earthmovers

The new lore that dropped really puts into perspective why V1 moves and fights like it does. On a normal battlefield V1’s agility would be useful but it would be far more effective to optimize things like the guttermen, machines with heavy armor and powerful weapons, as opposed to putting a whole lot of time and money into developing something that has more maneuverability but could go down from less damage. Maneuverability on the battlefield is essential for any machine to truly function as a war machine but the greater machines that had been developed before V1 have already demonstrated their ability to proficiently navigate a normal battlefield scenario so the factor of excess maneuverability wouldn’t exactly be something that dominates a battlefield filled with machines of greater defense and firepower.

However at the time V1 was being created normal battlefields no longer existed, the war was now being fought on the earthmovers and with the chaotic terrain that made up that area vertical maneuverability became much more important. Sure the greater machines can fight on an earthmover, but they are severely limited by the cramped spaces causing the ones with more explosive firepower to damage themselves and their allies, and the complex geography restricting where they could reach. And as seen with how most of the machines in layer 7 arrive by being dropped via a bomb casing, the only way for the greater machines to infiltrate the earthmovers would be to be dropped in from a plane (which poses it's own risks of being shot from the sky by the earthmovers weapons system).

This is where the V models come in. V1's advanced maneuverability allows it to effortlessly navigate and dominate the general terrain of the earthmover, the ability to cling to walls and jump as high as it does makes it one of the only machines that wouldn't be neutralized if it was forced off one of the earthmovers many edges and it's agility allows it to reach spaces that other enemies couldn't reliably damage them from. V1 has the ability to completely skip though entire areas that could be blocked off or heavily guarded against the standard war machines due to its ability to climb through the terrain, which additionally gives it the advantage of being able to infiltrate from below providing a much safer route (as it would be inefficient if the earthmover could use it's cannon to shoot out it's own legs).

V1 also has immense versatility in it weapons proficiency as opposed to most other greater machines. In the cramped narrow walkways along the edges it can make precise controlled shots that wont risk damage to itself, but in more open areas it can utilize larger explosions to contend with the more heavily armored machines. This combined with it's advance maneuverability allows V1 to fight on the earthmovers in a way that tougher enemies can't reliably counter.\

The lore of Ultrakill has always been very fascinating to me and I love how now we have a clearer timeline for the production of the machines and how V1 came to be. V1 being developed for battle on the earthmovers before the New Peace was established makes so much sense in retrospect given it's abilities.

#ultrakill #ultrakill spoilers #V1 #V1 ultrakill #ultrakill lore #brimstone rant

[azzydoesstuff]

uhhhh lore drop much??????

when you take into account the fact that machines began being developed during WW1 in the ultrakill universe (there's evidence look it up) and, uh, whatever this is...

you start to consider that maybe the machines aren't "alive" because of their AI, but perhaps it was their flesh and blood. they weren't driven by artificial reasons, but by supernatural ones.

they're called "machines" and not "bots" or "droids" for a reason.

these aren't robots. they're essentially metal golems, risen from the blood of human beings. blood isn't fuel in the sense of going into an engine, it's fuel in the sense of flowing through veins.

this pretty much explains how so many machines managed to reach hell. sure, some just went there out of their own volition like v1 or v2, but pretty much almost all other machines we see ingame would be completely incapable of making it down there by themselves. things like drones or streetcleaners would get their asses absolutely rocked by some of the things we've had to fight on our journey into the depths, and yet we keep seeing them on the way there.

they're in hell because they were ALIVE. they had SOULS. they died and went to hell.

i think this was subtly implied by the earthmover terminal entry said that when the sun was covered by ash and soot, the earthmovers "died out" instead of just "shut down".

this also explains why the only machines we see in limbo are drones and streetcleaners. they're the only ones that weren't invented purely for destruction and chaos, and thus, the only ones capable of being morally "ambiguous".

it's also why we're only now seeing guttermen, guttertanks and earthmovers in the violence layer. they were machines invented purely for war and nothing else, of course they would've all had commited the sin of violence and therefore be damned to AT LEAST go to layer 7.

of course, this theory doesn't really hold up with more, uh, human layers, like greed or wrath. machines can't be greedy, they have no concept of money. machines can't be wrathful, they can't express anger.

the same can't be said for lust, though. mindflayers are the only new machines we see there, and uh, you can probably see what i mean just by looking at them. yeesh. their rather revealing forms are enough to offend the holy father and damn them to such a layer.

neither can it be said for gluttony. machines can very much be gluttonous, seeing how they obsess over wanting blood to fuel themselves so much, when in reality they could last a long time without having to refuel, yet they yearn for blood anyways. think about it. what is food, but fuel for humans?

just to make ends meet in this theory i've got going, i'm just gonna assume that hell does sometimes move machines around layers for the hell of it (pun absolutely intended lmao)

#ultrakill #ultrakill lore #ultrakill theory #ultrakill theories

[a-teacup-of-golden-cracks]

I'm normal around friends who I trust I promise (love you @zeloznog lmao)

#ultrakill #ultrakill lore #but very very shitty lmao #ultrakill theory

[samuelthesilly]

*Puts on autism goggles*

So fun fact, V1 never participated in the murder of humankind. This isn’t just a headcanon either, this can be backed up with actual facts. When you first start the game, you’re presented with this:

A hallway with planks over it. In order to enter hell, you need to break these planks with your fist, a simple way of implementing a tutorial. Right?

WRONG.

If V1 had to break those planks, that means that it was the first being to enter Hell after it had been closed off by humanity.

If all the machines in ULTRAKILL run on blood, (and they do, every single one gives blood when hit, plus the terminal entries confirm it) surely after depleting all blood on the surface, they would venture into Hell where there’s more in order to survive.

V1 being the first to enter Hell implies that at some point, for one reason or another, they were turned on and set free/escaped into the world.

“But Sam, V1 could have entered Hell first and also killed the humans”

NOPE!

Look at your health when you first start the game. 10/100. V1 runs on blood, so surely after massacring even just one human, they would be much higher health. No, to me this implies that V1 was purposely kept on low health at whatever lab/storage facility it was at (considering V1 never made it out of the prototype phase).

Another thing is the main objective; ‘find a weapon’. If V1 had engaged in the killing, it would have absolutely scavenged a weapon to help kill better (we know it definitely isn’t above stealing things from other machines). If you want to, you could write off the breaking of the planks as nothing but a tutorial. However, this still doesn’t make sense. If it entered Hell after humanity was already dead, what was stopping it from scavenging/stealing a weapons before venturing downwards?

Anyway, my theory, which probably doesn’t even matter, is this;

V1, for whatever reason, was powered on/released before the massacre of humanity. Maybe a few hours, or even minutes beforehand, it can’t have been long considering the whole game takes place over the course of like 24 hours. Also, we literally see the mass influx of souls in the river Styx. (This also implies that the Ferryman was saved by Gabriel pretty much right before we meet them, which is kinda sad. Imagine getting saved, then either dying to a robot or a f*cking leviathan. I’m not sure how they had time to carve the statue of Gabe, so I’m gonna cautiously assume they made it before meeting him IRL.)

That’s pretty much all I have. I don’t know why V1 entered Hell in the first place, all I know is it wasn’t responsible for humanity’s extinction. Feel free to theorise/tell me i’m an idiot in the tags/replies.

#samuel screams #ultrakill #gabriel ultrakill #ferryman ultrakill #ultrakill v1 #ultrakill theory #ultrakill lore #v1 ultrakill

[big-fongz]

I dont think I've seen anyone on Tumblr mentioning this moment yet but hey what about this totally not foreshadowing that I did not notice until now haha

(earlier he also pointed out how a statue earlier in the level ended up headless as well)

#ultrakill #ultrakill spoilers #gabriel ultrakill #ultrakill dev stream #ultrakill lore

[lordsovorn]

Ultrakill lore theory (SPOILERS)

There is literally no way in hell Earthmovers could fit into the gate of hell and descend that deep through elevators:

1. They are ridiculously oversized for that

2. They are explicitly stated to be all dead

And that leads to two possible fascinating conclusions:

1. They are hellish recreations, like giant torture devices meant to recreate the horror of the final war - which would make them demons in some sense, but also probably the most complex and unusual hell object in Ultrakill.

2. Blood-fueled war machines are somehow considered by Hell and/or the laws of the universe to be conscious beings that get judged in afterlife, which is... Wow

Did they have a choice not to kill?..

Does a war machine have free will? Does it consciously choose to raze cities? Does it deserve eternal torment for its actions - does it even have an ability to process eternal torment, to process anything but endless hunger and bloodlust, programmed in by its human creators?

Do humans deserve eternal torment for obeying instincts, programmed into their very nature?.. Can they even process eternal torment, this transcendental, inhuman justice - can they process anything beyond their desire to live and spread themselves?..

Did humans somehow create bloodthirsty demons that consciously choose violence and sin, even if they could choose otherwise?

Or does it mean that in the eyes of the heavenly order, free will simply doesn't matter, and your fate is predetermined before you were even born?

P. S. The latter would mean that in the Ultrakill universe, the Reformed / Calvinists were right

#ultrakill #ultrakill layer 7 #ultrakill lore #lore #lore theory

[thegoldenfox64]

Ultrakill spoilers btw

#ultrakill #ultrakill spoilers #shitpost #ultrakill lore #neon genesis evangelion #man made horrors

[itsyaboi-ray]

As someone who isn't religious, Ultrakill's God has to be my favorite interpretation of him as a character. Someone who is still an all powerful creator but also someone with flaws, an ego, and fits of rage, and a God who deeply regrets creating Hell and casting Lucifer down there

#makes you wonder if even God thinks Hell is too cruel #than the angels who make Hell even worse are actually going against God's will #and I'm so curious to see if we'll learn more about him in the rest of act 3 #ultrakill #ultrakill god #ultrakill lore

[distressedbeanpole]

Another Ultrakill theory, that I feel like will already have been said somewhere. But I've seen people saying V2 probably won't show up in act 3.

I will start by saying, when viewing the story as Gabriel's story, that makes sense. In terms of the gameplay it may be unnecessary (V2 is already a complex fight, it's missing a couple weapon variants, and doesn't have railgun or rocket launcher

BUT hear me out. Hypothetically

V2 was reduced to a blood puddle in greed. Fair point. How could V2 even come back?

That's the easiest question honestly, because of Hell. Through terminal Entries and arg stuff we know that Hell is a living thing, a smart living thing. Hell is able to modify husks with mechanical parts, able to learn how technology works by watching and even transporting things around itself. So I think reconstituting a V2 model would be in Hell's ballpark

I don't think V2 would appear in Treachery (that's gotta be Gabriel's final encounter I feel) I think either Violence or Fraud could work though.

In Violence, V2 has completely over-rid it's more protection based programming with the drive to kill.

In Fraud, V2 is just some cheap knockoff V1.

But how might V2 appear? Any special mechanics? Will V2 have the gold arm?

I dunno.

But here are some ideas!!

-Idea 1 Cobbled V2: Since V2 was turned to goop, Hell didn't have a lot to work with, so essentially, has to use the parts of a ton of various machines you've already encountered. Like the body of a Sentry or Swords machine, along with whatever machinery turned into the soldiers modifications. It could even gain some mindflayer abilities as well.

Mechanically, this would most likely result in combining the base components abilities with V2's (if only the mindflayer laser could interact with coins)

Alternatively, V2 gets a couple more weapons maybe, but gets V1's blood repair through hell energy, because I hate fun

-Idea 2 V2 Scrapped for parts: in this version, the info Hell has gleaned from V2 Is used to enhance the various Husks that hell has access to. Consider facing soldier variants that are red and gold, and prefer moving around more.

Mechanically, this would look like having slightly stronger basic enemies that move around a lot more, and may even have one of the weapons V2 had access to. Note that the marksman variant of these V2 husks would be evil.

That's all I got thanks for reading, let me know what you think

#ultrakill act 3 #ultrakill #ultrakill v2 #v2 ultrakill #ultrakill act 3 theory #theory #spoilers #ultrakill lore

[celestedotpng]

ITS 6AM AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS AND ALL I CAN THINK OF IT ULTRAKILL!!!!!!!!!

big ass paste and spiel below

"A MAGNUM OPUS. A COLD TOWER OF STEEL. A MACHINE BUILT TO END WAR IS ALWAYS A MACHINE BUILT TO CONTINUE WAR. YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL, OUTSTRETCHED LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN. YOU WERE BEYOND YOUR CREATORS. YOU REACHED OUT FOR GOD, AND YOU FELL. NONE WERE LEFT TO SPEAK YOUR EULOGY. NO FINAL WORDS, NO CONCLUDING STATEMENT. NO POINT. PERFECT CLOSURE.

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY IT SHOULD HAVE ENDED"

a machine built to end war is always a machine built to continue war HOW HAVE WE ALREADY REACHED PEAK AND THE GAME ISNT EVEN FINISHED!!! MY HEART IS TORN OUT AND THROWN AGAINST THE WALL EVERY TIME I PLAY 7-4 AND I STARE UP INTO THE EYES OF THE COLOSSUS I WAS CREATED TO KILL, KNOWING ONCE IT IS ASH AND SCRAP I WILL STILL NOT BE SATISFIED, BECAUSE MANKIND IS DEAD, BLOOD IS FUEL, AND HELL IS FULL

ok i slept and i still fully believe everything i wrote here it all makes sense its all real its all real

EVERYDAY i wake up and in my head im thikning

"MAN WAS CRUSHED UNDER THE WHEELS OF A MACHINE CREATED TO CREATE THE MACHINE TO CRUSH THE MACHINE" and "ALL THAT REMAINED IS WAR WITHOUT REASON"

and War Without Reason is looping in my head over and over and over and over and over and i looove ultrakill mmm!!!!!!!

#ultrakill #i love ultrakill #ultrakill lore #war without reason #seriously though the song has been looping on my spotify for days #every time i find another song i like i always go back to war without reason #i had a dream with war without reason playing in it #celestes posts

[just-observing-here]

God DAMN do I love the ultrakill soundtrack but God DAMN does it make me think about the horrors of war and how in the absence of a God we have no one else to blame but ourselves. We are forced to discover that everything could've ended a whole lot sooner if we realized that our continued actions in the war is what prolonged it. The blood splattered on the battle field is of innocent people who only wished to survive, how in an droudt of materials there is an abundance of blood. How that was the only thing we could feed the machines since we ourselves destroyed everything else. How feeding the machines fed the war. God's death only represented the death of a mercy and a death of a hope. People died because that's what war does... War kills people. War killed God.

Also, HOLY SHIT THIS IS A FUCKING BOP!!!!!!!

#Ultrakill #Ultrakill lore #Ultrakill music #observed readings

[azzydoesstuff]

something i love about ultrakill is that EVERYTHING has an in-lore explanation. EVEN THE GRAPHICS

canonically, the reason why the game has polygonal-ish, PSX-style graphics

is because the machines (including V1, who you play as) (but excluding sentries, apparently)

only render an APPROXIMATION of their surroundings, to allow for quicker reaction times and to avoid having to spend time properly focusing and rendering all the surroundings

the PSX graphics aren't a stylization, THEY'RE HOW V1 (you) CANONICALLY SEES THE WORLD

and that sets a HORRIFYING idea in your head that most enemies like filths and schisms and such probably look WAY more fucking terrifying if a HUMAN could observe them, without the approximation of the machines

i mean, imagine a photo-realistic greenish brown armless lizard-lookin person which is one-and-a-half-times taller than you (filths are actually quite tall, they're just hunched over, try looking at them more closely) and has a massive fucking gaping maw full of razor-sharp teeth that could slice a melon open

or some weird combined flesh-mass thingy with skulls stickin' out of it's shoulder and weird little baby floppy arms rotting on their other side

sends a chill down my spine just thinkin' bout it

#ultrakill #ultrakill lore #lore #not really a shitpost #not a shitpost #oye 2b come look at this

[memes-soul-dna]

A batshit crazy Ultrakill theory

Something that I suddenly realised, like remember how angels needs "Father's light" to sustain themselves? What if that is the "holy spirit"? As for the son it could be ultrakill's version of Jesus or the angels. And wait remember how machines and life forms needed blood to sustain themselves? What if a tiny bit of the "holy spirit" resides in the blood itself? And that's how machines and living things lives because they are using God's life force!!

Yes and that's probably why the father fails because he uses his own life force to create humanity which contributes to their sapience and free will.

As such as someone has pointed out, because machines uses blood to sustain themselves it could contribute to them becoming sentient because of the holy spirit's power.

TL:DR Holy spirit=life force=essence of free will.

#ultrakill #gabriel ultrakill #v1 ultrakill #Ultrakill lore #Ultrakill theory #ultrakill angel #Like the way this just ties everything together....

[samuelthesilly]

I spent 4 hours (2 hours per person) explaining ULTRAKILL lore to my friends

They had rather different reactions to Minos.

#ultrakill #ultrakill minos #ultrakill lore #discord stuff

[big-fongz]

I'm very normal about Requiem and the entire Lust and King Minos storyline okay

#ultrakill #minos prime #ultrakill spoilers #ultrakill lore