What do you mean there's no dialogue? The Dogs clearly say "Bark Bark Bark!" several times.

If the diorama at the end implies that the final resting place of the meatball is actually another manufactured part of the facility, then is it possible that the rest of the outdoors segments at the beginning of the game were in a similar setting? That would mean that every part of the game takes place in the facility. In other words: Inside.

what's more mindblowing is that someone created this game....

Inside, Limbo and Little Nightmares are excellent games because of the silence and no dialogue. You mind creates the story and you imagine what the story is.

hold on let me pick the pieces of MY FUCKING MIND off the floor.

This has been said in the comments, but I do love the idea that the game breaks the fourth wall, in that you are in fact the one controlling the boy. At the same time, the developers have created the game for you, the player. The blob represents the path most players will take. You, like the majority of players, will collectively reach the blob ending. The blob is all the players and you doing the same thing. The developers knew this. The diorama shows that they planned this. The group of people standing in the background as that box is dangled in front of you, again, represents the developers knowing what most players would do. When you roll down the hill at the end, most players might think they are free, but you're still "inside" the game. Most players will think the light is the sun shining through the clouds, but others will realize that it's a spotlight because the whole ending is manufactured. To "beat" the game, so to speak, is to go out of your way to find all the orbs and disconnect from the game. Beating the system. So I think it's cool to speculate as to the in-game story, but I think it's really just an allegory meant to connect you, the player, and the game itself. Of course there's a lot of interpretation, but that's what makes it great!

I also like how at first we're all relieved the meatball makes it outside in his final resting place, but when you think about the journey you went on, the boy has been consistently going deeper and deeper underground since he got in the submarine. You're not actually outside, you're just in a fabricated area meant to trick you into thinking you were.

OK, I think you play as the meatball the entire time. In the game they show that a drone that is controlled can use the mind control helmets like a chain of command. The boy is a drone the entire time and the meatball is controlling it. It is using you like you use the drones: to escape. The alternate ending supports this because he unplugs the entire system that has been there throughout the game and he is left lifeless, much like the other drones without the mind control thingies.

I find it quite interesting the the mermaid characters instead of trying to snap your neck to kill you, they just start dragging you down further under water. Its kind of like they are trying to show you something.

I can understand the logic behind most of this, but I have a different theory about the alternate ending. I believe that Playdead were hinting at the fact that even though it may feel like the boy is trying to escape from being controlled and being part of a twisted society, no matter how hard he tries he will still always be under the control of someone; the player. The boy, if you think about it, doesn't have any free will throughout this whole story. He is always being controlled by you, the player. Playdead did a fantastic job on this, so much is left up to us and our interpretation of the game.

Now I feel like I was never even controlling the boy. I was being controlled by the ball. And then the facility.

The plate that counts 20 drones somehow counts the boy in.

I seen alot of theories but came up with one thats easy and doesn't really have any flaws (given what we know). Near the end when the blob crashes through the elevator shaft he lands in a "display" type glass room. In it is the end scene. A mountain side, the light shining and even a tiny blob where you would end up. Keeping that in mind my belief is while you were controlling the kid to free yourself, you didn't realize the humans (or whatever they are) actually set you up. Look at how they helped you out at the end. And when it ends you roll down into the very same place as that in that display room. But heres the thing. Notice it seems more like a light then the sun? No real background despite being outside. Just the typical greyish mist. A fake moutain with wood behind it. You are in fact... just in a bigger cage now. The display was a model of your cage. So you did exactly what they hoped you would do and went there thinking you were free. But upon landing you don't bother getting up because you realized it was all for nothing. You escaped one cage only to end up in one bigger that doesn't seem escapable. About the only flaw that I could think of is in that display you do see a building right off to the right. Not sure if thats what it was or maybe some object in the display case not related to the room you end up in. Either way I think the cage theory is the most plausible. This of course doesn't explain pretty much everything else like who they are. What you are. How they built what they did. If your on earth and all that.

I think we're forgetting something. Someone built that underground bunker, installed that PC there, and intentionally put a trap door in the middle of a cornfield to hide it all. Was it the farmer who only built the farm as a guise. Could the farmer have been an ex-Evil Corp employee who didn't agree with what the company was doing? This would explain the song required to enter the bunker. A song only a long time employee would remember so well. If you look closely at the mind control computer in the bunker, you'll see a seat. It seems the ex-employee was once the one controlling the boy (or children before him), guiding them through the facility to try and disrupt the experiment and put an end to it. The farmer was probably captured at some point and thrown into the hive mind, where he guided the boy back to the bunker to unplug the mind control computer, in the hopes of stopping any further attempts at playing this game and ending the experiment.

one good thing about 2020 quarantine is that I discovered this masterpiece after 4 years!

For me the moment that had me highly suspicious that I was actually doing what the people/facility wanted me to, was when all the people gathered around the window, completely ignoring me, even though I was right in front of them, being hardly inconspicious. Some of there glances at me, even appeared to be that of watching me, as if evaluating my movement, seeing what I was doing. Though, perhaps I imagined it. Inspires much thought and speculation, indeed.

In the secret room in the cornfeild, the picture room with red lighting, you can see the pictures develop over time. Its a nice secret image that will spook you. Also, i find it weir how the majority if the game,you go down, but escape onto a beach.

You completely failed to touch upon one of the most fascinating and brutal parts of the facility. The pulsating sound area. Why does no one pay attention to that part of the game it obviously has some meaning.

"The only winning move in the struggle for control is not to play", love that ending...Great explanation!

Why is it that, while the masked people try to kill the boy throughout the whole game, in the end the office workers don't seem to mind the boy, and even help the blob escape? They seem scared of it, but at the same time only scared enough to run like 20 feet and then turn back around and watch. I think the masked people and the office workers are regular humans, working together. The masked people are guards and the office workers are scientists and engineers. They are growing these drones to do manual labor; you even see some of them in hardhats, doing construction. I think they created the hive mind to control all of the drones. However, they don't have total control over the hive mind and are constantly monitoring it and have guards watching all the drones to make sure they aren't acting fishy. I am not sure if the boy is being controlled by the hive mind directly, but rather, the hive mind ends up noticing the boy and actively helping him reach the blob. Notice: early in the game you often walk by drones and they do absolutely nothing unless you hook up to a mind control terminal and control them manually; but sometimes you go by a few who just stand slouched and don't even notice you. Later on they all start joining you and helping you automatically; even when you do not have a mind control device. I think, as the blob is hooked up to the machines, it is somehow weakened or too bogged down controlling drones to control its own body, which is why it can't escape on its own. When you first swim up to it it doesn't move at all. After you remove the first terminal it moves a little. Once your remove the second terminal it tries to grab you but doesn't seem to have much strength. By the time you remove the third one it gains enough control to pull you inside. From there, I'm not sure if the boy gains control of the blob or you switch to the blob... or if they are now fully assimilated and there's no distinction anymore. I also view the alternate ending as more of an easter egg than a part of the canon story. I think the computer represents the player, i.e.: the boy was controlled by a computer the whole time... And the fact that you have to find all of the secrets first and then go back to a spot near the start of the game represents kind of a metaphor that you may choose to save the boy from all the terrors later in the game by unplugging yourself from controlling him, ending it early. The biggest mindfuck, a potentially big hole in the story to me, is the diorama. The fact that it foreshadows the ending before it happens makes me think it was all pre-determined... but by who? And why? My best guess is that it was just an easter egg, and not integral to the story. If it was meant as more than an easter egg, then I think your explanations is okay. I would basically say: the blob has escaped many times and, because it's mostly made up of the same minds, tends to do it in the same way.. Its creators even tailored the path for it, to stream line it and make it more predictable. In the end they probably go pick it up and put it back in its tank and things go back to business as usual... until it eventually happens all over again many years later. My theory as to who the boy is and how the game starts? He was just some orphan boy living in the woods.. perhaps with a family who was killed/kidnapped by the masked men. He comes across the truck in the forest and starts following it. Notice how you follow the route of the truck for awhile until you get to the city, where you see the truck stopped and the people getting in line and marching through the street. Maybe his family was taken in one of those trucks once and he wanted to find them.

I really hate these names people have come up for the living mass in the game. Blob, Meatball; all of these things undermine what we're looking at. A cluster of sentient people who are in the epitome physical and emotional distress. Yes, these are _sentient human beings_ inside that tank, which explains why the rogue drone has emotions/fears. It's the emotions/fears of the Hive-mind. As for how the Hive-mind came to be, well, it doesn't make a lot sense until you consider what we witnessed while trying to "rescue" it. The boy got pulled into the mass and became one with it. I believe this mass of people, were previous rogues that either happen at random or are necessary for the mind controlling process. No one can be sure as to which, but it explains how the boy knew where to go and, for the most part, what to do. Hell, this even explains the resets in the game where, after you lose a life, you start off back at the invisible check point. Possibly as another rogue. TL;DR: Each and every one of those writhing body parts, are a previous rescue attempt. So, okay, what about the diorama? Why hasn't anyone properly sealed the Cluster away somewhere so it can't be freed? Why didn't it break out before now? My guess is that no matter what, there must always be a rogue and something for the rogue to search for. We saw that after a certain amount of people, it gains too much power and strength to be controlled so, why fight it? This explains why the scientists and staff members, help usher it along at the end. This has happened before and will keep on happening so again, why fight it? The diorama demonstrates where the Cluster will be housed for the time being. (Before/if they kill it.) This also somewhat explains the Cluster's reaction to the fall. I'm not sure if it's conscious during the last few moments there but if it is, I get that it's at first, relieved. It made it. It's outside. Even God seems to be smiling upon it with sunbeams. Except that's not a sun. I don't think it happens before the scene ends but, eventually, this thing will realize it's in another cage and it will, yet again, want to escape. But what can it do? I think every bone in it's gelatinous bio mass is broken, it can't move anymore, not after all that punishment before and after the trees. So it does what it's always done, send a signal for help, but perhaps, it can't do more than send a psychic sense of it's whereabouts, and the new rogue just ends up repeating the same process, leading it to the tank and become the first of many, to become the new Cluster. Either that or the scientists create a new cluster with "volunteers." Possibly even the corpses of the upper class who got killed during the rampage. (Which is why they don't care about the carnage.) Gotta put those bodies to use, after all. As for how often this happens; Well, I've actually grown pine trees in my yard. I planted them when I was seven and now at thirty two, they're taller than my two story house. Given that the cluster seems to be about 12-15ft tall, I'd say this process repeats every seven to ten years, seeing as the cluster is even bigger than some of the trees it unfortunately runs over.

it's weird the CEO got killed by the meatball. maybe only the scientists were in on the experiment, and chose not to tell their boss? also, just wanted to point out that before you enter the final out doors scene, the wooden wall you knock down is set up to obviously look like a back drop. reminds me of the Truman show LOL

Unbelievable game. So much respect for the developers, Playdead. I can’t wait for their third game. 😍

"This oppressed little ball." BEST. SENTENCE. EVER.

I don't know if your theory is true or not,but this game gives me all the chills.I love these kinds of games.

I think the mermaids were a failed attempt at making humans being able to live underwater

don't know if i'm too late for all the inside hype, but i remembered when u controlled the zombie people to put them on a plate of 20, they acted EXACTLY like the little chicks at the farm that follow you around, with one lagging at the end in both cases

It's actually just a retelling of Katamari Damacy you hooligans.

So _that's_ why he scientists were cheering when they saw the boy swimming naked in the chamber where the meatball resided! They were cheering because their experiment was, once again, a success! Yet another of the world's strongest inhabitants has been guided to the meatball. They all knew this would happen, because it had happened many times before.

Now this make sense. Because the people that play this game are actually a part of the facility, because players control the main character. It is posible because in the game you can control a controller of someone

Hello everybody! I have written a poem based on this game. I have spent a long time on it so i hope u enjoy! In a dystopian future, A wicked flower blooms Dogs bark in the distance Impending their doom A boy’s on a journey To find a beam of light All alone in this world, No sane human in sight He bolts through a forest As quick as a flash For if he gets caught, Hope is lost at last In a dystopian future, White water runs red The ones who rebelled Were left for dead The weak are enslaved As is the poor The ones who rebelled Better lock their doors In a dystopian future, Dawn’s dead air hangs high a broken And as twilight sang it’s last refrain, This boy realizes his quest for freedom May never present a gain The distant sounds of war broke echos Unrivaled over the voiceless land He was scared and had no home to hide in, But he still focused on the task at hand He has gone through tough times Such as starvation and sickness For when he can rest May it be quick and endless This young man is no longer a child, He has grown up so fast He now stands strong and proud, Family hand in hand at last I hope everyone enjoyed and leave a like if you did!

Holy shit! When I finished the game I was :o. Now seeing this explanation, specially when you showed the Diorama... :ooooooooooo. Fantastic work, dude!

I believe that some of the people were against the tests with the human blob. When the boy ends up in the container which has the human blob inside, some of the people bang the glass and shake their heads. I think that the boy was somehow special. I think that the boy was "the final piece" of the human blob and that the boy had to be the last human to get inside the blob. The animals followed the boy which is also a reason why I believe that the boy was special. I also believe that the mermaids were attempts of making humans that can breathe underwater. It was necessary to create underwater breathing people because the human blob was clearly kept underwater. When they found secure way to transform people into creatures that can breathe underwater, they just didn't care about the mermaids(test subjects) anymore. Maybe the mermaids were FAILED test subjects because they couldn't get out the water anymore. Some mermaids were aggressive, some of them were maybe trying to protect their living area and tried to get rid of the intruder and some of the mermaids tried to maybe help the boy. I don't believe that anyone was controlling them. Does anyone have any idea WHY the birds and fishes were following the boy? And why did the boy wear red shirt?

This is an amazing analysis and video, thank you! I think I have a small addition to your observations. Remember that the underwater creature is afraid of light? It pacifies the creature until it cannot move. I think the hive mind (or blob) is the same. That's why they lured it there, in the enormous spotlight on the beach, to contain it, and perhaps kill it. (btw, the spotlight can also be found in the diorama) Maybe it was like a backup plan for when the hive mind became self-conscious and try to free itself and run away. In this way they could channel its desire to be free and eliminate its threat. This also explains the reason why there are so many different reactions of the people to the whole event. When you go into the 'womb' of the hive mind, there are people cheering, because they know they succeeded in creating an artificial conscious mind, this is an amazing achievement. Although they had a backup plan, of course they didn't know exactly how the blob would get out. So when the blob broke the glass they were surprised and shocked (Just as the police would have a backup plan for when a dangerous criminal escapes prison. They don't know how he could escape, but in case he will, there is a backup plan to capture him). Although the people in the direct path of the blob are mortified (and righteously so, they are gonna get trampled), everybody is still looking from a distance because its an unbelievable thing to see. Then there are the people that are helping you, because they are executing the backup plan to lure you to the path to the beach and eliminate you. Other people are aware of this and run (in the background) to the dark theater to get a last glimpse of the greatest scientific achievement in the history of mankind (artificial consciousness), where you then fall through the hole into the water.

I think every time you die it isn't the same boy that comes back, but a new drone that now has learned how to overcome the obstacle that killed the last one, the same way you learn to do that as the player. So eventually all that knowledge goes into the meat ball to improve it. I love it, It's so creative and original.

This is the most interesting game I’ve ever played. The soundtrack is depressing but beautiful, the graphics and animations are unique, and the controls are satisfyingly smooth. Deepest game I’ve ever played.

I heard a suggestion that when the boy unplugs the cord from that thing in the alternate ending, that he is "unplugging" himself from the players control because If you think about it, you are the one in control and as soon as you unplug the cord the you lose control and the boy looks almost somewhat relieved. breaking the forth wall!

I never really thought the blob was a hive mind. I thought it was just a giant blob of organic matter from which clones are birthed. The clones are mind controlled by normal people, and are treated like slaves. The blob needs to be acquainted to the mind control devices so it doesn't reject later in the individualized clone's life.

Just finished this game. It was absolutely incredible, loved every second of it. Anyway, my working theory is that everything is being controlled by the scientists and the whole game is just a gigantic experiment. The hidden orbs lying around act like network hubs and enable the huddle to manipulate the boy wherever he is, drawing him ever closer. The various obstacles the boy faces are simply tests to see if he (the huddle) is able to overcome them. This explains why the boy 'powers down' when they are all destroyed; the boy's free will was stronger than the huddle's manipulation and the experiment has failed. I believe the scientists started out using pigs (to see if they could get their technology to work) as highlighted near the beginning of the game, then moved on to people (who are being sold as slaves) as they are seen walking in lines to show the public what they can do, before finally creating the huddle (who I believe is some sort of hive mind) a living being comprised of strong-minded people that is capable of controlling multiple individuals at once. The scientists were always in complete control of the situation however, as the beach where the huddle eventually dies was shown in model form in one of the glass rooms. In short, the whole thing, including the huddle's escape, was planned from the very beginning to test their technology. What do you think?

I think its over complicating the story. -The monster is used to clone / control drones. -The drones are used either as a massive experiment or perhaps the world maybe normal outside and drones may act as slave labor since they're able to farm pigs and such. -Everyone in the facility is immune to the monsters influence. -Some random boy was playing too close to the facility and was unprotected so it got influenced by the monster which is why every intruder NOT wearing a mask is executed so harshly. -The monster has constantly attempted to escape which has left a lot of the facility in ruin, which is why there's so many layers. -The scientist decided they can't stop the monster from trying to escape so i'll be easier to give the monster "false hope" and a predetermined path so they can reduce damage done as a failsafe should the guards be unable to stop the monsters puppets. -The secret ending is the monster wising up and accepting it can't escape and instead deciding to sacrifice its chance of escaping so the scientist can't use it to control the drones. -Water drones are just glitched drones, being unaccessable by the scientist the monster is able to influence them, when you drown there's even a dead body with a needle inside it meaning the monster attempted this before but something happened. -Everything is in ruin because of the monsters previous attempts at escaping or perhaps as a result of resettling locals once it became apparent the monster could influenced people.

The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is the people rushing to look at the blob thing while it was contained. Like they all wanted to see the thing they created for the first time. If it had been an on going experiment then I doubt so many people would be rushing to see it.

What about goddamn HEAVY BASS DROP cave?

finish this gem today. This blow me

This game is all what I want games to become. Art with playing mechanics and designs that let you thinking and imagining about those worlds. I think we are seeing more games that does all this with time.

Something I haven't seen people mention yet is the possibly that this hive-mind is one of many. and that many have gone before. Especially once you control the 'meatball', there seem to be identical paths to yours in the background, and earlier, you could sometimes see a humanoid figure running from left to right in the background, much like yourself. Even the final barrier towards the (domed up) ending clearly wasn't very solid. Look at the woodwork there! It's being kept up with makeshift supports, unlike the rest of the wall. It's not the first time something came through there.

Super late to this discussion but doesn't it seem possible that the hivemind started as a single person as well? It's a large mass of flesh and limbs. Clearly made of numerous other people. If the facility kept repeating this experiment, then isn't it likely that a new body kept merging together with each experiment?

Kinda similar to The Matrix. Neo and the other red pills "escaping" the Matrix and joining Zion's resistance against the Machines is merely another extension of the Matrix. Another system of control within the grander system of control. Neo is also the 6th iteration of The One and all of them have gone through the same journey believing they are liberating themselves and humanity from the Machines' control. Yet they are simply perpetuating the same cycle of control as does our oblivious meatball hybrid in this game. The Matrix was an allegory on free will vs determinism and how society or even the universe as a whole has placed us in an unending dream where we live under the delusion that we are in control of our lives when in reality we may not be. Inside specifically frames this within a meta-commentary on player agency. A popular theme that has been explored in other games like Bioshock and The Stanley Parable.

I just finished the game and it was pretty amazing. My interpretation of the game is however WILDLY different from most theories that I've read. My theory: During the first hour of the game I started thinking about mind control and factories that use humans as experiments, but during the last hour I completely changed my mind. To me it's obvious that the whole game is a metaphor for child conception, from sperm cell to birth. The boy in red is the sperm cell (you can giggle now). There are parts in the game toward the end that visually represents a sperm cell's penetration of an egg. At one part you can see other people running into a huge building, in a hurry, which I interpret as other sperm cells trying to "win the race". The part where the girl drags you deep down in the water and attaches some kind of cable to the boy's stomach: umbilical cord. That gigantic room where you have to shield yourself from the huge blast that occurs every few seconds can be seen as the child developing a heartbeat. At 2:12 in the video, the blob breaks the glass and wreaks havoc. I believe this implies that the mother carrying the child has had her water break and labor is imminent. This is where the pace of the game picks up and other people help you along the way by opening doors and so on. Also, panic. The last part of the game before you end up on the beach, when you break through the wall represents birth to me. My god, the game's name is 'INSIDE'. So there. That's what I think. :)

....And the boy's name is Akira. :p

You ever noticed that nobody has faces, but the 2 guys you have to sneak past at those pod things wear masks?

just to answer where the boy came from and why there are ppl in teh forest at the begining of the game: i think the kid came from one of those yellow glowing pods that are only found in the forest sections. and the reason at the start of the game ur in the forest is because u escaped ur glowing pod. and the reason why there are enemies around with dogs in the forest is becuase they are after you. as u said in ur video the pods r used to create possible drones (sucking up natural energy from trees ect and using that to create drones) , but for some reason the boy is different. and instead of being a drone he was born/made with a purpose. this purpose could either be created by the evil corporation as an accident or on purpose. i think the boy had no purpose until the scene where he was drowned by the black hair kids. and after that he was told by the hive to help free it.

Makes me want to contact the developers of the game and let them speak out what's the story behind this game.

I like this video, but I still have many unanswered questions. Why were there dead pigs at the beginning? And what was up with that little slug that attached to the dead pig and made it run after you? Speaking of animals running after you, why were they doing that? Those chicks followed you before you had the mind control implanted in you. The dogs always chased after you and KILLED you while the humans only shoot you with tranquilizers. Why were the people trying to stop you at the beginning? How is that part of the experiment if they knew where you were going? Why were those fish following you? Also, why were the scientists cheering for you when you finally meet the blob? If they expected you to be there, why did you break out and KILL some of them. Some of the people ran away in fear and got smashed by the blob. But somehow, the blob fell into the scientist's trap? This is part of their experiment? This is possible, but that would mean the scientists in control are REALLY sadistic. I have potential answers for all these, but it's hard to think of a complete picture. AAAHHHH

In alternate ending after unplugging the switch boy goes into limbo. Just my assumption and my be it's prequel of limbo 😮

Wow, I love how you put it all together and then the punchline at the end. I love this game so much, and your video has only helped to put a little more perspective to all the theories floating around out there.

this game is a masterpiece, its not even a game, its an interactive artpiece

I feel like these are all Homunculus

What about that weird astronaut thing in the window? I feel like this game is a movie scene

This personally is one of my favourite games just how there’s so many endings and so many different paths. My theory is that the games name is called inside so the blob at the end where most people think that your “finished” your still inside the game and how even them it’s put you playing the boy it’s also the feeling as if your following the boy journey instead of controlling him. Another big part of the play dead games are that you are only aloud up and side to side never to wonder so almost as if the game is guiding you to your ending whichever one that may be and all these people are trying to catch you but yet when you enter the facility no one seems to care anymore maybe signifying there is no use for the boy anymore and they have already created something much more greater without the boy but yet when you have reached the “end” your still “inside” the facility like how he said with the replica of the mountain and the spot light what if they made a human sized version and made it so your never really free your always going to be controlled by society and others around you and no matter how hard you try no one is going to accept everyone and that’s why when he pulls the plug out maybe that signifys (I’m getting a little dark here) but maybe it signifys suicide and how society’s expectations are to much for one little for or anyone and pulling the plug is the only way of getting rid of this pain and judging they go through but ye that’s my theory

I always thought the alternate ending meant that the player was controlling the boy, and when he unplugged himself, he freed himself from the player's control.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE SLUGS IN THOSE PIGS?!?! ITS THE SAME ONES FROM LIMBO! JAYSUS

Although it's the best online analysis yet of the game, I suggest another theory: "Inside" is the inside of a human body. The boy is a cell gone rogue turning into cancer (blob) or a virus infecting an organism escaping immune system (dogs and security guards). A lot of the settings suggest that for example the beating heart level throbbing in the distance, the brain room in the form of the HEAD office etc. Corn, Chicken, Pork - digestive systems etc. The self euthanasia in the cornfield bunker is instant relief from the cancer. But this is only scratching the surface. Great vid!

I linked this video in the description of my finale to this game! this is amazing dude! it blows my mind!

I saw a cool theory which framed the game as a metaphor for cancer, like the boy was just a malignant cell trying to move through the body undetected, the drones represent the normal cells, regulated and benign, being produced on mass and transported around the body, the dogs and the people being the cells in charge of regulating and destroying malignancies such as the boy, and the blob, a tumour composed of drone and malignant cells which eventually wreaks havoc on the body, but is then removed. And the alternate ending where the we unplug the controlling force is point where the cancer infiltrates the body’s defences and shuts it down, killing itself as well as the body. Almost makes too much sense not to have some truth to it

i've watched a few explanations and yours seems to be the most coherent one so far. kudos

Maeby I'm saying something stupid because I didn't play the game myself but when I look at 3:23 of this video it looks like the forest area is made like a huge filmset. Maybe it's a possibility that that is a clue that everywhere you go in Inside is premade as some kind of filmset in the same way the diorama was premade for the end scene?

awesome bro ! just finished playing the game. came over to watch it, good job!

Is anyone playing in 2019?

I forgot how to breath after watching this

While this is a nice theory, it feels very surface level, it's a very literal interpretation of what happens in the game. Knowing the developer, they were aiming for something much harder to decipher. Hell, the developer has actually stated that the already cryptic Limbo had too many clues to the true meaning. I personally am a huge fan of the INSIDE the body theory. There's just so many parallels that can be made to the human body, especially in the ending, which seems to be related to human reproduction. You've got the brain in the cornfield, the heart is the sonic wave machine, and the uterus, which you arrive at after a long descent, is where you find the blob. It's a complicated theory, but certainly one that is interesting to think about. Thematically it's really interesting. Having a grim dystopian society be an allegory for the human body is not something a lot of people would think about. There's certainly some imagery in the game that tries to lead us towards this theory. When the boy floats naked around the blob, that's some sperm and egg cell imagery. The men in white shirts mindlessly running towards the blob is reminiscent of sperm cells racing towards the egg. And when the blob is lured into the water trap, there's literally a vagina on the floor. That shit ain't accidental, I tell ya. But I don't think the ending is about fertilization, despite the egg and sperm cell imagery. I believe that was there to just point us in the right direction. I believe the ending is about miscarriage caused by the boy, who is possibly a bacteria that has infected the body. The people in white masks chasing you in the beginning could be white blood cells. And the underwater girl connecting that cord to you and giving you new powers can be viewed as a virus, more spesifically a bacteriophage, giving a bacteria new DNA that grants it immunities to things that would otherwise have killed it.

Very concise and compelling theory! I really enjoyed it, i haven't looked at all of your content but videos like this are definitely great!

Great video bro. I definitely feel like your theory makes the most sense. "The only winning move is not to play" which is achieved by the alternate ending. That just makes perfect sense to me. Love it!!

I have a question... Why were there dogs ready to tear the boy apart? If the plan was to get the BOI *dabs*loud bass sound* in the blob thing then, who sent the dogs that seem to want to stop the kid?

Would like to point out something about the normal ending: Those are fucking tiny trees. We saw that the blob isn't that big compared to a normal person or the kid, yet it is taller than a lot of those trees. I don't know evergreens well but I think wild ones get a bit bigger than the every 10 year old in a blob.

Very very VERY good explanation. I pretty much was thinking all the same things that you explained! One thing I have to slightly interject upon is all of the underwater segments. The underwater segments were definitely old testing areas belonging to the facility. The water is there because of some, as you said, post apocalyptic scenario or event. They abandoned these testing areas and continued upward. You can see this by looking at the progression of numbers on the testing tracks. You start with 1, then, by the end by the hive mind, it ends with 4. In testing track 2 I believe, you can see an underground forest with the growing pods for the drones. This shows the first stages of their experimentation with growing the drones. There would not just be a forest underground, that was a controlled environment for experimentation, now left abandoned because of the flooding and not being needed anymore. All throughout you see the glass rooms, flooded in the old testing tracks and still in operation in testing track 4 where they experiment medically on bodies and such. They also needed materials to build all of this, so, they built the shockwave mining operation. Notice in the shockwave area it is all mining equipment, from carts to claws to tracks. The shockwave was man made there intentionally, it was their way of blasting material, hence why there is such a giant and vast void in the earth. They figured out a way to make it perpetual, not needing any refueling, thus why it is still going after being abandoned. This expands on the whole "abandoned" feeling of most of the underground facility. Last thing was the upside down gravity water with the floating bodies and why they are making this ball of humans. When we see the floating bodies attached to the boxes, those are what are controlling the drones as of current. They are in stasis, exactly like a Sensory Deprivation Pool, which explains why they need to be in water floating. Each individual one is controlling a drone by using the helmet that they are attached to which is then attacked to the box transmitter below. Because of the ever increasing demand for drones due to this proposed population crisis, this one-to-one control of the drones, each drone having a single controller, is getting quite uneconomical and inconvenient. Thus, they start making the master hive mind: the strongest and most vast controlling mind that they have ever created. Thus, why they are doing these tests with it. Thus, why everyone was so excited to see it finally happening: the mind escaping. They were aware of the boy the entire time and knew when the boy entered the facility. They were rushing to it because it was about to happen after so long. For them to even make a diorama of the escape scene shows how much they cared about the very escape. The escape would symbolize the maturity of the mind, ready for it to go online. And the theory of the mind unplugging itself and not playing the game was BRILLIANT!!! Anyways, just some of my thoughts.

This description reminds me of demon souls, dark souls and bloodborne. From software never fully explains everything in those games and leaves you to imagine the full story yourself. Its part of what made those games so fascinating.

I'm reminded of a quote from The Matrix: Reloaded. Neo: It was a lie, Morpheus. The prophecy was a lie. The One was never meant to end anything. It was all another system of control.

So....this is like the Maze Runner series, but more weirdly insane haha. Or just equally insane, if you've read Scorch Trials.

Am i the only one that thought the meatball is kinda similar to no face from spirited away?

LOVE your analysis of this! Very insightful!

While this may be dystopian, "post-apocalyptic" isn't right. What apocalypse occurred? War? Disease? Saying "overpopulation" doesn't qualify as an apocalypse. And what proof of overpopulation is there? Perhaps the "facility", as you call it, simply wants free labor. Husks don't seem to have rights or will, so they would be perfect laborers. The underwater siren things may not be explained, but saying they are the reason for all the destruction and water is such a giant assumption. They don't seem to be able to get out of the water, they were blocked off numerous times, and overall don't seem to be able as much damage as you said. The whole, "you're controlled by the hive mind" is completely contradicted by bunker. You could say the meatball controls you, but you probably control the meatball. In fact, you may have had the meatball absorb the child so you could control it (that's just my speculation). The thing about saying the entire game was a test, is also a giant assumption. You may be controlled, but assuming the facility is controlling you for a test is just rediculous. You have so many ways to be completely destroyed in the game (i.e fan, explosion, dog, drowning) and there would be no reason for the facility to do it. The pods in the forest also seem to be bigger than the ones hanging with husks in them later. Last part of my rant being, stating that the facility controls so much simply because the meatball falls into a cage that's supposed to trick you, is also a major leap. ANY contingency plan could be used, and stating that because they had a back up plan they control something or are ingenious is foolish. They literally lead the meatball there like a donkey following a carrot on a string. If anything, it just makes the meatball look stupid. And if they hivemind can controls minds, what stops them from controlling the facility employees? Why not control a husk closer, instead of a kid? Why is there a giant meatball? Why would the facility need more control? And over what and why? Why so much security, when we are the only ones actively fighting them? Was the person in the bunker supposed to represent the player, and why? Too many questions left unanswered for there to be a definitive conclusion, only exaggeration and mild speculation.

Best theory that I've heard so far! All that detail that you had in this vid was insane! Really good job :)

I loved this game but lowkey I was scared like I felt like this game in trying to tell us something about the time which is about to come still keeping quiet,

you just had a new subscribe. Very good video. Best inside story explanation so far. I am quite confuse after playing through the game and watch the alternate ending (really confuse) but you make it all clear. Well done

Dude, u totally nailed it!!! Thanks!!!!!

You’re a genius ... thank you. You’ve made me love my favourite game even more than I already did

So you elaborated much better than me but i felt the same way really early into my first play through, everything just seemed so on purpose and directed at a challenge. This was made especially clear with the “20” puzzle as there woukd be no point locking a door in such an experimental way. Too many areas existed with no real purpose but to test you, such as the shockwaves field and many other examples. But the moment i saw the real ending, i was blown away that i had guessed right. Until this video i felt empty at the original ending, but thanks for clearing it up :)

You really killed this explanation

absolutely masterful game. that ending... :'(

I no longer have any overarching theory in it, but one thing I noticed today was the theme of vision within the game. The security camera during the drones' motion tests (or whatever tf) knew immediately there was something wrong with the kid, but allowed him to get away if he did exactly as the drones did. Meanwhile the audience, eyeless just as the boy is, don't really seem to register the obvious fact he is smaller and dressed unlike the others. There are other moments too, especially in the industrial sections, where it feels as if the humanoid worker characters don't really perceive your presence until you're part of the blob. In the forest though, you have to conclude they're going by sight tbh, because otherwise there are moments early on where they'd definitely catch you. I guess there are very different levels of clone skills and faculties so it's possible some can see without eyes??? Idk Anyway, if this was a little more watertight I would argue that we're the ones behind the camera, the elite with our thoughts, eyes & absolute ability to determine whether our slave characters live or die. I definitely feel that the game meditates on the weirdness, existentially, of someone dying hundreds of times in bizarre little challenges & always just coming right back. Mario or Sonic, just like the poor bastard kids in Limbo and Inside, may achieve the 'win state' within their insane little hell world, but they'll never get out of it. Limbo kid finds the girl, woohoo, but it's implied they just die there in the forest. Inside kid either switches his whole world off or ends up, while subsumed in a grotesquely powerful flesh orb, exactly where the facility wanted him.

Thank you thank you so much for wrapping these theories up together.

Rember the ending when it rolls down the hill with the trees and spotlight, it's a model of that view in the building. You run by it.

So the secret ending is the good ending? Because the boy has escaped the experiment. So the normal ending is actually the bad ending because you've just followed along with the experiment and proved it to be successful.

There's no explanation to this game. The word you're looking for is interpretation, which is different for everyone.

omg now i got so many thoughts in my head after your explanation. Sooooo many questions

Very well analyzed. We're waiting for Inside 2 to give further explanations.

what about those dead pigs in the beginning? it looked like the blob was forming into one of them at the end of the game

The scorer ending always struck me as suicide by the hive mind, it probably has in effect played this games hundreds of times and knows it can't escape so it just ends it's life instead

WOW! Just finished the game. Great analysis.

Great video. Great game. Beat in in one sitting. I like to imagine that the stories revolving around limbo and inside are somehow connected.