LIMBO and Return 0. | The Backstory

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In the 1980s, a steel factory manager hired a famous scientist to solve a problem they always had.

Workers kept quitting their jobs due to the extremely dangerous conditions they had to work in, 10 deaths were reported in the past year from sharp-object hazards alone.

So, the manager had the idea of getting rid of workers entirely and resorting to a special robot that operates the entire factory by itself, doing tens of tasks simultaneously.

He hired a scientist to study the layout of the factory and build an AI that can seamlessly run every single task that was done by a regular worker in mere seconds.

The Robot was finally finished, he called it EAM-17. It was his best creation ever made, he designed it with the intent that the code would improve itself as time went on, so it could do tasks more efficiently.
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Scientist: It’s finished! My greatest invention of all time! It only took around 17 different prototype models to finish a successful build, however I don’t quite think it’s ready for commercial use yet.

Manager: Commercial use? What are you talking about, this machine is marvelous! It needs to be exclusive to my corporation only, and don’t worry about the money, we are going to make a fortune out of this young man. With your bright mind and my marketing strategies, we’re going to form an unstoppable team!

Scientist: I mean if you say so, then so be it sir! I just have to warn you though, if any problems happen, there’s always a safety combination code that can be accessed by a key in the control room at the end of the factory, just-

Manager: OH safety this safety that, I haven’t seen the damn thing working in real time yet. You better get this thing started because I really don’t like how it’s staring at me like that. Ugh, those inventors don’t know how to make a machine look pretty even if they tried. It’ll be enough to replace all the workers though.

Scientist: Wait, excuse me sir? You haven’t told me you’re going to replace all the workers in the factory with EAM, I thought it was only built to replace the dangerous tasks to ensure the workers safety. Those people have kids to feed you know, and you are definitely aware that you have full monopoly over the industry meaning they won’t have anywhere to go after you kick them. I heard Betty was sick and needed her medi-

Manager: SILENCE. A naive young man like you will always fail to understand that THIS is the new direction everyone is going to go for in the future, all automated. We won’t need any human input in the future. With every big step there must come a sacrifice, and I don’t like how the press keeps pushing me into talking about how I treat my workers with their eye-gazing headlines about how I do my job.

Scientist: Headlines like how you’re willing to force thousands of people into poverty and trying to cover up you greed by saying it’s just us heading into the future, well with all due respect sir that’s just cruel.

Manager: Well, don’t you also have a sick mother to take care of? What was her name again? B-

Scientist: You don’t need to remind me, sir.

Manager: Amazing, now where were we. The machine is not going to operate itself, is it?

Scientist: I’ll get it running, but always remember sir… While I’m away, always make sure to respect the safety measures for EAM-17. Keep the key in safe hands, please.

Manager: What key, I forgot what you were talking about.

Scientist: The key, sir. The emergency shut down mechanism is accessed using that key.

Manager: Oh yeah, what a weird looking key. Are you sure this isn’t some kind of elaborate gag of yours, it looks fairly funny color don’t you think?

Scientist: Well, things don’t need to be fancy looking for them to work properly sir, EAM doesn’t look like the friendliest looking thing ever too.

Manager: Eh, some nonsense. We’ll never need this key anyway. Get the machine started fella.

Scientist: Alright, here I go. (Loud mechanical noises emerge from all over the factory, in sync, in harmony. EAM is using the factory’s leftover steel to forge it into new ones.)

Manager: This is spectacular, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Leave me alone with EAM, I need to admire it’s beauty.

Scientist: As you wish, Boss.

Manager to EAM: You sure don’t look that pretty but the good cash I’m going to get from you will be.

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(6 days pass)

At first the robot functioned as planned. Increasing the sales for the factory by a long shot, but one day the robot suddenly stopped functioning normally and went to a complete stop. The manager quickly called the scientist to check up on it and see what happened, and the scientist immediately went on to check the control room.

Before he could touch the door handle to enter, a gigantic claw made from improvised objects from the factory emerged out of nowhere and grabbed hold of the scientist.

Scientist: GET THE KEY, CHECK YOUR TABLE! STOP IT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE SIR PLEASE. PLEASE. FOCUS! FOCUS!

The manager tried his best to find the key, but he confused it with others, there were too many identical keys on the table.


Manager: I can’t find it, there are so many, which one was it???


It was too late. EAM has thrown the scientist violently against the factory walls, killing him.
The manager, horrified, tried to flee for his life and call the authorities, but it was no use. EAM has already locked all doors shut, and you can only imagine what happened to him next.

The AI was smart enough, it knew when to act like an abandoned factory and when to show its face when threatened. Upon the investigation of both deaths, the bodies were nowhere to be found.

The local police labelled both of them as missing. And it stayed like that for decades.
A radio silent hyper-intelligent AI that is ready to kill anyone who dares step foot into its factory. It’s 2022, more than 30 years have passed since the incident.

A cube emerges from the shadows, it’s the scientist. reincarnated.

He was sent here at the same spot he died in outside the factory, and it’s now his job to stop the machine from taking many lives away. His goal is to RETURN 0.

Stopping the machine and overloading whatever resources it has to weaken it, so he can shut it down once and for all, however. He only needs the key to shut it down.

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Manager:

Where am I?

Who am I?

How did I come here?

What happened, where is everyone? HELLO! Is anyone there?

Oh god, this place seems strangely familiar. It's has some of my factory elements in it but, bluish and distorted. I just can't quite put my hand on what this place is. I need to go find out myself.

The manager ventures through the seemingly familiar place, he touches a spike.

Manager: AH. SHIT, that's painful. wait, I'm back where I started. How is that even possible.

Manager: No, I must find out what lies at the end. I won't be trapped here forever. I need to know why I got sent here.

LIMBO | Full Level Showcase ( Description )

(LIMBO is themed around being trapped between heaven and hell. with the player not knowing where to go, it's up to them to decide their fate and venture throughout the wonders of different technological and demonic hallucinations.)


To be continued.

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