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u/Silc00n

r/LookOutsideGame
Image 1 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 2 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 3 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 4 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 5 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 6 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
Image 7 — Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums
▲ 21 r/LookOutsideGame

Character design analysis for every party member. Day 10: Ernest and Colonel Squeakums

Hello everybody, I hope you're doing great. Today we are going to analyze the design of our favorite beggar: Ernest!

Ernest and Colonel Squeakums are supposed to fulfill the trope of the homeless guy that somehow tames an exotic pet, with the game taking advantage of the cursed transformations by making Squeakums a sapient rat.

This is a very solid concept for a Look Outside character, especially one that is a squatter and just lives in one of the abandoned apartments within the game. The problem is that I just don't think Ernest is doing anything memorable with his traits. He looks pretty much like any other homeless character that you might see as a background character on any story.

One could argue that the point of his design is that Ernest's story goes beyond of his looks. We know that he had a past as a musician traveling around and he has a lot of knowledge and experience that might be clouded by his fairly crazy state of mind. The thing is that this is not something that is hidden from us. If anything, we're able to gather all of this information just by entering his hideout, looking around and talking to him a little bit. So what is stopping Ernest from looking a bit more different than the average beggar?

He has a long, dark, messy robe and carries a bag with him all the time in a stereotypical fashion. You might say that given his situation, he just doesn't have many options in terms of clothes. But if that's the case, then why show us lots of hanging clothes in his apartment? Very colorful ones at that too. Is this trying to tell us that he prefers wearing untidy looking robes compared to everything else he has? While Ernest is not exactly the most sane person around, he also doesn't strike me as someone that would be this unkempt if given the chance. And considering just how relatively nice his apartment looks, as imperfect as it is, there's just a missed opportunity for him to be a bit more interesting visually.

I'm not saying he needs to wear whatever clothes he had in his past (although that wouldn't be a bad idea, you could portray said clothes in a more raggedy manner while still being recognizable), but there's plenty of things that could have been done. For example, we see how he has a giant rat hide as a rug, so what if he had some sort of outfit made from the fur/skin of enemies in Floor 1? Or maybe some accessories from different apartments where he scavenges. There are so many cool ideas to be done with him that he kind of feels unfinished even.

I feel like at least we could have been shown an alternate sprite with him holding his guitar, which could have served as a nice contrast and elevated the design a little bit.

Colonel Squeakums helps the duo a little bit, by having those bright red eyes and that soldier hat on him. It looks cute, but serious. There's also the face he has when Ernest is kidnapped, which is supposed to make you instantly wary if you don't have the iron crown with you, but that doesn't seem to be consistent with the shape of his nose, unless it's something that he can shapeshift somehow (or maybe it's supposed to represent the player's perception of him at the moment). There's not that much to talk about him, but he is still a nice addition.

In conclusion, Ernest might have the worst design out of all the party members. It's not bad, but it's not good either. You could change his design with a homeless guy from another media and I think nothing would be lost. It might be my most controversial opinion, but I'm going to give Ernest a C tier. Sorry Ernest, you're still a cool character though.

Please let me know if you agree or disagree!

u/Silc00n — 10 days ago
▲ 35 r/LookOutsideGame

Character design analysis for every party member. Day 3: Leigh/Grinning Beast

Hello there everybody! Today's character to be reviewed will be the Grinner herself: Leigh!

It is evident that the main draw from Leigh's design is the ear to ear smile that she always presents herself with. A grin so long that is always accompanied by those yellow eyes that, to some extent, remind me of certain animals within the predator ranks in nature. So the idea we are exposed to is that this is a hunter and not one that chases after her prey out of necessity, but rather sheer sadism. This is further supported by the drips of blood coming from her mouth, which makes you think that she might have bitten several people and taken chunks of flesh out of them. Given the intimidating and aggressive nature she possesses, it's very fitting.

Despite that, I also find believable the possibility that the blood on her mouth might actually be HERS instead, as if her exaggerated smile is expanding so much that it actually hurts her face and tears it apart a little bit. Considering what we learn throughout the game about her story and personality, I think it's fair to say that as much joy she has taken from her transformation, she is also in a certain amount of pain, which she might even like a little bit, but pain nevertheless.

We always see her wearing a bunch of torn and damaged clothes while walking barefoot, which reinforces the element of Leigh acting more like a wild animal rather than a civilized person. And the thing is, we get to see in her phone messages that she had lots of personal issues with her family and acquaintances, so we understand that she has struggled a lot with her social environment. Therefore, maybe this outfit of hers is not only an indication of her unhinged nature now, but also of the fact that she is no longer interested in fitting in with the society she has clashed with so much before The Visitor came to Earth.

And now I want to move on to the Grinning Beast transformation, which shows us A LOT. There's an argument to be made that the Beast is a representation of Leigh's inner desires, but taken to a dangerous extreme. When we meet her like this, we see an unholy amalgamation of mouths, eyes and claws. This thing is massive to the point where the halls are barely enough to contain her. And while we don't get to certain specifics about Leigh's aspirations before the apocalypse, I think a good assumption to make is that there was this strength hidden within her, a crave for freedom and expression that might not have been possible in the life of a regular retail worker.

But the thing that strikes me the most from this design is how we see limbs and an eye coming from her frontal mouth. Which almost gives the impression of Leigh devouring herself. I think this is to show that, while she is able to embrace this wild part of her, she is also succumbing to precarious impulses that might consume her overtime if she doesn't do anything about it. Which also contributes to her character arc and possible conclussion in the game.

And this is why I think the whole "Grinning" aspect of Leigh, while real and important, is also a bit of a facade too. Kind of like forcing herself to be happy after everything she has been through. And it's only through Sam's input that we can help her achieve a balance between these sides of her. I don't know if the game ever confirms this, but I have the headcanon that Leigh is always smiling regardless of which emotion she is feeling currently, so I also imagined her on her questline with a huge, awkward grin despite the frustration and turmoil she was feeling about her ex.

Also, I wouldn't take the overworld sprites as huge additions to most character designs, but I do love just how much she looks like a gremlin in these. Gives her an added silliness that complements the character very well lol.

So, in general, Leigh is an iconic character that reminds you of how unpredictable some of the transformations in this game are. I give her an A tier.

Let me know if you agree or disagree!

u/Silc00n — 23 days ago
▲ 45 r/LookOutsideGame

Does the game offer any hints on how to recruit *THAT* companion?

>!In this case, I'm referring to The Spider. This game has a lot of secret bosses, areas, dialogues and such. Most of them can be discovered by exploring and trying different interactions, a few of them are a bit obscure and you might stumble upon them by accident rather than intentionally, but I just cannot understand how you are supposed to even find The Spider at all.!<

>!For instance, you somehow have to figure out that each floor has a specific Shade boss that can only be encountered by having maximum danger levels, then you need to beat all of them in order to access some kind of hidden door BELOW the stairs that you can only go through if you are alone.!<

>!On top of all that, once you go through the Shade boss inside and find The Spider, you need to answer his questions in a very specific way (with answers that most people might not even choose if they didn't know any better) and proceed to beat him in combat.!<

Anything else in this game can be approached if you are persistent enough, but I cannot even imagine anyone figuring this out without using a guide, not even by accident.

So tell me, is there ANY hint at all about how you can do all of this or is this just a very convoluted way of finding the most mysterious character?

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u/Silc00n — 2 months ago
▲ 21 r/LookOutsideGame

Headcanon parties for each ending

Have you ever thought if any ending had some party members in your team that just felt "right" or that it made the most sense for them to be there?

I have analyzed each ending and made my own little headcanon for which companions participate in each and I want to see your thoughts on it.

“No Going Back”

Party: Sophie, Joel, Rat Child

My headcanon is that Sam pretty much just goes out to look for resources and not much else. He gets Sophie at the beginning, who he decides to take care of. Then, as he explores, goes through the whole teeth apartment and now has to take care of Joel too. He feels more and more hesitant to explore given that now he needs to be Sophie’s and Joel’s guardian. The last thing he does in the building is get stuck with the rat child and the mouth wall, eventually sacrificing his arm.

This event traumatizes Sam and makes him spend the rest of the game inside his apartment. He eventually gets someone to knock at his door, who seems to be Sophie’s mom, but he realizes she is cursed and now has to defeat her in battle.

After all of these events, Sam comes to the conclusion that he is, effectively, the new father of these 3 kids and tries to take care of them in the aftermath of the “No Going Back” ending.

“Words of Power”

Party: Morton, Xaria, Monty

There isn’t much to discuss here. Sam understands that Morton is his best choice to get through the crossword dungeon and becomes his first pick. He decides he still needs more support just to battle through it and takes Xaria and Monty with him as well. I imagine the comedic scenarios of Morton just crushing the puzzles with ease while Xaria and Monty scream at each other in the background over which words are the right ones.

“Failed Ritual”

Party: None

I kind of feel like this ending would be obtained by a very dumb version of Sam, who manages to mess up every opportunity for a companion or correct offering and still decides to go to the roof, getting this ending as a result.

“Flawed ritual”

Party: Dan, Leigh, Roaches

My main reasoning is that Sam, in his best efforts, would try to get the correct offerings done, but would mess one of them up due to having the most chaotic party lineup: Dan with his eternal streams, Leigh with her constant desire to fight Sam and Roaches just being a never ending source of silliness.

All of them would distract Sam to such an extent that a perfect ritual would not be possible. I also considered Ernest for the party lineup, but I think these 3 would be the most entertaining ones to put together.

“Eternal Fate” and “XIN AMON”

I have to be honest, I couldn’t get anything for these two endings. I don’t feel like there’s enough justification or relation between any of the party members and these two endings.

“Screaming Skies”

Party: Lyle, Morton, Phillippe

These 3 were selected based on their reactions to the Exalted Four. Some party members will be willing to fight them and some others will want to run away. Effectively, I chose the ones that would suggest escaping, convincing Sam to pick this choice. There were other options, like the kids or Dan, but I like the ranges of personality of these guys. One of them suggests running away in a timid manner (Lyle), another one does it as directly, but eloquently as possible (Morton) and the last one just tells it how it is (to get the hell out of there, lol) (Phillippe).

I also chose Morton because he genuinely gives you useful information for finding the correct offerings, so I believe it makes perfect sense for him to be in the ending where you make a perfect ritual, but end up avoiding the Exalted Four.

“Perfect Ritual (Truth)”

Party: Hellen, Roaches, Leigh

So, basically, I selected characters that would not only not be afraid to fight the Exalted Four, but also would be the ones to make Sam consider looking at the Visitor’s true form. Hellen and Leigh feel satisfied after looking outside and Roaches just seems like an interesting (and almost positive) result to the Visitor’s effects. While I don’t think any of them would tell Sam to look at the Visitor’s full body directly, I do feel like Sam would be influenced to do so by spending some time with them.

“Perfect Ritual (Denial)”

Party: Audrey, Papineau, Aster

My reasoning for putting Aster here is that he and Sam would be fully dedicated to gathering the correct offerings while also never getting into the Sybil storyline. By the time the final battle comes, Aster is no longer on their side, but Audrey and Papineau’s will to fight would motivate Sam to battle the Exalted Four.

I also feel like these 3 are the most rational party members and would give Sam enough insight to reject the idea of looking at the Visitor’s true form.

“Promise”

Party: Ernest, Audrey, Spider

This one is probably the most subjective out of all endings here. The reasoning behind choosing these 3 is because I feel like they would be the ones to have the strongest connection to Sam (without being either of the kids, for obvious reasons).

With Ernest, I feel like, despite his craziness, Sam would really get to know him and understand him at his core, becoming a great ally in the process.

Audrey is probably the most grounded character and Sam would relate to her a lot. She definitely feels like the character Sam would talk to the most.

And the most peculiar, but at the same time, fitting choice is The Spider. I kind of feel like his journey with Sam would be one where he would get proven wrong and be shown with a destiny that Sam could forge for himself. Despite how enigmatic and distant this character is, a special bond would be developed that would make Sam remember him forever once he is gone.

Of course, this thought process will depend highly on which party members you might resonate with, but I kind of feel these 3 are perfect for this ending.

“Unity”

Party: Spine

I get the impression that Sam would be alone in this ending. Just think about it. He becomes obsessed with a piece of information that no one else should know and I don’t think there would be enough motivation for anyone to stick with him in this self-destructive journey.

Spine is the only party member I mentioned here because there really is no reason to explore the meat world but to weaken Sybil and she only gets in your party if you’re alone, which is fitting. She also wouldn’t know of your true intentions, so it would make sense for her to stay around.

“Mask”

Party: Aster, Lyle, Spider

I just feel like this party lineup is one huge set of ironies lol

First, Aster is the one companion that is actively trying to look for the correct offerings, only for him to be given the most clearly incorrect photograph possible. There’s also the special interactions he gets on the Mask fight, which is neat on its own.

Then, we have Lyle, who IS the guy who can provide you the CORRECT photograph for the ritual, only for you to not use it at all.

And lastly, The Spider. This one should be obvious, but yeah, this is the guy who is BEGGING Sam to not take this route at all costs, only for him to do so AND take him to the roof so that he can witness the whole mess.

There’s also the fact that all of these guys have a concerning amount of limbs, which is a funny coincidence.

“True Final Ending”

Party: Dan, Hellen, Leigh

I think it would make a lot of sense for Sam to develop a friendship with Dan and eventually play Massacre Princess after he nags him nonstop about it, which gives him main character syndrome and causes this ending to occur.

I also thought it would be reasonable for Hellen to be here since she is the one with the whole “kill the Visitor” mentality.

And then there’s Leigh and her rivalry with Sam. Considering how Sam’s mindset develops in this ending, he might see himself as Goku and Leigh as Vegeta or something similar, making this scenario more “anime-like”, which is appropriate for this ending I believe.

So, that should be all of them. It's funny how pretty much you could justify any companions for each of the endings, all of them have a place which makes sense in my opinion.

But what do you think of this? Do you agree or disagree? Do you have any headcanon parties for these endings? Let me know!

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u/Silc00n — 4 months ago