Analyse This: The Story of Hyper Light Drifter... (Part 4)

Into the unknown...

I noticed that, recently, this series had been getting a few views again and I remembered that I had practically written two more entries and never posted them. So I figured that I'd finish what I'd started...

From here on out, we're in pure speculative and analytical territory. These are all observations and connections I've made based on what's in the game... but they're just that: Things my mind sees.

Just a reminder that this series discusses aspects of the game Hyper Light Drifter and will veer wildly into spoiler territory from the get-go.

Enjoy!


So far, I've mostly been sticking with the factual and grounded elements of the game. Now, though, I will move onto the supernatural and mythical inferences and touchstones along with the visual themes displayed within the game.

Tarot readings...

First off... Let's explore the tarot through the eyes of Hyper Light Drifter and what we've learned so far in this series of articles.

There are no words in Hyper Light Drifter but the achievements and Steam trading cards give a flavour text for players to work from...

It's easy to understand why people like tarot. The concepts enshrined within and how they relate to us on the day-to-day scale of our lives in our personal, and not so personal, struggles can really speak to its longevity in our cultures and I think the way Heart Machine have tied up those struggles and personal stories with just a few of the characters in the game is really interesting - especially from the standpoint of trying to understand what the game is trying to tell us.

The protagonist, the player character, The Drifter is labelled as the magician and it's easy to see why. He is our input in the world and, as such, his choice as the magician is perfect.

"The table represents bringing in our own constructs and belief systems into the natural world. We change the universe we live in with our perceptions. That each of the Tarot's suits is represented indicates that The Magician has the power and control over these things.

- In the present position, this card signals the urgency of a situation of which you must seize to take advantage. The Magician in the present position is a metaphor for your free will and good luck combining in a rare opportunity to move way ahead in life. When this card is in this position, take your great leap forward."

It's not hard to see that the developers are being a bit tongue-in-cheek here but the description is very apt for a player's control and interaction with a game.


The Hierophant is the boss of the Northern area and this card reading plays directly into the themes described within the tablet writings regarding the claustrophobic and controlling religion of the black birds:

"Expect to see The Hierophant card in your Tarot reading if you are submitting your individuality (consciously or unconsciously) to a group, a cause or an ideal.

The Hierophant is the embodiment of political and spiritual power that can only be found in groups. Even though the Hierophant is a man, he is merely holding his office until he dies and is replaced by the next Hierophant, but it is the maintaining of the papacy itself over two millennia from whence its power emanates."

What is interesting here for us is that it is clear that the hierophant himself or itself is not important except as a symbol of the power contained within an organisation. With this in mind it is imperative to make a note of something I have hitherto ignored in this analysis, which is that the hierophant is a puppet - the bird is controlled by something else.

Watch for the appearance of the grey head from the rear of the costume...

While I always knew and thought it strange that the hierophant fell out of his costume first and then the costume itself fell separately, it wasn't until this analysis that I saw the face that emerges from the costume. The face is grey and pallid with a long, pink tongue. The appendages we observed during the encounter with the hierophant (its arms and legs) were all belonging to this second entity. This second entity, the one that was, presumably, the source of the hierophant's inexplicable power and in control of its actions appears to be the same species as one of the two unexplained races I mentioned in Part 2; the race that has statues near the tablet writing collection just South of this Northern area on the coast where we begin the game.

Since this is the only being we see with such features, it is possible that this is also the last of its kind and has been alive since the new religion took ahold and has thus always been in control of each successive hierophant. Could this actually be a reference to a forebearer race that created a lot of technology, which was subsequently rediscovered or appropriated by the younger races as their own? I find it an interesting possibility. I think that the ruins where the statues of this race are located hint that they had quite an advanced technology, yet they are nowhere to be found.

The other visual aspect of the heirophant is his throne. It features a sort of double-headed bird.

That is one serious seat!!

This is quite a powerful symbol to be throwing in the visual mix by pure chance. Sure, some of the art is mirrored to save on creation in this game and cut down costs (I presume) but putting an image like this under an icon for the sun (everlasting) seems pretty straight-forward to me...

“In heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle is a charge associated with the concept of Empire.”

You'll also note the two types of birds flanking the throne - one with a vulture type of beak and the other with more of an eagle type. No guesses as to which species represents which colour of bird but the imagery does help show that the green birds are more 'noble' whereas the black birds are associated with scavengers and carrion... This seems to make it apparent that the religion was not always one-sided and that both types of birds were compliant in its administration.

Some other things to note about The Hierophant:

"In many modern packs, the Hierophant is represented with his right hand raised in blessing or benediction, with two fingers pointing skyward and two pointing down, thus forming a bridge between Heaven and Earth reminiscent of that formed by the body of The Hanged Man. The Hierophant is thus a true "pontiff", in that he is the builder of the bridge between deity and humanity.

In most iconographic depictions, the Hierophant is seen seated on a throne between two pillars symbolizing Law and Liberty or obedience and disobedience, according to different interpretations."

I think it is interesting that this "godlike" being that could be puppeteering multiple successive hierophants may have actually been around all the time and acts as a link between the mundane and mystical. Plus, the typical iconography of the tarot card itself provides the first two of the five pillars found in the world of Hyper Light Drifter - Law/obedience and Liberty/disobedience.

The boss of the Western area, The Last General (as the soundtrack names it) is the Hanged Man, this card selection is interesting because it gives us a potentially new perspective on the whole war in the West:

"Is he in danger? Did he put himself there? How did The Hanged Man get so tangled up? If you are receiving a Tarot reading, The Hanged Man card is a strong message from the universe that the option of surrendering is always open to you. It might, in fact, be the quickest way to a complete and total victory.

The Hanged Man has put himself in this position and there is no way he can win. And yet, that halo lets us know that he may be about to claim a sizable victory. He was not attacked, nor forced to be where he is, nothing is disheveled besides his hair hanging down due to simple gravity. With his hidden hands, he is not letting us see his manipulation of the situation. His bent leg indicates that he is getting quite comfortable being helpless.

- The Hanged Man in the past position underscores that your current situation began with a letting go, a retreat, a foregoing of pleasure or reward in order to not be controlled by simple temptations. You are where you are now because of a decision to leave things behind or let them all settle themselves."

This reading of the character of the Western area boss might hint that the whole crystal explosion might not have been accidental. The raccoon general might have known that their forces were going to be overrun and, as a last resort, committed mass 'suicide' in a gambit that would spare the remaining races from the brunt of the onslaught, or perhaps more selfishly - ensuring their own victory at any cost.

[From Wikipedia]

The tower card shows an image of the dog AI's entrance and seat of power and, once again is a pertinent card to choose for this imagery:

"The Tower is commonly interpreted as meaning danger, crisis, destruction, and liberation.

All measures were taken to be isolated from war, pestilence and disease by building a remote tower. And yet calamity still struck. The men are in different positions to indicate that the effects of the radical change that is happening will not be equally distributed. Some will barely survive while others will thrive. Many Tarot decks illustrate one of these men as wearing a crown and the other man dressed in attire more likely to belong to a peasant. This is to illustrate that these sorts of sudden, intense events do not take one's wealth or status into account. The disruption of the crown atop the tower itself symbolizes that it is the end of an era. The crown is moved only when a new king is about to be crowned. One era ends, another era begins.

In the past position, The Tower indicates that the upheaval about to happen has its roots in the past. Was there a long-simmering feud a few months ago that could suddenly erupt again? Is there something that has been in need of repair that has undergone maintenance with the intent to overhaul? Well, the overhaul needed in the past is about to happen whether or not you are ready for it."

It is quite clear that the events that occurred during the invasion and subsequent infestation of the titan AI are coming to a head. Even though the AI facility was well-isolated from the rest of the world with stringent security measures, the titan AI still managed to get through. Now, has the dog AI finally found a champion to rid the world of itself and thus the infestation... or it will succumb to the titan AI and the world be forever doomed?

Further to this, The Tower has meaning with respect to our relationships to god (or at least, a master) and the fact that we are flawed and tend to import more meaning in our own works than they rightly should manifest.

"I saw a lofty tower extending from earth to heaven; its golden crowned summit reached beyond the clouds. All round it black night reigned and thunder rumbled.

Suddenly the heavens opened, a thunder-clap shook the whole earth, and lightning struck the summit of the tower and felled the golden crown. A tongue of fire shot from heaven and the whole tower became filled with fire and smoke. Then I beheld the builders of the tower fall headlong to the ground.

[....] 

The building of the tower was begun by the disciples of the great Master in order to have a constant reminder of the Master's teaching that the true tower must be built in one's own soul, that in the tower built by hands there can be no mysteries, that no one can ascend to Heaven by treading stone steps.

[...] 

But by and by the disciples forgot the true covenant of the Master and what the tower symbolized, and began to believe in the tower of stone, they had built, and to teach others to so believe. They began to say that in this tower there is power, mystery and the spirit of the Master, that the tower itself is holy and that it is built for the coming Master according to His covenant and His will. And so they waited in the tower for the Master. Others did not believe this, or interpreted it differently. Then began disputes about the rights of the summit. Quarrels started, 'Our Master, your Master,' was said; 'our tower, your tower.' And the disciples ceased to understand each other. Their tongues had become confused."

I think it is perfect that not only does this speak to the downfall of the races that constructed the dog AI and their attempt to bring themselves closer to immortality through a shared connection to an all-knowing and all-powerful "god" but that we, the interpreters have also fallen into this trap. There have been many discussions about the symbolism in this game and whether the races in this world harnessed the power of a god or if they just created something through technology* which then backfired upon them. However, it's funny to read this and say to yourself - "This tower was built by my hands. It reflects my work not that of the creator, these arguments, these discussions are all fine and good... but none are right."

I guess the mystery is the journey and what we build within ourselves is whatever we need to be closer to "the truth"... but which truth is also a reflection of ourselves.

*I guess you can tell which side I fall on...

Something else to consider - The Tower is the 16th card of the Tarot and it represents the end goal of the player during the game... (which I'll get onto later)

It's coming for me...

The final card is Judgement. The major aspect to take away from this card is that something big is about to happen:

"There is an absolute nature to the final judgment of legend that is imbued in the Judgment Tarot card. When this card appears in your Tarot reading, be assured that absolutes are about to take place.

- In the present position, Judgment is reflecting your internal conflict about making a big decision.

- An especially powerful placement of this card is the future position. When Judgment is here, the murkiness, guilt, burdens and misery are about to go. A coming incident will allow you to finally see the possibilities. It will be like you have been a ghoulish zombie in a graveyard of your own creation and the sudden blowing of a trumpet will pull you out of your stupor and give you a second lease on life with a definite sense of purpose and an obvious direction."

Given that the blue race were allied with the Titans, this could also be a reference to indicate that the blue Drifter is performing an act of atonement for their race's historical actions. The dog AI has called to the Drifter, awakened them and put them on the path to facing their judgement. 

Clearly, as I've stated previously, this is a make or break situation here - the dog AI has to succeed or perish in the trying, along with all the other entities of this world who oppose the titan AI.


I don't know why Heart Machine chose not to include any other trading cards but the lack of the southern area minibosses, the dog AI and the Eastern area boss leaves us a little short on the symbolism. However, because Heart Machine drew from the tarot we can search within the remaining cards for potential symbols for some of these characters:

First up is the toad boss as represented by The Devil.

The Toad boss has significant "Devil" symbolism...

The major aspect to this is that the devil reflects toxic relationships that destroy us...

"The core of this card is a negative relationship that you have with someone or something. It might be a lover or a boss. It might be marijuana or alcohol. It might be a friend who you knew was a bad influence and yet you deepened the relationship. This card carries all of the negativity surrounding the twin terrors of addiction and codependency. Toxic substances, toxic relationships and our deep denial about the depth of our situation conspire against us.

This man-beast has bat wings, ram's horns, a grotesque hairy goat-like face, a shaved obese chest and hairy animal thighs that turn into talon-like claws that grip his pedestal. The background behind him is black as he raises his right hand as if to administer an oath and lowers a lit torch with his left hand. A metal ring is bolted to the concrete pillar he calls home. A woman and a man are chained to this ring. The chains are leashed onto their necks. The woman and man are naked and stare straight ahead.

- In the present position, this card's appearance is your wake up call. You are hooked into something and may not even relaize it."

I think that the fact that two otters are chained around the toad's neck, their faces staring straight ahead, and that this toad is a grotesque, obese beast gives us some direct visual symbolism that this would be the correct pick. Whether the negative relationship is between the otters and the pink flame or the otters and the toads, the act of purifying the otters' waters from the Titan's pollution has resulted in the poisoning of the toad's homeland by dumping the extracted green sludge downstream (so to speak), causing great anger in the toad people and causing an unbalance in nature.

It is ironic, then, that the soundtrack for this boss encounter is named The Hermit.

"The card is usually thought to connote aspects of healing/recovery, particularly the kind that happens over time. [...] The Hermit is the "withdrawal from events and relationship to introspect and gather strength".

- Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption. Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy fear, unreasoned caution."

And:

"But one thing is consistent, and most important about this card: The Hermit is always alone. This card indicates solitude. The reasons for this solitude may be good or bad, productive or not and the isolation may be caused by outside forces or one’s own choices. Just be assured that when The Hermit card appears in your reading, the subject of solitude will be front and center. 

This is not a good card to see landing in the future position if you are in a good relationship. But there are situations here on Earth always crying out for The Hermit to appear in the future position. For women involved with an abusive spouse, though, for you to become The Hermit will mean being free of your tormentor."

The otters' isolationist policies have come back to haunt them as their previously strong position of slow healing of their environment after the titan war has resulted in anger and treachery from their neighbours. I believe that the title of this track refers to whichever otter leader is eaten by the toad as the player enters the room or maybe just the otter race in general.

The dual symbolism that can be applied to this boss is not lost on me. The Devil speaks to toxic relationships whereas The Hermit can mean moving on from such a toxic relationship - on either side of the equation. Also of note is that some readings of this combination of cards can mean that "evil will prevail", something we can argue that we are witnessing in the game...

Not so much a throne... but they're still in their armour.

Next we have the Pink Drifter as The Emperor. This is a card that has aspects of wisdom, authority and guidance.

"A bearded man sits alone on a stone throne. His white beard extends to his chest. He is crowned and wears royal robes. But his legs and feet are still in a suit of armor. In his right hand he holds a royal staff of gold. In his left, he holds a golden globe. An orange sky glows behind him, lighting the mountainous landscape into a brilliant yellow. The ornamentation of the throne, though, does not glisten, as the ram skulls adorning the corners of his armrest and chair back are a solid gray stone. He is looking straight at you.

The long beard is, of course, an indicator of wisdom accrued through age. The crown asserts his status. The staff and globe are his authority and his domain, respectively. He is still wearing armor, assuring us that he will do battle if necessary, but that his sitting on the throne alone should assert that which has already been established through conflicts now settled.

- When The Emperor is in the present position, you have the rule of law before you to guide you on your journey. This card is especially strong in the present position as it gives you an absolute confidence to move toward a goal."

I think that this fits the Pink Drifter quite well: They guide the Drifter on their journey, showing their power and skill - still clad in armour for battle, if it meets them. It is clear that the Pink Drifter is to be respected and listened to as the dog AI is even present when we first meet them...

Finally, though there's no tarot card that I can apply to the dog AI itself, there is the symbolism of dogs within the tarot. The dog AI could be seen to embody the features listed in that explanation:

• Communicating Needs
• Alignment with our Allies
• Co-creating within a Community
• Tapping Primitive Power Centers Within
• Acknowledging an Extra Layer of Protection

"When the canine clan comes calling on your awareness in the Tarot, consider your ideals about preservation, survival and protection.

When domesticated, dogs treasure is their human pack – and (generally speaking) dogs will vehemently guard their people. Same holds true for feral canines. Their kin is the object of ferocious protection."

I think that's an interesting thought regarding Strong AI... you could think of the dog AI as a "domesticated" being, one which is trying its best to take care of its own - the peoples of the world. It's noteworthy that the dog AI is just the symbol of the AI diamond in the minds of those it contacts. There is no literal real dog, it is a manifestation of trying to communicate with those it is reaching out to. When the AI cell itself is referenced, it is always as just a diamond.

[From wikipedia]

Numerology...

Lastly, I want to return to what I said before about the tower card being the 16th card of the tarot. Since we've been exploring the tarot, it's not a big leap to head into the world of numerology and if you're familiar with this sort of thing you might know that the number 16 is associated with introspection, and finding answers from contemporary and ancient wisdom. 

I find it interesting that there are 16 keys to access secret areas, 16 monoliths to unlock the special historical text, that 16 modules are required to access the underground laboratory and that there are 16 secondary modules that can be collected to access further areas behind the higher numbered module doors.

That The Tower card itself is numbered 16 in the major arcana is significant because the whole game draws the player forward to learn and discover and, in my opinion, pushes the player to self-introspection; to question who they are, the value of life and trying to make sense of one's purpose. I think that could tie in to what Alx Preston was talking about in the interview I mentioned in the first post.

Further to this, the theme of sixteen draws me to one final tarot card: The Moon. 

However, I don't assign this card to any character in the game, instead I assign it to the game world itself. The Moon is said to be associated with the following:

-Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error. Reversed: Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error.

And symbolistic reading of the card was described by  P.D. Ouspensky as:

"A desolate plain stretched before me. A full moon looked down as if in contemplative hesitation. Under her wavering light the shadows lived their own peculiar life. On the horizon I saw blue hills, and over them wound a path which stretched between two grey towers far away into the distance. On either side the path a wolf and dog sat and howled at the moon. I remembered that dogs believe in thieves and ghosts. A large black crab crawled out of the rivulet into the sands. A heavy, cold dew was falling.

Dread fell upon me. I sensed the presence of a mysterious world, a world of hostile spirits, of corpses rising from graves, of wailing ghosts. In this pale moonlight I seemed to feel the presence of apparitions; someone watched me from behind the towers,--and I knew it was dangerous to look back."

I think that these descriptions are as good as any, using older language and ideas, to describe a videogame world. 

The imagery within the card as depicted above can be directly paralleled to things within the game:

• The watchtowers guarding the way (the final two of the five towers), representing the mysteries of good and evil
• The dog and wolf could represent the dog AI and the titan AI (a domesticated animal versus a wild animal)
• The lobster is the player/Drifter, starting on the path to higher understanding or consciousness/wisdom
• The moon provides godly nourishment from its 16 greater and 16 lesser rays of light to grant us enlightenment/insight and possibly confusion

In Summary:

So what does all this mean?

Personally, I think it means that Heart Machine put a lot of love and thought into this game; the imagery and themes that it is constructed from have been carefully chosen to craft something that can be interpreted and reinterpreted in many different ways and on many different levels.

The imagery of the tarot has been woven throughout the game world:

• The five towers representing good and evil, law and liberty as well as wisdom
• The dog representing communication, protection and internal strength
• The end-goal of the game being enlightenment, a victory over oneself... as is the end-goal of those seeking answers from a reading of the tarot

From this conclusion, I draw one final card: The Fool.

[From Wikipedia]

The Fool represents the player, spending their time wandering into situations for which they are ill-prepared and lacking in basic knowledge.

"- In the past position, The Fool can represent you wasting time that you could have used for studies.

- The Fool in the present position signifies that you are about to abandon commitments and constraints in a search for a self-defining freedom. The Fool is the most powerful card in all the Tarot deck when it is in the present position. Your free will can literally move mountains at this moment in time – the Tarot is telling you an ancient slogan: carpe diem – seize the day."

And:

"What has he in the bag?" I inquired, not knowing why I asked. And after a long silence the voice replied: "The four magic symbols, the sceptre, the cup, the sword and the pentacle. The fool always carries them, although he has long since forgotten what they mean."

We dedicate our time to wasteful enterprises, such as playing games. However, we value this time as we find freedom and power within, recharging ourselves. I can think of no better way to end this post than to tie ourselves into the themes of Hyper Light Drifter. After all, it was always the intention of Alx Preston to put something of himself into the game which later morphed into including everyone...

"[...]the story in Hyper Light Drifter as to not make it about a problem facing a single character but something shared by many."

We can also see that the gifts that each race gave to make the AI are reflected here in the bag that the fool carries: the magical sceptre of the birds, the bowl of water from the otters, the (crystal weapon) sword of the racoons and the pentacle* of the lizards (which we never get to actually see!). These things are all aspects of humanity and perhaps represent our strengths - we just have to re-learn how to utilise them once we reconnect with them.

*Pentacles have been described as having the power to "fore-know all future things, & command whole nature, have power over devils, and Angels, and do miracles." and this could be construed to encompass genetic modification and biomechanical engineering...

In many respects, this is a perfect game: It requires skill, patience, attention, imagination and for players to be inquisitive and thoughtful. At the same time, it asks no more than each individual can give and will provide each with their own desired level of truth... It is a game aimed at univeral things that bind us together through shared experiences and I'll always treasure my time with it.

Though I'm not quite finished yet! Next time, we'll delve into the historical parallels I see within the game and the iconography that points me toward that conclusion...