Bug Fables OST - 78 - The Giant's Lair

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From "Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling"
Written by Tristan Alric
Full playlist: • Bug Fables OST
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🎶 🦗

[@CoolieHanzy]

This isn't your average everyday darkness, this is *ADVANCED DARKNESS*

[@flainfan]

Hey if I close my eyes then it won’t seem so dark!

[@appelofdoom8211]

This place certainly felt like rock bottom in more ways than one

[@AlmightyPolarBear]

Darkness within Darkness awaits you Ri- Kabbu.

[@danielcurren2119]

@@AlmightyPolarBear darkness within darkness? that doesn't make sense!

[@AlmightyPolarBear]

@@danielcurren2119 Don't worry. Kingdom Hearts, is light!

[@DementedDuskull]

Very disturbing detail: You can find spears littered on the ground in Giant's Lair, a sign that the wasps have been there. When we see the Wasp King in front of the door, there are a handful of wasp troopers by his side who enter the lair with him. When we see him again, he is alone. Those wasp troopers didn't make it.

[@seereebee]

Yeah one of the Roaches mentions that the Wasp king had zero regard for his henchmen. He literally just used them as tools.

[@muddybuddy3598]

Damn

[@chaosinc.382]

Yeah this fact kept running through me head when I was there. Poor buggers. And you see the monsters they had to fight, it was probably a very gruesome demise.

[@appelofdoom8211]

It got even worse the moment I realized that they were brainwashed as well.

[@leif4698]

I think that happened because since Hoaxe was already at the finish line, it didn't really matter to him if his Troopers died. They were simply there to make things easier for him. At that point, it didn't matter if they lived or died, because if the Sapling was already within his reach, everybody in Bugaria would be his slaves. An entire kingdom sure beats the hell out of a couple of troopers

[@jellykirby6704]

haha happy bug game am i right seriously though tristan what in the world

[@ermant7285]

Lol

[@koekerfloeker2454]

I remember first being spotted by the watcher, I legitimately just left the area, and took some time to figer out what the hell just happened. If I was a little kid playing this, I would be traumatised, it was that shocking! Hell I'm almost an adult and I'm already minourly traumatised!

[@thegameowl11]

Can you put the whole soundtrack on Spotify please?

[@JacklostYedmore]

It’s like when I played majoras mask as a kid o: so much creepiness

[@one-wingedoreo]

nice profile picture, long lost cousin

[@Jimmygaming711]

After looking through the telescope at the bee kingdom and hearing that I had to go through the "giant's lair" I assumed this level would just be like going through a normal human's house as the size of bugs and in the first room I thought to myself "ha imagine if you had to fight the owner's cat or something that'd be crazy" and then I went into the second room and saw the giant eyeball and I assumed it was a cat's eye because of the line pupil so I was like "wait I was actually right!?" And then it spotted me and the bony hand came from above and I was like WAIT A MINUTE THAT'S NOT A CAT

[@biggarlick6673]

bro same

[@Mothbean]

I personally think the Deadlander Omega is the original owner of the house and that the Day of Awakening was some sort of nuclear war that wiped out humanity and turned those of us that survived into things like the Omega

[@chaosinc.382]

"THAT AINT NO CAT I EVER SEEN! LEEEG IIIIT!"

[@bencarrington3743]

I knew the "Eye of Sauron" wasn't a cat thing ... but ... what it sent out ... holy fuck that's some advanced scary shit

[@randomuser1065]

It's be cool if the hand itself came down to fight you ad starts just smushin you like any human would do to a bug if they found it in their home

[@PidgeyHowler]

I know humans aren't alive anymore in this world, but I still like to laugh picturing a human sitting in his kitchen eating lunch and then he sees a wasp in a cloak and a crown turn on his stove and he's like "No more alcohol for me."

[@creakingskull7008]

I wonder if humans don't exist in that world or if they just don't exist in that specific house

[@TJ-hg6op]

I wonder if deadlander omega is or was a human

[@fortrachug]

​@@creakingskull7008 omg Creaking Skull didn't know you liked bug fables

[@creakingskull7008]

@@fortrachug As a matter of fact: i love Bug Fables

[@fortrachug]

@@creakingskull7008 This is sooo creaking

[@froakie1404]

This area is legit just inside a person’s house but it somehow manages to be more terrifying then areas in a lot of horror games

[@kitty185_]

probably abandoned/apocalyptic, if bugs were given enough time to evolve, then there's a good chance humans are extinct

[@asra-5180]

@@kitty185_ lemme just say one thing. Deadlander Omega.

[@biggarlick6673]

@@asra-5180 agreed

[@malacara1335]

@@kitty185_ Last Lore Book implies humans are gone after fire rained from the sky, so probably shit went down in the past.

[@DHTGK]

its also implied that it wasn't nukes in the same book entry since the author haven't found any signs of craters that nukes would leave so what caused the "day of reckoning" and genetic monstrosities outside of bulgaria?

[@tackey8632]

"....Hey....Kabbu?" "...Yes, Vi?" "T-those are Wasp Trooper spears on the ground...right?" "Hm. I think they are. Hadn't noticed them." "And the Wasp King had a bunch of troopers with him when he went in here, didn't he?" "Now that you mention it, I believe he did." "But if the spears are here...what happened to the Wasps?" "..." "..." "...We should keep moving."

[@cooldoggo58]

Whenever something spooky happens, like in the Broodmother room, everyone goes silent as they realize what happened

[@chaosinc.382]

Chilling...

[@crocketlawnchair259]

Remember kids, be sure to clear your house, lest you leave some bug adventures the scariest place conceivable.

[@Metalguy40]

Best comment ever

[@achievedchair17]

Also remember to board up your windows, or else one of those bugs might become a god and a tyrant

[@Ethan-gw6mi]

Don’t forget your sapling of unlimited power as wel.

[@pef_v6107]

Don't forget your demonic monsters too

[@kylestubbs8867]

@@achievedchair17 And on that note, if you only see one wasp-looking bug, step on it. Especially if it’s wearing a crown.

[@bootsnhopscotch]

This moment genuinely terrified me. You never really think about how every structure in the game is crafted from various objects from the human world until you see them strewn about, completely untouched. Pencils, books, toys, you name it. You finally feel the weight of just how small you truly are, and that coupled with the powerful abominations that swarm the land, the one-eyed watchers with boney, almost skeletal hands and this music that doesn't stop playing even in battles makes for a truly horrifying experience. And I enjoyed every minute of it. I love a game that can legitimately make me hesitate and fear what comes next.

[@isectoid9454]

Moreover, it really drives up the mystique of the giants. What were they doing in there? Are the dead lands 'deadness' and abominations connected to the awakening? If so, why is it a relatively normal looking human home, with no sign of advanced technology?

[@schmingbeefin4473]

@@isectoid9454 I believe the last lore books say the giants, presumably humans, mysteriously disappeared when a big crystal fell from above, probably space. The crystal could of mutated bugs to be more advanced creatures, and the creatures in the house? Could be aliens, could be old pets like a cat or dog, could be how humans were effected, we may never know.

[@isectoid9454]

@@schmingbeefin4473 I never thought "Giants" might refer to animals.

[@azurda7483]

I always assumed the giants to just be humans.

[@kuchenjaeger2164]

I had the first moment of "smallness" when I looked through the telescope in the beehive and realized that the desert is basically just a sandbxo. But the moment I entered the giants lair it REALLY hit me. Especially the fridge amd stovetop.

[@gaellenanthasone7636]

This area makes Deepnest look like a relaxing spot

[@chameleonshovel4163]

Oh boy, the Giant's lair, I probably won't forget this place any time soon, this place filled me with dread, with the oppressive atmosphere and powerful and truly alien enemies, up until then anything you faced looked relatively believable, even the zombie ants, which is an actual thing. But here, everything is foreign and alien in the truest sense, with imposing forces watching your every move. accompanied by the slow horns and quiet piano in this music peice.

[@tiptap2352]

Ironically, this place *should* be the most familiar to us because it's the inside of a house. A place which pretty much everybody is in daily in real life. Yet it's the most alien area in the entire game.

[@shadysam7161]

@@tiptap2352 This game is secretly genius.

[@ASquared544]

Shady Sam Secretly?

[@shadysam7161]

@@ASquared544 well i mean would you really expect the funny bug game to pull something like this out.

[@ASquared544]

Shady Sam Yeah, but even without that it’s no secret that it’s genius

[@zegop5736]

Love the detail that the roaches survived simply by using the fridge since the deadlanders have a weakness for the cold and wouldn’t follow them past it

[@idioticlight]

That one deadlander a in the cabinet: this sign cant stop me because i cant read!

[@zegop5736]

@@idioticlight “there evolving”

[@zadock8658]

@@idioticlight I kid you not, I am pretty sure that one deadlander literally *grew* there like a fungus ridden plant or somethin

[@idioticlight]

@@zadock8658 deadlander farm. Mmmm, yummy deadlander meat.

[@zadock8658]

@@idioticlight hahahaha

[@oldcaptainwzj6430]

Me, before this point: Assuming the lab is the most creepy area in the game The Giant's Lair: Hold my beer

[@cooldoggo58]

Hold my expired milk

[@t00nedd00d]

Hold my dead lander Y

[@carolekelly2688]

Deadlander Omega: “Hold my giant spider mutant.” “Seriously though, you mind if I drop this here real quick?” Leif: “Yes, we, in fact, do mind it.” Vi: “LEIF JUST START RUNNING ALREADY!”

[@Mahier_theguy]

​@@carolekelly2688Golden conversation

[@gamezerox]

When I first looked into that telescope, I knew that this place wasn't gonna be a so happy place. When I got spotted for the first time my first reaction was to throw myself into a pit because I didn't want to know what it was going to do to me. The most dreadful part was when I noticed that the windows were boarded up: the bugs didn't do that. The scariest thing of all would be to know foe how long has that carton of milk been sitting there.

[@lasagna3289]

One time I threw myself off a cliff after it saw me and it _didn’t care._ It just went to where I respawned and dropped the deadlander on me.

[@TheEric566]

This was the exact same reaction when I saw the entire world map was really just the backyard of a house. I was flabbergasted, because the world felt massive, and it was the first time I realized how small the characters were... which was when I saw the massive boarded up house, and knew that something was off. Still I expected a run down house... Not literal Cthulu. I suppose that's what I love about this kind of horror: suddenly Cthulu! Favourite area of the game, hands down.

[@DementedDuskull]

The banana in the fridge is black, meaning that it's hella expired. I got a good chuckle out of that.

[@kylestubbs8867]

It would have to be an empty carton. A full one that wasn’t properly refrigerated would explode after a few weeks… leaving a pungent stench in the air.

[@siphons5737]

The first time I got in this area, I wilingly let me spotted by the thing just to see how hard the monster could be and also thinking that they couldn't be that hard, after the first turn just buffing Vi and seeing Kabbu being one turn, I just had one thing in my head "oh my fucking god I'm going to have a really bad time if every monster in this zone are that strong", and yeah, the last fight with dead landers made me panicked immediatly when I saw I needed to fight the 3 dead landers at the SAME TIME. (well, I had food so that wasn't that bad but when I did again after the final boss, I forgot to take item so I kinda died 10 times before using the buble shield light + taunt strat)

[@chugiron4698]

Legitimately my favorite video game location, ever. It's the only video game area where when they refer to it as a "dangerous and feared location", it actually feels justified. There's so much creepy shit going on here, and the funniest thing is that the entire area was just in the fucking kitchen of the house. All the other rooms probably have their own creepy shit going on. Also the coolest thing to me really is that this is just a house. Nothing special about it itself, it's a normal ass house, that is fucking cool. If this shit lurks in this one random house (one room in the house actually), imagine what is in other houses. What abominations lie in places like the Paris catacombs? But for real, amazing atmosphere.

[@CaliCosmicGal]

Chugiron X and the final battle is on the kitchen table i love that

[@yawningabyss681]

Yesss dude, this game even does the everyone calling a place deadly but it actualy being easy thing with snake mouth, but this area truly earns all the talk of it being deadly, the normal enemies are beyond anything you've seen at this point and on top of that it is downright horrifying in the best way. It's the kinda place that you want to leave as soon as possible but also feel trapped in. Such a tonal sucker punch compared to even the boss directly before this, truly didn't expect this from the final area but I'm so glad they did it.

[@NeonWasInUse]

Eziekiel Hanna To be fair... I still barely scraped by Snakemouth den for how I was in the game.

[@primarina9812]

And at max level, the only things you cant “bug me not” are the dead landers

[@seereebee]

@@primarina9812 Yeah that surprised me when I went back there in the post game but it honestly adds to the atmosphere so much.

[@jimjam2282]

I thought climbing the "mountain" that was actually a refrigerator was really cool

[@flashgamezocker]

Yes, very COOL ;)

[@luketran9140]

The bestiary's description of Deadlanders: "It is too risky to engage, even with a full exploration team. Flee on sight." No other enemy in the game has a description like this.

[@pikminaero2279]

I took this advice very carefully. This place is dreadful, and Deadlanders hit really hard. I also don't like that all of them are mutated bug species (e.g. Alpha is walking stick)

[@thefableparable215]

this description yet the cave of trials makes you take on 2 of these monsters twice in a row team snakemouth is op (or maybe it's because usual team only has 2 members per party)

[@ASquared544]

AND THEY MAKE YOU FIGHT 3 OF THEM AT ONCE!

[@nicoornelas5676]

@@pikminaero2279 Do you know what the flying one is (I hadn't even noticed that)

[@primarina9812]

And then there’s me using them to grind to level 27

[@MVPUnlucky]

Unironically I wasn’t ready for this part. It’s so ABSOLUTELY JARRING to go from happy “ serious but not too serious” bug game to what felt like a literally horror game in the last chapter it threw me for a loop.

[@thegoldenstation9723]

Who put HAL labs in charge of designing the final world Seriously though this is one of the most ominous final areas in a game I've ever faced. Truly a forsaken land worth the way it was built up to, with all of it coming to an end with a fantastic final boss.

[@cooldoggo58]

Kinda unrelated, but the Foresaken Lands were probably the creepiest place before Chapter 7. The thought of being alone out there kinda spooks me, especially with the False Monarch that we know almost nothing about. What are its intentions? We will probably never know

[@VexSaber]

@@cooldoggo58 when i reached the Ancient Town and saw those fly people i got really scared thinking that they were possesing corpses but nah those were just costumes

[@cooldoggo58]

@@VexSaber I was unsure what they were, but after the fight I realized how intelligent the mothflies really were. Dressing up as sentient bugs and luring lost travelers to probably be eaten or something

[@biggarlick6673]

it just makes you wonder... now matter how simple minded real life bugs must be, surely they feel some form of fear whan they are stuck in our homes and see us walking around, right? most people dont really pay much mind to spiders or beetles in thier homes, or they just squish them outright. but like... imagine what it must feel like, ending up in someplace on such a different level than what your used to, and finding out just how big its inhabitants really are.

[@NeonWasInUse]

The Kraken's Mark Same Poor dudes probably don't even understand how they got in there.

[@adrianrandom3448]

I def feel bad for some bugs, specially if they haven't done anything to me, whenever I find things like a lone ant or smth I try to put them in a safe spot, however it's also kinda hard since I have insectophobia, Thankfully most bugs stay outside my home, the only ones I see inside are ants and the occasional roaches. Atleast the roaches in BF are kinda cute, I cannot tolerate them irl

[@d5dizzler962]

Does it really matter though? Do bugs even have feelings? That’s A legit question

[@NikitaZimonja]

I don't know how true this is, but apparently certain bugs don't even know we exist. We are so colossal compared to them that they see us as no different from terrain.

[@knightofarkronia8652]

There’s a reason why “Humans are Cthulhu” is a trope.

[@tiptap2352]

I like listening to the Bugaria Outskirts theme and then the Giant's Lair theme right after to really put the whole adventure into perspective. I didn't think this simple, cutesy paper mario bug game was going to do this to me.

[@biggarlick6673]

me niether

[@exquisiteaquarium9675]

I love how the team straight up agrees with themselves to never discuss the massive creature stalking them. I love how this feels like an abandoned, depressed house - even outside of the context of being a bug in said house, it makes me wonder what happened to the people that lived there.. It is said that a massive crystal that fell into the forsaken lands keeps the giants away, but what does that mean for the person who lived in this area? Did they die? Did they run away? Is that a bird that stalks you? Why does it drop other, mutated creatures onto you instead of killing you itself..? There are so many questions, but I think I'm fine with there never being answers. Like the Guardians discussed in the secret area of Upper Snakemouth, maybe it's best to just leave it up to interpretation.

[@sharpshooterxigbar5713]

What guardians in the upper area of snakemouth? Can you elaborate please?

[@thekirbs8312]

@@sharpshooterxigbar5713 In the area where you put down all the gears. You can climb on top of that, and fly across to the right with Vi. There's a small crack in the wall you can go through with Kabbu. Just keep going right from there and you'll find it.

[@sharpshooterxigbar5713]

TheKirbs Oh... oh my god. I just found it. That room has three guardians. I feel like they HAVE to make 3 more games. Bugaria is in the west and has Venus. In the north (where kabu is from) there is probably no guardian as Kabbu prays to Venus not any other guardian. And then one guardian in the east and another in the south. I need more bug fable games!!

[@sharpshooterxigbar5713]

OH MY GOD. If you stay there for a while, the top right monitor will open with a picture of leif! But it’s only for a heartbeat! There also seems to be a room to the right but it’s blocked. So i think that these guardians are like cameras for the roaches. They use them to spy on people using the Venus buds for example. But there are up to 180 more Guardians! We’re they discarded?

[@koekerfloeker2454]

Well, the final lore book speaks of "the day of Reckoning" wich is what some roaches call the day of awakening. It was a day in wich fire fell form the sky, and the giants dissapeared to another dimension apparently. I hope that this gets elaborated in the eventual sequal, or even the fabled mothiva dlc that could be in the works right now as we are speaking!

[@achievedchair17]

Here’s a tip for those who listen with headphones: don’t. There’s subtle footsteps that make this WAY creepier

[@Arc_ride]

Holy fuck I just noticed it.

[@adrianrandom3448]

I...why would you point that out, I hate this, I hate this so much. I still love it tho

[@NeonWasInUse]

there's also breathing at some parts. You're welcome for me making you hate this even more, everybody.

[@metarcee2483]

Why in the world did you point that out?!

[@seantheroyalknight6932]

its a ghost!

[@Zedigy]

Something about this felt so...somber at this point in the game. Everything was either happy go lucky or at the very worst, mysterious. This though, just wreaked of depressing feelings. The watcher with his skeleton-human like hands, the “creatures” you can fight that barely even resemble bugs anymore. It’s not only a sad, cold, dull place, but also obviously an old home. The home of a kind forgotten. Areas like this are the exact reason Bug Fables will always have a spot right there alongside the first two paper mario games as one of my favorite RPG games of all time. Not just because of it being similar, but also having it’s own identity and beautifully crafting atmosphere such as this. Please buy this game if you haven’t already.

[@VonFirflirch]

Seeing the random toys here and there also makes me sad, in hindsight. Some kid fell to the apocalypse before it could even understand what was going on.

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

@@VonFirflirch i mean heck maybe that very same kid is the thing wachting you when you find those toys

[@HollowM0th]

“I’m overranked, I can do this” **Flees every single time I get into a battle with a dead lander**

[@SlapChopMyShamWow]

This place left a LASTING impact on me. It’s already terrifying enough with this incredibly eerie music that only stops playing if you get caught by the Watchers, which fills you with a whole other sense of dread as this massive spider..thing that looks completely out of place compared to anything else in this game is dropped on you from above and your only real option is to flee and try and get away from it, but then as you listen to the dialogue and hear the characters talk about the “giants” that used to live here and how they just..disappeared one day and you look at all the boarded up windows, it really hits you how insane this place really is. This was a normal human house that, for some reason, they felt the need to board up the windows and doors but then they disappeared so suddenly that their trash and other objects were just left lying about. What kind of event would cause something like that to happen? Does this happy-go-lucky sweet little game about a team of bugs helping their queen take place in a world where humans have been erased from existence? Why do the roaches call it “the day of reckoning” when everyone else thinks of it as a celebratory event where bugs began to live longer and gain the ability to talk and feel and grow? What purpose do these strange creatures that now inhabit the house have? Just what are the Watchers and why are they ten times the size of any other creatures in the game? What lies on the other side of this house that hasn’t yet been discovered by the residents of Bugaria and the surrounding areas? I don’t know if we’ll ever get these answers but I really hope there’s more areas similar to the Giant’s Lair in the sequel to this game, because this place completely blew me away.

[@poisonedmaple6874]

Only 10 times the size?!? That... *_thing,_* the dead lander Ω (it is confirmed to be one singular entity), is insanely massive (the silhouette you can see from the eliascope belongs to it, and its height is nearly level with a tree branch[!!]), the developers themselves have stated that the other dead landers fear it just as much as team snakemouth does... and yet, it seems curious? Maybe playful even? When you knock the stone down into its line of vision it picks it up... almost like a small child would pick up a toy... and when it spots team snakemouth it places a dead lander Y right next to them, like it wants to see what happens, or just thinks it's amusing... The thing is absolutely terrifying, but it's behaviour seems almost childlike... Does it know what it's doing is harming us? Does it know how it is terrifying to everyone? Does it even care? It's supposedly the size of an adult human, and we crush bugs like they're nothing all the time. The most horrifying conclusion I have come to is that dead lander Ω is potentially a mutated human child. A young one at that. Something horrific has almost certainly taken place, but we may never know what it was. The disappearance of the giants (humans) is highly unusual too, adding to the mystery... ...Seems I went on a bit of a rant there. Whoops.

[@cdr.aidenbashline3673]

@@poisonedmaple6874 here's my theory at some point or another, a nuclear war broke out. That'd explain the hasty "Preperations" and deterioration around the house. If the big creature IS a human child mutated, then radiation could possibly explain it. Humans disappearing like that would mean they got a decent distance away from bugaria. On a human scale, that would only mean a decent run in a single direction for 50~ seconds... Makes you think.

[@bobvella7228]

@@poisonedmaple6874 the thing about it being a child that bothers me is that leif is suppose to be 30 years old before the time skip which was longer than a generation. they acknowledge their lifespans increased in their lore books so i think they're actual years. so has omega's lifespan increased as well and it hasn't mentally developed further?

[@poisonedmaple6874]

@@bobvella7228 who knows, the radiation could have messed with their mental development

[@digiorniboy]

My guess is it’s a cat

[@jadengilmore1189]

I can see you guys were inspired by the Kirby series. Cute and happy for the whole game until the very last part.

[@VonFirflirch]

I'd say Pikmin, too. Minus the wandering abominations, this track would be right at home in some of the second game's dungeons, which take place in kitchens and whatnot.

[@slenderfoxx3797]

@@VonFirflirch it's like Pikmin for sure. But I'd also compare it to SPM and TTYD in some ways. Old school paper mario had dark eerie moments as well (not really PM64 though). They had more than bug fables but I think the giants lair beats all the moments in SPM and TTYD in pure creepiness that's for sure.

[@VonFirflirch]

@@slenderfoxx3797 Honestly, I played PM64 at such a young age that Forever Forest was the pinnacle of horror to me x) I never made it to Chapter 6 as a kid, because I had missed the forest's seed and really didn't want to go back there xD

[@slenderfoxx3797]

@@VonFirflirch oh hahaha that's a great story though. The games we play as kids always hold such a special place in our hearts for we played with such a young age perspective. That it's fun to go back them years later and see what it was really like. The first 3 paper Mario's will forever hold a special place in my heart. And I love Bug Fables. M&L is also great! Oh and Super mario RPG lol

[@verycleanguy1771]

Something that felt really haunting about this area was the massive number of wasp spears left all over the place; the Wasp King must have broken in with a whole squadron of wasp troopers, but by the time you meet him, he's completely alone, and no other wasps are anywhere to be seen throughout the entire area. I kind of wish there was some kind of conversation that addressed that. Vi: "Hey Kabbu, those are wasp spears, right?" Kabbu: "Huh? Yes, that's right." Vi: "But then, where are all the wasps at?" Kabbu: "..." Vi: "..." Leif: "...Let's keep moving."

[@chaosinc.382]

Ooh, I could see that convo being in the game after approaching a cluster of spears. I'd wonder where the corpses were but I doubt the Deadlanders leave much of their victims...

[@AzureMoebius22]

@@chaosinc.382 If the game had a bit of a higher rating, you could probably expect to find a few limbs, maybe some torn off wings, maybe even a severed wasp head or two.

[@kylestubbs8867]

And then when you reach the Wasp King… “Wait… didn’t you come in with all those Wasp Guards?” “I did. Utter weaklings, every last one of them. I survived as an infant among creatures whose gizzards they now coat.” “You… YOU MONSTER!!! You don’t even care that they’re gone?” “On the contrary. They sacrificed themselves for the greatest good of all… my rightful rulership as the King of Bugaria, a King whose power and reign shall never cease!”

[@cumcer6140]

There is a conversation about it when you reach the badly wounded roach near the stove

[@chaosinc.382]

​@@kylestubbs8867 Wow, that's quite in character for the heroes and wasp king. Nice.

[@skirdus367]

I love how there isn't even a battle theme for this area, as if to imply it isn't a battle, but rather something unspeakable that you have no hope against. I love how even the roaches who were thought to be extinct and lived there for ages are still terrified of the Deadlanders. I love how not only does the Wasp King have literally nothing to do with the Deadlanders and they just exist in the Giant's Lair independent of his presence, but it's never even explained what the fuck they even are. Absolutely horrifying

[@chugiron4698]

I love the part that the deadlanders have nothing to do with him. You expect to fight a few more wasp troops when you enter the giant's lair, as you see them enter with the king. But by the time you enter, they've already been killed by the deadlanders and the wasp king just meandered by without attempting to fight them. It helps show that it's not only dangerous for you, but even for the antagonist of the game its a dangerous place.

[@biggarlick6673]

@@chugiron4698 also show that Hoax is a freaking turdnugget, for not giving two craps about his gaurds who just got eaten by walking organs. think about it, you see the gaurds go in, NOT A SINGLE WASP INSIDE dead or alive.

[@chugiron4698]

@@biggarlick6673 yeah, it's super fucked up. When The deadlanders showed up he just went along and let the wasps die

[@VonFirflirch]

That one line from the Roach elder always gets me : "Children wandering too far, never to be seen again" It's one thing for it to be creepy, it's another when it's also super sad x)

[@hesterfranks9716]

Hoaxe's parents got eaten by deadlanders dude Look, I'm a villain sympathizer, bear with me Imagine how sad this is from his side, returning to the place that traumatized him for so long; but this time he believes he'll leave victorious, conquering this hateful place once and for all But you're there to stop him, and though he's on the wrong side, he doesn't know or care As you defeat him, even with all the power in the world, he couldn't escape the deadlands; and now... He perishes along with his parents.

[@Brunosky_Inc]

When your happy bug game suddenly turns into goddamn Hollow Knight for the first half of the final chapter. Superb job with this track. Perfect atmospheric addition that kept me positively creeped out all the way through.

[@biggarlick6673]

naw man, creepier than anything hollow knight has thrown at us.

[@malacara1335]

@@biggarlick6673 Seriously, Hollow Knight needed something like the Dead Landers in Deepnest or The Abyss.

[@biggarlick6673]

@@malacara1335 yes i agree.

[@NeonWasInUse]

Mala Cara Ngl I could defenitely see them throwing us a curveball and giving the deadlanders a cameo in Silksong. Heck why not just give them a full blown crossover?

[@Mothbean]

@@NeonWasInUse The sheer happiness that would make me feel would probably rupture several of my vital organs

[@azurda7483]

I had to grow to this theme a bit. It's actually really good. The fact that the main melody almost never pauses and is accompanied by all of these disturbing sounds makes it so damn creepy.

[@wileecoyotegenius5955]

One subtle thing I love about this area is that, even at max level, the enemies here don't die to Bug Me Not. Even in the endgame when you're as buffed up as possible, this area is still extremely dangerous and terrifying. Edit: also, I love that this creepy music continues to play even during battles.

[@MrCow-mp8ru]

Absolutely horrifying, the Dead Lancers, the eye in the dark, this theme, everything about this place is horrifying. The worst part is realizing this was someone's home at one point, and then wondering what could have happened for it to be in such a state.

[@GhostHunterDipperPines]

Wait I didn’t know Lancer died

[@NoLongerNeedThis]

There is something that I noticed replaying this game. Something that makes the deadlands truly terrifying is what happens just before crossing into it. Venus says that she can't help Team Snakemouth after they go beyond the border. Venus has been watching them ever since the beginning, but now they're going into a place where her protection doesn't reach. This is terrifying to me because of religious symbolism. In Christian doctrine, there is only one place that God is separate from. One place where his light doesn't shine. That place is hell. And as such, crossing into the deadlands can be seen symbolically as a descent into hell. I don't think any of the devs intended this, but it sends chills down my spine to think about.

[@100organicfreshmemes5]

I wasn't sure how the game was going to get darker after Upper Snakemouth, and I was expecting the Giant's Lair to be foreboding, but I was still surprised at just how dark this area was. The enemy design is alien and freakish, the giant monster that searches for you is creepy, what the whole area implies is dark, and this music... damn. I'm a bit of a horror junkie so it didn't scare me, but the tension and creepiness it pulls off is impressive. I love stuff like this, where seemingly cute games get dark.

[@thecrazedpotatoman]

The second that eye appeared I audibly yelled "What the f*ck is that!?" Several times. Also this music is legit terrifying. The build up with Venus saying she can't help you from here, the monsters being stronger than anything you've ever faced before, the fact that it keeps playing when you're in battle, gives you the feeling that you are the only normal person in an uncharted area of ruthless creatures and a literal all seeing demon. This is not your land, it belongs to Them. You are not safe.

[@dtd1208]

Aaaand that feeling faded from me once I got to the roach village. Which sucks cause I was really invested in these creatures and whatever the hell it was that happened here, a lot more than the wasp king storyline at that point.

[@metaskully382]

The bug me not medal does NOT work on Dead Landers. Even after you beat the game.

[@dtd1208]

@@metaskully382 ok

[@cooldoggo58]

The first eye opened onto me while I was walking, which gave me a spook as I was expecting enemies with less than 20 health

[@GhostHunterDipperPines]

And also if you played spy cards, you’ll know that each individual dead lander is considered a MINI BOSS. EACH ONE!

[@diogenessilviocemartins9019]

"We are to Eldritch Gods what bugs are to us" If the bugs are sapient, then nothing better to do than transform the human world into an incomprehensible eldritch hellscape.

[@explodatorium]

This place genuinely terrified me the first time i got to it, I was playing at 6 am and then all of a sudden i was playing a horror game instead of funny bug game. Still a real cool place though that it just hits you how messed up the world of BF actually is.

[@dabiatsuhiro3984]

SAME! Except the 6 am part. I had been playing it all day and got used to the normal fun stuff, then I went in blind and I was hit with dark and creepy music, an eye that if it sees you, it drops a monster on you that you can't escape from. I was afraid.

[@biggarlick6673]

ayup, me too

[@VonFirflirch]

Definitely has that Pikmin vibe of "Happy small world that secretly takes place after the apocalypse". Right down to the "surprise creepy" areas x)

[@explodatorium]

@@VonFirflirch Oh my gosh exactly!!! Thats actually a really perfect comparison! :D

[@rockinmusicquarterly12]

i love when fun & generally light-hearted games suddenly become horror games

[@pikminaero2279]

I don't like the Dead Lands. I don't like the fact that Deadlanders Alpha are walking stick bugs I don't like the fact that Deadlanders Beta look like caterpillars I don't like the fact that Deadlanders Gamma (?) look like violinist crabs I don't like the ambiance A perfect final area.

[@VonFirflirch]

And don't forget : from what I understand of the lore books, that's how most of the game's universe is actually like.

[@shady7919]

You forgot the freaky eye monster things

[@moderatortaco2957]

@@shady7919 that would be Deadlander Omega

[@moderatortaco2957]

the Deadlander Alpha was originally a 3d model instad of a 2d sprite but it got scrapped i myself don't have any screenshots but they exist

[@massalzheimers4021]

@@moderatortaco2957 probably scrapped due to doing something too different. Players are more used to the 2D enemies than the 3D on the map.

[@starwhalomega2691]

What's even worse about this area is that, if you return to the room where the final boss fight takes place, you can see one simple detail with horrifying implications... The windows were boarded up. The people who used to live here were trying to stop something from getting in... That coupled with the stuffed animal you can find near a collectable medal in this area, the fact that everything is destroyed and scattered, and the presence of Dead Lander Omega, we can assume that a family once lived here, in fear of the creatures of the Dead Lands. That poor child must have been so scared...

[@Davedave000]

Or somehow, someway, the humans that lived there became Deadlanders somehow. It might be possible that Deadlander Omega is the child, and if that's the case I shudder to know what the parents became.

[@zander3312]

If you go past the tree the Wasp King turned into, you can see a baby bottle on the counter too, meaning it was probably a very young child. Scary stuff.

[@VonFirflirch]

I'm assuming it's something along the lines of the few humans who survived the Day of Awakening had to deal with resources being scarced and turning on each other for food and whatnot.

[@chaosinc.382]

Wait, there's collectable stuff in the deadlands? Welp! I'm never gonna find that shit, I can barely make the voyage standard.

[@moonjumper6197]

@@chaosinc.382 yes there are medals

[@level5650]

I think what sets Giant’s Lair apart from other “tiny creature encounters humans” stories like Finding Nemo is that humans aren’t the main threat. They’re a previous victim. Whoever was living here clearly wasn’t doing well; boarded up windows, trash strewn all over the floor, they were either so scared of something getting in that they eventually abandoned their own house..or it got them before they got the chance. And that’s what makes the place so deeply terrifying from the perspective of a bug: If there’s something out there that can make a creatures a thousand times their size terrified for it’s life, what chance does Bugaria have if it comes back?

[@lubbiewhitmire6953]

Chapter 1: Haha, funny bug game, funny bee girl, haha! Chapter 7. Welcome to hell, bitch.

[@therealphun]

One small detail I noticed which I quite like - if you look to the left of where the sapling is held, you'll see a window, barred off with wooden planks. Not like the ones the ants used to block the entrance to Giant's Lair, these are, well, giant-sized. Considering the place is undeniably a house, and the fact that the Lost Sands are merely just a forgotten sandbox, indicated by the tall barriers surrounding it, it's likely that Giant's Lair was home to not only 'giants', but possibly even children as well? And considering the barred window, typically used to keep something out, and what's in there now... Oh dear.

[@xkimura3740]

ah yes. spy and flee

[@cooldoggo58]

The only time I went into battle was to spy, but then I fled and used a combo of Dig and Bubble Shield to make my way through the Giant's Lair

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

It’s just so sad and aimless. You can tell that here is a land that has ended. A land that has nothing. A land that is... Dead. No matter what might still be living there.

[@diogenessilviocemartins9019]

Me: The Wild Swamplands is the most dreadful area of the game so far. Giant's Lair: Hold my deadlander

[@luigimaxwell8946]

drop my deadlander

[@theamazingmeh1759]

When I first saw the Giant lair through the telescope I jokingly thought to myself. "This probably takes place after some nuclear war where the humans are all dead." And after entering the first room hearing this music it confirmed my thoughts. Just trying to imagine what the rest of Earth is outside of the safe heaven of the bug lands is frightening. Truly capturing how small and insignificant you are in the world.

[@TheFructowallGuy]

lmao i can just imagine this "this probably takes place after some nuclear war where the humans are all dead" "IT TAKES PLACE AFTER SOME NUCLEAR WAR AND THE HUMANS ARE ALL DEAD AAAA"

[@nekonomicon9938]

Very scary to hear Venus say she wouldn't be able to protect you beyond this point. Just further proof how dreadful this area is as your comforts are stripped away from you.

[@DvainsWeassel]

This and lab over snakemouth are very great atmospheric songs to really make me feel unsafe walking around.

[@danielthomas7222]

5 minutes ago: ULTIMAX GIANT TANK NEVER LETTING UP THE FIGHT UNTIL HE'S SILENCED Now: whats color

[@cooldoggo58]

From kinda serious and we can take our time to: GO GO GO IT SAW ME

[@whitebr1350]

This area made me so uneasy. Not even the roach lab dungeon managed to fill me with such a feeling of dread. Even though I was able to beat every Dead Lander I fought, they felt as strong as minibosses. I would have never have been able to outlast the Gammas if I hadn't avoided the eye's gaze. And that's the scariest part about this dungeon for me. If you choose to fight everything here, you will eventually be worn down to dust.

[@riverthesheep]

This whole area's atmosphere, and especially the music here, really reminds me of OFF after revisiting a purified zone. It's so unnerving... And downright creepy.

[@DiligenceOfSurprise]

The mysterious entities scattered around, hell-bent on killing you? They certainly seem similar in that respect too.

[@moonjumper6197]

Also maybe the deadlander omega is just a todler that you see as a bit more dangerous due to being irrational toward it, as your a bug, and it tried to kill you

[@whotookmypuddingcup4131]

@@moonjumper6197 it's confirmed to be the size of an adult human. Plus the food in the fridge is rotten and the windows are boarded up.

[@slenderfoxx3797]

What's OFF btw?

[@almondjoy4938]

The Piano's medley sounds almost pleasant but its beauty is marred by the footsteps,breathing,and ominous instruments in the background. Very atmospheric!

[@Ponsy_J]

After going through the giant's lair, it made me think of how ominous or disturbing it would be if I was in a huge empty room that just feels like it would never end.

[@chaosinc.382]

Good God, nonono... Just a long, featureless room with fog of war and no cover? My heartbeat would be at max till I died...

[@Sighlar1]

I was considering putting the bug fables soundtrack on shuffle for when I go to sleep, however I decided against it because i realized that there was a chance I could be woken up by this at 3am

[@The_Admiral_Angel]

And here I thought that Queen Vanessa's Manor from A Hat in Time was one of the horrifying areas in an otherwise kid-friendly looking game, but The Giant's Lair just takes the cake. I legit screamed when I saw those eyes. I thought it was the eye of a stray cat at first.

[@dreamyyartist5517]

Yeah, especially since you can find some objects in this place that would be owned by a child, which also makes it creepier and sadder, especially when we don't know anything about the giants that lived there, or just what those creatures are.

[@ConsarnitTokkori]

but... the watcher doesn't have visible eyes :(

[@whotookmypuddingcup4131]

The watcher is chapter 4's boss. Do you mean dead lander omega????

[@The_Admiral_Angel]

Aw dang. Thanks for the correction.

[@whotookmypuddingcup4131]

@@The_Admiral_Angel you're welcome. I just got confused .v.'

[@cumcer6140]

Gotta love how this game goes normal for most of the chapters, then on 6 its suddenly rather melancholic with all the fog and the fact that you're on the losing side of a conflict. Then chapter 7 is just uncomprehensive horror

[@modestzachman758]

I played this game and Pikmin 4 back to back and the difference between how they both treat their respective “big house” level is staggering.

[@dashmaster_sav098]

LMAO YEAH

[@Coreagrus]

This really caught me off guard. I didn't think the final area would be straight up horror themed. Combine that with legit scary, difficult enemies, with abstract designs that make you say 'what the hell is that!?' and it all works really well. And speaking of the enemies, they're denoted as 'alpha', 'beta' and 'gamma', and I can only assume that whatever that huge thing watching you is, it's the omega. You can only be grateful you don't have to fight it.

[@nova338]

So. creepy. I think the fact that you can see the giant's hands and it leans over to try to find you.... Gosh it's awful

[@cooldoggo58]

What if humans used a crystal weapon, possibly during a war, and accidentally caused what we see in game? Some crystals are known to store information, so what if they had been storing the information of humans to maybe create the ultimate weapon? If this is true, it would explain why most bugs have human-like features. Maybe the bugs we can interact with touched a crystal and gained their sentience, as well as their personalities. Maybe this could explain why only some bugs have sentience and why some are still how they are

[@idioticlight]

Did birds turn into twitter users then?

[@shady7919]

Can we talk about how many tomato sauce cans there are in this house lol

[@nerdsmyspiritanimal2676]

The Giants REALLY liked Tomatoes.

[@15stargamer98]

@@nerdsmyspiritanimal2676 that or they were trapped inside... The windows ARE boarded up, which shows that they were alive... for a time. Obviously, it seems whatever was trapping them inside managed to get in, since there’s still food in their fridge, and the food in there is so far gone that it’s probably best to consider it well beyond rotten. Additionally, the devs have stated that Deadlander Omega is able to leave its lair, and that it’s bigger than you think, roughly the size of an adult human. But it’s clearly not a human, at least not as it is now.

[@nerdsmyspiritanimal2676]

@@15stargamer98 I assumed the Dead Lander Mega is a Mutates form of Human after the Day of Awakening which deevolved the Humans. It still retains a heightened sentient and sense of humor to mess with you instead of killing you outright.

[@15stargamer98]

@@nerdsmyspiritanimal2676 however, it’s also worth noting that there’s only one Deadlander Omega, and given the clues we know about how it can leave the lair, it doesn’t close the fridge door, it doesn’t acknowledge what little safe food is in there, that it’s not as smart or knowledgeable enough about how human things work to do that. However, if it was the toddler that lived there, it would know that there is food in the fridge, and if the humans were mutated, there’d be no reason for them to leave their house, because they still have food, and if they mutated, why would they board up the windows? The only sense I can make of it is that it’s whatever the humans were trying to keep out by boarding up the windows, and it found a way in to a house with humans that weren’t alive for much longer, given that it uh, is even still in the house, and there’s so much rotten food. The people who lived here clearly didn’t die of starvation.

[@erihgioqe3798]

Given how long this place seems to have been abandoned I doubt they're edible anymore though the scariest thing in the dead lands is probably whatever dwells in that abandoned milk carton

[@Majoralink100]

*does overworld tattle where Vi first mentions the giant eye* what? I don't see any- NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!

[@malacara1335]

She doesn't mention an eye though, she goes "what the heck is that?!", Kabbu is the one that says that you shouldn't let yourself be spotted.

[@adrianrandom3448]

FOR REAL, I always do a tattle whenever I go to a new area and they all go "wtf is that, let's not get spotted by that", I was wondering what the hell are they talking about...seconds later A HUGE EYE SPOTS ME AND A BIG BONEY MOBSTER HAND DROPS AN ABOMINATION ON MY HEAD, I fell of to a pot from the panic. Great game 10/10

[@chaosinc.382]

Same thing happened to me lmao

[@UndertakerU2ber]

Y’know, I am genuinely enamored by the tone of this piece. I think most musicians would’ve sat down and composed a tune that has a lot of distorted synthesizers with a dramatic vibe. As a specific reference, I expected to hear a song like the one that played when Mario entered through The Thousand Year Door. So when I heard this for the first time after walking through the environment...I just paused. I had, and still have, this feeling that I just can’t put into words about what the song is saying about the world. The piano has very basic major chord progressions that reminds me of a nursery rhyme...and that’s okay! I’m not trying to degrade the song’s quality! But for a while, it really sat and brewed in my head about what image it’s painting, and I feel it’s along the lines of representing what was once a normal house. A place of safety. Of comfort. Where there’s children toys of stuffed teddy bears, pencils, and books. And those things are still there...but there’s now a menacing presence that looms over. That horn with an extremely low voice overlays itself over the piano, and chokes whatever comfort one could’ve felt if they listened to the piano melody on its own. Now, this horn has warped this piece into something that sounds like an omen, and as an outsider, we can only observe at what once was, what could’ve been, and the horrors that it’s become... I’ve been really curious in knowing how some of these pieces came out to be the way they are. Sometimes musical composers work independently on projects like this and have whatever they compose approved by the director with little to no scrutiny, while other directors have been more involved with the musical composition process and are much more picky. I wonder if the composer was given concept art and story details to get an idea of what the tone should be, or if there was a lot of collaboration with the director regarding the specific tone/theme that needed to be reflected in the piece. Regardless, this song is a piece of art. It’s one that didn’t feel it needed to be bombastic just because it’s the end of the game, but is one that has opted to be somber and convey how we should be feeling seeing a home like ours be left in ruins; wondering what transpired that left this home in the state that it’s in... Edit: Now that I listen more closely, I think that “horn” I was referring to is actually a bass clarinet

[@turkeykorvid]

Whenever i enter a new area i immediately press the hint button bc i love reading whatever funny comment the characters have about the area. When team snakemouth described "something scary monitoring the place" i thought it was just going to be a small camera thing, kinda like the turrets in the honey factory. And then I walked further in and was greeted by a GIANT EYE

[@alexveinti2]

Recently I've had the bad luck of spoiling amazing games, I couldn't enjoy this types of twists bc it didn't surprised me. Alone, in my living room, only the light of other room is on, at 1am, all my family seems to have already fallen asleep; for some miracle they didn't told me to "go to sleep already". It was just I, the team, this environment, this got darn spectacular music, and my genuine FEAR of the deadlanders. As Casey from Brohive said, "This is the only part of the game that makes you *feel* like a bug". I love every aspect of this game, yet nothing will ever compare to the funny bug game throwing this at me, and everything been so perfect, and I been so DETERMINED to beat king's ass.

[@saidstu-saidstupidanio6444]

jaja pendeja te equivocaste en una letra

[@HBEnLudya276]

Ö

[@TreyGamr58]

I'm guessing the "giant" turned into that "thing" Hopefully, y'all making a sequel to dig deeper into this wacky yet eerie world. Maybe have it be the first boss of the next game Hooktail style, maybe you gotta figure out if it has a weakness like sunlight or something.

[@timothyross8834]

I was half expecting the giant thing to suddenly attack during/after the final boss fight as another boss

[@malacara1335]

Don't, keep it mysterious, what would one tiny bug know about this ungodly thing anyways?

[@VonFirflirch]

@@malacara1335 Yeah, I'd rather see what the rest of the game's universe is like, since, from what I understand, Dead Landers are a thing EVERYWHERE else but Bugaria.

[@chaosinc.382]

@@VonFirflirch I find it lowkey disappointing that it sounds like Bugaria is the only bastion of life. I was hoping there would be other places that happened to be separated by stretches of dead lands. Maybe there will be in future! I remain hopeful.

[@VonFirflirch]

@@chaosinc.382 There *are* some people here and there, like Kabbu's place of origin and those eastern lands with the fruit-bugs. Bugaria is the only large/safe area, from my understanding. It could be interesting to have a story from the perspective of outsiders. Bugaria would pretty much be El Dorado to them x)

[@lasagna3289]

One of my favorite parts about this is that this is only a surprise to the _player_. To the bugs of Bugaria, Omega is just a fact of life. To Team Snakemouth, this was always something they were going to have to face as soon as they learned that the Sapling was in the Giant’s Lair. Heck, Kabbu is FROM the deadlands (not the Giant’s Lair though. Everywhere beyond Bugaria is considered Deadlands, and the beetles live north of Bugaria. He crossed through the swampland, then the sandbox, to reach the Ant Kingdom.) Kabbu, Master and Bit just... LIVED with these things. Omega OPENLY LEAVES HIS LAIR. YOU CAN SEE HIM SKULKING AROUND BEYOND THE GRASS. It’s just accepted that there are horrible behemoths lurking all over the world and the only thing keeping them at bay is the Mother Crystal in the Forsaken Lands.

[@chaosinc.382]

And everyone prays that the dead lander things dont try to invade, since if they did everyone would be essentially screwed. Also I didnt know you could see Omega in the grass, gonna look when I play again.

[@chugiron4698]

I think the creepiest thing is that they all know about Omega but they avoid talking about it entirely. Outside of the dialogue inside of the lair itself, not a single character mentions omega. Despite this, according to Mar (one of the devs) "everybody knows about omega". Like imagine seeing the grass outside of Bugaria move slightly and knowing that its Omega, but you just bottle that fear up because you want to avoid thinking about it as much as possible.

[@wildbill7942]

I've never actually caught a glimpse of Omega through the telescope. Where should I be watching, exactly? And for how long?

[@chugiron4698]

@@wildbill7942 to the right of the giants Lair theres a bunch of tall grass, every 30 or so seconds if you look closely in the area a bit above it you'll see a shadow moving back and forth.

[@wildbill7942]

@@chugiron4698 oh jesus lord

[@MartanisIV]

Boy howdy, the enemy's went from 0 to 100 REAL fast in this area. I swear each enemy was like a mini-boss, got my first and only game over here. Also, the atmosphere. Like holy moly, it so, unsettling, it doesn't even feel like a part of this game...

[@pef_v6107]

Each enemy IS a miniboss, in spy cards the dead landers are miniboss cards.

[@idadood2278]

Funny how the game hits you in the feels with the 'Bug Fables' melody on the tile screen, and then immediately throws you into the Dead Lands.

[@robotsafarii]

It's even more unsettling that this music continues to play even while in a battle.

[@lordmarshmal_0643]

The fact that this song permeates the whole first section was what really got to me. You don't even get the alternative battle music...

[@GardenVarietea]

Spooky: "Hey, GL Labs? Yeah, we've discovered a few new Specimen..."

[@DjPikaGaming]

Your pfp and this comment resonate to me with many references. I feel not enough people will recognize either. Because GL Labs was too played down in that game.

[@Mothbean]

These are some quality references right here

[@canaldohector]

That whole area gave me Cave of the Past and True Lab feelings but *worse*

[@100organicfreshmemes5]

I'd say Upper Snakemouth's Lab gives True Lab vibes, while this is akin to Cave of the Past.

[@Stargazer_Pie]

This place definitely gives me Cave of the Past vibes. Both are final areas that stand out because of how alien and dread-inducing they are. Not to mention the creepy, empty-feeling music and enemies that will stomp you into the ground if you’re not prepared.

[@Duskool]

@@Stargazer_Pie Enemies will stomp you to the ground even if you're prepared.

[@bencarrington3743]

I read a bit on the Giant's Lair/Dead Lands so I figured "oh this is gonna be like the True Lab, isn't it? I'm ready for this" I was wrong.

[@AlmightyPolarBear]

This gives off 'Silent Hill' vibes. It genuinely makes me uncomfortable, nervous, and sad.

[@somerandomgamer9065]

The fact that we come here, see all of this and it just… never gets resolved makes it more chilling

[@1Thunderfire]

I was genuinely sweating cobs going through this area and swore when that eye was revealed and when I accidentally triggered this. I don't go for pure horror games but I really appreciate the contrast between "happy, cheery adventure" and "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" in the games I play. More impactful.

[@DarkMarxSoul]

One of the best final dungeons I've played in recent memory. Absolutely oppressive.

[@genghisj1372]

oppressive, dark, dangerous, alien, ironic when you consider it is just a human house

[@voidnoodle8911]

Honestly been a while since this got posted, but I finally beat the game. I stepped into this area, got spotted, and immediately put my switch into sleep mode for the night. I thought this was heehoo funnee bug game that didn't trigger my bug phobias aND THE FINAL CHALLENGE IS BUG PHOBIAS WHY I LOVE IT

[@Bluedino152]

Me: "I've seen upper snakemouth and the forsaken lands, nothing be can scarier" Game: "Are you sure about that?" Also while I would have liked if the place after the "mountain" had its own unique theme, I do like how this theme cements how utterly bleak and oppressive it is.

[@metaskully382]

When I first entered the Giant’s Lair: I’m a brave boi. When I saw the GIANT eye with a searchlight: NOT A BRAVE ENOUGH BOI FOR THIS!

[@Roman-ik3cf]

Not fun at all fact about this song i realized recently, in this song there are clicking-like sounds on some parts, this clickling sounds eerily similar to a geiger counter sound, a thing that, if i remember correctly, is used to measure the radiation of something, which could mean that the giant electric rock thats powering the fridge isnt only electrical or that the humans died because of a nuclear disaster of sorts

[@Duelkitten]

I remember vi joking about fighting a mixed creature. A spider mixed with a bird? Or was it a wasp, she said three different bugs one being a spider. I couldn't help but think "what if that is what the eyeball belongs too?". Sucks we didn't get to fight it but hey that's what sequels are for. Definitely betting one some sort of spider hybrid thing with wings.

[@CaliCosmicGal]

Alexis Adams you most be mistakes because she or anyone else have ever said bird.

[@lasagna3289]

When does she say this?

[@belltowersubductions5104]

The deep lore of this game fascinates me. It's moments like this that make you stop, and think... What happened? To Humanity, to the Giants? To the Roach civilization? What happened to cause the world's insects to spontaneously gain sentience? Are there other Giants out there, in the beyond? Or has Humanity been completely wiped out? Something happened to destroy the Roaches, something abrupt... Does the Everlasting Sapling have more negative side effects than are currently known of? The thing is... there are no answers. Inside a house there is something vast, something skeletal, something inhuman which watches and waits. In a forgotten corner there lives a small group of Roaches, protecting something that brings power beyond your wildest imagination and uncontrollable, irreversible mutation and transformation. They do not even know that the sapling they guard has been dead, possibly for generations. Did it kill their people, or was it the only thing that kept their people alive once? Their histories do not say, their eldest elders do not remember a time when they had such answers. Beneath the outskirts of the Ant Kingdom there is a laboratiry where two scientists tried to reverse the fortunes of their civilization after a calamity that is never fully explained. Uncountable blue crystals litter the landscape, their origins unknown, their powers limitless, and their use perhaps barely understood. And all across the lands, bugs... thousands of bugs, live lives, form cultures, build civilizations, advance technology... when did this happen? Why? How? The thing is... there are no answers. The deep lore of this game fascinates me.

[@woop6727]

when giant's lair was first mentioned i thought it was gonna be a "jack and the beanstalk" scenario where i snoop around some guy's house and get to see giant humans boy was i wrong!

[@sallyparty1978]

You were half right lol

[@mothra6652]

Honestly this area would've still been somewhat scary if it was just your typical 'bugs scurrying around humans which are giant in comparison' if only because it would've been frightening from the perspective of being something so tiny. But the fact that no, there AREN'T any of the titular 'giants' present, that's what really makes this place so terrifying to me. This place used to be a normal home. People used to live here. And not just bugs, real actual humans. But they don't anymore. Why?

[@archmagemc3561]

This area just made me go "NOOOOPE" once I got spotted the first time. Good on the composer, but dang, good way to sell what is essentially "no bug's land" wholesale.

[@The_True_Mx_Pink]

Not a single moment in any game has terrified me more than when I stupidly hit the red crystal. Though, when I realized you can't freeze the Deadlanders was a close second.

[@buybugfables]

I found the lore books but never read them, so the whole game I thought we were just regular bugs and that nothing was wrong and that there would be humans here, but with the sights of this broken down house with the fridge still open and the stoves still burning along with this music and... that thing, I was genuinely scared.

[@MrKaiju-sr8wu]

I wonder if we’ll ever know what Deadlander Omega truly is

[@terraria_ranger4887]

A dev said he'll never ever reveal it. I guess a lot of it is up to imagination.

[@theamazingcatwizard3654]

Imagine being a bug in a person’s house. This part of the story is that. *other than the fact that the person is using bugs to fight bugs and doesn’t care about the bugs that fight you*

[@HandyMark]

So....how about that giant with the black skeleton hands?

[@MegaMetroid75]

No, but what IS it?

[@biggarlick6673]

@@magma1675 agreed. you can even see its silhouette in some spots and it even looks like an omega.

[@biggarlick6673]

@@magma1675 i agree that there is only one on account of it frequently disappearing to move closer to you

[@yoshisaur4713]

@magma Wait...you can see the omega’s shadow from the eliascope?

[@yoshisaur4713]

Oh cool

[@kyleeeee_c]

Easily the most memorable location in the game

[@zakrios7389]

One of the hardest fights in the game for me was fighting the 3 types of undead monsters right before entering a fridge. Loved this odd area/track

[@freehugs5898]

they never did say what the dead landers where

[@DjPikaGaming]

Well they're weak to ice so... part plant or fungi. Along with whatever else they are. I honestly don't want to know. Some mysteries are best left unsolves and perhaps untouched.

[@adrianrandom3448]

From some theories I've seen, they might be mutated bugs (stick bug, caterpillar and Violinist Crab) which are also part plant since they're weak to ice. Basically eldritch abominations

[@Hollowolfjas4014]

I wonder if this is how real world bugs feel when they're trapped inside a human's house.

[@nerdsmyspiritanimal2676]

Probably, they feel scared and alone.

[@cooldoggo58]

And any moment, they could be found and killed on the spot

[@arl9072]

At this point, this game went from Paper Mario to Little Nightmares. Wtf.

[@cooldoggo58]

Paper Nightmares

[@JoshyTheSobble]

Playing through this area blind in the middle of the night was one of the worst decisions I ever made. Those eyes fucking TERRIFIED ME…