UnderRail lore/world-building appreciation thread - For those who know there's more beneath the surface

[fredsteel]

I've been talking to a good friend of mine about UnderRail and the mainstream image it has—that it's mainly a game for build autism, which is a fair point—however, it completely undersells the best thing about it, which is the lore and world-building of the setting. This is where the game truly shines for those willing to dig deep, past the stat-crunching and the murder tunnels. UnderRail is filled with a great story that turns the underground nightmare into something far bigger and more intriguing than it appears on the surface. This thread is an attempt to rectify the misconception stated before and is your invitation to lose your minds over every cryptic terminal, ancient inscription, and corporate conspiracy hidden below the surface. I know there's probably threads on this already but it never hurts to add one more to the list.

We’re not here for "Biocorp was a bad megacorp" or "Faceless = mysterious!" levels of discussion. You’ve all beaten this game several times by now, so let’s take it up a notch and discuss the real weirdness that Underrail lore offers—and speculate on what the hell is coming in Infusion.

To kick off the discussion I want to share my favorite bit of the lore which is the PC was the one who stole, initially, the Cube kicking off the events of our much beloved Serbian national artifact. When you talk to Azif about the Faceless and their Cube, he tells you something interesting: that the person who initially volunteered to steal the Cube from the Faceless looked a lot like you. This is a massive hint suggesting that the PC might have been involved in the theft all along, potentially from a different timeline, an alternate version of reality, or even a future version of themselves. Now, I used to think that the explanation was only the former, but upon replaying the game and being more attentive at WHAT the Cube really was called (Azif calling it a Psycho-temporal Convergence Device, and the Cube's visions), it's more and more evident that it's a multiple timelines kind of deal. It converges timelines, yet we struggle to differentiate what is native to original dimension and what is from another one.

So far, Styg has been very silent of the lore that will happen in Infusion, so we got only the title to work with. The term alone makes you think of some kind of fundamental transformation, and given that psionics, ancient civilizations, and biotech experiments are all on the table, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re about to see a new breed of humanity—or something far worse. We know about the rock-infused psi worms, hinting a lot at an elemental aspect that will be tied to psi, no doubt a strong possibility in the sequel.

it's clear that Styg has a long and intricate road ahead of him when it comes to expanding the lore. The world is filled with complex subjects—psionics, time manipulation, extraplanetary gods, and transhumanism—that always seem more intriguing when shrouded in suspense and mystery.

We’ve all seen how trying to explain everything too neatly can sometimes ruin the allure. There’s something compelling about leaving certain elements undefined, allowing our imaginations to fill in the gaps. The tension between the known and the unknown is a significant part of what makes the lore so captivating.

Rather than forcing a rational explanation for every thread in the tapestry, I hope Infusion leans into the mysteries that keep us theorizing and speculating. After all, the excitement lies in the unanswered questions and the potential for new revelations that emerge from the shadows. Let’s keep some of that delicious ambiguity alive, leaving us with mysteries to ponder long after we’ve put the game down.

 

[BING XI LAO]

First playthrough: This fallout-inspired game's version of the Master is a lot bigger and more evil... cool new take on the post-apoc setting concept! I guess they all went underground because of nukes!
Second playthrough: some of these big convos and special locations are reminiscent of Planescape

Nth playthrough: Azif's words about a higher reality... Ferryman on the Descent to Center... the relationship between the Faceless and the Godmen... it's like the hierogrammates, undines, Neighbours and other abhumans of Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle. This is an esoteric Christian work in which one's positions in time, technology, physical and moral elevation can all be associated, one with the other. It is a world more thoroughly fallen than ours, given over to to the influence of principalities, angels manipulating cyclical time to produce their preferred outcomes. Perhaps their presences become tangled, and this could be why killing Tchort was something Six would not do himself; or perhaps his great mind would be destroyed by Tchort as the Faceless so easily were. Tanner the thief and deceiver is quite different in his means and goals from Six but we don't know why they are at odds. They travel freely, but the void beings slip through only via shadowliths, or teleportation, but apparently not via the Cognator's psionic web (I believe he attacked into the Void, not the other way around; or rather the very large-scale and constantly-running Thought Control psionic comms system extended into the void).

Six denies being a Godman (right?) - perhaps he is a loyal hound in their distant service? Or a Godman who sloughed off many dimensions to descend into the mundane earth? Floutsormir laid claim to one specific ethnos to remake them in his image, and the Faceless may be a precursor, or pre-requisite, to Godmen. Are psionics another part of that type of project?

Leviathans are material, but a void god like Floutsormir is immaterial. Despite being similar in malice and in being opposed by the monolith placing angels, Six is less interested in the Shadowlith compared to Tchort. Tchort's origin is material and Floutsormir's is not; and we don't even know if Floutsormir seeks physical form. He merely sent the "serpent which expunged the invading submarine".... right?

There’s something compelling about leaving certain elements undefined, allowing our imaginations to fill in the gaps. The tension between the known and the unknown is a significant part of what makes the lore so captivating.

Yes and it's very tasteful to have the Underrail setting be about things occurring within the context of the uninhabitable surface, but never explaining why that happened exactly. Then the story can exist WITHIN the setting, rather than dominating and trivialising the setting.

But, in-universe, why is the destruction of the surface not discussed in specifics? Even if it were a slow and complex fall, it would be the most famous legend of all. Was the memory eaten as Floutsormir consumes the sun in the Research Dome artpiece? Given that the Godmen can launch spears of destruction on a galactic scale, and that there was a large-scale conflict with the Leviathans, are Suns safe, or a bright shining target? Are mind-reading psionics the reason it's unsafe for the memory to be recorded?

There’s something compelling about leaving certain elements undefined, allowing our imaginations to fill in the gaps. The tension between the known and the unknown is a significant part of what makes the lore so captivating.

It's also built into the esoteric view that the divine higher reality is irrational from our point of view. The rational laws we interact with were created by the higher reality, and therefore "our language is incomplete" as Six says. The higher realities are largely unknowable.

 

[BING XI LAO]

Azif calling it a Psycho-temporal Convergence Device, and the Cube's visions)

Wait, what? I totally missed that it had a name. And, visions?
I wonder why Six didn't keep it for himself. Surely converging timelines would be useful for him if it's so for Tanner? Maybe Six is loyal to the intended future of the Faceless, so they need it more.

I think Infusion will take place in one of the other megacorp's territory.

Biocorp: genetics research, mutagenic, psionics
NFT: terraforming, non-conventional habitats, agriculture
Nucleus Corporation: nuclear power and weapons research, theoretical physics and astronomy
Security Agency: military technology, warbots
Bionic Institute: bionics, human-machine interfacing, artifical intelligence, transhumanism
Transcendix: psionics, theology, psychology, mind and consciousness

We already saw NFT and Biocorp.
Given the name Infusion, maybe Bionic Institute?

I liked the Utility Tower a lot, I hope we get another incident like that (and like the submarine and the Deep Caverns Elevator) of travelling a long way vertically.

 

[jackofshadows]

Speaking of titles, I might remind you guys UnderRail is used to be named Timelapse Vertigo. So the whole timeline theory isn't at all off mark.

Anyway, good thread. The same way it can be crucially misleading that UR is a Fallout's descendant, it can be that a person hear "oh it's all about builds and stuff" as this is some kind of MMO lmao. It's just something for bored fans to engage with the most, yeah.

 

[fredsteel]

It would be really cool if Styg would talk about the different inspirations he had used for UnderRail, unfortunately i have never found such an interview.

Personally, for me it only becomes very apparent in Expedition. With Floutsomir acting as the post apocalyptic norse mythology creature(forgot the name) and Lemuria acting as Atlantis.

 

[BING XI LAO]

Here's another thought I had: the psionic mass of flesh in the Lemurian hospital is similar to Tchort, in its creation, appearance (even if only hinted in text), and psionic power over its environs.
But he just wanted to die. Tchort was far stronger and wiser, perhaps due to being a larger accumulation of highly intelligent individuals (is the Lemurian Hospital blob just one man?), or because of some other special ingredients.

 

[The people of Duckburg]

With Floutsomir acting as the post apocalyptic norse mythology creature(forgot the name)

I assume you're referring to Jörmungandr/Midgard Serpent. They aren't entirely similar, but the concept of an enormous snake deity in the water is close enough that it's fully plausible. The savages being heavily based on Nordic people and culture was a stroke of genius. It's not something you see very often, and if you speak Norwegian/Swedish/Danish you're going to be able to piece together a decent bit of what they say, which is pretty cool. It also allowed Styg to get past the usual suspects; you're killing dozens or more of evil, violent savages. Yet I haven't heard of a single journalist screaming to the high heavens about it, which absolutely would have happened if the savages weren't of the acceptable ethnicity targets.

and Lemuria acting as Atlantis.

I could be wrong, but I think Atlantis is mentioned at at least one point. Wasn't the other underwater habitat, the one where the Nordic people came from, called that?

Here's another thought I had: the psionic mass of flesh in the Lemurian hospital is similar to Tchort, in its creation, appearance (even if only hinted in text), and psionic power over its environs.
But he just wanted to die. Tchort was far stronger and wiser, perhaps due to being a larger accumulation of highly intelligent individuals (is the Lemurian Hospital blob just one man?), or because of some other special ingredients.

I guess that's a possible explanation, but I'm not sure if I'm entirely convinced. The hospital doctor was described as extremely intelligent or something along those lines. I'd say it's fully possible that he just doesn't want to be a horrific blob, cursed to live forever somewhere where no one but the player character ever goes. Maybe it's the solitude that is the problem, though he didn't exactly seem to enjoy what he was turning into as it was happening, regardless. Maybe it's that Tchort is an amalgam of a bunch of different people that keeps it "happy". Or just that the Biocorp scientists weren't particularly good people, so they're plenty happy to use and feed on countless others, while I don't think we have any reason to believe that the doctor was a monster before the transformation.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

The world-building is really stellar. I love how the NPCs use `de-railed` when they want to say `unhinged`.

 

[sebas]

There are very, very few games as congruous as Underrail. Games in which everything simply fits: the aesthetic, the lore, the storyline, the dialogue, the gameplay, the ui, the music, the scope. The only other games with such a masterful execution that really stick out in my mind are HoMMIII and Hollow Knight.

As for the worldbuilding itself, I will never forget that first descent into Deep Caverns and the realization of just how royally fucked I am.

 

[The people of Duckburg]

One of the most interesting characters to me is Wank Hardell Hank Wardell, the eccentric old man and previous owner of the Core City house that the player can obtain. We keep hearing about him, but never meet him.

Everything about him reminds me of a player character. He was rich, but no one knows how he got so much money (if only they knew how much Al Fabeting can get you when done properly). He would ask people lots of questions but say little or nothing about himself, and suddenly just walk away in the middle of conversations. He didn't have much concern for his own safety. He was interested in crafting, which eventually led to the explosion that seemingly killed him and led to his house coming into the possession of the player. I think there's far too much build up here for him to randomly die to a crafting mistake before we meet him or at least find out who he really was.

The earlier mentions of a player character look-alike and cyclical time or alternate time lines gave me an idea, even if I don't necessarily believe that it's correct: Could Wardell be a past iteration of the player character? He showed up in Core City seemingly out of nowhere, similarly to how the player character seems to not have any past before his arrival at SGS. I'm not sure if the timeline matches with his supposed death, though with cave time magic existing it wouldn't necessarily mean much. If so, it could be his way of creating a new persona, possibly to avoid suspicion, and set things up so that you would obtain his house without ever interacting with him. Even if we consider the whole thing with him being a previous version of the player character as too far fetched, I could see him being some sort of foreign entity like Six or at least a psionic master. I get the impression that he was far too clever to get himself killed in a chemistry accident, so I definitely think he was faking his death or something along those lines. I hope we find out more about him in the sequels.

 

[fredsteel]

Yeah, I had the same feeling when learning about Wardell. I remember thinking that he hadn't died in the chemistry accident as it is presupposed but had simply teleported away, since there's a mark below the house, in the basement.

 

[Ryzer]

Underrail fans are the kind of people who would find the moss growing on a tree interesting, or would collect butterflies.

 

[Litmanen]

Underrail fans are the kind of people who would find the moss growing on a tree interesting, or would collect butterflies.

Have you written 7204 messages full of bullshit? Wherever I see you, you have something stupid to say.

Spoiler

I've been talking to a good friend of mine about UnderRail and the mainstream image it has—that it's mainly a game for build autism, which is a fair point—however, it completely undersells the best thing about it, which is the lore and world-building of the setting. This is where the game truly shines for those willing to dig deep, past the stat-crunching and the murder tunnels. UnderRail is filled with a great story that turns the underground nightmare into something far bigger and more intriguing than it appears on the surface. This thread is an attempt to rectify the misconception stated before and is your invitation to lose your minds over every cryptic terminal, ancient inscription, and corporate conspiracy hidden below the surface. I know there's probably threads on this already but it never hurts to add one more to the list.

We’re not here for "Biocorp was a bad megacorp" or "Faceless = mysterious!" levels of discussion. You’ve all beaten this game several times by now, so let’s take it up a notch and discuss the real weirdness that Underrail lore offers—and speculate on what the hell is coming in Infusion.

To kick off the discussion I want to share my favorite bit of the lore which is the PC was the one who stole, initially, the Cube kicking off the events of our much beloved Serbian national artifact. When you talk to Azif about the Faceless and their Cube, he tells you something interesting: that the person who initially volunteered to steal the Cube from the Faceless looked a lot like you. This is a massive hint suggesting that the PC might have been involved in the theft all along, potentially from a different timeline, an alternate version of reality, or even a future version of themselves. Now, I used to think that the explanation was only the former, but upon replaying the game and being more attentive at WHAT the Cube really was called (Azif calling it a Psycho-temporal Convergence Device, and the Cube's visions), it's more and more evident that it's a multiple timelines kind of deal. It converges timelines, yet we struggle to differentiate what is native to original dimension and what is from another one.

So far, Styg has been very silent of the lore that will happen in Infusion, so we got only the title to work with. The term alone makes you think of some kind of fundamental transformation, and given that psionics, ancient civilizations, and biotech experiments are all on the table, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re about to see a new breed of humanity—or something far worse. We know about the rock-infused psi worms, hinting a lot at an elemental aspect that will be tied to psi, no doubt a strong possibility in the sequel.

it's clear that Styg has a long and intricate road ahead of him when it comes to expanding the lore. The world is filled with complex subjects—psionics, time manipulation, extraplanetary gods, and transhumanism—that always seem more intriguing when shrouded in suspense and mystery.

We’ve all seen how trying to explain everything too neatly can sometimes ruin the allure. There’s something compelling about leaving certain elements undefined, allowing our imaginations to fill in the gaps. The tension between the known and the unknown is a significant part of what makes the lore so captivating.

Rather than forcing a rational explanation for every thread in the tapestry, I hope Infusion leans into the mysteries that keep us theorizing and speculating. After all, the excitement lies in the unanswered questions and the potential for new revelations that emerge from the shadows. Let’s keep some of that delicious ambiguity alive, leaving us with mysteries to ponder long after we’ve put the game down.

Anyway, I've never been interested to builds (on the contrary, the build authism of this game is something I don't like), but the lore has been something that really really really made me enjoy the game from the beginning to the end

 

[Marat]

beneath the surface

 

[Sweeper]

Underrail fans are the kind of people who would find the moss growing on a tree interesting

You don't find plants interesting? How pedestrian.

 

[None]

Underrail fans are the kind of people who would find the moss growing on a tree interesting, or would collect butterflies.

Still struggling to get past Depot A?

 

[PlanHex]

It's mystery boxes all the way down. There's never a concrete answer to anything, just another mystery behind it.
And you speculate like "Oh, could it be this? Or this?" But it could be all those things, because he probably has no real plan or answer for most of it and want to keep all the options open.
And then either concrete details and answers to mysteries never come or they do and it's a retarded sucky letdown.
That's how that usually goes, anyway.

 

[Jacov]

I love how Styg and Co approached swears in this game and slang in general. Despite the game being gritty, you never hear someone say our modern swear words and slurs. It's all «piperworkers» and whatever mumbo-jumbo you and Mama Zoner exchange with in the Dude's quest.
Every major group has their slang and speech quirks. Southerners, Northerners, Zoners, Hexagonians, Tchortists, those slavs from the Grey Army region, etc. They all have something that makes their language seem unique. I found this small part of the worldbuilding very well done and would love to see more of this in Infusion.

 

[Beans00]

I wrote a wall of text years about about how I wish you could side with tchort


"
Well you can't play Underrail as a pacifist whereas fallout gives you the option. So... Yeah I guess in terms of ways to kill scorpions Underrail has fallout beat.

You also can't interact with Tchort in any way. Which broke my heart playing it because I believe Tchort was clearly innocent and wronged by the faceless. In fallout you can convince the master to end his plan and destroy himself. He is given depth, you see his motivation and reasons. You are given multiple solutions to deal with him. You can do the underrail thing and kill him. You can convince him or you can set off a non strategic nuclear warhead.

What option does tchort get? Kill him with mind magic? Kill him with a sub machine gun? Kill him with a hammer? Kill him with a knife? Kill him with a shotgun? Kill him with fists? Kill him with chemical pistols? Kill him with energy pistols? Kill him with mechanical pistols? Kill him with assault rifles? Kill him with crossbows?

What vindication did Tchort ever get? He was scientists clearly working for the betterment of mankind before a bunch of violent brutes forced him to mutate. These violent brutes later murder dozens, maybe hundreds of people near CORE city and the railyard and then are painted as hero's. 'They're only mean because tchort aka society made them that way'.

BULLSHIT. The faceless are thugs, and thieves because they choose to be and want to be. Did anyone ever stop and think tchort may need the cube to survive? Did anyone ever notice all the good the institute of tchort did for the underrail? How good their soundtrack was? They gave me fair warning before going to the west wing. They gave me good experience and rewards. They sold me great items at fair prices.

Yet we are told 'these guys who murdered all these people at the rail yard and who attack you in a cave in core city' are good guys, and 'these guys who are nice to you and help you whenever you interact with them are bad'.

Not even going into all the propaganda against the protectorate, who are clearly a justifiable organization with mostly well meaning people. Although anarchists and criminals clearly wont see it that way. I gassed the free drones, deal with it.



I hope in underrail infusion we continue to see the entirety of south underrail choke on their own vomit. They don't deserve Tchort, or Biocorp, or the protectorate and I enjoyed watching them suffer."

 

[fredsteel]

I wrote a wall of text years about about how I wish you could side with tchort

I agree with you, however there might be an explanation on this depending how much you hate Styg.

Tanner has been known to mind control all of SGS, including you (why can't you decline Tanner's quests?)

Six has been known to mind control (or something similar) you, on a skill check? god damn memory is hazy.

Tchort can mind control as (probably) seen on Eiden.

The sad part is that you got mind controlled by a faction sooner than the one you speak of.

 

[sebas]

That's how that usually goes, anyway.

Most games are lore dumps and tell you how everything goes and works through some sort of deus ex machina writer/codex or narrator. You are used to being A (as in 1) hard truth, one that everybody playing the game agrees on because it's so bluntly laid bare.
BUt that's not how life works, especially not in a society that is not always connected. You get a lot of stories and myths and eventually legends which you have to comb through if you want to get to the truth. Or rather your truth. To me everything in Underrail is clear from a lore and storyline pov.

Now if this approach to storytelling was on purpose or by accident I have no idea, but it is absolutely amazing.

 

[PlanHex]

That's how that usually goes, anyway.

Most games are lore dumps and tell you how everything goes and works through some sort of deus ex machina writer/codex or narrator. You are used to being A (as in 1) hard truth, one that everybody playing the game agrees on because it's so bluntly laid bare.
BUt that's not how life works, especially not in a society that is not always connected. You get a lot of stories and myths and eventually legends which you have to comb through if you want to get to the truth. Or rather your truth. To me everything in Underrail is clear from a lore and storyline pov.

I think this kind of writing is a lot more popular than you indicate, it seems to be everywhere. And everyone loved the first seasons of Lost and hated the last ones, so it's safer to just never give any answers and say there is no truth.
Like in Pentiment, someone must have actually done the murders, they just decided to not come up with an actual answer because it would inevitably colour the game, writing and choices if there is a correct choice. But I find that making a murder mystery game and then intentionally deciding that there doesn't exist an answer to who killed who and why, even outside of the game in the mind of the creators, is stupid and pretentious.

Same with Underrail. The game is exploring the world, but you never actually learn anything concrete about what the world is or why anything happens. It doesn't even have a straight answer for where it takes place as I recall. I find that very annoying. And I don't think it's good storytelling or lore, it's a lack of it and letting people come up with their own headcanon.

 

[Marat]

But I find that making a murder mystery game and then intentionally deciding that there doesn't exist an answer to who killed who and why, even outside of the game in the mind of the creators, is stupid and pretentious.

Still Life did it and it (kinda) worked.

Same with Underrail. The game is exploring the world, but you never actually learn anything concrete about what the world is or why anything happens. It doesn't even have a straight answer for where it takes place as I recall. I find that very annoying. And I don't think it's good storytelling or lore, it's a lack of it and letting people come up with their own headcanon.

Underrail is very natural in its worldbuilding. People aren't walking information terminals/lore dumps that just wait to drop their crap on an unsuspecting listener. They mention things about the world that are obvious and natural to them, without an artificial need to contextualize - much the same way people in our 'setting' don't randomly launch tirades about world history as if they're clueing in a newcomer.

Whilst scarcity of lore is a valid point to raise criticism about, I definitely appreciate not being treated like an idiot child and the writers trusting me to reason and figure shit out, not needing every little thing spelled out for fear I miss it.

 

[PlanHex]

Yes, I suppose this is just balanced way too hard in the direction of not giving any answers for me.

Also, as this is explicitly an appreciation thread, I will stop being all Negative Nancy in here.

 

[Agesilaus]

AAAAHHHHH FUCK fine, I am going to resume my last underrail save. I have never finished the expeditions content (although I got quite far) and haven't done the heavy duty quests.

I am also on team tchort. Just like Beans00 I have written walls of text about how the lack of C&C is bullshit. I did not, and do not, wish to be forced into fighting him. Many years ago, my first completion of underrail stalled because I refused to leave that fight against the autistic faceless savages. Did they ever attempt to send a diplomat to ask for their artifact? I dont recall that. Just endless violence against every faction in south rail because they lost their toy.

I also agree with the person who said that underrail has a lot of different threads that aren't fleshed out and it's not clear how they'll be woven together in the end. I look forward to infusion and hope styg and co can pull it off. AoD managed to wrap up its story beautifully, maybe underrail can, too.