A bombastic puzzle platformer about worlds turned inside out.
What Lies in the Multiverse is an indie puzzle platform game developed by Studio Voyager and IguanaBee (developers of MonsterBag) and published by Untold Tales and released on March 4, 2022.One day, an unnamed Child Prodigy (simply referred to as kid) designed what he thought would be his greatest invention yet: a computer that can make easy contact with parallel universes. After something goes wrong, he inadvertently winds up giving himself the ability to jump between universes. Now forever stuck in other universes outside of his own, he must work together with Everett, an eccentric old man as they journey through two different worlds to go way back home.
The game is a Retraux-style 2D platformer where every stage of the game has dozens of different variants, each set in a different universe. At the press of a button, the kid can move between universes to help move through each level.
Tropes:
- Accidental Suicide: An interesting overlap with Suicide Dare. Everett pushes Nash into a meltdown by calling him useless and encouraging him to "disappear," resulting in Nash pounding the bridge he's standing on until it breaks and he falls to his death.
- Animal Companion: Erwin, the protagonist's cat.
- Apocalypse How: Most chapters introduce a new parallel universe where humanity has died out in a different way, ranging from the sun burning out to some eldritch entity poisoning the atmosphere. There's also a looming threat of multiversal collapse that Leo's crew believe Everett to be accelerating with his constant universe-hopping. They're right, and it's on purpose.
- Hailfire Peaks: Every one of the game's levels has multiple versions, each one a different universe, and each with massive changes and all in a different environment.
- The Multiverse: The entire idea of the game is that the protagonist can hop between multiple universes. If a level seems impassable, the player simply must change to a different universe.
- Rule of Symbolism: The autosave icon differs based on whether you're in Alpha Orionis or one of its post-apocalyptic counterparts. In the former, it depicts a cat alive and well; in the latter, the cat is dead, or at least sleeping.
- Suicide Dare: By Everett, to Nash, as part of what leads to the latter's Accidental Suicide - see that entry above.
- Thin Dimensional Barrier: The protagonist can simply move between different universes at any time.
- Trans Tribulations: Downplayed for Barres. The most we see is Nash deadnaming him in a fit of unrelated rage (which Leo, Sagan, and Lise all immediately shut down), as well as some notes from Everett about taking a few days to get used to his new name after coming out.
- When Dimensions Collide: Thanks to the protagonist's experiment gone awry, he winds up with the ability to instantly travel through multiple universes aided by Everett.
- Would Hurt a Child: Nash has no problems kicking the child-aged protagonist (who, at most, is likely 12 years old) in the face, twice.
