Pre-Release WMGs
Aristotle is some form of Treacherous Advisor
In addition to having a voice actor that's played numerous villains as well as heroes; the Kickstarter
claims that Fantoccio was locked away for 15 years before Billie arrives to retrieve his magic gem, which means that either Fantoccio's had that gem for 15 years and hasn't done anything dangerous with it or Aristotle is fibbing about how Fantoccio obtained it.- Based on a storyboard seen in this video (timestamped), this could be a possibility - there's a poster with his mugshot saying "Wanted - arrest immediately" and Aristotle is wearing a moustache and pretending to read a newspaper to hide. This could, however, mean other things; he might be a criminal or simply a Persona Non Grata where he currently is, rather than being a menace to the whole world.
Barnaby is a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
There's been at least two videos released of a speed-paint of Barnaby, weeping bitterly as he stares at his talons. Which implies that he has a very tragic backstory that explains why he is the way he is. Perhaps the reason why he tries to murder Billie, and brushes off her protests that she isn't interested in his party, is because of crippling loneliness and desperation. Fantoccio is a Jerkass Woobie
Fantoccio may not be too dissimilar to Barnaby in this regard. Fantoccio has been locked away in a theater for the last fifteen years and hasn't had a single sentient being to interact with, leading to his desperation for any sort of meaningful contact. Because of this, he's lost his mind and is desperate to keep you there by any means necessary just so he has a friend to play with. On top of this, some of his quotes imply that he's genuinely sorry that he went too far and accidentally killed you. Arthur lost the gems on his travels with Aristole
The last mission will provide a Wham Episode, possibly one that recontextualizing everything we played up to that point.
Fantoccio may well be foreshadowing it through his Villain Song: The Final Act is sure to be spectacular, a plot twist worthy of a prize! The game will have some references to Hazbin Hotel
Based on the fact that three of the characters are voiced by actors who provided voices in the online pilot; Edward Bosco (Alastor's speaking voice) as Aristotle, Gabriel C. Brown(Alastor's singing voice) as Barnaby, and Michael Kovach (Angel Dust) as Fantoccio.Some ideas for references:
- Billie on her journeys goes by places labeled "Happy Hotel" or "Valentino's"
- Background characters that look like HH characters
- Aristotle offering to make Billie jambalaya or Fantoccio wearing an outfit that's a PG-rated version of Angel's
the game will conclude with the characters taking a bow on a stage
I mean with Fantoccio's obsession with theatre, I think it'd be cool if it turned out the whole game was a performance The "ghosts" in Barnaby's manor are illusionary constructs he unwittingly created.
Going off the above guess that he's a lonely, then the ghosts might be created by the gems Billy is after as they are all the same or similar shade of orange as the gemstone in Barnaby's possession. As their personality's are shallow Yes-men they end up fueling his belief that undeath is better than living. The "unwitting" part comes into play because Barnaby seems to have no idea of the gem's power when Billie attempts to steal it, acting more annoyed that someone's taking his jewelry rather than an arcane artifact that gave him friends. Its possible his undead status may be related to the Gem as his eye are also orange, just as Fantoccio is animated by them. We'll meet and fight the villains on multiple occasions.
"A million gruesome ways to die"'s demo indicates it's only your first encounter with Barnaby, while "I've had enough of you"'s lyrics imply it's a final showdown with Fantocchio. Everyone comes to help Billie against the final boss
And I mean: bosses included. Of course they will have their reasons to, like Barnaby being obsessed in seeing how she will die, or Fantoccio still wanting her to be his puppet in his theater. It's possible that their motives will lead them to quarrel on who gets to decide what happens to her after the final boss, with Billie simply pulling a "I would love to stay but... I gotta go." and fleeing while they quarrel.Barnaby will somehow be befriended
With the implication that he sees death as a good thing and doesn't understand the idea of someone not wanting to die, Billie or another character might get through to him and explain it in a way he understands. It'll break him, because he is desperate to make friends and was doing it the only way he knew how (as bad of a way it is). Then, since he was never trying to be malicious, he will readily do a Heel–Face Turn and accept that it is okay for someone to stay alive if they really want to, possibly even inviting people to his parties without killing them as a requirement from then on. Alternative to "Aristotle is a Treacherous Advisor", it will instead be an Un Twist or a different twist
He'll seem like someone who's secretly a bad guy, because the story is set up in a way to have people expect this. Players familiar with this sort of plot twist will think Aristotle is slated to be revealed as a villain, but something else will happen:- He does know Billie's father and genuinely wants to keep the gems safe.
- He's secretly bad at first, but will backpedal at some point for one reason or another.
- He's actually an Unwitting Pawn to some hidden character that wants the gems.
- Arthur is/was the bad guy, and he lied to Aristotle and/or was in general a bad influence on him, potentially even being Not Quite Dead (unless it is made unambiguously clear that he is, indeed, deceased).
- Aristotle is sincerely benevolent, but the gems, when together, prove incapable of being controlled and lead to a catastrophe they didn’t or couldn’t prepare for.
Barnaby will be the biggest source of Nightmare Fuel for the game
Let's face it - no matter how jovial or nice he seems, Barnaby is a reality-warping ghost owl who's an antagonist that gets his joy from death. At least at some point he'll have to drop his goofy exterior and show off some quite disturbing moments; his attempts to kill Billie are already a sign of this. And given the fact that he's able to cross into other universes? Chances are he might be aware of the player too, and demonstrate in some way that he won't hesitate to terrify you if pushed too far.