haven’t posted about ultrakill in a while but i’ve been getting back into the game since the update came out yesterday and I just have one small question
Ultrakill's Encores are far and away my favorite levels in the game currently; taking the aesthetics of the earlier layers and making them difficult enough to stand with P-2 is more than welcome, and it's got me thinking about what the other Encores could look like when they finally release in 20 fucking years. Each Encore so far has followed a pattern, that being the first half of the level being the Layer without its defining characteristic, and then the second half being that characteristic returned; albeit dialed up to a cartoonish extent. So here's just some thoughts on what the Encores could theoeretically look like.
(DISCLAIMER: Alex is not claiming to have insider knowledge of Ultrakill nor does she pretend to be the definitive viewpoint on this matter; speculation is entirely subjective. Alex also knows not every level on this list needs a gimmick mechanic, but is merely suggesting potential ones.)
So before we jump into the yet-unreleased Encores, I think it's prudent to give a brief analysis of the current ones, those being Prelude and Limbo
Prelude and Limbo Encore both start the polar opposite of their layer, with Prelude being frozen over with blue lighting, and Limbo being grey and devoid of any life. Both of these layers share the feeling of complete lifelessness; their souls sucked out and an empty void in their place. Halfway through these levels however, the player reactivates the layer in some way, creating a heavily over-exaggerated version of the layer. Prelude becomes so hot so quickly that it cracks V1's heat shield, and Limbo begins flashing the different skyboxes of its illusion as it literally begins to fall apart. This is a distinct pattern between these two, and it stands to reason that the following Encores will take the same route, no?
LUST // ENCORE
(Reusing images from my layer intros post to make this point)
Lust in Ultrakill is a sprawling, technologically advanced city; one that was built by humans, for humans. However, we can still see remnants of Lust's origins in the distance; massive windstorms stepping over buildings and sending husks flying. To remove Lust's defining attributes would perhaps mean making the city go dark, with the wind having reclaimed its dominion in the absence of King Minos' Corpse. Perhaps this means the unique mechanic of Lust Encore (assuming it has one) will be wind hazards? Hard to say, but it would line up nicely with Dante's Inferno, which Ultrakill deliberately ignores for Lust. Reactivating the city could potentially cause power overflows, collapsing buildings, perhaps floods from the massive industrial drains we see in Third? I have no doubt large portions of this level will be high up above the dead city, but hopefully more is done with it than just visual novelty.
GLUTTONY // ENCORE
Gluttony is made entirely of twisted human flesh; the walls, ceilings, floors, and everything inside made of various tissues and bodily fluids. It visually resembles the digestive system due to the use of Stomach Acid, which asides from the bitter irony is a fun hazard. If Gluttony's attributes are removed, then there's only one way to do that: make the flesh dead. The entire layer has been overcome with Necrosis, rotting away to reveal the bone beneath. Once reactivated, Gluttony's flesh could potentially begin writhing in its disgusting rotted state, new appendages flailing outwards as the old crumbles into heaps of muscle and sinew. I really want the Encore to lean on the Body Horror of Gluttony, as we only get one real level in this layer, and which I love Belly of the Beast, it did not quench my thirst for this layer. We don't have much to work with here due to the short nature of the Crescendo layers, but what is here could prove very interesting.
GREED // ENCORE
Greed's defining attribute is far and away the unmatched power of The Sun. It beats down on the desert, making every single grain of golden sand into a searingly painful torture method. We obviously can't remove the sand without removing any resemblance to Greed, but Ultrakill already has the perfect solution in God Damn The Sun: get rid of it. Have the Encore set partially during the night, and potentially bring back some of the darkness mechanics from 4-3 (but not to the same extent or I'll burn this fucking house down.) Once the Sun is once again forced to rise, maybe it unintentionally can become so powerful that even direct exposure to its rays will do damage, creating light beam hazards that need to be avoided lest the player take damage.
WRATH // ENCORE
Wrath is honestly a tough one due to the layer already being in such a state of disarray when we arrive that an entire ocean has formed where the River Styx once flowed. Draining the ocean seems the obvious answer, but because of how obvious that would be... I find it boring. I struggle to think of a way this could be made particularly interesting, but that's why Hakita is making Ultrakill; because if I made it, it would fucking suck. If we do follow the idea of the ocean being drained, maybe the basin filling again at such a speed can create a depth pressure mechanic? Again this doesn't really seem that interesting, and I apologize for that.
HERESY // ENCORE
Heresy is another layer we don't get to see much of unfortunately; but what is there is some solid content: the entire layer consists of the upside-down city of Dis, hanging in a fog of blood (and we know that's literal because of P-2.) Just on instinct, my thoughts are that Heresy Encore would be completely absent of the red tint, revealing the dark and desolate city stretching on forever into the distance. Perhaps this could be tied to a mechanic that reduces blood-based healing, forcing the player to rely more heavily on Parries? Once reinvigorated, perhaps Heresy's Blood Rain becomes a literal storm of Blood, ravaging the layer's landscape and causing large portions of it to collapse under the weight of the downpour. Overall I really want to see more of Heresy's unique architectural style; P-2 was good, but I need another hit.
Heresy is the last Encore I'm going to talk about, as it's the last layer with a consistent theme throughout. Violence (and I expect Fraud and Treachery) gave each level a unique setting and theme, paying homage to the Divine Comedy's depiction of the layers past Dis. I frankly have no idea what Hakita is cooking up for the Encores of Act III; we can only hope that he knows how to make them interesting and novel. Knowing Hakita, that won't be a problem.
