#lcb trailer analysis

[lu-is-not-ok]

LCB Regular Check-up trailer is here

You know what that means. I'm gonna try and analyze the trailer as much as I can.

Here's the thing for those who have yet to see it.

Done watching it? Good. Let's get into things then.

First thing to note about this trailer is some overarching stylistic choices. Mainly the purposeful pixelated low resolution of the story-related bits, as well as the bits showing cutscene talksprites being placed in a 3D space. That doesn't tell us much on its own, but it is something to note nonetheless.

The first scene we see in the trailer is an exchange with Vergilius and Faust, where they both announce that today is the day for Limbus Company's LCB regular check-up. Notably, I find Verg's phrasing of his first shown line here to be interesting. "Yes, I knew that this day would eventually come." Obviously we won't know what the vocal delivery of this line is until the rerun, but to me this line reads as exasperated. As if he was just asked a question or was being reminded and he's just answering that yes, he expected this to happen at some point.

Next up we see the new Event Identities, both being the LCE equivalent of LobCorp E.G.O Identities - LCE E.G.O Lantern Yi Sang and LCE E.G.O Ardor Blossom Star Faust.

Visually, LCE's E.G.O suits appear to be similar in base to LobCorp's E.G.O suits, that being three piece suits with fairly long jackets and an armband representing their department, in this case being LCE. They also appear to have E.G.O gifts in the form of head accessories like LobCorp agents as well. Unlike LobCorp's suits however, these ones appear to have more... features, so to speak. Specifically, Yi Sang's Lantern suit includes a branch with a fairy lure, while Faust's Ardor Blossom Star suit can manifest wings.

Voicelines-wise, the ones we got from Yi Sang don't give us as much info, so let's start with those.

The two initial lines show Yi Sang as acting somewhat similar to the Faelantern Abnormality, luring someone else in with the promise of rest while in reality trapping them with him, as well as becoming confrontational when a person tries to get out of the situation. The main difference here is that Yi Sang is hilariously luring people in so that they help him with his work.

The last bit of dialogue from him shows us a bit of what LCE does, that being experiments with handling this type of E.G.O gear. Notably, I think the latter part of this dialogue is also somewhat of a reference to Faelantern, specifically to Gregor's Lantern E.G.O where the lure appears to be telling stories - Yi Sang seems to also be a storyteller, and thus struggles to concisely explain the events that took place.

Faust's voicelines are far more intriguing.

First, we see what appears to be a reassesment of Ardor Blossom Moth's current classification. There are two important bits of information here. One - Abnormalities in Limbus are likely to have their risk levels changed, as currently ABM's classification is HE, while the voiceline says its final designation will be WAW-5. Two - it appears that the new classifications might not only designate risk levels, but the Type of risk as well, considering Faust's musing on ABM's self-destructive tendencies. The -5 at the end of the designation could represent that specific risk of an Abnormality self destructing.

The next bit of dialogue shows a bit of interesting insight into LCE's E.G.O gear. The thing with the E.G.O gear in LobCorp is that their somewhat conceptual nature doesn't require the user to have any actual combat experience to wield them proficiently. Simply wearing them confers certain traits and abilities of the Abnormality onto the E.G.O's user. Based on this dialogue, LCE's E.G.O gear might have some shortcomings compared to LobCorp's, as the ABS E.G.O gear requires some practice when it comes to using its wings due to them not originally being a part of human anatomy. Also, there is the very hilarious implication that Faust's initial trial run of the E.G.O gear resulted in her crashing into the ceiling.

Then the last voice line is interesting. It's not unlikely for this to be one of the Stage Victory voicelines, implying that part of LCE's responsibilities isn't just experimentation with their E.G.O gear, but also experimenting with Abnormalities and similar entities. Specifically, combat might be the way they analyze how different entities act in specific situations.

Gonna also make some brief comments on the gameplay mechanics. Lantern Yi Sang appears to have a counter, Aggro, as well as some sort of unique mechanic upon death based on the particles that emanate from his corpse. Judging by their shape, it might have something to do with E.G.O resources? Ardor Blossom Star Faust on the other hand is shown to have some sort of empowered Skill 3, which can in certain circumstances result in her dying. Really funny to see both of the new Identities just fucking die in their showcases not gonna lie.

Back to the story-important bits, we're introduced to who appears to be an important side character to this Intervallo - Hohenheim, who says he's the chief researcher of Limbus Company. Judging by his silhouette including bolts and small electric sparks, he's likely wearing LCE's version of the AEDD E.G.O. The name Hohenheim itself is likely a reference to Paracelsus, or Theophrastus von Hohenheim, a historical philosopher and alchemist. Notably, this would make him our second important person in LC who has ties to alchemy, the first of course being Faust herself.

The camera turns to show Heathcliff trembling in anger, threatening with violence and expressing a want to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible. It's a little bit unclear if this outburst is directed specifically at Hohenheim, or if it's Heathcliff being generally impatient with the circumstances the Sinners have found themselves in. Either way the juxtaposition here is notable, as Heathcliff is one of the two Sinners to actually have AEDD as one of his E.G.Os, so I don't think his placement here is coincidental.

Then we get another interlude, this time to show an event E.G.O - Thoracalgia Ryoshu, based on the Abnormality Sleeping Bag of Olden Days. Thoracalgia is a word referring to chest pain, one that is commonly accompanied by shortness of breath. Some interesting observations about this E.G.O:

One - Ryoshu's vocal delivery here is unlike that of any other E.G.O. She's noticeably lacking energy in her lines, having a flatter and deeper tone, with her moment of intensity being considerably subdued compared to some other E.G.O.

Two - the visual design of the E.G.O, both awakening and corrosion, has a similar appearance to that of a ribcage. The claw-like potrusion in the back are the ribs, the containers with liquid are the lungs, and Ryoshu stands in place of the heart. Notably, one side of the ribs for Ryoshu is completely burnt off, in both her awakening and corrosion. Another detail I find interesting is that Ryoshu has the breathing mask off in her awakening, in favor of smoking a cig, while in her corrosion she has it forced onto her face, unable to take it off due to being a disembodied head. One last interesting visual detail is that in her awakening, her main outfit has a resemblance to a straitjacket.

Okay, back to the story bits. We're shown footage of Hong Lu and Sinclair fighting Wrath Peccatula as Hohenheim continues, explaining that they're first going to be testing the Sinners' responses to emergency situations. However he cuts himself off in the explanation and talks about something else - that he needs an assistant.

This is where the visuals get very, very interesting. The 3D aesthetic of the cutscene segments pays off here, as we see what appears to be a 3D POV sequence of someone walking through the test chamber and being swarmed by Wrath Peccatula. Now. I don't think this is just for the trailer. I believe this is a part of what we'll see in the Intervallo. Whether it's an actual playable 3D segment or simply an animated cutscene (remember, we did see some 3D animated cutscenes in Canto 5, of the busboat stage assembling itself and the Whale of the Porous Hand grabbing the boat), I think the implication of this sequence is clear - Dante is not exempt from this check-up. They too are likely going to have to go through similar tests as the rest of the Sinners, and that includes being locked up in one room with a bunch of Peccatula.

The dialogue we see during this sequence further makes me sure that that is the case. Hohenheim explains he needs someone to help him smooth out testing procedures and says he'd like for one of the Sinners to help for the duration of this check-up. Notably, in a blink an you'll miss it bit of dialogue, Hohenheim says in bolded text "Yes, you, good man." We have confirmation that whoever Hohenheim picked as his assistant is a man, which not only limits who among the Sinners can become the assistant, but also specifically rules out Dante, as PJM has been extremely consistent when it comes to referring to them with gender neutral terms. With Dante not acting as the assistant to Hohenheim, the chances of them having to go through the same tests as the rest of the Sinners is drastically increased.

Finally, there's the last bit of dialogue on an empty screen. Notably, the speaker here is obscured, showing neither the name nor the sprite. While it's easy to assume this is also Hohenheim speaking, we can't actually be sure. The speaker explains that they have collected enough data to compare the Sinners' current states to those of how they were pre-employment. They tell everyone to pay attention, explaining they too want to be done with this check-up, only for us to hear the sound of some mechanism (likely a large door) opening instead of the results.

Then, we get the title image for the Intervallo, with each Sinner being highlighted one by one.

So.

Here are my predictions for this Intervallo:

The Sinners are going to be tested, primarily on their combat abilities and responses to threats, thus explaining combat stages. At some point something might go wrong, potentially some sort of a breach, as implied by the noise of a mechanical door opening at the very end.

One of the specifically male Sinners is going to either have their tests be saved for last or end up completely exempt due to being picked by Hohenheim to be his assistant. I believe this is likely to be a Sinner who has some sort of plot-relevant secret regarding their current physical condition, thus keeping us from being able to learn it immediately or at all yet.

Dante is likely not going to be exempt from the tests, and we'll see a POV sequence of them being put in the chamber just like the rest of the Sinners. Whether this sequence will be just an animated cutscene or a fully playable if brief bit of gameplay is yet to be seen.

We might get some more info on the new classifications for Abnormalities and related entities, alongside some reclassifications in a similar vein to Ardor Blossom Moth changing from HE to WAW-5.

With one of the main points of intrigue being the comparison of pre-employment Sinners to their current states, we're likely to get a not insignificant insight on Don Quixote, Ryoshu, and Gregor. Especially Ryoshu, considering the fact that becoming a Sinner weakened her was brought up as early as Canto 2.

Please Hong Lu foreshadowing. Please.

[strobbylemonade]

GIRLS I HAVE ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

this theory’s probably a stretch but it is with my utmost bullshittery that i propose: ex-color don quixote?

fantastic analysis op thank you so much btw becuase HOOH. there’s some overarching themes here so this is my best attempt to jump off of this information i guess? and very vague spoilers for LoR

right, so the biggest thing is how many secrets she keeps and how much we don’t know about her. her being a color would be a Pretty Fucking Big Deal and absolutely something that needs to be redacted in files. also, with the whole canto ii bit, it reminded me a bit of when gebura called out [REDACTED] for not being who they claimed to be? she’s also one of the only sinners that doesn’t get ANY references to her past in the trailer — rodya meursault and faust have backgrounds relating to their past even though all cgs are them in their lcb uniform, but with don? the cg IS the background. hm.

from what we do know of her past, we know that she has dealt with distortions and abnormalities before, she frequently rampaged the streets until her friends beat her fucking senseless (reminds me of someone else’s depressive spiral), she is INCREDIBLY FUCKING STRONG (not only strong — she is, but it’s explicitly stated you need to be the stealthiest, most silent person alive to sneak up on ryoshu) and also her deal with vergilius??? could be explained by her being a colour as well. maybe they were contacted by hana and forced to work together, explaining why they have a deal despite verg not liking her. or maybe she was demoted for her rampages??? and that’s why she has no pride. like. at all. and it would also coincide with how contradictory her character as it is stands — her justice is always misaligned and causes more harm than good. she is cheery and generally selfless but also doesn’t hesitate to kill people who stand in her way. she has confidence in her actions but again — no pride whatsoever. she’s obsessed with fixers …? (i’m just saying she’s either overcompensating in her disguise OR it was the easiest excuse to explain why she already knows so much. OR she’s just obsessed with fixers and stumbled her way into being one)

the interaction where her peculiar eye colour is called out is also interesting. aside from gregor she’s the only person to have hair + eye + character colour match up, and also the only character to have ANY other colour in their outfit (her yellow shoes) that deviate from company standards.

yeah there’s like. a LOT of holes in this theory (are they all not incredibly strong, vergilius also doesn’t wear his colour, it might be weird to reuse plot points across relatively unrelated games) but i think it’s cool.

Okay I kinda decided to write a list of "shaddy" things around Don to keep it in order.

So there are two parts "Things that definitely were intentional and will reappear later" and "Maybe that's product of my imagination, maybe not, who know" to not mix important parts with questionable

Things that definitely were intentional and will reappear later

1. [REDACTED]

That thing appears in her character description, in list of particulars , and none of other characters has anything like this. Not even Outis whose records about past are not permitted for us. Which makes me question what the fuck is that???

2. Spoiler CG

That's all we have from TGS teaser for her. All other CGs with her presence already were shown in the plot, and only this one left. And it frankly gives us nothing. It seems that Don in battle, but they have battle every chapter and we have no fucking hint who she against there.

3. Background and Ferris wheel/windmill

We can see a wind mill behind her back on her promo art. Or technically a ferris wheel in shape of wind mill with merry-go-round. And that's somehow connected to her, but in which way? Is it about her past? Or is something metaphorical as Yi San? Is there any amusement parks in the City???

4. Her eyes

We have this moment in Canto II Episode: 8

And in the City where you can literally change your eye color to any color you want that kinda means at least something

5. Dance

Canto II Episode: 15 and that sceen

It's creepy how her voice lowers down and how this gang implies that she's insincere. It is the first when we understand that there is something fucked up with her

6. Don, Vergilius and The Deal

Canto III Episode: 10

Vergilius punishes Don for her reckless behavior and it seems cruel, but expected until-

There is the deal between Don and Verg, and a mere mentioning of it is enough to shut Don up for the rest of the chapter. It seems like this deal was made on the day when she joined Limbus company... but isn't Faust the one who found and hired sinners? We know for sure she was the one to hire Yi San and Vergilius himself. And as far as we can see, Vergilius doesn't seem to want Don in his crew. So why make a deal with her???

7. Old Friends

Canto III Episode: 19

Sinclair has an episode, and Don volunteers to help him which leads to

And explains her action "Pardon my rash action. Oft I would find myself overcome by fervor, rampaging much the same as a riderless horse. At such moments, mine old friends helped me to come to myself—by beating me senseless. ‘Twas, at times, the only remedy to the fever that had overtaken me."

And that's like the only thing we get to know about her past. Her friends used to beat her regularly because of her episodes. And sinners are surprised with this, which means it's not a common way in The City(I wouldn't be surprised if it was). But it works on Sinclair, bringing him to his senses and leaving us with questions such as "Who was Don's friends?" and "How exactly Don's rampage would look?"

8. ...

Canto IV Episode: 28

Sinners discuss the deal they made with Limbus company and reason why they joined it and

Don has this "...." for some fucking reason.

And the thing is that other Sinners were quiet too. Meursault, Hong Lu, Rodya- didn't say a thing during this talk, but only Don's silence was highlighted. Which makes us wonder how her deal differs from others?

(and if she made a deal at all)

9. Role

Canto IV last chapters

Sinners are given roles from Yi San's past according to their personalities, and Don gets the role of Gubo, second shaddiest parson in League, and the man who kept Yi San locked and drugged.

Kinda kinda surprising, isn't it?! I mean we met Gubo a few times and Don seemed to be the least matching person to him, but Yi San's mind still chooses her to play him. Which again raises a lot of questions.

10. Familiar sight

Canto IV Episode: 53

Sinners see Dongrang and how he speaks with someone whom they don't see. That's sight is surprising for all of them, but

Don quixote and Faust

And if for Faust it was expected to know about Distortions, how exactly did Don find out these symptoms? Was she distorted? Or was someone close to her?

WE DON’T FUCKING KNOW

11. La Sangre de Sancho

Why is her personal EGO named "Blood of Sancho"?! It's the only EGO that includes someone name. Is it her name? Is it the name of her friend? Why she wields his blood. Is he dead? How did he die?

12. Moon

That's technically a question to Shi IDs together, because they live to mention Red Moon, but no one explain what the fuck it suppose to mean? And there is no explanation in Ruina or Lobotomy?

Okay, we finished with good stuff, and there starts part where my delusions lie. Their credibility differs from "maybe" to "very low", and I understand that, but I can't ignore it, so there is it

1. MURDER

Don commit the third murder on the bus, killing Ryoshu, and it doesn't seem surprising, but in Canto IV we learn that it's extremely difficult to sneak on Ryoshu and only professional killers of higher rank managed to do it. But Don managed to kill her, without any resistance.

Of course it can be said that Ryoshu wasn't on guard at that moment, or it was made for comedic effect, but there is a chance it could mean something.

2. Star

“¡Por alcanzar la estrella inalcanzable!”

"To reach the unreachable star!"

I could ignore this just as cool quote, but in Ruina there was so many talks about stars, and in Limbus it continues making it's an important metaphor (or sometimes a real thing). It makes me think how much my understanding of those words will change after her Canto?

3. Lack of Pride

Sinclair and Don are the only sinners who can't use their personal EGO by themselves and that's already must to mean something, but then Sinclair gets ID with sin he needs, but Don doesn't have. She has four IDs and none of them have Pride. Is this just a coincidence or Pmoon tries to tell us something? I guess we will see with next ID

Okay, that's it. At least, that's all I remember. If you have anything else which I missed (for both part, I would like to hear your delusion about any weird phrase or sprite or anything else)

I guess I will update this list with time, when Pmoon answer my question or give more of them.

Hope it was fun to read