Game Theory: Buckshot Roulette's NEW ARG Is Unsolvable... For Now

Summary

In this episode of Game Theory, the host delves into the mysterious lore of 'Buckshot Roulette', a game that has perplexed players with its hidden narrative. An ARG within the game, initiated by an update, offers clues to the game's backstory. The community, including the host, has been attempting to decipher the ARG's puzzles, which hint at a world under lockdown, with a connection to other games by the developer. Despite progress, a final password remains elusive, prompting a call for collective effort to uncover the full story.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The game Buckshot Roulette has captivated players with its high-stakes simulation and hidden lore.
• 🔍 An ARG (Alternate Reality Game) was introduced in an update, offering a live email address and a website to help uncover the game's story.
• 💡 The ARG led to the discovery of a poem and other clues suggesting the game's dealer might be a machine that survived due to its nature rather than defibrillation.
• 🤖 The game's developer, Mike Klubnika, is known for creating interconnected games, hinting at a shared universe.
• 🔑 A secret login page on the ARG website has stumped players, requiring a password that has yet to be deciphered despite numerous attempts.
• 📖 Biblical references and literary allusions, such as the story of Uzziah and Dante's Inferno, are woven into the game's narrative, adding depth to the lore.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The community has been actively involved in solving the ARG, with over 1000 passwords attempted and a website dedicated to tracking progress.
• 🗓️ A specific date, August 5th, 1998, appears in the game's lore and is connected to the events that led to the game's setting and the release of monstrous creatures.
• 🔗 The game's narrative involves themes of pride, ambition, and the consequences of playing with forces beyond human control.
• 👥 The video calls for a collaborative effort from the theorist community to solve the remaining mysteries of Buckshot Roulette's ARG.

Q & A

What is the main challenge the narrator faces in Buckshot Roulette?

The main challenge the narrator faces is the inability to solve the ARG (Alternate Reality Game) and uncover the game's lore, despite their best efforts and the community's involvement.

What is Buckshot Roulette and why is it intriguing to players?

Buckshot Roulette is a game based on Russian Roulette, but with more complex rules involving a shotgun and a dealer. It's intriguing due to its high stakes, the simulated scenario that makes players wince, and the feeling that there's more to the story than initially meets the eye.

What was the significant update in April that changed the game's lore exploration?

The significant April update introduced a live email address hidden in the game, which led to a website and an ARG designed to help players understand the Buckshot lore.

What is the significance of the Koni brand monitor and the Koni Arikson cell phone in the game's story?

The Koni brand monitor and the Koni Arikson cell phone are significant as they are part of the ARG. They provide clues and a phone power-up that helps players during the game, and the website associated with these products offers more context about the game's world.

What does the narrator believe the 'machine' in the poem refers to?

The narrator believes the 'machine' in the poem refers to the dealer in Buckshot Roulette, who is able to survive a shotgun blast to the face without needing defibrillation, suggesting he might be some sort of machine or entity.

What biblical reference is found in the Buckshot Roulette trading cards?

The biblical reference found in the trading cards is a binary sequence on the Burner Phone's screen that decodes to 2 Chronicles 26:15, a passage about King Uzziah who became prideful and was cursed by God.

What is the significance of the date August 5th, 1998, in the Buckshot Roulette lore?

August 5th, 1998, is significant as it is the date when the unethical experiments began in the game Carbon Steel, which the narrator believes is connected to the events in Buckshot Roulette and the cause of the government-issued lockdown.

What is the role of the password in the ARG and why is it a roadblock for the community?

The password is needed to access a secret login page on the ARG website, which is believed to contain further lore about the game. It is a roadblock because despite numerous attempts and analysis, the community has not been able to decipher it.

What is the significance of the phrase 'cupio dissolvi' found in the game's trailer?

The phrase 'cupio dissolvi' is Latin for 'I want to dissolve' and has evolved to represent a desire for one's own death. Its significance in the context of the game and the password puzzle is still unclear.

How does the community track the progress and attempts to solve the ARG?

The community tracks progress and attempts through a website they've created, which lists over 1000 passwords tried, breaks down the ARG in detail, and provides a space for collaborative efforts to solve it.

Outlines

00:00

🎲 The Enigma of Buckshot Roulette's Lore

The script begins with the narrator's deep fascination and frustration with the elusive lore behind the game 'Buckshot Roulette'. Initially, the game's story seemed impenetrable, but an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) introduced in an update reignited the quest for understanding. The game, which simulates a high-stakes version of Russian Roulette, has captivated over 2 million players with its intense gameplay and the tantalizing hint of a deeper narrative. The script sets the stage for an exploration of the game's lore, inviting the audience to join in solving the mystery.

05:03

🔍 Unraveling the ARG within Buckshot Roulette

This paragraph delves into the ARG that emerged from an email address found in the game's April update. The email led to a website for 'Volta Standard Electronics', which triggered a series of discoveries, including a Base64 code that required a key to decode. The key was found on the same website, and the decoded message revealed a cryptic poem. The poem, along with other clues, suggests a connection between the game's dealer and a machine that thrives on chaos. The ARG has led to a deeper understanding of the game's world but has also introduced new questions, particularly about a government-imposed lockdown and the developer's other games that share a universe with Buckshot Roulette.

10:07

📖 Biblical References and the Downfall of Pride

The third paragraph explores the in-game lore further, uncovering biblical references and their potential implications for the game's story. A Steam card for the game reveals a binary code that decodes to a verse about King Uzziah, who fell from grace due to his pride. This narrative is paralleled with the poem from the ARG, suggesting a character who, through hubris, brought about a disastrous event. The paragraph also discusses the game's liability waiver signed by 'God', hinting at a metaphorical interpretation of the term, possibly pointing to a man who considered himself a god-like figure and whose actions led to catastrophic consequences.

15:12

🕰️ The Connection to Carbon Steel and the Fateful Date

The script connects 'Buckshot Roulette' to another game, 'Carbon Steel', through a shared date, August 5th, 1998. This date is suggested to be the beginning of a catastrophic event that led to the current state of the world in 'Buckshot Roulette'. The narrator speculates that the player character in 'Carbon Steel' may have been responsible for unleashing creatures from the depths of the earth, causing a government-imposed lockdown. This section of the script attempts to piece together the timeline and the interconnected narratives of the developer's game universe, suggesting a complex web of stories that may hold the key to understanding the ARG's mysteries.

20:14

🔑 The Ongoing Quest for the Password

In the final paragraph, the script discusses the community's ongoing efforts to decipher a password for a secret login page related to the ARG. Despite numerous attempts and a wealth of potential clues, including Latin phrases, biblical references, and unique phone keypad symbols, the password remains elusive. The narrator calls for the theorist community to collaborate in solving the ARG, highlighting the importance of collective effort in uncovering the game's cryptic lore. The script concludes with an invitation for viewers to join the investigation and a promise to cover the resolution once the mystery is solved.

Keywords

💡Buckshot Roulette

Buckshot Roulette is the central subject of the video, a game that simulates high-stakes Russian Roulette with a twist. It is the main focus as the script discusses the game's mechanics, lore, and the ARG (Alternate Reality Game) that was introduced to uncover its story. The game's mechanics involve a shotgun with a mix of live and blank rounds, and players must strategize to survive and defeat the dealer.

💡ARG (Alternate Reality Game)

An ARG is an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a plot. In the context of the video, the ARG for Buckshot Roulette was introduced as part of a game update and serves as a way to explore the game's lore. The script describes how players engaged with this ARG to find clues and solve puzzles related to the game's backstory.

💡Lore

Lore in gaming refers to the narrative background, history, and stories that give depth to the game world. The script discusses the quest to uncover the lore of Buckshot Roulette, which was initially hidden and later partially revealed through the ARG. The lore is integral to understanding the game's themes and the motivations behind its characters and events.

💡Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette is a lethal game of chance where a single bullet is loaded into a revolver, the cylinder is spun, and players take turns pointing the gun at their heads and pulling the trigger. In the video, Buckshot Roulette is based on this concept but adds complexity with a shotgun and strategic elements. The script uses this term to explain the high-risk nature of the game.

💡Defibrillator

A defibrillator is a medical device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm. In Buckshot Roulette, the defibrillator serves as a revival mechanism after a player is 'killed' in the game, which is a twist on the real-life consequences of Russian Roulette. The script mentions that in later rounds, defibrillators are removed, adding to the game's tension.

💡Koni Arikson

The Koni Arikson is a fictional cell phone introduced in the Buckshot Roulette ARG, which is a playful reference to the real-world Sony Ericsson brand. The phone is a power-up within the game that provides hints about future rounds. The script discusses how the phone and its associated website contribute to the game's lore and ARG.

💡Base64

Base64 is an encoding scheme used to convert binary data into ASCII text for transmission or storage. In the video script, Base64 is used as part of the ARG to encode messages that players must decode to progress in uncovering the game's lore. The script describes the process of decoding a Base64 message and the challenges encountered.

💡Vigenere Cipher

A Vigenere Cipher is a method of encrypting alphabetic text by using a series of different Caesar ciphers based on the letters of a keyword. The script mentions that the Base64 code in the ARG is protected by a key, similar to how a Vigenere Cipher operates, which players must identify to decrypt the message.

💡Uzziah

Uzziah is a biblical figure mentioned in the script, a king who became prideful due to his achievements and was punished by God with leprosy for his arrogance. The script connects the story of Uzziah to the themes of pride and downfall present in the game's lore and the potential identity of the mysterious poem writer.

💡Caesar Cipher

A Caesar Cipher is a type of substitution cipher where each letter in the plaintext is shifted a certain number of places down or up the alphabet. The script refers to a Caesar Cipher as part of the process to decode a message related to the game's ARG, hinting at a connection to the game's developer's signature style.

💡Carbon Steel

Carbon Steel is another game by the same developer as Buckshot Roulette, mentioned in the script as having a connection to the ARG and the shared universe of the developer's games. The script suggests that events in Carbon Steel may have led to the situation in Buckshot Roulette, indicating a deeper narrative link between the two games.

Highlights

Buckshot Roulette's lore was initially elusive, sparking an ARG within the game to uncover its mysteries.

The game's mechanics are based on a high-stakes version of Russian Roulette, with a shotgun and two players.

An April update to the game introduced a live email address and website, deepening the lore's mystery.

The ARG led to the discovery of a poem with parallels to the game's events, suggesting a machine that 'hungers'.

Volta Standard Electronics, a company within the game's universe, appears to be connected to the dealer's machine.

Steam cards for Buckshot Roulette contain in-universe lore, including a biblical reference to King Uzziah.

The game's narrative may involve a character who, like Uzziah, fell from grace due to pride and hubris.

A connection between Buckshot Roulette and Carbon Steel suggests a shared universe with a history of unethical experiments.

The date August 5th, 1998, is a significant event in the game's lore, possibly marking the beginning of the end for the world.

The game's creator, Mike, has hinted at a connection between Buckshot Roulette and his other games, indicating a larger narrative.

A secret login page on the ARG website has stumped the community, despite numerous attempts to crack the password.

Religious and historical references, such as 'cupio dissolvi' and Dante's Inferno, have been explored for password clues.

The unique design of the in-game phone, with non-standard keys, may hold the key to unlocking the ARG's final secret.

The community has been actively involved in deciphering the ARG, cataloging over 1000 attempted passwords.

The theorist community is encouraged to collaborate in solving the ARG, with the promise of a future video covering the solution.

Transcripts

Buckshot Roulette has stumped me not once, but  twice. I wanted so desperately to find the lore

of this game when it first came out, but it was  so well hidden that it just didn't seem possible.

Then, out of nowhere, we got ourselves  an official ARG inside the game. Finally!

Something that could give me the answers I  needed! Except, I can't solve it. Once again,

I felt the lore slipping out of my theorist grasp.  So, for this one, I'm gonna need some help from

you. Hello internet! Welcome to Game Theory,  the show that knows that every theory is about

taking big risks. And today, we are talking about  a game that has been requested a lot since the

start of this year. Buckshot Roulette. A simple  game that's already blown the brains out of over 2

million players. This game was super enticing  to everyone online thanks to its simulated high

stakes, its ability to make you wince at a fake  scenario, and of course, a feeling that there was

more to this game's story than meets the eye. But  that final point never really revealed itself.

Sorry Mark. Don't get me wrong, I certainly tried,  as did many others, but it never felt like anyone

had a full grip on what this game was supposed  to be about. That was, until April of this year.

Hidden inside the April update for the game was  a small detail that changed everything. A live

email address. And from there, came a website,  and a whole ARG that was designed to do just that.

Help us understand the Buckshot lore. Immediately,  my passion was revitalized, and I threw everything

I had at this ARG, trying desperately to find  the answers. And while I and the community have

certainly found a good amount of stuff, we're  still missing one vital clue to busting this

whole thing wide open. So grab your YouTube  friendly firearms theorists, because I'm going

to need your help to solve this. Let me show you  the story we have so far, and then reveal what you

can do to help uncover the lore of Buckshot  Roulette. You start Buckshot Roulette in the

bathroom of a club. You don't really have many  options except to click on the door in front of

you and move out onto a catwalk where a smoker  overlooks the club below. From here, click on

the next door and you enter into a small room  stuffed with various tech. This is where the

Shotgun Roulette begins. If the name didn't give  it away, this game is based on Russian Roulette,

where someone uses a gun loaded with a  single live round, aims it at themselves,

and hopes it doesn't go off. In Buckshot Roulette  though, things are a little more complicated.

There are only two players, yourself and the  dealer, and you have a shotgun with a certain

amount of live rounds and blank rounds. Using a  combination of counting bullets, logic, and power

ups, the player needs to figure out the order  of the shells and use them to deal damage to the

dealer while avoiding any themselves. If you get  it wrong, you end up with a face full of lead and

you're brought back with a defibrillator. Which  feels like putting a bandaid on a severed limb,

but regardless, the third round is where things  get exciting. The defibrillators get cut. No more

revivals this time. Either you or the dealer are  getting buried after this. If you win however,

a machine emerges from the darkness with a  briefcase full of cash, up to $70,000 worth,

which you now get to spend on facial  reconstruction surgery. Woo! Totally worth it. Or

at least it would be if after your victory, you  didn't wake up again in the same bathroom ready

to go again. They even give you a bottle of pills  to activate the double or nothing endless mode if

you really fancy a challenge. And that is the  game. It's a very fun gameplay loop and it allows

for some really interesting mental gymnastics  while trying to outsmart the dealer. But from

a lore standpoint, there wasn't really much to  go off of. Obviously there were questions like,

what the heck is the dealer's deal? How is  he able to survive a shotgun to the face with

no defibrillation? Why is he playing this game  at all? But there just wasn't anything I could

find to even speculate as to what the answer  might be. But then came the April update,

and it changed everything. With this update, there  was one more change made to the bathroom once you

beat the game for the first time. A computer  that has been smashed through the mirror with a

brain sticking out of it? Checking the monitor  reveals it to be a Koni brand monitor that tells

you the stats of all your runs. But it also has  a strange invitation to register the computer via

email. You'd have thought that would have been  registered to the building already, but nope.

Instead, we are given an email address. Contact  at volta standardelectronics.com. And this email

address actually works. Though it doesn't really  matter what you send it, you'll just get an

automated response back. But that doesn't mean  it's useless. Far from it actually. It says this,

Greetings, and thank you for reaching  out to Volta Standard Electronics,

the perpetual pioneers of technology. Our Volta  Standard Electronics Helpline is specifically

designed to help you with any questions you  might have. For example, here's what we found

regarding your query. And then it just spits out  this assortment of letters, numbers, and symbols,

only following up with, in case of any new  developments, the Volta Standard Electronics

Helpline will reach out to you directly. If you  guys have been around for a while, you probably

think you know where this is going. Because yes,  that is Base64. But simply copy pasting it into

base64decode.org isn't gonna get you the full  solution. It turns out, this Base64 code is

protected by a key. Much like you'd find in a  Vigenere cipher. All we have to do now is find

the key. And that comes not from the email, but  from a website. If you take a look again at the

email and think about it for a second, you'll  notice that this wasn't Gmail, or Yahoo, or some

online email hosting platform. It came  

specifically from the domain  voltastandardelectronics.com.

So I figured, we try putting that domain into  the search bar. And I was rewarded with this

glorious vision of 90s nostalgia. It's  not quite Space Jam levels of 90s glory,

but it's definitely up there. On this website,  we learn that Koni not only created the monitor

that we've been using, but also a cell phone  called the Koni Arikson. Obviously, this is a

playoff of the Sony Ericsson, but regardless of  whether or not Sony is actually running some kind

of underground Russian roulette ring, Koni does  stand by their word when they say they're designed

to help. As part of the April update, the Koni  Arikson was added as a power-up to use during

the game. Using it calls a mysterious number  that tells you if one specific future shell

is blank or live. It's definitely  helping, and it makes their tagline,

embrace the future that we see on the website,  very apt. But that's not the only way it helps.

At the bottom of the webpage, there is a nice  big red number, which is dead. But that wasn't

always the case. In the early days of the ARG,  this number would play an automated message

from Volta's helpline. Initially, this sounds  like any other automated phone message.

However, we then get this piece of information.

Now we're getting somewhere. This world is  currently on a government-issued lockdown.

While we can be seen driving off at the end  of the game if we succeed against the dealer,

we clearly aren't going to be able to go far.  Most likely, we're really only able to travel

within the city, or at most within the country.  This idea of being locked down by a potentially

authoritarian government isn't exactly new  territory for this developer either. Mike

Klubnika focuses pretty much all of their games  on these dingy looking facilities with people

either trying to break out of them, or trying  to take advantage of the system in some way.

Some of those games even share direct connections,  with both Carbon Steel and Control Room Alpha

showing the same logo in each facility. Mike has  

gone on record to say that  his games are connected,

though not every connection is going to be  obvious. So it's likely that Buckshot's lockdown

is connected to that shared universe too. But  something that is clear is that thanks to this

voice message, we now have the key for that  email we've been deciphering. That's right,

it turns out the thing that got my theorist ears  to prick up are also the words used for the key.

The shutdown. Maybe this would give us  the connections we were looking for.

But there was still one minor hiccup.  This Base64 code not only used a key,

but it was also scrambled using a non-standard  algorithm. To de-scramble it, we needed to use

the same algorithm or website. And despite trying  a bunch of different websites, nobody could figure

it out. The answer eventually had to be revealed  to us by the ARG's creator, Rita Radium. This

pointed the community to Gillmeistersoftware.com,  and with that, we could finally read the email

we got right at the start. They won't ever  forgive me, or will I not forgive myself?

I made a wish upon a falling star, and it brought  me nothing but misery. The machine hungers,

fed by booming shots and blood and luck. It is  fed constantly. It's chewing, metallic and vile,

and it still brings more comfort  than the dance of hell below.

This poem offers some pretty obvious parallels to  what we've been experiencing in the game so far.

The dance below would be referring to the  nightclub we see below the catwalk as we start

the game. The line about booming shots matches us  shooting each other with shotguns. And the fact

the machine is fed by it, as well as blood and  luck, seems to be referencing the dealer himself.

It would make a lot of sense for him to be a  machine of some sort, able to survive a shotgun

to the face and not needing any kind of  defibrillation to be revived. That phrase,

the machine hungers, has also shown up before.  It's how Mike signed off one of his community

updates. Quote, the machine hungers for  more. Greed everlasting. Mike Klubnika,

CR Channel and Volta Standard Electronics. Him  signing off with Volta Standard Electronics,

along with that phrase, the machine hungers,  would seem to indicate that Volta is responsible,

not just for selling cell phones and computers  to this strange facility, but for the monster

that's running these backroom roulette games.  Although, the idea that it hungers does seem to

imply a lack of control over the situation. Like  they are somehow responsible for bringing the

machine to life, but are now unable to keep  it satiated. Could whatever the dealer is be

responsible for the shutdown? Or is it just a  part of something much bigger and much worse?

It's all possible, but to find out, I had to  keep digging. And when I did, I found something I

wasn't expecting. Steam cards. If you don't know  what these are, it's pretty much what it says on

the tin. They're just virtual trading cards  that you can get through Steam. Typically,

they're associated with specific games, and  you can use them to raise your Steam level,

earn cosmetics for your profile, or earn coupons  for DLC. But that's not the case for Buckshot

Roulette. Just like it's Game of Roulette,  

it plays by different rules.  Because these trading cards

contain some in-universe lore, though one of them  is more interesting than the rest. The Burner Phone.

If you look closely, on its screen you can find  a binary sequence which decodes to 2 Chronicles

26:15, a passage from the Bible. This particular  passage is about a king named Uzziah. Uzziah was

a godly king that saw much success during his  reign. However, because of his achievements,

he became proud. And one day, he attempted to  burn incense in the temple, something which

was reserved only for the priests. He was  essentially saying that he was above the

law and greater than the holy priests, leading to  God giving him leprosy. The specific verse we're

given, verse 15, comes from just before  Uzziah's fall. And it says, quote,

In Jerusalem, he made devices invented for use  on the towers, and on the corner defenses so

the soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large  stones from the walls. His fame spread far and

wide, for he was greatly helped,  

until he became powerful. We're  being told about a man in authority

who was building something to defend his nation.  A man who became prideful of these achievements,

and in doing so, fell from grace and was cursed  because of it. It matches quite nicely with the

poem we've been given. They won't ever forgive  me, or will I not forgive myself? I made a wish

upon a falling star, and it brought me nothing but  misery. Again, it's a story about someone doing

something they felt was good, but for it to  eventually backfire on them. However, this isn't

the only biblical reference we get. There's  actually one other moment that you can find in

the second round of Buckshot Roulette. At the  start of the game, you sign a liability waiver.

Yeah, go figure. If Volta is behind the machine  that hungers for death, good to know that they've

protected their own butts. Other kind of butt,  in round two we come across a different liability

waiver, one that has already been signed by  someone else, covered in blood, showing that

that person has died. And it is signed by  someone, I don't know, fairly important,

God. That's right, the big G man himself. God  has not only played this game, but lost it too.

Mike himself has said that all hell broke loose  when God lost the game, which we can see when we

die in the game ourselves. You end up at the  pearly gates, though they're a little more

spiky than I remember from Sunday school. That  being said, if we consider this alongside the

Bible verse about Uzziah, it makes me think that  we may not be talking about a literal God here.

In that quote from Mike about hell breaking  loose, he also describes God as just your average

creator of the universe type of guy. What if God  in this instance isn't actually the biblical God,

but instead a man who considers himself to be  God? A man who, much like Uzziah, built a great

and prosperous world, and so began to become  prideful, thinking himself greater than everyone

else, a God amongst men. But also like Uzziah,  this would lead to his eventual downfall. When

taking things into his own hands, our poem  writer saw everything around him collapse,

all because of his pride and hubris. The  question is, who is this mysterious writer,

and what is it he did to cause this downfall?  This is where Mike's other games come into play.

After selling 1 million copies of Buckshot  Roulette, which is really commendable by the way,

we got a new trailer for the game, and in just  a few frames, we saw some words pop on screen.

Remember August 5th, 1998. According to the phone  powerup, this game takes place on August 21st,

1998, which not only explains the old look of  all the technology, but that whatever caused the

shutdown, it only happened 16 days prior to the  events of the game. I did search for this date

online, but I just couldn't find anything of  specific interest. That was, until I went back

through Mike's catalog of games. Because this  date has shown up in at least one of them before.

In the game Carbon Steel, we are conducting  unethical experiments on creatures living

deep underground and collecting data from them.  After the very first day, we have a nightmare

about these fleshy creatures covered in ice  breaking up into our little chamber. And as

time goes on, the creatures we begin pulling out  are more and more violent. At the end of the game,

we blow up our lab in order to escape, but in  doing so, we totally destroy the containment tube

that we've been using to retrieve and analyse  these creatures. We may now be free, but so is

whatever was down there. We also learn from the  emails we get in the game that this lab hasn't

been used in decades. So our first day on the  job was the day that something changed. The day

this facility came online and began digging around  the depths of the earth for creatures to analyse.

And do you want to hazard a guess as to when  our first day on the job was? Yep, August 5th,

1998. I don't think that our player character is  the one writing this poem. No, no, no. Instead,

I think it is whoever was in charge of this  operation that was willing to torture these

creatures in the name of science. That is what  led our character to look for freedom and in turn

cause the shutdown. These monsters that we've  angered are now free to take revenge on the

planet. And it all began on August 5th, 1998.  Finally, it felt like we were getting somewhere

with this game's lore. But sadly, this is where  our journey hits a bit of a roadblock. If you go

back to the site, you'll find a big yellow star  next to the phone. If you click it, it brings you

to a secret login page. Perfect. We just need  to find the password. Well, that's kind of the

problem. Nobody can figure out what the password  is. According to the creators, we have all the

clues we need to solve the password. And that 1  million download trailer we got? Yeah, that was

supposed to try and give us a hint. But despite  all efforts, analyzing this thing top to bottom,

we still can't really figure out what it is. For  example, in that trailer, there was also a secret

caption that read cupio dissolvi. It's Latin for  I want to dissolve and refers to the Christian

desire to leave life and join Christ in heaven.  But over time, the meaning has evolved to also

involve the general desire for one's own death.  Feels apt for a game about roulette, but whether

that means anything for the password puzzle  is unclear. We also have references to other

religious ideas. In the May update, Mike ended his  post with a single V and a bunch of blank spaces

instead of his usual sign off. When the game  got 2 million downloads, another very impressive

achievement, Mike posted a different signature  that looked like this. If we add the V from the

first signature and then use a basic Caesar  cipher, we can find the phrase Taci Maledetto

Lupo, a line from Dante's Inferno that translates  to silence a cursed wolf. This particular line is

known as the Volta of the  first sonnet. As in Volta  

standard electronics? In Italian, Volta means

turn and in Italian poetry, it is usually the  ninth line of a 14 line sonnet, in which there

is a large shift in the tone or subject. In the  official Discord, someone suggested that the poem

found in the ARG email has nine lines,  

just like Dante's Nine Circles  of Hell, to which Rita replied

smart kitten. Though this post has been removed,  so it's hard to say if it's still relevant or

whether things got changed. Finally, there's the  phone, because it always comes back to the phone.

I didn't mention this earlier, but you may have  noticed that this phone's keys aren't exactly

standard. The voicemail logo is a sideways  ampersand, the number 9 contains a capital

LOL instead of WXYZ. There's also an extra line  of buttons that contains letters like WTF. Huh.

And cat. Yeah, at this point, I'd agree with  that sentiment. I am 100%... I have tried

so many different words translating it in through  these keys to try and find the password. My

theorist senses are screaming at me that the  answer is in there. Otherwise, it's just weird

that they've been staring us in the face the  whole time and yet don't do anything. But now,

I'm out of options, and it looks like the rest of  the community is too. And they've been way more

ruthless than I have. They have tried over 1,000  passwords to try and get into this site. They've

tried listing the Nine Circles of Hell all  together, with spaces, with underscores, in every

possible combination. Nothing. They've tried  taking lines from Dante's Inferno, both in Latin

and in English. Nothing. They've even tried typing  all of these phrases using the numbers in the

phone like I did, and they're still coming up  empty. And so, this is where I need your help.

So far, we know we're looking at a story of  someone who, in falling victim to their own

pride and ambition, doomed humanity by  reactivating an abandoned lab that was

designed to bring monsters from deep within  the earth up to the surface for testing.

Sadly, not everyone agreed, and their  escape led to these monsters roaming free,

causing a government-issued lockdown, where  underground roulette rings and dance clubs now

thrive as people desperately seek some kind of  excitement or financial reward in this broken

world. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more  connections to Mike's other games as well.

The other side is about someone trying to  break out of a giant government shelter,

only to realise that they were right and there  are monsters out there. That monster is very

much spider-like, and in Control Room Alpha and  Core, we also encounter spider-like monsters,

with Core also showing us a mechanical heart  in a facility. A machine that hungers, maybe?

And those spider monsters from Core also look  awfully familiar to a certain dealer we know.

That's all pure speculation on my part, but Mike  has said these games are very carefully connected,

and so, with this ARG showing us a connection  between Buckshot Roulette and Carbon Steel,

I could easily see whatever is behind that  password lock, revealing to us more about this

connected universe. But if we don't work together  to solve it, we may never truly know what's going

on in this world. So, if you'd like to join me  in solving this thing, you can head down to the

description where I've left a link to the website  made by the community to track what's been going

on. They have done an incredible job over there,  

not just enlisting over  1000 passwords that they've

already tried, but also breaking down this ARG  way more than I ever could. Thanks to some members

of their community, we've even managed to find  some rules about how this password works, like

that it should be 4-20 characters long, not use  any special characters, mostly, and that it is

case-sensitive. I would love for us, the theorist  community, to rally behind the awesome work being

done by these guys. They have worked so hard  to try and get to the bottom of this, and we

need answers. But I'm sure that with all our  powers combined, we will be able to solve this ARG

and its cryptic lore. So, make sure you are  subscribed if you're not already, because you

can bet your bottom dollar that when we do solve  this thing, I'll be covering it right here to help

end the story once and for all. But in the  meantime, remember, that's just a theory. A

game theory. Thanks for watching. And if solving  this website doesn't keep you busy, you can always

check out our video on all the secrets hiding  within the website of Welcome Home. Enjoy the

deep dive, theorists.