Dark Pals: The 1st Floor story, characters, and ending explained

Mascot horror is back in bizarre fashion with Dark Pals. Its debut chapter traps you inside an abandoned children's asylum, full of the twisted hopes and dreams of its previous tenants. With lore reminiscent of Poppy Playtime's humble beginnings, and gameplay not too dissimilar to High on Life, Dark Pals throws puzzles and chase sequences at you in familiar fashion with eccentric ideas that should have you leaving this chapter curious to see more. Here is a rundown of The 1st Floor: a summary of its story so far, our interpretation of its strange entities, and a reminder of its lore before heading to the next floor (when it releases). Table of contents Dark Pals: The 1st Floor story, explained All Dark Pals: The 1st Floor characters Chompy Chasey Binky Drinky Dark Pals: The 1st Floor ending, explained Dark Pals: The 1st Floor story, explained Image by Skunx Games Entrusted with the Ink Blaster, an adorable toy that shoots ink to interact with objects, you arrive at Upward—an asylum for children. A tour in the long-forgotten asylum starts strong with the company's all-important message: "The only way is up." The initiation into the asylum is creepy off the jump, cunningly disguised as a place for children to have fun with sports and playing fair games, yet the messages play like something a parent would listen to before dropping their kid off for good. "They will build, they will climb, they will never stop. Their hopes too high… to ever drop." It is manipulative both for child and parent, tricking them into a false sense of security that this place is meant to protect children. Image by Skunx Games The steam page for Dark Pals tells us before entering the first floor that the protagonist has a connection to Upward, that "this place knows you." Just like Poppy Playtime, the question we have to ask is, who exactly are we? Were we a patient here, or perhaps a staff member who left their friends behind? The place is designed like a prison, where outdoor activities in the garden are permitted only by reward for good behavior. Learning to make friends, cooperate, and work hard earns children the privilege to spend a portion of their time outside. The design of Upward is the illusion of freedom. Screenshot by Destructoid Everything so far implies that the entities roaming around were children, but this mascot horror may be saying something different. Their behavior is childlike, more innocent and curious than afraid and aggressive. But what is the purpose of them? There may be a more sinister hand at play when it comes to our trusty Ink Blaster, as the child holding one is supposed to "perfect the harmony between the toy and the self" and learn "the meaning of colors and shapes in service of your new purpose." The Blaster may act as a bridge between child and mascot, a device that a kid naturally grows attached to as reality alters around them. The only constant in a patient's life may be that very toy they picked up on the tour, unaware their long stay would become indefinite. Image via Skunx Games A place to become "a better version of themselves," patients spent most of their time inside four walls with artificial lighting, strict schedules, repetitive music, pre-recorded messages, and no windows in sight. Hundreds of beds gathered dust in the spacious facility, hinting at the sheer number of patients Upward likely had at one point. Upward, constructed in 1980, opened its doors for parents to admit their children, likely unaware of its dark intentions. Interestingly, the recordings played at this facility show the date of an Open House on January 5, 1985. Upward conditions and trains patients to "submit, conform, consume, perform." These are likely the stages each patient must go through as part of their transformation. They are being watched, told to give in, and above all, "love" as part of their performance. All Dark Pals: The 1st Floor characters Chompy Chasey Image by Skunx Games With his comedically large head and spindly legs, Chompy is an adorable threat that is difficult to fear. His attack consists of a single, though deadly bite against trespassers or those he deems unfriendly. I doubt this mascot was used to train patients. Rather, Chompy probably acted as the Upward security to ensure no one escaped the asylum. Inputting the Upward code that all patients must obey ("submit, conform, consume, perform") puts Chompy into a calm, docile state, overruling his guard dog-like settings. Binky Drinky Image via Skunx Games One of the strangest characters I've ever seen in a video game has to be Binky Drinky, a mascot derived from a pacifier and a baby. Its stomach acts as the impulsive and aggressive side of a child having a tantrum, demanding to be fed constantly. Meanwhile, the pacifier is the head of the operation, keeping the stomach in check by pacifying it—literally. They act as two separate entities in one body. I theorize these are two separate patients combined because U

Mascot horror is back in bizarre fashion with Dark Pals. Its debut chapter traps you inside an abandoned children's asylum, full of the twisted hopes and dreams of its previous tenants. With lore reminiscent of Poppy Playtime's humble beginnings, and gameplay not too dissimilar to High on Life, Dark Pals throws puzzles and chase sequences…

Mascot horror is back in bizarre fashion with Dark Pals. Its debut chapter traps you inside an abandoned children's asylum, full of the twisted hopes and dreams of its previous tenants. With lore reminiscent of Poppy Playtime's humble beginnings, and gameplay not too dissimilar to High on Life, Dark Pals throws puzzles and chase sequences at you in familiar fashion with eccentric ideas that should have you leaving this chapter curious to see more. Here is a rundown of The 1st Floor: a summary of…