Pseudoregalia

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	This character or verse has very important lore or story elements, with the profile having spoilers for the story and the fate of said character or verse, avoid reading if one would like to pursue the verse without any spoilers for themself.

“	Deep within the realm of sleep, Sybil finds herself pulled to a distorted castle. Grow strong, and unlock new abilities to build up a deep movement system, fight enemies, find secrets, and free the weary soul of Castle Sansa, in this retro-inspired 3D Platformer Metroidvania.	„
	~ Official Steam Page description

Background

Pseudoregalia is a metroidvania-style video game developed and published by rittzler. Initially created for the Metroidvania Month 19 Game Jam on itch.io, the game later saw an official release for Microsoft Windows via Steam on July 28, 2023.

Plot

Sybil awakens in a warped castle within the realm of dreams, drawn into its depths for reasons unknown. As she explores Castle Sansa, she gains new abilities that expand her mobility, allowing her to overcome enemies, uncover hidden secrets, and ultimately seek to free the soul entrapped within the castle’s walls.

General Information

Official Date: July 28, 2023

Creator: rittzler

Genre: 3D Metroidvania

Cosmology: Within the Dream (As the game takes place within a dream that Sybil enters to remove one from the dream they're using to escape reality)

Number of Series: 1

Number of Games: 1

Status: Ongoing (It's been noted by the developer that they still plan to update the game, noting that the players will meet Sybil again one day)

Sales: Around 3 million in gross revenue (According to steam's revenue calculator, Pseudoregalia made around $3,256,200)

Reception: Well Received (It sold over 28,000 copies by September 2023, and reached over 200,000 copies and 10,000 reviews by August 2024, being rated as overwhelmingly positive)

Theories

Sybil does not actually look like what she looks like in game

As the game takes place within a dream that Sybil enters to remove one from the dream they're using to escape reality, many say that Sybil's look is actually just how she looks within the dream.

A point they use to support this is that one of the NPCs claim that she is wearing a disguise, though this could also be referring to her outfit.

The Princess and the Dreamer are separate entities

This theory spawns from the ending dialogue, where after defeating the Princess the Dreamer speaks to Sybil, stating "Not really the kind of person you wanna hang out with, right?" along with "I barely remember what she was really like at this point, this implies that the Princess is the Dreamer's vision of an old person they knew, someone they likely did not like as they state "Not really the kind of person you wanna hang out with, right?". They also note "You're probably wondering who I am? Honestly... I don't know anymore. Nobody special, I guess." as another separation from the Princess, who was treated as a special entity throughout the dream world. They also state "I can't just hide here forever and pretend I don't exist." which implies they removed their own "existence" in a sense from the dream, with the Princess being the last section to truly reawaken that existence.

Though this is all speculation, they are strong points towards this theory.

Trivia

• Some additional details about Sybil can be inferred from her character art and the Listless library entries:
  • Sybil presents herself with a serious and intense demeanor.
  • The concept of cooking is so alien to her that merely reading a cookbook drives her insane, though this does not affect gameplay.
    • Reading a book on dealing with loss helps restore her sanity, implying that a traumatic event related to cooking may have been the cause of her breakdown.
  • She harbors a desire to someday see the ocean.
    • Based on her statement "maybe next time," it seems she won’t be able to experience this until she finds a dream with an ocean-like setting.
  • She dismisses musical theory as the "ramblings of a madman," which is suggested by another book found in the library.
• Some artwork depicts Sybil with a flat humanoid face, while other art shows her with an anthropomorphic snout; Rittz has directly stated that both interpretations are correct.

Misconceptions

Dream Breaker is needed for Sybil to use magic

Dream Breaker is only needed to Sybil to use things such as healing magic, she can use other magic abilities such as Cling Gem however.

Power of the Verse

The game takes place in an ethereal dream with the playable character Sybil, showing to have superhuman attributes about them, including strength and speed. They possess some masterful parkour and acrobatics, required to get around the various areas within the dream.

In terms of abilities the verse has shown: Light Manipulation, Velocity Manipulation, Energy Manipulation, Air Manipulation, Immersion, Absorption, Healing, Homing Attack, etcetera.

Knowledgeable Members

• GiverOfThePeace

Characters

Sybil