The Machine

**Cartridge**
 **Previous area**

**The Machine** is the second area on the middle path from The Split, accessed by getting through Retrograde. It is an industrial complex with most of its machinery still running after the end of the world. Parts of the complex are infested with Mother and toxic gas is leaking into some of the rooms. The Machine introduces a large amount of mechanics not seen anywhere before The Split and is generally considered to be the hardest post-Split area.

The Machine is the first area in which Ash can collect a key - an item used to open locked gates all across the game. The area uses many locked gates, forcing Ash to take detours from the main route to search for the keys. This makes Machine's layout very unusual. In addition to that, Machine's secrets are also non-linear, with each secret entrance leading to multiple secret paths.

Machine's main path consists of 23 levels. Main levels contain 20 regular tumors.

Machine contains 21 secret level, in which 7 mega tumors and 1 cartridge (Morbid Gear) can be collected.

Final level of the Machine contains the **heart**, which is one of the three body parts needed to assemble the Friend and complete the first part of the game. That level is a dead end and has a one-way warp in it, not marked on the map, which can be used to leave the area.

## Mechanics

### Switching platforms

Switching platforms are a mechanic unique to the Machine and its cartridge. They are sets of solid blocks which spawn and despawn repeatedly on a timer.

### Gravity beams

Gravity beams appear in numerous Machine levels and effectively function like pillars of water, allowing Ash to swim up and down within them. They physics differ slightly from regular water. This mechanic also only appears in the Machine.

### Keys

Keys are a special collectible type first introduced in the Machine. A key can be used to open any locked gate across the game. When the gate is unlocked, one key is consumed permanently. Ash can carry multiple keys on him at once.

## Enemies

The Machine contains a large amount of mechanical hazards and some living enemies:

* Turret (static, single-shot) - a stationary turret firing relatively slow-moving bullets in one direction at even intervals. Touching a bullet or the turret itself kills Ash.
* Turret (static, burst-fire) - a stationary turret firing bursts of faster-moving bullets in one direction at even intervals.
* Turret (tracking, single-shot) - a rotating turret which tracks Ash's movement with a slight delay and fires relatively slow-moving bullets at even intervals, as long as it can see Ash. This enemy is functionally the same as irises seen in Retrograde.
* Turret (tracking, rapid-fire) - a rotating turret which tracks Ash's movement with a slight delay and fires a continuous stream of fast-moving bullets, as long as it can see Ash.
* Crusher (one-directional) - solid blocks marked with a decorative rotating gear, which attempt to crush Ash when he crosses their line of sight. After charging towards Ash and hitting a solid surface, the crusher will slowly return to its original position and prepare for another charge. This crusher type can only charge in one direction.
* Mother - a mass of flesh covering many of Machine's levels. When Ash gets close enough, Mother begins to expand in his direction, following Ash indefinitely as long as he is in range. If Ash gets far enough away, Mother will start retracting to its original position. Touching the flesh will kill Ash.
* Gaspers - flying blobs bloated with toxic gas and always surrounded by a deadly gas cloud, first encountered in Overflow. Jumping on top of a gasper lets Ash bounce off of it. They only appear in The Machine 10.
* Crunches - round and hostile creatures chained to the walls of a few of the Machine's levels. They will remain near their chain hitch when undisturbed, breathing loudly. When Ash is in range, the crunch will charge towards him, as far as the chain's length allows. After an unsuccessful charge the crunch will stay in place for a bit, recovering, and either charge again if Ash is still around or slowly retreat back to the original position. Touching the crunch, even when it is not charging, kills Ash.

## Secret entrances

* The Machine 4 (upwards secret) - 2 mega tumors, 1 NPC. Accessed by pulling on a hook above the upper turret. The secret splits up into two paths after its first level. One path leads to the right and contains a single mega tumor. The other leads to the left and contains both a mega tumor and an NPC.
* The Machine 9 (downwards secret) - 1 mega tumor, 1 cartridge, 1 NPC. Accessed by riding the moving blocks all the way to the right. The secret splits up into two paths after its second level. One path leads up, containing a cartridge and an NPC. The other leads to the lower left, containing a mega tumor.
* The Machine 12 (access to the hidden part of The Machine 14) - 1 extra key. Accessed by jumping through the fake floor in the lower left part of the level. This place is not treated as a secret area by the game, but it does contain a hidden collectible. The extra key can be used to unlock the gates in other areas after beating The Machine, allowing access to more secret levels.
* The Machine 21 (downwards secret) - 2 mega tumors, 1 NPC. Accessed by jumping into a hole to the left of Mother. The secret splits up into two paths after its first level. One path leads to the right, containing a mega tumor and an NPC. The other leads to the left and then down, containing 1 mega tumor. The left path passes through the previously inaccessible part of The Machine 9 secret.
* The Machine 22 (upwards secret) - 2 mega tumors. Accessed by grabbing the button in the middle of the level, then floating up the gravity beam which it activates. The secrets splits up into two paths after its second level. One path leads up, the other leads to the right, through the breakable blocks. Each path contains one mega tumor.

## Characters

The Machine contains 3 NPCS. Click on "Open" to see their dialogue.

**Amalgamation of three ascender blobs in the secret above The Machine 4:**

```
we decided
to ascend
together

but when one of us
ascended the rest
of us got cold feet

now
like you
we are rotting

rotting
eternally
from the inside

we tried
to push
him away

but we have become
bonded
by time
```

**Ghost on the upper path of the secret accessed from The Machine 9:**

```
waka
waka
waka

waka
waka
waka

. . .

that my
fozzy bear
impression

pretty
good
huh?
```

**Descender blob in the secret below The Machine 21:**

```
HAHAHA!
we trick
you!

the mother
is
hungry!

time
to
die!
```

## Trivia

* The Machine's music theme is a remix of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee.
* Before the end of the world the Machine was used to manufacture powerful bombs, which would then be dropped from SS Exodus, as confirmed by Tyler.
* The white orb found at the end of the Machine, which Ash decides to use as the Friend's heart, is a bomb core.
* The ghost in the cartridge secret is an obvious reference to the game Pac-Man.
* The Machine is the only area in the game to feature secrets splitting into multiple paths. It is also the only area which uses keys as a mechanic on the main path.
* Jumping down from the last level on the left path of The Machine 4 secret allows you to fall all the way down to Retrograde 15.
* The Machine 14 is the only level in the game in which static burst-fire turrets appear.
* The Machine 18 is the only level in the game where crunches can be seen attached to the wall in the background, instead of their chain being connected to a solid tile.
* The Machine 22 secret is the only level in the game in which the mechanic of preserving momentum while swimming is used. In order to break the blocks on the right, Ash must perform a pull-out jump from the left wall and travel through gravity beams to reach the opposite side of the level.

## Gallery

### Gallery of Machine's main levels

* The Machine 1
* The Machine 2
* The Machine 3
* The Machine 4
* The Machine 5
* The Machine 6
* The Machine 7
* The Machine 8
* The Machine 9
* The Machine 10
* The Machine 11
* The Machine 12
* The Machine 13
* The Machine 14
* The Machine 15
* The Machine 16
* The Machine 17
* The Machine 18
* The Machine 19
* The Machine 20
* The Machine 21
* The Machine 22
* The Machine 23

### Gallery of Machine's secret levels

The structure of Machine's secrets is unusual compared to other areas. One secret entrance usually leads to two different secret paths, each of which contains its own reward at the end. The names given to the levels in this gallery reflect this multi-path nature. For example, the secret of Machine 4 splits up into two paths past its first level. One path leads to the right (marked as R) and the other leads to the left (marked as L).

* The Machine 4 up 1
* The Machine 4 up 2R
* The Machine 4 up 3R
* The Machine 4 up 2L
* The Machine 4 up 3L
* The Machine 4 up 4L
* The Machine 4 up 5L
* The Machine 9 down 1
* The Machine 9 down 2
* The Machine 9 down 3U
* The Machine 9 down 3D
* The Machine 21 down 1
* The Machine 21 down 2L
* The Machine 21 down 2R
* The Machine 21 down 3R
* The Machine 22 up 1
* The Machine 22 up 2
* The Machine 22 up 3U
* The Machine 22 up 4U
* The Machine 22 up 5U
* The Machine 22 up 3R

## Individual level pages

Links to individual level pages

* The Machine 1
* The Machine 2
* The Machine 3
* The Machine 4
* The Machine 5
* The Machine 6
* The Machine 7
* The Machine 8
* The Machine 9
* The Machine 10
* The Machine 11
* The Machine 12
* The Machine 13
* The Machine 14
* The Machine 15
* The Machine 16
* The Machine 17
* The Machine 18
* The Machine 19
* The Machine 20
* The Machine 21
* The Machine 22
* The Machine 23

## See also

* Retrograde - the area which comes before the Machine.
* Friend - a collection of body parts assembled by Ash into something that resembles a human.