| “ | Phil I don't know what happened. It snuck up right behind me, I knew I was going to die so I just stood there... I don't think it could see me. Stay safe... - Hank | „ |
| ~ Hank's warning to his partner Phil. |
The Birdmen[1] are the main antagonists of the indie horror game Vanish.
They are a species of nearly-blind humanoid creatures living inside an underground labyrinth, attacking anyone they encounter and dragging them off into the darkness to be devoured.
Appearance[]
The Birdmen are tall, thin bird-like humanoids with sharp claws and beak-shaped mouths. Their skin has an unnatural pink-coloured pigmentation with several large black spots on their bodies.
Biography[]
Little information is provided about the Birdmen and their habitat. The labyrinth they call their home appears to be human-made, being constructed primarily out of brick and concrete and featuring several rooms closed off by metal bars, as well as two larger rooms with a water pump and electrical generator respectively. The walls are lined with water pipes, while lightbulbs and occasional construction lights bring some illumination to the otherwise pitch-black hallways. Going by the industrial equipment and several notes written by two engineers named Phil and Hank, the tunnels used to be completely ordinary and they performed regular maintenance tasks within.
A broken pipe and a construction light in the tunnels.
That is until Hank's radio broke during a seemingly normal day at work. He left for the access ladder to grab a replacement, but quickly noticed that it took significantly longer for him to get there. The door to the ladder was locked and Hank forgot his keys, forcing him to turn back. It quickly became apparent that the layout of the tunnels had somehow shifted, dead ends appearing in places he just came from and halls had formed where previously were none. And it wasn't just the layout, the very nature of the tunnels was altered. A disgusting smell filled the air and the walls were actively shifting around. It is unknown whether the tunnels changed with the arrival of the Birdmen or if the Birdmen arrived with the changing of the tunnels. What Hank didn't know was that his radio was fine, as Phil had also lost connection to the outside world.
Hank and Phil started to write notes for each other to find, hoping to eventually find the keys and/or each other, trying to warn one another about what is going on. It didn't take long for them to discover that they were no longer the only ones down there. Hank eventually encountered one of the Birdmen, which had followed his footsteps for a while and was closely behind him by the time he noticed it. Convinced he was going to die and perhaps partially out of shock Hank stoop completely still as he awaited his death. This saved his life as the Birdman simply left without incident, since they are nearly blind and rely mostly on their hearing to find their prey.
The gate to hell opening for another poor soul to wander.
It is unknown what became of Phil and Hank, but as the gate to the access ladder is still locked by the time the game takes place, it is unlikely they ever made it out of the tunnels. Regardless of their fate, news of the deadly nature of the labyrinth seemingly reached the surface. At the start of the game the player character is dragged with a bag on their head to a large metal gate by one or multiple unknown persons, which is then opened, they are thrown in and the gate locked behind them. It appears the tunnels are now used as a form of punishment/execution by a group above ground. The reason why or by whom the player was thrown into the labyrinth is unknown.
Trivia[]
- In pre-release versions of the game, the Birdmen used to have a significantly more pale skin texture than they do in the full version. It is unknown why this change was made, as their pale skin matched their underground habitat.
- Despite the Birdmen digging small tunnels into the walls of the labyrinth, which are also affected by its ever-changing nature, those tunnels are the safest places in the game. Even though a Birdman can rarely be seen entering a tunnel, none are ever encountered within and pursuing Birdmen never follow the player inside. This suggests the Birdmen either have a very low attention span or a hint of sadism by giving their prey false hope. Or more likely the developers simply didn't think it was necessary to program.