Lever and Its Owner

The theory of the lever and its owner in Tunic.

Lever

The world of Tunic is the "lever," and the lever has a connection to the player's world, which is why the player plays as the Ruin Seeker and can control their every move. The "lever" is metaphorical, as while there may not be a physical lever, it functions as a connection to the player's world.

The Canonical Plane, the world of Tunic, is also the bar for the "lever." In science, there are three type of levers, and this would function as a first class lever. The effort force is the player controlling the Ruin Seeker, the load is the Ruin Seeker themselves, and The Far Shore is the fulcrum (the point at which one pivots the lever bar). This is the connection on how the player is able to control the Ruin Seeker.

Potential Prequel

When the player begins to control the lever too much, The Far Shore (fulcrum) breaks. There is proof of this with the map of The Far Shore, as it looks like a broken shard, and most of the map is not there. Because of it breaking, the player was unable to control the Ruin Seeker, so a war broke out between the ancient foxes and the Disquiet Beings.

This suggest there will be a game prequel, because there needs to be someone controlling the Ruin Seeker before the events of the game so that the lever becomes overworked. The world which the player is unable to control is in ruin, and the fulcrum is restored via The Heir. The player can have control again as the future Heir, or as the Ruin Seeker they typically control.

Supporting Evidence

Page 4 of the instruction manual substantiates this theory, by stating "the" lever rather than "a" lever when describing "the lever overworked," but stating "a" lever" rather than "the" lever on page 3, describing "a lever in the Canonical Plane."

The Lost Echo description on page 39 states: "An ECHO-OF-SELF from a past Ruin Seeker whose owner gave up. Watch and listen closely and release it from its agony." Lost Echoes have owners, so the player is the owner through the lever. Both the Ruin Seeker and the original hero are referred to as the "hero" in various cases, so this can mean that the player controlled the hero before the game, giving a reason on why the lever was (or is) overworked.