What is Basilisk and Basilisk 2000

Basilisk & Basilisk 2000 are two games in a series created by developer Kira LLC
It follows an interesting path in ARG storytelling, where an archiver by the name of Kyle Tubman is archiving an old forgotten game and beta builds of an unreleased PC sequel.

Basilisk

The shortest entry in the series. You play through the guise of a fake SNES Rom Emulator.
By default, you can only load BASILISK (U) [1].smc

The main page of the game has a viewable 3D sketchfab model of the cartage to view as well.

The game is loaded into different save states for you to explore and find secrets in.
The following will be everything I've found.

State 0

The first state you load into when starting the game, or select State 0.
An eerie forest and a TERRIBLY slow walking speed

Heading forward we can find "Scratch"

Crossing that space won't get you anywhere.
The vein that connects the two worlds.
I am called Scratch. I'm a wanderer of sorts, of small renown.
On your way to the ruin you should be on the look out.

Heading Left from Scratch, we can also find an Obelisk:

The obelisk hums and emits a warm sensation to the touch.

State 1

We spawn in a much thicker forest, possibly deeper in.
The famine mentioned in the description feels a bit more noticeable here.

Going forward we can find a magic cirlce:

It was here 100 years ago that the beast was slain

Going left from the start we find an old PC:

Plays Morse Code Audio on interaction
-..- .--./.- -. -../-. --- - .... .. -. --./-- --- .-. .

Going right from the start we can find a door to the Tavern:

On interaction, this says Undefined Cell and sends us straight to State 2

State 2

Load into the inside of a barren tavern.
Nothing here but a wall and Scratch

Oh you made it
This keep is all that's left of the old kingdom.
Once there was a nice gal here, I was sweet on her once.
But she betrayed me, and now she's gone like all the others.

State 3

A dense fog envelopes this forest, littered with ghosts.
Talking to any ghost will get you stuck in an endless loop of text.

Most common Ghost:

Please help me!
Where am I!
What is this place?

Walking straight after spawning, you can find a unique ghost:

Mocking me in mine afterlife?
You were meant for greatness.
How could you?

It is also possible to find a sword here by turning right after spawning:

Grabbing this will affect future save states.

State 4

Only one thing can be found here after going straight in this forest..

Some strange fleshy ribcage mushroom thing. Almost like an octopus.

Even if you kill everything.
There'll be one monster left.

State 6

This seems to be a demo state. One where if you were to leave your console running on the start screen, it'd play a pre-recorded gameplay loop.
You cannot control your character for the most part, but in this demo, you can only watch as your character kills just about every character they see.

Except for Scratches..
It seems like if you're quick enough, you can interact with Scratches for some dialogue.

A reference to an infamous piece of Castelvania II dialogue.

State 7

Our last state to explore.
A narrow hallway with Scratches in front of us, and rocks to our back.

However, it's possible to walk around the rocks and find this:

Crossing this space won't get you anywhere.
The vein that connects the two games.
The devil is in the details.
Oh but the devil is in everything.

Scratch's dialogue isn't any more cheerful:

Could ya believe it!
It seems nowhere is safe, not even a castle.
To think that the basilisk made it all the way here.

At this point, two things can happen depending if you picked up the sword in State 3

If you have the sword:

You meet yourself, and receive the ending.

If you do not have the sword...

You meet the eye of the Basilisk, and receive a Game Over.

Basilisk 2000

Basilisk 2000 continues Kyle Tubman's archival of the series with a custom made unity viewer to read the old data of the early 2000's game. Apparently, this was a "Spiritual Successor" to the original game.

On the main game's page there is a 3D sketchfab model of the Basilisk 2000 Disc and sleeve.
The description on the bottom of the disc reads "PBZOBQP TFQEFK KLQ EBOB"
Just an easter egg for those who enjoy cracking ciphers it seems.

On Kira's YouTube channel, we can find a basilisk 2000 promo (trailer)
As well as the OST posted Out of Character

For the sake of preserving knowledge, but not giving too much away for the game.
I will not divulge everything that can be found in each Map
The Notes section will go into detail about some of the harder things to crack or discover.

Maps

Weapons

Notes

• This game uses your system's clock to determine the time of day. This can reveal more at night!
• In Havenwood, you can find a graveyard. All graves have corpses under them...
• In the CrossRoads, some cultists are looking for the Serpent Fang sword. Holding it changes their dialogue.
• Wakelita Summit is the only area with 2D tree sprites.
• David B. is David Bunch. The Chief engineer for B2K
• Devs on the game: Allen Anderson, George J., Cassie, David Bunch, Dave Suz, Greg J.
• In Office, David Bunch keeps a gun under his desk..
• In Arena, walking up to the hidden door reveals a key word: SKINNED
• In Exception7, a strange cube shows up only once in a corner, and flashes this image on screen.

• In Ritual, a glitched hanging man can be found with this text: "<Color=yellow>MDMVB"
• In MDMVB, hidden text flashes on the screen for a short time on the wall of the crime scene:
  • =YINLLTE IOW<CW>O RHLOIT
• In the map found from the above comment, a wall of text can be found for a split second after slowly falling for a long while. This is the transcript:

First there was a carapace to protect the frail workers from outward influence.
But certain chambers became unused, abandoned and neglected.
In one such, a deprived soul slipped in, or was born in, or grew within.
They sought to peel back the numbness, the boring day to day of life and work within a carapace.
To she old skin, to gleam anew in fresh violence and terror.
The resident sought material, gradually accumulating from transients.
The skin of one, the bones of another, one twisted arm, one broken jaw.

• In Decirest, there's a hidden button sequence that can be activated that gives some special text:
  • "OKINU RHASD TWATE RIHEE NTTOT DATTE RHISH EEFIM D?IDN MEMRW WUR" (x)
  • "ITHNE IAIBS TATSK TPPME DTTIR ERSDN AITDS IUPEP BAJUE AYIWA TFEFI LIDSN OBTW SWAEE CI" ([x](I DIDNT JUST HAPPEN ON IT MAYBE I DED IT WAS IT WAS I BUT IT WAS PERFEET A PERFECT BASILISK))
  • AMSCO 51324
• In \Basilisk 2000 Build Tool_Data\ you can find a ___.zip file that needs a *keyword*
• In \Basilisk 2000 Build Tool_Data\ you can find a suspicious .mp4 file of David snooping on coworkers.
  • It's confirmed to be a typo in the recording of that video by Kira that it is supposed to be David's Computer.
• Inside the files, you can find some \Promo_Materials\
  

Basilisk 2000 .Zip File

Digging through the files of B2K we can find a strange .zip file.
It contains a password protected Rom: BASILISK - early build remove.smc
After finding the password in The Arena, we can open the file and play it in the Emulator.

All that's found is a simple Error:

Hey you made it.
All the way back here.
That's when it started after all.
The skinning, the sacred alchemy to create a true basilisk.
They started with a man.
Although some called him monster.
They sought to make his outside as warped as his inside.
They started with the skin, it had to go first.
Little by little they removed almost everything.
Util they finally made it, a true basilisk.
A true monster.
A they kept it, fed it, poked it, and tortured it.
Then they locked it up and worst of all.
They f o r g o t it.
But it lived, somehow, it seems.
At least in the back of David's mind it did.
Or was it David all along?
Or did he simply help with the experiment?
Or did he just work in the same office building?
Or was it all just a nightmare.
He couldn't remember. He didn't want to either.
But it lives.
And it will live.
And it will grow.
And it will starve.
And it will feast.

The game will then crash..

Inspecting the Rom's data itself this time reveals that it's actually an image:

Each RGB channel holds a different image.

An animal eating a carcass with the text:
"ALIQUANDO UT MORIOR." or "SOMETIMES I DIE."

A ribcage.

And the cover of the Basilisk SNES Rom.
A picture of the office workers.
And a last bit of text. "PHPHQWR HW PRUL"
"MEMENTO ET MORI" or "REMEMBER AND DIE"

Conclusion

Basilisk SNES and Basilisk 2000 are both great ARG's in of themselves.
However, to discuss what the story even is about I believe IS the Basilisk.

Nothing makes sense. Everything feels slightly plausible.
Was this really made in the 2000's? Was there really a Basilisk?
A fool hearty questions to ask.

Simply theorizing will lead you down and trap you with the cognito-hazard that is this game
Theorizing IS the Basilisk. And your curiosity/speculation has betrayed you.