What Happens in Blame?
The complete story of Blame, from the first scene to the last, in 274 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Blame! is set within “The City,” a colossal megastructure of unimaginable proportions that has expanded to occupy a significant portion of the Solar System. Originally built on Earth by robotic Builders and controlled via the Netsphere, the system collapsed when a terrorist cult deleted the Net Terminal Gene from humanity. This loss of access caused the Builders to construct chaotically and indefinitely, while the Safeguards—an automated security force—evolved into mindless killers tasked with eradicating any human lacking the genetic marker.
In this desolate, layered world of haphazard architecture and relativistic elevators, a silent loner named Killy wanders the wastes. Armed with a devastating Gravitational Beam Emitter, Killy searches for the elusive Net Terminal Genes to halt the City’s uncontrolled growth and stop the Safeguard genocide. During his journey, he allies with a resourceful engineer named Cibo and encounters various factions, including the Electro-Fishers and the mysterious Sanakan.
The quest leads them to Toha Heavy Industries, where they encounter the AI Mensab and her human guardian, Seu. After a series of violent clashes with Silicon Life and high-level Safeguards, a tragedy occurs where a Level 9 Safeguard manifests through Cibo’s body, destroying an entire region.
Fourteen years later, Killy awakens to continue his mission, carrying the digital consciousness of a deceased human. He eventually reunites with a memory-wiped Cibo and a reformed Sanakan. Though both women perish in a final confrontation, Killy manages to preserve a genetic “sphere” containing their data. After a grueling journey to the very edge of the Megastructure, Killy is washed to the surface where stars are finally visible, eventually continuing his fight alongside a young child in a hazmat suit.
Blame Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
20 key events in the order they happen, from “The City is Born” to “A New Companion”. 11 events name a place, across 6 locations.
- 1
The City is Born
In the distant past, humanity erects a vast structure on Earth using the robotic Builders, controlled through the Netsphere. Access to this network is restricted to humans carrying the Net Terminal Gene, a genetic marker that authenticates their identity.
Where:Earth
- 2
The Order Unleashes a Retrovirus
A terrorist cult known as 'the Order' releases a retrovirus that deletes the Net Terminal Gene from all humans. This cuts humanity off from the Netsphere and severs their control over the Builders.
- 3
The City Descends into Chaos
Without specific instructions, the Builders begin to build chaotically and indefinitely, expanding the City into a gigantic megastructure. Meanwhile, the Safeguards' programming degrades into a mandate to kill all humans lacking the Net Terminal Gene, whether they want access to the Netsphere or not.
Where:The City
- 4
Killy Begins His Quest
Killy, a silent loner armed with an incredibly powerful Gravitational Beam Emitter, wanders the vast technological expanse of The City. His mission is to find the Net Terminal Genes, the key to halting the Megastructure's chaotic expansion and stopping the murderous Safeguard horde from destroying humanity.
Where:The City
- 5
Alliance with Cibo
Along his journey, Killy meets Cibo, a resourceful engineer who joins forces with him. Their quest garners indirect support from the City's Authority, which is unfortunately unable to stop the Safeguard from opposing them.
Where:The City
- 6
Meeting Sanakan and the Electro-Fishers
Killy and Cibo encounter a young girl named Sanakan and a tribe of human warriors called the Electro-Fishers. Their meeting introduces them to one of the City's scattered human enclaves struggling to survive.
Where:The Electro-Fishers' village
- 7
Sanakan's Betrayal
Killy is attacked by a high-level Safeguard, an assault that paradoxically restores his cybernetic abilities. The attacker turns out to have been Sanakan in disguise, and she transforms into her Safeguard form to launch an attack on the Electro-Fishers' village.
Where:The Electro-Fishers' village
- 8
Refuge at Toha Heavy Industries
Defending the Electro-Fishers from the Safeguard onslaught, Killy and Cibo bring them to the cylindrical megastructure of Toha Heavy Industries. There they meet Mensab, an AI independent from the Administration, and her human guardian, Seu.
Where:Toha Heavy Industries
- 9
The Fall of Toha Heavy Industries
Sustained attacks by Silicon Life and Sanakan ultimately destroy the megastructure of Toha Heavy Industries. Before its fall, Mensab manages to give Cibo a sample of Seu's DNA, an artifact of great significance.
Where:Toha Heavy Industries
- 10
Into Silicon Life Territory
Killy and Cibo travel to a region of the City ruled by a group of hostile Silicon Life. They ally with a pair of 'provisional Safeguards' named Dhomochevsky and Iko in order to survive the danger.
Show the other 10 events of Blame Hide the last 10 events
- 11
Davine Steals the DNA
The Silicon Life leader Davine steals Seu's DNA and uses it to access the Netsphere. Her successful infiltration sets in motion a chain of catastrophic events for the region.
- 12
Dhomochevsky's Sacrifice
Dhomochevsky sacrifices his own life to kill Davine, putting an end to her scheme. However, before her death she downloads an extremely powerful Level 9 Safeguard from the Netsphere, which manifests in Cibo's body.
- 13
A Region Annihilated
The Safeguard inhabiting Cibo's body unleashes devastating power that destroys the entire region. Killy's body is gravely damaged in the aftermath, marking one of the darkest turning points of his journey.
- 14
Fourteen Years of Silence
Killy's body slowly repairs itself from the massive attack, requiring fourteen long years to recover. Once restored, he resumes his solitary search for the Net Terminal Genes.
When:14 years after the region's destruction
- 15
The Preserved Consciousness
During his renewed travels, Killy encounters a human whose physical body has died but whose consciousness is preserved in a device resembling a USB stick. He takes her with him, carrying her along for the remainder of his journey.
- 16
Reunion with Cibo
Killy eventually finds Cibo again, though she has lost her memory and was rescued by Sanakan, who has since allied with the Authority against the rest of the Safeguard. Cibo's body is incubating a sphere containing both her and Sanakan's genetic information.
- 17
The Final Confrontation
Cibo and Sanakan engage the Safeguard in a final, decisive battle. Both of them die in the confrontation, but Killy survives and preserves the sphere containing their combined genetic information.
- 18
A Tale Told in the Netsphere
The digital consciousness Killy rescued earlier appears in human form within the Netsphere, recounting Killy's quest to other entities an unknown amount of time in the future. She is told that his journey to the outside of the City will be longer and harder than anything that came before.
When:An unknown time in the future Where:The Netsphere
- 19
Reaching the Edge of the City
Killy finally reaches the edge of the City, where he is shot in the head and incapacitated. A flood of water nevertheless carries him to the surface of the City, where stars are visible for the first time and the sphere begins to glow.
Where:The surface of the City
- 20
A New Companion
In the final moments of the story, Killy is seen fighting once again in the corridors of the City. He battles alongside a small child wearing a hazmat suit, hinting at a new chapter in his seemingly endless quest.
Where:The City
Quiz
How well do you remember Blame? Test yourself on the story.
