Connectifia Abortus
Connectifia Abortus is a mysterious "wifi-signal-jamming virus," as described by Ian in Battleworn Insomniac, the level where it first appears. It is a recurring obstacle encountered by the player in various boss stages, associated with the disruption of the game's audio and visual elements.
Appearance
In Battleworn Insomniac, it appears as an initially mild audio and visual distortion, turning the cardiogram's beats increasingly unreliable as they glitch and stutter, sometimes beating out of order. This distortion causes the player to have to rely on their own internal rhythm and to keep track of the beat themselves. During the level's interlude, Ian attempts to give advice regarding "the most important thing" about handling the virus, only for his voice to be abruptly cut off by a mysterious voice in red text, with garbled characters and the word "DESTRUCT." The virus's distortions then increases in intensity, with a noticeable instance of distortion being that the audio cuts into white noise, with the visuals becoming heavily chopped and inverted in color. As the level ends, Paige inquires about the virus, confused, as Ian explains that it was disrupting the intern's signal and affecting the cardiogram as well. He states that it's "a small hiccup in the process" and that he'll look into it. Given Ian's somewhat casual tone, as well as his remark about the virus being a "classic case" and him being able to identify it by name, this may suggest that he has witnessed the virus before, or that it is a commonly known form of wifi disruption in Rhythm Doctor's world.
In All The Times, the virus is once again present, as first indicated by its health bar appearing in the level. The game's window is forcibly minimized with its resolution set to 2x, as the game window begins moving around the screen erratically. The visual disruption intensifies as the level progresses, with the window regularly moving off-screen and the cardiogram repeatedly stuttering. Toward the end of the level, the visuals themselves start to distort, with a similar instance of color-inverted, chopped distortion being present, previously seen in 1-X. There is no explicit mention of the virus to the player until after the level is over; Ian explains to Paige and the intern that the virus had once again appeared, this time, in Cole and Nicole. This is the first time that the virus is described as being present in a patient themself, as opposed to simply distorting the wifi signal. This suggests that the virus is less traditional in nature compared to normal computer viruses, hinting that something deeper may be at play.
In Super Battleworn Insomniac, the virus makes its currently final presence. Its strength is much greater this time, causing a blackout in nearly the entire hospital, with many of the hospital's electronics overheating. Ian states that the virus nearly severed the intern's connection to the hospital, and that his phone has also been affected by the virus. As the level starts, the virus distorts the audio and visuals to a more intense degree, once again causing the cardiogram's beats to become unreliable, emphasizing the need for the player to keep their own sense of internal rhythm throughout the level. Toward the start of the interlude, it is shown that the virus has seemingly gained the ability to display invasive notifications, able to flood the intern's screen entirely. As the first interlude begins, Ian questions how "a complete relapse" could have happened in the Insomniac. Shortly thereafter, in the second interlude, the virus rips off a chunk of his heart, changing its color into a dark shade of blue. This causes the Insomniac's beats to be in irregular 7/8th time, as the player has to keep track of this new rhythm for the rest of the level. The visuals then turn into a heavily distorted looping cycle of the player's screen. The audio itself remains intact and helps guide the player into the irregular time signature. After the third interlude, however, the audio becomes distorted, too, challenging the player in a final round as the visuals and audio see their distortions reach their most intense extent yet, becoming almost entirely unhelpful to the player. The distortions are at such an intensity that many players may have to close their eyes and rely solely on their internal rhythm. After the level ends, the virus's influence fades away entirely, as Ian remarks that he was unaware the virus could "infect the building itself." He questions the source of the virus, with Paige suggesting that he may be able to figure it out if they keep working. The Insomniac thanks the doctors shortly after, stating that he "feels like a weight has finally been lifted."
Due to the nature of the game being in Early Access, not much is definitively known about the virus's origin or exact mechanics. It is first depicted as a typical wifi disruption, before shortly demonstrated as having much larger capability than originally predicted. Although not explicitly stated, it can be assumed that the virus had infected the Insomniac himself in 1-XN, given how it had interfered with his heart itself and how it was previously stated by Ian to have been present in Cole and Nicole. It may have been present within the Insomniac in 1-X, too, although this is not known for sure, as the virus's disruptions are at their weakest strength here, and Ian only describes it as having affected the wifi itself, not the patient. The virus seems to have the capability to distort the cardiogram, the video feed of the hospital cameras, the internet connection to the hospital, the electronics of the hospital and "the building itself" as stated by Ian. Its origin and exact mechanisms of infection remain unknown and may be explained once the game's story has been fully released.
Levels
Gallery
The Insomniac's distorted 7/8th heart
The heart's destroyed appearance
