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Baldi's Basics Wiki
Spoiler 99
Oh noes! Something isn't adding up!
This article is focused on the deep lore of the Baldi's Basics series, possibly containing some spoilers of it.
99
Null\nNkpNmiJUjrpGJjtmOEHnQgVIjRDjeIDnvNnyGybYAWvhjaPnjIDhPBVnaGkVAWmdeG

—The encoded secret message

Cheatexp Discord

User "cheatexp" discovering the secret message and posting it on Discord.

The secret message was an unsolved mystery hinted at[1][2] by mystman12 hidden in Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered.

Description[]

Multiple components are needed to decode the secret message:

  1. The description of NULL Style: "Null\nNkpNmiJUjrpGJjtmOEHnQgVIjRDjeIDnvNnyGybYAWvhjaPnjIDhPBVnaGkVAWmdeG".
  2. The alphabet from the spelling room in Baldi's Basement: "WPKAXMQEYBUJDONSTGHCFVZILR".
  3. A Vigenère cipher.

Removing the "Null\n" part of the NULL style's description (because that is part of a programming string), the result is "NkpNmiJUjrpGJjtmOEHnQgVIjRDjeIDnvNnyGybYAWvhjaPnjIDhPBVnaGkVAWmdeG". When inserted into a Vigenère cipher with the alphabet from the spelling classroom, and using the key "NULL", the result is: "WhaTgoODisaCIpheRIFtHeIRiSNocONteXtuAljUSTificAtiONfORItsExISTencE". This will make a sentence called: "What good is a cipher if their is no contextual justification for its existence".

History[]

On October 21, 2023, the 1 year anniversary of Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered, mystman12 posted a tweet asking if anyone has "found the secret message yet".[1] After no correct replies, he responded to one of the replies with that, "when someone figures it out, it will be obvious that it's *the* secret message!".[3] 3 days after the original tweet, mystman12 gave out two hints on how to find the secret message[2], those being that:

  1. No hacking is required. This isn't something buried in the game files.
  2. If something isn't randomized, it's probably intentional.
Alphabet Sheet

The alphabet sheet.

After a few months with no developments by other people, user QwertyPc_Game17, also known as Qwerty started actively working on finding the secret message, and on February 19, 2024, posted a Twitter/X thread regarding her personal developments.[4] In the thread, Qwerty theorized that the Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered rare game over screen after NULL Style was beaten could be a link towards the secret message, due to the notes that play during the "NullEnds" audio are not randomized.[5]

2 hours later, mystman12 replied to the thread using his Out of Context Files on my Computer Twitter/X account, posting the texture used for the Spelling Room alphabet contained in Baldi's Basement.[6] Following this response, Qwerty started working on a Google Doc describing all of her personal and general developments on finding the secret message[7], as well as getting help from the unofficial Baldi's Basics Wiki Discord Server.

NullEnds Spectrogram

The Spectrogram of NullEnds.wav that Qwerty attempted to analyze

Qwerty mainly worked on trying to decode the audio from the rare game over screen from Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered, attempting to assign the notes from the file to fixed wavelengths in the hopes that the notes could be translated to the alphabet from the "Spelling" classroom.[8] This eventually turned out to be a bust, and mystman12 later clarified that those notes were generated using a program, and not related to the secret message in anyway.

Qwerty and others also started working on the Alphabet in the "Spelling" classroom, following mystman12's response. Aside from the non-alphabetical order the letters are in, people also attempted analyzing more details in the room, such as that some letters appear to be crooked or hanging loose from the wall, or the colors that some letters are.[9] Other attempts were counting the space differences between the letters in the Alphabet, as well as looking for more hints in Baldi's Basement, with no luck.[10]

AnthonyHampton Discord1

Anthony shares his personal opinion regarding the current developments

On February 26, 2024, Anthony Hampton posted a message in the Baldi's Basics Wiki Discord Server, sharing that Qwerty is further ahead than himself on solving the secret message and stating that he is very impressed.[11]

At 14:37 March 14, 2024, user Gjlewis posted a message in the Discord, asking Qwerty if she "ever [tried] using the Null Style's description to solve at finding the hidden message".[12] While others replied that they've already tried using the text for decoding, user cheatexp, who also contributed to the Google Doc (credited under the username CheatingEXPLOITATION)[13] attempted to work with it, and asking others if they removed "the NULL /n", clarifying that it has to be removed as it is part of the string of code. At 14:40, cheatexp posted a screenshot of the decoded NULL Style description, and thereby being the very first person to find the secret message[14]. At first people assumed it was simply a well hidden Easter Egg, before realization struck that this truly is the secret message. cheatexp later posted their findings on Twitter/X, asking mystman12 for clarification if the secret message has truly been found,[15] to which mystman12 replied in a quote retweet as of 20:03 March 15, 2024.[16]

Due to this major development, Qwerty wrote an ending paragraph to the Google Doc, stating that the secret message truly has been found and her personal feelings on the matter, concluding the Google Doc and the search for the secret message.[17]

Trivia[]

  • The result of the secret message is presumably a reference to some ARG (Alternate Reality Game) cliches. Notably, how some ARGs use many ciphers for encoded messages for puzzles.
  • In the secret page on the Basically, Games! website, a hyperlink for the ambience heard after inserting the password is hidden just below Micah's signature, with the only way to see it being if a cursor were to be hovering over it or if the hyperlink was highlighted. If this will have any significance later on is up for speculation, however.
  • Prior to April 19, 2024, the Basically, Games! website 404 page began "corrupting", showing imagery of Null and the word "NULL" throughout the entire webpage, before being reverted. As of April 19, 2024, a new webpage has been revealed referencing the secret message, requiring a password.[18] It is to be believed that this directly follows up the secret message.
    • The password for the hidden message is "!IMPORTANT.videogamesarelinks". If this password has been entered properly, then the page with the title "I hope this wasn't too hard to solve." shows a hidden message. The message says the following:
Click the [show] tag to view.

I don't know where NULL came from. He just showed up in the game. I didn't bother removing him because his presence seemed like something people would love to theorize about. I may not have gotten a Game Theory video out of it, but he still got a lot of people's attention! For that, I'm very thankful. I'm not sure where he is now, and that's why I'm leaving this message. I locked it behind a little bit of puzzle solving, of course! Being the developer of the game I had some extra insight into the secret messages NULL left and was able to crack them before anyone else. He's got some very strange things to say indeed…

Anyways, where is NULL now? I don't have a clue. From my playtesting and all the gameplay videos I've seen, I've gathered that NULL seems to be present in each copy of Baldi's Basics Classic/Classic Remastered, but in Remastered he vanishes after players find the true ending which restores the game to its intended state. What happened to him, I'm not sure. What I do know is that people attribute his existence to me. Legally speaking, Basically Games, LLC owns the copyrights for NULL.

Now normally I wouldn't think twice about that, but I recently thought of a potential problem… What exactly happens if NULL shows up somewhere else? What if he shows up in YOUR game? Is he even limited to games? Can he appear in movies and music and other forms of media? Has he truly been nullified or is he hiding somewhere else? Basically, if someone is working on a project of their own and NULL shows up and stubbornly refuses to go away as he did to me, I don't want anyone to worry about their project being in jeopardy of legal complications.

Additionally, I have no desire to use the character myself in the future. I toyed with the idea of allowing NULL in Baldi's Basics Plus if he showed up, but I ended of coming up with a story of my own I want to tell (Admittedly, taking a little inspiration from NULL) and I don't want him interfering with that. If I ever see him again while working on Plus, I will ensure he is removed entirely before releasing the game.

So, with all that said… I'm dedicating the “fictional character” "NULL" from the "Baldi's Basics" series to the public domain by marking it with the CC0 1.0 Universal license. This means ANYONE can use the character in ANY PROJECT in ANY WAY they choose without any need to get permission or licensing from Basically Games, LLC. A free game where you play as NULL? A theatrical film featuring NULL as a sidekick? Mass produced NULL plushies? An unfunny insurance ad where NULL dabs? That is now all legally okay as is any other use of the character.

For the full legally binding details, please refer to the CC0 1.0 Universal legal code. There is a copy of the license below for posterity.

It is important for you to understand the following limitations on the scope of the work dedicated to the public domain and marked with the CC0 1.0 Universal deed:

  • This dedication ONLY includes "NULL" the "fictional character" from the "Baldi's Basics" series. No other Baldi's Basics character, asset, work of authorship, copyrighted material, or any other intellectual property owned by Basically Games, LLC and/or by Micah McGonigal is being dedicated. Basically Games, LLC and Micah McGonigal expressly retain and reserve all intellectual property rights in and to all characters, assets, works of authorship, copyrighted material, and other intellectual property except for the dedication of the copyright in the “NULL” character to the public domain in accordance with the CC0 1.0 Universal license.
  • This dedication only includes the “NULL” CHARACTER. This does not include NULL's in-game sprites, audio, dialogue or other assets found in the Baldi's Basics games. If NULL appears in your work, just make sure he is not using assets identical to those found in Baldi's Basics. The appearance/voice/behavior can essentially be the same of course, just don't rip assets from other works using the character.
  • Many people have said NULL bears a strong resemblance to, and sounds a lot like, myself. While I agree the resemblance is there (Which is definitely pretty spooky), this dedication does NOT include my (Micah McGonigal's) likeness or voice. If you decide to use NULL in your work, do not base his appearance, likeness, or voice off of mine. (Micah McGonigal’s appearance, likeness, and voice are not deemed parts of the “NULL” character dedicated to the public domain.) Pretty much all fan interpretations I've seen of the character to date are fine in this regard.
  • Finally, this dedication should not be confused with characters of the same name owned by third parties.


That should cover everything (But again, the full CC0 1.0 Universal legal code is where you'll find all the legal details, disclaimers and limitations you need to worry about in regards to the dedicated work as explained above). I certainly hope I get to meet NULL again someday. It would be nice to catch up, though I somehow doubt the feeling would be mutual…

With that, I want to say thank you for playing my games and congratulations on cracking the secret message!

Best regards,
 Micah McGonigal

Audio[]

Audio Description
The background ambience of the hidden message after guessing the password correctly.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Also, I have to ask... Has anyone found the secret message yet?" - mystman12. Twitter/X
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Okay so from what I can tell no one's found the secret message so I'll stop being stubborn and offer a couple hints! First, no hacking is required. This isn't something buried in the game files. Second, if something isn't randomized, it's probably intentional." - mystman12. Twitter/X
  3. "I don't want to give too much of a hint but it's the sort of thing that, when someone figures it out, it will be obvious that it's *the* secret message!" - mystman12. Twitter/X
  4. "Day [I don't know anymore] of searching for the secret message in Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered: I think I *might* have found something." - Qwerty. Twitter/X
  5. "This is something new in BBCR This isn't randomized, compared to the other sounds If this is the secret message, it would explain why "No hacking is required. [It] isn't something buried in the game files." Hacking cannot find the Message, as it's hidden in an *Audio File*." - Qwerty. Twitter/X
  6. "Alphabet_Sheet.png" - Out of Context Files on my Computer. Twitter/X
  7. Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered’s: SECRET MESSAGE by QwertyPc_Game17 | Google Doc
  8. BBCR [NullEnds] NOTES by QwertyPc_Game17 | Google Sheets
  9. Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered’s: SECRET MESSAGE, The Image/Alphabet. | Google Doc
  10. Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered’s: SECRET MESSAGE, Analysis & Attempts | Google Doc
  11. "gotta say (and i mean this 100%) @QwertyPc_Game17 is the farthest along the secret message search in the community, farther more than pretty much everyone (getting past what i knew i'm very impressed) the furthest i had known and gotten was knowing it was related to the alphabet in the basement classroom, and mystman12 even sent them the alphabet sheet to verify it. the beeping? entirely new discovery no one had realized before too. qwerty is not only the furthest along but i'd say miles past where most people are. they're gonna be the one to solve it no doubt" - Anthony Hampton. Discord
  12. "@QwertyPc_Game17 Hey not sure if this one's helpful or not, but have you ever try using the Null Style's description to solve at finding the hidden message?" - Gjlewis. Discord
  13. Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered’s: SECRET MESSAGE, The Notes/Outsider Help! | Google Doc
  14. "has anyone found this before" - cheatexp. Discord
  15. "@mystman12 is the bbcr secret message "what good is a cipher if their is no contextual justification for its existence" or is this just like an easter egg or something" - cheatexp. Twitter/X
  16. "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FOUND THE SECRET MESSAGE! NOW ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS... FIND THE CONTEXTUAL JUSTIFICATION FOR ITS EXISTENCE! HAHAHAAAAAA!" - mystman12. Twitter/X
  17. Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered’s: SECRET MESSAGE, The secret message | Google Doc
  18. "PROOF OF CONTEXTUAL JUSTIFICATION REQUIRED" - https://www.basicallygames.com/nullcanreturntoyouby

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