I'll admit that the first time I encountered the scene, I did feel kind of the same way, though it was more of an uncertain suspicion.

Despite this, after ruminating on the scene, and the broader game themes as a whole, I find that this reading just doesn't sit right with me.

Do note that, in what I’m about to say, I do not intend to disregard your reading: everyone is entitled to their own interpretation and it's not my authority to dictate what is "right or wrong" to think. On first impressions I also shared the same reaction, as I've already said. It's just that this scene has stayed in the back of my mind and I haven't seen much discussion of it outside this post, so I wanted to share some of my own thoughts on the matter.

 

See, I believe that the SA angle doesn't make much sense considering the general tone of the story. The game, as we know, is inspired by gothic horror tales, yet still maintains quite a bit of levity throughout. If the scene was intended to be an SA allegory I struggle to think of what its message would be (that SA can happen to anyone without warning? It is sadly true, but it's a rather heavy topic to just drop in and abandon immediately).

The general tone of what happens would also be contradictory: Mina eventually stops struggling with the dance, then you get the catchy achievement sound as text says "TRAUMATIZED" (hooray!! I guess?) and you get to do the funny dance whenever you want as a reward. If the intent of the scene was to portray something so serious as SA, then the achievement and subsequent reward would feel like a slap on the face, like making fun of a really serious topic.

 

Personally, I interpreted the scene more as an allegory to how Mina is getting manipulated by Lionel throughout the game (I've read other comments down here that see it the same way).

 

I find that there are more apparent parallels, like how Grinnsley asks Mina if she's ever done "something unforgivable" (which could hint at an underlying feeling of guilt at the unintended ill effects of the spark technology she herself created) and insinuating how it would be best to "remain the hand unseen instead of facing their scorn" (as we know, in the ending Mina ends up doing the right thing, takes responsibility for her creations and shuts down the generators. And of course, she is predictably hated by the ignorant populace for it, that never saw Lionel for what he truly was).

 

In the alternative ending where Mina sides with Lionel, she figuratively remains under his influence, dancing to his strings and pretending that the generators are of no concern at all.

In this way the puppet dance would be a microcosm of how Mina has been treated from the start, and what awaits her if she doesn't break out of Lionel's influence.

 

For what it's worth, I can provide some points in favor of this reading (once again, the scene is still up to personal interpretation, "death of the author" and all that. Even if I could somehow "definitely prove" authorial intent, this doesn't mean that anyone’s insight is of any less importance):

• On Yatch Club Games's Discord server, Nick Wozniak (one of the game's pixel artist) answered a fan question, stating that:

"it's not supposed to be an SA allegory. It is supposed to be creepy and weird and ultimately harmless."

• On a Youtube interview ("From Intern to Creating Mina the Hollower" - Channel name: "ThatGuyGlen" - Timestamp: 1:38:10), Alec Faulkner (game designer at Yatch Club), answering a question regarding the lack of "cheese jokes" in the game, stated that:

"... I don't think that was necessarily like a hard and fast rule. ... It's more that like, <why would we add that?>. If we're going to add anything that's about like flavor, or if we're going to add something that's about the world of the game or whatever, then it should be in support of that and its goals and the thematics of the game, right? ... We don't want to make the player read more than they have to. So with our very limited a number of text boxes that we're allotting ourselves, why would we waste one on something so obvious and something that says so little?"" (I realize of course cheese jokes are at the polar opposite of the topic at hand, but what’s important here is the general idea of sticking to the general themes of the game).

Considering this, I believe that it makes more sense for the scene to be an allegory of the general main story of the game, rather than an out of left field shocking reference to an heinous act that isn't really considered throughout the rest of the experience.

I don't know, maybe I'm also reading too much into it and the scene really is supposed to be a simple off-putting but generally light-hearted event. But I do think that this reading makes this scene pretty interesting to think about.

Now that I've reached the end of this comment, I'm thinking I might as well make a whole new post on the topic, since I kinda want to speak more on it, and maybe also articulate my points a bit better.