Game os great, yet ending really terrible

[iTIMMEH]

I was disappointed by the endings, it seemed no effort had been put into making them thought provoking or satisfying at all. The 'bad' ending was fine and what would have been expected. The other two were pretty rubbish. SPOILERS incoming for those of you reading a thread about the ending before completing the game!

So, option 1: Destroy the portal, kill Alexander, don't help Agrippa. Near the end, Daniel realises he has become something of a monster, accepting responsibility for his crimes and questioning the value of his life when compared to the things he has done. Then all of a sudden it's all Alexander's fault and off he goes to get revenge for being made to do these awful things. You get your revenge and trot off out into the world satisfied that you've done the right thing. I found this to be pretty childish. Daniel attributes his actions to someone else, kills them for manipulating him and then walks away free?

The alternative is helping Agrippa to find Weyer. In this ending you throw Agrippa into the portal, leaving both Daniel and Alexander at the mercy of the shadow. I felt that this was the best ending, with Daniel accepting responsibility for his actions and paying the price but finding redemption in helping someone else. This should have been the most satisfying ending but it didn't fell like it, with revenge being the more developed conclusion.

[Spiegelman]

So, option 1: Destroy the portal, kill Alexander, don't help Agrippa.

The alternative is helping Agrippa to find Weyer.

I felt like the Daniel ending and Alexander ending had the least closure, while the Agrippa ending was pretty explanatory (redemption, won't suffer for his sins).

In the Daniel ending, we don't know for sure if he's safe from the shadow. Remember he had to sacrifice others to keep the shadow at bay? Killing Alexander could have been considered a sacrifice and considering Alexander's status, he was a powerful one at that, more than capable of keeping the shadow away for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised to see a sequel where Daniel is living his life and three years later, he starts seeing that red tissue or having nightmares.

The Alexander ending was open as well, as we don't know what really happens when people are consumed by the shadow. Obviously we think they die, but they could become a part of the shadow. Maybe everyone who's stolen an orb and died from the shadow became the next guardian? So we may see a mention of Daniel in the sequel as some malevolent being.

See? Open endings aren't that bad; you can draw a lot of outcomes yourself. Also, the human mind works in a way that we always want to seek closure. If we're left with a cliffhanger ending, most of the time we'll think it's a horrible ending (I remember reading something on this a long time ago). Regardless, I think at least those two endings are set up for a sequel. It will be interesting to see which way Frictional takes it.

[iTIMMEH]

I felt like the Daniel ending and Alexander ending had the least closure, while the Agrippa ending was pretty explanatory (redemption, won't suffer for his sins).
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Oh I agree it has the most closure, it just felt it had been given less attention than Daniel walking away with his little monologue and all.

Regarding standing the shadow, if you stand on the fleshy stuff long enough at any point in the game you die, and the people it killed before you died so I think it's a safe assumption that you just end up dead.

Coming back to Daniel walking away, his attitude of self-righteousness at having done 'the right thing' and paid the price for his acts with the ordeals he endured and killing Alexander annoyed me; he absolutely did not deserve to walk out with a clear conscience. There is some ambiguity with him walking off into the light, he could be free or there could be more to it. Earlier in the game it's stated that even if the orb is destroyed the shadow will still come for him but this could have just been Alexander lying to prevent Daniel from destroying his way home.

If there's such a thing as Karma he stepped out into the sun and a stone dropped on his head.

[Nemoder]

I also felt the endings were rather weak. There didn't seem to be any moral quandary at all as it was clear both Alexander and Daniel had committed vile acts to meet their own ends. There wasn't any further explanation of what the orbs really were or what was in the other world. Not that I think everything needs to be fully explained but at least some expansion on the story would have been welcome.

I think Black Plague had a more interesting story and a much more enjoyable ending. But I suppose the attention to graphical detail, game mechanics and overall immersion in Amnesia makes up for it.