[SPOILER] Who’s who? Penumbra narrative puzzle

[Nycticorax]

Very interesting post. There's a lot of stuff there that I never noticed or thought much about.

I always assumed it was something like option 1-i, but perhaps that it was the Tuurngait hivemind putting him through these tests in his mind, but your explanation of him going through his redemption seems more likely. Even though some things make no sense with this scenario I think it seems to be the best bet.

If you really want to know perhaps you could send an email to the writer, Tom Jubert and see if he wants to clarify things for you. Although the devs seems to have a policy of not answering questions about the game's plot, it might be worth a try.

Thanks for you word, nofsky. I am not too confident about my findings and conclusions, but you're definitely right: I'll try to get some answers from him, if I can draw his attention to this post.

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If you really want to know perhaps you could send an email to the writer, Tom Jubert and see if he wants to clarify things for you. Although the devs seems to have a policy of not answering questions about the game's plot, it might be worth a try.

I've just sent it. Here it is if you're curious. I wonder whether he will answer.

Spoiler below!

Dear Mr Jubert,

As I argue in a post on Fictional Games forum, following in that many critiques, the standing ovation for the Penumbra serie derives for the most part from your excellent scenario. Indeed it has appeared to many Penumbra players that the game, however good it can claim to be, would not have been so immersive, and by the same token would not have provided the player with so a rich experience without you on board.

Never the less, as you may well be aware, gallons of ink have also been spilled on the storyline (mostly on the ending(s)) since the release of the game. For if your scenario is excellent the salient aspects both of the narrative and the playing obviously don't exhaust the story – even in conjunction with the most acute imagination. In fact as I have dared write on the post in question, maybe with possible lack of creative imagination and rigour regarding some details of the game, it seems to me that the reason no one has ever, as far as I know, been successful at resolving what I take to be a genuine narrative puzzle is that it can't possibly be solved.

That is, to put it otherwise, for both endings (in Requiem) and main events in the game to be accounted for one has either to make some very implausible assumptions, or to commit oneself to painful contradictions on behalf both of logics and fictional consistency. Or so I have tried to show.

Be it as it seems, I and other players would be extremely grateful if you could show us which piece(s) of the puzzle is (are) responsible for this conclusion. Of course as an artist you will be unwilling to show your full hand. But what about putting a card or two on the table either via email, or directly in the post I am referring to?

Thankfully yours and looking forward to getting a hand of your future projets,

Nycticorax