Maybe I'm more use to films like Ingmar Bergman, or other movies that touches more with human nature than most. But I don't really see anything too confusing or boring about the ending.
The hives, as mentioned, knew they could lose everything; that you may get revenge on them. I have always figured that the email was sent from him; and YOU'RE reading it.
He states that he will help them by destroying the evidence and their presence basically. then he adds, he lied. So it means he will NOT do that. Also, to back it up, he states that (quote from game) his father promised to destroy the evidence, but Philip says, I however, will not make the same mistakes my father made(end quote). That says again, he is not destroying the evidence, so when "kill them. kill them all" shows up, he wants the hive and the tuurngaite (or whatever) killed off.
POWERFUL. AND BITTERLY TRUE (about the nature of mankind).
A funny paradox, that the alien entity, which at first seems to be an evil lifeform bent on destruction, is revealed to be the real victim of the researchers. And in fact, they themselves became less humane than the otherworldly stranger.
It's all in the title : Penumbra. A half-shadow. A dark shadowy place, but touched by the uncertain rays of a distant light. A grey place. Like the greyness of human nature and the world itself : Nothing is really black or white, everything can be good and evil at the same time... The question is - which of your inner sides do you prefer more ? ;-)
"You... silly Billy !" (Clarence, Penumbra : Black Plague)
Jeremy-Bailey Wrote:Maybe I'm more use to films like Ingmar Bergman, or other movies that touches more with human nature than most. But I don't really see anything too confusing or boring about the ending.
The hives, as mentioned, knew they could lose everything; that you may get revenge on them. I have always figured that the email was sent from him; and YOU'RE reading it.
He states that he will help them by destroying the evidence and their presence basically. then he adds, he lied. So it means he will NOT do that. Also, to back it up, he states that (quote from game) his father promised to destroy the evidence, but Philip says, I however, will not make the same mistakes my father made(end quote). That says again, he is not destroying the evidence, so when "kill them. kill them all" shows up, he wants the hive and the tuurngaite (or whatever) killed off.
The only thing that dissapointed me, is the absence of a climax in the Hive's lair - I was expecting, that I will enter an ancient ice cave of some sort and find an old meteoritic rock or spacecraft burried under the glaciers of Greenland for a few million years (heck, like in Smilla's Sense of Snow or the X-Files ! :-) )... And that only then will the Hive beg me to do, what I must (tell the world about the secret base and seal or destroy it forever)...
"You... silly Billy !" (Clarence, Penumbra : Black Plague)
POWERFUL. AND BITTERLY TRUE (about the nature of mankind).
QFTMFT. Those last lines rung absolutely true and it's incredibly naive to think it would end with Phillip keeping his 'word' considering the hell he has been through.
(02-28-2008, 11:11 PM)Doffy90 Wrote: I think the creators should issue a statement and give us a direct detailed article of the plot as people (including myself) are confused.
meh, to be honest I would just go and read some other stuff rather bothering with this mess. Plus Penumbra is discontinued indefinitely, so why not just go and read something that actually has a storyline that you can understand/appreciate and keep you thinking on. Remember, a good story is one that does all 3 things, if the story has one of the 3 missing, its a bad story... full stop.
Its like an abstract painting, you find your own interpretation, its still a bad painting though.
(02-15-2008, 02:38 AM)WindexGlow Wrote: This Topic Contains Huge Spoilers About Ending. Please Do Not Read Unless You Have Completed The Game Or Enjoy Having Things Ruined For You.
As I did with overture, let’s disect this alittle. But, there isn’t much to disect at all.
In the end (rather confusing) Philip writes the email to someone (you). You receive parts of this email with the intruduction in Penumbra Overture and Penumbra Black Plague, along with the final part.
Here are these parts.
Spoiler below!
There are things I need of you. Things you may not understand, and may not wish to do, but please, do not make the same mistakes I did.
My father, Howard, deserted me before I was born. I could claim the loss of my mother, and the letter I received after her funeral, blinded me to what I had to do. It would be a lie:
Human nature sealed my downfall.
My name is Philip. If we are lucky, then by the time you receive this, I will be dead.
If fate frowns, we all perish.
[black plague]
There are things I need of you. Things you may not understand, and may not wish to do, but please, do not make the same mistakes I did.
My father, Howard, sent me a letter last year that led me into all this. To think that such a small event can change your life in such a violent way.
Here are the loading-notes from both Overture and Black Plague (hopefully in order)
Spoiler below!
As I stepped off the boat, setting out into the blizzard that had formed around me, I realised how utterly devoted I'd been to the discovery of my father's past. I had no idea what to expect
Soon enough, my concerns were justified. I don't know whether I lost my orientation, or my spirit, first, but I lost feeling in my extremities soon after, and knew hypothermia was setting in. I started looking for shelter.
------
Whatever I was descending into, it was a hundred feet below ground, protected by two solid, metal hatches, located in a remote, arctic wilderness, and buried beneath the snow. I didn't know what to expect, but it made me feel something I hadn't felt since I was a child.
I'd never given it much thought before, but I realised that our entire society is a network of safety nets: emergency services at the end of a phone line; health and safety in the workplace; friends; family; lovers. All there, if something goes wrong, part of a carefully designed structure to prevent all but the most mundane of emotions.
Once again, I felt like I did when I was in school, surrounded by a closing ring of older kids, knowing anyone that might help me - friends, parents, teachers - were too scared, or too far away.
------
When I look back, I can't think what spurred me to go deeper into the mine. Perhaps it was arrogance at still being alive; or something as ridiculous as facing adversity, and coming out on top.
Now, I know I would have been better off starving, or being mauled to death, than kick starting the chain of events that lead me to end up here, writing to you. I just hope, once you understand my story, you will have what's necessary to put an end to this tale
I certainly didn't.
------
It seems so strange now, to have been guided like a blind man, by a faceless stranger whose sanity was clearly waning, disposition unknown. For all I knew, this 'Red' didn't even have a disposition to speak of, just a seething mass of conflicting emotions.
I knew that my radio reliant friend must have been cocooned nearby, and perhaps in finding him, I would find myself one step closer to understanding what was going on. In just a couple of hours I would find what I was looking for, and with it would come answers.
I didn't realise at the time, but the answers I found would be for questions I hadn't even asked.
------
As I stepped into the mouth of the underground facility, there should have been questions, fears, doubts running through me. Instead, I was torn in two
Part of me, I felt, had died, along with my only ally, and friend. His final words had raised more questions than they'd answered, and I couldn't get his screams for help out of my head, despite knowing, deep down, that the pain I had caused Red was, itself, all the help I could have offered him. I was alone again, but I had nothing to do, other than press on into the unknown.
If I'd felt so bad about Red, I should have listened to him and stayed where I was. I would trade his fate a hundred times for my own.
The other side of me was looking forward, to what might await me in my continued journey. I felt sure that I would soon find some clue or other to my father's fate, and that he was inextricably linked to everything that was happening.
I also couldn't help but suspect that everything I had seen up until that point was just symptomatic of whatever lay beyond the threshold.
I know now, I was right.
---
I wasn't sure how long I'd been out, but my head still hurt - either it hadn't been long, or they hit me really hard.
I didn't have a clue what was going on and, all of a sudden, I really didn't care. I was getting out.
------
If this 'stronghold' was anything like as elaborate as its security, I was in for an experience. I didn't know what to expect, but I was getting used to that.
------
The sewers seemed like the only route out, but it wasn't out I wanted anymore. My father had found something, and I needed to know what - without that, everything would have been for nothing.
------
Infected. I'd skipped a beat when I heard that word in association with me. Still, it seemed like just one more reason to find my father. Hearing a friendly voice hadn't hurt either - but by that point, I was pretty certain she'd turn out to be crazy.
------
Savaged, infected, terrified... and now I was hearing voices. Yep, just about everyone down here turns out to be crazy, even me. Regardless, I needed to find a way through and into the library.
------
I'd picked up some baggage on the way, but finally I was close to my goal. I was sure answers lay behind that door. They were answers I should have set out to find when I received my father's letter in 2000. Why did I wait a whole year to come here?
---
I barely even thought about my father's death - I guess I wasn't expecting to find him any other way. I was determined to complete his work, find an answer to the infection and then contact the 'hive'.
------
A cure! I had my doubts by then, but I didn't have much choice. I resolved to find Amabel, and put things right.
-------
With the substance in tow, I was close to ridding myself of the disease. Once that was done, I hoped I'd be able to contact the Tuurngait mind, as had my father. I had to know what it was they'd told him to make him give up like that. I had to put an end to this.
------
I still have no words for what Clarence did. For what I did. I held my anger tight to my chest, and used it. I used it to keep going. I intended to use it to cure myself of Clarence forever.
And, the final end log of the game.
Spoiler below!
execute: email.exe - compose
-------
There are things I need of you. Things you may not understand, and may not wish to do, but please, do not make the same mistakes I did.
-------
'Will you do this for me?' it asked, and I said that I would.
I promised the hive that I would contact someone I could trust, that I would have them destroy all evidence of this place, just as my father had promised himself. I, however, will not make the same mistakes my father made - you now understand the truth of the events that lead me here, and the imeasurable importance of my words. Armed with this knowledge, you must have the strength to do that which I could not.
The Tuurngait was quite correct - we humans are a dangerous, headless heard, but intelligent individuals. The members of this facility sought to reveal and control the Tuurngait, and the Tuurngait turned to me for salvation. The hive ran its tests on me - and I jumped through its hoops like the monkey it took me for.
But I am no monkey.
The Tuurngait was right - I am entirely unlike it: I had more in common with Clarence.
I promised I would send this email to you. I promised I would ask that you keep all humans from this place - for the sake of the Tuurngait, and for the human race. I lied.
------
If we are lucky, then by the time you read this, I will be dead.
If fate frowns, we all perish.
------
The North-Western Mine is located at reference N81.6914, W58.3154.
Kill them.
Kill them all.
------
Message Sent
------
The End
Of course, we can’t forget about our dear, dear old friend red! Red did have tuurgats, from this message here.
Clarance (voice in head)
Spoiler below!
Yet, this is not the first time... another was infected... Red... he so wanted to, but we would not let him die.
I’m positive there were more references towards red; but I can’t find any..strange. But I’m not looking too hard; I just did a ctrl+f in the lang files.
The ending really confused me. Did Philip destroy the place; or did he ask people to kill everything inside (the opposite of what the TheHive wanted to do)
No special pictures I guess, the ending doesn’t leave you with too much to discuss.
I would like to add, that the coordinates N81.6914, W58.3154 are nothing special; in fact it's just miles of blank snow there.
But I'm honestly shocked Frictional, SHAME ON YOU for actually killing red off! And howard, but no one cares about him anyway. Red was our friend!
maybe the mine hatch is hidden by the snow (posibility?)
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The Ending [Reveled][Major Spoilers]
