Feedback wanted: Some questions on Ending (spoilerish)

[Thomas]

Now that a many of you have completed the game, we would like to take the opportunity and ask some questions related to the Ending and the story as a whole.

Here goes:

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?

3) How did you like the ending?

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?

[Dyni Crippler]

My ending was the good one, the one with Agrippa.
It was my choice, 'cause I really felt bad for Agrippa.

I also watched the other endings on Youtube (I couldn't resist :\).

The Agrippa's ending actually felt kind of empty... could have been better.
The other ones were pretty cool, instead. I think I'll try to get the Revenge one next time.

[Headhanger]

I got the "revenge" ending.

I thought I was going for the good-guy sort of ending because I helped with Agrippa's tonic and all that. The thing is that once I found I could lower the lightning barrier into the orb chamber, I just found myself being driven on. If Agrippa's disembodied voice had reminded me of what I was supposed to do, I might have seen the folly of my ways.

The sounds of the nightmare chasing me was enough to speed my progress so much that I had forgotten what Agrippa had said about slinging his head around.

Oh well, I guess Daniel gets to keep a grisly trophy from his travels to Prussia.

I'd like to play the game again and see the other endings, but I don't think my nerves can take all that again right away. The experience would be somewhat diluted too since I would have vivid memories of where the all of the scares are.

Daniel seems to have been the sort of person who would not, under normal circumstances, bring harm to others for his own gain. Unfortunately he was driven, slowly, to do cruel and wicked things by desperation and a master manipulator (Alexander).

I still question his use of the amnesia potion. I can see how well it fits as a plot device, and the reasoning he had for imbibing it in the first place, but he must have guessed that he'd discover more and more about his past the closer he got to Alexander to exact his revenge. He was desperate to forget the reprehensible things he had done, but simultaneously planned to commit murder straight after that.

I think that Alexander lost the plot a few years (decades?) back and forgot what put him on that road in the first place. He probably relished in corrupting Daniel.

Agrippa is more of a grey area for me. I'd need to think more on him to make up my mind.

I liked the ending I got, but I was half expecting the final door to Brennenburg to slam shut just before Daniel reached it, turning his victorious air of confidence and righteousness into sudden dread and hopelessness.

[Dyni Crippler]

I liked the ending I got, but I was half expecting the final door to Brennenburg to slam shut just before Daniel reached it, turning his victorious air of confidence and righteousness into sudden dread and hopelessness.

That would have been too cruel.

[kastanok]

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.

I need to die, I have done awful things and the only way to stop the Guardian killing more innocents is for it to take me. Alexander is twisted but on the whole more logical than malicious. Still, despite his genius he too is too dangerous to let live. Who knows what he'd do with the power of the orb!? And Agrippa, well he was probably just as perverted as the two of us but he seemed a good enough man. He didn't deserve to suffer like that, maybe doing as he asked would be best.

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?

I knocked over the pylons, feeling rather confused and wondering if that was necessary to proceed. I waited around a little bit but nothing happened and Alexander just looked at me, silent, so I felt forced into that path.

3) How did you like the ending?

I was left in a state of bewilderment. In my review notes I wrote 'Ending: Bwuh?'. Granted, it felt like the kind of thing Daniel would have done, but then wasn't I Daniel now?

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?

I loaded the Orb Chamber again and tried both other endings, largely out of curiosity to see how it unfolded and what the final cinematics were. Out of the three, my favourite was throwing in Agrippa because everyone got what was coming to them and it felt like a neat, tidy conclusion.


As far as endings go, I did find myself wishing that I could end it earlier by leaving the castle. There are several times that Daniel passes great sets of double doors that I presume lead to the outside, and while it would have curtailed the story I experienced, running away again felt like how Daniel/I would respond having lost his/my memories. After all running away is what he has done all the way up until this point.

[lherrmann]

I had the revenge ending first. When I entered the chamber for the first time, I was a little exhausted from playing through the whole game essentially in a single session. (I have to congratulate you! I was so fascinated by the whole game from start to finish, I never found any moment to really take a break. )

I kind of expected an epic boss-puzzle-fight and immediately started to examine the pylons. Since they were unstable, I pushed them over as fast as I could because I was afraid of what would happen, when the orb was fully charged. I was surprised (and also a bit disappointed) when I realized that this was the whole encounter. So the revenge ending was not really a choice for me, but rather my instinct for self-preservation.

Afterwards, I visited this forum and noticed a thread about different endings upon which I immediately restarted the game and watched both of the other ones.

I think, I like the Agrippa ending best (partly because it leaves the most room for some kind of a sequel )

[sacroid]

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.

I felt bad for Daniel (or me xD) because he did bad things, he even killed people. Alexander? Just an awful man, he only cares about him, and just simply enjoys killing people and torturing them. I have no idea what he would do with the power of the orb... Agrippa was a very misterious character, but I liked him, he's, in some way: "cool", he didn't deserved what they have done to him...

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?

The ending I got was the "revenge" one. Just like kastanok, I felt forced to throw the pylons down, because Alexander was simply staring at me after his speech, so I threw the pylons and got that ending.

3) How did you like the ending?

I liked it, I wasn't expecting especting an "open ending", I thought it would explain what was going to happen after (example, what was going to do Daniel or like that) But I still liked it! The game really deserved to get finished.

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?

Yes, I got the bad ending where Daniel let's Alexander go to the other world and he dies. I didn't like that ending much, I prefer 100 times more the revenge one. I still need to try the Agrippa's ending.

---
Thank you FG, this game was the best survival horror game ever created.

[ploppytheman]

Now that a many of you have completed the game, we would like to take the opportunity and ask some questions related to the Ending and the story as a whole.

Here goes:

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?

3) How did you like the ending?

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?

1) I felt Daniel had been manipulated by Alexander although Daniel was still complient due to the fact that he killed innocent people. I felt Agrippa might be good but really have no basis for it. Alexander was definitely evil and I thought he might still be manipulating me at this point and I was doing his bidding even if I thought I was stopping him.

2) I got the good ending b/c I waited for a bit but didn't see an option to throw Agrippa's head into the portal, so I figured I was supposed to knock the pillars down. I think it was too long of a wait w/o any feedback, if the portal was gradually opening to a point where you knew it was open (rather than looking static for a long time) I would have thrown Agrippa's head in first. I did get all 3 endings later.

3) I didn't like it as much as Penumbra I'm sorry to say as it really is a cliffhanger/open ended rather than explanatory/revealing which is a disappointment.

4) I got 2/3 (watched the "bad" ending on youtube). Sometimes the mechanics in the game are a bit confusing and not clear at first. I thought my only option was to push the pillars down and THAT would let me choose something. Unfortunately it was the ending. Maybe Agrippa could have said said wait for the portal to open when you start pushing, or if the portal opened slowly but so anyone could tell immediately. A little more guidance in important parts (like with Red in Penumbra) would be helpful.

[Commando Peach]

My feelings on the characters? Alexander was straight up evil. He liked to talk like he was all morally ambiguous, but he was sacrificing whoever he needed to attain a higher level of power, and I see no gray area for him to stand in there. Period. Daniel I was also less than happy with by the end of the game. I feel like he was manipulated, yes, but it's a kind of piss poor excuse when he even says in his own diary that he realizes full well that he's moved on to murdering to save his own hide, and then proceeds to play the coward because he can't take the heat he's brought on himself. He's fundamentally selfish (even at the start of all this, he's trapped by his own greed and only saved by some miracle to which he sounds more self-entitled than grateful), and by the end he can't accept the fate that he just plain has coming and instead chooses to forget. Agrippa I feel like I didn't know well enough to make any fair judgment on. He seems pleasant enough, but I just don't feel like I even formed a connection with him one way or another. I felt like I needed to help him out of pity for what had been done to him (which, by the way, it's strange to find yourself feeling more sympathy for a side character you barely know than the protagonist whose shoes you fill).

In all, I'd say that the Penumbra series did a much better job of casting characters that had true moral ambiguity. By the end of Black Plague, I just had no idea who the good guys were anymore, and it really did shake me a little. I'd never felt that way after a game's end before. Amnesia felt a little more justified.

I got the revenge ending first, and like others said before me, it was 100% due to lack of input on any other path. I wanted to save Agrippa and had made the tonic, but then found myself feeling forced into toppling the towers just to trigger anything. I agree that ominous messages from Agrippa or taunting from Alexander would have helped me realize that I had to first wait for the portal and then decide what path I would take. So no, I do not feel like the ending was by choice. I had no idea what toppling the pillars would do, it just was the only thing that felt like progress.

The ending felt kind of expected. Alexander gets fed to the shadows, Daniel has his happily ever afters. I went back and got the other two endings and found that I liked the Agrippa ending much more, even if it felt a little bland. By far the ending that evoked the most emotion was the ending where Alexander enters the portal, but it was really mostly a feeling of desperation as I was left behind for the shadow to devour, one that would have probably been much stronger had Alexander been taunting me for so long that I never figured out how to defeat him (locking me into my own destruction).

I LOVED the game overall, but I can't say any of the endings particularly thrilled me. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown out of the water either. That's my $.02, at least.

[Tanshaydar]

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.

I actually remembered how Philip in Penumbra says "Human nature sealed my downfall". Daniel was afraid, too afraid that he lost sight of himself, and needed a guide, where Alexander takes the role. Bad chance.

Hell, as I learnt about myself, I first had sympathy for myself, and I thought I was a good, innocent man. But little little, I started to disgust myself.
At the end. I didn't have sympathy for Daniel, as I did for Philip. Daniel is a poor man and all I felt for him was pity. He unsealed a power he didn't even know about. He just tried to rescue himself from the shadow.
Alexander is an usual antagonist. He's a baron who have some mystic knowledge, and it's inevitable for him to seek power. I understand him very well. I have no feeling for him, even hate. But it was needed to take revenge, as every act has its own outcomes. But I think he deserved a more cruel ending.
Agrippa? I didn't know about him much, but he behaves sincerely, which is enough for me to have some sympathy for him. Actually I think he's quite like Red.

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?

I took revenge ending first, and it's the best ending for me. It actually wasn't a choice, as I didn't know what to do and tried to interact with the environment. After second playthrough, I knew that a portal would open, so I waited for it. But it was to see other endings. I still prefer revenge ending.

3) How did you like the ending?
I liked the revenge ending most, but how Daniel relieved himself so easily? The ending that Agrippa got saved his butt is quite good too, as he tries to save us. However, being stuck is not my style. Die or escape.
I wanted to see other servants and monsters to become part of the ending. I wanted to see them to be on my side or to die; because they scared hell out of me.

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?
I got all endings. Revenge ending is my favorite. I wanted to see how it shapes Daniel's fate and how the story closes itself.