Feedback wanted: Some questions on Ending (spoilerish)

[Kyote]

My first ending was the normal one, because err..I forgot to use Agrippa's head. I felt it was quite satisfactory. I enjoyed the feeling that Daniel had redeemed himself through suffering and through stopping Alexander. I then went back and saw all the others. The "Good" ending where you use Agrippa's head is definitely my favorite.

[Thanatos]

1) We thought Daniel was a bit crap ¬.¬ He seemed to be really pathetic and it was hard to believe he was capable of the things he did. Alexander was cool n.n Agrippa seemed like an alright chap but we hadn't really grown fond of him so we had no real reason to help him - that and he was ugly ¬.¬

2) We let Alex win n.n It was mostly due to the fact we were confused by the shininess.

3) All of the endings were good. They left you with enough information to know what was going on but never explained what the portal was, where it went or why Alexander needed us. Unless we're just really special >.<

4) We did all the endings, mostly because we couldn't work out how to do anything the first time round ¬.¬ The killing Alexander ending was the best as Daniel got to live and feel all superior and heroic, although the Agrippa ending was the most visually appealing.

[epitaxial]

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

At that point - I didn't know what to think since the room was unlike any other areas before the game. After awhile - I figured this was the end and wanted to help Agrippa.

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

Agrippa [assuming this means putting his severed head into the portal]

3) How did you like the ending?

Agrippa - empty. Was I dead? Not sure where or what my purpose was in the darkness surrounded by little floating lights.

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

Yes - after reading there are multiple endings, I just loaded the last area. I liked Daniel ending. Motivation to see other endings - I like to know everything about anything within a game - search every nook, corner, and crack.

Alexander - pissed off that he made it and I died.
Daniel - happy because I was alive.

[Tanshaydar]

Well, I have a big mistake here.
After translating game, I saw the story was actually horrible, terrifying indeed!
Now, for every single character has much more aspect for me and I can understand every one of them perfectly (not perfectly ok).

[Hannibal]

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

Alexander is all evil. He's willing to do anything to anybody to obtain what he desires, and feels no remorse.

Daniel is more evil than good, but he has a conscience.

Agrippa I'm undecided. He was good company, but I know little of him.

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

I got the ending where Alexander escapes and Daniel dies painfully.

It was an accident. I wanted to use Aggrippa's head. At first I got the "Wait for the petals to open" messages, then I missed my chance.

3) How did you like the ending?

I enjoyed hearing Daniel yell the same things his victims did as the Shadow claimed him, that there was no redemption. However, Alexander getting away and ending up in such an important position that he could make Daniel's name live on forever bothered 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 tried the one where Daniel gets away. It bothers me that Daniel not only gets a second chance, but somehow he feels murdering Alexander means he deserves it after all he's done.

I tried the one where Agrippa survives. I like that he survives and that Daniel and Alexander die, but Daniel dies too quickly, and it bothers me that they say he deserves better and will get it.

My favorite is the "bad" ending where Daniel dies a slow and painful death. But I wish there were one where both Daniel and Alexander die slowly and painfully with no chance of resurrection.

---

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.

That would've been perfect.

[superluser]

My favorite is the "bad" ending where Daniel dies a slow and painful death. But I wish there were one where both Daniel and Alexander die slowly and painfully with no chance of resurrection.

I agree. I should have phrased it like that.

[Mjarr]

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

I was somewhat indiffrent about Daniel, as he was quite usual fellow who was eventually mislead by his own fear, while some of his decisions were quite dreadful.

I would consider Alexander sort of tragic hero with bad influence. He seems to be noble, he knows alot about diffrent things (both good and bad, sort of) and is fairly intelligent but shortly after his introduction I got the feeling he knows more than he lets you know, and I since he had dealt with it in the past he obviously had planned something for quite some time. I didn't agree with most of his actions, but for some reason he did gain some sympathy considering his somewhat unknown past (which is only hinted in the game).

Agrippa... well, he seemed like stereotypical wise old scholar, bit difficult to say anything beyond that.

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

Good ending. A friend of mine told me there's three endings which are dependant what you do at the end of the game (without spoiling). It was sort of own decision, as Agrippa's few earlier lines hinted about the whole subject. After that I just reloaded the autosave (right in the orb room) and experimented the other endings.

3) How did you like the ending?

I dropped my jaw because it was really... lame to say the least. Ok, it sort of worked as Daniel's 'poor' redemption but it was still quite lame.

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

Yes, the bad ending was also pretty lame while the 3rd ending where you push the pillars made most sense with the whole game's overall story and plot, presuming you paid more attension to those flashbacks and read the diaries and such. It still was somewhat 'off' the whole game's idea, but it was ok and so far my own favorite.

I personally would've expected far more grotesque, twisted endings rather than some of the more cliché-like ones. The 3rd ending was ok, but the two others were somewhat lame.

[kopa]

Woah. I hope this thread is still being read. I'll just shoot for the sake of it.

1) When entering the Orb Room (where Alexander is), what where your feelings toward Daniel (ie yourself), Alexander and Agrippa.
I had no feelings towards myself. I felt disgusted by Daniel's actions, but there was a glimmer of hope when he wants to 'set things right'. Alexander just came off as evil, and his intentions weren't really explored except for being 'evil'. I know there are hints here and there, but they aren't very conclusive and this is the feeling I had when I entered the room. Agrippa just felt like a good guy. When Alexander says that there isn't a black and white and that there is evil in Agrippa I was quite confused because the game never presented me with information that might make me think that of Agrippa, neither did I have much information to find much good in Alexander.

2) What was the ending that you got the first time? Was this a choice?
It wasn't much of a choice. I didn't understand what to do at first, then I waited and hoped that the portal would open, but it took so long time that I was unsure at first. Then I threw Agrippa's head in and was left confused as to the consequences of my actions.

3) How did you like the ending?
I think the whole ending room was just... bad. The whole game built up to something else than one of the simplest puzzles in the game. Personally I would liked to have seem something more grotesque. If you wanted to kill Alexander, you should've have to go through the action of brutally murdering him by beating him repeatedly with your fists (or smash his head to the ground). The Agrippa ending should've been you physically throwing his head into the portal and not "using" it on it. I mean, you really nailed the "magician cliché". My archnemesis behind a wall of magic and unreachable? Check. Extremely vurnerable devices right in front of me for the taking? Check. My biggest complaint is how none of the endings except for the "revenge" ending gives closure.

I mean, compare it to the ending of Black Plague where you really felt like "this is the end, no further questions".

4) Did you get any other endings? If so, which one was your favorite? And what where your motivation for seeing more endings?
The ending where you kill Alexander and run out of the castle because it felt like the most conclusive one. Better than just one line, and a guessing contest.

[Guyra]

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

I experienced a small conflict in the parts before entering the Orb Room, considering the things I discovered he had done, but ultimately sympathized with him as he had been Alexander's pawn the whole time.

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

The first ending I got was the one letting Alexander enter the portal. The second one was the one with Alexander getting killed and Daniel escaping. And I saved the ending where you send Agrippa home for last.

3) How did you like the ending?

They were all good. I especially liked the one saving Agrippa and the one having Alexander killed. Perhaps saving Agrippa had the most interesting ending, though I also wondered what would become of Daniel after escaping the castle.

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

Already answered the first two questions above, but for the last question there: I wanted to know more. Explore all possibilities.


Great game, I enjoyed it very, very much!

[Dibs]

1) I loathed Daniel for all he had done. Despite his attempts at justification, and Alexander's influence on him, I didn't forgive Daniel. I didn't care for his survival in the end. Alexander I saw as a cold creature of logic, disillusioned with this world and devoid of emotion. He didn't really raise much emotions for, or against, him. I can't remember every word of his from the flashbacks, but I had the feeling he was working towards an end with all the torture etc. and not simply due to the enjoyment of it. I didn't feel much for Agrippa either. He probably wasn't a fleshed out enough of a character to make me care about him. He was friendly enough, I guess, but I felt his existence was more of a detriment to the game's atmosphere than anything else.

2) I got the revenge ending, just because I thought the only way to progress the game was by felling the pylons. I felt I was going to have a choice in the end, but choice didn't manifest itself in a way I would've recognized it. I would never have thought of just waiting it out on the first time.

3) I had mixed feelings about the Revenge ending. I felt Daniel put aside his guilt for the things he did too easily, though that could be considered a good thing considering I hated the bastard by the end and this disregard on his part only fueled that feeling.

4) I checked the other endings on Youtube. I would have preferred the ending where both Alexander and Daniel die, if only it were more fleshed out. I was hoping there would be more to all the endings, I felt they were a bit too inconclusive and I had a "was that it?" feeling when the credits rolled. I felt I did all that for nothing. I guess it's kind of preposterous to assume the player's deeds always have a large effect in the world, though. In the end, the game was about about the fate of a mere three people, all of whom I didn't feel any sympathy for. Penumbra's ending was far more satisfying. I'd have liked a bit more extrapolation into what exactly the nature of this other world was, what the shadow was, what the orb was, why it was on earth, who created it, what happened to whoever survived the ending, what happened to the castle, the orb, the shadow and the monsters. I had many questions throughout the game but few were answered satisfactorily. My motivation to look for the other endings was simply curiosity and the desire to experience everything the game has to offer.


Regardless of my criticisms, I felt the game was genius. I'm rarely affected by horror games due to the cheap scare tactics employed instead of building on atmosphere. Amnesia was absolutely dripping with atmosphere.