Story Explanation?? (SPOILERS AHEAD)

[Serpentfear]

Okay so I just finished the game, finished 97% of the puzzles and also got 83% of the documents, and I just want to say that first of all, this game is pretty great. When I found out how to do a puzzle, I felt like such a big brain detective. That being said, what is exactly going on?

So from what I can piece together and what needs to be established first is that everyone involved in the game is caught into some sort of temporal loop. The loop starts when the religious cult located in Treze Trilhas known as the Sacred Trail was founded when Christopher, along with a mining crew, found some sort of artifact (the sphere) that can affect the passage of time in 1920. It effectively erases everyone in that mine out of existence, causing a panic amongst the remaining miners such as Matias and Marco. Seeking to tie up lose ends and keep the power of the sphere to himself, Christopher kills everyone else in the village. Now the only survivor, he ends up receiving great power from the artifact itself. Why or how it happens isn't as important as what the effect of that event is, being that Christopher becomes a messiah and establishes the Sacred Trail and research initiatives afterwards to discover more and plant the groundwork for more research discoveries, such as how the temporal anomalies cause greater mutation, can accelerate healing, grant supernatural power, and possibly control over the flow of time itself. Over time, we see how the followers take on different roles and aspects of the message of the cult, being "the principle of free will". Some people like Davi consider that free will extends to creating the perfect life form, whereas someone like Stephanie considers free will to be the ability to finally stand up for the right thing and not fall in line to mere loyalty. However, Christopher, and some top members of the Sacred Trail, know the true meaning of the principle of free will, at least in respect to Christopher's real mission, that being to defy time itself and finally break free and transcend time. Christopher had already seen the loop play itself out in many timelines, converging at the broken visage of St. Dinfna Hotel, hence why he needed to lure many R.L.'s, in our player character's case, Roberto Leite Lopes, to the hotel as a way to ascertain which R.L. in the year 2060 would become the adoptive father figure to Emily, thereby finding which person would serve as the impetus for Emily to cause the loop in the first place and allow for the Sacred Trail to continue from the temporal imprisonment. In many ways, while Emily herself tries to set up the events to save what she perceives as her adoptive father from death or servitude, Christopher is already a step ahead in trying to trick Emily into a false peace. That's why when you defy him, he becomes exceedingly angry at the thought of having to replay through the time loop again. I assume that his many iterations of himself synchronize at the moment Emily from the future tries to exact revenge, which also help to explain the many ghostly images we see of Christopher in the forest as him in all the previous timelines also finding themselves at that anchor point.

Now that being said, none of that really makes any sense because when we put those things into perspective. Why is finding the right R.L. so important? Wouldn't that just repeat the cycle again, assuming the right R.L. develops a compassion for the Emily that will become the time hopping Emily of the future? Also, what does the defiance ending imply? That it was all a dream, or that Emily somehow managed to correct the timeline and move Christopher forward to the current day as a way to circumvent any of the suffering to begin with? And that's assuming the person at the end is Christopher, I only assume that because imo the voice at the end doesn't sound like Roberto.

I mean, I'm all for time-loop games those are pretty nifty, but I feel like I'm missing something here. When I looked at the fireplace key secret door, it seems like there might be a third ending that I have yet to get, so maybe I need to just play the game more, but what do y'all make of the game's story so far? Am I missing any major details?

[Yoko Taro >= GOD]

At first I thought not picking a any choice will lead to the 3rd ending. But it seem the game will default to 'defy' ending if you took too long to decide.

[Victorxkd]

The 2 endings choices of the game are only the start of the game, actually, the real ending isn't what the character you control do(Roberto), but after you choose to join Christopher, remember the paper that you get when you finish the gears and book puzzle? That future Roberto, who Emily actually call Dad, is the one that send Emily towards the past(because future can't exist if this doens't happen again), and he plans something to finish the cycle, and he "tells" you the plan(that's why you find the paper from R.L.L in the puzzle).

One interpretation is that the cycle really ended, if future Roberto plans worked, but if didn't worked, then the cycle just happens again and again, something like Fatalism and Destiny stuff, i still need to think about it, reading documents and seeing some cutscenes again, when a story involves Bootstrap Paradox, it gets really confusing.

[Cthoolhoo]

i didnt understand much of the story through the gameplay :), even dont got the purpose of the camera-thing and the growing black holes.

but theres a lot of minor details what i missed from the environment and desgin. why there are no keyholders or postboxes at the reception desk as in hotels usually, why there are no coat-stands umbrella holders etc in the lobby, where are the guests (i know its some kind of simulated world or whatever but shouldnt be there others?), why someone put an electrical switch on the inner wall of the cell-room which also easily can be opened? why roberto doesnt use his cellphone to communicate instead of the wired phones, how it cant be charged as his laptop works fine, there is electricity in the building...., why Christopher doesnt react anything in is his home (moving things, isnt it shocking for him?) why stephanie is surprised when Roberto picked up the first call - she expected someone else?, she wanted to call someone else? how she knows if theres someone to pick up the phone? Who are the bosses (the red lamp MrX or Nemesis clone, the Lisa Trevor clone pianist woman)?

i kinda like there are a lot of "puzzle" and exploration instead of combat, there were entertaining puzzles too, but lot of them are only to find number sequences on the walls or in texts.

in my opinion enemeies were boring (insects, one spider, and the humanoid things and that's all - not very interesting or frightening - i think they could be more creative stepping over the same boring zombies and animals RE enemies cliche)

[oku]

Originally posted by Victorxkd:

The 2 endings choices of the game are only the start of the game, actually, the real ending isn't what the character you control do(Roberto), but after you choose to join Christopher, remember the paper that you get when you finish the gears and book puzzle? That future Roberto, who Emily actually call Dad, is the one that send Emily towards the past(because future can't exist if this doens't happen again), and he plans something to finish the cycle, and he "tells" you the plan(that's why you find the paper from R.L.L in the puzzle).

One interpretation is that the cycle really ended, if future Roberto plans worked, but if didn't worked, then the cycle just happens again and again, something like Fatalism and Destiny stuff, i still need to think about it, reading documents and seeing some cutscenes again, when a story involves Bootstrap Paradox, it gets really confusing.

My thoughts,

RL had a plan to prevent Emily from falling into the pool and thus ending the time loop. Everything happening in 2060 would move forward. RL also says if that didn't work, if he couldn't exercise free will, then he had a safety feature that would destroy everything. This could mean that events from 1920 would be altered and the miners would not find the futuristic cube and Christoper would not start his journey of power.

However Christopher in one ending states that he is going to remove free will from mankind and thus the time loop is endless with the mad Christopher in charge.

So the third chessboard is more of wishful thinking on Richard's part and we do not get to achieve this in the world Christopher creates as there is no longer any free will to make other choices like saving Emily.


Maybe someone else can expand or refute this theory.

I'm not sure of the 1960 timeline other than that was when RL enters the picture. Maybe because of his journalistic skills he solves the puzzles with Emily's help. Then in future loops Christopher is aware of a person initial R.L. that is to cause havoc.
When Stephanie realizes you are still alive after a year, she begins to change sides and tries to help you to the meet up with Christopher at the end.


Actually I'm gonna throw some more things here as I find them...

In the basement labs a note says the scientist R.L. did his experiment in 2010.

(Full disclosure - I have not yet finished my own third playthough )