*SPOILERS* Rambling about the ending

[Squl]

Obviously according to the achievements there's just two endings, but was anyone else convinced there was some kind of variation on the bad/artficat ending? There was so much alluding to the antique lighthouse being able to ward off the evil I was convinced there was an ending where the artifacts are dropped in the water, but the antique lighthouse stops the evil from rising. I assumed the stone tablet sidequest in devil's spine would lead to it, but instead it's just the light for the boat and the stairs to the lighthouse are broken.

I tried a few things while having the light equipped from the sidequest, but couldn't find anything. During the bad ending, the Collector mentions in red something along the lines of "not to tarry" when heading west, when the good/throw-it-back ending doesn't have this same dialogue. To me, that opened the door to the possibility of doing SOMETHING during that period to trigger a different version of the bad ending. Deep down inside, I feel like I knew it was a two ending game, but I still couldn't help myself from experimenting.

What do people think? Is all the lore about the old lighthouse just meant to indicate how the evil was defeated previously, but now that it's out the evil is free to roam? Is there actually a way to trigger a third ending that we haven't figured out yet? Is a hopeless search for a happy ending perfectly in line with the game?

[Otomoto]

There is a good ending? Huh. I might have to play again. But..... can we continue after that, just to fish around in the healed enviroment?

[Steinar]

I'll be honest, I don't understand either ending or the story.

The bad ending shows me throwing the relics into the ocean. Some lady (my wife?) rises out of the ocean along with a big ominous kraken, and then it just plays the end credits whilst Greater Marrow is burning. Why? What happened? Who am I, and what happened before the game started?

The good ending shows me throwing the book into the ocean. Some big fish eats me, and then it just plays the end credits (again), but this time Greater Marrow isn't burning. So I died to the fish? That's good? Where's the lady (my wife)?

Seems I'm left to imagine myself what happens, which I'm not a fan of. I just don't understand what all of this nonsense about the book is, and what those relics are, and who my character or that lady is, and what happened leading up to the start of the game.

[crazyabe111]

Originally posted by Steinar:

I'll be honest, I don't understand either ending or the story.

The bad ending shows me throwing the relics into the ocean. Some lady (my wife?) rises out of the ocean along with a big ominous kraken, and then it just plays the end credits whilst Greater Marrow is burning. Why? What happened? Who am I, and what happened before the game started?

The good ending shows me throwing the book into the ocean. Some big fish eats me, and then it just plays the end credits (again), but this time Greater Marrow isn't burning. So I died to the fish? That's good? Where's the lady (my wife)?

Seems I'm left to imagine myself what happens, which I'm not a fan of. I just don't understand what all of this nonsense about the book is, and what those relics are, and who my character or that lady is, and what happened leading up to the start of the game.

Just something to think of, but *all* the notes and the relics you find are related to you, with no** exception. You are the fisher, You are the collector, you are the man who partially unsealed an evil, and lost his wife to it- and the man who has the choice in how to finish what he started, be that by shattering the bonds that evil was bound by in totality, or by discarding everything and sacrificing himself to ensure that evil can't escape.
**Yes there is an exception for the secret relics of the lost civilisation you can gain.

[Coelacanth]

To add to crazyabe's post, you can view the endings like this
Throw it back: You break free from the hold the book and its associated evil hold on you, and put it back where you found it. You allow the fish to take you with it likely due to your guilt and own desire to just be free of it all. The evil's source back in the abyss allows the world to begin to heal.

Artifact: You give in to the whispers and do the spell. You get your wife "back" but in doing so you seem to fully release the ancient evil which then kills and destroys everything.

[Fuzzy_Slipperz]

Yeah you are the baddy

I couldnt agree more, the whole legend of the lighthouse with the civilization standing as long as the lighthouse was lit should, at least in my mind, ensure a third 'happier' ending.

[MadderPacker]

tbh I thought the light from the ancient lighthouse would at least deter/pacify the stellar basin monster, especially since the paintings alluded to a "tentacled beast"

[King Ballsmear]

so none of the upgrades you get matter? you just go to a set point and the game ends with no chase or anything?

[Steinar]

Originally posted by baby:

so none of the upgrades you get matter? you just go to a set point and the game ends with no chase or anything?

The upgrades matter for your gameplay experience. Choosing Rods and Engines have no effect on the story, but if you want to complete the Encyclopedia you will need a trawling net that can trawl Oceanic fish.

[Mister Metroid [GER]]

After doing the bad ending I had the thought "in a truly lovecraftian story, there is no happy ending".

After doing the "good" ending, I was not dissapointed.

[phaoray]

I kinda view the ending where I get my wife back as the good ending, The kraken...shoots lightning down on the town a lil i guess to set it on fire? And that's okay in my book. Figured he'd destroy it with water or something. A lil structural damage to the town housing the jerk who wants to send me out to throw a book in the water and die I am fine with.

[Alf]

Originally posted by phaoray:

I kinda view the ending where I get my wife back as the good ending, The kraken...shoots lightning down on the town a lil i guess to set it on fire? And that's okay in my book. Figured he'd destroy it with water or something. A lil structural damage to the town housing the jerk who wants to send me out to throw a book in the water and die I am fine with.

I agree, the main ending is the good ending. Everyone in the town is a jerk. The fish dude is crazy, the mayor gossips too much and the lighthouse lady wants you to give up your wife and your book with superpowers.

But you end up rescuing your wife and defeating the town.

You and your wife can then rebuild the town and invite all the characters from the other regions to stay in it, and live happily ever after.

[lucmobz]

And the guy who hate the slimey fish at Little Marrow is still standing there motionless...

[RobOda]

Anyone thinking they've 'won' by getting their wife back and destroying 'only the towns' are being stupid tbh.

That bloody thing isn't going to be sated with a few obscure fishing towns lol.

[markuswolfe]

People are really out here thinking that the ending where you awaken Cthulhu is the good ending.

[stevo]

Originally posted by baby:

so none of the upgrades you get matter? you just go to a set point and the game ends with no chase or anything?

It's actually kinda funny how juxtaposing the gameplay loop is in a pointless way. The gameplay loop's purpose is to advance your Hull and Gear, which in turn makes the core gameplay loop easier. But the whole point of the gameplay loop is... to make it all easier? Really serves little purpose overall. You can probably get away with just researching the rods to beat the game, which all told is a pretty unexciting experience in itself.

I think the game needed to do much more with the fishing aspect, because just fishing to sell them was a fairly one-dimensional gameplay loop.