HOW many endings actually are there, in this game (NO SPOILERS FOR THE STORY/PLOT, PLEASE!)?

[Kawayol]

I've bought this game just a couple days ago, yet already been seeing a lot of messages online on many different sources that there are, apparently, several endings, at least 4 or even more, most of which are obscure and hard to see/obtain/end up with, requiring out-of-left-field thinking, "skipping" sections via different "secrets" and "quirks" of the game, and etc., though I didn't read into any in-depth details on any of that, as to not spoil myself.

I'm currently in my very first run of this, somewhere roughly around B100-some floor for now (I've decided to do at least 100 floors each day, which is about 5~8 hours of nonstop play for me), but I think I've already screwed up a bit by not getting "crystals" of the "memories shop" in the first couple rooms where they were sitting in, and also couldn't/failed to interact with a couple NPC characters in some rooms (one died, the other one I've accidentally bumped into and they've refused to talk to me ever since).

Will there be enough opportunities to gather more "memory crystals" until the last floor (I think I need about 36 overall to "buy" the rest of the locked "arts"), or do I absolutely must collect each and every single crystal in each and every room they appear in? Did I screw up my first run already? And does saving/not saving/interacting with NPCs affect anything at all? Also, there was this "scrawny" hungry guy NPC at some point, which asked me for some food, I kept giving him my scarabs, at least 5 or so, but nothing changed/improved? Was that a trap, put there just to screw players over? UPDATE: just found out that, apparently, "feeding" the "scrawny" NPCs gives you +4 to the hidden "Justice" stat (only affects/is related to "Failed Experiment" NPCs, apparently), per each single scarab you give to him. Meanwhile, admitting that you're "guilty" at the "Trial" gives you +56 right away (though it might screw up your play in other ways), while denying your "guilt" strikes you for -56 immediately, and you also lose -4 per each time you bump into/push any NPCs during the run. Does doing (or skipping) any of this affect the ending I'm going to get, in any way, shape, or form?

And, as the title of the thread asks: does anyone know by now how many endings exactly are in this game, did anyone found/seen them all by now? How many are there? I don't need plot/story spoilers or "guides" on how to obtain any of them, I just want a raw exact number, so that I would know what to be prepared for in the future.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Welp, apparently, some people out there in the web are saying there are actually 14 or even MORE endings (variations?) in this game. Until I'll get a solid (9001% fully confirmed) number on my hands, I guess I'll keep this question being set as "unresolved" still.

Also, I've found out that saving/interacting with NPCs DOES affect at least some things. For one, every NPC you've saved/helped (at least the Nun, Bride, Explorer, and the Kid/Child), will appear as "extra" in the "ending credits" portion of the Scrooling Shooter/Shmup sequence.

[Ander]

The crystals are like optional collectibles, don't worry about them. Don't worry about the hungry NPC or any other NPCs either.


The endings question is actually kinda hard to answer... 4 or 5, depending on your definition of ending it could be more but these would be minor endings or something like that.

[Kawayol]

Well, Star Ocean II/SS officially has 80+ endings in it, despite many of them being "minor variations" of dialogues/scenes depending on which combinations of characters you have in the party and what their relationship affinities are in relation to each-other, by the end of the game. Regardless, purely on a personal level I still always regarded even the most "minor" of changes as separate endings/results, so I still would like to know the full exact end number of possible endings/results/routes for this game, even if it's "just a couple dialogues changed" or "different camera angle", or "different music", or whatever else. This includes everything, so not just "good endings", or "normal", or "bad", but also possible "different Game Over screen" or etc (like, for example, in Koudelka, where one of the "endings" is a total (hard) game over).

[Ander]

I may have missed some but there are 7 overall.

[Kawayol]

Do people always get the exact same ending on their very first run, as in - it's the same result for everyone regardless of their actions/failures, basically locked no matter what you do, or is there a chance/opportunity to see/experience some of the other endings during the very first run from the get-go, and if so - did I already screw it up? I've heard that "Void" is apparently automatically locking you in the "bad end route", but it's an "easy mode" due to infinite lives.

[Ander]

No, you can get different endings depending on some things. But you can't really screw up anything and no ending is missable.

[Kawayol]

Hmmm...that actually makes that harder on the very first run, then. Because, if it was same single locked ending for everyone on their very first run, regardless of their actions, it would've prepared people for the subsequent runs better, I believe, but if it's actually broadened up and open right from the very start, that kind of feels nasty, since, apparently, majority (if not all) of these endings are quite obscure/unconventional and, without any prior experience of dealing with the game, nearly impossible to ascertain sure ways/methods on how/where/what to do.

[Ander]

I wish I could explain it better without spoling anything but it's hard... I recommend just keep on playing. I feel like this game kinda expects you to share information with other people who're playing or have played it and getting help when you're stuck on something.

It's even one of the the tips on the store page:

"Tips:
The game autosaves between each room, so take it easy
If a puzzle seems impossible, get some rest
If that doesn't help, try asking someone for help
Good luck!"

[Kawayol]

Alright, anyways, I kind of got the picture by now. It reminds me of Loop Hero's and Daniel Mullins' "shenanigans" (Pony Island, Hex, Inscryption, all that crazy AR jazz). The last question in regards to this would be: is there "Hard" mode-exclusive/specific ending, or something? I've seen several times people been emphasizing that they're "doing Hard mode", like it drastically changes things by a whole ton, so I was wondering if it's actually worth it any, sheer story/plot content-wise? Does it only affect lives, layouts of maps and enemies/items, or will me playing through it on "Hard" actually result in a different (better? worse? "True"?) ending in the end?

[Ander]

Hard mode is part of the game, not something optional, and you'll get there naturally. It does change the plot. Levels will be harder versions of the ones you're playing now.

[Kawayol]

Huh? So it's more like kind of an "unskippable New Game+", or something like that? Bizarre.