Just Finished - Pondering Things *SPOILERS*

[Nomad Time Lord]

So, I finished my first play right now, and was fairly mystified by how things ended up. In my game, Rachel wasn't in the basement and was a figment of my imagination. Norman wasn't the murderer, and the shadowy figure following me was probably the murderer.

The main point I want to discuss, though... Did anyone else notice the Hero says "you" a few times at the end, implying the player? It may just be in the ending I got, but I was wondering if somehow it's suggesting that the player is involved somehow; a fractured part of his own psyche that is making all these choices, or maybe the murderer?

Given the handful of grammatical errors through the game, there's a chance it was just a mistake, but it seems odd to me.

I'll have to give it another play and try some different things. Going to avoid picking up as many items as possible and see if that changes things.

Other thoughts: What about that old crashed truck? What was that about? The Hero claimed he didn't recognize it, but then so many things aren't what he thinks they are. Who was digging through the lockers in the Factory? The sound effects imply somebody is just ahead of you in there.

If Rachel and Norman had indeed shared a drink at his house, and had all her clothes in his attic, is it possible Rachel and Norman were married?

Also, what's with the scribbles on the walls saying "Don't look"?

There are so many unknowns, because it's hard to tell what evidence to believe and what was all just in his head.

[shildosh]

In my game I discovered Rachael, and eventually left the house not knowing what happened and really not wanting to know, because I had a terrible condition that caused me to sleepwalk and imagine nightmares. Either you or another true murderer crawled through the vents in the plant and dug through the lockers depending on what you find and how you see it. The Rachael and Norman thing could be true again depending on how you look at it. Got no clue about Don't Look other than delusional rantings, Dear Esther style. I would definately reccommend tons of replays to see more.

[voyseyg]

In my game I found Rachel's corpse in the basement. Sat down at the kitchen table pondered a bit and shot myself. Intresting. Will be playing again.

[Cotton Eye Jonii-chan]

In my game, I found Rachel's corpse in the basement, probably murdered by Norman, who she was having an affair with. I left the house running, not looking back.

[Xommbee]

Since I've only played this game once, and it was a few months ago, I only have vague thoughts about it. I figured that Rachel was having an affair with Norman, and either Norman or the main guy killed her. His sleep walking condition made it seem like he could be, or maybe Norman killed Rachel because she wanted to come clean about their relationship, as I read in the tossed letter, and then the main guy went after Norman in a rage and killed him, but someone witnessed it and he followed him home and murdered him, being the guy you saw dead in the beginning in the strange house. Then maybe the main guy passed out and awoke with amnesia. I also have questions, like what exactly the two lists of names were for, the one found underground and the one found in the woods. Also, the hidden security tape showing two guys murdering that guard that was fuzzy, I found that under garbage bags in the plant. That raised questions. It's just one of those games you have to play multiple times.

[Vazy]

I got the same ending as you did

[Pulowski]

I ended it all in the bathtub

[Shatilov]

i had no idea how things went, but i believe that the player, had been sleep walking and went on a killing spree after finding out that his wife was cheating on him with his friend.

I had no idea, i ve read these posts and i found alot of common.

I dont see myself playing it another time. As i believe its a once in a life time experience with this game.

[AJB]

Publicado originalmente por thebluemenace:

In my game I discovered Rachael, and eventually left the house not knowing what happened and really not wanting to know, because I had a terrible condition that caused me to sleepwalk and imagine nightmares. Either you or another true murderer crawled through the vents in the plant and dug through the lockers depending on what you find and how you see it. The Rachael and Norman thing could be true again depending on how you look at it. Got no clue about Don't Look other than delusional rantings, Dear Esther style. I would definately reccommend tons of replays to see more.

I got this ending too. But whilst I was playing I was convinced I was the murderer who was going backwards through the story. Then at the end it all became confused because I realised that two people attacked one man in the plant. So perhaps I am complicit with Norman? Is also ddd that there was a gunshot in the plant and rustling in the woods.

[Johnker Johnson]

Publicado originalmente por Apples:

Just finished it myself. I assumed that the player character was the muderer. Held onto the knife since I found it, Rachel and Norman were clearly having an affair, found Rachel stabbed to death in the basement and after I "left the house forever" I had the feeling that "the police would get involved" and "I needed to run". I'm guessing the muderer changes based on how you play the game?

Got the same similar ending too but i picked up everything but forgot to use the VHS Tape and the Keycard.

[The Briarfox]

Multiple Playthroughs are a thing, as you can try and interact with the story more meaningfully.

[Soothsayer]

My incomplete theory, though there are bound to be holes:

You moved to town with your wife and met Norman at the plant. When the plant shutdown, you became an alcoholic, while Norman became general store owner. During this time, you drank heavily, inducing amnesia and sleepwalking. Your distance causes Rachel and Norman to grow closer and have an affair, while you stayed at the plant to drink. That's why Rachel's picture is still in your locker.

[This is where it becomes purely guessing.]

As you grew worse, you and an accomplice began targeting people in town and murdering them in your sleep. You found out about the affair and murdered your wife and Norman, keeping the weapons with you. Eventually your trips to the plant are noticed and the guard spots you tonight. You killed him and took his flashlight.

Somewhere along the lines, you or the accomplice kill two campers, who may not have been on the list of targets. Because of the impulsive murders and shoddy cover up, you followed him home, snuck in through the vents and sewers, and killed him and his wife, who was the only remaining witness. I think he was with you in the VHS you found. You were trying to cover everything up the entire time, but blacked out midway through your night and woke up being the "good guy" version of you.

I'm going with the "Amnesia theory" here, in that any significant noises you hear are purely mental memories. Gunshots and rustling bushes remind you of previous actions, not current ones. So the entire time, you were alone. In addition to the theory, you were also the villain the entire time, who happens to wake up with no recollection of being evil (Knights of the Old Republic style), so you embark on a path of unaware righteousness.

Idk. No one but the developer knows what truly happened, according to all my searches. Kinda sucks..

[Lone Wanderer]

Publicado originalmente por PGC | Soothsayer:

My incomplete theory, though there are bound to be holes:

You moved to town with your wife and met Norman at the plant. When the plant shutdown, you became an alcoholic, while Norman became general store owner. During this time, you drank heavily, inducing amnesia and sleepwalking. Your distance causes Rachel and Norman to grow closer and have an affair, while you stayed at the plant to drink. That's why Rachel's picture is still in your locker.

[This is where it becomes purely guessing.]

As you grew worse, you and an accomplice began targeting people in town and murdering them in your sleep. You found out about the affair and murdered your wife and Norman, keeping the weapons with you. Eventually your trips to the plant are noticed and the guard spots you tonight. You killed him and took his flashlight.

Somewhere along the lines, you or the accomplice kill two campers, who may not have been on the list of targets. Because of the impulsive murders and shoddy cover up, you followed him home, snuck in through the vents and sewers, and killed him and his wife, who was the only remaining witness. I think he was with you in the VHS you found. You were trying to cover everything up the entire time, but blacked out midway through your night and woke up being the "good guy" version of you.

I'm going with the "Amnesia theory" here, in that any significant noises you hear are purely mental memories. Gunshots and rustling bushes remind you of previous actions, not current ones. So the entire time, you were alone. In addition to the theory, you were also the villain the entire time, who happens to wake up with no recollection of being evil (Knights of the Old Republic style), so you embark on a path of unaware righteousness.

Idk. No one but the developer knows what truly happened, according to all my searches. Kinda sucks..

welp, thanks for this block of text. this is the closest thing to a "canon". i made 2 playthroughs, 1 with discovering the body and 1 without. i dont agree with the "murdering people while sleeping" part. also, dont forget about the guy who keeps following you for the whole time till the plant.

anyway, i think that there are 2 main canons: with body, and without the body, both valid. the one with the body is described pretty well by you, while in the other one you're a hobo who keeps imagining things.

i still hope that one day, maybe in a year, the developer will tell his view of the story

[FaNaT]

Got an ending, when Rachel and Norman had an affair, and also found Rachel dead in the basement. I have two theories, actually. I suppose the strange dead man from the first house was the murderer (or at least a helper) and Hero or Norman also commited these crimes with him. If Hero was the criminal, then he add Rachel to the list of victims after he knew about the affair, and Hero and strange man killed her, and then Hero sleepwalked and killed also Norman and strange man.
But what I think is more like true, that Norman helped strange man to deal with all that ladies, then they killed Rachel, and then Hero killed them both, while sleepwalking

[Silverain]

Thats what I wanted to believe but I just found it frustrating how nearly everything in the game points towards you been a serial killer (or one of a pack of them) or mentally unstable with a loose grip on reality.

[Mogg]

It's great how people imagine -this is what the game is about-. In truth, you play the game, get given a bunch of props to explore, you gain very limited insight into the character's involvement or knowledge on these things and at the very end are asked a bunch of questions asking how you interpret what you found during that game, with the exception of one question: "Do you find rachael in the basement?" This question has no evidence of any sort. It is completely up to the player to choose.
How you choose to answer the questions and what props you find and take will influence the outcome of the story. There is no cannon story, just as the game dev says.