So I "Finished" The Forest Yesterday, about that ending... [SPOILERS]

[Makooze]

Let me just preface by saying, this isn't me hating on the game, I did enjoy playing through it. But I'd like to discuss why I feel the ending was lacking.

IN SHORT: Players not knowing about the alternate ending can ruin the end game for some players and screw them out of an ending (replaying the entire end required), the intended ending leaves a lot unexplained and feels like bait for a DLC or Sequel. The element of choice is stripped away and the moral dilemma at the end loses all gravity. However I think credit is due that the game at least had a "story" instead of being "just another survival game"

So I "beat the game" yesterday. After 22 hours (about 20-25 in game days). Besides finding every "note" and passenger, I pretty much did it all. Base, all weapons/tools, you name it. I'm only mentioning these "stats" because they drove up the game time considerably as compared to just playing the story objective.

So there I am, I get to the ending area, and we find timmy in the artifact okay great obviously the situation is pretty self explanatory, but the lack of choice in the whole ending leaves the whole thing feeling pretty linear. In my case, frustrating. You see I didn't look up the ending, and how would any player know that there was an alternate/wrong ending.

So you are faced with 2 choices arguably the morals are pretty black and white here given the options. bring down the plane likely killing over a hundred people in the crash and subjecting them to death, torture, and consumption by the local cannibals and mutants (Evil?). OR "end the cycle" of child sacrifice, accept the finalty of timmy's death and let the plane fly away safely, effectively bringing an end to what Sahara was doing (Good)

Here's where the problem lies, I feel like a fair amount of people chose the "good" ending. The problem with that, is the fact that this is not an ending you just get thrown back out into the island and that's it. Hooray you get to keep building. Seriously? I appreciate the option for players to continue the game but there really is no point to the alternate ending because it is about as unsatisfying as it comes. How you got off the the penninsula in the "intended ending" is never explained. So would it be that much to ask to have an actual ending for choosing to make THAT (alternate) choice? Because of the way the "alternate ending" goes I had to replay through the entire lab area again just to get the actual ending and for some reason the actual achievment for beating the game.

Either way speaking for myself, I never really cared about Timmy. The MC could look, but he really wouldn't have had any reason to beleive he was alive, at best he'd be searching for closure and rescue. So what it comes down to is an underwhelming "intended ending" that strips away choice, and ultimately feels like it's only purpose is to serve as "maybe there will be DLC or a sequel"

[Wariat117]

The proper ending was changed like 3-4 times already ;d
People complaining "it's bad, fix it!"
They "fixed", some people "ok, it's good" others "it's bad, fix it!"
And again and again

On the other hand there were people "I can't continue after I complete game? wut! game sucks!"
That's alternate ending ;D but I guess it was just quickly pushed ending because they wanted to go for VR etc and it isn't ended (as you noticed achievements don't work for this ending), SOS sign does nothing.



The alternative ending is for creative people who want to build without godmode from the creative mode :D Your rewards are simple, new building tab "family" (yay wooden timmy :V), notes from endgame (and tape) + powerful artifact.

You want to build safely? Use artifact to scare away all cannibals!
You want to test your fortifications? Use artifact to summon waves of cannibal armies!