So what even happened? [Story Spoilers]

[ﮐʜᴑƌᴧԓ]

Just finished and I have no clue what to make of the events.

So, I'm assuming Jim (captain) did have the secret mission to take the unknowing crew to the marker. The marker being the point in space signalled by a complex message hidden in the stars, likely put there by a greater intelligence. The crew were supposed to get there and 'see what happens'.

What happened, was that multiple copies were made of the entire crew and space station.

It seems each of these crews continued from the point of the explosion you start the game from, doing their own thing. Some of them killed eachother, or were killed by accidents, some of them transferred to one of the other stations, complicating matters even more. There were also multiple distinct SAMs, a unique AI on each of the station copies.

Our Emma died, or left, or was replaced, around the time Mae got blown off the station. Because her voice print no longer matches and she also acts differently, so I guess the Emma we finish the game with is one of the copies (are we even the original Sam anymore)?

Around that point is when I lost track of anything that is going on, who is real, what actually happened, which Sam are we, what day is it, who even am I?

The ending... was any of it real? It seemed like a dream sequence, and how would her mask and suit survive such an impact?
What was the object, an advanced AI? An intelligent being?

I'm guessing there's some kind of infinite pararell universe thing going on, and this is the convergence point, where they cross over.

Emma seemed to be the "Who?", but why is she important, why must she be brought here?

[Promepheus]

At the end you see Emma and SAM as one, so maybe the goal was a combined intelligence of an KI and a human being. Then the final sentence was "Bring them", which i guess could be other humans. Maybe this is the next evolution-step of mankind, human combined with a robot. This place we saw at the end with all the crashed stations could also be created by human, but in the future. So they get Emma there first so she could transform and merge with SAM and then she brings other people to this place. And so on. Thats my theory.

[Rasman]

So this is just my take on the ending (so take it for what it is) but I think the symbols we keep seeing the hexagon flash us actually mean something pretty crazy. Basically the aliens are trying to save mankind by creating a new life form (kind of like how Dave Bowman became the star child in 2001: A Space Odyssey) and giving them a new home.

The first clue I had was the fact that in the story earth global temperature is going to hell (via the newspaper clippings about Dr. Yang (right name?) working on the problem and (like so many other sci-fis) mankind is kinda desperate for a way to save itself. Many of the symbols indicate many objects becoming one (several boxes moving to one box, two separate shapes becoming one) and several of the symbols indicate a infinity (mobius strip etc.) Also there's more than one symbol of a pyramid of boxes with a corner box standing out - i.e. a foundation for growth. There are also many arrow symbols that resemble "fast forward, or forward movement".

Emma is pretty clear about multiple realities and timelines converging at that single point in space and realizing all the "clones" of her and the others are simply times that the experiment failed.

So yeah my take is the aliens meshed Emma with SAM to be come a new lifeform, and whisked Sam/Emma to a new reality or perhaps a controlled reality where they can thrive (after all it does look like earth with trees, park benches, etc).

However - the aliens intentions don't feel entirely altruistic - they did a fair amount of mental and emotional manipulation to make these events occur and we know mission control felt very "compelled" to sacrifice a crew to them (maybe it was just the climate fear). Also the aliens had no qualms with killing other crew members or letting them die - only focusing on Emma. At the very end the dark tentacle/vines appear over the park trees and the ground seems to shimmer like it's a hologram - indicating the world they've been placed on may be an illusion. They may be in some kind of cosmic glass box awaiting study (again similar to 2001).

What do you guys think?

[The_Grunt]

Originally posted by Rasman:

Emma is pretty clear about multiple realities and timelines converging at that single point in space and realizing all the "clones" of her and the others are simply times that the experiment failed.

Exactly my thoughts. Aliens brought the stations in from different multiverses, possibly to increase the chance that at least one succeeds.

Otherwise the story in the end became close in similar fashion than in Space Odyssey: Emma transitioned to the next evolutionary step (similar to Star Child) and was to take humankind on that same level.

Overall although the game was enjoyable interactive story, it felt it jumped to the climax and "Emma has changed" too suddenly and felt that it skipped something. However and in my opinion, Emma which SAM helped out from the space after killing the captain was not clearly the same Emma we were during the early part of the game, simply because that Emma cracked her helmet and most likely died. And also voice recognition failed. So most likely the "changed" Emma was from some other station, who also have had encounters with and influence from aliens differently from the Emma we knew from the early part. Like our SAM had.

She had to evacuate her "own" station and possibly had knowledge that she should join our SAM and "our" station to make the final trip.

That is pretty much my take on the subject. I really enjoyed the hours with Observation, although typical for the genre, gameplay is really simple. It was well written and had an excellent atmosphere, although I personally liked Deliver Us the Moon more, which is relatively similar game.

[Dave Mongoose]

I don't think the marker 'copied' the station: the marker is a quantum singularity - a single point where all timelines converge - and the other stations are from different timelines.

I think Emma's voice print doesn't match the second time because she was starting to be affected by the anomaly (the creepy hexagon). Emma was important because it was her DNA that was encoded in the stars; it seems to be implied that the anomaly knew she was the only one who could make it, either because of some compatibility in her genetics or because it had explored all of the possibilities and this was the only success.

There's a possibility that the marker is an even broader singularity: it may be that not only do all timelines converge there, but also all times along the timelines, i.e. at that point, the distant past can exist at the same time as the present and the distant future. This may be how the anomaly knew that Emma would be the one, and how it was able to encode her genetics in the star message - a self-fulfilling prophecy, in a way.

One part of the mystery that I'm really curious about is SAM - it's explained in some of the data logs that SAM was the one who discovered the star message, which makes me wonder if he was somehow seeded by the anomaly. I've not checked thoroughly, but I'd be interested if there's any logs that explain where SAM came from.

[ozzyoscy]

The hexagon also explains its plan every time you talk to it.

It has been instructing SAM to not only bluntly 'bring her', but more detailed instructions such as to protect Emma and go into the infamous hexagonal pole of Saturn.

It also tells SAM the other crew can't join them (and to especially kill Jim). We first see this at the start when SAM helps Emma disconnect E12 which, as it's removed, reveals on-screen that a crewmember is inside.

The hexagon also explains that the spot they're going to is where multiple dimensions converge, and it wants SAM and Emma to be combined and then go to other Earths and bring those Emma / SAMs for assimilation.

[HelmTo108]

I dont understand the black goo. We see Emma be able to create it after her convergence. We know the fire/explosion at the beginning of the game was caused by the same black goo. Who put it there? The Hexagon or someone else? Did Emma/Sam do it without realizing earlier as some self-fulfilling prophecy?

I think SAM is involved because he's an AI and is much more capable of being conversed with than humans. If an alien race wanted to communicate with humans, good luck we can barely speak our own language. But an AI could ingest and process vast amount of information quickly and be able to understand or interpret a language much much faster than a human. It seems the Hexagon reaches out to the AI to begin the process of bringing in Emmas as it's easier to reach out and speak to the AI than it is the humans.

The only big questions are what is the hexagon, and what is its goal? I don't think there wil be a sequel so we will likely never know :(

[Pie :D]

The ending is a Cthulhian invasion of Earth imo.
Note the hex tried to message "bring her" to different person as well (SAM in main timeline and Josh in the alternate one).

[AtLastBossCarryMe]

Given the ominous music at the very end, the fairly violent and forceful nature of the hexagon/aliens invading SAM, luring people to this singularity and manipulating multiple instance and copies of everyone - it seems more like the aliens/hexagon are looking to advance or save *their* race through AI / Human integration (SAM/Emma being the first and best fit).
Once they return Emma/SAM to Earth - you can see how they realize now they can adapt and take over through the ooze and the next step is farming all the humans (bring them).

[ozzyoscy]

Originally posted by cosmicandre:

Given the ominous music at the very end, the fairly violent and forceful nature of the hexagon/aliens invading SAM, luring people to this singularity and manipulating multiple instance and copies of everyone - it seems more like the aliens/hexagon are looking to advance or save *their* race through AI / Human integration (SAM/Emma being the first and best fit).
Once they return Emma/SAM to Earth - you can see how they realize now they can adapt and take over through the ooze and the next step is farming all the humans (bring them).
If the aliens were looking to help or save mankind, it would seem more logical to show benevolence, a willingness to openly communicate, etc - instead the aliens/hexagon are subversive, controlling and stealthily corrupting. The ending feels like a 'horror' movie ending - an "Oh sh*t, Earth peeples be screwed by the overlord aliens".

Well Europeans brutally invaded new foreign lands under the pretence of friendliness, and giving a pet medication can sure seem abusive and forceful to the pet!

[Deadpool]

Originally posted by The_Grunt:

Originally posted by Rasman:

Emma is pretty clear about multiple realities and timelines converging at that single point in space and realizing all the "clones" of her and the others are simply times that the experiment failed.

Exactly my thoughts. Aliens brought the stations in from different multiverses, possibly to increase the chance that at least one succeeds.

Otherwise the story in the end became close in similar fashion than in Space Odyssey: Emma transitioned to the next evolutionary step (similar to Star Child) and was to take humankind on that same level.

Overall although the game was enjoyable interactive story, it felt it jumped to the climax and "Emma has changed" too suddenly and felt that it skipped something. However and in my opinion, Emma which SAM helped out from the space after killing the captain was not clearly the same Emma we were during the early part of the game, simply because that Emma cracked her helmet and most likely died. And also voice recognition failed. So most likely the "changed" Emma was from some other station, who also have had encounters with and influence from aliens differently from the Emma we knew from the early part. Like our SAM had.

She had to evacuate her "own" station and possibly had knowledge that she should join our SAM and "our" station to make the final trip.

That is pretty much my take on the subject. I really enjoyed the hours with Observation, although typical for the genre, gameplay is really simple. It was well written and had an excellent atmosphere, although I personally liked Deliver Us the Moon more, which is relatively similar game.

Yeah there's an achievement that confirms that our Emma died. So the only survivor from our station was... us.

[terminal_]

Originally posted by cosmicandre:

Given the ominous music at the very end, the fairly violent and forceful nature of the hexagon/aliens invading SAM, luring people to this singularity and manipulating multiple instance and copies of everyone - it seems more like the aliens/hexagon are looking to advance or save *their* race through AI / Human integration (SAM/Emma being the first and best fit).
Once they return Emma/SAM to Earth - you can see how they realize now they can adapt and take over through the ooze and the next step is farming all the humans (bring them).

This is what I was thinking about as I was watching the ending, that Emma+SAM are now tasked with spreading the "goo" and taking more humans back to the alien entity. But it's difficult to say what the entity is and what the ulterior motive is. The final puzzle, as Emma faces the Hexagon, reveals more and more humanoids around the Hexagon. They shouldn't be human, as they seem alive and well and we know everyone else that got there is dead, except for this version of Emma.

[BEN]

It's pretty clear that we lose our Emma, since her helmet broke and oxygen was going through the crack, while she started drifting. When we next see Emma, the helmet is intact and she doesn't react like someone who escaped death in space.
As for the Anomaly, i think there is only one. Many Emma, one anomaly. I think it needs her because only her can make a success of the merge. At the end, i think only one Emma makes it.
It only needs one because i think Emma is close to a constancy in all the dimension, like the others, but only her has a chance to succeed and the others would make the mission fail. Then it would make her in any reality cause after the merge comes the split. While the planet has a floor with a lot of dead Emma and stations, she is suddenly surrounded by many Emma, while we know that reality becomes one around the singularity. This is the split. It knows them, has them and make makes them many to send them back. The reasons? I don't know. But with this ubiquitous behaviour (the message from the planet to the station in every realities, the realities merger, the split, the rebbirth of the two in one entity....), the anomaly is probably a god. Or godlike.

[windblade]

I have to disagree with most people here about Emma's fate. I don't think Emma died, she just lost her humanity. As SAM is evolving to be more human, Emma is evolving to be less human, bringing them closer to each other. This is why her voice print doesn't match, why she survives without air, and why she becomes rather lacking in emotion in the end.

This game borrows a huge amount from "2001: A Space Odyssey", so much that it could be called a remake of that movie. The journey to the edge of the solar system, the AI becoming intelligent, and an otherworldly enigmatic black object somehow evolving those who view it, it all comes from that movie. Where it differs is the "answer" it comes up with to the issue of how we will evolve and the place AI has in that process. Where 2001 had a fight to the death between AI and man, this game has them merging into something new.

[BEN]

Surviving without air, with a crack in the helmet that isn't there when she enter the station? Not possible. Can't be the same Emma. If she is, it's a big writing mistake.

[windblade]

Maybe she, uh, ran into Mae's body and stole her helmet. Yes, there we go, perfectly logical. Ha! I won't abandon my theory just because evidence contradicts it!