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Combined with three different endings the games offers great fun for those who love riddle games. Comparing it to my favorite riddle game (series).
It just felt kind of lacking. Sure, it was cool that you could become a Messenger and the cutscene wasn't bad, but I expected something a bit more for completeling everything in the game.What really disappointed me was the '6th' floor. I really loved climbing the Tower for the first time and just wondering what lay at the top of the great tower, and climbing out of the fog and seeing the giant fan structure.Part of what makes The Talos Principle so amazing is all the secrets and beautiful areas you can go to. I was expecting something super cool for completing all the puzzles and getting all the stars, but instead we got a dark, dingy, corridor in a basement. No extra lore from text logs. No new terminal. Nothing interesting from Milton.
That was what I found a bit disappointing.Also, what was up with the '6th' floor being in the basement? Because there is definitely space given the width around the tower and the amount of area between the 5th level and the top of the tower.
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It feels like there definitely should be something in that area. Maybe they originally planned to put the 6th level in that area and then changed it for reasons unknown.Anyone else feel similarily?. The descent is a metaphor of course.If you want an example think of Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra and the descent of its eponymous character from the mountain.In order to get the last star you must climb to the fifth floor. This is a symbol of the wisdom you have attained in Elohim's world. Then you can choose to descend and share that wisdom with the next generations. You go down so others can rise.Last but not least, if you get the messenger ending you will appear as one in your friend's games. Your gripes with the geographic location of the ending seem to imply that you've never tried to get past the fifth floor.Personally, my preferred ending would be to ascend, but I can understand a bit why this ending would be part of the game as well.
The implication is that you have decided that your ultimate purpose in the simulation is to guide the next generation and help them through their journey. It's like you chose the side of Elohim that actually seems to care about his 'children' instead of his other side that doesn't want you climbing the tower, hence the sort of symbolism of you entering the depths of the simulation, as though you genuinely subscribed to Elohim's ideology and his interpretation of the simulation's purpose.My only wish for choosing this ending is that it would add to the number of hints when you decide to replay the game, sort of like the 'Eternal Life' ending but with a bonus hint instead of just getting unceremoniously reset. I guess that makes sense. And I have completed all 3 endings btw.I guess it is a bit symbolic that it is in the basement. Kind of like how monks live their lives simply, you must first pass through a simple corridor to start your life as a Messenger. This fits I guess, but is still a little disappointing for someone expecting a final tidbit of interesting location.However, your theory also does not explain why the basement is labelled as level 6 on the elevator.That's something I'm really curious about. All the other basements are labelled as level -1.
If the point was to get to 'the depths of the simulation', why would it be labelled as the highest level of the forbidden tower on the elevator?. But there is no actual exit aside from the one on the 5th level, so even if the 6th level was located on the actual 6th level of the tower, you would not be able to get to the very top of it from the 6th level.As of now, I have a new theory:Elohim labelled the Messenger area as the 6th level to test you, because to get to that area it means you would have had to ignore the 5th level with the staircase to the top of the tower.Maybe Elohim sees the greatest loyalty in those whose faith is questioned but ultimately decide to follow him. After all, Samsara did ascend to the highest parts of the tower as well while still being faithful to Elohim. Maybe Elohim's final test for you was to get to edge of the tower, and decide to turn back and trust in him. Yeah, I actually had Samsara in mind when I was thinking on that question.
Although I'm not too sure Samsara cared about solving every last puzzle like what is expected of those who are to become messengers; he was just too disillusioned after thousands of reboots and remembering everything to even care anymore about anything but being in the simulation. Somewhere along the way he wound up buying into Elohim's deep-seated belief that prolonging the simulation was more important than fulfilling the actual original purpose of the simulation.Personally, I choose to view the simulation in context of Alexandra's original intent. Becoming a messenger somewhat implies that you choose to indulge your problem-solving capabilities rather than try to see their ultimate purpose.
Elohim repeatedly assures you that the path of the messenger is a privileged one to further convince you of this notion. I also find it interesting how Milton has no opinion on your persistence with the puzzles, neither encouraging you to complete everything nor manipulating you into viewing the path to the staircase as yet another puzzle to satisfy your compulsion. I think of it as the limitation of his intended purpose in the simulation. He exists solely to tell the player that Elohim doesn't have a monopoly on what you must do inside the simulation, that there are other elements worth considering aside from the voice in the sky.This also got me thinking why, if Shepherd defied Elohim, was he not able to fully ascend. Then I was reminded of one of Alexandra's recordings:Intelligence is more than problem-solving; intelligence is questioning the assumptions you're presented with. Intelligence is the ability to question existing thought-constructs.
If we don't make that part of the simulation, all we'll create is a really effective slave.To fully pass the simulation and be deemed worthy to inherit the spirit of humanity, you not only need the desire to self-determinate, but also the problem-solving skills necessary to overcome any obstacle you might face. The latter was what Shepherd lacked, which got him trapped at the top.
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