Destroying the world: The story behind Muffles’ darkest ending (Devlog)
Hello g-g-gamers,
Endings are freakin’ hard. You’re writing, writing, writing and in the flow and you’re peeling back layers and building on concepts and just when you think you’re getting the hang of it- BAM! Time’s up. You have to bring all the loose threads together in a coherent way that is satisfying and doesn’t feel rushed.
When I wrote the last chapter for Muffles, I was intimidated. It is by far my biggest story and I wanted to end strong, focusing on the main themes, and doing right by the cast of characters we met on our journey.
And I ignored ALL of these instincts when writing the secret ending, and I’m going to tell you all about it!
Muffles’ Secret Ending
WEE WOO WEE WOO spoilers ahead!
I am going to be talking about Muffles’ secret endings, so if you want to remain untarnished by my wicked little secrets until you’ve had the chance to discover them yourself…
Turn back.
Or else.
… or else you’ll be spoiled! There’s worse things, but I don’t like spoilers personally so I’m reeeeeeally dragging this out to give you a chance to change your mind…
… okay let’s do this.
Muffles’ Secret Ending (for real)
Each episode has a secret entrance to a room dedicated to the cult practices of Maddox’s previous warden, Tolbus Maddox. He used riddle-bound shadowkeys to hide the entrances from all but the most persistent of prisoners.
The man dedicated years to extracting the secrets that pushed the limits of reason and morality. The texts inscribed in these rooms are some of the only kept records of his findings, and the world might have been better off had they been destroyed.
If you manage to fulfill the requirements of the final cult room, you possess the potential of the Undoom- the culmination of Tolbus’s findings and experimentation. You’re left with a choice. Destroy the apparatus, or use it as it was intended. Indulge the rite, invoke the never-ending night, and bring an end to it all.
Why does Bossy want players to Ctrl-Alt-Delete the world?
For context, everything cult room related was added after the main story was complete. This gave me a lot of freedom to focus on mostly lore and have a lot of fun with some characters that never got their chance to shine in the main game.
The thing I KNEW I wanted to do with this opportunity was get a little wacky with it. Maybe not ‘Shiba Inu named Mira wearing a headset in a hidden control room in Silent Hill’ wacky, but still. That close to the end of the game, powerful cards and HP/BS upgrades aren’t going to be as impactful as a choice that’s fun to see play out.
Lessons for the future
Muffles taught me a lot about endings, and there’s a lot I want to improve on for the future. I also learned not to underestimate the power of the secret ending- at least in a game where you can save any time you want.
Muffles was treated horribly by the world. Tolbus believed the world to be beyond saving, and dedicated his life to ‘wiping the slate clean.’ It isn’t unthinkable that Muffles might draw the conclusion that the world has more bad than good in it, and justify a fresh start.
Horrifying.
In other news…
Gosh all this talk about catastrophic endings… what a bummer drag, man. If only Bossy had some reaaaally cool news he was announcing in the near future… you know, to balance out all these bad vibes!
Stay tuned 🙂
Adios~