ME3. Was there an ending? [spoilers]
In addition to signing petitions for DLC release and announcing boycotts of future BioWare products, our friends from overseas sites are engaged in discussing an interesting topic – is the ending of [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3) just a nonsensical hallucination of Shepard, induced by the Reapers' influence on the hero's mind?
This short video shows us the main confusing moments of the ending:
- companions who fought alongside us disappeared
- endless supply of ammunition in the pistol [this point is negated by the first episode on Earth - there too, the ammo did not run out until Anderson said he was "empty"]
- the path we walk to the control panel is the only one, so where was Anderson?
- where did the Ghost come from, if we had not seen him anywhere before?
- the matter around Shepard resembles tales of how the Reapers attempted to seize control of the mind
- the Ghost's movements exactly mimic those of Saren
the illogical event of the heroes getting into Normandy
However, what was shown in the video is not everything – fans have noticed mysterious inscriptions on the Citadel in the form of 1m1 and its mirrored counterpart.
This audio recording can also be considered a mystery – many say it wasn't in the game; however, I had this conversation between Anderson and Shepard. The fact that not everyone heard it can also be seen as a gap in the finale. Unless this issue is resolved by using two words – "torrent" and "license".
In addition to finding mysterious moments, fans are also uncovering the philosophical subtext. The main idea is that Anderson and the Ghost embody two branches of choice – to kill and to control the Reapers respectively. The death of both hints at the existence of a third path – synthesis. However, considering that Shepard may be under the influence of the Reapers, one can predict what will happen to Shepard after the chosen decision.
The first path – to control. Many in these screenshots noticed that Shepard starts to resemble Husk. It is at this moment that the Reapers fully seize Shepard's mind, and he dies.
The second path – to kill the Reapers. In this case, there is a chance to see someone in N7 armor unexpectedly starting to breathe. The main theory is that this is Shepard; by killing the Reapers, we free our mind and stay alive. In this video, many noticed the machine.
The third path – synthesis. Now everything is under the Reapers' control.
But why are we only talking about the Reapers and Shepard? It’s time to talk about the Catalyst, and more specifically, its manifestation. Let's start from the very beginning. Remember our first conversation with the boy – Shepard tries to save him, Anderson appears, and the boy disappears. At this moment, a strange sound is heard. A very similar one is described in the third book of [Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect), when one of the characters managed to break free from the Reapers' control.
Also, pay attention to the scene in the video – when the boy climbs into the shuttle, no one helps him, although earlier we see how Alliance personnel assist other people. Could it be that nobody sees the boy?
Later, we meet him in dreams, in the last of which we finally catch the child, hug him, and die in flames. Could this be a hint that if we follow the path the boy desires for us, we'll perish? By the way, he is voiced by Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, which may confirm the surreal nature of what is happening.
Now let’s pause for a moment and consider – where hasn’t Shepard encountered the Reapers and various artifacts – could there really be a possibility that our hero was gradually coming under the influence of the ancient inhabitants of space? If we accept this whole theory of hallucinations, we can see the logic in the illogical and understand that BioWare is still as good as they were when creating the first two parts. One can even justify the desire to release a proper ending only in DLC – for it might not be a desire to earn more money off fans’ nerves, but a wish to create an unforgettable experience for all those who care about the [Mass Effect](/games?search=Mass Effect) universe.
PS A reasonable question was asked: why does Shepard stay alive after killing the Reapers, and why do we even have the chance to see those whom the Catalyst prophesied we would never see again?