WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN!


This has been easily the most controversial aspect of Scratches. It practically divided people, generated aired discussions and became a love or hate it affair. Debates went on over months (they actually keep going) and still there isn't a general consensus. We have been equally insulted and praised because of this. Now it's the time ask ourselves: why?

Believe it or not, there was nothing rushed about this abrupt ending. We actually had a long discussion about it, about what was better to do and the ideal approach. In the original ending, Michael had to perform a certain action down in that hole, bringing a different sense of purpose to the whole game. But the truth is that the only purpose was always to resolve the Blackwood enigma. And learning what was the reason behind those scratches was enough to achieve that. Roughly speaking, once you knew this fact alone, there was nothing left to do. So while the original ending brought a sense of completion to the game and Michael's stay in Blackwood Manor, it was simply wrong for a number of reasons, chief among them killing the climax (let's just say that in it Michael puts someone out of his misery). Just take our word for it – it would have ruined a lot of the Scratches experience. There are two great things about the current ending: one, it leaves to the imagination of the player whether the whole ordeal with the mask and the curse was true or not, something that had a straight solution when the game was first conceived – and two, it has a definite Lovecraftian feel to it, which is more akin to the overall style of the game.

And allow me to add a third one: it made the story persist in your minds and in online forums. For many people, the aftermath of the game was almost as fun as playing the game itself! This is precisely what we wanted with this ending. The original one just wouldn't had the same impact. And we firmly believe this was the right way of ending Scratches, no question about that. It was abrupt and rushed on purpose – but the clues to understanding the story are all there. Simply by reading a couple of documents (especially Milton's) should be enough to dispel any doubts.

Now, for the first time ever, we will be directly answering questions about the ending... as much as we can!

(and no, we don't want to reveal the original one yet... perhaps if you ask politely...)