Part 5 · playing as James Sunderland
Choose an ending
The conclusion changes with James's actions, but every route returns to responsibility and grief. The videotape at Lakeview Hotel forces James to remember Mary's death, and the ending variations judge the habits of care, denial and self-destruction expressed through play. The conclusion changes with James's actions, but every route returns to responsibility and grief.
The videotape at Lakeview Hotel forces James to remember Mary's death, and the ending variations judge the habits of care, denial and self-destruction expressed through play. The ending system gives ordinary actions moral weight. Attention to Mary, self-harm and possessiveness become evidence of which story James is telling himself. Laura's refusal to accept James's version of Mary preserves a perspective that the town cannot rewrite around his needs.