Adventure Gamers - Forums

Becky - 11 August 2014 09:26 AM

Re: unintentional results of Styles’ experiments—(spoilers for those who haven’t finished the game):

The experiment greatly magnified Angela’s abilities—you could see something starting in her brain on the scans, and by the next minute, all the brains of the students hooked up together electronically were affected. On her own, Angela seemed able to create flames and heat things up (the controls in the car that created the accident must have been fused by heat). Once hooked up to other brains, Angela could create a hurricane-like wind, move heavy objects at frightening speed, change the color of water, and paint patterns. All without any intention or memory of having unleashed these forces.

Now that we are on the subject, then I cant help but to show an image of what an fMRI actually looks like:

Nothing like the equipment that Styles is using in his experiment, also if you had several in the same room then the powerful magnets in each would interfere with the results of the others. My point is that JJ cut a lot of corners here for dramatic purposes, which as such is fine, but when it comes to the images for all of the Lambs Club maxing out, then I also think it is a case of cutting corners, and that there is a more pragmatic reason for it: If only Angela’s result had maxed out, then it would be too obvious too soon that it was Angela that was causing the events, so JJ had to max them all out to conceal that fact. In other words I don’t think it was intentional to make it appear like Angela was actually “hooked up to” or using the brains of the other test subjects.

That the trance-like or meditative state she was in caused her to loose control over her powers and perhaps even magnified them, though fusing metal to metal through pyrokinesis would take just as much energy as moving objects through telekinesis, was on the other hand intentional as I see it.

wilco - 10 August 2014 02:34 PM

In the end no spirits were involved (except for maybe IMPOSTER word) or any grand game, only someone that unlocked brain capacity gaining telekinetic or pyrokinetic abilities.

Lets not forget the [spoiler]”Blue tiles. Check the cars, David” message that Styles gets from Laura in chapter 3[/spoiler]

An amazing thing happened last night - as I was taking a break from playing Gray Matter, I wanted to see some good crime thriller after a long time. I randomly chose French movie “Tell No One” and was struck by few scenes - while the game and the movie are completely different, they do share some story plots, like the movie is about a doctor who lost his wife tragically eight years ago, but now both he and the viewers are teased into thinking she might still be alive… More than the story, it’s some similar scenes they share, like:

The tree carving

Flowers

At the lake

In the park

and while that’s where the similarities end, I can still recommend the movie!

The first time I played this game, the ending came as a surprise. This probably goes to show what a gothic atmosphere can do, but I particularly remember thinking that the sighting of Laura on the stairs in the white dress had an unearthly haze around it. On the second playthrough, of course I could see that it didn’t. The first time I played, I thought the game would reveal more significant appearances by Laura at the end.
Yes, I thought the ending tied things up pretty well. I’d love to play Gray Matter 2

I agree, the end also came to me as a surprise also, but I enjoyed the surprise. I was wondering how it was going to end and I liked how they ended it. They also hinted that they were open to doing a GM2, that would be great - I’d love to see a GM trilogy actually.

Finished! The eight chapter is really something else… though I kinda missed some final brain teaser, it was really more of a game of memory with the doors than anything else (the mirror room was great, too). The final scenes and the ending? Not bad, gives you something to think about (you know the resolution is good when you have an urge to play it all over again with a new knowledge). More on it a bit later!

Also that Styles obviously has a soft spot for Sam & vice-versa – Helena’s comment I think is based on her own mind! I don’t see romance between Styles & Sam but for Sam I think staying in a comfortable place with a good salary is probably more stability than she’s had in her life

I do see some sort of respect between these two as well, and for Sam is the best place for her to be at this time. Overall, for me this was a great way to end this game, and did make me look forward to a GM2 if it ever happens.

Wait, is there the definite proof that Angela is responsible for the car accident?. Yes, it was obviously her in David’s hypnosis flashback, but eEven if that’s true, I’m leaning more towards the “unwilling” influence, due to the power of thoughts, brain.

Beside that, the word Imposter on RNG machine could only mean Laura is trying to communicate and warn of Angela’s action. Still, was it Angela, Laura or someone third (Helborn?) at the window spying on David? Was it Angela or Laura at the very beginning scaring the new secretary in an act of jealousy and “protection”?

Anyway, it’s safe to say Gray Matter confirmed what I expected from the very start - it’s underrated. Not significantly, but as everyone expected miracle or something from Jane Jensen, it’s true quality was slightly overlooked. It’s more than above average adventure in the last 5 years or so. This was NOT an amateurish team that worked with Jensen - beside the sluggish character’s animation, running and minor drawbacks like the now-infamous slow Styles’ venture into the private lab every time, everything else, beginning with the puzzle design (still, as a I said, I feel like the best puzzles were in the middle section and not in the Daedalus Club) was of high quality. Along with of course, Robert Holmes’ music and Raleigh Holmes’ voice for Sam. As for the story, I think one of the main “strengths” is that it succeeds in intersecting two totally “independent” stories and motives (Daedalus Club - David’s grief) in an interesting and non-suspecting way. Players are given two separate motives from the start, and each can choose which one is more interesting to follow, but later it kinda blends into the ending. “The bride of Frankenstein”, as I saw it, is “just” a great little “reward” for anyone having the patience to sit after the credits. and it could be analyzed in many ways (Sam becoming the “bride”, not necessarily by marriage but simply by living with Styles, who’s continued to be Frankenstein feeling Laura is at the reach?). As for the supporting characters (was Linkweller at fault for any of David’s breakdown? Are there more to the Helborn’s visit to Dread house? Why was there a magazine dated exactly as the date of the accident in Helena’s room?) either the story has many little “things to tie up in the background”, meaning it needs to played more than once, or some space was really left open for the sequel.

Some random “excerpts” from my “Print-screen album”:

I’m merely a pawn joker.

Anyone else thought the spiky roof looks like a map? You know, if you squint and turn your head it looks like a bunny Mexico.

Doesn’t she look like Angela?

My favorite Zoltan.

Iron Maiden - excellent!!

My favorite scene in the game. Too bad it was only about finding the key.

Another atmospheric one. Is that a parrotfish?

Anyone else found distracting the fact they colored spades in red?

Sefir, finding out Diego had progressed to Chapter 8.

Sefir, finding out Diego had finished a playthrough.

diego - 15 August 2014 03:24 PM

Some random “excerpts” from my “Print-screen album”:

Anyone else thought the spiky roof looks like a map? You know, if you squint and turn your head it looks like a bunny Mexico.

That’s because it is a globe map Diego but not Mexico. It’s the United Kingdom and Ireland plus part of Western Europe turned 90 degrees left.

UPtimist - 15 August 2014 03:53 PM

I’m still finishing Ch 7, and what is confusing me is how you’re supposed to know what time to check in the experiment records (brain scans)...

For the exact times, you can check Sam’s written reports on the incidents on Styles computer (as I recall), though not for the last incident.

diego - 15 August 2014 02:30 PM

Wait, is there the definite proof that Angela is responsible for the car accident?. Yes, it was obviously her in David’s hypnosis flashback, but eEven if that’s true, I’m leaning more towards the “unwilling” influence, due to the power of thoughts, brain.

Yes - And I’m leaning more towards premeditated murder - Okay perhaps Crime Passionnel.

diego - 15 August 2014 02:30 PM

Beside that, the word Imposter on RNG machine could only mean Laura is trying to communicate and warn of Angela’s action.

That is also how I see it.

diego - 15 August 2014 02:30 PM

Still, was it Angela, Laura or someone third (Helborn?) at the window spying on David?

Definitely, with 100% certainty, without a doubt: Angela - I think it was only for bonus points, so you might have missed it, but Sam can blow flour on the window to see the handprints, which are too small to be a man’s, and if it isn’t said straight out then it is at least very strongly hinted that it is Angela’s

diego - 15 August 2014 02:30 PM

Was it Angela or Laura at the very beginning scaring the new secretary in an act of jealousy and “protection”?

That one is I believe still open for interpretation. My initial though was that it was Sam making her usual tricks, now I’m leaning towards coincidence / fate.

diego - 15 August 2014 03:24 PM

I’m merely a pawn joker.

Shame on you we all know this is the REAL JOKER

chrissie - 14 August 2014 12:42 PM

Becky - 14 August 2014 10:41 AM

This has given me food for thought. Spoilers unless you’ve finished the game: Until now it never even occurred to me that Angela’s actions in the imposture—finding out that Styles was still trying to bring Laura back, exploring the house and finding the tower key, stealing the dress, slipping into the bed one morning for a few seconds, touching the shower while Styles was showering—would actually have a positive outcome for her. They seemed so easily discovered and so unlikely to make Styles sympathetic to her (and so unlike the shy Angela we know from the Lamb’s Club), that I thought that Angela must have been talked/manipulated into these actions by some other party. However, if she had an indication that Styles, upon waking up the next morning after the “honeymoon” night to discover that it wasn’t his wife, but Angela in his bed, would feel honor-bound to then marry her, then it would make sense to gamble the way she did with her imposture. Mad, romance-novel sense. But at least some sort of sense.

I was more thinking that Angela had gained enough ‘power’ to reasonably convince Styles that she was his dead wife? As Sam intervened there’s no idea of how long this could have gone on for or the consequences?

I am fairly certain, that if Sam hadn’t intervened then they would have spend the night together. I am however also equally certain that first thing in the morning, Styles would have realized it was Angela and kicked her out of the door, perhaps even called the police, that is unless Angela had sneaked out before this. Who knows, perhaps she would have been satisfied with just one night with styles?

Either way I don’t really think she planned much ahead, to me she seemed more like a mad women simply acting on her impulses, rather that someone with a plan, no matter how crazy or self-deluding that plan was.