When you choose obedient options, however, the player is being conciliatory towards their partners; obeying the directions equals jumping through hoops to please the other, even when the choices are counter-intuitive (Don't touch the statue) or outright destructive (Throw yourself into the barbs). Yet these choices are also pleasing the partner, who thus becomes calmer as they gain control of the relationship; choosing to 'stay' indicates that the relationship is at least functional again, causing the Voice to reward the player with acknowledgment (i.e. Choosing 'boy' gets you "No, you're a man.") and praise ('I'm so happy to have you'). The end of the Obedient route has a more 'traditional' platforming style, complete with coin, representing the player's reward - a 'normal' relationship - for having pleased their partner.
Of course, neither option is entirely perfect: The colorful pixels when disobeying represent the chaos and disorientation that comes from strife in your relationship, becoming severe the more you disobey because attempting to break from a long-time relationship is exceptionally difficult. And while obeying nets you an easier time (no disorienting pixels), it becomes if anything even more stark, blank, and inorganic then before, representing how the relationship may be fine on the surface but is - at least on the player's part - lifeless, requiring them to put so much effort into pleasing their partner that there's no real love or emotion (color) involved.
- As I see it, the disobey option is perfect. The black path the player follows would be the relationship, and with each act of disobedience, the black-and-white (as you put it, lifeless) path gets broken by colourful blocks, which is not you struggling to break the relationship, but the relationship breaking by itself once you don't start blindly following the bad advice (or, well, start disobeying good advice, because sure, why not). The player is not struggling to break the relationship, going further to the right is trying to go on with it, but the relationship (path) is breaking itself because the player is making his own decisions. Thus following the relationship becomes harder, since I'm not even sure where I am going with this.
- As the above illustrates, even the 'good' option - ending the relationship - isn't perfect: The player careens towards the other end of the spectrum, doing exactly the opposite of what the Voice instructs even if it hurts (kills/shatters) the player in the process. By following the Disobedient method, you become as defined by your opposition to the Voice as you were by obedience to it; perhaps the Voice/your lover really does intend the best for you, and you're throwing it back in their face. Perhaps your attempts to prove that you neither want nor need them drives you to dangerous behavior, as you justify it by saying "Well, I'm not gonna do what you want me to do!" While following one's own path is important, disregarding good advice just because of who's giving it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater: The key is to follow the good advice and disregard the bad, allowing a clean break without too much hurt between you and allowing you-the-player to achieve the Leave ending without plunging wholesale into unnecessary chaos.
- As I see it, the disobey option is perfect. The black path the player follows would be the relationship, and with each act of disobedience, the black-and-white (as you put it, lifeless) path gets broken by colourful blocks, which is not you struggling to break the relationship, but the relationship breaking by itself once you don't start blindly following the bad advice (or, well, start disobeying good advice, because sure, why not). The player is not struggling to break the relationship, going further to the right is trying to go on with it, but the relationship (path) is breaking itself because the player is making his own decisions. Thus following the relationship becomes harder, since I'm not even sure where I am going with this.
- Interestingly enough, it's noted on the main page under Colour-Coded for Your Convenience that the "barbs" always stay red during a disobedient playthrough (and the statues stay green). As you go through the obedient playthrough, the world gets more decayed and crumbling and monochromatic, to the point where it's hard to distinguish the spiky statues from the barbs—it's hard to tell what hurts you anymore. But as you do the disobedient playthrough—as you rebel against your abuser—everything gets more chaotic, but it's easier to tell what really hurts you.
- Interesting... But then what about the ending where you 'leave' the voice?
- I played through the "obey" route the first time, so that's the impression I got. I didn't really take the other routes into consideration.
- Sweet Zombie Jesus, my mental eyes! The Goggles Do Nothing!
- No rewards? You are finally considered a man/woman at the obedient end, and could possibly be off to a land of happy-happy-rainbow-lollypops you just don't see. Or to an eternity of torment.
- Further adding to this theory: the Voice often instructs you to sacrifice yourself, act in a way that does not serve your best interests, or take the more difficult path - core ideas in Christianity ("turn the other cheek," "lay down his life for his friends" etc.), as well as in other religions. Also worth noting that obeying gives you a clear, stark overview of the world and the hazards in it. Those who are religious have a set of guidelines that tell them what is right and what is wrong, so they have a clear view of bad/good in the world and they know what they're "supposed" to do...which is often a pretty "black and white" way of looking at things. Those who don't follow a religion have to rely on their own moral compass and experience to figure out right from wrong, which enables them to see all the different "shades" of a situation, but may have a sense of confusion attached to it, running into situations they have no reference point for, or seeing danger where there is none (the walkway over the spikes) Seesawing between obeying and disobeying may represent someone who has a religion, but struggles with it or doubts it. (Sorry, it all went Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory for a bit...)
- In addition, should you disobey the whole way through, but then choose "stay close" in the final question, you are told "We can begin again." Which would nicely tie in to the theme of repentance and returning to God, were it not for the creepy-abusive-relationship overtones...