- [if you decide to unplug the phone]
- The Narrator: As Stanley picked up the phone, a white light engulfed him, filling him not just with radiance, but with hope. Hope for a life reunited once- Wait... oh goodness... Stanley, did you just unplug the phone? No, that wasn't supposed to be a choice; how did you do that? You actually... chose incorrectly? I didn't even know that was possible. Let me double check...
- [sound of papers rustling]
- The Narrator: No, it's definitely here, clear as day. Stanley picks up the phone, he's taken to his apartment, where he finds his wife, and the two pledge themselves to one another. Music comes in, fade to white, roll credits. Not picking up the phone is actually somehow an incorrect course of action. How is that even possible? None of these decisions were supposed to mean anything! I don't understand. How on earth are you making meaningful choices? What, did you- Wait a second, did I just see... no, that's not possible. I can't believe it. How had I not noticed it sooner? You're not Stanley. You're a real person. *sigh* I can't believe I was so mistaken. This is why you've been able to make correct and incorrect choices! And to think I've been letting you run around in this game for so long. If you'd made any more wrong choices, you might have negated it entirely! It's as though you've completely ignored even the most basic safety protocol for real world decision-making, or did you not grasp the severity of the situation? Well, I won't have that kind of risk on my watch. I'm going to stop the game for a moment so we can educate you properly on safe decision-making in the real world. Please observe this helpful instructional video.
- The Narrator: Stanley was so bad at following directions; it's incredible he wasn't fired years ago.
- [regular first lines during gameplay]
- The Narrator: All of his co-workers were gone. What could it mean? Stanley decided to go to the meeting room; perhaps he had simply missed a memo.
- Choice Video Narrator: If you find yourself speaking with a person who does not sense, in all likelihood, that person is not real. Allow the person to finish their thought, then provide an excuse why you cannot continue talking. Turn to a partner and practice saying, "My goodness! Is it 4:30? I am supposed to be having a back, sack, and crack!"
- [if you decide to turn off the machine]
- The Narrator: Blackness. And a rising chill of uncertainty. Was it over? Yes! He had won. He had defeated the machine, unshackled himself from someone else's command. Freedom was mere moments away. And, yet, even as the immense door slowly opened, Stanley reflected on how many puzzles still lay unsolved. Where had his co-workers gone? How had he been freed from the machine's grasp? What other mysteries did this strange building hold? But as sunlight streamed into the chamber, he realized none of this mattered to him. For it was not knowledge, or even power, that he had been seeking, but happiness. Perhaps his goal had not been to understand, but to let go. No longer would anyone tell him where to go, what to do, or how to feel. Whatever life he lives, it will be his. And that was all he needed to know. It was, perhaps, the only thing worth knowing.
- [outro if you turn off the machine]
- The Narrator: Stanley felt the cool breeze upon his skin, the feeling of liberation, the immense possibility of the new path before him. This was exactly the way, right now, that things were meant to happen. And Stanley was happy.
- [after you enter the Unfinished Room]
- The Narrator: You see? There's nothing here. I haven't even finished building this section of the map, because you were never supposed to be here in the first place. Broken rooms, exposed developer textures... is this what you had wanted? Was it worth ruining the entire story I had written out specifically for you? Do you not think I put a lot of time into that? Because I did. And in the end it was all for nothing, because this is what you wanted to see. Help me here, Stanley, help me elucidate these strange and unknowable desires of yours. What would have made this game better? What did you want to see? Vehicles? Skill trees? Work with me; you've given me absolutely nothing so far. Tell you what, let me take a stab in the dark at a new design and you can give me some feedback.
- [if you get out of the map]
- The Narrator: At first, Stanley assumed he'd broken the map, until he heard this narration and realized it was a part of the game's design all along. He then praised the game for its insightful and witty commentary into the nature of video game structure and its examination of structural narrative tropes. So, now that you're here, what do you think? Isn't this a fun and unique place to be? Why don't we take a minute just to drink it all in? Okay, I'm over it now. What do you think? Are you sick of this gag yet?
- [after Stanley seemingly gets killed]
- Second Narrator: What exactly did the Narrator think he was going to accomplish? When every path you can walk has been created for you long in advance, death becomes meaningless, making life the same. Do you see now? Do you see that Stanley was already dead from the moment he hit start?
- [after Stanley exits the Museum]
- Second Narrator: [laughs, referring to the Narrator and Stanley] Oh, look at these two. How they wish to destroy one another. How they wish to control one another. How they both wish to be free. Can you see? Can you see how much they need one another? No, perhaps not. Sometimes these things cannot be seen. But listen to me, you can still save these two. You can stop the program before they both fail. Push 'escape', and press 'quit'. There's no other way to beat this game. As long as you move forward, you'll be walking someone else's path. Stop now, and it could be your only true choice. Whatever you do, choose it! Don't let time choose for you! Don't let time choose for you!