LSD Dream Emulator - Ending (1998)
The full ending cutscene.
The ending is a video cutscene, which starts automatically when the LSD: Dream Emulator's Day 365 comes to an end. " Come on and " can be heard playing as a background music.
When the video ends, the main menu of the game appears. The day counter will be reset back to Day 001, however, Flashback and the Chart progress will be saved from the previous year. After that, the game can be completed again, and the ending cutscene will appear upon the conclusion of any following Day 365 every time.
The meaning[]
The video shows an odd and hypnotizing version of Hatsuyume (初夢) - a dream, that occurs at the start of the new year, signifying how lucky the dreamer will be in the oncoming year.
In the first seconds of the ending cutscene, LSD: Dream Emulator's Linen is shown in his full form, then the Mountain Fuji explodes and starts erupting. Some eggplants and a hawk can be seen while the numbers are counting down like in old TV programms, and a red ball spins around anticlockwise. After 3 seconds, eggplant will be shown in a cut form. The ball will fly away, and the overall picture will slowly transform into LSD logo, that will soon fade away.
Further analysis of the game files show that its file is called ENDING.STR and is the only ending.
Facts and speculation[]
- Some believe that Hatsuyume seen in the ending is for a bad version of it, because the eggplant is being cut at the end. This is fueled by the incorrect fact that the eggplant is the symbol of fertility in Japan. However, the symbols of fertility in Japan are the dishes called Kazunoko (salted and marinated herring roe) and Kobumaki (stewed herring wrapped in konbu seaweed.) Eggplant has not been proven a symbol of fertility.
- Interestingly, the leap year in LSD: Dream Emulator doesn't exist. The cutscene happens after Day 365 every time, even if the player have completed 4 game years in a row.