On this page we shall elaborate on the Doppelgänger trope.
The Halls of Doppelgangis is the area that we access after the tedious trial of the Brain Maze, having collected all sixteen brains and defeated Vine. It constitutes the second test to the Key of the Abyss and is also referred to as Judgement Level in the official Interplay walkthrough.[1]
Upon entering this place for the first time, after the revelatory encounter with Florentine and Rebecca at the Gates of Sheol, Adam encounters a reflection of himself sitting on a throne and declaring that,
| “ |
Goodness reflects the light; and evil bears the seed of all darkness. Choose well. |
” |
Adam furthermore meets (the real) Abaddon again who is held prisoner by Florentine by means of a red light. Abaddon informs Adam that he is guardian of the Key to the Abyss. The Key actually is not to be understood in the mundane sense of the word, i. e. denoting a physical item, but consists of three tests which Adam has to take separately in order to gain access to the Chamber of the Soulstone:
Test[]
The challenge of this place consists in walking around the chamber's perimeter and breaking a series of mirrors, without directly looking into them. Otherwise, an enemy 
will be triggered which can only be defeated by shooting at its reflection in the mirror. After having completed this second stage of the Key to the Abyss, the throne will be lowered, allowing us to proceed onwards to undertake the final trial, a rotunda of eight separate puzzles.
Doppelganger trope[]
Abaddon speaks of Doppelgangis as the demon of Insight and Personality, while the official walkthrough also refers to him as "major demon and Master of Flesh".[1]
In some traditions, seeing one's own doppelgänger is an omen of death, or a warning of an approaching danger. The doppelgänger theme has also been prominently featured in literary works, e.g. by Edgar Allan Poe[2], E.T.A. Hoffmann[3], Fyodor Dostoyevsky[4] and Heinrich Heine[5].
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See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official Interplay Walkthrough: "Level Two - Judgement Level: Dopplegangis [sic], major demon and Master of Flesh rules this level. Only by defeating his own reflections will the gate. [sic] Kept here in a prison of Light is Abaddon who instructs Adam to why he was brought here and what to expect in the Last Battle at the Chamber of the Soulstone."
- ↑ Edgar Allan Poe: William Wilson
- ↑ E.T.A. Hoffmann: Die Elixiere des Teufels
- ↑ Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Double
- ↑ Heinrich Heine: Der Doppelgänger (Schwanengesang)