I'm married to probably the only person who counts this as one of their absolute favorite games but I'm not kidding when I say my wife has played through multiple copies of this game and cried happy tears when we found it on the PS4 store. I've never seen anyone else actually even talk about it (even when the PS2 first came out) so seeing it pop up here was almost surreal.
There’s a (in my humble opinion) very good Dark Souls centric podcast Bonfireside Chat that does at least one pretty long episode on Eternal Ring you might be interested in. Their newer episodes are behind a paywall but I’m PRETTY sure their eternal ring episode is free?
Theres TONS of references that Josh points out in this video, and item called Golden Seed an obsession with having the highest upgrade mats named after dragons, etc.
I never watched anything from this creator before yet I just spent over an hour watching a video about a game I'd never played. This was truly well done.
Personally, he's one of my favorite creatures on here. There's another series of his that I watch if and on cake Worst MMO Ever where he explored and explains a bunch of them. He does good work and the general technical detail, amiability, and enjoyment present makes them good to listen to, if not watch
That's why long video essays about games I've never played have become one of my favourite things these past years. When someone has the energy to make stuff like this, it's almost always done with passion Once it was no longer required by school or anything, It's become kinda fun to do intense research and write up something long for me as well. It's a great way to explore topics you were never interested in before, once you get into it.
@@BierBart12 There's something exquisite about learning about an obscure game. I see the PS2 is a goldmine for games like that. And this video introduced me to this new hobby of mine.
I'm sure someone already brough that up, but the idea of the kid suddenly growing up in a few seconds was reused in the Bloodborne DLC, where the Orphan of Kos starts crying like a baby, but his cries grows into a mature man's cry by the end. I never played Bloodborne but I remember that vividly because the first time I heard it, it was just that scary.
I remember getting this game when it first came out. I unwrapped this game the Christmas it came out, my dad acted so pissed that the "Guy at the store gave him the wrong game" He took it from me and said he was taking it back with the receipt. I was so heartbroken and then I unwrapped the PS2 and I was completely overjoyed. I remember asking my dad how he got it all and he said that he waited in line in freezing october to get it lol along with the PS2. It was great too because I remember my mom getting so mad at him for "Picking up an extra graveyard shift" on his day off lol. I still have this game, the original one I got SO many years ago...damn this video brought back so many great memories!
And you know what? Even if it isn't that great of a game, especially when compared to other FromSoft games, the fact your Dad did this made the game freaking great. Good Dad's are rare. You are lucky friend.
I love how the Essence of every FromSoft game bleeds into each other, like looking at a family of very different people and ages but you can tell they're related.
@@isaacharding Yea, but holding this much consistence over such a long period? Between team changes and devs retiring, it’s amazing how the company took so many of its properties, refined their elements and interpreted them in ways that somehow always ended up engaging and fun, despite the fact they all have very obvious formulas that they remix to perfection. Sekiro still doesn’t feel the same as Elden ring, which doesn’t feel the same as bloodbourne, etc.. outside of fighting games, I don’t know a company who does what FromSoftware does with such an incredible amount of success. Also god I cannot wait for the new armored core experience… So much potential!
I actually find the epilogue an entriguing setpiece. The closest I can think of is Alucard from Hellsing working for his nemesis descendants. The idea tha the protaganist and the final boss could find commonality and actually live together in the same general space in peace is intriguing. Furthermore, as mentioned, Soulus is still learning. I think King Ian was made privy to what happened on the Island much later and knows how powerful both his retainer and vassal are. Ironically, his position showed how noble he was as a leader since he didn't abuse either of the men.
Honestly I really like the sort of small implicit character development at the end, Cain just chilling with Solas and all that. We need more final bosses that mature and turn into friends in games
Solas can be forgiven because he was already imprisoned for his crimes and ironically when he gets out not only does he learn what they wanted but he also learned why he needed to be imprisoned to begin with.
I have to hand it to Soulus's child VA, before the line "This... this feeling... Sad..." he absolutely _nailed_ that concerned confusion of a child first encountering death It was honestly heart wrenching
Well, the concept of a psychopathic child with godlike power learning the value of human life and what to be sad is, and becoming a better person for it is actually very interesting and wholesome for a Fromsoftware game.
@@Coldsteak Gran Turismo had a surprise for you if you didn't put the X button to the metal, car would not accelerate fully... mind you, for a kind-of-a-sim, it's useful.
Metal gear solid 3 used it well, as letting go of square slowly would hoster your weapon instead of firing it, grappling an enemy and then pushing down hard and quickly on circle would slit their throat, and I can't remember which button it is but you can zoom in during cutscenes and control the level of zoom by how hard you pressed the face button.
The bouncer, star ocean, and (I think) midnight club 3 used analog buttons. The first 2 for changing what attacks the buttons did, while the latter was for acceleration. IIRC my dualshock2 was well worn by that point, so I think I used the right analog stick to accelerate in midnight club 3, because the button wasn't cutting it. ...Y'know, I kind of miss having all analog controllers like that. Wonder whether they should come back, or if it's not worth it.
For some reason, when I saw Soulus mulling over Lyla's death, I suddenly imagined the game with better voice acting, I thought about how Soulus would sound if he was genuinely upset at learning what mortality was.
I really do miss game manuals. I loved the designs of them. I loved the extra lore or info about the developers. Most of all I loved how it made the time it took to install games on my PC go by faster because I would be reading the manual on the way home from the store and while the game was installing.
I remember as kids me and my brother would have a ritual to open the game in the car, you could SMELL the manual! Then we'd take turns reading the manuals, if they had a map opening it so we both saw at the same time and playing it on a heads or tails draw!
Since you didn't mention it when it happened, the winged demon guy you fight after getting the fire key is the same corrupted expedition captain that killed the new expedition team earlier, just fully transformed, which is why he says "you followed me". He acts as a small bit of foreshadowing of the reveal that happens with Lyla and her father right afterwards.
@Fak Yuh Googel yeah, more or less. The first major clue is that his second form/first boss fight shares the exact same size and shape as the monstrous parts of his partially transformed appearance, and that that third form/second boss fight has the same appearance as the second form but all twisted and warped, likely as a result of him not healing properly from the first boss fight. The second is that he's the only actual character you meet capable of speech besides Lyla who actually sticks around long enough to even have these sorts of interactions with you, and both his first and second boss fights start with him talking to you as if he's met you before, which is impossible for any other character before that point.
As a souls fanboy, I thought this game would be another in their list of "janky but interesting" titles everyone forgot about. But, wow, that storyline is something else. From has always been good at their stories, but Lyla's death teaching Soulless empathy is excellent. It was only with the death of someone he actually cared about that he learnt that there would be others whose deaths would carry meaning for someone else who cared about them. That is just mesmerising. Justifies my From fanaticism even more. :')
No, it doesn't. You're just a sycophant looking for ass pats. This story isn't new or interesting. It's as generic as it gets like all of their stories.
I like that you breakdown everything including controls, UI, and all that. I appreocate knowing how that effects the experience without having to play it myself.
There is a strange lack of detail in some places and a great amount in others like the man actually opening the letter in the beginning. Overall it shows what fromsoftware's ambitions we're back then and seeing them getting it right with the newer titles is amazing. I replay freelancer a 2003 flying space shooter game every year as a nostalgia vibe. I would be interested in seeing what you think of it if you're interested
Lmao I love how the running theme of FromSoft not being able to finish the snow levels they oh so love to try and include or having them be rushed is consistent here too.
@@Flackon He's likely referring to Demon's Souls, where the 6th area was a snow area that was made, but was never finished and was ultimately scrapped to make the release deadline. You can find videos where people went into the game code and "played" what exists of the area. People for years thought they would release DLC for the game adding the level, and some hoped it would be added in the PS5 remaster... but nope.
Oh my God you did Eternal Ring. This was one of first ps2 games. Back when I first got my ps2 I didn't have a memory card for around a month, so I left my ps2 on while I was at school and beat the game without ever turning it off. Such nostalgia
26:49 is just Heide's Tower of Flame 32:40 is just the 3 giants room in Black Gulch and 39:28 is the Iron Golem! These guys just wanted to make Dark Souls for a loooong time
There is ONE other 'use' of the day/night cycle and it's really a hinderance. The npcs in the 1st village move around at different times of day and the guy you're supposed to give the letter to will go to bed and lock the door until like 8 am, preventing you from progressing if you happen to go there at the wrong time. One of the best spells, especially for killing the floating mages is Poison especially when you get Power of Seek ring. Lvl 3 Earth gems are able to be farmed once you have access to forest right after the 1st dungeon (the water temple) and it lets you bypass the awful poison valley area that the npcs tell you to go through instead. Tornado is excellent as well but it will suck up a lot of MP early on and can be really dangerous without Seek because it often drifts around. (Yes, your own spells can hurt you. The dragon summons are typically lethal if you're too close when you cast them.) Also, both you and enemies can cast spells through walls and doors, so be ready to cheese or die horribly in the Iron Mill. Holy moly! That footage at like 7:26 is the bonus secret dungeon in the start area, and somehow you have less than 300 hp. You must have sped your way through the game to get that, because that's pretty underleved for how nasty those monsters are, esp in the ice area. The cockatrices can prob one-shot you at that level.
Eternal ring was fascinating one. It worked like a dark souls game, but played like echo night, really under-rated fromsoft series where you communicate with the dead and help them pass on with their own heartbreaking yet realistic stories of unfinished business. Man, echo night was such a good game. Maybe you should play that next, josh.
Sounds like an awesome series! Are they compatible with current gen hardware/OS? I'd love to learn more about them, especially if Josh does cover them.
@@TG-ge1oh sadly they were only on ps1 and 2 but you can pretty easily emulate them. if you like that sorta thing they're really well done. nitrorad has some good videos on the series if you're curious about them
Seconded. I love the old Fromsoft games and while Kings Field is my favourite, there is nothing out there quite like Echo Nights. Very good ambience, very good story, very good puzzles. Even aged quite well since there isn't any janky combat or weird systems holding it down (except the minigame to get the good/evil ending of the first game.)
@@hypertion The first MGS was actually in King's Field their first game, not Armored Core. AC is where they started the trend of adding it to other games though.
@@Argonisgema Sekiro doesn't have a playable MGS, but the Divine Dragon's Seven-Branched Sword functions as the MGS since it has all the other properties (glows greenish, giant sword, shoots sword beams). Also, I got into the FromSoft side relatively late and my first MGS was the one in Dark Souls. I did play Demon's Souls before Dark Souls, but I hated World 5 (didn't we all?) and never found the Large Sword of Moonlight in the motherfucking swamp. Though, considering that I wasn't a big fan of Faith in Demon's Souls I don't know that I would have been drawn to actually use it even if I had found it.
For years I thought this game was a fever dream I had. Like, this weird kind of unfinished memory that my brain had tried to put together. I even asked my dad if I played something like this and he couldn't remember buying it for me. I saw this video and I knew instantly that this was it. It was so surreal hearing about each boss and level and reliving things I straight up forgot I had. The weird legs guy, the baby, the valley with the one shopkeeper. I even remember reading the manual and it mentioning summon rings. I was obsessed with making one and that thought pushed me to finish I think. The fact that later in life the same company would make some of my favorite games is insane to me. My mind is literally blown right now. Awesome video, for real.
39:00 Probably the coolest explanation for a plain enemy design and now makes me appreciate geometric ememies a lot more. Eternal Ring seems like the type of game that has the most amazing potential. It could've come out in recent years, even if it wasn't as fleshed out but added what was recommended and better graphics and animations and genuinely it would be a good modern game.
I find videos about obscure videogames like this one to be way more interesting when compared to the pokemon one. We've all experienced pokemon, while this is a hidden gem. Amazing video!
I am pretty sure the pendant the one guy has is referenced in Dark Souls, with the pendant you can pick as your starting gift. It just acts as a reminder of your humanity and past, to not lose your mind and self, and has no special powers. And of course the Eternal Sword reminds me of the Moonlight Sword which is in SO MANY Fromsoft games.
This game looks like proof of concept for the ancient city. They saw what worked and what didn't with the new PS2 technology and made a great game after
It's easy to see Eternal Ring is a prototype for KF4 fleshed out as a full game and you can tell they were still working with the technology powering the PS1 King's Field games, because all the levels are still built in a grid and mechanically not much has happened between ER and KF3. It's only really the graphics and performance that improved. I mean heck, even the controls remained unchanged. They built upon Eternal Ring and scrapped everything that didn't work or belonged in KF4.
12:30 the fact that they animated the taking and opening of the letter is more effort on details than most games nowadays make. It's so interesting to see this game going out of its way on several small things while completely dropping the ball on bigger things.
This was a joy to watch, Thank you. the voice acting at the beginning was peak and the ending was something I wouldnt have expected but is on brand. lol
The age of manuals was great. You give your friend the first go, agree to swap seats when they die, then learn how to play properly between the manual and examples of gameplay on screen. You take over when they die and get to play till dinner time while they're stuck watching because you know what you're doing.
Seems like you definitely spent some time peeping into my childhood room while I played with my friends lol. Jokes aside, I miss those days. Playing a single player game with friends was such a vibe. I wonder if we'll ever get back to those days... maybe after retirement, if I'm not dead by then?
@@Sandro234 I was always the guy that would be pissed because the game I rented didn’t have a manual because someone stole it😂 I did rent from a place tho where if you lost the manual you had to pay like $10 so there was never any going missing which was nice.
I remember when I was a kid, I was very creeped out by Adult Soulus for the ten seconds he's on screen. My dad was also unimpressed by the ending screen text, rolling his eyes and sarcastically saying "GEE, I wonder who THAT COULD BE" Still, this made me nostalgic for how fantasy rpgs used to be watching it
Hope you'll take a look at Dark Cloud at some point. It was my first brush with Town building/RPG, but it was a slog to get past the first village so I never really got far.
I only played the second game and that one was kind of slow. I heard someone say the first one was even slower and I just never got around to trying it.
I never thought it was a slog until one of the final dungeons. The one where you're going back in time. They had character locked floors and I just didn't upgrade some of em. Really oughta finish it... On the flip side, I couldn't stand 2. Don't even think I got to the mech. Enjoyed rogue galaxy though and became a fan of level 5 ever since.
The ps2 is a goldmine for hidden gems. You stumble upon something cool you never heard of all the time. Just the other day i found a action game starring a Japanese pop star, geckt or something, and it's actually fun as hell
If there's something that FromSoftware's games always nailed ever since King's Field I/II is the atmosphere. For that alone they're worth playing even if they're clunky, hard and frustrating at times.
Lyla: "He COMPLETELY lost his human consciousness. Let me handle this!" Oh cool, is she going to take down the fire dragon, because she can use magic too, and is much more badass, being an ancestor to what we are? Can't wait to see how she handles it! Lyla: "Father, it's me, Lyla, can you stop, pretty please?"
And dad naturally fires a column of fire at the boy that was talking to his daughter. Some classics just can't be improved, but adding dragonfire is probably better than most shotguns.
@@i30817I mean, you can add dragon's breath to your own shotguns to really strike the fear of god into anyone who might even consider doing anything with your daughter
@@1Kapuchu100 Bed of chaos was always one of the more fun fights for me. I liked that I was punished a ton with a lot of running, the annoying enemies and low flasks to get back to the boss.
BoC is honestly pretty fun for me, but mostly because in my first fight with it I learnt where the perfect jumping off point is for landing on the root, and my second fight I learnt to bait the slap. Now I only die to the firestorm rng in the tunnel.
I love watching games I never played and games I played alike. You make it wonderfully entertaining. When you said this could have been enjoyable, it made me want some kind of remake 😂
About the day/night cycle. I vaguely remember the time of day effecting your rings in some way. It's just never explained well and really hard to notice. I vaguely remember was certain healing rings healing more at night? Also, fatal water is a staple of old Fromsoft games, rule of thumb, if the water is high enough to wade through it will kill you. One last thing, Eternal Ring did have fall damage but it wasn't anywhere near as punishing as you described, when you tested it in the video you landed in some nasty fatal water, thats what killed you. Amazing video as always Quick edit, the time of day also plays into a larger calendar system. Different elements are boosted on different days, I nearly forgot about that. Last edit I swear. Eternal Ring was a rushed game. The game was pushed out so the team could finish work on Kings Field 4 which ended up coming out a year later.
this series is my favorite thing on youtube thank you for the free content, your the reason i got premium. and i hate seeing all the people doing "essay" videos and having nothing to say or doing them with no care/ quality. your setting the standard for these types of videos.
I didn't expect to fall in love with the OST and writing of this game but dang your review makes me want to play this game!! Even with all the antiquated "quirks" I really got absorbed in the cutscenes you put in this video...even the voice acting feels so nostalgic and special, like Oblivion voice acting but more serious. The score is so epic and grand and really reminds me of Twilight Princess.
Wow, I've had vague memories of having played this game rattling around in my head for the last 15 odd years, the stab and the gems and the not knowing where the hell I was going the only things I remembered for certain. Thank you so much for letting me lay this game to rest in my head, and for playing it to completion so I don't have to. Keep up the good work sir!
I absolutely love games of this style. First person dungeon crawlers. King's Field, Shadow Tower, Eternal Ring... I just finished playing Lunacid (which is in early access) and have an eye out for Monomyth which is also in development. I don't know of anything else out there outside the titles I just mentioned... If only this genre could have a renaissance :(
40:50 Attacking the source of an enemy instead of the actual enemy is present in the Ringed City DLC for Dark Souls 3. In the Dreg Heap area the angels can be instantly killed if you go for the weird screaming slug people tied to each one.
the starter basecamp village coming under attack is a moderate twist. in some classic dungeon crawlers like angband or castle of the winds the shop village at the surface was usually inviolable
My first, probably 3 play throughs, I didn't even know there was the secret side dungeon. Such a game changer. And summoner 1 I love and prefer to 2, but they're both solid games.
Wow, fuckin' Summoner. I played and beat that when I was in prison (we could have ps2s). I remember thinking it was janky af at first, but it definitely grew on me.
This game hit me like a fever dream. I was just watching a video about the history of Patches in fromsoft games and one of the older games triggered me into remember playing Eternal Ring, a game I haven’t thought of in over 20 years
"Having a snowy tundra connected to a massive storm tower by a tunnel would be silly so they teleport you around" >Dark Souls 2: you climb up to the top of a poisoned windmill, then take an elevator UP to the fiery depths of the Iron Keep
1:05:38 "The mechanics of a decent game are there. What the game lacks is any way for a player to understand them in game." The more things change, the more they stay the same.
@@esssss8415 Yeah exactly, i so much agree with this sentiment. I had such a good time with King's Field from 1995 for PS1. The game doesn't explain anything to you and i had a blast trying to figure out everything within this janky early 3D metroidvania dungeon crawler.
@@night1952 They’ve gotten blatantly more simple though. Compare Elden ring and Dark Souls 3 to any older souls games, or kings field and they are much simpler.
As game dev hobbyist i watched EVERY of your videos and I like your take on many aspects of games. Opened few discussions on my projects. A kind of new point of view to things.
As you advance into larger studio game development (at least I'm assuming that's what you're doing?) remember that writing and gameplay often separate at "some point" and that's generally where a game begins its collapse. See also: Josh's various videos on monetization in gaming, but I'm betting you already have.
@@denmanfite3156 doing gamedev as hobby for about 10 years and intend to keep it that way. Rather keep working in commercial software dev, more money for less work
Idk if anyone has told you yet, but great audio quality in this vid. You've improved hella significantly over the years and it shows and sounds. Keep it up.
That would be amazing! Another game I'd loved to see a remake of is Machine Hunters, especially if the team behind Doom did it. Freaky aliens, bizarre mechs, human experimentation, it's an interesting world for the game that their action focused horror would do well with.
The entire premise of this game and its story are so cool. It feels very very inspired from the twilight zone “it’s a good life” one of my favorite episodes but it could just be a coincidence.
I remember this game in vaguebfoggy memories from my child hood. Oh, this is like going back to a place you didn’t even remember you missed. Thank you.
@@SandwichGlitch Both it and the sequel are indeed on Ps4, among the very few games in the Ps2 classics category before the Plus update when they started adding more
Love all the little parallels with their later games. The two red swordsmen being harder than some bosses is giving me flashbacks to the archer knights in Anor Londo
I think the fact that the baby grows into a man is a good thing because he finally understood the meaning of life and this makes him grow as a person figuratively and literally. The ending also let's you understand that even if he's a unkillable god he doesn't try to harm anyone anymore but tries to learn more from them, something that he refused to do before the final confrontation. That's very good in my opinion
Man with Eternal Ring knocked out, if Josh does Evergrace after this he'll complete my list of "Games i played alot as a Tween and never understood how to play or complete".
Oh. My. Gooood! Finally someone I know talking about Eternal Ring without me having to specifically look for it. I love this game so much! Sure it has a lot of issues, but it is such a neat package.
I had this game. It was my favorite among the lot of games my parents had picked up, and I laud it as often as I can. It wasn't flawless, but overall it was highly enjoyable. Glad to see someone talking about it! Edit after viewing: You kept the weakest rings and never upgraded spells? Bold choice, bravo, only a madman would have done that. A lot of your difficulty concerns ease away if you're using properly powered rings instead of the basic fireball and Ice needle ones. Enemies also have elemental weaknesses, which make a lot of fights nowhere near as hard.
Holy hell, I remember playing this game years ago and having no idea what I was doing! I didnt even realize it was a from software game. Myself now being a massive souls fan of all their games, it’d funny to imagine that even as a kid way long ago, I was gripped by the souls formula. Amazing video on a game I would have never remembered if it weren’t for you!
i still have this game and was thinking about it and how no one talks about it.. GREAT VIDEO... I never got out of the first cave with water, i still remember vividly. game is in my garage somewhere lol
This is so strange, I was at CEX today and saw a copy of this on the shelf. Had never heard of it so had a look and saw it was FromSoft and considered picking it up before leaving it be, then you end up putting this out a few hours later!
@@hemming87 If you can, I'd suggest it! It's not blowing up in price like most of the other FROMSoft games, probably because it's not super good. But if you're trying to collect FROMSoft games similar to Dark Souls (Like I am) it's a boon!
Strange enough i has never heard enough of this game when it launched but found it while at a friends house and we spent fhe weekend beating it. Fast forward 20 years i bought that same house and am sitting in the same livingroom we played it in watching this video.
I do fondly remember the start of this game, as a tween. Although, I definitely sucked at it. I played long enough to reach the forest, then gave up after being repeatedly minced to death. I'm very glad that you've made this video. Because not only have you revealed the rest of the game which I missed, but also confirmed that it wasn't my fault for sucking.
The red and blue thing for increase and decrease is not due to the time I think. In japan red is attributed to something positive and blue to negative. Its a cultural thing not necessarily time related. Even modern japanese games do this a lot. One example I can think of is the gacha game touken ranbu where you get a message in red if your postition is advantageous and blue if not.
Pokémon games are also a well-known example of this. From HGSS onwards they finally added a visual indicator of the stats which are affected by nature in the form of red and blue text. However, they chose to use red text for the increased stat and blue text for the decreased stat. For the entirety of my Heart Gold playthrough I assumed it was the opposite and only realized in Gen V (to my horror) that I had been using the awful natures for my Pokémon, not the good ones.
It might be better if game devs standardized on red vs. green instead. Everyone across the entire world understands that green is go and red is stop due to traffic signals, so it's not difficult to figure out that green is good and red is bad from a gameplay perspective. (And if devs are worried about color blindness, shades of green and red that are visually distinct can be chosen to accommodate the most common forms of red-green color blindness.)
@@michaelcalvin42 Late reply but you're looking at it through a eurocentric lens. Everyone doesn't understand that universally; Traffic signals in japan actually have blue lights in lieu of green lol so it's a lot deeper ingrained than folks realize in the west to do that.
@@Eta_Hoyimi Actually, it's kind of a mix. Because Japanese historically (actually a long, long time before traffic lights existed) did not have a word for green, the word for blue (ao) can also mean green. As a result of this historic linguistic quirk, their older traffic lights tend to be blue (although their more modern LED ones tend to be standard green traffic lights.) I don't think I've ever seen a blue traffic light in any anime I've ever watched, so I suspect green lights are more common these days (at least in the public subconscious.) Which does tend to support my idea.
"If you do play this game, saving it and then coming back to it in a few days' time leave you in a navigation nightmare: _Where the HELL were you going?"_ Haven't played this personally, but totally feel you with this. This is why when i do decide to play through older RPGs on the PS1 or PS2 nowadays, up until... like.... I dunno, 2003 or something? I actually have a stupid notebook to write things down in. Like a _nerd_ creating maps for dungeons in antiquities like Wizardry or something. It is _staggering_ just how ancient some game design was even up to the PS2/Xbox era, but those contrasts are what make it so interesting. Love this series and appreciate you putting this video together and actually taking us on this journey. Going through the whole thing in this kinda detail could not have been easy, but damn, it is so worthwhile. Seeing an hour-plus video on an old obtuse FromSoft game is downright exciting, because while I'm familiar with many of them, I will never actually get anywhere close to beating them. I think Otogi and Lost Kingdoms is where I draw the line (I could _probably_ go through that on my own), but all of their RPGs from before there - this game, Evergrace, Forever Kingdom, the King's Field titles, etc. Hell no; I just can't. So thanks!
I really liked the ending. Unlike most fromsoft stuff where it's just kind of bleak, this one was bittersweet, and it felt more compelling than if it had just been a happy ending
Most ARC games have good.. ending. Most Ds games have good ending in therms of your concept. Even Ds serie was ended on bittersweet note. Painter got her materials to finish painting. ES is not complited still, coz Addon.
Too many games would have had the "big bad" just get a second phase after experiencing loss for the first time, instead of growing as part of the experience.
I think about this game from time to time, as someone who came across it slightly later into the PS2s life span, I was completely put off by the digital only controls (having gotten used to twin stick shooters by this point) but I always remember thinking I wish I could have gotten into it. Its a weird kind of missed nostalgia I felt watching this and I appreciate it greatly. Looking forward to your legacy of kain follow ups
You are a great narrator, for the speed you speak it's impressive you manage to keep the viewer focused and take us through all the journey of the game. It's crazy a lot of those ideas have been evolved into the Souls games we know today. That final boss baby is so silly and unnerving.
Its most likely due to the simpleness of the earlier games. I dont talk about the difficulty, more like as a concept it was easier to just play a game. Now every game demands too much time, attention etc. Older games feel more like "games" in that way.
@@megamen7353 too much emphasis on quantity over quality recentlt for me. If i complete a game in a few days i am happy, nowadays that it is a criticism for most games so the devs bloat them to avoid the loudmouth majority :/
@@turbo8628 for me it has a different effect, I play through following the story and stuff then when I feel like it's close to the end I stop playing because I don't want to miss anything important but I CBA to go though the hours of side quest slog.
Wow. So huge coincidence, but while watching the video just went "This is...'DEATH'." And then it froze... with that horrifyingly creepy stare just filling the screen. It was almost like Solus was exerting his power.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
this "was it good" series has become one of my favorite thing on youtube
Things*
@@AdminAbuse jeez dude u hitler of grammatiks ?
Same
Especially given the content, old school FromSoft games, Legacy of Kain, etc. Yes please!
Saaaame
I'm married to probably the only person who counts this as one of their absolute favorite games but I'm not kidding when I say my wife has played through multiple copies of this game and cried happy tears when we found it on the PS4 store. I've never seen anyone else actually even talk about it (even when the PS2 first came out) so seeing it pop up here was almost surreal.
It’s a great game!
Didn't know it was available on PSN until I just read this... Thanks!!
Aww its sweet it caused happy tears.
There’s a (in my humble opinion) very good Dark Souls centric podcast Bonfireside Chat that does at least one pretty long episode on Eternal Ring you might be interested in. Their newer episodes are behind a paywall but I’m PRETTY sure their eternal ring episode is free?
@@SuperSecretAgentNein That's a good podcast that I totally forgot existed! Need to check it out again
Fun fact: The composer of Elden Ring's main theme, Radagon and Elden Beast (Tsukasa Saitoh) was also the composer of this game
The compositors of first armored core, Frequency band is still alive and gave us.. a Yuka Kitamura x)
@@BloodyArchangelus Yuka is goated, she composed DS3 and did some of the vocals when she was only 25! Insane talent
@@HEROm7 She composed Sekiro and even had some songs in ACV: Verdict day
That's why I love comments^^
Theres TONS of references that Josh points out in this video, and item called Golden Seed an obsession with having the highest upgrade mats named after dragons, etc.
I never watched anything from this creator before yet I just spent over an hour watching a video about a game I'd never played. This was truly well done.
Personally, he's one of my favorite creatures on here. There's another series of his that I watch if and on cake Worst MMO Ever where he explored and explains a bunch of them.
He does good work and the general technical detail, amiability, and enjoyment present makes them good to listen to, if not watch
Same! 🤣
Josh is just amazing with his narration and writing. I easily watch his 1hr+ long videos, but I also do like longer form content/videos in general.
That's why long video essays about games I've never played have become one of my favourite things these past years. When someone has the energy to make stuff like this, it's almost always done with passion
Once it was no longer required by school or anything, It's become kinda fun to do intense research and write up something long for me as well. It's a great way to explore topics you were never interested in before, once you get into it.
@@BierBart12 There's something exquisite about learning about an obscure game. I see the PS2 is a goldmine for games like that. And this video introduced me to this new hobby of mine.
I'm sure someone already brough that up, but the idea of the kid suddenly growing up in a few seconds was reused in the Bloodborne DLC, where the Orphan of Kos starts crying like a baby, but his cries grows into a mature man's cry by the end.
I never played Bloodborne but I remember that vividly because the first time I heard it, it was just that scary.
I remember getting this game when it first came out. I unwrapped this game the Christmas it came out, my dad acted so pissed that the "Guy at the store gave him the wrong game" He took it from me and said he was taking it back with the receipt. I was so heartbroken and then I unwrapped the PS2 and I was completely overjoyed. I remember asking my dad how he got it all and he said that he waited in line in freezing october to get it lol along with the PS2. It was great too because I remember my mom getting so mad at him for "Picking up an extra graveyard shift" on his day off lol. I still have this game, the original one I got SO many years ago...damn this video brought back so many great memories!
Great dad
Having a loving dad sounds pretty great. Count yourself lucky!
What a wonderful memory, thanks for sharing!
And you know what? Even if it isn't that great of a game, especially when compared to other FromSoft games, the fact your Dad did this made the game freaking great. Good Dad's are rare. You are lucky friend.
I love how the Essence of every FromSoft game bleeds into each other, like looking at a family of very different people and ages but you can tell they're related.
Like Ubisoft games, except it's good.
@@ryushogun9890 i have to admit that got an audible laugh from me
@@AliasEliahus it got an inaudible laugh from me though
Almost like they were made by the same developer...
@@isaacharding Yea, but holding this much consistence over such a long period? Between team changes and devs retiring, it’s amazing how the company took so many of its properties, refined their elements and interpreted them in ways that somehow always ended up engaging and fun, despite the fact they all have very obvious formulas that they remix to perfection. Sekiro still doesn’t feel the same as Elden ring, which doesn’t feel the same as bloodbourne, etc.. outside of fighting games, I don’t know a company who does what FromSoftware does with such an incredible amount of success.
Also god I cannot wait for the new armored core experience… So much potential!
_"The King treated the man of unknown identity, as one of his vassals"_
*Manbaby Soulus:* You're my friends now, we're having soft tacos later
Soulus randomly at a royal banquet after the King gives a toast: "I was wondering if we could change the topic of discussion to baby seabirds?"
I actually find the epilogue an entriguing setpiece. The closest I can think of is Alucard from Hellsing working for his nemesis descendants. The idea tha the protaganist and the final boss could find commonality and actually live together in the same general space in peace is intriguing.
Furthermore, as mentioned, Soulus is still learning. I think King Ian was made privy to what happened on the Island much later and knows how powerful both his retainer and vassal are. Ironically, his position showed how noble he was as a leader since he didn't abuse either of the men.
Soulus is a good boy now.
Bravest warriors reference, nice.
Honestly I really like the sort of small implicit character development at the end, Cain just chilling with Solas and all that. We need more final bosses that mature and turn into friends in games
Solas can be forgiven because he was already imprisoned for his crimes and ironically when he gets out not only does he learn what they wanted but he also learned why he needed to be imprisoned to begin with.
The true final bosses will be the friends we make along the way?
I have to hand it to Soulus's child VA, before the line "This... this feeling... Sad..." he absolutely _nailed_ that concerned confusion of a child first encountering death
It was honestly heart wrenching
Yeah. It made me tear up. But a young relative just realized our grandma is dying soooo that may be influencing me.
"There's no morality, there's no sense, there's no desire. It just IS, and wants you to not be." Phenomenal writing man, I adore this description
but if it has no desire, how can it want?
@@lkim100 instinct?
@@KawaiiStars hmm
@@KawaiiStars but with instinct has sense, how is no sense?
@@lkim100Duty or Obedience
Well, the concept of a psychopathic child with godlike power learning the value of human life and what to be sad is, and becoming a better person for it is actually very interesting and wholesome for a Fromsoftware game.
Eternal Ring
And that's something already done by Galerians.
DLC where you fight a Demigod fetus incoming
@@chillhour6155 Drakengard 1 be like army of fetuses from the sky
Also an actual ending, another rarity from them. Since most of their stories are 'And the cycle of misery continues.'
Fun thing, the "analog" option in the game isn't referring to the sticks, but rather the d-pad. If you turn it on you can push it softer to walk
yup, not a lot of people knew the dualshock 2 had analog face buttons and d-pad. not many games used it though
@@Coldsteak Gran Turismo had a surprise for you if you didn't put the X button to the metal, car would not accelerate fully... mind you, for a kind-of-a-sim, it's useful.
Metal gear solid 3 used it well, as letting go of square slowly would hoster your weapon instead of firing it, grappling an enemy and then pushing down hard and quickly on circle would slit their throat, and I can't remember which button it is but you can zoom in during cutscenes and control the level of zoom by how hard you pressed the face button.
The bouncer, star ocean, and (I think) midnight club 3 used analog buttons.
The first 2 for changing what attacks the buttons did, while the latter was for acceleration.
IIRC my dualshock2 was well worn by that point, so I think I used the right analog stick to accelerate in midnight club 3, because the button wasn't cutting it.
...Y'know, I kind of miss having all analog controllers like that. Wonder whether they should come back, or if it's not worth it.
Fromsofts game Evergrace also used it for attacking. Pressing square lightly was a light attack. Pressing it hard was a heavy attack
For some reason, when I saw Soulus mulling over Lyla's death, I suddenly imagined the game with better voice acting, I thought about how Soulus would sound if he was genuinely upset at learning what mortality was.
Seeing this and then seeing how far we've come with Elden Ring fills me with determination
I can't believe he skipped over "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN D--" in the village attack, the cutoff always makes me chuckle.
as someone who always used to read game manuals cover to cover (and honestly misses them today), this game is amazing.
this seems like a game where you'd need to read the manual.
I was dissapoint that the elden ring digital manual wasn't more complete
I really do miss game manuals. I loved the designs of them. I loved the extra lore or info about the developers. Most of all I loved how it made the time it took to install games on my PC go by faster because I would be reading the manual on the way home from the store and while the game was installing.
I remember as kids me and my brother would have a ritual to open the game in the car, you could SMELL the manual! Then we'd take turns reading the manuals, if they had a map opening it so we both saw at the same time and playing it on a heads or tails draw!
Since you didn't mention it when it happened, the winged demon guy you fight after getting the fire key is the same corrupted expedition captain that killed the new expedition team earlier, just fully transformed, which is why he says "you followed me". He acts as a small bit of foreshadowing of the reveal that happens with Lyla and her father right afterwards.
So this guy 20:44 turns into this guy 38:29 (apparently survives this encounter) and turns into this guy 1:09:29?
@Fak Yuh Googel yeah, more or less. The first major clue is that his second form/first boss fight shares the exact same size and shape as the monstrous parts of his partially transformed appearance, and that that third form/second boss fight has the same appearance as the second form but all twisted and warped, likely as a result of him not healing properly from the first boss fight. The second is that he's the only actual character you meet capable of speech besides Lyla who actually sticks around long enough to even have these sorts of interactions with you, and both his first and second boss fights start with him talking to you as if he's met you before, which is impossible for any other character before that point.
@@FakYuhGoogel When you beat him (38:29) it shows him flying off in the game
As a souls fanboy, I thought this game would be another in their list of "janky but interesting" titles everyone forgot about. But, wow, that storyline is something else. From has always been good at their stories, but Lyla's death teaching Soulless empathy is excellent. It was only with the death of someone he actually cared about that he learnt that there would be others whose deaths would carry meaning for someone else who cared about them. That is just mesmerising. Justifies my From fanaticism even more. :')
No, it doesn't. You're just a sycophant looking for ass pats. This story isn't new or interesting. It's as generic as it gets like all of their stories.
I like that you breakdown everything including controls, UI, and all that. I appreocate knowing how that effects the experience without having to play it myself.
There is a strange lack of detail in some places and a great amount in others like the man actually opening the letter in the beginning. Overall it shows what fromsoftware's ambitions we're back then and seeing them getting it right with the newer titles is amazing.
I replay freelancer a 2003 flying space shooter game every year as a nostalgia vibe. I would be interested in seeing what you think of it if you're interested
I loved the Defenders game on the PS2 that was a 3D ship combat game against alien insect things with some tower defense sections.
Give Everspace 2 a try.
Wow. Freelancer. Talk about a blast from the past! And what a voice cast on that game as well! Had almost forgotten all about it. Good call.
Oh freelancer was very good, my dad showed it to me when i was a kid and it was pretty fun
Freelancer was awesome. Its why i love elite dangerous even more (no, im not buying into star citizen for now)
Lmao I love how the running theme of FromSoft not being able to finish the snow levels they oh so love to try and include or having them be rushed is consistent here too.
What running theme? The Painted World of Ariamis was literally the prototype level they made first to test Dark Souls
From has ADHD when it comes to snow.
@@Flackon He's likely referring to Demon's Souls, where the 6th area was a snow area that was made, but was never finished and was ultimately scrapped to make the release deadline. You can find videos where people went into the game code and "played" what exists of the area. People for years thought they would release DLC for the game adding the level, and some hoped it would be added in the PS5 remaster... but nope.
The snow area in Elden Ring isn't rushed, or unfinished.
Short =/= rushed.
@@PlusOne2Crit You’re right. It’s just a bad area all around.
Oh my God you did Eternal Ring. This was one of first ps2 games. Back when I first got my ps2 I didn't have a memory card for around a month, so I left my ps2 on while I was at school and beat the game without ever turning it off. Such nostalgia
It’s a wonder you didn’t start a fire big enough to take down the entirety of Mongolia by doing that
Considering that means death = restart, it's kind of impressive.
@@boobah5643 I died. A lot. lol
Lol I did the same thing when I first got my PS2 and Kingdom Hearts
Lol i did this for zelda wind waker. My GameCube had my back!
26:49 is just Heide's Tower of Flame
32:40 is just the 3 giants room in Black Gulch
and 39:28 is the Iron Golem! These guys just wanted to make Dark Souls for a loooong time
This. Amazing observational skills! 🤯
Wouldn't it be the other way around?
There is ONE other 'use' of the day/night cycle and it's really a hinderance. The npcs in the 1st village move around at different times of day and the guy you're supposed to give the letter to will go to bed and lock the door until like 8 am, preventing you from progressing if you happen to go there at the wrong time.
One of the best spells, especially for killing the floating mages is Poison especially when you get Power of Seek ring. Lvl 3 Earth gems are able to be farmed once you have access to forest right after the 1st dungeon (the water temple) and it lets you bypass the awful poison valley area that the npcs tell you to go through instead. Tornado is excellent as well but it will suck up a lot of MP early on and can be really dangerous without Seek because it often drifts around. (Yes, your own spells can hurt you. The dragon summons are typically lethal if you're too close when you cast them.) Also, both you and enemies can cast spells through walls and doors, so be ready to cheese or die horribly in the Iron Mill.
Holy moly! That footage at like 7:26 is the bonus secret dungeon in the start area, and somehow you have less than 300 hp. You must have sped your way through the game to get that, because that's pretty underleved for how nasty those monsters are, esp in the ice area. The cockatrices can prob one-shot you at that level.
That happened in Elder Scrolls though (shops locking up until morning)
Eternal ring was fascinating one. It worked like a dark souls game, but played like echo night, really under-rated fromsoft series where you communicate with the dead and help them pass on with their own heartbreaking yet realistic stories of unfinished business.
Man, echo night was such a good game. Maybe you should play that next, josh.
Sounds like an awesome series! Are they compatible with current gen hardware/OS? I'd love to learn more about them, especially if Josh does cover them.
@@TG-ge1oh sadly they were only on ps1 and 2 but you can pretty easily emulate them. if you like that sorta thing they're really well done. nitrorad has some good videos on the series if you're curious about them
Seconded. I love the old Fromsoft games and while Kings Field is my favourite, there is nothing out there quite like Echo Nights. Very good ambience, very good story, very good puzzles. Even aged quite well since there isn't any janky combat or weird systems holding it down (except the minigame to get the good/evil ending of the first game.)
@T G if you have a ps3 you can get the first one on psn sadly echo night beyond you have to emulate make sure to enable software mode
Kinda sounds like Ghost Wire: Tokyo
i'd actually love to see you cover kings field. Also I love how the Eternal Sword is straight up the Moonlight Greatsword. The MGS roots run deep.
My first mgs was a laser sword strapped to the arm of my mech in armored core on ps1. It was basically a legend as it was the best overall blade.
@@hypertion The first MGS was actually in King's Field their first game, not Armored Core. AC is where they started the trend of adding it to other games though.
@@LZ02-OVERTURE I love that its been in every game from has ever made with i think sekiro being the exception but i'm not sure.
@@Argonisgema Sekiro doesn't have a playable MGS, but the Divine Dragon's Seven-Branched Sword functions as the MGS since it has all the other properties (glows greenish, giant sword, shoots sword beams). Also, I got into the FromSoft side relatively late and my first MGS was the one in Dark Souls. I did play Demon's Souls before Dark Souls, but I hated World 5 (didn't we all?) and never found the Large Sword of Moonlight in the motherfucking swamp. Though, considering that I wasn't a big fan of Faith in Demon's Souls I don't know that I would have been drawn to actually use it even if I had found it.
@@LZ02-OVERTUREHe said "my first" not "the first"
For years I thought this game was a fever dream I had. Like, this weird kind of unfinished memory that my brain had tried to put together. I even asked my dad if I played something like this and he couldn't remember buying it for me.
I saw this video and I knew instantly that this was it.
It was so surreal hearing about each boss and level and reliving things I straight up forgot I had. The weird legs guy, the baby, the valley with the one shopkeeper. I even remember reading the manual and it mentioning summon rings. I was obsessed with making one and that thought pushed me to finish I think.
The fact that later in life the same company would make some of my favorite games is insane to me. My mind is literally blown right now. Awesome video, for real.
Insane!
We have that E. Ring game developed by From Software at home...
I have a game like that, im convinced at this point it had to be a dream. I cant even find the console i played it on.
39:00 Probably the coolest explanation for a plain enemy design and now makes me appreciate geometric ememies a lot more.
Eternal Ring seems like the type of game that has the most amazing potential. It could've come out in recent years, even if it wasn't as fleshed out but added what was recommended and better graphics and animations and genuinely it would be a good modern game.
I find videos about obscure videogames like this one to be way more interesting when compared to the pokemon one. We've all experienced pokemon, while this is a hidden gem. Amazing video!
I am pretty sure the pendant the one guy has is referenced in Dark Souls, with the pendant you can pick as your starting gift. It just acts as a reminder of your humanity and past, to not lose your mind and self, and has no special powers. And of course the Eternal Sword reminds me of the Moonlight Sword which is in SO MANY Fromsoft games.
If that's true then The Moonlight Greatsword has been part of FromSoft lore for 2 decades! Awesome.
@@BigStankyFish The Sword of Moonlight was in the very first King's Field, FromSoft's very first game from 1994.
Also the guys who drops the eternal sword looks so much like a dark wraith!
@@BigStankyFishthe moonlight sword is in every armored core as well. It's been a from soft staple since their first title kings field
In the new one? 👀
or all their AC games?
This game looks like proof of concept for the ancient city. They saw what worked and what didn't with the new PS2 technology and made a great game after
It's easy to see Eternal Ring is a prototype for KF4 fleshed out as a full game and you can tell they were still working with the technology powering the PS1 King's Field games, because all the levels are still built in a grid and mechanically not much has happened between ER and KF3. It's only really the graphics and performance that improved. I mean heck, even the controls remained unchanged. They built upon Eternal Ring and scrapped everything that didn't work or belonged in KF4.
Yes. typical fromsoft
From Software's iteration on the same concept clearly payed off. KF4 held up very well.
I was thinking the same, I hope josh plays it and then tries shadow tower abyss with all the weirdness of that game lol
Something about the final boss being a child with godlike powers who acts like a kid is absolutely terrifying
An Ur-Child, if you will.
Basically the plot of Dragon Ball Super
@@-Monad- Also applies to Buu, I guess?
It reminded me of Kefka from Final Fantasy 6
"And really, there is nothing more innocent and cruel than a child."
-Jet Black, Cowboy Bebop
12:30 the fact that they animated the taking and opening of the letter is more effort on details than most games nowadays make. It's so interesting to see this game going out of its way on several small things while completely dropping the ball on bigger things.
This furthers how good a tweaked remake can be
FinalFantasy14 has a plendora of npcs that just "pick up" invisible itens and sometimes "read" their own palms... and thats a 2013ish MMO.
This was a joy to watch, Thank you. the voice acting at the beginning was peak and the ending was something I wouldnt have expected but is on brand. lol
The age of manuals was great. You give your friend the first go, agree to swap seats when they die, then learn how to play properly between the manual and examples of gameplay on screen. You take over when they die and get to play till dinner time while they're stuck watching because you know what you're doing.
Seems like you definitely spent some time peeping into my childhood room while I played with my friends lol.
Jokes aside, I miss those days. Playing a single player game with friends was such a vibe. I wonder if we'll ever get back to those days... maybe after retirement, if I'm not dead by then?
I knew a guy (definitely not me) who collected game manuals from blockbuster back in the day...rumor has it they are still in a cupboard somewhere 😅
I miss these days. Games have gotten so much better, but those experiences will never be surpassed.
@@Sandro234 I was always the guy that would be pissed because the game I rented didn’t have a manual because someone stole it😂 I did rent from a place tho where if you lost the manual you had to pay like $10 so there was never any going missing which was nice.
I would read them on the bus ride back home from the mall haha 😂
That opening voice acting is amazing.
It manages to sound exactly like a rudimentary text to speech program.
Right!? I literally second-guessed whether I was hearing a human or not for like 10 seconds (≧∀≦)
I remember when I was a kid, I was very creeped out by Adult Soulus for the ten seconds he's on screen. My dad was also unimpressed by the ending screen text, rolling his eyes and sarcastically saying "GEE, I wonder who THAT COULD BE"
Still, this made me nostalgic for how fantasy rpgs used to be watching it
Your dad rules 😂😂😂
Your dad doesn't sound fun, lol.
HOLY SHIT! THIS IS THE GAME THAT'S HAUNTED MY DREAMS FOR YEARS. YES! FINALLY, I REMEMBER IT! THANK YOU!
now to watch the video❤
I had a blast with this game as a kid and remember all the frustrations as well. This game should definitely be remade.
Eternal Ring, ooooh Eternal Ring.
sir gideon ofnir THE MOST KNOWLEDGABLE!!
Finger but hole!
@@greylithwolf The loathsome dung eater!
I think only Drakengard fans can share the difficulty of explaining an obscure jrpg with Baby gods at the end.
God that game.
And that "fight".
Cursed knowledge.
Earthbound? ;)
Which you know 2 isn't a lot more, but it's weird it happened twice.
Hope you'll take a look at Dark Cloud at some point. It was my first brush with Town building/RPG, but it was a slog to get past the first village so I never really got far.
It's a game with so much potential that turns into a big old slog, I both love it and hate it
The only correct way to play Dark Cloud is with the broken dagger glitch. That game is way too boring without it.
I only played the second game and that one was kind of slow. I heard someone say the first one was even slower and I just never got around to trying it.
I never thought it was a slog until one of the final dungeons. The one where you're going back in time. They had character locked floors and I just didn't upgrade some of em.
Really oughta finish it...
On the flip side, I couldn't stand 2. Don't even think I got to the mech. Enjoyed rogue galaxy though and became a fan of level 5 ever since.
It's good to see someone else bring that up :3 the music in this were major dark cloud vibes. You should go back and play it, it's one of my favorites
Reminds me of two highly underrated games on the PS2 which were extermination and EOE Eve of Extinction. Definitely worth checking out both of them.
The ps2 is a goldmine for hidden gems. You stumble upon something cool you never heard of all the time. Just the other day i found a action game starring a Japanese pop star, geckt or something, and it's actually fun as hell
Plot twist: This game does not exist and is all part of Josh's imagination. Baby birds and a floating baby.
I personally think the atmosphere in this game is amazing.
If there's something that FromSoftware's games always nailed ever since King's Field I/II is the atmosphere. For that alone they're worth playing even if they're clunky, hard and frustrating at times.
all games from that time period (late 90s / early 2000s) had it. Miss that shit.
Lyla: "He COMPLETELY lost his human consciousness. Let me handle this!"
Oh cool, is she going to take down the fire dragon, because she can use magic too, and is much more badass, being an ancestor to what we are? Can't wait to see how she handles it!
Lyla: "Father, it's me, Lyla, can you stop, pretty please?"
And dad naturally fires a column of fire at the boy that was talking to his daughter. Some classics just can't be improved, but adding dragonfire is probably better than most shotguns.
Which is also amusing because some if the dialog would suggest that lyla and Cain are related.
@@i30817 It’s funny because Cain is his son so he and Lyla are brother and sister, so it’s now Alabama!
@@i30817I mean, you can add dragon's breath to your own shotguns to really strike the fear of god into anyone who might even consider doing anything with your daughter
"Attacking an enemy's source, not the enemy itself"
*cries in Bed of Chaos*
For every good idea, there is a bad execution of that idea xD
@@1Kapuchu100 Bed of chaos was always one of the more fun fights for me. I liked that I was punished a ton with a lot of running, the annoying enemies and low flasks to get back to the boss.
Those damn enemies in the poison DS2 dlc ;_;
BoC is honestly pretty fun for me, but mostly because in my first fight with it I learnt where the perfect jumping off point is for landing on the root, and my second fight I learnt to bait the slap. Now I only die to the firestorm rng in the tunnel.
This is probably my favourite video on all of youtube. Thanks, Josh.
I love watching games I never played and games I played alike. You make it wonderfully entertaining. When you said this could have been enjoyable, it made me want some kind of remake 😂
16:45 I love how the death animation was almost the same as it is today :D
As good as FromSoft's games have gotten since this, you gotta give them credit for having animated mouths when the NPCs talk
eh.
And yet in the 23 years since this game they've regressed in that fashion
@@ddgnp1057 Yes that's the funny thing about it
Except for the main character who just stands there completely motionless for 99% of the cutscenes
fun fact: the japanese version did not have voice acting so this is like double effort.
About the day/night cycle. I vaguely remember the time of day effecting your rings in some way. It's just never explained well and really hard to notice. I vaguely remember was certain healing rings healing more at night?
Also, fatal water is a staple of old Fromsoft games, rule of thumb, if the water is high enough to wade through it will kill you.
One last thing, Eternal Ring did have fall damage but it wasn't anywhere near as punishing as you described, when you tested it in the video you landed in some nasty fatal water, thats what killed you.
Amazing video as always
Quick edit, the time of day also plays into a larger calendar system. Different elements are boosted on different days, I nearly forgot about that.
Last edit I swear. Eternal Ring was a rushed game. The game was pushed out so the team could finish work on Kings Field 4 which ended up coming out a year later.
As a Gamer avoiding water is my second nature.
this series is my favorite thing on youtube thank you for the free content, your the reason i got premium. and i hate seeing all the people doing "essay" videos and having nothing to say or doing them with no care/ quality. your setting the standard for these types of videos.
I didn't expect to fall in love with the OST and writing of this game but dang your review makes me want to play this game!! Even with all the antiquated "quirks" I really got absorbed in the cutscenes you put in this video...even the voice acting feels so nostalgic and special, like Oblivion voice acting but more serious. The score is so epic and grand and really reminds me of Twilight Princess.
Wow, I've had vague memories of having played this game rattling around in my head for the last 15 odd years, the stab and the gems and the not knowing where the hell I was going the only things I remembered for certain. Thank you so much for letting me lay this game to rest in my head, and for playing it to completion so I don't have to. Keep up the good work sir!
I absolutely love games of this style. First person dungeon crawlers. King's Field, Shadow Tower, Eternal Ring... I just finished playing Lunacid (which is in early access) and have an eye out for Monomyth which is also in development. I don't know of anything else out there outside the titles I just mentioned... If only this genre could have a renaissance :(
wishlisted Monomyth and bought Lunacid.
Thanks for the names, will try these out.
@@Argonisgema Let me know what you think
After watching this video I went on the wiki and found out I missed an entire area so I'm going back in lol
If you like making a map and building your party and don't mind anime looking there's the Etrian Odyssey games.
Give Devil's Spire a try. It's a roguelike procgen first person dungeon crawler.
There was also Arx Fatalis, really fun game that was slightly let down by a half baked gesture based magic casting system.
40:50 Attacking the source of an enemy instead of the actual enemy is present in the Ringed City DLC for Dark Souls 3. In the Dreg Heap area the angels can be instantly killed if you go for the weird screaming slug people tied to each one.
There's also the spirit callers in Bloodborne and Elden Ring
Your channel is hands down one of if not my favorite channel atm, please never stop making these videos lol
I literally watch this channel just for the "Was it good series" well done! Also that ending line from the boss is on another level of disturbing lol
the starter basecamp village coming under attack is a moderate twist. in some classic dungeon crawlers like angband or castle of the winds the shop village at the surface was usually inviolable
I was under the impression angband was a roguelike.
@@egoalter1276 it is, but its still part of rpg mechanics design lineage.
@@truemisto Fair enough, but what I meant is by its nature as a roguelike it barely even ha sa story.
@@egoalter1276 Which might be true, but that is unrelated to the point of the starter village being attacked.
The ring system reminded me about Summoner 1 and 2 from Voliton
also - final boss turning into David Bowie was quite a twist
Oh wow, someone else who played Summoner? Represent!
My first, probably 3 play throughs, I didn't even know there was the secret side dungeon. Such a game changer.
And summoner 1 I love and prefer to 2, but they're both solid games.
Summoner 1 and 2. Ahh good times
Wow, fuckin' Summoner. I played and beat that when I was in prison (we could have ps2s). I remember thinking it was janky af at first, but it definitely grew on me.
Summoner 1 and 2 were god damn great.
1 has probably aged real bad but still amazing experience
This game hit me like a fever dream. I was just watching a video about the history of Patches in fromsoft games and one of the older games triggered me into remember playing Eternal Ring, a game I haven’t thought of in over 20 years
"Having a snowy tundra connected to a massive storm tower by a tunnel would be silly so they teleport you around"
>Dark Souls 2: you climb up to the top of a poisoned windmill, then take an elevator UP to the fiery depths of the Iron Keep
1:05:38 "The mechanics of a decent game are there. What the game lacks is any way for a player to understand them in game." The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I would say it’s the opposite now. Easy to understand, but not enough interesting mechanics anymore.
@@esssss8415 Yeah exactly, i so much agree with this sentiment. I had such a good time with King's Field from 1995 for PS1. The game doesn't explain anything to you and i had a blast trying to figure out everything within this janky early 3D metroidvania dungeon crawler.
@@esssss8415 I assume he was refering to modern From games since they still have cryptic mechanics.
@@night1952 They’ve gotten blatantly more simple though. Compare Elden ring and Dark Souls 3 to any older souls games, or kings field and they are much simpler.
@@esssss8415 I completely disagree.
As game dev hobbyist i watched EVERY of your videos and I like your take on many aspects of games. Opened few discussions on my projects. A kind of new point of view to things.
As you advance into larger studio game development (at least I'm assuming that's what you're doing?) remember that writing and gameplay often separate at "some point" and that's generally where a game begins its collapse.
See also: Josh's various videos on monetization in gaming, but I'm betting you already have.
@@denmanfite3156 doing gamedev as hobby for about 10 years and intend to keep it that way. Rather keep working in commercial software dev, more money for less work
@@denmanfite3156 and yeah seen them
Idk if anyone has told you yet, but great audio quality in this vid. You've improved hella significantly over the years and it shows and sounds. Keep it up.
I would love to see the current fromsoft team make a game like this again.
That would be amazing!
Another game I'd loved to see a remake of is Machine Hunters, especially if the team behind Doom did it. Freaky aliens, bizarre mechs, human experimentation, it's an interesting world for the game that their action focused horror would do well with.
The entire premise of this game and its story are so cool. It feels very very inspired from the twilight zone “it’s a good life” one of my favorite episodes but it could just be a coincidence.
I remember this game in vaguebfoggy memories from my child hood. Oh, this is like going back to a place you didn’t even remember you missed. Thank you.
You should do one on the PS2 game Dark Cloud. One of my childhood favorites that seems to be almost forgotten and would love to see your take on it!
Ain't that on ps4 too?
@@SandwichGlitch Both it and the sequel are indeed on Ps4, among the very few games in the Ps2 classics category before the Plus update when they started adding more
@@zeroattentiongaming820 stilk asking Sony where Dino Crisis 2 is at...
Love all the little parallels with their later games. The two red swordsmen being harder than some bosses is giving me flashbacks to the archer knights in Anor Londo
I think the fact that the baby grows into a man is a good thing because he finally understood the meaning of life and this makes him grow as a person figuratively and literally.
The ending also let's you understand that even if he's a unkillable god he doesn't try to harm anyone anymore but tries to learn more from them, something that he refused to do before the final confrontation.
That's very good in my opinion
Man with Eternal Ring knocked out, if Josh does Evergrace after this he'll complete my list of "Games i played alot as a Tween and never understood how to play or complete".
Evergrace is another Fromsoft game as well.
Holy crap, 58:15-58:17 You just uncovered the origins of the Pendant meme LMAO
Holy shit this might actually be it. someone update the wiki
Just found this channel, I think it's great Richard Hammond is doing video game reviews
I can't unnotice this now
LMAO omg
Would love to see a reboot of Eternal ring!
I loved the atmosphere of the game when i was a kid and i still do.
Thanks for the video!
I forgot this game was even a thing. My PS2 game case was full of folded up A4 paper of my hand drawn maps and ring crating notes, good times!
Oh. My. Gooood!
Finally someone I know talking about Eternal Ring without me having to specifically look for it.
I love this game so much!
Sure it has a lot of issues, but it is such a neat package.
I had this game. It was my favorite among the lot of games my parents had picked up, and I laud it as often as I can. It wasn't flawless, but overall it was highly enjoyable. Glad to see someone talking about it!
Edit after viewing: You kept the weakest rings and never upgraded spells? Bold choice, bravo, only a madman would have done that. A lot of your difficulty concerns ease away if you're using properly powered rings instead of the basic fireball and Ice needle ones. Enemies also have elemental weaknesses, which make a lot of fights nowhere near as hard.
Holy hell, I remember playing this game years ago and having no idea what I was doing! I didnt even realize it was a from software game. Myself now being a massive souls fan of all their games, it’d funny to imagine that even as a kid way long ago, I was gripped by the souls formula. Amazing video on a game I would have never remembered if it weren’t for you!
i still have this game and was thinking about it and how no one talks about it.. GREAT VIDEO... I never got out of the first cave with water, i still remember vividly. game is in my garage somewhere lol
i love your content so much. thank you so much for all the videos.
This is so strange, I was at CEX today and saw a copy of this on the shelf. Had never heard of it so had a look and saw it was FromSoft and considered picking it up before leaving it be, then you end up putting this out a few hours later!
If it's $25 USD (Or equivalent) it's worth picking up if it's CIB
($15 without the manual though)
@@gabbagoo9774 Really? It was £3.00 CIB, might have to get back there quick!
@@hemming87 If you can, I'd suggest it! It's not blowing up in price like most of the other FROMSoft games, probably because it's not super good. But if you're trying to collect FROMSoft games similar to Dark Souls (Like I am) it's a boon!
Strange enough i has never heard enough of this game when it launched but found it while at a friends house and we spent fhe weekend beating it. Fast forward 20 years i bought that same house and am sitting in the same livingroom we played it in watching this video.
I do fondly remember the start of this game, as a tween. Although, I definitely sucked at it. I played long enough to reach the forest, then gave up after being repeatedly minced to death.
I'm very glad that you've made this video.
Because not only have you revealed the rest of the game which I missed, but also confirmed that it wasn't my fault for sucking.
The red and blue thing for increase and decrease is not due to the time I think. In japan red is attributed to something positive and blue to negative. Its a cultural thing not necessarily time related. Even modern japanese games do this a lot. One example I can think of is the gacha game touken ranbu where you get a message in red if your postition is advantageous and blue if not.
Pokémon games are also a well-known example of this. From HGSS onwards they finally added a visual indicator of the stats which are affected by nature in the form of red and blue text. However, they chose to use red text for the increased stat and blue text for the decreased stat. For the entirety of my Heart Gold playthrough I assumed it was the opposite and only realized in Gen V (to my horror) that I had been using the awful natures for my Pokémon, not the good ones.
nier reincarnation has this too, if you increase stats the new ones are red, if they're gonna decrease they show in blue, and that's a very new game
It might be better if game devs standardized on red vs. green instead. Everyone across the entire world understands that green is go and red is stop due to traffic signals, so it's not difficult to figure out that green is good and red is bad from a gameplay perspective. (And if devs are worried about color blindness, shades of green and red that are visually distinct can be chosen to accommodate the most common forms of red-green color blindness.)
@@michaelcalvin42 Late reply but you're looking at it through a eurocentric lens. Everyone doesn't understand that universally; Traffic signals in japan actually have blue lights in lieu of green lol so it's a lot deeper ingrained than folks realize in the west to do that.
@@Eta_Hoyimi Actually, it's kind of a mix. Because Japanese historically (actually a long, long time before traffic lights existed) did not have a word for green, the word for blue (ao) can also mean green. As a result of this historic linguistic quirk, their older traffic lights tend to be blue (although their more modern LED ones tend to be standard green traffic lights.)
I don't think I've ever seen a blue traffic light in any anime I've ever watched, so I suspect green lights are more common these days (at least in the public subconscious.) Which does tend to support my idea.
"If you do play this game, saving it and then coming back to it in a few days' time leave you in a navigation nightmare: _Where the HELL were you going?"_
Haven't played this personally, but totally feel you with this. This is why when i do decide to play through older RPGs on the PS1 or PS2 nowadays, up until... like.... I dunno, 2003 or something? I actually have a stupid notebook to write things down in. Like a _nerd_ creating maps for dungeons in antiquities like Wizardry or something. It is _staggering_ just how ancient some game design was even up to the PS2/Xbox era, but those contrasts are what make it so interesting.
Love this series and appreciate you putting this video together and actually taking us on this journey. Going through the whole thing in this kinda detail could not have been easy, but damn, it is so worthwhile. Seeing an hour-plus video on an old obtuse FromSoft game is downright exciting, because while I'm familiar with many of them, I will never actually get anywhere close to beating them. I think Otogi and Lost Kingdoms is where I draw the line (I could _probably_ go through that on my own), but all of their RPGs from before there - this game, Evergrace, Forever Kingdom, the King's Field titles, etc. Hell no; I just can't. So thanks!
I can remember playing this as a kid and getting stuck so early but always trying as it seems cooled. My first experience of this type of game.
New microphone? His voice has a bit more timbre than usual, has a kind of comfy PBS feel to it.
It's to bassy.
@@5chneemensch138 It's okay.
@@5chneemensch138 You're telling me you don't love Josh's sexy manly voice vibrating your whole body?
@@5chneemensch138 you need to check your bass EQ. his voice looks fine on a spectrum analyser
@@cataclystp Enlighten me why I need to check something when I haven't changed anything.
I really liked the ending. Unlike most fromsoft stuff where it's just kind of bleak, this one was bittersweet, and it felt more compelling than if it had just been a happy ending
Most ARC games have good.. ending. Most Ds games have good ending in therms of your concept. Even Ds serie was ended on bittersweet note. Painter got her materials to finish painting. ES is not complited still, coz Addon.
Too many games would have had the "big bad" just get a second phase after experiencing loss for the first time, instead of growing as part of the experience.
I guess the real prize was the final boss we befriend along the way?
Good thing we have Gabriel.
If only they had portrayed Soulus' transformation in a way that didn't imply a second phase.
>Have you seen Joe in the last couple of years?<
"Yeah, he's now JUST a fire dragon."
>Ahh, Okay.<
Nice story mark.
I think about this game from time to time, as someone who came across it slightly later into the PS2s life span, I was completely put off by the digital only controls (having gotten used to twin stick shooters by this point) but I always remember thinking I wish I could have gotten into it. Its a weird kind of missed nostalgia I felt watching this and I appreciate it greatly. Looking forward to your legacy of kain follow ups
I can’t believe josh is already doing a “was it good” on Elden ring! I feel like it just came out a year ago haha how time flys
You are a great narrator, for the speed you speak it's impressive you manage to keep the viewer focused and take us through all the journey of the game.
It's crazy a lot of those ideas have been evolved into the Souls games we know today. That final boss baby is so silly and unnerving.
As janky and dated this game might be, I love those kind of games more than modern realistic titles. It feels otherwordly and fascinating.
Dito. there's modern day games catching this exact feeling (for me, at least :) ). You might like "Dread Delusion".
Its most likely due to the simpleness of the earlier games. I dont talk about the difficulty, more like as a concept it was easier to just play a game. Now every game demands too much time, attention etc. Older games feel more like "games" in that way.
@@megamen7353 too much emphasis on quantity over quality recentlt for me. If i complete a game in a few days i am happy, nowadays that it is a criticism for most games so the devs bloat them to avoid the loudmouth majority :/
@@turbo8628 for me it has a different effect, I play through following the story and stuff then when I feel like it's close to the end I stop playing because I don't want to miss anything important but I CBA to go though the hours of side quest slog.
Fantastic episode.
Its great to see games I never knew about.
Can't wait to see your next vid!, This one was really good!
this is truly the eternal ring of king’s field 2
Hear hear!
Wow. So huge coincidence, but while watching the video just went "This is...'DEATH'." And then it froze... with that horrifyingly creepy stare just filling the screen. It was almost like Solus was exerting his power.