Little Nightmares, and The Importance of the Experience
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2017
- Script - jphanderson.wordpress.com/201...
Twitter - / jph_anderson
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This was the first video I made with Adobe Premiere. I'd like to say a big thank you to Turbo Button and Rufert for helping me figure out some of the settings and some features. There were a few things they showed me that I would have never learned myself.
Rufert - / sirrufert
Turbo - / turbobutton 
Игры
"Watch out for Little Nightmares spoilers early on in the video"
*Proceeds to talk for ten and half minutes about e x p e r i e n c e*
Because the game is short there is not alot spoiler free gameplay to sjow
Yeah, I get the impression that this person is younger. His videos are good but he seems to think atmospheric games are 'boring'.
Its not about having fun. Its about intrigue and immersion. Also the whole 'The game and I don't get each other.' actually doesn't make any sense. He's allowed to not like the game. I haven't played it and I don't care to. But I do think he inherently has trouble 'feeling' these worlds the way others would.
@@Assortment54321 Out of curiosity what age range do you consider "young"? I'm 26 and my tastes align really well with Joseph's. I've played both Limbo and Inside and while I don't regret the purchases, I simply didn't care for either. From what I've seen in this video, I doubt I'd enjoy Little Nightmares and won't be buying it. I play games mainly for the mechanical challenge -- my (super old) content speaks for itself -- and I'm curious why you think the younger generation has much less appreciation for atmospheric games.
@@Assortment54321 Dude has three kids. He's not young, but instead has a stronger logic based mindset instead of an emotional one.
@@Outplayedqt Honestly, looking back, it was silly for me to discriminate or pass judgement on someone's age. I'm 26. Still pretty young. Shouldn't have assumed someone's age based on preferences.
Still, I did notice that he doesn't care much for games with atmosphere. Which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. Some people prefer the rush and skill of a game. I get the appeal of that too. But for me personally, I get bored if I'm always shooting at things without taking it all in.
Did you know that this game should have been titled "Hunger"? "Little Nightmares" was just the second choice, cause the publishers thought "Hunger (Game)" would be too close to "Hunger Games".
Maybe this is why the game didn't really deliver on being nightmarish enough.
cocacraesh "Starvation" would have worked, I guess
"Starvation" doesn't have the same connotations as "hunger" does at least in my opinion.
cocacraesh Interesting, since the your traveling in the "maw"
Local Bro "Please Sir, can I have some Maw?"
I think Little Nightmares is a great title.
SPOILER ALERT
As for the explication of the game's plot: in my opinion, Six is the next "Lady". The lady you fight is actually Five. The reason I think that is that there's a photo where you see the lady standing between four other shadows (the shadows of the 4 first ladies). Five has gone through the same thing as Six and devoured four, gaining her powers. She then consumed the clients (that come once a year to the ship, as said on the website), grew up and waited to be replaced by Six. The reason she smashes the mirrors is because she can't endure looking at her face because of the atrocities she's done. By the end you can see six waiting at the entrance of the ship for new clients to come so she can eat more and grow.
Five is very likely to be Six's mother and the hanged man in the beginning might be her husband.
I think Little nightmares is an allegory for the concept of growing in an abusive family and becoming the same thing as your parents, making your children "little nightmares".
I'm curious to see what you think about all the new info that proves your theory wrong
DEAD_ M3ME what do u mean lol
@@colewilks9915 Samuel's theory has been disproved in several ways both by the developers and people who analyse the game
The imagery of adult figures that create an atmosphere of oppression and fear is constant in Little Nightmares, and The Lady being the only feminine figure in the story makes it very likely that she's to be interpreted as a mother figure - even if they're not actually related.
I don't think this game has a story in a plot heavy sense. It's more imagery and metaphor. The whole structure is almost like a fairy tale, but grimdark and twisted. Instead of defeating the cruel mother figure and finding happiness, the child becomes like the thing it feared most.
So yeah, IMO you're not far off.
Someone said in the comment section here said that originally the title would be called 'hunger' instead of 'little nightmares'.
I didn't have a right to be mad at your opinion of inside, but I was. Your furthered explanation in this video made me much more understanding of your dislike of it. I couldnt put into words why I loved Inside. You didn't even like it and yet you understood why I did. That's very impressive. Your inside review is redeemed in my eyes. Great work!
DrTheKay ok...
DrTheKay Hate to be rude here but I don't understand the true context of you ranting. Yes the mentioned individual seems like a hypocrite to you but if you were to open your mind to different opinions and views. Even though it may seem or be pointless to you it would've been a little bit better if you had thought to the impact your actions will make. Goodbye.
It certainly might seem hypocritical for someone who was affronted by a person's opposing opinion to accept it now because of what amounts to understanding on the other side.
I don't view it that way, however, I think it's a good thing for people to become open-minded even if they were close-minded before. That's an improvement. I can appreciate that this person was honest with themselves and can now accept that someone else didn't like the same thing they did for very valid reasons. This is a step up in maturing into a good person, so that's why people upvote him and appreciate it.
you are right about that however, objective value do exist
Have to agree. Little nightmares and Inside are almost identical games, from themes to story structure itself. But I adored Inside and Little nightmares didn't click for me. Would be interesting to see how Joseph will incorporate the concept of 'the experience' in games that aren't solely about it. Naughty Dog's games lean heavily to that side and I think it's a mistake to dwell on their gameplay mechanics so much.
It was really interesting to hear you talk about your critique of Inside, given that I shared many of your criticisms of the game. For me it was a case of the 'game' elements getting in the way of the 'experience' elements (puzzles feeling unnecessary and killing the tightly crafted flow of the experience, for example) and so I feel like me not connecting with it is at least partially down to something of an identity crisis on the game's part rather than people trying to examine it as something it's not.
Penis. Reduction. Surgery. (Reversal)
I laughed out loud at this one.
the tabs on the screen at 3:20
inside penis reduction surgery (reversal)
i feel like ABZU and JOURNEY almost exclusively fit the experience category. they are not nessecarily "fun" nor challenging. its about the vibe and aesthetic pleasure.
That's interesting to me. Your point is valid, but I'm someone who rates "the experience" secondary to the mechanics and plot. Good mechanics and story are paramount to me. I would go so far as to say that the story and gameplay create more of an experience for me than "atmosphere" or what have you. I enjoyed the atmosphere, world, and story of Fallout 1 immensely, but I can't stand how simplistic and shallow the combat is. Max out agility. Get a ton of AP. Shoot for days. Once you get a grasp of the meta, the "experience" becomes a casualty of your own success and knowledge. It's like how every Dark Souls veteran desperately wants to erase their memory of the game and go back to their first playthrough to experience that apprehension and anxiety all over again. I can appreciate the "experience," but the mechanics have to reinforce it, otherwise I'm just taking a leisurely stroll through an irradiated wasteland with a creepy soundtrack.
Games like Journey are just not for me. I don't think I'd appreciate them.
Pathologic and its sequel are like this too, although they have more mechanical depth than other "experience" games.
I really enjoyed ABZU, not something I would have expected if i had looked at it before playing.
This video was great. You couldn't have framed the situation better. It seems so many people get caught up arguing about these games mindlessly, when it really comes down to whether or not YOU can relate to a game's setting/atmosphere/experience or whatever. If a game attempts to appeal to an emotion, it cannot be judged with any significant degree of objectivity. Hopefully we can settle the controversy over them once and for all now. As for the gameplay side of these games though, I still think they need some kind of solid leg to stand on in that regard if only for those who bought the game, and then didn't connect with it. Perhaps Little Nightmares does this far better than Inside.
"If a game attempts to appeal to an emotion, it cannot be judged with any significant degree of objectivity. [...] As for the gameplay side of these games though, I still think they need some kind of solid leg to stand on in that regard if only for those who bought the game, and then didn't connect with it."
You are contradicting yourself.
Not really. The game's attempt at appealing to the emotion cannot be judged, not the game as a whole.
If the game's attempt at creating a particular mood are undermined by some of its elements not working properly or not synergizing well with the goal of the devs, is it not objective to point it out and judge the experience negatively for it ?
After all, an appeal to emotion through game design is the bread and butter of any game, most game just aim to make player feel "fun" and in the end, the process to get that emotion across is still something that had to be built deliberately, as such the success of that emotion is dependant on the talent of the creator and thoughtfulness put into their work, which can be judged to some large extent objectively.
If there's a bug that stops a game from working, it shouldn't be judged at all until a fix is released. Simple glitches aren't a part of the game's attempt to appeal to an emotion. I said you can't judge the attempt with an significant degree of objectivity, not the whole game. Everything else can be.
I think it's fairly naive to have to hold criticism of something until it works properly. The fact that something doesn't work properly is exactly why it's worthy of criticism, whether it's a bug that the devs never intended or an actual feature that the devs intended but isn't condusive to whatever they wanted the player to feel.
Especially since a whole game is made out of attempts to tease out emotions from players. Every single part of it is. The kick you send to the face of a character, that bit of dialogue, those glowing flowers in the back, it's all made to elicit some reaction and create a mood, whatever that mood may be. So I really don't see how you pick and choose what to declare as objectively worthy of criticism and what to exclude from it.
You just didn't get No Man's Sky
Hey :D nice seeing you here. I enjoy both of youse content so this was a nice surprise :3
No Man gets it.
I can't handle the bantz.
GG Turbo. Now Joseph's talking roadman.
A Shakespearean twist.
3:30 Erm... Is the choice of tabs here premeditated? Or is it just random tabs you're looking for at that moment?
Oh shit, were they still open? How embarrassing.
We all humans, that's ok, happens to everyone. Still funny, in a good way )
There's no way in hell that wasn't sarcasm, he's playing you man :D
W O R K E D
Not as embarrassing as you liking your own video.
You aren’t wrong about Inside. The problem with that game is that the “experience” is TOO vague; it’s not in service of any familiar or identifiable sensation. The great thing about this game, or even Limbo, is that the images line up with each other somehow; this game makes you feel like a child, and Limbo makes you feel both like you’re in purgatory and that you’re growing up and abandoning your roots. Every sequence in the game can be tied to these themes and feelings. Inside isn’t the same. You go from one sequence to the next, and none of them have anything at all to do with each other, either literally, thematically, or even emotionally. Although Inside is INCREDIBLY aesthetically beautiful, moreso than any piece of visual media I’ve ever seen and to a degree that I think it automatically creates goodwill for some people, it’s also really shallow. Little Nightmares is a good experience because it makes you feel like a child; all Inside makes you feel is confused.
It's so interesting what a different perspective people can have. For me a game like Little Nightmares feels far more shallow because it is *too* explicit in what it tries to make you feel, or the story it's trying to tell; same goes for Limbo. For me, and presumably many others, Inside is the ideal experience because it isn't obvious in the message it's trying to convey. It allows the player to come up with their own meanings and feelings surrounding the different parts of the game. For me Inside never feels vague or confusing, but rather inviting of the player's own ideas and perspectives.
Gio Interested to hear your point of view on LN2
@@rocksgio so it has no gameplay, no challenge and no story because you have to make the story up yourself.
You see, vagueness can work really well, gman beeing one of the most well known gaming examples, we know effectively nothing about him, his motives or his employers. but half life isnt just about the gman, it actually has a story thats beeing told, it doesnt force you to make up everything
@@Helperbot-2000 as I said, different people have different perspectives. To you this may be an overly vague not challenging game, but to me it's an invitation to puzzle out what it means and is challenging enough to keep me engaged. Perhaps you like a more story driven game and that's cool too!
Something I was hoping you would touch on here is the distinction between liking something, and considering something good. You can have an emotional enjoyment of something, but recognize that from a critical perspective, it just doesn't hold up. For example, anytime anyone talks about clickers at Giant Bomb. They enjoy it, but recognize they are bad games. Perhaps games with carrot on a stick mechanics can show this as well. People enjoy the reward systems, but realize the game they are playing to get there sucks, and they should probably stop playing.
Little nightmares seems like a game you emotionally loved, but intellectually maybe wanted to be a bit more critical about.
That's not to say "experience" is completely outside the realm of intellectual criticism, you can still consider how mechanics support or work against an experience, or how an intended experience may hamper the mechanical depth of a game, but I think it's fair to say even the intent of an experience can lead someone craving it to ignore the problems (suspending your critique? Skepticism?) just to buy in, almost like a religious experience.
I could go on about how this plays into critical reception of something, but I've gone on long enough.
A piece of media that I know is technically very good, but I just didn't feel an emotional connection to, was ATLA. It's a great piece of animation, and even if I have some critique, like the final moral conflict having a cop-out solution seemingly out of nowhere, I acknowledge its value.
I just didn't like it.
@@cawareyoudoin7379 That's interesting, it's very rare to see people who actually dislike ATLA. There's a pretty good (imo) explanation for why they did the finale this way but I won't get into it if you're not interested. Out of curiosity, did you watch Korra and if so did you connect to it more?
@@xxyzxxyz690 Oh, I'm interested! It probably won't change my emotional view, but I would like to understand.
I'm not angry that they went for the pacifistic approach- that would be absolutely fine by me, if it wasn't presented as such a dilemma before, and/or if they set up the idea that taking away bending is possible earlier/better.
Oh, also Katara and Aang getting together at the end was very awkward and strange. But eh, that's just my personal bias.
There were a few things I absolutely loved about the series- the worldbuilding and various cultures all based on asian or inuit ones, the characters of uncle Iroh and Toph, Zuko's redemption... It just didn't coalesce into an obsession with the series like it usually would.
No, I didn't watch Korra. I've heard many people dislike it, I know that it was one of the first steps for queer representation in children's media, I know that it's about the children of the main characters, I know that Toph becomes a cop(?). I might watch it someday, but probably not soon.
One of the best examples of people liking something thats garbage is bethesda games
I haven't played this game, and this is the first I've even heard of it but for a lot of the video I just kept thinking of spirited away.
It was based in spirited away I think
I don't see the connection
3:19
Good luck with the surgery
I wouldn't have imagined that the Little Nightmares video would become one of my favorite pieces of game discussion. I have thought about my flawed critical thinking for a while, but you just completely nailed the extremely subjective aspects of liking a game for its experience. Thank you, I feel like I gained some really valuable insight.
5:33 killed me. I just started making videos and it has taken every bone in my body to not start comparing everything to Dark Souls' environmental storytelling.
I give it 1-2 more videos.
Those are some nice transitions, your videos keep getting better! Good job.
4:16 growing up, ive come to realise that certain things arent the same when youre older. i used to hate coffee, then i started to enjoy coffee with dairy and sugar, then only dairy, and now black. Because of coffee, ive learned to give things a chance and that i dont need to *get it* immediatly. If I dont like something, I let it go and come back to it in the future to see if I still dislike it. Were it not for this approach, I would have miss out of a lot of things i came to love deeply, including people
I think it's fair to also mention that the 'experience' can also be married to the gameplay (or whatever other elements a game does or should have). I think more people will 'like' or 'get' Shadow of the Colossus because there is 'experiences' there that are reflected well in the gameplay itself. The enormity of the task ahead compared to the size of the enemies, etc, etc (sorry, I'm not too interested in doing the heavy research/analysis myself right now). This makes that 'connection' more relate-able, since it's being related to you through your own agency and action.
Games like Limbo or Inside, however, transmit their experience through what's going on around your character, what's happening to them or sometimes what they do*. However, the gameplay is only loosely related to the 'experience'. The gameplay is puzzles or walking. The experience is a story, a strange question regarding a characters existence, a meta question, etc. You have no agency in 'the experience'. It simply happens to or around you. And now for that '*' earlier. Even when you actually 'do' something related to 'the story/experience', typically for these games, you are being forced to do so. You NEED to kill this guy to progress, NEED to do X to solve the puzzle, etc. There are occasionally other choices, but very rarely do these 'experience' games branch off entirely to a separate 'experience' should you want to exercise your free will. This leaves the player merely a viewer in the end, and unless there is that spark of connection, they will be left feeling their forced to push buttons to keep watching a movie they don't like or understand.
The Stanley Parable is a good exception to the 'forcing experience' problem. I can't say I know the total demographics of who liked that game versus those who found it pedantic, but in my own small circle I certainly know more people have liked it than those who like playing 'walking simulators' or 'experience games', and I put that up to it's ability to give you agency, even in such a mundane thing as walking. You can go wherever you want, even stay in the same room, and the game will respond in ways that, presuming you haven't played it to death already, you likely haven't heard, and are generally amusing. Even though the game knows it's 'forcing' you along certain routes, it makes sure you knows it knows, and makes the whole thing tongue & cheek while giving you as much freedom as a single narrative voice can along the way. In the end, it tricks you into thinking you are still making the story yourself by following all your turns and little distractions.
And from what I can see, it seems Little Nightmares fits into this as well, perhaps influencing why you like it. The gameplay matches the tone and 'experience' well. Yes, there is some things going on besides 'hide from the scary stuff', but in general you have a good deal of involvement in the way it is presented. You don't just move from A to B, timing so the big chef doesn't see you. You listen for queues like the floorboards, you select a route to run through the room if you need to retreat or simply give up the stealth approach. As you mentioned, the gameplay is in service to that 'feeling of being a child in a big house'.
Honestly, I think the 3D level design probably can be 'thanked' for a lot here. If this game were forced into a 2D sidescroll, I think it would be vastly difference in both gameplay and 'experience'. And that's probably a fascinating point too. A developer makes a game that heavily leans on its 'experience' aspect, or at least the audience claims it does. If that game were to be changed in its mechanics, say from 3D to 2D, or from a puzzle game to a mild action-oriented focus, would the 'experience' change that much? Depending on how easy the 'game' is to change, you can estimate how attached the gameplay is to the 'experience'. I think INSIDE could have been any genre of game, and have the same story/message/'experience'. There's a tone in its visual design, but that's about all I can think of that really links those two aforementioned fields together. Little Nightmares couldn't change to easily without altering the experience. Shadow of the Colossus would likely lose different elements of atmosphere, story, or gravitas to the combat, should alterations start being made. The Stanley Parable would become distracted from its narrative quirkiness if you tried making it a shooter, and instead it would begin to be judged on how fun the action was. Sufficed to say, I personally like games where I still am a part of that 'experience'. Sometimes, in the case of Shadow of the Colossus, that harmony really cements into an emotion in the moment, and a memory once the game is done. Other times is just a simple fun game, and life goes on. But as a busy adult with adult things to do, I dislike taking time to have a game 'dictate' itself to me, when I want to be a part of that experience as well.
Yet somehow I also felt I needed to type all this. XD
In closing, I wanted to address something you said regarding 'if I made that [INSIDE] review now I'd probably do it differently.' Of course, your allowed to do as you see fit. However, I think that also applies to the review in the first place. I don't see anything wrong with saying 'I don't get this game'. I am figuratively putting words in your mouth at this point, but I believe you're looking to critique games, and analyze them in some fashion. To suppress or alter that personal viewpoint because others will simply blanket reply 'wrong; I got what was going on', is a shame. You did go into why/what you didn't get, after all. Since you're not trying to be quantitative and assign number scores, and talking about many things are inherently subjective, of course the overall result will be subjective. And that's fine. We're here, after all, to hear that subjective angle.
Keep up the good work. Imma' go rest my typing fingers. Which I suppose is all of them.
The first video I saw of yours was The Villian of Edith Finch, and I was so impressed with the effort you put into it. Since then, I've noticed the same for every video I've seen of yours and honestly I adore you so much!!! I really appreciate your content and insight and I'm glad I've stumbled upon your channel. New subscriber for sure!!!
As a 32 year old gamer who's been playing since owning a Commodore 64 aged 5, the experiential games are pretty much the only ones I enjoy these days. In the past few years other than Doom, I think the only new games I've truly enjoyed have been Firewatch, Gone Home, Stanley Parable etc. The rest just feel old to me, like things pretty much stalled around the OG Xbox and feel like tired retreads of the same old same old. I'll get to the second level before losing interested fast. Obviously I'm pretty much alone in that, but other than retro, the games that do something different are what I look for these days. Games I'll play for the experience. So I appreciate and 'get' this video.
Chris Gower Same. I have like 100 games I’ve barely touched on steam. It takes alot to get me invested in a game these days.
Chris Gower I know this is incredibly late. But: play Outer Wilds. Anyone reading this. Play it. Most incredible and unique experience I’ve had in a game in a long time, if not of all time.
Same age, same feel. Been more into the survival genre lately, though if I could afford a whole new rig with the VR gear, I'd hop on Alyx asap.
Yeah you're not alone man. It's funny, I bought both Outer Wilds and The Outer Worlds, two games whose names I keep confusing. One was absolutely phenomenal (as an experience) while the other I've tried multiple times over to play but just felt like the same rehashed mechanics with a fresh coat of paint - guess which one's which.
There's no better way of saying it like Joseph did and it's that the experience is becoming more and more *valuable* to people these days than the... whatever you want to call all the other stuff is. Now I still enjoy my Soulsborne's and DOOM's but they are indeed really the exception these days.
Maybe that's just what becoming adults is though, because I can totally imagine the young me playing The Outer Worlds today would absolutely love it, just like how I myself loved the older Fallout games. And that is a pretty fucking sad thing to have to say out loud.
@@Rwdphotos Also yes Half-Life: Alyx is indeed amazing and - the original Half-Life games being absolutely fundamental to my taste in basically all forms of media since then - it was such a relief to find out that it lived up to the hype.
Love how you used footage taken from Inside to play in the background at 8:23 when talking about peoples behavior and thoughts. For me, this is exactly what Inside was about. It was a game that was just one big analogy to many different sides of life and its horrors. At the same time I appreciated your original take on this game. You gave all the reasons why it just didn't click with you, which is more than most of people would have done. While I'm happy that you try to be more understanding of other opinions in this video, while trying to figure this all for yourself, please don't stop to voice your concerns and observations. You have every right to not like a game everybody else loves, and to talk about things that concern you, as you have the right to like something that most people might hate.
I think the most important thing is to be respectful of others' opinions and instead of focusing on analyzing why they like something by trying to prove what others might have missed, just focus on why you think you don't like it yourself. You are already very good in that second part, so good work :)
What surprises me is that you realized the subjective matter of liking a particular game just now. I mean, it's not like the games like Inside or Little Nightmares require a different approach or special treatment - every game might or might not click with any of us. What I think makes these games a bit more difficult to review or analyze is how little they have to offer except for their unique setting and atmosphere. And we either buy into that setting, dig that atmosphere, or simply lose interest seeing there are no other things to keep us playing.
Excellent job as always, I'm very impressed with each and every one of your videos. It's nice to know that there are at least a few content creators out there that care enough about their work to put together something as concise and polished as this. Thanks for your hard work and I look forward to whatever you discuss next!
There is something about your voice and writing that makes it so incredibly satisfying to watch. Your videos are the type I just want to get a cup of tea and wrap Into a blanket. Keep it up dude.
Fuck yes, another video. I've been waiting lol
Your fucking tabs holy shit. I love how serious and joking you can be at the same time
Great video once again! Much like the game itself, I wish it could have been longer. ;) I certainly love it when you do long videos, where I can settle in for an evening and learn some really thoughtful perspectives on these games. But all the same, great job, can't wait for the next one!
Man, I love your channel content. I wish I would've stumbled upon your videos a lot earlier. You've got a great writing/speaking style, and covering games in a non-lets play format yet still diving in deep and exploring the titles at length is exciting to see on youtube. So, thanks!
You just described perfectly why I liked year walk so much. It was more the experience than the game that stuck with me. Thanks for making these videos and keep up the great work!
Another amazing video. RUclipsrs like you, Super Bunnyhop, Raycevick, etc are filling the void left by the inevitable death of the big-publicaiton games criticism as it currently exists.
games journalism was always trash
I'm in the same boat aswell channels like these are so great but far to few!
rhys doyle That's because they actually require hard work and critical thinking whereas traditional games journalism has 90% their stories fed to them by game publisher PR.
Pedda ZZ No argument here, but until the advent of RUclips and Twitch there wasn't anything better to replace enthusiast media, which has existed basically as a separate, independent arm of video game publisher PR
It's a sad state of affairs indeed, I enjoy how in Joseph's latest videos hes been going through I kind of self analysis discovering what qualities really make for a great game experience. Its nice to see that kind of critical thinking it really adds to his videos.
Edit: Also if you like Bunnyhop & Raycevrick (I'm subbed to them aswell ^_^ ) you may also enjoy these channels,
although i'll admit they don't have his sexy voice lol.
Matthewmatosis, Noah Caldwell-Gervais & MisterCaption.
little nightmares has the greatest atmosphere ive ever seen in any horror game
Definitely a very good open-minded approach to reviewing and analysing games. Thank you for addressing that not every game effects or resonates with everyone the same way. I've also started watching your other videos, and you've won my subscription! Can't wait to see more
Little Nightmares was a game I ended up letting my cousin play. She's in her 40s and never played anything beyond classic pacman, mario, and sims 2 on the ps2. So, she chose it because it looked like a sidescrolling platformer. The experience of watching her work things out added to the experience of the game even though I only ever took control when she had well and truly gotten frustrated at being stuck. It was especially interesting because my cousin is a therapist and it's a field I'm hoping to also go into. I grew up in an abusive household, amd immediately felt "at home" in the atmosphere created by the game. It definitely felt riddled in trauma (both the hanged man in the beginning and the terrifying adults that occupy the Maw) that a child was too young to fully understand but would eventually turn them into the very monsters they sought to escape.
Becoming an abusive person is one of my greatest fears because you typically tend to either completely cut yourself off from the bad behavior you were raised in or you emulate it. If tearing down others is how the adults in your life show their dominance, take away your power, then you could easily do the same to those you can exercise power over like younger children. This is how I saw Six, wanting to escape and survive but eventually becoming the figure she was escaping. The little gnomes are other, younger children and the adults always struck me as a very Spirited Away-esque rendition of adults. Like Chihiro's parents turning into pigs with their greed, so do these adults become gluttonous monsters who will tear down anything in their path to achieve some sense of fullfillment. They dont see Six as a person or a child, they see her as something to be used. Hunger is a part of the game, and when Six is first struck with hunger she is given a meager bit of food, she is given a small handout that doesnt come again so she eventually learns to take from others what she wants rather than waiting for it to be given. In my opinion, the hunger isn't for food, but for fullfillment in a place where love and nurturing doesnt exist between the adults and the kids. So when Six eats one of the gnomes, she's tearing down a child in the same way the adults are trying to do to her to make herself feel better. The adults are fat and powerful, so why not emulate them to cure her own hunger and fear?
The game was certainly one that had a lot of existential moments in it for me and a lot of reflection. There were so many strange placements of things that it really fired up the imagination, but it did certainly strike a very familiar chord all the same.
This is a much better analysis than the video. Jus wanna say, you could make a video on the subtext of this game, especially in relation to psychology as you say. I’ll sub just in case you ever do.
Damn, can't wait to get home from work so I can watch this. So excited! Much love brother!
I'm sure this will be buried, but I adore your reviews. It's such a pleasure to focus on your analyses of what may be the most recent paradigm shift in consumable media. You're so thorough and uncompromising. Even if we were to disagree about a game, I respect your opinions and analysis so much. I wish you well.
When you talk about experience, i think of rimworld. Every time i boot it up the experience i'm talking about is about starting very tiny, so tiny and so small and then you build a house for the scenario. Then a store room, and then a cook room. A prison, then more houses, a kill zone, a hospital. Then it's a small town. You add on, mining areas. Dining areas. Special rooms for special people. Then it's the big fall of the town you set up, and it's so important for me. That's a amazing feeling to see and feel.
Always love to hear your interesting and unique perspective Joseph. Good video.
These types of videos are the best advertisment for games and not only games
Bro this is just the perfect, weird synopsis of the "late LATE night" games genre.
Some total bangers, like Tale of 2 Brothers, in this thing.
The dark souls bingo joke had me in tears, we love you Joe nice job as always
A few weeks ago Iron lung came out and everyone loves it for its creepy atmosphere and unique setting... and seeing this video again reminds me I just aint feeling it and thats ok. Everyone has their own tastes in games like many other things
me listening to you with this beautifully edited video is such a unique experience- every video is like a new flavor or color and more...I need to give back to you JA, with hopefully abit MORE than just a thumbs up old friend...
Oh man, I am so glad to see something new from you! Somehow, I didn't get this in my Subscription inbox - so now, you are the *only* RUclipsr that I have the "bell" enabled for. I'm addicted to your content, it helps me get to sleep and get through boring times.
You really know how to lighten the mood in these dark, depressing games. Well done with the hidden tabs...
Dude, I love your longform essay style review content. That's all, keep it up.
I really appreciate your reviews and am sorta binging them atm bc your perspective is always interesting, but this is my favorite so far (even as someone who hasn't gotten around to playing anything in the genre). It's really cool to run across someone who's really obviously conscious of how much thought they put into this stuff and always trying to improve, and the fact that you can go back, criticizing to a degree your own work, and figure out from that experience what you've missed that you could apply in future reviews is a huge sign of that. I hadn't quite thought of games in this way before either but I agree it's a useful metric for these sorts of reviews.
How can you make such detailed, thematically precise videos at such a length in such a short amount of time? You're incredible
I did not expect how much I connected with this video. I have always struggled with understanding my connection to these "experience" games. Just like you said, I found it very difficult to measure, and to make sense of these games and the way they made me feel. Thanks to you, I think I will be able to more coherently think about these games going forward. One thing that struck me was the way you compared these games to music. I realized that I've always accepted the subjectivity of appreciating music, and had no problem reconciling my feelings about music I liked or disliked, even though I couldn't exactly explain why I felt those ways. Looking back, it is incredibly similar to look at these games like music, but I have never made the connection before this. Thank you kind sir, and love from Penang!
Very excited for a new video Joseph, thank you
Experience seems pretty vague because doesn't every game try to offer one? Doesn't story and gameplay feed into the total experience? Like the experience of stranded in a nightmarish town is silent hill? Or the experience of being a space captain in mass effect?
For stuff like Inside and Limbo, I think the main thing they're going for is atmosphere, which is also a vague term but its less general than experience.
Like for example the main influence of something like system shock 2 is its atmosphere, and it's also a big selling point of team ico games. But atmosphere is made of stuff like art direction and sound design and even mechanics.
But "its about the experience" just sounds like people trying to defend boring 2deep4u games because they can't actually coherently elucidate what they like about it.
Bruce Wayne That's the thing though. But the experience isn't vague, it's very complex. Like Joe said, the experience every player will have with a game can vary vastly, depending on age, gender, mood, personality, or even skill set. Just because a game has critical praise doesn't mean everyone is going to love it. On the other side of the spectrum, just because a game has lukewarm reception doesn't mean everyone is going to hate it. It all comes down to personal taste and opinion, and what you can take away from it is based on that. I don't like Crash The N-sane Trilogy. I think the level design and mechanics are outdated, the hit boxes are fucked, the gaps between jumps are too large to reliably be able to jump over without jumping your highest every single time. Some levels are annoying, even ones in Crash 3. It's stupid that you can knock away wompa fruit, extra lives, and aku aku masks with the spin attack, it makes destroying a cluster of boxes less gratifying. Graphics, in my opinion, don't save that game from feeling tedious and uncomfortable to play, and I'm actually considering just selling the game. But that doesn't stop everyone else from loving the game, and that's perfectly fine. My own personal experience from the game does not detract from the actual effort put into the game and how much of a steal it is to have 3 good games for $40. Though in my opinion, I would have liked it better if it was a completely different kind of level design that still harkens back to the original, just like Ratchet and Clank (2016) but that's just judging from my own experince with the game and Ratchet and Clank (2016), a game that I love but most fans of the series do not
Bruce Wayne Wait so playing a game "for the experience" is invalid because there are multiple contributing factors that *help* define that motivation? That's kinda weird. Gameplay/story (especially gameplay) are very integral parts of what makes a game fun, yet I'm sure you can agree that playing a game soley "for fun" is perfectly acceptable.
I agree with everything you said except the end. Everything totals up to the experience. Its where terms like immersion come from, and everything from symbolism to sound design to even gameplay mechanics all enhance immersion/the experience (ideally at least, not every game can be successful in this).
That said, just because someone can’t explain why they like something and just say something like “it’s about the experience” doesn’t mean a game is just boring or trying to be “2deep4u.” While I don’t personally like games like Limbo or Inside, I can see what people do like about those even if most fans can’t actually explain it themselves (interesting imagery seems to be the main thing, though obviously there’s more than that).
It's all just semantics.
@@DeMomcalypseLive >"lookworm"
That has to be the single funniest and most unique typo/misspelling I've ever seen. And I thought I'd seen them all. Noyce.
I think "experience" may be too vague a term. "Emotional relatability/connection", "atmosphere", and "altered perceptions" could all relate to the term but are more specific. Another good video regardless
Just came across your stuff and holy shit how have I missed this great content? Keep it up man! One of my new favorite RUclipsrs
You are awesome, Mr. Anderson! You look at two games that are quite similiar, one of which you like, but not the other, and you ask yourself why that is so. Then you reflect on this and you start to grow (mentally) - and you let us, the audience, participate in that growth. That´s one of the best things people in any media can do. On top of that, you are extremely articulate. Any content of yours, i appreciate a lot, despite the fact, that most of the games you discuss, i never played (but i bought "Edith Finch" because of your video on it). Keep it up!
I subscribe to a very few number of channels, and yours is definitely no exception. You share your opinions in an objective way, never subjective unless it's your opinion (which you always save until the end) I love your content. I've subscribed as well as turned on notifications, I hope to help in any way I can.
It's always fun when reviewers finally grasp things about the medium they review that they previously missed or didn't understand in a meaningful way. It's just cool to hear people get excited when they've finally found the reason for why they didn't like certain things while everyone else did.
Little nightmares perspective and viewpoint always reminded me of like the feeling that your watching a play or at least it's set up like a stage even the lighting effects are like a theater stage
This game made me feel like I was watching a horror au of Spirited Away.
Yes, this this this. It feels like a studio ghibli experience you can HAVE. I really need to play the game again, it's been long enough I've forgotten a lot of it, unfortunately not that twist in the middle. I'd love to experience that again for the first time.
I love how you tear apart some of my favorite games but you never tear them apart so bad that I can't still love them.
9:29 "It's always amazing to hear a new song that you instantly fall in love with-"
*Nickelback pops up*
Wat
I agree with everything you said in this 100%. I love this game and I greedily bought all of the dlc as soon as I was done with the main story, as I was itching for more. I appreciate the fact that you made this video without a bunch of unnecessary screaming, silly video editing and music interjections as so many do trying desperately to be funny, so I subscribed. Thanks.
Another great video as always! Always going to support your stuff :)
New video from joey anderson babyyyyyy!
some of the transitions in this video were really nice, well done!
Great stuff dude, keep it up! Love your work.
Damn.. I appreciate your content, it's incredible. I wish you uploaded more frequently :(
even if i didnt play the game and i am not going to play it in the future i still listen to your review it is really different from any other youtuber really love your review
You are quickly becoming one of my favourite game reviewers
Great video as always
I just found your channel, and these uploads are 2 years old, but NO MATTER, I'll pretend they're new :)
Struggling to define what the Experience™ is... I actually wrote and deleted a very rambly wall of text, not good with words right now. The jist of it was, experience games have moments in them where you're forced to stop playing, in order to just appreciate the moment in the space you are in the game. I believe that the success of these games comes from a craving for present moment experiences, like watching a sunset, or listening to the rain, when you briefly forget your own sense of identity and personal narrative. I'll stop before another wall of text is summoned, thanks for your videos, you get a sub.
Ya know I've never really thought of it this way until now, but a lot of my purchases are for the cooperative experience, even if a game is subpar in story or gameplay elements a good group of friends just elevates the experience to a much better game.
I like your videos *because* I don't always agree with you. You made some great points here, like how a song can "speak to you" and a game can as well. Keep it up!
17:41 ...But you were surprised by THAT? The first thing I thought of!
The clip you used at 8:22 was gold.
Amazing like usual. Keep on the hard work
if Joe recommends a game you know it's got something going for it. I love these kinds of games where you can finish it in a night and maybe play it again every so often still in one complete sitting.
I started thinking about Subnautica after you were talking about how experience is becoming more important and then BOOM you start talking about Subnautica. That was the first game that I ever gave a shit about exploring and taking in the surroundings. You provide such a beautiful analysis on games and a lot of the time put how I feel about certain games into words. Love these videos man, such a great perspective.
He is the only RUclipsr that I am sure his video will be great before it starts
I love these in depth looks at games.
Another fantastic review. Thanks!
"Maybe people should be restrained when it comes to raving about these types of experiences."
I kinda think that there was a better way to phrase that, for me, it sounded as if I should hold my tongue when talking about something I found pleasant. Just because I talking about something so highly, doesn't mean you should absolutely listen to it and take it. It's an opinion and you must take that into consideration. Not everyone's opinions are going to be the same, of course.
I agree fully. When I heard this line, I was like "no."
I'm not gonna stop someone from bashing my favorite things but there's no way I'm shutting up about them either, but in a positive way.
He seems upset at the concept of admiring something in terms of experience because it's not something you can easily quantify and compare to other things, meaning you cannot easily say one is better than the other etc. He takes a needlessly surgical approach that misses the big picture. Some things cannot be measured and so he wants to diminish the power and meaning of those attributes by telling people to play it down. Too much thinking, not enough feeling.
I kinda agree with him. You can, and probably should bring expirience part then talking about YOUR enjoyment of the game, but then it come to critique - your expirience matter very little, because games (or any other media for that matter) not made for you only, so if you want to actually want your critique to be valid, you probably should keep your feeling out of this. In this way, either many of "critics" should be more objective with their "reviews" or just dont call it critique and instead call them "how i feel"
The one thing I absolutely love about this Joseph guy, and I kid you not for the past week I have been very intensively watching all his game critique videos, I love how when he doesnot like something, he unapologetically bashes that game's part without giving two fucks how public will react to this (because them people liked that game very much)
BADASS!!!
Fantastic video man! you just earned yourself a sub
In regards to what you were saying about "Experience", something similar happened to me with Night in the Woods. I bought the game because the art style had really caught my eye, but I didn't know anything about it, only that it was an indie story-driven game. I ended up loving it, but it's definetly not for everyone. Not much happens in terms of gameplay and it's not very "rich in diversity" when it comes to things you can do with the story and dialogues. But I simply loved the story, the characters, the art style, the music... It was a great experience, and I cautiously recommend it to anyone looking for some indie story-driven game. Including you.
Great video, by the way. I really love your analyses.
Great stuff as always.
I feel like there is a lot of powerlessness associated with expressing your own taste, after all there are many specific reasons why may like something and genuinely think that the thing is good but because it lies in the unconscious part of you you can't convey all of this which leads to intense frustration.
Media is a big part of our lives and cultivating a way to express an opinion on it leads to greater levels of connection among people. So yeah great video in that regard.
being able to reflect on your own biases is an important quality for a reviewer.
I'm alot like one of those "people" you mention at 2:37. I don't play games very often anymore. Once every few years I'll buy a shooter, or some RPG like The Witcher. But past that, the only games I usually buy, and the only games I really want to buy, arw those that have that hard-to-define "experience" quality. Thing is, most times i equate that and story in experience. 'Journey' is my favourite game of all time, for example.
Anyway, great video. Absolutely love the channel, whatch literally everything you post. Keep going, and good luck!
Gutted that the vid isn't longer but I guess that's not a bad thing! keep up the good work!
Great video man, I agree it's all about what resonates with you as an individual. Enjoy what you enjoy no matter what others say, but don't praise it to high heaven. Your favorite can easily be someone's most hated.
congratulations on being able to produce content full time, it's a big achievement.
Another Joseph Anderson video? Today is a good day.
the transitions between games m8, you put too much effort into it. I admire that. :P
I agree with a lot of what you had to say.
Notably dealing with The Last Guardian, I felt like you did regarding the "it didn't grasp me" part. I can 100% see how people could be captivated and engulfed by wanting to figure out the back-story and have an adventure with Trico, but the gamer in me couldn't get past the sometimes infuriatingly slow sequences before something "clicked" with Trico and it finally allowed me to do what I had been wanting to do. I bet if I was someone who didn't play video games so often could take-away a lot more from the game and gain the full benefit of the experience factor.
7:47
That's one hell of a smooth transition
First off, I’d like to say I appreciate these kinds of videos you put out. It gets people talking about games and media as more than just entertainment, but as an industry and an art form. More people like you should be aspiring to become analysts.
Second: I know this is simply a disagreement over labels, but “experience” to me is an all-encompassing term. It encompasses not just the atmosphere the game provides, but the art work, the story, the music, the game mechanics, etc. etc. The whole point of a game is to deliver an experience, and these other aspects are merely various knobs that are tuned to deliver the specific experience that the developers had in mind.
Third: You mention games that fail to “reach” a certain audience and compare it to liking and disliking certain types of food. I agree with your example that different games appeal to different preferences. But while liking games, music, and artwork have a degree of preference in them, they can be *objectively* judged based on their craftmanship.
When we speak objectively about forms of media, we are no longer talking about the individual preferences. We are talking about its execution and whether or not it pushes forward the visual and auditory grammar of the industry.
In music for example, an individual may love techno. But a music major may find its chord progression boring, repetitious, and uninventive. This concept applies to all forms of media.
In games, an individual may connect with an emotional cutscene while another individual does not. Whether or not a scene resonates with an individual may be more subjective, but how that scene is executed can be analyzed and criticized (eg. by principles of cinematography).
I had a heap of ideas and ended up losing the whole point of making this comment, but I did want to impart at least these ideas.
your videos are really enjoyable!
When you start explaining what you meant about Experience, I instantly thought about the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, Metro games, and Dark souls. Most of those are games I've never even completed, but those are still my favourite games because of how they make me feel. They just..... fit.
That eating section reminded me a lot of the beginning of Spirited Away. Very creepy
I think this video made a great point. People often get excited by a dark dystopian setting, including myself. For me, a video game couldn't have provided a better environment setting than INSIDE.
Hey a new vid! Love your stuff mang
I have a fever, and the only cure is Joseph Anderson. these videos are like crack
The best experience comes from not focusing on the story. You just subconsciously know what’s going on and instead of trying to figure out what happens, you’re more focused on clearing the level.