Spec Ops: The Line - Story Explanation and Analysis
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2017
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These are just some of my thoughts on what was happening throughout the course of this great game. If you have any dissent or extra thoughts to offer along with my analysis, please leave them in the comment section below!
Spec Ops: The Line is heavily influenced by a pre-existing classic novella titled “Heart of Darkness”, which is arguably the most analyzed piece of literature in history. I decided that what I would do is analyze Heart of Darkness and its two most popular adaptations: Apocalypse Now and, of course, Spec Ops: The Line. However, while I am analyzing the individual stories in each of the three cases, I am moreso analyzing the quote-unquote “Heart of Darkness” as a motif; as something that actually exists. In my opinion, the Heart of Darkness manifests in real life, as well as in these three forms of fiction... as a location, a thing to obtain, and a state of mind. It might be useful to watch my previous video where I analyze the Heart of Darkness novella, so you can have some useful context for this video, but that isn’t necessary.
What is the Heart of Darkness? - • What is the Heart of D...
Apocalypse Now - Story Explanation and Analysis (Part 1): • Apocalypse Now - Story...
Apocalypse Now - Story Explanation and Analysis (Part 2): • Apocalypse Now - Story...
Final Video by TamiyaGuy: • Do you feel like a her... 
Игры
I thought the "We've done this before" line was nothing more than a fourth-wall breaking joke for the player, rather than a literal indication of a deathloop
For real
@Cullen Achilles @Ronald Jordan the hell are you guys on about?
It started off as one. In response to the publishers making them start the game off in the middle because "the kids would like it".
But the main writer liked the implication so much, he decided to roll with it.
It can also be considered that Walker is thinking back to when Konrad rescued him from the Heli in Afghanistan.
@@issabeganovic8822 One year later and I'm still not over this game's harrowing nature. Truly a narrative masterpiece.
this game is not about the jokes
One thing I noticed when I played that really stuck with me is how Walker's tone also changes, along with how he does things. For instance, in the first bit, he's very tactical and professional in both speech and action. He directs cleanly, saying such things as "Tango down". The executions are also very quick and clean, usually a quick head shot. Further along, Walker starts cursing when directing his squad to target an enemy like, "I want that fucker dead!" and the executions become more barbaric and unnecessarily brutal and violent. It's an obvious reflection of his mental state deteriorating and his, as you said, dehumanizing of his enemies who are no longer deserving a quick clean death, but one of pain and suffering before the end.
I noticed it too!
heavy fucking down!
And his pistol changues from an M9 to a Desert eagle
God I Love This Game.
I Love this Comment as well.
I took the epilogue of walker wearing Konrad’s uniform as his acceptance that he is Konrad, he is the supposed evil he was blaming.
Also worth adding that the loading screen with him wearing Konrad's gear is representative of him washing away not only his sins, but Konrad's as well.
@lol dunked on I was talking more specifically about the loading screen with Walker standing in the Rain (With blood on him).
@lol dunked on konrad was not a monster he wanted to prevents alk this but walker joined the party
The final loading screen is Walker standing in the rain in Konrads’ jacket. The final main menu is rain falling on the city. The last words he says are Konrads’ words. “Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai.” Then he returns to the city. Then the rain falls. That’s the true ending.
"Keep Going Down" objective was given during previous chapter, while you were climbing the tower.
It's as if you know you are going to fall down.
I always thought of it as "Keep going down the rabbit hole to see how deep it goes."
To hell
Yeah bro I noticed that too. I remember looking at it as I was climbing stairs and I assumed there would be a drop of or something but it didn’t happen lol
Keep going down means "keep going down to hell"
Oh My God. Konrad. Joseph Conrad wrote the Heart of Darkness. My god. What a game.
Kurtz was the name of the Colonel in the book and the movie Apocalypse Now so to tribute the author they gave the name of him to the main Antigonist
There is also the fact that Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now is played by actor Martin Sheen.
The main character of this game is Martin Walker :)
That’s insane, my AP world teacher talked about this when we started getting into imperialism which fits perfectly with these themes
To be fair that’s a pretty lame realization hahah- idk if tht counts as like some of the games good writing
Are you shitting me? You think that's "clever"? It's an homage. It's supposed to be obvious.
You forgot one MAJOR hint that Walker is trapped in an infinite loop in hell. During the mortar scene that eventually causes his mental breakdown, Lugo argues with him that there’s always a choice, to which Walker replies “No, there really isn’t.” and then the game forces you to use the mortar. This is a big hint that Walker is subconsciously aware he’s trapped in a loop but he can’t do anything about it to change the outcome. There’s also the scene at the epilogue after he kills the soldiers, he grabs the radio and says the very same line he said at the beginning of the game, thus restarting the loop
And the fact that the entire game, even the beginning only Walker can hear Konrad’s voice, even the broadcast. That and how he didn’t even care that Lugo shot the DJ, hinting that he knew it was coming
Except that was denied by devs. "Always a choice" meant for YOU, the player, to stop playing the game. Seriously, the devs. confirmed that. They tried to satirize gamers, making Spec Ops: The Line look like traditional military shooter (down to trailers styled after Call of Duty, or main character modeled on default Commander Shepard), and then to make players feel guilty for playing them. Loading screens are pretty obvious. The Hell thing is a fan theory, it isn't canon, it's kinda like indoctrination theory in Mass Effect.
@@KasumiRINA Do you always have to wait for devs approval to make an analysis? It's pretty obvious Walker is in hell because of his action and because he died in the helicopter crash. The first twelve chapters are the reason for his presence in hell, the last three are made up.
I remember trying so hard to just shoot all those soldiers and somehow avoid using the mortar but there isn't any way to avoid it
@@lecobra418 Imagine challenging the fucking makers of the game on what is and isn't canon in it. I swear the audacity of fans is absolutely outlandish.
@@JustSomeDinosaurPerson The charm and problem with abstract art is it's open to interpretation. Many times that's intended by the creators. Think for yourself and recognize your point of view in sth that has many. Otherwise, the hints would be way less subtle than those explained or analyzed by fans and makers alike.
Your confrontation with Konrad is the only time in the game you ascend.
And the radio man
@@emmanuelarthur_ and that is where you died, so that could probably mean something or something.
It symbolizes Walker’s single moment of sanity, realizing and possibly accepting the fact that he’s responsible for all the atrocities that occurred during the game. Not to mention, when Walker asks one of the soldiers where Konrad is, he says, “where he’s always been”. Konrad was hiding at the top of building, and your rise to the top represents how you’re finally acknowledging the guilt and conscience you’ve hidden in the deepest parts subconscious (which Konrad personifies).
What about the radio DJ? Or the helicopter?
My interpretation of the "Who says I did" line is that even though he survived it all he is so messed up he will never be able to have a normal existance again, thus for all intends and purposes dead
Him being alive is canon. The line is there to make you think.
@@quirkyboyo9102 Yep.
@@onigames7309 Life is a more harsher punishment then death.
Another theory is that after all he's seen he's convinced himself that he is dead, in a coma, or lost a piece of himself that he'll never get back like you mentioned
I interpreted it as "I am so crazy that my whole personality is basicly dead and in place is a cold hearted murderer with no morals"
That is what I personaly belive the line means
The thing I find most funny, before this Spec Ops was a mostly PS1 series of shovelware shooters trying to ape off the success of Rainbow Six and were pure garbage. And then out of nowhere they release this masterpiece of a game.
@@PhartingFeeting Is that a mothafucking JoJo reference!??!
@@Jeff-lc7lp Get out
@@Jeff-lc7lp MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA
@@Jeff-lc7lp lol Jojo. The names of animes always makes me laugh. Its like someone with no English knowledge trying to say something cool in America usually resulting in something like "super death ninja team alpha" 😳 who watches that crap my lord
@@loganwalters9487 Haven't you got something better to do instead of insulting Anime names.
*Plot Twist*
He was in Silent Hill all the time, going through the 5 stages of grief and trying to accept his own death.
I remember it's Silent Hill 2 reference
This is pretty much like James's story
Silent Hill of Duty.
@@matthew1882 Hills of Duty or better Call of Silence.
But honestly both Silent Hill and The Line are just another version of universal story of descent into darkest parts of our minds and soul - at least after seeing all similar stories I think it become its own archetype.
I once played this game at a friends house, and this friends oldest brother had just returned from Iraq from his second tour. My friend and I were playing the game and were just at the part where Walker fires the mortars and caused the white phosphorus to detonate over the civilians. His brother walked by the room and saw us at that part. For a moment I went to use the bathroom and I saw him just standing outside the door, the light was out behind his eyes and he looked like he’d seen a ghost. I asked him if he was ok, and he just said “don’t worry about me, I’m fine”. At first I believed him and continued to play with my friend. I spent the night that same day, and all of a sudden I hear the loudest, blood curdling scream I have ever heard in my life. My friend and I knew the scream came from his brothers room which was right next to us, and we ran to see if he was ok, and we opened the door and saw him on the floor rocking back and forth while cradling his head crying. My friends parents came in and rushed to his side, and when his mom hugged him he held her like a little kid who had just had a nightmare. As she held him, he just said over and over “I couldn’t save them, I couldn’t save them”, and I had wondered what he was talking about. The next time I hung out with my friend, his brother asked us if we wanted to grab lunch with him and we said yes. As we ate at a restaurant near their house, I asked him if he was ok, and if he’d be ok with telling me why he had freaked out like that. He told us that when he was still in Iraq, his unit was doing patrol in a large town which supposedly had Al Qaeda insurgents nearby. All of a sudden, mortar shells were being fired at them, and while no one in his unit was killed, four or five mortars hit a nearby market and killed everyone inside, most of them women and children. He ran to help them before the last mortar hit, but was pushed back by the shockwave of the blast. He told us the scene with Walker reminded him of that day and how he couldn’t have done anything to help them, and that had been with him ever since he got back home.
Now I’m not a psychiatrist, but I told him that even if he tried to help those people he would’ve gotten killed had he run into that mortar barrage, and his family would’ve missed him and that he survived, and can live for the memory of those he couldn’t save. He chuckled for a moment, but had a serious look on his face and told me thanks. My friend later told me his brother was seeing a therapist and went to a group for veterans with PTSD which is where he met his girlfriend and was getting better . He later married her and had three kids, and she’s currently expecting their fourth.
This story helped make me realize this game isn’t your average shooter, and it will probably be the closest we as civilians see the horrors of war. If you have family or friends who are veterans and they struggle with PTSD, be there for them. It may save their life. Thank you for reading.
Que história pesada...
A guerra é uma merda mesmo.
@@fernandoribeiro8604 sim
My god.
Best RUclips comment I've ever read. Thanks for sharing this story
@@christopherchisolm9320 thank you for taking the time to read it
In Chapter 1, when the game starts, Walker says "Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai", to which Lugo replies:
"Yup, still dead". Apparently talking about the city, but he's obviously talking about Walker. The fact that they give you that hint so early in the game is just genius.
I only played this game once, and didn't even know anything about it before I started. To me, it was just another shooter. As things went down, I got more and more involved with Walker's actions. Funny thing about the choices in this game, they're not meant to affect the game, they're meant to test us, affect us accordingly to our actions. In the end I wasn't feeling bad about Walker's decisions, I was feeling bad about my own. This game really knows how to mess with your head.
At the end of the game I chose to "kill" Konrad. By the time I had to decide I had thoughts "I didn't fight all this way to give up myself", "He's the part of me that made me do all of this", "I did some awful things, but I can't kill myself". But after that I chose to give up Walker's weapon and go with the soldiers. At the moment I had no idea of this interpretation of Walker being dead (to me, he was hallucinating, but still alive the whole time). I saw that ending as another way of him dealing with his guilt, some sort of redemption. Accepting what he did and moving on, not punishing himself for his actions nor denying the evils he'd done, but simply walking away, broken as he was. I don't know, maybe in that storyline he was conforming with his existing darkness, instead of fighting it.
This game also made felt me bad during decision taking...
This comment gave me chills..
I agree with your end decision. So many people think I the suicide option is the right one because of that fade to black. Yeah walker accepts it but he has no chance at redemption now he can’t make it right and I just can’t accept that as a true ending. I prefer your ending because even then he acknowledges his own guilt and even if it’s not real he can go through a form of purgatory and clean his soul. The ending load screen for this part is walker being washed by the rain of all the blood: symbolizing the process of redemption
In the end, it looks like the choice that is the most difficult to make is the right one- at least when it comes to a human's inner conflicts. I dont think that both choices are right here, nor that neither of them are. By global standards, they are not in any way acceptable, as actions that led to them are not. But I think each individual will have the right choice to make depending on what they fear or cherish more in their lives. So if a person has a tendency to walk away, move on and conform, he then should chose righteous punishment for himself, and vice versa if the opposite is true. As I see it, this ensures existential victory.
I thought killing yourself was the easy way out and not accepting what you did, because you basically choose to run away and follow in conrads foodsteps.
the man who also could not accept what ahd happened and chose the free death. making walker become just like Conrad.
the man who wanted to help, but everything he did went bad.
also, I am really not a fan of this "you are secretly dead" twist. to me this twist completely invalidates everything, because you are already dead and in hell, so your actions don´t matter any more.
also, suddenly bringing in this supernatural garbage is, missing the point. the game is about HUMAN insanity and what HUMANS can do.
there were no real prominent religious themes to build up on that and basing this theory just on the screen fades is...weak at best.
ultimately the game ahs a lot of paralens to apocalypse now and that movie also had no supernatural elements. its definetely not realistic and a lot of it is metaphor and interpretation, but thats the meta story telling.
I think you can get a lot more out of the game, if you view it like you did initially and take it as metaphor for walkers degrading psyche.
ultimately this channel fell victim to what many analysis channels fall victim to. interpreting too much into some things and entirely missing the point in the search for some unseen, suprise plot twist.
6:50 The tree could also represent two other things. The first could be that Walker brings death to all that he passes or that Walker has left the world of the living and walked into the world of the dead.
And that's right before what happens at the gate as well right?
"You are here because you wanted to be something you are not: a hero."
This game has so many interpretations and theories... so many ways you can look at it, so many perspectives.
Walker might be dead and in hell, or maybe your not really Walker, maybe your Konrad, maybe this is just Walker going through his PTSD for what he did, maybe he's in a loop. Does he actually get the chance to go home in the end, or is he just hallucinating? How much is real, how much is fake?
God I love this game.
My first run of this game, I ended up waiting out the "timer" when I had the choice to shoot the guy or myself (I didn't know you could shoot yourself at first...) My mentality was "I'm done killing"
Same
@@noobsa78 I shot Conrad because I was still thinking about the game as a "video game." I thought it was what I was supposed to do. But as I'm typing this out, I guess that makes me just as bad as Walker huh. I did go back just to see what happens if you let the timer run out, but that was my first choice to shoot Conrad.
I didn't even realize you can control the character and thought it's a scripted cutscene so "Konrad" shot me. In retrospect I think that was a good ending nonetheless.
I just ran both endings :)
@@KittenChaos90 To kill for entertainment is harmless.
I recently replayed it on FUBAR, and found it a bit amusing that shortly after the white phosphorus incident, Walker says "...our hand were forced, and I know by whom". There's the possibility that he was referring to Konrad, but it can also be taken as Walker taking to the player, since you control him.
Devs meant forced by the player
the saddest thing is that. Walker could have just raido-ed command from the start.
but we went in.
to be a hero.
and we paid the price for it.
7:30 The ONLY part of this fantastic video that misses the mark a little, is that this 'hanging man' is Luggo. Not only does Luggo usually repel down the side where the hanging man is in the reflection, but Luggo does in fact get hung by the refugees a while later, and it's simply another expression of Walker's mind torturing him with his teams death, just like on the memorial wall just before this clip of the video.
If you notice at the end that he is wearing Conrad's uniform, which supports the theory that the walker is a persona made up by Conrad to take the blame for his actions. By having walker face the realities in his mind, Conrad is doing that himself. This is also supported by when walker says it's all in my head and then Conrad goes "maybe it's in mine"
Man, I didn't even play this game, I watched all the cutscenes on youtube and I still felt bad for all the things Walker did.
This game is a dark masterpiece, oh man
Probably the optimal way to play the game
@@Pontificate yeah, I don't have the stomach to do all these atrocities by myself
Typical bureaucrats,
Watching from away
Not being there front and center!
.
.
.
(I did the same bruh I couldn’t go through with it lmao)
(I didn’t want to sleep with a guilty conscious)
I originally only played about 15 min of it, and thought "The Line" was going to be some other or 1000s of Shooters, about the Militia using Zip Lines! I had NO idea the metaphorical Opera this game REALLY was! I am, for sure, going to play it all the way through now. It is sooo rare to impossible, to find mindless fps games that carry such a dark repertoire of dark meanings.
You'd think the industry of Gaming would get we want more Story once in a while, not just Devices and special effects.. On the other hand, after reading all the interpretations, and "smartness" of this game, I understand why there are not more, and this game went down into the dregs of "what? Spec Ops: the Line"? What is that? In fact, the only reason I watched the video was because I thought, "I think I have that game in my Never played STEAM games, and I probs never will, so let me find out, what it is about before I delete it"
Bingo! I find an incredible narrative! Now I am going to read "Heart of Darkness" by Conrad...and play Spec Ops: The Line PC
I let Konrad shoot me. Not because I thought I deserved it, but because I was literally petrified. I panicked and completely put the controller down. I don't remember ever being so shocked because of a game since then.
Germans know how to do it
"Guest starring: yofatdaddy"
2 things.
First off, I only played through this game once and the part that stuck with me was happening upon 2 soldiers patrolling. If I recall correctly one asked the other for a cigarette and they went on talking about their lives back home, their children, etc. that kind of depth and follow through are rarely seen in video games especially for no-name, tertiary cannon fodder. Knowing that I had to kill 2 ostensibly good men with lives of their own really stuck with me.
Second, you deserve more subs.
It's awesome how a bit later in the game, the radioman actively mocks this saying "oh no, he had a daughter and a wife!" and things like that
"Freedom is what you do with what has been done to you." theres this line or something like it that i cant ever forget. This game is a lot more beautiful and haunting then i perceived after playing through it the first time.
When he says at the end "who says I did" possibly reflects that the old person he was at the start died at the end becoming something different
Actually is a fade to white and fade to black is just a theory but the question could be in his mind and the military didn't ask him anything
I came into the video not expecting much, but I'm blown away with your presentation. You made a game I already love even better. Really interesting perspectives I hadn't thought about before! You got my sub that's for sure.
If you've ever been in an actual combat zone I suggest you don't watch the scene after killing Konrad. It's not an easy watch. I almost missed it because I didn't want to walk through that damned hotel a third time.
I wish I'd never seen that ending.
TheRealBamboonga Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai
Yeah yeah.
explain
Can you please provide an explenation ?
Why ?
@@kazuhiramiller1616 It's kinda disturbing for veterans and might trigger PTSD
the first words in the vid are actually a quote from the game Grim Fandango. "i just want to go home. - you can't go home, Kelso, you're dead."
There's a lot of parts like that, I actually suspect that the part in which "Konrad" shows Walker his painting of the white phosphorus scene with walker saying "You did this" and Konrad responding with "No, You did." Is based off a real interaction between a member of the German Gestapo and Pablo Picasso, the Gestapo was in Picasso's apartment (Picasso was living in Nazi occupied Paris at the time) and when he saw Picasso's painting of the bombing of Guernica he asked "Did you do this?", Picasso responded, "No, You did." Practically word for word
Really depressing and sad how we humans even when dying just want to go "home".....a place where everything is fine and you always wake up staring at the same ceiling that " you know won't fall down" on you killing you.
You can be at peace and start those wonderful days
To me, the "Konrad" that Walker talks to throughout the game symbolically represents Walker's conscience. Konrad was a hero to Walker and represented everything he wanted to be. That's why every billboard you see Konrad in gives you a stern, judging look. The Skiing ad is particularly symbolic as it features a mother and daughter smiling with Konrad giving you that same cold stare.
The cutscene where he realises he killed all those civilians and the ash sillouette of the woman clutching her child is showing , is still with me till this day.......it really caught me of guard when i was playing and brought tears to my eyes.
I feel we need more military shooter games to have this kinda feel and message to it, I get real board of the typical hero bull that most shooters peddle, this is the only shooter I know of that stands out and completely dismantles the hero myth in war,
This game actually reminded me of Stephen King story "The Long March". A very simple premise, but as time goes on, and the main characters get more and more exhausted, their personas get stripped of superficialities, their perspectives narrow, their minds start playing tricks on them until there is nothing but the march, or in the case of the game, the descent. In both stories you also begin to feel like that is all there has ever been, like you can't really remember how you got there, you only know you need to keep going even if you're not sure why you are there or if it's ever going to end.
Take a look at an old movie "Jacobs Latter" pretty obvious they devs cribbed from it in some ways
When I played the ending, I accepted that it was my responsibility for what I did, but I still shot Konrad.
Why?
Because even after all I had done, after I had accepted what I did wrong, I was still unwilling to end my own life. And besides, how could I possibly be able to judge myself anyway? I handed over my gun, believing myself to be unfit not only for combat, but to judge entirely, leaving Dubai a changed man. The man I (Walker) was when I entered was dead, and out came a battered and scarred version of that man.
Besides... does a man not deserve to stand trial if the situation permits it?
Polyester Homes my thought exactly... This is the my choise as well... I know Walker have to answer for his crimes... I know he have to take responsibility... But he will answer them to the living by choosing death it would be simply an escape from responsibility...
I When i first played the game I let Konrad shoot me. I didnt know that i could turn and shoot myself, but regardless I don't regret it. Now that I look back on it, I don't think i had the right to judge if i deserved forgiveness or not. maybe i didnt want to make that choice, or again maybe i didnt think i was worthy to make that choice. regardless, I couldn't bear what I had done and had since accepted it (even if its just a game ":^))
How can he stand trial if he’s dead.
The only trail he’s facing is with himself in hell now.
@@JGaute exactly no matter what... All endings that are real lead back to Dubai. Walker's personal purgatory. He won't ever escape his guilt..
I think by accepting what he did he has to live with the consequences (PTSD) and by not accepting it he kills himself cause he can’t live with the guilt and instead of owning up to it he just ultimately ends his own life. either way he’ll be in some kind of hell. The literal one by killing himself or the metaphorical one in his head for the rest of his life
Wow. I always thought this was just a more disturbing take on war, I did not expect a genuine, pseudo-psychological horror experience. This is genuinely one of the most terrifying premises I have ever been made aware of in this medium.
Just finished this game for the first time.. felt like Andrew Ryan was inviting me into his home at the end. I kinda felt it was going that way but wasn’t too sure. Then got hit with that ending... such a gem of a game
I played spec ops the line years ago and the story tore me apart. Fast forward to now, I just read Heart of Darkness and watch Apocalypse Now in school and it gave me this odd feeling like I’ve heard the story before. Never knew about this parallel. It’s surreal to unravel this downward spiral of insanity and evil. Awesome video.
The attention to detail is ASTONISHING in this video, and by extent the game. I knew that some of the graffiti I was seeing had some kind of symbolic value, but I had no idea that it went to this level of absurdity and imagination. I'll be looking for more of those the next time I play it.
Finished the video and scrolled down to see the amount of views expecting over 50,000. Was horribly disappointed. You deserve much more. Keep at it.
2 years later and wish granted. Though 60,000 still isn't enough. I'm sure there are many who haven't seen this video but would love it.
@@bread1958 1 month later and its almost 100,000. Probably because of the steam sale.
more than 150,000
Now
241k
280!
I’ve seen several people equate the suicide to accepting your responsibility. Is it really though? Yes the fade to black and fade to white can be used as a de facto confirmation but it goes against the conventional idea of what suicide represents: escaping reality, admitting you can longer face it or deal with it, which ultimately means forgoing responsibility. Plus look at the post Konrad shooting situation: walker is being rained on symbolizing purifying sins. He wears walkers uniform and “accepts” his sins and his transformation into the Konrad he imagined. Finally the choices at the end finally make actually become what he is or submit to a potential redemption. After all just because fade to
White means it’s in his head doesn’t mean it isn’t real to walker. He could fading to white because he no longer e it’s in reality but he now exists in the metaphysical world. In the afterlife walker can finally obtain some form of redemption where In suicide he dies and ends it there. No shot at redemption; just a dead man.
Obviously I am projecting my personal philosophy but that is part of the beauty of this game. While the game and characters and even walker levy charges on us it is ultimately the player who decides if WE can be redeemed or not.
nice theory
Yeah
Or maybe when Walker in the epilogue leaves the weapons and the screen fade to white, he is arrested then the screen fade to black
Somethings you can't come back from, there isn't redemption from some actions.
@@VitorHugoOliveiraSousa thsts a highly subjective answer
@@130lukas not it's not, how the hell you come back and redeem yourself from murder, worse yet mass murder? Or rape? At best you can do it's try some kind of atonement to the victim, it's family or it's community but you can't ever ever achieve redemption because you can never pay restitution to the actual victim and give back what you took from them. So you never would have a clean slate, justice would never be achieved.
And atonement would be just a way to try to save your conscious or soul (depending whatever you are religious or not). It's not a noble selfless action just more self centered behavior. And while I would concur that it's better to try some kind of atonement if the individual isn't capable of facing reality and bring himself to justice taking from himself what he took from others, the moment that he left his mission and encountered some kind of happiness or way to move on past his crimes (like marrying or having kids, something denied his victims) his is getting rewarded for his crimes and pissing even more into the victims memory.
Whenever people ask what is the most underrated or unknown game that you must play is I mention this game. Even though it's based on a previous book and film, it's still amazingly written and will make you stop and think. Maybe because I'm also a Veteran, but there was a couple of times during my playthrough I actually stopped playing and just sat there thinking about what just had happened, and what I had just done.
I don't feel walker is a psychotic kill. I think that his idea of a hero is corrupt and he thinks this is what a hero does like in action movies. In the ending talk with Konrad he says that if walker had just stopped after finding survivors it could be over but walker wanted to be a hero. I think he's right walker just wants to be a hero from an action movie and have fame and glory. from how much he looked up to Konrad early on in the story walker maybe wanted to be like him.
But... You are Walker so this wall of text applies to you. Why didn't you stop after finding those survivors? Why did you have to bomb them with white phosphorus?
This whole game is great for that kind of introspection.
@PickleNick The thing is... he actually did all of them. His hallucinations aren't made up things in his mind, rather they are his distorted experiences. Also, you dreaming about killing someone doesn't really mean you actually want to kill them. In Walker's case, he did all of them, like i said. He didn't involuntarily dream about something. He added more surreal details to his experiences. I somewhat agree with OP and Le Cobra but i felt like to write this. Cheers mate!
@@lecobra418 because i wasn't allowed to, and i dont stop playing games until ive finished them so i feel i got my moneys worth
N he was like him both ended up with a bullet in their heads
@@lecobra418 I actually tried to find a way to NOT do it. Eventually I realized it was impossible, so for the sake of finishing the game, I just continued.
"A curious game. The only winning move is not to play."
This entire game is what black ops 3's campaign tried to be.
Yes
But failed miserably
Lol
To think I killed Konrad and I thought I actually went home . It was all for nothing. I'm freaking crying bro. What does that say about me? He got to 4 and I shot. I didn't want to die.
He is canonically alive but mentaly damaged so you picked the right choice
@@perrypougins379 dude going home in this situation is worse than death.
@@jonahmoran3751 fitting end for anyone who goes to war and thinks they are badasses, let them live with it
I came up with a thought. WHAT IF cpt. Martin Walker isn't real and is just an alter-ego of - guess who - Konrad himself? Konrad, who remembered a boy he served with in Kabul, Afghanistan, and after everything happened there he escaped, took that boy's name (who was probably KIA in Kabul) and here goes our captain? Notice that in the cinematic right after first chopper scene as the game starts Konrad's squad is two men just like Walker's. And in the end Konrad's dead body disappears. And yes, the deeper he goes into Dubai and his own madness, the more he questions himself.
Awesome game. Whenever I try to replay I quit in the middle. Too much trauma.
Влад Григорьев that would explain why the soldiers saluted walker at the endm
I thought about this too, I think Konrad himself is the evil one and the game is meant to convey that there is no right side in war, even the one who appears to be. I think some evidence supports this because in the beginning Walker is the good guy but turns out not to be but then Konrad is the good one, but he really isn't.
POURNA THILAK Holy shit. Man you just blowed my mind.
As a matter of fact I thought the same thing... If you let Konrad count to five, he shoots you. Then you can see Walker's dead body, wearing Konrad's jacket and you can hear Konrad's voice saying the mission was a failure. Maybe he was Konrad all along, and created a Walker inside his mind to punish himself...
I was thinking the same thing.First of all konrad's drawing is something that only Walker had seen.Also at the ending where you say its all in my head then konrad says :are you sure?Maybe its in mine."Furthermore it explains why you have konrad's uniform at the epilogue. I think its about konrad creating a character(Walker) in his head that he could blame for what he had done and become.That way in the end if you kill konrad it is like accepting that you are the bad guy(konrad) and not the character you created(walker).
I just finished the game and enjoyed your video as well. One last thing: You have a third option when it comes to facing the music: You can shoot yourself, you can shoot Konrad, or you can let Konrad shoot you after he has counted to five... In the ending, we can see Walker's dead body sitting in that chair, but Konrad's voice saying the evacuation was a total failure. What does it mean? That Walker was Colonel Konrad all along and "created" a Captain Walker inside his mind to punish himself over the failure? (Let's not forget that Walker ends up wearing Konrad's jacket)
Merciless M
There also another ending which i think is the most meaningful. If you choose to fight the army and win walker pick up a radio and except that he is a monster with a simple line of "gentlemen welcome to Dubai".
It might not seem like much but it is the same words walker says at the start of the game
Btw konrad isnt shooting walker, walker shoots himself after konrad counts to 5
Punches in the face for anyone who claims they put down the controller before finishing the game without sneaking a peek of the ending on the internet.
There's loads of people saying that he died in start at helicopter crash. However it's also said in scene where Konrad is shown to be in hotel room at the beginning that Konrad rescued Walker from helicopter crash. When you get to the helicopter scene again later in the game Walker says something that hasn't this happened before. Imho quite obvious reference one again that Konrad is Walker in different personality. It also would explain why soldier's at the end salute Walker when he is going to see Konrad at the hotel. Also multiple other events ie. Tree that has leafs and looking it again after passing it, it's without any leaf.
@@jothain Didn't save him from a helicopter crash but dragged him half a mile to an evac helicopter.
Shoe still fits though.
This game and Silent Hill 2 has a lot of similarities the way the endings played out both games have multiple endings and outcomes, and both games have mature themes and symbolism that the games handled well
I really like the gameplay and art style of this game. You know, this might be just me, but this game has all around good EVERYTHING.
One more important thing that could suggest Walker's denial. The final scene with Adams, Adams is willing to die, he knows what he did is wrong and accepts it. He yells at Walker to keep running if he wants to. Suggesting that Walker keeps running away from his guilt. Also notice that both Adams and Lugo blame Walker for everything. After the white phosphorus attack both Adams and Lugo blame Walker and Adams says that he got Lugo killed. It could be his dual personality of both knowing that all he does is wrong and the other rejecting the guilt. He is in constant struggle with himself and at the end he chooses which personality wins.
Amazing video. I would like to point out that there are two more details in gameplay that, while not that surreal, still give me shivers (Thanks to other YT comments for pointing this out):
1. Remember how Konrad tells Walker "none of this would have happened if you just stopped"? Well, the very first object you see when Delta is entering Dubai (when you do the tutorial for cover) is a Stop sign. It was your last chance to turn back and escape the madness, and yet we continued, even as Walker said "we're not supposed to be here".
2. In the decision scene between shooting Konrad or yourself, you can see that Konrad is not actually pointing his gun at Walker, it's slightly off-mark and would probably just graze his shoulder.
He's pointing his gun at you.
This game messed me up man. Throughout the game I thought is was saving the civilians, killing he bad guys, typical shooter stuff.
Then every once in a while I’d see bits and pieces of things that made me second guess that. And then eventually I started really thinking that this was all a horrible misunderstanding.
Then I saw the phosphorous scene. The mother and child messed me up, I reloaded and tried that mission again to avoid it in any way I could. Obviously I couldn’t.
By the end I felt as much guilt for all the innocent deaths as I felt anger at the Captain for committing all these horrific acts. I hated him and hated the situation I found myself in. I questioned why it had to go down this way, I did all endings just to see. Eventually I settled on the only ending I felt was right. I handed over the rifle, in my mind the world would learn the truth. The Captain would be exposed as the monster he is. We would be punished. Because we deserved it. And not the peace offered by death.
This was one of the best games I’ve ever played. It made me think, it hurt, it was heart wrenching at times and of course was a lotta fun. I’ll remember this game was one of the best for as long as I live.
I think they should've done something making killing the civlians optional. I knew ahead of time it was probably the civilians cause I heard about that part so I knew I had to do it anyways. I'd sooner them let you choose not to and make the reveal a bit further down so you can't reload the checkpoint
@@kyleweaver1930 YOU, the player, had a choice to not play that scene. YOU could have chosen to turn the game off, and let the civilians live.
You know well before you set it off that they're all innocent, or at least if you were paying attention you would have figured it out.
So the whole point of that scene is to see just how the player, YOU, reacts to such an insane request.
You want to let the civilians live? Stop playing the game.
@@adrianj584 "He kills who he saves" Its not about Walker and you going on an adventure, its purely you, playing on the back of Walker, you, making the choices, making walker do these things. The point of the game is to show what Walker and You have in common, and The Humanity of Walker.
Did anyone notice how the staff sergeant ironically resembles Kurtz from Apocalypse Now?
Yeah, Staff Sergeant Josh Forbes does resemble Kurtz.
This video is phenomenal man. The intrricate detail that you went to to apply the heart of darkness narrative into these stories has changed my vision on so many things in life. You have no idea how much impact you have on people just through analysis.
For me, the ending pick I ended up getting was more from the fact that I though it was a cutscene and thus didn't know you could actually change aim or pull the trigger.
When I played this game I had a whole new respect for the media of games and what they can do. Amazing review
I love this video, but I do have to point out that "keep going down" is an objective we get. it's given at the end of chapter 5, around the time you take out the two knife rushers.
Played this game years ago and loved it, but I forgot JUST how brilliant it is. I must own this.
What do you think the subtitle "The Line" means? I interpretate it as the moral line that Walker has crossed by murdering people and commiting those war crimes
The developer has said "the line" is the line between your expectations and reality. The line between you, the gamer, and the actions you take as Walker. How strong is that line, really?
I like one of the endings referenced it. Conrad telling Walker men like them would cross the line, and hope that what they did is necessary and find peace in death.
I'm the 666th like. Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai.
That was a phenomenal series, man. This along with your series on Peterson's nightmare are some top shelf for sure. Thank you for the time and effort and honesty.
Great video, Max! Awesome channel. The Line is my favorite military shooter of all time and I sure love theorizing about its story. You need more recognition, man.
What gave it away to me was the quote "if you were a better person, you wouldn't be here" were is here... Here us hell n walker wouldn't be there if he was a better person
The ending clicked with me and I allowed Konrad to kill me as an act of redemption.
12:34 That was already foreshadowed in the loading screen of the final mission: Konrad's corpse can be seen plunging into the aquarium at the background (which possibly implies that Walker shooting Konrad was the canon choice, with the epilogue chapter being the one where things branch out).
I've loved this game since the first time I played it. It's been awhile since then, but watching this gives me the urge to play again. I love these explanations and analyses that you clearly spend so much time to prepare. I hope things have been going better for you recently. Thank you for the great content and please, keep up the awesome work.
This game also does the whole “your enemies are actually good and you’re evil for killing them” even better than Undertale’s genocide run.
Raycevick's coverage on this was phenomenal. Adding to that seeing yours as an analysis, speechless.
I've been binge watching spec ops the line analysis videos lately and I just now recently discovered that the mirror scene walker's reflection ISNT symmetrical to him at all. Granted the mirror isn't even there to begin with but still
when asked how did he survive, his statement/question of "Who said I did." could be interpreted as "The man you knew is dead." (or not, I've never played the game.)
I've also just realized that the difficulty system of the game actually plays a part in the story as well cause if you pick easy it literally says that enemies drop like flies like you don't find it hard to kill people in the game which if you think about it tells a lot about the players who choses easy but if you pick the hardest difficulty then suddenly you'll probably have a hard time killing people unless your used to that sort of thing and you know how it works but if you don't it's almost impossible and eventually you could even give up and go easier
It might be that the entire game is a memory, Walker might have gotten out but he's no come to terms with what he had done in Dubai. The game is a loop of Walkers mind, either accepting and being able to move on, or continuing the loop, being welcomed back into Dubai. The entire game, he could have even been inside a mental institution.
Or maybe that, but it's a bizarre, exaggerated pastiche of memories of his time in Kabul.
Several confusion appear after I finished this game. But you explained them beautifully, thanks.
what i don't get is what really happened, if everything that happens in the game after the prologue is an hallucination, how come adams and lugo notice walker talking to no one and are aware that he's hallucinating in other situations? hope i'm clear with what i'm asking
Helger Idk I think that, at least Adams, they trusted him so much that they would follow him no matter what and stick with him to make sure he doesn't get killed, and also they really wouldn't have much of a choice, all ways leading back home are screwed so they might as well follow him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed but ultimately just lead to them dying.
Sorry for late reply, Lugo already died and I'm not sure about adams. Listen
In one section when you are going down a tower you see a reflection of yourself but you end up seeing Lugo hanged by his hands
I'm shocked I haven't watched this up until now, even though I've been a subscriber for more than a year now. I wasn't able to connect the dots this game throws at you back in 2012 and I don't know if I even could today. Thankfully there are people like you Max, who deliver these valuable insights to us. It's a shame this game hasn't received the attention it deserves. I think it's safe to say that this game is amongst the most relevant and intellectual ones of the past decade. Great video!
I played this back in 2012. This was an amazing analysis, thank you
should've found you earlier. I came to your channel because of your analysis on Little Nightmare and after watching other videos I fall in love with this channel
A huge detail I like is after the white phosphorus part. When the mother holding the child is shown, it quickly cuts back to Walker, with Adams and Lugo arguing. Lugo exclaims, "It's all your fault," and points. If you look close enough, he's not pointing at Walker... he's pointing at you.
Ok Steam: TAKE MY MONEY!!!
yuuup.. and only 4 € on sale untill 21 january ( checked right now )... didnt noticed that game before and although by watching this i spoiled it for myself i think it is woth playing.
Edit: also.. steam's "similar to games you played" says Hellblade senuas sacrafice ( ok i get it ).. but why Tomb Raider o.O
Keep going down was the last mission on the edge,so it was given to you technically
This was a brilliant video, thanks for the upload.
love how you nailed every aspect and helped me understand more the moral
My pleasure, homie! :D
that endinf..im still crying
exactly
Over the years I have consumed an absurd amount of third party content related to this game, because it absolutely fascinates me. The way you’ve broken it down nails it. One thought regarding the idea of recording a person’s reaction at the end..... speaking for myself, at that point I was so overwhelmed by what I had just pushed through that I wasn’t able to fully comprehend what this decision intended to represent. I do not believe you would have had a glimpse of who I am unless you consider “a bit slow” to be on the menu of hints you’re looking for.
But in my defense I found the gameplay kind of dull, so I was on cruise control playing whack a-mole and not picking up on all the amazing atmospheric clues until I got to the aftermath of the white phosphorus attack and realized that I had completely misjudged what was in front of me.
Strangely, the way I see the ending where you give up your weapon is that you actually get rescued and are to face your guilt in therapy back home, and killing youself is the actual act of not accepting your crimes and denying your "shadow" (jungian term), by simply taking the short way.
Like Konrad
Thank you for the video. It's still as good as always. My personal interpretation of the story is that Walker goes unconscious after the helicopter crash and recollecting everything that has occurred so far albeit in an exaggerated fashion, while the final chapters (13 to 15) are all real and experienced as Walker experiences them. My reasoning is that throughout the game, Walker and Co are consistently travelling downwards when conceivably, there should be no more down to go, however, the final chapters of the game take place on flat terrain with far less downward movement.
On the one hand, it could symbolize that he's reached hell but I interpret it as representative of a psychological hell rather than a literal one. While I understand the loop idea of Walker being trapped in his hell, I prefer to accept him giving up his weapon. That's my favorite ending and what I love about Spec Ops: The Line is what it says about me.
I've played through all the endings but I don't feel right if I turn off the PS3 without first reloading the Epilogue so I can choose to give up my weapon. It's a habit I feel I "must" do, and it's taught me that I'm the kind of person who believes very strongly that Walker does not deserve to die, despite how much he's done, because I can't accept the character dying. I don't want to accept suicide as being an option under any circumstances.
But hey, that's just me. If anyone ends up reading this, I'd like to hear your interpretations of the story and what you think your favorite (or preferred) ending says about you. I hope you have a good day!
I don't think it even matters if he's alive or dead after the helicopter. I think war is hell is enough, and we now know that human memory plays tricks on us anyways to make us feel more important and justified.
To the people who use Walker's physical appearance as reason for being in hell, well at that point he'd been through multiple severe physical traumas, a single car crash can dislodge your cornea from your eye, we are so used to war films not portraying things as gruesomely as it is really, we forget that piles of bodies burning will leave not just a smell on you, but blotches of residue.
The gameplay itself is mundane, because to a highly trained soldier it should be, its just going through the steps, its part of why we don't look at a solider the same as a murderer, Walker, at some point snapped and became a murderer instead.
For the record, I gunned down everyone in the end, I got to a point where I was damned anyways, and I wanted to then see would killing konrad snap him outta it, killing yourself being the cowards way out to me, he deserved to suffer, then I gunned down the marines because, it's better to reign in hell. Also I wanted to see if I could. That's the ending to me, the last few chapters are the struggle with realizing he's a monster, and the end is deciding if you want to be that monster, or continue to hide it.
One cool thing to note is Walker going through the 5 stages of grief when confronting "Konrad"
"You're not real. This is all in my head" Denial
"No. Everything....all of this was your fault!" Anger
"I didn't mean to hurt anyone..." Bargaining
Then when he raises the gun it signifies Depression and when you pull the trigger on yourself represents the final stage. Acceptance....
I like how this game given a lot of impact to it's players, hands down to the developers
I actually sort of think that the "Walker died in the chopper" interpretation lessens the impact of the game. It makes it more, well, supernatural, in a way.
No, I think it's an unraveling of his mind happening real time. The chapters up until the second chopper scene might be a flashback of his in the chopper, but he doesn't die there. He lives on, horribly traumatized by the events. Maybe his squadmates died. But he didn't. The surreal stuff is, of course, all in his mind, but it's a hallucination. Those mannequins are real people - or those soldiers are just mannequins. Those flaming bodies in the Hell scene are...maybe regular civilians, terrified and trying to run away. Maybe burning corpses. Maybe burning humans, still alive. But they are real people, and the demonic visage is just a figment of his hallucinations.
I don't really understand how his mind could have unraveled prior to him accidentally committing mass murder.
@@sonofsisyphus5742 but it doesn't, really. That point comes will before the copper scene, and up until then, there's really not anything in the way of surrealistic details, as far as I can remember.
Thank you that was a very done video.
I just realized something, both helecopter sequences are similar to how a new game would, the fact that our player realizes that you have done this before symbolizes you playing a new game and starting over, think about it, if this is our hell then if we were to create a new game save we are practicly reliving our hell, when we acknowledge the fact we've done this before signifies that us the player are just reliving the same thing over and over and over everytime we play, which also means that no matter what we are still stuck in Dubai, could I just be crazy and maybe the developers didn't think that, maybe, but considering they thought of this whole story and the fact they know that the player is living in their hell maybe I'm right.
What I found interesting (but haven't caught any comments on) is the Main Menu screen as you play the game. I wasn't able to play it straight through and could only play it when I could. I noticed in the beginning that the sniper's nest was always empty. After awhile, a sniper appeared either laying prone with a rifle, standing with binoculars, or sitting Indian-style. Alternating between night (fire lit) and day. At first I thought it was just random animation whenever you came back to the menu but then I noticed something towards the end of the game (I want to say after the helicopter crash). The sniper was now dead and remained dead with crows feeding on him for the rest of the game, still alternating between night (no fire) and day. I began to theorize that the Main Menu wasn't random at all and that my progression in the game dictated the sniper's actions. Basically, when the game starts, it's empty because we're no where near that area. We push our way through Dubai and the sniper goes to the nest. Then, during one of the numerous firefights, we KILL the Main Menu sniper. Anyone else notice that?
at 12:57 as walker says "Who Said I did?" I honestly can't tell if that's Walker or Konrad's Voice Actors saying that, suggesting to me that he has accepted who he really is
Considering how the Apocalypse Now parts of this series mentioned how FFC wanted to nullify the actor/character barrier in what he was filming, I'm surprised you didn't mention that Spec Ops, right from the start, includes the player by saying it 'guest stars' them.
i absolutely love how hard the game is on the Suicide Mission, especially when its your first playthrough. At some points i was constantly restarting and cursing the game for not giving me s when entering and leaving covers or throwing grenades. I didnt even notice Walker's execution animations and voice lines changing, because i was feeling as angry as he is, i just thought that it had to be this way. But for some reason, i didnt drop the game, even though i often do it for months when the games take too much from my mental capacity. I continued on, even though i felt like playing other games. It made me feel as close, as a stinky ass gamer possibly can be close to a soldier going through hard times. It actually made me respect myself for "saving" all the civilians i could (Gould sequence and the choice after Lugo's death) even after all the restarts i have been through. And the end, i actually killed myself. I was very confused, though, because i mistook it as Walker taking the easy way out instead of accepting responsibility. I expected him to surrender
If you have a friend that didnt play this game yet, make him do it without changing the difficulty.
Fuckin woah dude. Amazing video! I did not expect that to be so heavy. Still parts I dont understand, but that just means I HAVE GOT to play this game.
Thanks for making so many analyses of games with deep stories-it saves me from having to make a list myself. Just saw a walkthrough of this one and I’m almost not surprised that this game was looked over in favor of generic shooters-this one is too real.
I don't like the idea that Walker dies in the chopper scene. I've finished the game around 4-5 times, and I just don't like it. I feel it cheapens the story in a way, similar to when in a story it all turns out to be a dream in the end. I think if we go along with Walker being alive after the chopper, it magnifies all the crazy shit that happens after. If he's dead then all his hallucinations are cheapened, we expect that he's hallucinating since he's dying. But if he's alive, all of his visions are made better by the fact we KNOW he's alive, and so we KNOW all of this is all the more crazier. I don't know, maybe I'm a sucker for happy endings (even though this game doesn't have anything close to that) but I like Walker giving up his weapon, and leaving with the marines at the end.
I feel exactly the same. The moment it was mentioned in the video I felt disappointed, because it made everything so pointless. The phosphorous was so powerful because it felt gritty and real. What ARE Walker sins now if all the stuff happening in Dubai was just in his head to begin with? It makes no sense anymore for him to feel remorse...
Really the more I think about it the less sense it makes. Also the flashbacks with him acting weird in front of his comrades while halucinating - whats the point of THOSE revelations then. A hallucination INSIDE a dream? Is this Inception all of a sudden?
Agreed.
@@terbentur2943 You didn't understand the video. Chapters 1-12 actually happened with Walker in the real world. And then he died in a heli crash and got stuck in the loop reliving chapters 1-12 and 13-15 over and over again. The player is already playing the reliving versions (except the first heli shooting scene) of the chapters 1-12. And the personal hell in 13-15. That is what video creator figured out at least.
@@Tequila628 Yeah, I don't know why so many people have a hard time understanding this.