I love how Sophie's side of the story is genuinely an uncertain, scary experience while the sandman is just in the middle of a whacky comedy of misunderstandings. But it is interesting to see those two sides of one story
Yeah, it's really funny how everything was so creepy and scary in Sophie's POV but in Sandman's POV it's pretty much how you'd expect an introvert would react to such situations HAHAHAHA
What makes sophie’s crush on david really sad as that,, she never had any real adult presence in her life- her mother died, her aunt hates her, and her father was absent- david was one of the few, if not only adult that showed her basic kindness and empathy,, She’s really just a kid,,,and i think that makes this all the more sadder Another note, if the people who stayed awake are people overcome with anger/sorrow/etc,, then knowing the real David was asleep is kinda a relief! It means his mental health has improved enough from the last game and i think its very sweet to think about I love this game so much, and i cant wait for the boogie man and hanged man!
There's also another detail that's a lil less sad: After the talk with the dwarf, lullaby's no longer in David's form. Lullaby only took David's form because it's what comforted Sophie, so the fact it didn't need to be in that form anymore could've indicated that Dwarf's talk helped, and Sophie was slowly accepting reality. TLDR Dwarf's the best. A kid being able to talk to an understanding adult is VERY helpful for their mental health.
Putting this here for those wondering what the pink jewel means: It's Sophie's love (specifically, her love for David), which is quite similar to an obsession, and is the reason why Lullaby takes the form of David only when she has it, and why she needs to let go of the jewel before she can reach a Good Ending.
Okay, but the *Sleep With 1 Eye Open* ending absolutely deserves the tag of 'psychological horror' and you may quote me on that. Just- waiting in horror with Sophie for whatever the hell is in the closet, being left in suspense? *Damn.*
Honestly yeah Think about it Everyone else on the whole Earth is asleep No-one's going to wake them up. They'll never wake up. So you should feel.... safe. In a way, no-one can do any harm to you But you get this strange feeling of not being alone. Like there's someone or something still there. And you can never quite feel at ease, your mind forces your body to be tense and restless forever.
Seeing the Sandmans bloodshot eyes is actually pretty terrifying. But as much as I'm irked by the closeup... The well-rested shot of him was really refreshing ❤
For people wondering, I do believe it was confirmed that the pink jewel is Sophie’s ability to love, specifically romantically. Which is why Lullaby isn’t David when she doesn’t have it because she lost her crush on him.
Oh that could also imply that the Sandman starts having a crush on her specifically BECAUSE he has the jewel and therefore now has Sophie's romantic love
Fun fact: The game’s opening segments before Sophie enters the Sandman’s world is based off of the lyrics to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”: “Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragon’s fire, and of things that will bite” Uri has good taste it seems
Honestly after something like The Crooked Man, which honestly as a 30 year old hits WAY harder than it did when I was just 19 and honestly made me wanna cry by the end with how close to home it got, The Sandman's lighter somewhat wackier tone was greatly appreciated as a pallet cleanser. It helps too that while it lost a bit in the horror department it more than made up for it with how wonderfully Sophie was written and I'm glad the series was able to keep up with the more personal journey that made The Crooked Man hit so hard. Plus horror protagonists having an actually happy ending is always appreciated.
I was 12 years old when The Crooked Man came out and now I'm 22. It really did hit harder. I cried at the end when I watched it at 12, but that ending destroyed me now.
Also even bad endings felt somewhat light hearted, the one where Sophie becomes Queen of Darkness seems like most "evil" but its not explained well WHAT she does? And she can still potentially change.
Honestly Good Ending one out of all the endings that I have seen so far is my favorite. It has Sophie standing up for herself and improving her relationship with the people who are in her life. Even if it means that she has to act like a child to do it.
And the Sandman's good ending actually expands on this too because despite having insomnia he can stay awake and do his job because he's fallen for her and his memory of her smile after a night of good sleep and her standing up for herself is enough that he can stay up without issues.
I loved Lullaby as a character. I think he and Sophies "relationship" is part of the reason I liked this games so much! He's just interesting as a character. Not really a person of his own, with his only purpose to fulfill Sophies wishes. Yet he doesn't feel blant or lacking in character. Quiet the oposite. And it is fascinating how his purpose, "Fulfill Sophies wishes to give her rest", changes his future/destiny so drastically in each ending. Fulfilling his purpose and disapearing, becoming the right hand man of the new queen of the night, becoming an endless guardian for an invisible soul...I like that aspect of his character! What I also really liked, where the hints towards the previous game, and the little set ups for the next game "Boogie Man" that only become noticeable after you return to the game after playing said third game of the series. Sophies closet door opening on it's own and her beeing afraid of the dark in the bad ending where she can't sleep had just this extra touch of sweetness to it in hindsight! Plus David is just a great character, so I was really happy to see him return as a key "side character"!
The sheer difference in perspectives from Sophie's view and the Sandman's view of the same events is just amazing. The Perfect example of Narrative Framing
Omg, the Bad Ending with Sandman POV, were he accidentally puts her in a nightmare, absolutely crushed my heart just now! The guy felt so guilt, THE CRYING, I ALMOST STARTED CRYING MYSELF!!!! I am actually I got so emotional just listening wow!
Throughout this story, I couldn't help but wonder why sandman couldn't just get an assistant to help him? The two could work in shifts. It seems like he could make something similar to Lullaby as an assistant for himself. Problem solved, lol
I was really expecting the pink gem to like...turn into an assistant or something, or maybe for Sophie to wish for Lullaby to start helping Sandman instead of her.
"The duo steps outside, but *some* of the soldiers notice them and continue chasing..." -Shows how the windows are overfilled with soldiers, so many that it looks like there is more soldiers than available space in the building.- Yeah, that's totally just *some* .
This is starting to become one of my favourite game reviewing channels on the site! I like how when we initially see things from Sophie’s perspective, we are made to believe that the Sandman wants to harm us (especially with those bloodshot eyes). But after seeing it from the Sandman’s perspective, it’s shown that he cares for humans and just wants to sleep for once. That’s REALLY good writing to make the player believe that!
the ending where the sandmans perspective forces the mc asleep ought to be the most depressing ending ive ever seen and i genuinly wish to forget it, i dont think id be able to handle being in the same situation, thinking ive scarred someone for life, hearing her scream over and over in my head cause she feels the weight of the world on her and tries everything to stay awake, the look she gives me as she fights against what she thinks is a monster trying to essentially ruin humanity, ... i feel sad for the sandman of that ending.
40:20 Man, seeing Sophie stand up to someone who slaps the name of God onto whatever questionable (or even twisted) ideals they have, felt good Also I liked that nod to The Crooked Man from Shirley later on xd
42:32 that little reference to the David and the Crooked man actually made me smile a little. It's like we're being told that David had learned how to live with the memories of the Crooked man. Sandman's story clearly isn't as heavy as the Crooked man, but I guess that's the point of it. To show that people suffer through things differently. Comparison had been so rooted in us, it's almost natural to say, "at least it's not as bad as this" or "at least it's better than this". It's like this game is telling us that sometimes, it's good to have a narrowminded view. To not look at other people's pain and focus on yours. Especially if having that broader view is causing you to downgrade your own pain. Your pain is just as important as others', you deserve relief and peace as much as them. This especially rings during the conversation between Sophie and Dwarf.
To be fair, I think The Sandman is kind of an entity beyond age or mortal understandings of social hierarchy, so in his eyes he sees a friendly girl that’s troubled and wants to do anything to make her happy. Idk I think I’m just numb after too many stories where human adults are pining after teenagers in a normal Earth setting that I’m willing to turn a blind eye if it’s smth like a fantasy being and a human. Sandman DOES act more like a guardian in the subsequent games tho so it Is kinda sus that he just unambiguously loves her… BUT HES SILLY OKAY
It was creepy, but I do like how he decides to stay away until she's old enough to get her pink jewel back. All the fairies recognize that she's just a kid and that she needs to continue her life as a kid. It is kinda funny that his weird crush on her is what will keep him up and continue his job. But it is really rather creepy, regardless of the silver linings.
Yeah. That sort of ruined it for me. I thought it was gonna be like some sort of parental or guardian angel like relationship between them, but learning that he had a crush on Sophie changed my view of him. Even if he is an ageless entity or whatever, that doesn’t make it any less weird. (If anything it makes it More weird)
I see a lot of people complaining about the Sand Man developing a crush on Sophie, but personally I see it more as the Sand Man absorbing the emotions of Lullaby, who I do actually think had a crush on Sophie before he disappeared and returned to Sand Man.
Fun fact: Lullaby is actually a song called “Blue bird lamentation” from Zero Escape. Zero escape isn’t really well known game so I thought this would be a cool thing to say.
That bonus scene would’ve been perfect… had the creator not write Sandman developing a crush on Sophie 😭😭😭 Other than that, this was a amazing video! I’m very glad that I found your channel. Keep up the good work broski! 😎👊
if you guys tlaking about the Queen of the Night endig yeah i thought the fact she was drawn almost identical to her mom mad eit clean she was an adult Also ykbow, how friggin tall she is now like oh ny godi know fairies are weird but she became suddenly the tallest
Loving your content, definitely great to see blasts from the past like these. Wondering if you'll cover other classics like Ao Oni or Misao? If I had a suggestion, Witch's Heart would be an interesting one to cover.
honestly i think out of all of the strange man games, this one is my favorite. the happy end was so cathartic to watch unfold, it was so great to see sophie take control of her life. it was fun seeing david again after the crooked man's conclusion too. the sandman is adorable, though the bit about him falling in love with sophie even though she's a high school is really gross, creepy, and uncomfortable, especially with how the game continuously hammers in the fact that sophie is still just a child. it would have been way better if he was written to have a familial affection for her and it would tie up everything very nicely. awful decision on the part of the developer. that aside, i really enjoy this game.
I really liked the dwarf conversation, thanks for leaving it in! that alone would probably convince me to play these games if they were just more of him, lol
There is a very cool "dark romantic" story from 1816 by a german author, that also shows a more sinister version of the sandman story, embedded in a very interesting tale about trauma and insanity. It is called "The Sandman" (very unexpected!), the Author E.T.A Hoffmann. I can recommend it a lot!
The sandman is a European folklore figure, is it not? What you're describing might have something to do with "Der Sandmann", a German short story published in 1816. Edit: Mikolaj K's comment originally suggested that the sandman doing harm to children who refused to sleep was from Canada.
THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT IT HAD ANOTHER GAME MADE ???? I had such a soft spot for The Crooked man compared to most rpg horror games and I’m so glad I found this 😭
I really respect that you cite which music you use throughout the video in the description, I love finding new tunes and it's great that you make it easier to find :)
I completely forgot about this game! Dwarf's interactions are awesome and I always loved how much the fairies cared for Sophie and the other humans. The fact there's a sandman side to play through is so charming and wholesome
The good end is so sweet. It's great that Sophie gets to have a good ending with her father. And the Sandman half is pretty nice too since we get to see his point of view. He's so goofy yet sweet.
oh my god this is such a blast from the past!! i remember being so new to the internet and obsessed over the old school rpg games, i miss that era so much there were so many gems
I binge-watched all of your RPG Maker Horror videos today, they're superb! If you don't mind, here are some obscure ones I'd recommend and like to see covered: -Fausts Alptraum -Magical Deathpair -Fremdganger: The Cheating Demon -Witch's Heart
Yeah i think that sandman was pretty weird. I remember getting locked into a bad ending because i didnt do something (watching the video, it was taking the jewel back). But i thought that it was still a pretty good game. Im excited for the boogie man because I remember it being good
So you ARE covering all of strangeman series ! That's so great !! Can't wait to see your thoughts on BoogieMan ! But you should also try Uri's other games ! Like Mermaid swamp or Paranoiac !
Yoooo I just fell in love with and finished watching ALL of your videos not just a couple hours ago and was so ready to wait for more and it's already here impeccable timing!!!
Your channel is a hidden gem. I like your videos a lot more than some big creators. The only issue I have with this video and the one on the Crooked Man is that you go through the game dialogue way too quickly and I have to pause like every second to read it
Back when I played this for the first time, I noticed the drastic tonal shift and wondered if I would like this game as much as I liked the Crooked Man and Boogieman, but when I was done with it, I fully understood why it was part of the same anthology. Uri has a real knack for creating endings with massive emotional impacts.
It would be really cool if bad ending 1 Queen of the Night had a neutral ending counterpart of sorts, Sandman and Sophie get together and work in shifts with some overlap so they can hang out and stuff.
Dude I literally watched your vid about The Crooked Man yesterday and thought "Wow I never knew that this was a part of a collection, guess I'm gonna wait for you to cover it all" and you just said aight and posted this xdd
finding your channel is such a treat. its so rare to see videos this long with this level of care put into it put out this consistently. keep doing you dude
This is genuinely such a heart-warming game that I've never heard of until just a few days ago (because of your channel, of course). I loved how you went over this and didn't cut into speaking each time you showed an ending. A greatly appreciated and well-planned video to showcase such a neat little game!
your first video I saw was the one about the crooked man and I thought that you were a huge channel because of the quality of the video and i was suprised by it not being the case, I hope you gain more traction since your videos are amazing and you deserve it, keep up the good work!
I’d just finished watching all your videos in a day and thought “damn, it’s a shame there aren’t anymore”, but boom! Another great video, keep at it! Excited to see if you cover the other two games in the strange men anthology!
Honestly, the ending that gave me the most dread was the sandman's bad ending, just hearing that muffled crying like that. After all that, he can't sleep because of one overstepped line
The Boogie Man is next, yay! Sophie joins David as a recurring character, but she changes quite a bit. Some people don't like it, because Sophie feels a bit petulant and bratty then, but when you remember that it's because she's learned to speak her mind and not just accept bad things in silence, it really works for her. The next one also has voice casting, for the first time in the series.
this video is amazing. i came here after watching your crooked man video and oh my god i absolutely love this style of video. you leave just enough of the pure unedited footatge for us to feel like we're there, while still getting through the whole story in a relatively speedy way. personally i like the story of the crooked man more, but both of these videos are FANTASTIC, keep up the amazing work :)
I would love to see you talking about the cube escape/rusty lake series. It’s a huge thing with a lot of games and weird mysteries as well as some stuff outside the games including a short movie based on one of the later games which actually used clips from said film in the game. Which is very weird to see considering it’s a point and click puzzle adventure which is 2D and the whole film is love action and incredibly accurate. Even if you don’t make a video of it I do still recommend playing the games (starting with the cube collection which includes 9 games, starting with seasons) just for fun and something to get your mind ticking and thinking
The Sandman crying after making Sophie fall asleep in the little bonus stuff was genuinely heartbreaking, like I was tearing up. All he wanted was to help people get to sleep :( he was so kind and sweet and he never wanted to hurt Sophie and it just crushes me
I kind of wished the endings had voice over too. I'm a mostly audio viewer while I'm busy doing other things. I absolutely love these videos but having to drop the laudry or a game I'm playing or else I miss important parts isn't the best
great video btw. i enjoy your honest criticisms and ive been watching a lot of ur vids, its clear you have enough experience with the game types you review to give critiques that make sense and compare within the genre. i normally dont like reviews that mainly summarize the plot and increase the runtime that way(i got in trouble for doing that in college!), but in the case of the lesserknown stuff you review i think it works. i also really appreciate you letting parts of the game speak for themselves. the lack of voice acting shows much appreciated restraint lol
holy shit dude, your growth is insane and you definitely deserve it all! i subscribed only yesterday with 8,000 subscribers. and now today, you're double that amount! your content is really soothing and engaging, despite the talk of horror games. your narration of the events isn't too exhaustive, especially when you let the gameplay tell the story itself. it changes pace nicely and timely when you give your own commentary. keep it up, i'm excited to see where you go!
Your channel is so incredibly well crafted and charming! I have no idea how I found you but you're gonna be a real sleeper hit with this one. Keep up the content!!! Love your insightful and meaningful commentary.
Wow, a lot more people here now. Glad you are getting the recognition you deserve! This video was great! I loved how it tied into the first game with David as a recurring character. Sandman’s goofy perspective added a great extra layer to the story. Can’t wait to see you cover the third game!
WOAH! Subscribed like 2 days ago when you had around 5k subs, and your channel's already tripled in size? Seriously good work dude, super high quality videos and a perfect niche to listen into after growing up with indie horror like this. Can't wait to see what you do in the future!
I just discovered your channel and wow you're so underrated! It's always a treat to watch a video on classic RPG maker games and I genuinely love your commentary style. Subscribed and looking forward to more videos!
I really love these longform analysis videos! I just stumbled across your channel and watched a couple, and I've enjoyed them a lot. My only wish is that text boxes and cutscenes are narrated and context is explained so we can listen to these videos without looking at the screen while doing dishes or something. I think that would be a huge improvement. I've learned about a lot of cool, new games I wouldn't have otherwise known about from this channel. Keep it up!
I’m glad Sophie’s good ending isn’t her becoming some perfect saintly child, but instead being someone who can stand up for herself and forge her own future on her own terms
I *REALLY* enjoy your awesome videos and appreciate all the hard work you put into them! I have some fairly severe vision problems that make it hard to see without holding the phone right to my face, so I mostly just listen to your vids--which works great because your voice is awesome. Do you think in future videos you could possibly read the text-only game scenes outloud if it's not too much trouble? I know I'd really appreciate it and I'm sure others with accessibility needs would too! 💚 Again, thank you so much for your awesome content!!
I am loving your RPG Maker videos! They really take me back to the fun days when I binged playthroughs of these and got into the stories! I hope you someday try out Mermaid Swamp, Paranoiac, or maybe Forest of Drizzling Rain! Keep up the good work and I look forward to more of what you do!
Finally youtube reccomends me a new and interesting channel, From what i have seen, your videos are great and you have a lot of potential, im sure this channel will become even bigger with time Best of luck!
Just found your channel and your first video on this series, great time to check the channel out! You make really high quality videos, they're all a treat. Amazing stuff!
The whole "when you're being bullied/when you suffer you should grin and bear it" mentality is so scuffed. All it ever got me was self confidence problems and suffering. "Fighting back makes you the same" it really doesn't. You're defending yourself.
great vid! those games were a huge hit when i was in elementary, and your videos about them served as a great throwback to that time. Will be waiting for the next ones for sure, Cheers!
Okay but, is noone else creeped out by the Sandman’s infatuation with this young woman? Keeping an aspect of her psyche/soul in his bedroom and sighing with longing for a *teenaged girl*? I know he’a a mythical whatsit in a fake game, but that bit just makes me uncomfortable.
Not really, I've been desensitized to beings that dont think like humans having an infatuation with someone below an age that, to them, means absolutely nothing.
Sorry for the replies missing the point. TLDR: Fiction matters to an extent, and Sophie's still a human child that we still hold human morality to in the context of the story at the end of the day: So yes, it is naturally expected to be bothered by this. To the first one: Yeah ok, fiction? So what? We're talking about it with suspension of disbelief-- if we are expected to emotionally connect with characters we CARE about them, so the point remains we care that Sophie, is in fact a teenage girl because we are given that as fact (and note: the game literally calls her "still a child" even from a fairy's point of view). To the second: Sure, from a being that is inhuman and lives with different rules, in THEIR point of view that does not matter. But Sophie is HUMAN, and for humans this is still innapropriate no matter what or who is given to being a romantic interest. Something that has far too much authority and mental maturity compared to her human child mind should actually be bothering people. Would you say that an alien equivalent of an adult having a crush on a human child wouldn't raise issues? It should, not because "they're different and we're forcing human values on them"-- but because human values don't suddenly have less worth compared to an alien culture or mindset, especially if a human is involved with said situation. To justify this "morally grey" logic by handwaving away the questionable and problematic things because you're "desensitized" or "it's fictional" kinda fails to really engage or respect that media as a whole, allowing unsavory or negative messages to exist without giving them critical thought ruins the point of them existing in the first place, to cheapen it even if the reader does not enjoy said message.
@@blackwell4701and who said for all humans this is bad? In your society it might be, in your country it might be, but this differs from country to country, what gives you the right to decide it is wrong? Especially when you don't have a reason other than "it makes me uncomfortable"? If we look at it from the country this origniated, the age of consent in japan is 16, and she isn't a child that has no idea what's happening around her, and the subject at hand isn't even a reletionship, just a feeling, so what makes it wrong?
Dude your videos are so great. I watched all of them in like a day or two and loved all of them! Your voice is super soothing too. Have you ever thought about doing audiobooks? I think you’d be great! You’ve earned yourself a sub 👍
I love how Sophie's side of the story is genuinely an uncertain, scary experience while the sandman is just in the middle of a whacky comedy of misunderstandings. But it is interesting to see those two sides of one story
I really love concepts like these
Yeah it reminds me of the movie tucker and Dale vs evil
Yeah, it's really funny how everything was so creepy and scary in Sophie's POV but in Sandman's POV it's pretty much how you'd expect an introvert would react to such situations HAHAHAHA
What makes sophie’s crush on david really sad as that,, she never had any real adult presence in her life- her mother died, her aunt hates her, and her father was absent- david was one of the few, if not only adult that showed her basic kindness and empathy,,
She’s really just a kid,,,and i think that makes this all the more sadder
Another note, if the people who stayed awake are people overcome with anger/sorrow/etc,, then knowing the real David was asleep is kinda a relief! It means his mental health has improved enough from the last game and i think its very sweet to think about
I love this game so much, and i cant wait for the boogie man and hanged man!
omg i love the implication that david has recovered from his crooked man trauma. thank you for pointing it out!!
The Boogie already arrived! And we'll wait for the Hangman card to play!
There's also another detail that's a lil less sad: After the talk with the dwarf, lullaby's no longer in David's form. Lullaby only took David's form because it's what comforted Sophie, so the fact it didn't need to be in that form anymore could've indicated that Dwarf's talk helped, and Sophie was slowly accepting reality.
TLDR Dwarf's the best. A kid being able to talk to an understanding adult is VERY helpful for their mental health.
Putting this here for those wondering what the pink jewel means:
It's Sophie's love (specifically, her love for David), which is quite similar to an obsession, and is the reason why Lullaby takes the form of David only when she has it, and why she needs to let go of the jewel before she can reach a Good Ending.
sick af, at least it isnt the lust jewel
@@ShokyoLeafI dunno. It's really looking like the lust (for David) jewel.
@@ShokyoLeaf It's an unhealthy one sided crush on someone older. Kids have those even if everyone knows they (hopefully) won't lead to anything
Okay, but the *Sleep With 1 Eye Open* ending absolutely deserves the tag of 'psychological horror' and you may quote me on that. Just- waiting in horror with Sophie for whatever the hell is in the closet, being left in suspense?
*Damn.*
I'll tell you what was in the closet. It was The Boogie Man.
@@shadow98004 No it's batman
@@LegacyFTW-_-You know what...Gotham would probably still be busy during the endless night. Hell, its probably the only city thats still functioning.
Honestly yeah
Think about it
Everyone else on the whole Earth is asleep
No-one's going to wake them up. They'll never wake up.
So you should feel.... safe. In a way, no-one can do any harm to you
But you get this strange feeling of not being alone. Like there's someone or something still there.
And you can never quite feel at ease, your mind forces your body to be tense and restless forever.
Ok but im sstill confussed about bad end three.
Hearing a whip crack after saying Sophie looked like a Test sister killed me. Keep up the great content.
Seeing the Sandmans bloodshot eyes is actually pretty terrifying. But as much as I'm irked by the closeup... The well-rested shot of him was really refreshing ❤
bro the closeup reminds me of one of those gross spongebob close ups with the foghorn SFX
frrr okk😊
@sidekic1109 especially Squidward's close ups
@@sidekic1109 bro this was funny af
He looks like Towel from South Park
For people wondering, I do believe it was confirmed that the pink jewel is Sophie’s ability to love, specifically romantically. Which is why Lullaby isn’t David when she doesn’t have it because she lost her crush on him.
Oh that could also imply that the Sandman starts having a crush on her specifically BECAUSE he has the jewel and therefore now has Sophie's romantic love
Yeah in the boogie man they call back to it with Sophie questioning her inability to fall in love and Helena compares love to a jewel
tfw you save the world by becoming aromantic
@@beebitbit3080 I've heard of faeries stealing your name, but stealing your romantic attraction? That's a new one
I think that it’s confirmed in the 3rd game.
Shirley: Man, no wonder your neck looked crooked
David: *long silence*
Lmao, Shirley, maybe don't say that 😅😂
Oof that has to scar him. A LOT
I can just imagine him looking at her like "Seriously...?"
Real morbing time moment
@@TheAlterEgo_Ark
I love when David said "Now I am the crooked man" and proceeded to make everything in his life crooked
@@QuokkaWaka personally, my favourite moment was when he said, "its crookening time" and crooked all over the place
Fun fact: The game’s opening segments before Sophie enters the Sandman’s world is based off of the lyrics to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”:
“Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragon’s fire, and of things that will bite”
Uri has good taste it seems
Osaker
"Sleep with one eye open" is also a lyric.
Honestly after something like The Crooked Man, which honestly as a 30 year old hits WAY harder than it did when I was just 19 and honestly made me wanna cry by the end with how close to home it got, The Sandman's lighter somewhat wackier tone was greatly appreciated as a pallet cleanser. It helps too that while it lost a bit in the horror department it more than made up for it with how wonderfully Sophie was written and I'm glad the series was able to keep up with the more personal journey that made The Crooked Man hit so hard. Plus horror protagonists having an actually happy ending is always appreciated.
I was 12 years old when The Crooked Man came out and now I'm 22. It really did hit harder. I cried at the end when I watched it at 12, but that ending destroyed me now.
Also even bad endings felt somewhat light hearted, the one where Sophie becomes Queen of Darkness seems like most "evil" but its not explained well WHAT she does? And she can still potentially change.
Honestly Good Ending one out of all the endings that I have seen so far is my favorite. It has Sophie standing up for herself and improving her relationship with the people who are in her life. Even if it means that she has to act like a child to do it.
And the Sandman's good ending actually expands on this too because despite having insomnia he can stay awake and do his job because he's fallen for her and his memory of her smile after a night of good sleep and her standing up for herself is enough that he can stay up without issues.
I loved Lullaby as a character. I think he and Sophies "relationship" is part of the reason I liked this games so much!
He's just interesting as a character. Not really a person of his own, with his only purpose to fulfill Sophies wishes. Yet he doesn't feel blant or lacking in character. Quiet the oposite. And it is fascinating how his purpose, "Fulfill Sophies wishes to give her rest", changes his future/destiny so drastically in each ending. Fulfilling his purpose and disapearing, becoming the right hand man of the new queen of the night, becoming an endless guardian for an invisible soul...I like that aspect of his character!
What I also really liked, where the hints towards the previous game, and the little set ups for the next game "Boogie Man" that only become noticeable after you return to the game after playing said third game of the series. Sophies closet door opening on it's own and her beeing afraid of the dark in the bad ending where she can't sleep had just this extra touch of sweetness to it in hindsight!
Plus David is just a great character, so I was really happy to see him return as a key "side character"!
I love the idea of a horror game centered around a missunderstood guy who cant talk very well. Hope to see more games like this
The sheer difference in perspectives from Sophie's view and the Sandman's view of the same events is just amazing. The Perfect example of Narrative Framing
Omg, the Bad Ending with Sandman POV, were he accidentally puts her in a nightmare, absolutely crushed my heart just now! The guy felt so guilt, THE CRYING, I ALMOST STARTED CRYING MYSELF!!!! I am actually I got so emotional just listening wow!
An eternal nightmare at that
This game is a fever dream, which considering what it’s about is very fitting. Honestly, I hope more “goofy-ish” horror games like this are released
Throughout this story, I couldn't help but wonder why sandman couldn't just get an assistant to help him? The two could work in shifts. It seems like he could make something similar to Lullaby as an assistant for himself. Problem solved, lol
Sandman’s too devoted to the craft. He can’t delegate to just anybody. He’s gotta make sure everything is done right personally.
I kind of thought one of the endings would be Sophie doing just that, leaving her life behind to help Sandman so he can sleep.
I was really expecting the pink gem to like...turn into an assistant or something, or maybe for Sophie to wish for Lullaby to start helping Sandman instead of her.
42:32
"No wonder your neck looked crooked"
Damn did you really have to do your bf like that. God thing that didn't trigger any PTSD of that incident
"The duo steps outside, but *some* of the soldiers notice them and continue chasing..."
-Shows how the windows are overfilled with soldiers, so many that it looks like there is more soldiers than available space in the building.-
Yeah, that's totally just *some* .
There's significantly more soldiers than the windows can show. _Significantly_
This is starting to become one of my favourite game reviewing channels on the site! I like how when we initially see things from Sophie’s perspective, we are made to believe that the Sandman wants to harm us (especially with those bloodshot eyes). But after seeing it from the Sandman’s perspective, it’s shown that he cares for humans and just wants to sleep for once. That’s REALLY good writing to make the player believe that!
it also justifies how...not scary he is. because...he isn't.
The Sandman falling in love with Sophia kinda caught me off guard ngl. It was really unexpected lol.
the ending where the sandmans perspective forces the mc asleep ought to be the most depressing ending ive ever seen and i genuinly wish to forget it, i dont think id be able to handle being in the same situation, thinking ive scarred someone for life, hearing her scream over and over in my head cause she feels the weight of the world on her and tries everything to stay awake, the look she gives me as she fights against what she thinks is a monster trying to essentially ruin humanity, ... i feel sad for the sandman of that ending.
Sandman's face after getting enough sleep is cute. Make me want to sleep more
wouldnt that just make the sand man work harder?
jeez man let him have a bit of a break
40:20 Man, seeing Sophie stand up to someone who slaps the name of God onto whatever questionable (or even twisted) ideals they have, felt good
Also I liked that nod to The Crooked Man from Shirley later on xd
42:32 that little reference to the David and the Crooked man actually made me smile a little. It's like we're being told that David had learned how to live with the memories of the Crooked man.
Sandman's story clearly isn't as heavy as the Crooked man, but I guess that's the point of it. To show that people suffer through things differently. Comparison had been so rooted in us, it's almost natural to say, "at least it's not as bad as this" or "at least it's better than this". It's like this game is telling us that sometimes, it's good to have a narrowminded view. To not look at other people's pain and focus on yours. Especially if having that broader view is causing you to downgrade your own pain. Your pain is just as important as others', you deserve relief and peace as much as them. This especially rings during the conversation between Sophie and Dwarf.
The sandman falling in love with Sophie even though she’s a high schooler was kinda creepy, but other than that it’s a pretty good game!
To be fair, I think The Sandman is kind of an entity beyond age or mortal understandings of social hierarchy, so in his eyes he sees a friendly girl that’s troubled and wants to do anything to make her happy.
Idk I think I’m just numb after too many stories where human adults are pining after teenagers in a normal Earth setting that I’m willing to turn a blind eye if it’s smth like a fantasy being and a human. Sandman DOES act more like a guardian in the subsequent games tho so it Is kinda sus that he just unambiguously loves her…
BUT HES SILLY OKAY
I think it’s more of a cultural difference than anything
It was probably just a bit of a funny comedy moment
It was creepy, but I do like how he decides to stay away until she's old enough to get her pink jewel back. All the fairies recognize that she's just a kid and that she needs to continue her life as a kid. It is kinda funny that his weird crush on her is what will keep him up and continue his job. But it is really rather creepy, regardless of the silver linings.
Yeah. That sort of ruined it for me. I thought it was gonna be like some sort of parental or guardian angel like relationship between them, but learning that he had a crush on Sophie changed my view of him. Even if he is an ageless entity or whatever, that doesn’t make it any less weird. (If anything it makes it More weird)
I see a lot of people complaining about the Sand Man developing a crush on Sophie, but personally I see it more as the Sand Man absorbing the emotions of Lullaby, who I do actually think had a crush on Sophie before he disappeared and returned to Sand Man.
"He sounds like plastic bottles"
*aggressive recycling sounds*
Sophie not getting any sleep as high school student is very relatable, ngl.
nothing hurts more than waking up at 6 in the morning for pretty much 4 years straight. it hurt more for me cause I struggle to get to sleep at all.
Shirley telling David his neck looks crooked is a funny yet dark reference to the prev. Game
Your channel is such a hidden gem. I hope you can become as populous as pastra and 8-bit ryan one day. Keep up the MAGNIFICENT content bro 🤝
Fun fact: Lullaby is actually a song called “Blue bird lamentation” from Zero Escape. Zero escape isn’t really well known game so I thought this would be a cool thing to say.
I think we should take a moment to appreciate how Sandman's eye veins make a star shape
That bonus scene would’ve been perfect… had the creator not write Sandman developing a crush on Sophie 😭😭😭
Other than that, this was a amazing video! I’m very glad that I found your channel. Keep up the good work broski! 😎👊
Yeahhhhh already felt off abt how Sophie was drawn as a teenage girl..
@@KittyKing445 I think that Sophie is her as a adult. I think there was a time skip after she made that wish
if you guys tlaking about the Queen of the Night endig yeah
i thought the fact she was drawn almost identical to her mom mad eit clean she was an adult
Also ykbow, how friggin tall she is now
like oh ny godi know fairies are weird but she became suddenly the tallest
Loving your content, definitely great to see blasts from the past like these. Wondering if you'll cover other classics like Ao Oni or Misao? If I had a suggestion, Witch's Heart would be an interesting one to cover.
Witch's Heart would b good but honestly that'd be a long vid to make given the content
I'm not opposed thou
I would love to see him check out Ao Oni
Witch's Heart is soooo good! I think it would be nice if he would cover it in multiple parts, because it IS HUGE
Don’t forget about Ib too! That game has such a special place in my heart 🥹
The Sandman falling for Sophie was kinda weird lmao, pretty cool game tho
I mean c'mon she helped him sleep. Who wouldn't fall for her after that. She did what he was trying to do for him
@@dreamconscience994 she's like. 17. and he's centuries old.
Bruh. He just finds her kindness endearing and he's happy that she's happy. WTF are you guys on? That's such a creepy af assumption.
@@DaBlueKitty we like to assume old guys to be creeping on little girls like a stereotypical creepy old dude.
@@DaBlueKitty Dunno literally everything in the ending has people talking about him falling for her. Its Creepy AF for the wrong reasons.
Accidentally kills Sandman, turns into Queen Beryl.
Checks out.
honestly i think out of all of the strange man games, this one is my favorite. the happy end was so cathartic to watch unfold, it was so great to see sophie take control of her life. it was fun seeing david again after the crooked man's conclusion too. the sandman is adorable, though the bit about him falling in love with sophie even though she's a high school is really gross, creepy, and uncomfortable, especially with how the game continuously hammers in the fact that sophie is still just a child. it would have been way better if he was written to have a familial affection for her and it would tie up everything very nicely. awful decision on the part of the developer. that aside, i really enjoy this game.
the sandman has such a wonderful story with such relatable characters! i hope to see you playing the rest of this series!
I really liked the dwarf conversation, thanks for leaving it in! that alone would probably convince me to play these games if they were just more of him, lol
You should do a video on spooky's jumpscare mansion.
Classic Canada W
That’s very girly pop of them
Never heard of that one
There is a very cool "dark romantic" story from 1816 by a german author, that also shows a more sinister version of the sandman story, embedded in a very interesting tale about trauma and insanity.
It is called "The Sandman" (very unexpected!), the Author E.T.A Hoffmann.
I can recommend it a lot!
The sandman is a European folklore figure, is it not? What you're describing might have something to do with "Der Sandmann", a German short story published in 1816.
Edit: Mikolaj K's comment originally suggested that the sandman doing harm to children who refused to sleep was from Canada.
THIS IS HOW I FIND OUT IT HAD ANOTHER GAME MADE ????
I had such a soft spot for The Crooked man compared to most rpg horror games and I’m so glad I found this 😭
Same I revisited The Crooked Man in 2021 and was shocked to find there was 3 more games in the series.
I really respect that you cite which music you use throughout the video in the description, I love finding new tunes and it's great that you make it easier to find :)
I completely forgot about this game! Dwarf's interactions are awesome and I always loved how much the fairies cared for Sophie and the other humans. The fact there's a sandman side to play through is so charming and wholesome
The good end is so sweet. It's great that Sophie gets to have a good ending with her father. And the Sandman half is pretty nice too since we get to see his point of view. He's so goofy yet sweet.
Sylvia: That must be why your neck looks crooked!
David: haha... yeah...
oh my god this is such a blast from the past!! i remember being so new to the internet and obsessed over the old school rpg games, i miss that era so much there were so many gems
That ending with the mom is so heartfelt and bittersweet.
I love your content so much! You are criminally underrated!
I binge-watched all of your RPG Maker Horror videos today, they're superb! If you don't mind, here are some obscure ones I'd recommend and like to see covered:
-Fausts Alptraum
-Magical Deathpair
-Fremdganger: The Cheating Demon
-Witch's Heart
damn i like how the sandman pays for the English book he could have just taken it but he paid for it
Yeah i think that sandman was pretty weird. I remember getting locked into a bad ending because i didnt do something (watching the video, it was taking the jewel back). But i thought that it was still a pretty good game. Im excited for the boogie man because I remember it being good
So you ARE covering all of strangeman series ! That's so great !! Can't wait to see your thoughts on BoogieMan ! But you should also try Uri's other games ! Like Mermaid swamp or Paranoiac !
Yoooo I just fell in love with and finished watching ALL of your videos not just a couple hours ago and was so ready to wait for more and it's already here impeccable timing!!!
Your channel is a hidden gem. I like your videos a lot more than some big creators.
The only issue I have with this video and the one on the Crooked Man is that you go through the game dialogue way too quickly and I have to pause like every second to read it
Back when I played this for the first time, I noticed the drastic tonal shift and wondered if I would like this game as much as I liked the Crooked Man and Boogieman, but when I was done with it, I fully understood why it was part of the same anthology. Uri has a real knack for creating endings with massive emotional impacts.
Damn, told ya,your channel is growing fast thats very good to see. Keep going! :D
Fr last time i watched him he was at 3k💀
@@fooxylol yeah the last time i watched him was last week he was at 600
It would be really cool if bad ending 1 Queen of the Night had a neutral ending counterpart of sorts, Sandman and Sophie get together and work in shifts with some overlap so they can hang out and stuff.
Dude I literally watched your vid about The Crooked Man yesterday and thought
"Wow I never knew that this was a part of a collection, guess I'm gonna wait for you to cover it all" and you just said aight and posted this xdd
lol just watched your crooked man video. Good to see a new one
Yooo me too, what amazing timing
finding your channel is such a treat. its so rare to see videos this long with this level of care put into it put out this consistently. keep doing you dude
I swear, I took a single look away from your channel, and your sub count doubled.
Congrats on the quick channel growth, you absolutely deserve it!
This is genuinely such a heart-warming game that I've never heard of until just a few days ago (because of your channel, of course). I loved how you went over this and didn't cut into speaking each time you showed an ending. A greatly appreciated and well-planned video to showcase such a neat little game!
your first video I saw was the one about the crooked man and I thought that you were a huge channel because of the quality of the video and i was suprised by it not being the case, I hope you gain more traction since your videos are amazing and you deserve it, keep up the good work!
I’d just finished watching all your videos in a day and thought “damn, it’s a shame there aren’t anymore”, but boom! Another great video, keep at it! Excited to see if you cover the other two games in the strange men anthology!
Honestly, the ending that gave me the most dread was the sandman's bad ending, just hearing that muffled crying like that. After all that, he can't sleep because of one overstepped line
The Boogie Man is next, yay! Sophie joins David as a recurring character, but she changes quite a bit. Some people don't like it, because Sophie feels a bit petulant and bratty then, but when you remember that it's because she's learned to speak her mind and not just accept bad things in silence, it really works for her. The next one also has voice casting, for the first time in the series.
All your hard work into these amazing videos will pay off. Keep it up man! I can't wait to see where you go
this video is amazing. i came here after watching your crooked man video and oh my god i absolutely love this style of video. you leave just enough of the pure unedited footatge for us to feel like we're there, while still getting through the whole story in a relatively speedy way. personally i like the story of the crooked man more, but both of these videos are FANTASTIC, keep up the amazing work :)
I would love to see you talking about the cube escape/rusty lake series. It’s a huge thing with a lot of games and weird mysteries as well as some stuff outside the games including a short movie based on one of the later games which actually used clips from said film in the game. Which is very weird to see considering it’s a point and click puzzle adventure which is 2D and the whole film is love action and incredibly accurate.
Even if you don’t make a video of it I do still recommend playing the games (starting with the cube collection which includes 9 games, starting with seasons) just for fun and something to get your mind ticking and thinking
The Sandman crying after making Sophie fall asleep in the little bonus stuff was genuinely heartbreaking, like I was tearing up. All he wanted was to help people get to sleep :( he was so kind and sweet and he never wanted to hurt Sophie and it just crushes me
I kind of wished the endings had voice over too. I'm a mostly audio viewer while I'm busy doing other things. I absolutely love these videos but having to drop the laudry or a game I'm playing or else I miss important parts isn't the best
your content is so engaging that I didn't even realise almost an hour past, I really like how you format your videos
So happy someone's covering these games. RPG maker games deserve so much recognition. Keep up the good work!
great video btw. i enjoy your honest criticisms and ive been watching a lot of ur vids, its clear you have enough experience with the game types you review to give critiques that make sense and compare within the genre. i normally dont like reviews that mainly summarize the plot and increase the runtime that way(i got in trouble for doing that in college!), but in the case of the lesserknown stuff you review i think it works. i also really appreciate you letting parts of the game speak for themselves. the lack of voice acting shows much appreciated restraint lol
another perfect video! i'm so happy that your channel is growing on popularity!!! thank you for making these videos, please never stop making them!!!
holy shit dude, your growth is insane and you definitely deserve it all! i subscribed only yesterday with 8,000 subscribers. and now today, you're double that amount! your content is really soothing and engaging, despite the talk of horror games. your narration of the events isn't too exhaustive, especially when you let the gameplay tell the story itself. it changes pace nicely and timely when you give your own commentary. keep it up, i'm excited to see where you go!
Your channel is so incredibly well crafted and charming! I have no idea how I found you but you're gonna be a real sleeper hit with this one. Keep up the content!!! Love your insightful and meaningful commentary.
Amazing work, how do you not have a million subs yet?
Simple answer? He has 7 videos, we're still very early
@@lazerchicken404 These 7 videos have the quality of a million sub channel.
@@spatial_rind yes, but it takes time to grow
@@lazerchicken404 Of course. I hope it happens quickly.
Wow, a lot more people here now. Glad you are getting the recognition you deserve! This video was great! I loved how it tied into the first game with David as a recurring character. Sandman’s goofy perspective added a great extra layer to the story. Can’t wait to see you cover the third game!
Literally just finished the crooked man video and found your chanel, awesome :D
WOAH! Subscribed like 2 days ago when you had around 5k subs, and your channel's already tripled in size? Seriously good work dude, super high quality videos and a perfect niche to listen into after growing up with indie horror like this. Can't wait to see what you do in the future!
the ending was sweet but damn did i got chills when shirley said david's neck looked crooked like damn
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUCK YEAH LEZ GO ANOTHER BEN AGAIN VIDEO!!!! FINALLY THE MAN I LISTEN TOO WHEN I DONT WANT DO ANYTHING
I keep coming back to your stuff, the way you organize your videos, and your subject matter is interesting and entertaining!
I just discovered your channel and wow you're so underrated! It's always a treat to watch a video on classic RPG maker games and I genuinely love your commentary style. Subscribed and looking forward to more videos!
I really love these longform analysis videos! I just stumbled across your channel and watched a couple, and I've enjoyed them a lot.
My only wish is that text boxes and cutscenes are narrated and context is explained so we can listen to these videos without looking at the screen while doing dishes or something. I think that would be a huge improvement.
I've learned about a lot of cool, new games I wouldn't have otherwise known about from this channel. Keep it up!
Ok, you did *not* have to hit me with Blue Bird Lamentation like that. That being said, love the video so far!
Edit: And Dual Destinies too? Love it!
I’m glad Sophie’s good ending isn’t her becoming some perfect saintly child, but instead being someone who can stand up for herself and forge her own future on her own terms
I *REALLY* enjoy your awesome videos and appreciate all the hard work you put into them! I have some fairly severe vision problems that make it hard to see without holding the phone right to my face, so I mostly just listen to your vids--which works great because your voice is awesome. Do you think in future videos you could possibly read the text-only game scenes outloud if it's not too much trouble? I know I'd really appreciate it and I'm sure others with accessibility needs would too! 💚 Again, thank you so much for your awesome content!!
All I’m gonna say is if you keep up this quality your channel is set to become way bigger. Amazing work
did sandman steal Sophie's ability to love?
Hell give it back when shes older
@@umairashraf5167 it's still kind of creepy
@@cetadel6597 not saying it isn't but there's nothing we can do about it
@@cetadel6597 it like, _is,_ but also without doing that it's the end of the world
I am loving your RPG Maker videos! They really take me back to the fun days when I binged playthroughs of these and got into the stories! I hope you someday try out Mermaid Swamp, Paranoiac, or maybe Forest of Drizzling Rain! Keep up the good work and I look forward to more of what you do!
Finally youtube reccomends me a new and interesting channel,
From what i have seen, your videos are great and you have a lot of potential, im sure this channel will become even bigger with time
Best of luck!
Just found your channel and your first video on this series, great time to check the channel out! You make really high quality videos, they're all a treat. Amazing stuff!
The whole "when you're being bullied/when you suffer you should grin and bear it" mentality is so scuffed. All it ever got me was self confidence problems and suffering. "Fighting back makes you the same" it really doesn't. You're defending yourself.
Your videos are incredibly fantastic so far. Seriously, keep it up!
great vid! those games were a huge hit when i was in elementary, and your videos about them served as a great throwback to that time. Will be waiting for the next ones for sure, Cheers!
Okay but, is noone else creeped out by the Sandman’s infatuation with this young woman?
Keeping an aspect of her psyche/soul in his bedroom and sighing with longing for a *teenaged girl*?
I know he’a a mythical whatsit in a fake game, but that bit just makes me uncomfortable.
It's not real
Not really, I've been desensitized to beings that dont think like humans having an infatuation with someone below an age that, to them, means absolutely nothing.
Sorry for the replies missing the point.
TLDR: Fiction matters to an extent, and Sophie's still a human child that we still hold human morality to in the context of the story at the end of the day: So yes, it is naturally expected to be bothered by this.
To the first one: Yeah ok, fiction? So what? We're talking about it with suspension of disbelief-- if we are expected to emotionally connect with characters we CARE about them, so the point remains we care that Sophie, is in fact a teenage girl because we are given that as fact (and note: the game literally calls her "still a child" even from a fairy's point of view).
To the second: Sure, from a being that is inhuman and lives with different rules, in THEIR point of view that does not matter. But Sophie is HUMAN, and for humans this is still innapropriate no matter what or who is given to being a romantic interest. Something that has far too much authority and mental maturity compared to her human child mind should actually be bothering people.
Would you say that an alien equivalent of an adult having a crush on a human child wouldn't raise issues? It should, not because "they're different and we're forcing human values on them"-- but because human values don't suddenly have less worth compared to an alien culture or mindset, especially if a human is involved with said situation.
To justify this "morally grey" logic by handwaving away the questionable and problematic things because you're "desensitized" or "it's fictional" kinda fails to really engage or respect that media as a whole, allowing unsavory or negative messages to exist without giving them critical thought ruins the point of them existing in the first place, to cheapen it even if the reader does not enjoy said message.
@@blackwell4701and who said for all humans this is bad? In your society it might be, in your country it might be, but this differs from country to country, what gives you the right to decide it is wrong? Especially when you don't have a reason other than "it makes me uncomfortable"?
If we look at it from the country this origniated, the age of consent in japan is 16, and she isn't a child that has no idea what's happening around her, and the subject at hand isn't even a reletionship, just a feeling, so what makes it wrong?
@@Thehatmansso what if its from a different country, creepy is still creepy
Dude your videos are so great. I watched all of them in like a day or two and loved all of them! Your voice is super soothing too. Have you ever thought about doing audiobooks? I think you’d be great! You’ve earned yourself a sub 👍