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Also I think there are video games based on Neon Genesis Evangelion..... but I think something like Drakengard and Nier would be more appropriate for this channel.
Hey, I’m actually really interested in your thoughts on Layers of Fear, or at least its DLC. I played it as a tween and was kinda conflicted about it, so y’know… could be neat
Can't wait for the "In water" ending to be the only ending and also Mary was actually at fault for everything AND ALSO James' mental illness making him dangerous and he's doing everyone a favor by driving that car into the lake.
@Dman You know what? I've always maintained that SH1 being remade would really only make it a worse experience. But on the signalis engine? Yeah, I'd fuck with that.
Hinting at the sex doll story, there is a door you can knock on that has no human home, but the power outage caused the sex doll to wake up so she answers the door. She laments no one ever wants to talk to her/cares about her when Daniel doesn't show much interest in her despite having long convos with the humans around her. That scenario always stuck with me really hard. I couldn't even remember what game it was from for the longest time, but I remembered that doll clearly having thoughts and emotions and just being treated so poorly. And, of course, that makes it make perfect sense why the dolls in the basement are releasing a distress call. They don't want to be owned, locked up, never allowed to enjoy anything and only taken off their charging platforms when it's time to be used or during a freak power outage incident.
Ironically, I think the lack of empathy that bloober team has towards people who are mentally ill and/or addicted to drugs actually makes the protagonist of this game much more interesting.
Very true! I almost had a segment in the video discussing it but I couldn't find a way to make it work. I guess their writer found his niche (and then moved away from it)
I think bringing Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty from Blade Runner) to play the protagonist added a lot to the dreary, decayed, Noir-esque atmosphere of the game. Rest in peace, you legendary man.
Surprised you didn't mention the sex doll/AI that you can talk to at one point. The delivery on the line "Yeah, because that would humanize me" is just haunting. Amazing opening titles as well, utterly beautiful in a grotesque way, even if they were ripping off David Fincher wholesale (compare to the titles for Seven, Fight Club or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, that last one in particular was definitely in the minds of whoever came up with that sequence)
Yes I love that bit! I actually made a point to record it but couldn't find a way to fit it in with the video. I'm glad you remember it, it's a good one
A great vid on an underappreciated game. Also, there was nice bilingual touch when Daniel walks to the AI Adam's head and the voices in the background are chanting "luring him in".
This is game is the reason I still have hope for Bloober's Silent Hill 2 remake, because they're clearly capable of writing an interesting story. Unfortunately SH2 is inundated with the subject matters that Bloober struggles with handling well, so... only time will tell?
I've trumpeted this since the game was confirmed handled by bloober: they got good visuals. It isn't impossible for their remake of sh2 to be good. It's, frankly, the only one of this new set I have any expectations for.
Let's also not forget the biggest difference here between the other Bloober games and SH2: SH2 has already been written. Bloober has some decent ability to make things different, but I feel like they're mainly going to benefit from a game already being written from start to finish and allowing them to flesh out the world a bit more within reason.
@@chukyuniqul On the one hand yes, on the other hand The Medium and it's messaging are so incredibly and fundamentally awful it actively subsumes the few talents they display in my mind. It's such a monumentally toxic game taken as a whole. That being said, their take on Silent Hill 2 physically cannot be worse than Konami's "Remaster", so that's a silver lining I guess.
@@torinriley7569 haha, I dis agree. The remaster had shitty voice acting and the effects were less than ideal, yes, but when it wasn't glitching it was still the delightfully depressing game we all know and use instead of therapy. This one changed the camera angle, so it'll have to pull double duty to match up to the og.
@@chukyuniqul It also had significantly worse textures, worse cutscenes, and worse performance even. Just either play the original release or even better play the PC fan-restored version.
Observer stands out in Bloober's library quite a bit, I have a soft spot for it and it holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons despite my general unease about horror games. I like cyberpunk-adjacent media in general, I'm also from Eastern Europe, which makes the particular brand of hopeless desolation in Observer's visual presentation that much more familiar and melancholichally endearing in it's own sad way. The post-soviet remnants just speak to me, it's comforting in it's ruination. I hate the action horror section though, but otherwise this game is enthralling and really interesting and overall feels like a hidden gem by an otherwise mediocre studio. Still, I'm very blind to metaphors and such so I didn't catch diddly squat when it comes to allegories, the biblical imagery and parallels flew over my head completely, again, for a number of reasons, so it was really interesting to hear your take on this subject, Mert! The only thing I could vaguely catch in that regard was, well, Bladerunner, in no small part due to Rutger Hauer himself being involved, no doubt it was very deliberate. Thank you for another fantastic video, I love your work! (also your t-shirt during the ad is fucking hilarious)
; - ; You're the only one who noticed my BORN TO GRILL t-shirt. I love it so much. Thank you. And I'm glad you enjoyed hearing my take on the metaphors! I'm also often quite blind to them when I play games, I get a bit focused. I really wish I'd seen Blade Runner before making this video now. Thanks for watching Hayden!
I appreciate how much this game feels like a more proper traditional cyberpunk story, like it feels close to early examples of the genre such as Neuromancer
this game proves to me bloober can do good, and i'm hoping bloober doesn't try to change up the story of sh2 just gives us cool visuals in their remake.
I've watched an at this point an absurd amount of deep dives into assorted (usually horror) video games and I find myself checking your channel weekly. Your content is clear and concise and I personally just quite like your delivery (: Even with mild to no knowledge in the subject going in I always get entertainment from your videos. I hope you continue to make content ! Will definitely be supporting it
I have to agree :( After all, humans have used animals for scientific research and testing for decades, this wouldn't be much worse compared to past actions. Poor piggy... 😢😭
Ah, so my first experience with bloober wasn't actually ruined by my illiteracy, I was just gaslighted into thinking that they always make games like this. I pray for SH.
The side quests definitely make this game. The organ farm was definitely in my top 5 too, although 2 come to mind that weren't mentioned. One is a discussion with a former augmented fighter who's augmentations have given them constant pain. Then there's the closed room which has what is likely a sentient sex doll. The voice acting is amazing, the calm tone contrasting the confused Daniel, as if she doesn't think shattering his understanding of the world isn't worth the effort.
Well, you sold me. I ended up skipping the side quest and world building part as you suggested, and I am very intruiged! You did an great job of not only describing the appeal of the game, but why it works where other bloober projects failed. The video was funny, well editted, and I look forward to seeing what you put out next! :)
Observer was the only Bloober game I played; I was so floored by it that I couldn't believe the other games they made could be so controversial (as in, that they were both lauded and deplored for their writing and depictions of mental health issues) so I went back and tried to play Layers of Fear and Blair Witch. I didn't finish either game as, unlike Observer, the messages were muddled (to say the least) and moreover, they DIDN'T LET UP. They made me appreciate Observer's quiet moments all the more; I truly felt like I was in the protagonist's shoes and could feel his world-weariness, his profession and personal failures weighing him down with every step and periodically confronting him directly with horrific imagery. This, compared to BW's dumbass protagonist and LoF's gibbering nutcase, felt like a huge improvement.
Good analysis, I loved the Observer when it came out. Even got a review copy, guess Bloober still likes me. I think what separates this one from the rest of the other games is mostly due to Daniel's position. He comes off as a regular person. Old, going through the motions, and sticking to what he knows. But at the same time using those ideals to mask his pain from his son, allowing him to be misled. When I first played it I never understood how he fell for the ruse considering it is his job to deal with heavy topics like this and considering his behavior he would take the nuclear option. But that fatherly position, despite hollow, still has some life barely holding on. Like many of the people living on false hope he was as well. Like in BoJack Horseman, the possibility of hope and things getting are usually taken advantage by people until the clock runs out. He's shown to be the by the numbers worker throughout until his son is thrown into the mix. Unlike The Medium or The Blair Witch where many of the cheap elements are meant for pure shock value here it pairs well. Yea, it's basic but it works.
Very, very true! I think this game married the cold logic of Daniel's job with the conflicting emotions of being a father so well - and made for an ending that was earned and tragic all at once. Also lucky you getting a review copy! I need to ask you how you swing those (not that I think I'd find the time to use them, but still)
You got the trees mixed up at 1:11:00 There was the tree of life that they could eat from, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they couldn't eat from, yet they ate from it anyway.
this game, likely without intention, ends up so SO ableist. that side quest with the family who refuses augments mentions that their "God given bodies" are preferable to augments. but we already have cyborgs among us: folks with prosthetic arms and legs, people with cochlear implants, anyone with a pacemaker. people who's "God given bodies" failed them in some capacity. they have not lost what makes them human anymore than someone with eyeglasses has become less human. there is no nobility or morality inherent in suffering. when our bodies fail we make aids to keep them going. just some thoughts from a Certified Cripple
I found the game incredible, it really delivered it's theme and atmosphere in an artistically pleasurable way, it didn't feel like another walking simulator, although, it mostly was. The game delivered a full experience, and that's all that matters. Layers of fear delivered a walking simulator, and I could not continue playing it out of sheer boredom and lack of interest. They don't feel or behave like they are from the same creators at all, so, I'll have to guess that something external highly influenced Observer. I guess it boils down to Observer being way more grounded in a way... It kept most of it's themes in the apartment complex, and having allot of the content unsean - You spoke through doors, and had to guess the insanity behind them... The game had characters, personality and a very relatable sensation to it. It really broke the moment it began it's wacky nonsense with the evil creature you need to evade... It shined when it kept itself just in the apartments and slowly uncovering the madness behind the doors, finding various cyber-punk themed concepts and really having it rewarding to finally get behind some of these doors, due to how creative and personalized each was... And it kept the mystery on with those places you never could enter, and those discussions you could not carry on. That's why it shined while layers of fear failed - It actually felt alive. Perhaps the creator took inspiration from his own apartment complex and various neighbors in it... And the mysteries behind their doors, because it felt very much based on something.
50:02 - I was gonna make a joke here about Rutger Hauer starring as Daniel Lazarski based on his ID picture, but it turns out Rutger Hauer starred as Daniel Lazarski. Go figure. I just figured they ripped off his likeness, tbh.
Sounds like the game's story is just Bladerunner, and Ghost in the Shell with a 1984 backdrop. EDIT: I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say you haven't watched Bladerunner, or Ghost in the Shell (1995). I highly recommend you do. Both touch upon the themes of this game, and so many other stories (you can also see how much was taken wholesale from Ghost in the Shell and put almost 1 to 1 into the Matrix movie). If you have to pick one though I'd say Ghost in the Shell is a lot better at tackling the philosophical concepts of consciousness, identity, and the price of transcendence. Still think about it even though it's probably been over a decade since my last viewing. In general with the framework of those 2 movies you'll enjoy your experience of any Cyberpunk-esque, or Sci-fi dystopia story even more both retrospectively, and in the future. Should generate a lot of "click" moments for some sweet sweet dopamine. Anyways thanks for another video. Cheers.
I've been watching your channel for a long time and it was your essay on Medium that made me wait to buy Observer. I'm Polish and I'm hungry for games that tell stories embedded in my Slavic culture. They make me feel a nostalgia that is hard to describe, something intimate that comes straight from the soul. But I care about the quality of these stories. That's why I waited. I'm glad you did an essay on the Observer as well, I always appreciate your opinion. I think I'll give this game a chance.
@@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764 Yup! This one is also from a Polish studio, so yesh. I know my little market pretty well. But thanks for the recommendation anyway
@@yoaf7026 Well, I'll assume you're also familiar with Fear and Hunger and Disco Elysium then. Even if they aren't Slavic exactly, they're probably fairly adjacent
I feel like having the characters who refuse to use technology is neither "technology bad" or a failure to resist some opportunity. There's going to be people like that in this kind of future world. We've got multiple groups of people who are like that now. The family kind of reminded me of, like, Mormons. I know Mormons use technology but it had that... white shirt patriarchal feeling of polite conversation with slight chiding at your willingness to be unclean or whatever. Though the scary monster noises always felt like hallucination, to me. I don't think bloober was endorsing an anti technology view, and I don't even think they were falling prey to a cliche, but it felt like a good way to depict that kind of conversation in the setting of this game. I liked it. One other detail about it that I thought was kind of well implemented: he's got kids in there. How many other kids were in this game? How many families? A few, but really not many. The whole conversation was kind of neat on that level too. We don't know if he has a GOOD family life, but compare it to the situation with your wife and son in the game.
Also I never really saw their examples of technology doing bad things as "technology bad." Like the guy in the VR helmet. They're not making fun of anyone. That moment happens in the game but maybe it's there to show how jaded people have become to it in the context of that world. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're endorsing "technology bad." I know you wouldn't want to see the entire game having technology only make people's lives better. So they have to show off some of the bad side, some of the ambiguous side. VR pig, VR kid, both fall under ambiguous to me. Sentient sex dolls being ignored is very much bad use of technology. And their presence in the game is just there to ask, what do you think of this? Some of these things will become real problems, so let's examine them now.
And similarly, it's possible that the "preaching at poor people" is also not an endorsement. Like, it's in the game because that would be a necessary part of that setting, I think. Cliche example, but if I wrote a book about gas chambers and then explained how effective they were at being gas chambers, and showed how people justified using gas chambers, that doesn't mean I'm saying that they're good. I don't need to follow that kind of information with another character saying "but my friend, gas chambers are bad and wrong!" Like Daniel talking shit to the drug user who got killed. Daniel lives in the world of observer. He's going to think in a way that is reflective of his society and upbringing. He's unsympathetic to drug users. Yes. He's a cop in a corporate controlled dystopia where that kind of sympathy could get him dumped into the apartment next door to the guy who got killed. Why 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 he be sympathetic? I know it makes some players uncomfortable, but the world of the game is clearly not supposed to be comfortable. Yeah Daniel is a player avatar but he's also Daniel. He has opinions I didn't agree with, and even objected to. I thought that made him a better character. Also just to clarify myself, I'm not using, like, a mocking or dickhead kind of tone here. Just presenting a different argument on some of the storytelling.
Yay another Mert video, I played Observer literally a few months ago and really enjoyed the majority of it (I wasn't too crazy about the endings tbf) I'm excited to hear what you think about it 👀
Do you watch Monty Zander's stuff? Your breezy approach to complex/"heavy" material which makes it not seem quite so complex reminds me a fair bit of him.
At 5:52 minutes I had to pause and watch the entire unspoiled gameplay. Now I'm back and holy fucking shit, this is what Cyberpunk wishes it had. I'm in love, and all the little Polish tidbits had me smiling each time.
I agree with you. I'd only add that at least in my personal experience the first half of the game felt much more memorable and charismatic than the second. In the first half the vibe, the atmosphere, the pacing just felt impeccable, whilst in the latter it just felt like the story was merely explaining itself.
As a huge horror fan I've played every single one of Bloober team games, because for some reason people hyped them up to no end every time a new game got released. And every single one of them was a complete garbage, except for Observer. An unexpectedly gritty retro futuristic horror cyberpunk with amazing 80s eastern European aesthetic and plot that is not terrible. I kinda fell in love with it at the time. Although devs ruined it when they got too greedy and made everyone pay twice for the redux version. Could've just give it out for free to people that already payed for your game, like bioshock or metro devs did...
Observer was the first Bloober game i played! I was so excited to see more. I saw the reviews for another game of theirs and rushed to play it, hoping for an experience just as good. That game was The Medium, so. I had a bad time, ESPECIALLY as a victim of CSA. I cannot wait to rip this studio apart for their take on silent Hill 2 which is probably going to be like "no you see, Angela's dad was the hero actually."
really enjoyed the video. Observer has sat in my library for years and thought I'd never get around to it. it was an detailed discussion on it. I found it funny, when watching this video again, that the opening quote was a thing. Even after watching the video, I can't fathom where it would fit in.
This game was definetly a weird one. I played it round a mates house & I'm not gonna lie I was so confused after some time. The "monster" was cool but the whole matrix memory meld got so weird after a while that I had to give it a break. My mate swears by this game but refused to tell me anything outside of "play to the end". I never got round to finishing it & I'm glad I watched this review because you have explained everything so well. Thank you. This is one of those games i would have loved to get into but i just couldnt. Great review as always 👍🏻
Ty for discussing this one! I loved Rutger Hauer. He was a fantastic actor who was well known for Blade Runner but was also in a lot of fun b films as well. I do suggest his work. Ty as always.Also the swords and spiders game is awesome! I forgot about that.
Thank you so much for not including stupid fucking jumpscares it’s nice not having to keep my finger on the skip button while eating my porridge in the morning.
Night in the Woods is one that has so much allegory it ends up giving so many opportunities for interpretation that its hard to tell imo what the true story really was. I love it. It's adorable and calming and the guitar mini game is incredible. I'd love to know what you think of their choice system. I feel like it actually let's you decide who's what to you. I think it's unique as fuck all together and it's one of my favourite games. Deep topics too, really real kind of stuff . Thank you for coming to my cyd talk.
One thing that's interesting is that CHIRON is controlling the Fifth Republic of Poland. In our current year we have Third Republic of Poland (hello to all "this comment aged badly" folks in the comments) So, what happened to the Fourth Republic? And were changes as drastic as change between First with Second and Second with Third?
Another killer video, thanks so much MKK! Observer and Layers of Fear are the only two Bloobers I've played and I was amazed at how much more accomplished the former was compared to the latter despite sharing a lot of obvious first-person POV/scripted jumpscares/basic interaction DNA. I think it's because in Observer each spooky environment and creepy moment tries to add something to either the world or the characters - something other than "BOO!" or "OoOoO, how cRaZy". Shame it was such a one-off fluke for the devs!
I was checking who's making the new SH2 remake and when I saw Bloober my heart dropped. I hope the game is good, because if they fucked it up the way they did with The Medium....I don't know what I'd do but I'd cry. Wonderful vide once again, I'm so glad there's so much of your content to watch, it's a lifesaver
The baby being a tv might be a metaphor to the reliance of baby monitors? And how it creates a disconnect with the children. Just a guess considering the anti-tech vibes
Great video. I also really like this game at least in comparison to Bloober's other games. I think it gets a lot right, but those fundamental issues that Bloober tends to have are still there. They don't overpower the whole ... as much. I've played Observer all the way through twice, and I enjoyed the experience each time. The second playthrough was rewarding, because I'd forgotten enough about the story to still be surprised while remembering enough to glean another layer of meaning from the experience. But during each playthrough, I strongly considered drafting an email to Bloober to explain what the word "subtlety" meant and how embracing subtlety just might be the narrative and game design innovation they've been looking!
Also, really glad you mentioned the animosity towards the residence suffering with addiction. It’s pretty unfair, but at the very least the lack of empathy fits tonally with Observer.
Gotta make this comment now before I forget because it’s been a long day at work. I loved how during the ad read you smacked away all those random products. Reminded me of goofball ads on TV 20-something years ago that always had the “smack the competitors” shot. Ok, now to watch the rest of the video!
This is a remarkably interesting story. I was watching this while I was eating breakfast, but when you started getting into the literary and biblical references I got so into it I forgot to eat and now my sandwich is cold. Totally worth it, by the way.
Genuinely amazed Bloober managed to do something right (mostly) for once. It's very grounding to see that they still have some consistency in the things they get wrong ('a mechanic that doesn't do anything other than make you panic and sprint through a game best taken slow' stuck out to me). What can I say? Either their SH2 remake is going to be surprisingly decent, or an even bigger disappointment given that we know they can actually make a good game. I can't wait to see which one it is and how you write it up 😂
See i played layers of fear 1 and 2 before i touched observer and i liked all of them honestly. Layers of fear is kinda one of my favorite horror games
I'm not a Silent Hill fan, but hopefully Blooper doesn’t mess up the SH2 remake. Though, who knows, people who make big mistakes often can make things right, even once. Good video as always, Kay!
Very true, I think that's in part because their art director is a bit of an artistic prodigy. So it's always a turd game with an AMAZING visual design. Good for him I suppose!
I have to admit, this and the Nier: Automata video actually make weird sense to be together like this, as you did a deep dive into this one, going through themes and the like, in a way you didn't for the former specifically because this one grabbed you in a way that one didn't, and so you wanted to learn more. This is not a judgement, by the by, it's just an observation(And I didn't even need to mind jack anyone to make it). But regardless, there are a lot of weird parallels between the two titles. From the body hoping at the end, which is what 9S does in the first two main endings, to the ideas of self, to the idea of a plague that targets the brain, which is kind of what the virus that blew the bunker up did, on top of the Red Queen and it's...WTF moments near the end. One in particular interesting bit is with the Pig she spends a bit on discussing, as there was a moment in Nier: Automata that actually did the EXACT same thing. Asking you if it was right to kill something, in this case a person you had been with for a long time in the game by that point, because reality was painful, or to give them a lovely dream, in this case by directly erasing all their memories. And the third way out, of just walking away? The game called you on that, as it had an ending for that one(One of the 21 additional ones that are small dialogues and then over things.) which called you out on thinking you could get away without making a decision in and of itself. Again, no judgement, but it is neat that you can actually see why this one might have grabbed you with its presentation and themes, where that one, which has similar but not only comes to a completely different conclusion, but presents itself in another way, didn't. Cool stuff.
Yeah you make a really good point! I guess it goes to show how differently games resonate with a person and how much they're willing to engage based on how much they enjoy the surface level experience
I love it. As for the name, I don't think it was anything specific, it sounds a bit official and serious in Polish, like some well respected old gentleman. Oh, and I love that you wrote this mail, even though its Far from grammaticslly correct, maybe they just thought its a spam mail, it gives that energy in polish
"Oh wow, a cool cyberpunk detective noir story with a morally gray main character! This looks cool!" *notices it's Bloober* "Nevermind." The lore of the world is somewhat interesting but also leaves a lot to desire in originality ad creativity. Also, both the story and the lore is hamfisted with references that it starts to be annoying. "1984! You know that book right! Or who can forget such classics as Divine Comedy and the Bible." Makes you wonder if the game could stand on its own without this stuff. The jumpscares are annoying. At least the atmosphere and the vibe is decent. Still a downer for me. At least you had fun this times. Great vid. Cheers!
Aww PTLemon! I completely understand: this game is REALLY on the nose, like it's terrified you'll miss something. That being said, I still get comments on my Silence of the Lambs video claiming the movie 'has nothing to do with women', so maybe I understand their worry that things will be missed :')
Hey Mert, great video as always! I enjoyed the first Layers of Fear. I completely understand the criticism around it, and the game is just a linear jumpscare corridor with no stakes at all. But the story really griped me; a failed artist sinking into madness as he feeds his delusions, dragging his family to ruin in the process; I thought it were a great concept, maybe not well executed, but, in my (edgy) opnion, satisfy the bleak atmosphere it proposes. Anyway, I hope to see one day your take on this game, and see if you can destroy everything I like in it; your discussion about how mental health is portrayed in this media is very enlightening.
I really appreciated all the attention to references inserted into the game. Particularly as someone who no longer has a lot of gaming time, but a love for horror and sci-fi. If it helps any, regarding the questions as to what CHIRON represents; given you noted how openly they draw a lot of their references, I'd think of Chiron from Greek mythology. He's a centaur, known as an admirable teacher, and man of science and medicine. However this seems at odds to a lot of the points they're trying to make with their references, unless it's purely to use his being a part-human creature to imply transhumanism, and relation to medicine as a parallel to the corporation interacting with the bodies of the people. On the other hand, it made me question if it was a translation issue, like the one you noted later in the Inferno reference. If they meant to draw a line to Charon, the ferryman of Hades, it would seem spot on with the general message of augmentation and transhumanism as negative and harmful. Perhaps suggesting that by forcing people into augmentations, directly or by coercive systems, it is ushering them toward a death? Given how they repeatedly tie the modifications to loss of self, "purity," and generally position it as an immoral choice in the game. Anyway, this is comment is immensely late to the party. Recently found the channel, planning to keep watching, and loving the videos so far!
2 things that bother me in this game: Its too dark. Even with maxed out brightness I can barely make out my surroundings. And second, im convinced this game is deliberately trying to give me an epileptic seizure. Failing that, it settles for giving me a headache. I can only play for short amounts of time before this game physically hurts me.
I'm not sure if I'm projecting my own inexperience with biblical themes here, but they always seem to be more...vague, less structured when they slink into pop culture. In this case, I feel like that worked in Bloober's favor. Rather than going, "We need to think of the Biggest, Most Shocking thing we could say about a Big Mental Health Issue!" it seems like they just let themselves explore weird, niche situations, where ironically _more meaning_ leaks out.
Yes! Absolutely agree. Their exploration of a billion different ideas ended up making for a game that was so worthwhile to pick apart. Like you said: when they go for the "Biggest, Most Shocking Thing", it ends up finding so little meaning
Playing the game for myself might give me more context, but based on your own retelling of the scenario, it might not be the game itself looking down and being nasty to drug users, but it might be trying to go for the more nior vibe, a detective giving a witty line during a time that is definitely inappropriate to do so. Of course based on this studios previous history, I certainly wouldn't put it past them to just be tone deaf and kick someone while they're down
Cyberpunk as a genre started pretty much with the novel "Neuromancer" by William Gibson in which he describes a dark corporate dystopia filled with both transhumanist ideas like augmentation and the net but also with really scathing class critique. Thus the foundations of cyberpunk are twofold. Cyber, the sci fi often augmented part is obvious. Cyberpunk almost always occurs in the near future, within a few decades. It explores an extension of the modern climate, with its second part. Punk. Cyberpunk is inherently countercultural, and almost always is some form of class critique. It rails against power structures and corporations, and crafts intricate dystopias. The fundamental narrative of a cyberpunk story is very often struggle against a corporate power, and intentionally dives deep into analyzing how the corporate power exercises its control over people. This is where augmentation comes in. Just like in the modern day our actions online are constantly tracked and fed into algorithms to farm us for whatever engagement and profit the companies can get, cyberpunk imagines what happens when we integrate ourselves with technology to the point that augmentation becomes a vector for the corporations to control our bodies and minds. This is very relevant to our modern day, with companies like META imagining a virtual reality hell for us to live in, and also directly paralleled in observer with the dream eater. Corporations control access to your memories through neural links, and sell that off to their corporate police. Finally, since cyberpunk originated in the 20th century it is also heavily tinged with retro-futurism. The original cyberpunk media were cutting edge for the time but now are almost adorably retro in their imaginings. Modern cyberpunk often seeks to emulate this aesthetic, and it's clear thats where the retro aesthetic of much of the technology in Observer comes from. The way you portray cyberpunk here makes it sound like it is purely defined by augmentation. Quite to the contrary, augmentation is just one common trope within the larger genre of cyberpunk. I think its a little ignorant to just dismiss the connections between Observer and the larger cyberpunk genre, when Observer is so clearly, almost stereotypically, cyberpunk. Sure the genre has been diluted with swarms of relatively shallow content that just imitates the aesthetic, but the actual substance of the cyberpunk genre is a lot more than you seem to give it credit for.
I remember playing Observer a while back. There was a section where I could simply fall through the floor repeatedly. That experience was a major turn-off for me. At least it looks decent with the ray tracing upgrade.
As a guy who has 'studied' vore extensively, the story about the guy who gets horny for the building until he can't help but crawl into it and die is way too familiar. One man's horrible dystopian death is another man's overdone porn cliche.
I can't help but wonder if we are supposed to disagree with Daniel's opinions and attitude as the player character. The narrative doesn't paint him in a positive light, and it's very obvious that his attitude was a part of the estrangement of his son. I think Daniel's lack of empathy is meant to represent how society perceive class C citizens. I don't trust Bloober enough to think they understand the lack of nuance in their anti technology takes are bad, but I do think Daniel's character isn't meant to represent the values of Observer...at least not all of them. I think he just shows us an important and heartbreaking facet of the world, one that is a familiar enough to ours to cause deep discomfort. Also, great job with all the literature references and tie-ins, your videos are always so detailed it's always a treat to see them!
Very true actually, I had a similar realisation whilst editing and I was like... Oh balls. I was far too excited to get this video out and I ended up not rectifying it 😭🤣 great point though and good catch!
The "dove" service was not something Pieta was interested in using Paulina for, it was how she acquired her. She was a buyer, not a seller, because she needed a body to hop into that she felt nobody would miss. Extra bleak 😢 I'd bet Bloober removed the room in the redux because people kept assuming the toy 100% housed Paulina's mind and Pieta took off alone in the body, where really they wanted it to be more ambiguous, especially given that Daniel's words seem to indicate he believes they're together and might be better off that way - he could be wrong, as he later is about the AI, and the uncertainty despite Daniel's apparent belief is extra interesting.
I think there may be an aspect of the writer just being better writing cyberpunk-esque stories than straight up horror? I really liked Observer. Felt very simple conceptionally with a lot of mess around it. That works in cyberpunk as it's part of the genre. In straight up horror? Less so. Horror has a need to tie things up for catharsis while the cyberpunk convention does not.
I agree! I also think that a lot of Bloober's bad handling of topics align really well when the setting is miserable and dystopian with no happy endings
Hey, great videos as always, and it's also been a surprise to see my twitter reply pop up at the beginning ahah. I'll not discuss the game since i've not played it and it doesn't look like my cup of tea, but as an italian i wanted to leave a litteral translation of the first popular chunk of the Canto 1 from Dante's La Divina Commedia in case it can be useful for further interpretations: "In the midst of the journey of my life I found myself in a forest dark Where the right path was lost. Oh, how much can i tell about how hard this was, this wild forest, so bitter and strong, that in the minds fear renews So bitter that almost surpasses death; but to tell of the good that i found within i'll tell of what other things i've seen" And it basically tells how Dante, during the middle of his life, lost his way, and in the midst of the confusion and fear found God through his visions of the Divine Comedy
I keep forgetting that this game is a Bloober title. Every other effort of theirs left me so underwhelmed but this one stayed with me even though I never played it myself but watched a playthrough. Especially the first few hours are stellar. It’s so frustrating that they have the ability to make something like this but keep choosing to make run of the mill trauma defamation.
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Is the title of this video a reference to Captain Crunch?
Also I think there are video games based on Neon Genesis Evangelion..... but I think something like Drakengard and Nier would be more appropriate for this channel.
Hey, I’m actually really interested in your thoughts on Layers of Fear, or at least its DLC. I played it as a tween and was kinda conflicted about it, so y’know… could be neat
Aww thanks! That game scares the crumbs out of me but maybe I can bring myself to revisit it
@@MertKayKay It scares the crums out of me too. >~
Giving Bloober 1 last pat on the back before they get torn to shreds by wild dogs for whatever theyre about to do to Silent Hill 2
WHAT?! They’re the studio charged with the reboot?!!
You’re kidding!!?
Their games look great visually, as long as they don't fuck with SH2's narrative it won't be THAT bad... hopefully.
@Dman Also it's odd to start remaking from the sequel. It's like remaking Skyrim again and then going back to Arena and Daggerfall.
Can't wait for the "In water" ending to be the only ending and also Mary was actually at fault for everything AND ALSO James' mental illness making him dangerous and he's doing everyone a favor by driving that car into the lake.
@Dman You know what? I've always maintained that SH1 being remade would really only make it a worse experience. But on the signalis engine? Yeah, I'd fuck with that.
Hinting at the sex doll story, there is a door you can knock on that has no human home, but the power outage caused the sex doll to wake up so she answers the door. She laments no one ever wants to talk to her/cares about her when Daniel doesn't show much interest in her despite having long convos with the humans around her. That scenario always stuck with me really hard. I couldn't even remember what game it was from for the longest time, but I remembered that doll clearly having thoughts and emotions and just being treated so poorly. And, of course, that makes it make perfect sense why the dolls in the basement are releasing a distress call. They don't want to be owned, locked up, never allowed to enjoy anything and only taken off their charging platforms when it's time to be used or during a freak power outage incident.
Ironically, I think the lack of empathy that bloober team has towards people who are mentally ill and/or addicted to drugs actually makes the protagonist of this game much more interesting.
Very true! I almost had a segment in the video discussing it but I couldn't find a way to make it work. I guess their writer found his niche (and then moved away from it)
The protagonist of Observer is pretty much a 21st century boomer.
I don't think they lack empathy, I think they just made a clumsy story with implications they didn't think through. That's all.
‘Stick him in rice and hope for the best’ had me laughing for a good 5 minutes…
Same. The delivery was great. Elevated a good joke to a lol-worthy one.
I think bringing Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty from Blade Runner) to play the protagonist added a lot to the dreary, decayed, Noir-esque atmosphere of the game. Rest in peace, you legendary man.
Surprised you didn't mention the sex doll/AI that you can talk to at one point. The delivery on the line "Yeah, because that would humanize me" is just haunting. Amazing opening titles as well, utterly beautiful in a grotesque way, even if they were ripping off David Fincher wholesale (compare to the titles for Seven, Fight Club or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, that last one in particular was definitely in the minds of whoever came up with that sequence)
Yes I love that bit! I actually made a point to record it but couldn't find a way to fit it in with the video. I'm glad you remember it, it's a good one
A great vid on an underappreciated game.
Also, there was nice bilingual touch when Daniel walks to the AI Adam's head and the voices in the background are chanting "luring him in".
:O that's awesome! Thank you for that, what a cool fact
This is game is the reason I still have hope for Bloober's Silent Hill 2 remake, because they're clearly capable of writing an interesting story. Unfortunately SH2 is inundated with the subject matters that Bloober struggles with handling well, so... only time will tell?
I've trumpeted this since the game was confirmed handled by bloober: they got good visuals. It isn't impossible for their remake of sh2 to be good. It's, frankly, the only one of this new set I have any expectations for.
Let's also not forget the biggest difference here between the other Bloober games and SH2: SH2 has already been written. Bloober has some decent ability to make things different, but I feel like they're mainly going to benefit from a game already being written from start to finish and allowing them to flesh out the world a bit more within reason.
@@chukyuniqul On the one hand yes, on the other hand The Medium and it's messaging are so incredibly and fundamentally awful it actively subsumes the few talents they display in my mind. It's such a monumentally toxic game taken as a whole. That being said, their take on Silent Hill 2 physically cannot be worse than Konami's "Remaster", so that's a silver lining I guess.
@@torinriley7569 haha, I dis agree. The remaster had shitty voice acting and the effects were less than ideal, yes, but when it wasn't glitching it was still the delightfully depressing game we all know and use instead of therapy. This one changed the camera angle, so it'll have to pull double duty to match up to the og.
@@chukyuniqul It also had significantly worse textures, worse cutscenes, and worse performance even. Just either play the original release or even better play the PC fan-restored version.
"Daniel observes, haha" genuinely made me cackle, i love your humor so much
Observer stands out in Bloober's library quite a bit, I have a soft spot for it and it holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons despite my general unease about horror games. I like cyberpunk-adjacent media in general, I'm also from Eastern Europe, which makes the particular brand of hopeless desolation in Observer's visual presentation that much more familiar and melancholichally endearing in it's own sad way. The post-soviet remnants just speak to me, it's comforting in it's ruination. I hate the action horror section though, but otherwise this game is enthralling and really interesting and overall feels like a hidden gem by an otherwise mediocre studio. Still, I'm very blind to metaphors and such so I didn't catch diddly squat when it comes to allegories, the biblical imagery and parallels flew over my head completely, again, for a number of reasons, so it was really interesting to hear your take on this subject, Mert! The only thing I could vaguely catch in that regard was, well, Bladerunner, in no small part due to Rutger Hauer himself being involved, no doubt it was very deliberate.
Thank you for another fantastic video, I love your work! (also your t-shirt during the ad is fucking hilarious)
; - ; You're the only one who noticed my BORN TO GRILL t-shirt. I love it so much. Thank you.
And I'm glad you enjoyed hearing my take on the metaphors! I'm also often quite blind to them when I play games, I get a bit focused. I really wish I'd seen Blade Runner before making this video now.
Thanks for watching Hayden!
I appreciate how much this game feels like a more proper traditional cyberpunk story, like it feels close to early examples of the genre such as Neuromancer
this game proves to me bloober can do good, and i'm hoping bloober doesn't try to change up the story of sh2 just gives us cool visuals in their remake.
This was my first bloober game so I was really confused for a while about why everyone hated them so much
I've watched an at this point an absurd amount of deep dives into assorted (usually horror) video games and I find myself checking your channel weekly. Your content is clear and concise and I personally just quite like your delivery (: Even with mild to no knowledge in the subject going in I always get entertainment from your videos. I hope you continue to make content ! Will definitely be supporting it
Thank you ratmotels! I will do my best to keep delivering it >:) I'm so flattered that you enjoy my videos so much
How are you managing to put out such high quality videos so often? Im genuinely impressed by these levels of productivity, big props to you!
Thank you! I have absolutely no idea but I'll keep going
I think the most disturbing side quest described is the pig one, because it feels most likely to actually happen in the future. makes me want to cry
I have to agree :( After all, humans have used animals for scientific research and testing for decades, this wouldn't be much worse compared to past actions. Poor piggy... 😢😭
This game came out after my father passed, and Lazarski's voice acting hits so fucking hard. He really elevated clichés to something very human.
The AI doesn't want humans to invade its realm, so it invades humanity's realm. Nice story bit.
Ah, so my first experience with bloober wasn't actually ruined by my illiteracy, I was just gaslighted into thinking that they always make games like this.
I pray for SH.
The side quests definitely make this game. The organ farm was definitely in my top 5 too, although 2 come to mind that weren't mentioned. One is a discussion with a former augmented fighter who's augmentations have given them constant pain. Then there's the closed room which has what is likely a sentient sex doll. The voice acting is amazing, the calm tone contrasting the confused Daniel, as if she doesn't think shattering his understanding of the world isn't worth the effort.
Well, you sold me. I ended up skipping the side quest and world building part as you suggested, and I am very intruiged! You did an great job of not only describing the appeal of the game, but why it works where other bloober projects failed. The video was funny, well editted, and I look forward to seeing what you put out next! :)
😭😭😭😭 my favourite Hooman. Thank you, and I really hope you like the game if/when you try it!!
Bloober’s blooper.
1:07:35 - “Maria” is literally “Mary” in Latin and romance languages.
Observer was the only Bloober game I played; I was so floored by it that I couldn't believe the other games they made could be so controversial (as in, that they were both lauded and deplored for their writing and depictions of mental health issues) so I went back and tried to play Layers of Fear and Blair Witch. I didn't finish either game as, unlike Observer, the messages were muddled (to say the least) and moreover, they DIDN'T LET UP. They made me appreciate Observer's quiet moments all the more; I truly felt like I was in the protagonist's shoes and could feel his world-weariness, his profession and personal failures weighing him down with every step and periodically confronting him directly with horrific imagery. This, compared to BW's dumbass protagonist and LoF's gibbering nutcase, felt like a huge improvement.
Good analysis, I loved the Observer when it came out. Even got a review copy, guess Bloober still likes me.
I think what separates this one from the rest of the other games is mostly due to Daniel's position. He comes off as a regular person. Old, going through the motions, and sticking to what he knows. But at the same time using those ideals to mask his pain from his son, allowing him to be misled. When I first played it I never understood how he fell for the ruse considering it is his job to deal with heavy topics like this and considering his behavior he would take the nuclear option. But that fatherly position, despite hollow, still has some life barely holding on. Like many of the people living on false hope he was as well. Like in BoJack Horseman, the possibility of hope and things getting are usually taken advantage by people until the clock runs out.
He's shown to be the by the numbers worker throughout until his son is thrown into the mix. Unlike The Medium or The Blair Witch where many of the cheap elements are meant for pure shock value here it pairs well. Yea, it's basic but it works.
Very, very true! I think this game married the cold logic of Daniel's job with the conflicting emotions of being a father so well - and made for an ending that was earned and tragic all at once.
Also lucky you getting a review copy! I need to ask you how you swing those (not that I think I'd find the time to use them, but still)
You got the trees mixed up at 1:11:00 There was the tree of life that they could eat from, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they couldn't eat from, yet they ate from it anyway.
Woopsie, thanks for the correction 😁
Yeah I think Adam works better as a reference to Adam from Frankenstein, rather than Adam from Genesis
this game, likely without intention, ends up so SO ableist. that side quest with the family who refuses augments mentions that their "God given bodies" are preferable to augments. but we already have cyborgs among us: folks with prosthetic arms and legs, people with cochlear implants, anyone with a pacemaker. people who's "God given bodies" failed them in some capacity. they have not lost what makes them human anymore than someone with eyeglasses has become less human. there is no nobility or morality inherent in suffering. when our bodies fail we make aids to keep them going. just some thoughts from a Certified Cripple
I found the game incredible, it really delivered it's theme and atmosphere in an artistically pleasurable way, it didn't feel like another walking simulator, although, it mostly was.
The game delivered a full experience, and that's all that matters.
Layers of fear delivered a walking simulator, and I could not continue playing it out of sheer boredom and lack of interest.
They don't feel or behave like they are from the same creators at all, so, I'll have to guess that something external highly influenced Observer.
I guess it boils down to Observer being way more grounded in a way... It kept most of it's themes in the apartment complex, and having allot of the content unsean - You spoke through doors, and had to guess the insanity behind them... The game had characters, personality and a very relatable sensation to it.
It really broke the moment it began it's wacky nonsense with the evil creature you need to evade... It shined when it kept itself just in the apartments and slowly uncovering the madness behind the doors, finding various cyber-punk themed concepts and really having it rewarding to finally get behind some of these doors, due to how creative and personalized each was... And it kept the mystery on with those places you never could enter, and those discussions you could not carry on.
That's why it shined while layers of fear failed - It actually felt alive.
Perhaps the creator took inspiration from his own apartment complex and various neighbors in it... And the mysteries behind their doors, because it felt very much based on something.
50:02 - I was gonna make a joke here about Rutger Hauer starring as Daniel Lazarski based on his ID picture, but it turns out Rutger Hauer starred as Daniel Lazarski. Go figure. I just figured they ripped off his likeness, tbh.
Sounds like the game's story is just Bladerunner, and Ghost in the Shell with a 1984 backdrop.
EDIT: I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say you haven't watched Bladerunner, or Ghost in the Shell (1995). I highly recommend you do. Both touch upon the themes of this game, and so many other stories (you can also see how much was taken wholesale from Ghost in the Shell and put almost 1 to 1 into the Matrix movie).
If you have to pick one though I'd say Ghost in the Shell is a lot better at tackling the philosophical concepts of consciousness, identity, and the price of transcendence. Still think about it even though it's probably been over a decade since my last viewing.
In general with the framework of those 2 movies you'll enjoy your experience of any Cyberpunk-esque, or Sci-fi dystopia story even more both retrospectively, and in the future. Should generate a lot of "click" moments for some sweet sweet dopamine.
Anyways thanks for another video. Cheers.
I've been watching your channel for a long time and it was your essay on Medium that made me wait to buy Observer. I'm Polish and I'm hungry for games that tell stories embedded in my Slavic culture. They make me feel a nostalgia that is hard to describe, something intimate that comes straight from the soul. But I care about the quality of these stories. That's why I waited. I'm glad you did an essay on the Observer as well, I always appreciate your opinion. I think I'll give this game a chance.
Thank you so much 🥹😍 I really hope you enjoy it! It's brilliant
Have you played Darkwood? It's a survival^2 horror game that is grounded in Slavic (tmk, I'm American) myth
@@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764 Yup! This one is also from a Polish studio, so yesh. I know my little market pretty well. But thanks for the recommendation anyway
@@yoaf7026 Well, I'll assume you're also familiar with Fear and Hunger and Disco Elysium then. Even if they aren't Slavic exactly, they're probably fairly adjacent
I feel like having the characters who refuse to use technology is neither "technology bad" or a failure to resist some opportunity. There's going to be people like that in this kind of future world. We've got multiple groups of people who are like that now. The family kind of reminded me of, like, Mormons. I know Mormons use technology but it had that... white shirt patriarchal feeling of polite conversation with slight chiding at your willingness to be unclean or whatever. Though the scary monster noises always felt like hallucination, to me.
I don't think bloober was endorsing an anti technology view, and I don't even think they were falling prey to a cliche, but it felt like a good way to depict that kind of conversation in the setting of this game. I liked it.
One other detail about it that I thought was kind of well implemented: he's got kids in there. How many other kids were in this game? How many families? A few, but really not many. The whole conversation was kind of neat on that level too. We don't know if he has a GOOD family life, but compare it to the situation with your wife and son in the game.
Also I never really saw their examples of technology doing bad things as "technology bad." Like the guy in the VR helmet. They're not making fun of anyone. That moment happens in the game but maybe it's there to show how jaded people have become to it in the context of that world. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're endorsing "technology bad."
I know you wouldn't want to see the entire game having technology only make people's lives better. So they have to show off some of the bad side, some of the ambiguous side. VR pig, VR kid, both fall under ambiguous to me. Sentient sex dolls being ignored is very much bad use of technology. And their presence in the game is just there to ask, what do you think of this? Some of these things will become real problems, so let's examine them now.
And similarly, it's possible that the "preaching at poor people" is also not an endorsement. Like, it's in the game because that would be a necessary part of that setting, I think. Cliche example, but if I wrote a book about gas chambers and then explained how effective they were at being gas chambers, and showed how people justified using gas chambers, that doesn't mean I'm saying that they're good. I don't need to follow that kind of information with another character saying "but my friend, gas chambers are bad and wrong!"
Like Daniel talking shit to the drug user who got killed. Daniel lives in the world of observer. He's going to think in a way that is reflective of his society and upbringing. He's unsympathetic to drug users. Yes. He's a cop in a corporate controlled dystopia where that kind of sympathy could get him dumped into the apartment next door to the guy who got killed. Why 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 he be sympathetic?
I know it makes some players uncomfortable, but the world of the game is clearly not supposed to be comfortable. Yeah Daniel is a player avatar but he's also Daniel. He has opinions I didn't agree with, and even objected to. I thought that made him a better character.
Also just to clarify myself, I'm not using, like, a mocking or dickhead kind of tone here. Just presenting a different argument on some of the storytelling.
Mert I need you to know that every single day i hear you saying technology bad in the depths of my mind and I'd have it no other way
My gift to you 💖
Yay another Mert video, I played Observer literally a few months ago and really enjoyed the majority of it (I wasn't too crazy about the endings tbf) I'm excited to hear what you think about it 👀
I sincerely hope you enjoy the video Edith, thank you!
Do you watch Monty Zander's stuff? Your breezy approach to complex/"heavy" material which makes it not seem quite so complex reminds me a fair bit of him.
I have actually never heard of this individual, but by your descriptor they seem like they'd make stuff I enjoy!
@@MertKayKay his stuff on the Arkham series is very cool. Recommend
Absolutely no way this game came out 5 years ago. Time flies!
It's old enough to be starting school!
At 5:52 minutes I had to pause and watch the entire unspoiled gameplay. Now I'm back and holy fucking shit, this is what Cyberpunk wishes it had. I'm in love, and all the little Polish tidbits had me smiling each time.
Yeeees! I'm glad you got to watch it unspoiled 😀 glad you liked it
I agree with you. I'd only add that at least in my personal experience the first half of the game felt much more memorable and charismatic than the second. In the first half the vibe, the atmosphere, the pacing just felt impeccable, whilst in the latter it just felt like the story was merely explaining itself.
Recently discovered your channel. Great content to have playing in the background. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, thank you for watching too! :D
As a huge horror fan I've played every single one of Bloober team games, because for some reason people hyped them up to no end every time a new game got released. And every single one of them was a complete garbage, except for Observer.
An unexpectedly gritty retro futuristic horror cyberpunk with amazing 80s eastern European aesthetic and plot that is not terrible. I kinda fell in love with it at the time.
Although devs ruined it when they got too greedy and made everyone pay twice for the redux version. Could've just give it out for free to people that already payed for your game, like bioshock or metro devs did...
I genuinely love this game.
Observer was the first Bloober game i played! I was so excited to see more. I saw the reviews for another game of theirs and rushed to play it, hoping for an experience just as good.
That game was The Medium, so. I had a bad time, ESPECIALLY as a victim of CSA.
I cannot wait to rip this studio apart for their take on silent Hill 2 which is probably going to be like "no you see, Angela's dad was the hero actually."
"when you think about it, Angela's dad was truly the victim of the scenario"
Man we can only wonder 🤔🧐
really enjoyed the video. Observer has sat in my library for years and thought I'd never get around to it. it was an detailed discussion on it. I found it funny, when watching this video again, that the opening quote was a thing. Even after watching the video, I can't fathom where it would fit in.
Thank you Eoin! I can't believe the opening crawl has that quote in it, still. "Be a nice person" ok thanks Observer
This game was definetly a weird one. I played it round a mates house & I'm not gonna lie I was so confused after some time. The "monster" was cool but the whole matrix memory meld got so weird after a while that I had to give it a break. My mate swears by this game but refused to tell me anything outside of "play to the end". I never got round to finishing it & I'm glad I watched this review because you have explained everything so well. Thank you.
This is one of those games i would have loved to get into but i just couldnt.
Great review as always 👍🏻
Ty for discussing this one! I loved Rutger Hauer. He was a fantastic actor who was well known for Blade Runner but was also in a lot of fun b films as well. I do suggest his work. Ty as always.Also the swords and spiders game is awesome! I forgot about that.
Thank you so much for not including stupid fucking jumpscares it’s nice not having to keep my finger on the skip button while eating my porridge in the morning.
Any time Duncan 🫡
Night in the Woods is one that has so much allegory it ends up giving so many opportunities for interpretation that its hard to tell imo what the true story really was. I love it. It's adorable and calming and the guitar mini game is incredible. I'd love to know what you think of their choice system. I feel like it actually let's you decide who's what to you. I think it's unique as fuck all together and it's one of my favourite games. Deep topics too, really real kind of stuff . Thank you for coming to my cyd talk.
One thing that's interesting is that CHIRON is controlling the Fifth Republic of Poland. In our current year we have Third Republic of Poland (hello to all "this comment aged badly" folks in the comments)
So, what happened to the Fourth Republic? And were changes as drastic as change between First with Second and Second with Third?
Mertkaykay 🤝 John Wolfe
Bloober's #1 haters (positive)
Another killer video, thanks so much MKK! Observer and Layers of Fear are the only two Bloobers I've played and I was amazed at how much more accomplished the former was compared to the latter despite sharing a lot of obvious first-person POV/scripted jumpscares/basic interaction DNA. I think it's because in Observer each spooky environment and creepy moment tries to add something to either the world or the characters - something other than "BOO!" or "OoOoO, how cRaZy". Shame it was such a one-off fluke for the devs!
I was checking who's making the new SH2 remake and when I saw Bloober my heart dropped. I hope the game is good, because if they fucked it up the way they did with The Medium....I don't know what I'd do but I'd cry.
Wonderful vide once again, I'm so glad there's so much of your content to watch, it's a lifesaver
Welcome back Spooky! :D I shall have to make more and more content now
babe wake up a new MertKayKay video dropped
Umm...Cyberpunk IS a sci-fi dystopia. It's just a particular flavour of dystopia
The baby being a tv might be a metaphor to the reliance of baby monitors? And how it creates a disconnect with the children. Just a guess considering the anti-tech vibes
Really glad you didn't show any jumpscares in this video. I really hate it when they are used...
No worries, I never show jumpscares in any videos. I hate when people put them into TH-cam content, like I didn't come here to cry
Great video. I also really like this game at least in comparison to Bloober's other games. I think it gets a lot right, but those fundamental issues that Bloober tends to have are still there. They don't overpower the whole ... as much.
I've played Observer all the way through twice, and I enjoyed the experience each time. The second playthrough was rewarding, because I'd forgotten enough about the story to still be surprised while remembering enough to glean another layer of meaning from the experience.
But during each playthrough, I strongly considered drafting an email to Bloober to explain what the word "subtlety" meant and how embracing subtlety just might be the narrative and game design innovation they've been looking!
observer and layers of fear are my first bloober games and i love them, so looking at their recent release made me say "WHY"
Good video, I specially liked the section where you talked about sidequests and final one with the analises to references and symbolism in the game.
; - ; thank you Jose!! I need to go back to doing more of this
Watching this on my birthday before I go play d&d
Happy Birthday Cameron!!!
@@MertKayKay thanks god Its so Wierd seeing my full name
Man that pig F’d me up the first time 44:40 also Janus but that’s more because of how real It is 😢
Also, really glad you mentioned the animosity towards the residence suffering with addiction. It’s pretty unfair, but at the very least the lack of empathy fits tonally with Observer.
That's very true! I was like... I guess a police officer would treat these people really rudely?
Gotta make this comment now before I forget because it’s been a long day at work. I loved how during the ad read you smacked away all those random products. Reminded me of goofball ads on TV 20-something years ago that always had the “smack the competitors” shot. Ok, now to watch the rest of the video!
This is now a Bloober channel.
This is a remarkably interesting story. I was watching this while I was eating breakfast, but when you started getting into the literary and biblical references I got so into it I forgot to eat and now my sandwich is cold. Totally worth it, by the way.
that's what happens to babies when they watch too much telly
Damn you right
@@MertKayKay our youth is getting corrupted they watch too much question time it's the hot new thing in schoolyards all over
I'm hoping that the pre-existing plot of SH2 will carry Bloober's own writing issues, so fingers crossed? Anyways, great video as always!
Genuinely amazed Bloober managed to do something right (mostly) for once. It's very grounding to see that they still have some consistency in the things they get wrong ('a mechanic that doesn't do anything other than make you panic and sprint through a game best taken slow' stuck out to me). What can I say? Either their SH2 remake is going to be surprisingly decent, or an even bigger disappointment given that we know they can actually make a good game. I can't wait to see which one it is and how you write it up 😂
I appreciate your words on drug addiction
Great synopsis and helped answer a few of my questions. Love this game as well! Thank you!
Ironically. This is the only Bloober game I’ve played
Time to play games while watching this in the background!
See i played layers of fear 1 and 2 before i touched observer and i liked all of them honestly. Layers of fear is kinda one of my favorite horror games
I'm not a Silent Hill fan, but hopefully Blooper doesn’t mess up the SH2 remake.
Though, who knows, people who make big mistakes often can make things right, even once.
Good video as always, Kay!
year 6 disco's... really bring back the memories there
Problem I have with Bloober is that their games are schlocky pretending to be high art.
Very true, I think that's in part because their art director is a bit of an artistic prodigy. So it's always a turd game with an AMAZING visual design. Good for him I suppose!
I have to admit, this and the Nier: Automata video actually make weird sense to be together like this, as you did a deep dive into this one, going through themes and the like, in a way you didn't for the former specifically because this one grabbed you in a way that one didn't, and so you wanted to learn more.
This is not a judgement, by the by, it's just an observation(And I didn't even need to mind jack anyone to make it). But regardless, there are a lot of weird parallels between the two titles. From the body hoping at the end, which is what 9S does in the first two main endings, to the ideas of self, to the idea of a plague that targets the brain, which is kind of what the virus that blew the bunker up did, on top of the Red Queen and it's...WTF moments near the end.
One in particular interesting bit is with the Pig she spends a bit on discussing, as there was a moment in Nier: Automata that actually did the EXACT same thing. Asking you if it was right to kill something, in this case a person you had been with for a long time in the game by that point, because reality was painful, or to give them a lovely dream, in this case by directly erasing all their memories.
And the third way out, of just walking away? The game called you on that, as it had an ending for that one(One of the 21 additional ones that are small dialogues and then over things.) which called you out on thinking you could get away without making a decision in and of itself.
Again, no judgement, but it is neat that you can actually see why this one might have grabbed you with its presentation and themes, where that one, which has similar but not only comes to a completely different conclusion, but presents itself in another way, didn't. Cool stuff.
Yeah you make a really good point! I guess it goes to show how differently games resonate with a person and how much they're willing to engage based on how much they enjoy the surface level experience
I love it. As for the name, I don't think it was anything specific, it sounds a bit official and serious in Polish, like some well respected old gentleman. Oh, and I love that you wrote this mail, even though its Far from grammaticslly correct, maybe they just thought its a spam mail, it gives that energy in polish
"Oh wow, a cool cyberpunk detective noir story with a morally gray main character! This looks cool!"
*notices it's Bloober*
"Nevermind."
The lore of the world is somewhat interesting but also leaves a lot to desire in originality ad creativity. Also, both the story and the lore is hamfisted with references that it starts to be annoying. "1984! You know that book right! Or who can forget such classics as Divine Comedy and the Bible." Makes you wonder if the game could stand on its own without this stuff. The jumpscares are annoying. At least the atmosphere and the vibe is decent. Still a downer for me. At least you had fun this times.
Great vid. Cheers!
Aww PTLemon! I completely understand: this game is REALLY on the nose, like it's terrified you'll miss something. That being said, I still get comments on my Silence of the Lambs video claiming the movie 'has nothing to do with women', so maybe I understand their worry that things will be missed :')
Hey Mert, great video as always! I enjoyed the first Layers of Fear. I completely understand the criticism around it, and the game is just a linear jumpscare corridor with no stakes at all. But the story really griped me; a failed artist sinking into madness as he feeds his delusions, dragging his family to ruin in the process; I thought it were a great concept, maybe not well executed, but, in my (edgy) opnion, satisfy the bleak atmosphere it proposes. Anyway, I hope to see one day your take on this game, and see if you can destroy everything I like in it; your discussion about how mental health is portrayed in this media is very enlightening.
Aesthetics look even better than I remembered.
I really appreciated all the attention to references inserted into the game. Particularly as someone who no longer has a lot of gaming time, but a love for horror and sci-fi.
If it helps any, regarding the questions as to what CHIRON represents; given you noted how openly they draw a lot of their references, I'd think of Chiron from Greek mythology. He's a centaur, known as an admirable teacher, and man of science and medicine. However this seems at odds to a lot of the points they're trying to make with their references, unless it's purely to use his being a part-human creature to imply transhumanism, and relation to medicine as a parallel to the corporation interacting with the bodies of the people.
On the other hand, it made me question if it was a translation issue, like the one you noted later in the Inferno reference. If they meant to draw a line to Charon, the ferryman of Hades, it would seem spot on with the general message of augmentation and transhumanism as negative and harmful. Perhaps suggesting that by forcing people into augmentations, directly or by coercive systems, it is ushering them toward a death? Given how they repeatedly tie the modifications to loss of self, "purity," and generally position it as an immoral choice in the game.
Anyway, this is comment is immensely late to the party. Recently found the channel, planning to keep watching, and loving the videos so far!
bit of blade runner, bit of possessor, bit of upgrade, bit of dredd? badass
The System Redux version exists because ray tracing. Just to clarify things.
Ah! Thank you Ken
2 things that bother me in this game:
Its too dark. Even with maxed out brightness I can barely make out my surroundings.
And second, im convinced this game is deliberately trying to give me an epileptic seizure. Failing that, it settles for giving me a headache. I can only play for short amounts of time before this game physically hurts me.
also i never knew about some of these references.....very cool.
I'm not sure if I'm projecting my own inexperience with biblical themes here, but they always seem to be more...vague, less structured when they slink into pop culture. In this case, I feel like that worked in Bloober's favor. Rather than going, "We need to think of the Biggest, Most Shocking thing we could say about a Big Mental Health Issue!" it seems like they just let themselves explore weird, niche situations, where ironically _more meaning_ leaks out.
Yes! Absolutely agree. Their exploration of a billion different ideas ended up making for a game that was so worthwhile to pick apart. Like you said: when they go for the "Biggest, Most Shocking Thing", it ends up finding so little meaning
Playing the game for myself might give me more context, but based on your own retelling of the scenario, it might not be the game itself looking down and being nasty to drug users, but it might be trying to go for the more nior vibe, a detective giving a witty line during a time that is definitely inappropriate to do so. Of course based on this studios previous history, I certainly wouldn't put it past them to just be tone deaf and kick someone while they're down
Very true! I only came to that realisation myself towards the end of the editing process and I was kicking myself
St Jude Thaddeus is the patron saint of hopless circumstances i think
Time for intellectual trip.
I need some whisky with this 😁
Enjoy Tomasz! :D
@@MertKayKay Thank you
You doing super job 👍👏👏👏
Cyberpunk as a genre started pretty much with the novel "Neuromancer" by William Gibson in which he describes a dark corporate dystopia filled with both transhumanist ideas like augmentation and the net but also with really scathing class critique. Thus the foundations of cyberpunk are twofold.
Cyber, the sci fi often augmented part is obvious. Cyberpunk almost always occurs in the near future, within a few decades. It explores an extension of the modern climate, with its second part.
Punk. Cyberpunk is inherently countercultural, and almost always is some form of class critique. It rails against power structures and corporations, and crafts intricate dystopias. The fundamental narrative of a cyberpunk story is very often struggle against a corporate power, and intentionally dives deep into analyzing how the corporate power exercises its control over people. This is where augmentation comes in. Just like in the modern day our actions online are constantly tracked and fed into algorithms to farm us for whatever engagement and profit the companies can get, cyberpunk imagines what happens when we integrate ourselves with technology to the point that augmentation becomes a vector for the corporations to control our bodies and minds. This is very relevant to our modern day, with companies like META imagining a virtual reality hell for us to live in, and also directly paralleled in observer with the dream eater. Corporations control access to your memories through neural links, and sell that off to their corporate police.
Finally, since cyberpunk originated in the 20th century it is also heavily tinged with retro-futurism. The original cyberpunk media were cutting edge for the time but now are almost adorably retro in their imaginings. Modern cyberpunk often seeks to emulate this aesthetic, and it's clear thats where the retro aesthetic of much of the technology in Observer comes from.
The way you portray cyberpunk here makes it sound like it is purely defined by augmentation. Quite to the contrary, augmentation is just one common trope within the larger genre of cyberpunk. I think its a little ignorant to just dismiss the connections between Observer and the larger cyberpunk genre, when Observer is so clearly, almost stereotypically, cyberpunk. Sure the genre has been diluted with swarms of relatively shallow content that just imitates the aesthetic, but the actual substance of the cyberpunk genre is a lot more than you seem to give it credit for.
I remember playing Observer a while back. There was a section where I could simply fall through the floor repeatedly. That experience was a major turn-off for me.
At least it looks decent with the ray tracing upgrade.
As a guy who has 'studied' vore extensively, the story about the guy who gets horny for the building until he can't help but crawl into it and die is way too familiar. One man's horrible dystopian death is another man's overdone porn cliche.
I can't help but wonder if we are supposed to disagree with Daniel's opinions and attitude as the player character. The narrative doesn't paint him in a positive light, and it's very obvious that his attitude was a part of the estrangement of his son. I think Daniel's lack of empathy is meant to represent how society perceive class C citizens. I don't trust Bloober enough to think they understand the lack of nuance in their anti technology takes are bad, but I do think Daniel's character isn't meant to represent the values of Observer...at least not all of them. I think he just shows us an important and heartbreaking facet of the world, one that is a familiar enough to ours to cause deep discomfort.
Also, great job with all the literature references and tie-ins, your videos are always so detailed it's always a treat to see them!
Very true actually, I had a similar realisation whilst editing and I was like... Oh balls. I was far too excited to get this video out and I ended up not rectifying it 😭🤣 great point though and good catch!
The "dove" service was not something Pieta was interested in using Paulina for, it was how she acquired her. She was a buyer, not a seller, because she needed a body to hop into that she felt nobody would miss.
Extra bleak 😢
I'd bet Bloober removed the room in the redux because people kept assuming the toy 100% housed Paulina's mind and Pieta took off alone in the body, where really they wanted it to be more ambiguous, especially given that Daniel's words seem to indicate he believes they're together and might be better off that way - he could be wrong, as he later is about the AI, and the uncertainty despite Daniel's apparent belief is extra interesting.
Oh wow, yes! That's such a good point, I never considered it
I think there may be an aspect of the writer just being better writing cyberpunk-esque stories than straight up horror? I really liked Observer. Felt very simple conceptionally with a lot of mess around it. That works in cyberpunk as it's part of the genre. In straight up horror? Less so. Horror has a need to tie things up for catharsis while the cyberpunk convention does not.
I agree! I also think that a lot of Bloober's bad handling of topics align really well when the setting is miserable and dystopian with no happy endings
LOVE this video! Finally something I agree with you on.
YEEEEEEEEEES
@@MertKayKay Yussssssssss
Hey, great videos as always, and it's also been a surprise to see my twitter reply pop up at the beginning ahah. I'll not discuss the game since i've not played it and it doesn't look like my cup of tea, but as an italian i wanted to leave a litteral translation of the first popular chunk of the Canto 1 from Dante's La Divina Commedia in case it can be useful for further interpretations:
"In the midst of the journey of my life
I found myself in a forest dark
Where the right path was lost.
Oh, how much can i tell about how hard this was, this wild forest, so bitter and strong, that in the minds fear renews
So bitter that almost surpasses death; but to tell of the good that i found within i'll tell of what other things i've seen"
And it basically tells how Dante, during the middle of his life, lost his way, and in the midst of the confusion and fear found God through his visions of the Divine Comedy
I keep forgetting that this game is a Bloober title. Every other effort of theirs left me so underwhelmed but this one stayed with me even though I never played it myself but watched a playthrough. Especially the first few hours are stellar. It’s so frustrating that they have the ability to make something like this but keep choosing to make run of the mill trauma defamation.
another great video, thanks for making my monday evening !!
No thank YOU Anna :'(
I hear the Signalis soundtrack used in this video - praying for you to cover it at some point 🙏🏼
Got a video out today that covers it!