The Architecture of Fumito Ueda
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ย. 2018
- The Man. The Legend. The Architecture.
Follow me on Twitter: / yacobg42
Patreon: / jacobgeller
The text of this video (for the most part) can be found at: caneandrinse.com/worlds-of-fu...
Much of this video’s information came from this Eurogamer article by Gareth Damian Martin: www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...
WishingTikal’s Channel: / wishingtikal
NiZZULiVΞ’s Channel: / nizzulive
______________________________________
Video and Music from: Castle in the Sky, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian, Dark Souls 3 - เกม
![CAMPปลิ้น | EP.76[2/2] เดินมาสิบกว่าป่า วันนี้รู้แล้วว่าโจโฉกลัวอะไร!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/R7Yor-t2Au0/mqdefault.jpg)
Fumito Ueda: “everyone keeps ascribing meaning to my art but I’m just making game levels” lmao
He's making THE game levels tho
He's good at making games but maybe he's not at analyzing why.
Auteur of Ruin and Decay could be a Dark Souls boss name.
Richard, The Auteur of Ruin and Decay.
Br Br Deng I love Richard, such a professional, high class name and then Auteur of Ruin and Decay
@Mister Guy That makes a lot of sense.
Scarlet Rot!!!
I felt that "longing so deeply it turns into physical heartache" while watching this video and I was overjoyed to the point of tears when the Laputa soundtrack kicked in. Great stuff.
I feel this any time I see ruined architecture in video games or art. A longing for a place that never was.
"I was allowed to wonder, to explore a world that never was, but felt like it could have been" that was really beatifully said.
11:49 For me it was Tolkien's description of Valinor and Eldamar in the Silmarillion. Just imagining alqualondë under starlight, the white walls and diamond paths of Tirion, the homes of the beautiful Vanyar at the foothills of Taniquetil rising for tens of kilometers circled by great eagles, endless green plains glowing in the light, the endless white beaches, and of course, the immense yet warm and welcoming light of the two trees fill me with an intense longing
We need an edition of the Silmarilion illustrated by Ueda, it would be too perfect.
@@ethanpayne4116 I would throw all my life's savings at that
@@ethanpayne4116 If I saw that I could die in peace.
@Eli Shhh neither am I, the Silmarillion is a book
You really summed up the joy of exploration in games. It's something I've always loved but haven't been able to explain
🙂
tfw you realize the reason Shadow of the Colossus's bridge had those half arches leaning on each other was specifically so the whole thing could be taken down by just destroying one end section
its destruction was embedded in its design
Castle in the Sky is one of my favorite works by Miyazaki, and when you started talking about it i felt my eyes start to water. Nearly all of your videos that I've seen so far have managed to make me cry, often multiple times. You're an amazing creator, thank you for all the work you've done.
Man, I don't know what it is about that movie, but the same thing happened to me. It's so weird to cry and not exactly know why you are.
aw boohoo
claun
Same
I agree. All of Team Ico’s games have always strongly reminded me of Laputa and Naussica for some reason.
Fumito Ueda create one of the most memorable architecture design in game that I’ve have ever witness. The vibe of Angkor wat and the vibe of an ancient city that once holds ultimate civilization that has long lost. It makes me feels nostalgic and goosebump for this lovely piece of art that you can stare for a long time.
This video makes me feel really strange in a nostalgic kind of way. I'd never heard of castle in the sky until this video and I'm going to watch it asap!
Its my favorite Gibli movie. Have you seen it since this comment? What did you think?
That's a really beautiful video, I never get tired of watching and reading about Ueda's games, and I rarely see someone talking about this side of his games. You had a great aproach to this subject and I liked it a lot. Great work!
Man, Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä are 2 of my favourite animations.
I just want to explore those worlds forever.
Spirited Away bathhouse too. There’s a really painstaking Minecraft recreation that lets you do just that.
I would give anything to get just one more Ueda game. The subtle world building, the game mechanics, increase stories give me a sense of wonder, and awe every time I revisit one of his games. I will never forget how I felt the first time I completed the last guardian.
is he dead?
The wait is almost over. The new game from Fumito Ueda should be out next year & we should get a trailer for it before the end of this year. If we're really lucky the game might even come out before the end of this year. And if we're really really lucky, a remake of "ICO" is in the works as well as a Definitive Edition of "Shadow Of The Colossus" that could possibly get released next year in time for the 20th anniversary of the games original release. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
This was a lovely video. Thank you for this analysis of something I had never explicitly looked at but had always felt in these pieces of art. Thank you.
Man, you sounded genuinely choked up at the end, I can tell how much these games mean to you. I feel the same way, especially about Ueda's 3rd game. I have seen many people criticize the world of The Last Guardian as overly vague for not spelling out every detail of the world, but I think that misses the point entirely. As the boy, the world is not yours to understand - you're just caught in the middle of it and trying to survive to see home again. It's what helps the towering structures of crumbling history and mysterious supernatural catbirds to feel real and enticing instead of something to be explained away or bogged down by exposition dumps. You, as the boy and the player, are not special in this world. You can traverse it, but not tame or understand it. This is even more highlighted by the fact that you are in a helpless role compared to Trico, and especially the environment. A rarity in gaming, but a perfect choice for an experience like The Last Guardian wants to give you.
Deeply insightful look at something that can be very, very easy to over look. Great work 💯
This is so kind! I've been a big fan of yours for a long time, very excited to see that this vid made it back around.
small note from an Italian: when referencing Giorgio de Chirico, the surname is pronounced 'de-ki-ri-ko', same as how you wouldn't say Vinci when referencing Leonardo da Vinci :3
Very good! A more perceptive analysis than I expect to find on TH-cam.
I feel like Ueda's games evoke the same feeling as existence itself seems destined to leave us with; overwhelmed by the beauty and sadness of it all.
The way I first discovered ICO was through the arresting cover art, browsing my Spotify recommended section and not even realizing what I'd stumbled on was a game soundtrack, but knowing that that sparse, richly coloured, history-filled art had to be important. Upon listening to what I found and connecting it to Team ICO's subsequent games with which I was slightly more familiar, I developed a great affection for ICO, though I've yet to play it. I truly love that artwork. Ueda's name will be on the back of my eyelids from this day on
By the way, you're a fantastic writer. I'm so thankful for what you've shown me is possible in analysis of art and the art of the video essay itself
You are such a great narrator! And I am an actor so I'm very sensitive to that kind of energy.
Thans again.
I loved the "I was aloud to wander, to explore a world that never was but felt like, maybe, it could have been".
It moved my dreamer's heart and my needs for fantasy.
This is excellent! Ueda's games inspire reverence and thoughtfulness, and for us to slow down and appreciate them, life, and architecture more. I especially enjoyed learning about the French artists that inspired him, I had no idea!
I completely empathise with that experience with watching Laputa, as a child I actively refused to watch it again because it would make me impossibly sad that I’d never be able to explore the castle
Always fun seeing youtubers I watch in unexpected places. And yeah, castle in the sky is still as magical tome now as when I first saw it.
The fact the predecessor of studio Ghibli made most German children’s shows at the time I grew up only made it more nostalgic
Hey, a fellow Team Ico/Ueda enthusiast!
Your discussion touched on points people felt subconsciously, but never able to point finger on why.
Esp. that point of "level" destroying itself at the end. Pretty sure everyone gasped at the scene.
An anime YTer Digibro made a video called "aesthetics is narrative" where he argued the selection of the artstyle/how its drawn or presented can tell a lot about the narrative than mere words can do.
So it makes sense that when you are exploring such a looping castle or empty wasteland, that the place feels like it had a history to it. Otherwise, it'd be no better than a simple Source Engine map.
On the point of Castle in the Sky, I read/heard somewhere that it indirectly inspired the creation of a lot of fantasy based Japanese games (esp. SNES era). You can probably trace back influences back to that movie (and few other old Ghibli movies).
Great video!
The moment that music came in I started tearing up. I'd just gone on a half-hour binge of Gerard Trignac's works, and the comparisons didn't escape me either. And I feel the same way about that world... though for me it's actually less the castle itself, and more the mining towns on the earth below, that pain me in their transience. It's a world no less grand than the castle up above, and only slightly more alive today. I weep for both.
"Look upon my works, and despair."
do you know the name of the music?
@@ancientpear6780 Oy, sorry for the late reply. It's the Laputa / Castle in the Sky main theme, also called "Carrying You", or at least that song is a variant on it. The whole movie's soundtrack is good, though.
I'm so glad you mentioned Gerard Trignac. I looked up his work and it instantly clicked. This sense of ominous foreboding in a vast landscape, of harsh shadows, is something that has always fascinated me since I was a kid, and I could never quite put a name to it.
Even now at 35 before I go to bed, sometimes I'll notice a sliver of light from a slightly ajar door paint a beam of light across an otherwise unlit dining table, watching the light fight against the shadows around it, and this feeling hits me. It's a feeling that somehow immensely quiet and lonely and desolate, yet familiar and comfortable.
Funny that you mentioned The Ringed City as a contrast to Ueda's level design, as Dark Souls 1 was the first game that really gave me this sense of a once living and now decaying inteerconnected world that wasn't there just for me to conquer, but rather existed long before I've ever set foot in it and had its own long history. That being said, now I want to try one of Team Ico's titles, exceptional world design is something that can elevate my enjoyment with a game massively.
Almost cried at the end of the video, definitely a really beautiful video. Great work!
Can you tell me the name of the french man you mentioned in the video? I don't know how to write it.
Of course! His name is Gérard Trignac, and the other guy was Giorgio de Chirico
This is a gorgeous video with a beautiful point. Thank you so much for making it.
the passion behind your videos can make me cry! wonderful. I stumbled upon your channel while searching for universal paperclips speedrun strategies :'D thanks man, very inspiering
My favorite game director of all time. Love you Fumito Ueda. Keep making what you love.
Never before has a video nearly moved me to tears over architecture. You're amazing at bringing someone into your subject matter. I knew nothing about architecture, and you showed me exactly what I needed to grasp in order to accomplish the goal, and I see that goal as being able to communicate to me, the viewer, the emotional attachment you had to the architecture of Fumito Ueda. Well done.
Great video. You touch on one of the aspects I love in Ueda's games, the feeling of history that is never outright addressed. Like an old fairly tale the worlds have a vibe of things that came long before the player was there. The mood these games envelop the player in is unlike most anything else. Three of my all time favorite games.
I discovered this channel today, and all the videos I've gone over have managed to brilliantly explore a part of the relationship between videogames and architecture.
Your love for architecture and game design is so refreshing; thank you for making this. It inspires to me create things as well
This was such a beautiful essay. You have a way of conveying such complex emotions with your deconstruction of architecture sir
What a beautiful video. I love hearing people talk about things they love, especially if they can share their love so eloquently and make me appreciate the things as well :)
I really appreciate the quality of presentation here. Especially around 2:40; the showcase of materials is very well done. "Show don't tell" in excellent form.
Your video's make me pause to really appreciate the games i love, and the ones I've never played. You're writing is incredibly beautiful. thank you
well done! what a lovely tribute to the genius of Ueda. it takes quite a visionary to make ancient ruins look so new, interesting and unique. always loved the loneliness of his worlds.
I just started rewatching all your vids from the beginning, and damn dude I love how passionate you get about these games. You really bring a light to the artistry that is game-making.
This is wonderful work I wish I had found it sooner
You really have a magical way of describing these feelings I have about impossibly grand forgotten architecture, feelings I've never been able to put into words. Your work is simply indescribable, please never stop
dude, man, your videos are incredible... i only cried a little bit
Fun things i noticed while playing this game. Those land bridges made out of rock are actually regular bridges made by men. Its just been so long that they've turned into that. So i conclused any structure made with magic that "cant be broken with human hands" is still in prestine condition. Also those fires are probably magic too. But its been a pretty fucking long time this civilization is like how the pryamids are to us if not even older.
This only applies to shadow of the collosus because I just played it three times and have analyzed it in and out.
Incredibly beautiful and well-made video, starting from the art and font in the thumbnail.
Rewatching this after playing ICO, and it holds true. Well put, shared many of the sentiments and a desire to explore irl the locations that never existed. Part of what makes video games so enthralling.
That was so touching I almost cried. Thank you so much for this wonderful video.
Being an architect/gamer, I like this video and your channel so much! Great work in explaining the world and references in such a poetic way!
The way that you put together video and audio to make a presentation is completely incredible. I really like how you use music and the absence of speech to break up your essay with spaces to contemplate.
my guy i only discovered your channel last night and so far every single one of your videos has made me cry at least once
keep it up
same
" profound longing for a place that never existed outside of the creator's mind " that really touched me
Your videos are a treat. I always end a video with a list of things to look up and appreciation for TH-cam. I can't afford school, I don't know if I ever will be able too. But here on TH-cam I can listen to passionate essays and learn something. I don't know, it's corny but it keeps me going.
i know from first viewing that ill be looking back on this video again and again, that ill be eager to see each of Ueda's works for myself and the works that inspired him. thank you
Lowkey might just start emailing my architectural history prof all your architecture vids because they are insanely engaging.
Wonderful video essay, Jacob, thank you...
I've been wanting to revisit these worlds for some time, but now more than ever.
(I also have yet to dive into Last Guardian, so excited for that now too ^^)
I really appreciate you shedding light on Ueda's artistic influences as well ~ cheers!
Shadow of the Colossus, ICO & The Last Guardian, games that warrants people to “crave some more” or that “longing for a missing piece of a puzzle” the satisfaction of discovering things and relieving it again and again.
Yes, & for me that "craving some more" couldn't be more true than with "The Last Guardian". So many ancient structures in that game that you can only look at from a distance but not explore. I kept wishing I had a grappling hook & a glider & could just go explore every building that I could see. Of course being able to do that would have changed the flow of the game. But the desire was & is still there. Whatever game Fumito Ueda gives us next, it will have an end, leaving all of us to want more.
The ending bit about Laputa brought back really strong emotions I had forgotten about
When I'm thinking about locations that I want in my game Castle in the Sky and The Last Guardian give me so much inspiration.
Wow, really beautiful video. I enjoyed it a lot
I’m blown away by your elegant and concise video essay style
It's really sad to me how underappreciated Castle in the Sky is. Even at a movie theater in my city holding a Ghibli marathon event, Castle in the Sky was sadly not listed in any of the showtimes. :/
Found you through your latest video your content is amazing!
Beautiful video on the majesty of these games and their environments. I always feel a profound melancholy when I play them, and this articulates one reason why.
I think that, among other things, it also articulates one reason why I associate the song "A Horse with No Name" with Ueda's work.
"After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
After three days in the desert fun
I was lookin' at a riverbed
And the story it told
Of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think
It was dead"
never had the chance to play any of this games (always wanted to play SoC, now i want even more XD), but you hit a spot right here, the world building, and the beauty of the abandoned and ruined places, really makes you feel nostalgic for a place that doesnt even exist ! and you just want to wonder around and wishing it was a real place. the last time i felt something like that was playing skyrim and didnt know what it was at the time but here you explained everything i felt when playing that.
beautiful video.
Your fantastic videos are eating all of my time! I have things to do, but I only want to watch, to have someone describe the wrinkles in my own heart, the why's of my love of games and story.
You are amazing at what you do. Not everyone can put into words how their favorite things make them feel. I've never heard of any of these games before, but after this video I understand exactly how they make you feel and I wish I could play them myself
found your channel cuz of the most recent video on SotC . . i really dig these video essays . this one was particularly excellent . you definitely get something deep and real about gaming : exploring worlds that never were, but might be etc . . well done sir . . i would echo some of the quibbles below about how you did the comparison to Souls (my fave all time series), but kudos regardless :)
You don't only make great video's but you also give me new games to play. As I'm extremely averse to games where the main interaction with the world is combat or even any combat mechanic at all I find it pretty hard to find games sometimes, but you seem to have exactly my taste. Good stuff, I wouldn't have found these games otherwise.
I appreciate you and the work you do
Your words fill me with that same longing to wander, to experience, to know. Thank you.
You did an awesome job covering this. Cheers 👏
I'm trying to find words to describe what i just watched... I'm literally speechless! What a great video i enjoyed every second of it! Thank you!
Although they are not usually ruined, whenever I stand next to one of the great cathedrals of germany, I find myself in awe, staggered by its size and imagining how staggering its size must have been to the people who lived there in the middle ages, when the houses were smaller and the world was larger
this channel is a gift
I know I’m late saying this but thank you , all your words truly do express the same love I have for these games and the vast open world of shadow of colossus it still brings that eye opening feeling and my imaginary runs wild by the worlds we are shown . Great job man .
Fantastic video, I love these games so much
Speaking as a civil engineering student with a structural focus, I can vouch for the fact that there is some architecture of Ueda's that cannot stand. Or, if they could theoretically stand using fantasy materials, that they wouldn't reasonably have been built in that way.
But what's really interesting is that the impossible designs almost always have an actual purpose otherwise. For example, that bridge you described at the start: That bridge puts abnormal force on a single point, which isn't structurally sound. Yet, by Ueda's design, it gives the artistic feeling of going on forever. If the bridge were realistic, there would've been artistic sacrifice.
You put all my thoughts about these games into words I never formed. I'm speechless
awesome work
Never in my whole life has a TH-cam video inspired and motivated me so much, made me cry twice and made me understand my aesthetic. Thank you :)
I guess you edit your videos yourself or in cooperation with a friend, but to whoever does this: You did an amazing job!
I hope my future career as an Artist can bring as much joy as on of these legendary artist like the studio ghibli movies and the makers of the last guardian
Man, hearing Castle in the Sky's theme made me tear up. Even though I don't remember the story very well at all, the hopeful yet bittersweet melody has stuck with me for so long.
Excellent video, thanks for giving our boy the analysis and recognition he deserves.
You deserve more subs dude
Beautifuly done, sir. I also think that there should be a meseum dedicated to Fumito Ueda's work. Primarily these games and the lore.
The whole “I destroy stairs” thing is actually a very common practice in gaming. It’s easier to make a good looking ruined structure if you fully create it in a complete form before then going back and removing bits a pieces and adding stuff like out of control foliage growing on it and stuff like that. Though I think Ueda is humble when he says he does it “just to make a fun level” because he is genuinely a master at creating believable worlds that feel like they could be real, even if it’s a fantastical place.
At least you can still visit the Great Pyramid
I'm now in love with this channel. Awesome work, Jacob. Beautifully written.
Great video! I hope to achieve the editing and analytical skill level you're at one day ;__;
Beautiful video narrative of beautiful looking and emotionally-bonding games
That Castle In The Sky soundtrack hit me in the feels like a truck
I haven't finished the video yet but while I'm thinking of it I wanted to say,
If you look at the architecture of the bridge, I feel like the bridge was built starting from the cliff and developed towards the tower, so possibly that it was built afterwards.
You are a true artist
after i played darksouls for the first time i wanted to write an essay about exactly this topic, but you already put it perfectly
thank you for the beautiful video👍🏻
yes! His castle reminds me Laputa's world
also the world of hand-written manga by Hayao Miyazaki of Nausicaa. I would definitely recommend read it.
Ueda&Miyazaki
I love both worlds. sooo great🥰
I'll try to find the ICOsoundtrack CD
and novels that I bought before♪
Thank you for making this channel
Thank you for making this video
Thank you for making me... feel
Amazing content here
The man with a fuuny beard, you keep suprising me, old videos are just as amazing as the new ones
Loved the video. Although once you mentioned most of the info came from the 'Shapes in the mist' blog, which was based on the earlier 'Shadows in the mist' blog, I was less impressed. However, you have added your own unique style to the video, so good job!
Right, well I was also the author of Shapes in the Mist, so I was largely adapting my own material. Gareth's Eurogamer piece was also super helpful though.
Regardless, I've been watching your work for years! Very glad you enjoyed it.
Oh xD. My mistake! I also enjoyed your blog ; )
It is a good day when Jacob Geller posts a video on architecture