Indigo Park, Episode 1. Finally a mascot horror done right? Well, I like Rambley the raccoon - they got me hook line and sinker. Color me excited for episode 2
when john called out the specific font I clapped, him clocking fonts and assets from horror games is my favorite john superpower and i'm glad to see it make a return
Same!!! I love it, and his authentic criticism, he made me want to get back into the horror genre, it felt so refreshing to hear someone give people the truth about these half assed games coming out.
I enjoy Rambley being an ally to the player rather than either a neutral threat or a typical ambiguous “betrayal” antagonist like what you see in most other mascot horror games He feels like an actual character and not another monster you’ll run away from
still gonna patiently wait to see if my theory about rambley actually being salem in disguise and you have to rescue the real rambley will come true :3
@@Murr248just wondering, do you mean this in the literal sense that he’s the last on the list of characters who’ll eventually betray the player. Or he’s the last because he is the least likely to turn on the player as in everyone will but he’ll never?
@@JohnTwolfe Yup, and even MORE specifically, she's a blue-and-gold macaw! (apparently the folks who named the species didn't feel the little splashes of green on their wings were worth noting lol)
33:20 fun fact, the disney parks actually observed park guests to determine how far away to space trash cans to discourage littering. Turns out folks are less likely to litter when a trash can is less than 30 steps away at all times.
Personally one of my favorite things about Indigo Park is that the mascots actually feel like characters children would have liked. I feel like I don't get that vibe a lot from mascot horrors focused on corrupted childhood aesthetics, the idea that this character you're inventing is actually something children would love and want to see. But the animated versions of Rambley and Friends, they're charming, they're perfectly simple and endearing for all ages. I can believe the protagonist just visiting Indigo Park again because they kind of miss having gone there as a kid, and reminiscing over the collectible merch items about hwo their mom liked Mollie, and what they thought of the different characters. It feels like the mascots are genuinely aimed at kids and then twisted into something, not just inventing a monster that allegedly kids liked. This is one of my biggest jarring complaints about, say, FNAF- the animatronics are scary, but you can't tell me children actually went to those pizza places to see 'em. But you could tell me kids went to Indigo Park to go see Rambley.
I mean, in defense of the FNAF animatronics, old animatronics really do just be like that. Like the old Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics were really quite creepy and not that different looking from the FNAF ones. I do agree with you on the rest though!
If I could borrow a portion of of a Twitter quote to repurpose for my own needs? As a kid, I would have loved Rambley and the gang, and I would have loved FNAF 1's animatronics. I would have beat the Garten of Banban mascots and the Security Breach animatronics with a baseball bat and screamed the entire time.
Awww. John never thought to click on the collectibles in the information kiosk. Rambley has unique dialogue for all of them! He gets so upset at Lloyd's limited plush.
@@Queenpoisonquinn Yeah, it's a bit odd since John is playing the post-patch version where it quite clearly says to Click on the collectibles at the top of that screen (though in this vid the "Click" is covered by his facecam, which he only moved for a second at one point).
I think this game's biggest strength is Rambly. He's got the charm of Freddy in Security Breach (or Wheatley from Portal 2) where he's the only 'good guy' trying to help you, but without dumb mechanics holding you back. Often times horror games skimp on the characters and the most we know of our allies are that they're mysterious and angsty and stuff, so Rambly is a really, really nice change of pace.
You know what I love about him more than anything else? That he uses those phony corporate terms, like calling you a valued guest instead of a customer, apologizing for the inconvenience instead of just admitting they effed up, things like that. But he uses them genuinely.
@@ScrambledAndBenedict Did you notice that there are things he's obviously not supposed to say, and he gets glitchy when he tries to use them? When he tries to say "free", he has to drop into the voder voice, and later, when he tries to say "angry", he glitches and stutters until he changes it to "upset". When he glitches, he's almost always either switching character modes (I think of them as AI Assistant Rambley/Character Rambley/Ride Actor Rambley) or trying to say something corporate wouldn't want him to.
@@forcesinbalance5685 Oh yeah. That sort of stuff is genius. He even does it when you show him the poodle plush: he glitches really badly when he tries to say "Non-Indigo Brand", like he's not even allowed to talk about their competitors lol
@@whatastandupguy3050 Yeah, but to be totally fair, it IS essentially just a demo made by a newbie game developer. From the way UniqueGeese has been so active with fans, I figure his plan was to get something out there that would attract attention, engage with fans to see what they liked, what worked, and what they wanted, and then make a game built around that.
You can really tell a bunch of SUPER skilled artists put a lot of love into this. The racoon animations are all great, the death splash screen is great. Its a bit jarring to see art thats so modern and a seemingly very sophisticated ai character in a setting that is supposed to really old and dilapidated. It feels like an artistic inconsistency but at the same time its so charming I don't really care, I am kinda bored of the old school feeling mascot designs.
I mean, the park only closed down about 8 years ago (Rambley's "You're the first guest in [x] days" translates to 8 years). Maybe sophisticated AI, but then Indigo himself said that the focus of the company was the innovations of "tomorrow". The park isn't as old as, say, something built and abandoned in the 50's/60's, it was probably most recently remodeled sometime in the 2010's, 2000's at earliest. :)
I used to have nightmares about bright primary colored playrooms with monsters such as a giant bird following me around. It's like this dev made a game out of my nightmares as a kid.
This game has tons of promise and personality. Rambley is easily one of the best parts of the game. I'm glad they didn't focus too much on merchandise compared to most mascot horror games. I'm looking forward to seeing what chapter 2 has in store. There is a genuine heart to this game that I like.
When I played this myself I enjoyed it but I could also tell the devs were pretty new to game design. Rambley's animations, writing and character was by far the best part of the game along side the really good music. I quite enjoyed the presentation but I felt there wasn't much of a game here. Like the critter cuff doesn't really do much other than open doors. I feel like it would be cool if the developers included some sort of puzzles or mechanics because the very basic ones in chapter one. Although this is the dev's first real game so who can say what chapter 2 will bring. I also wonder if chapter one will get updates as they go along. I can see them improving the game in areas such as making that cafe feeling more Indigo branded rather than just a generic looking coffee shop or filling up some of the empty spaces.
I think with enough positive feedback and pointers they can fine tune the game to be a lot better in the second chapter, and even make improvements to the first. Here's hoping!
I get what you mean, it seems like they put production value into it, with the animations, voice acting, music, the arcade game, etc. The bird's fate caught me really off-guard. I'm interested to see what happens in the aquarium... I hope this gets a Chapter 2 soon!
I love when horror games get silly. Alan Wake 2 weaves its tones so masterfully, switching between comedy and horror do fluidly. Every stories ought to be more than just one thing.
Hi John! Just so you know, you can click on the collectables in that menu to listen to Rambley's thoughts on each one! imo it's worth it to just sprint through the game and grab everything against just to hear it.
I’ll be honest, I’m glad this is free because it feels more like an introduction to the characters than a first chapter. Which is fine. I’m just not terribly sold. And I mean it’s another game where “place of joy and wonder has become corrupted and what were once fun loving rascals are now bloodthirsty monsters.” Where’s the gun that shoots alphabet flash cards at cartoon characters come to life while we search for a submarine to the surface? It’s fine. Just feels like explored territory
Innovation is always nice, but ultimately it's never what matters. Execution is. 99% of massively successful game, movie, series, etc... are not original in the slightest. Also, yes, mascot horror is gonna be like that. It has become a genre for a reason. Kinda like complaining that a fantasy setting has dark evil forces trying to take over the land. You can get tired of it and wish for/appreciate deviation from it, deconstruction, subversion, etc... but at the same time... it's the genre. Mind you i'm not sold on this either. There's passion, but passion is ultimately not enough to make a good game. You need skills too. And the horror aspect and gameplay are both lacking at the moment. Otherwise the park seems fine, the characters are okay conceptually, and the main mascot is endearing enough.
Thanks for checking this out John! I think a big gripe I have about episodic games like this is that they tend to kill off monsters/characters too quickly without letting us get a better feel for their scares. Why did they mention Mollie's cool ability to imitate voices if they're just gonna kill her off without showing us the skill? I feel like she had the potential to be used for a more nefarious horror segment where audio could've been important, like the "Until Dawn" section where the wendigo could imitate someone's voice to lure you to a death scene. It's just me being nitpicky though, as I did genuinely like the ball pit chase scene and felt it was pretty tense. I wonder if this game is going to pull the story trope of Rambley being the big bad all along and he'll be released once we "fix" the park and/or kill his friends. I'm ok with them trying that as long as Rambley's scare sequence is a good pay-off!
This 100% They have like 4~5 main mascots and threw one in the trash bin in 5 minutes. Complete waste of potential. It's honestly tragic that the scariest and coolest moment for that character was the title screen.
My favourite example of mascot horror: Project Zomboid. The game has nothing to do with cute animals or toys whatsoever, it just has an anthropomorphic raccoon mascot named Spiffo for some ridiculous reason. It's a zombie survival horror game.
@@rainbowtvz I was messing around, taking the term 'mascot' at its most literal. The Zomboid raccoon is a mascot, the devs _call_ it a mascot. It's also not even a character, so it's not like Genki. It just appears everywhere and on everything.
@@Safiyahalishah Spiffo is actually the mascot of the fast food chain in game that supposedly started the apocalypse with contaminated meat! Im not sure if it's confirmed or just a theory though
@@Izzy_is_Gone I believe that's just a game theory at the moment, but it's a very plausible one. I do know that the devs included Spiffo and gave him a whole restaurant chain in Zomboid because he's technically the Indie Stone mascot. He was in their first game, a fighting game with animal characters, but that was cancelled. I suppose they were attached to his design and didn't want to give him up!
I think the reason this game works so much better than most other mascot horror games, is they focus on the innocent aspect too. This genre derives its horror from the idea of taking something innocent and childish and safe, and corrupting it into a monster and a threat. A lot of mascot horror games don't have an innocent aspect; they design things to be creepy and weird and scary right out the gate. Indigo Park looks like a real theme park, like a place you would actually want to visit before it fell into disrepair. The mascots look like real mascots from such a brand, and you get to know them in their innocent form before the monsters show up. Compare it to a game like Garten of Ban Ban where you only know the mascots as being monsters, and you only know the place as a surreal nightmare land. You don't get that contrast between the innocent and monstrous like what this game has.
I didn’t know Sinow’s name was Lloyd! The amount of Disney references was amazing! The magic bands, the railway ride, the trash cans every 30 ft 😂 Also I loved the Rambley Lloyd hate in this. Edit: the soundtrack is GREAT! and I loved the funhouse chase despite the immediate death screens
Yeh his name is Sinow Lloyd McFuckface! He's obviously considering changing it..... (to Sinow Boyd McFuckface) but he's keeping it now because of the lion.
That ending song is pretty damn good. It's no "Still Alive" but that's only because Rambley doesn't have the build up and characterization Glados does.
Pleasantly surprised to see you play Indigo Park and SO glad you liked it! I don't comment a lot (bc anxiety etc) but this game's one to get me started. Sorry in advance for rambling (...heh, punny... But seriously, I cannot write short comments apparently, I'm sorry). I never really got into mascot horror before this, the draw just wasn't there for me. I'd have a good time watching people play (or hate-watch them play Ban Ban & then hate myself- but that's another thing)... but um. I am a fan of Indigo Park. Like you said, it has charisma. The characters feel alive and like they're each appreciated as individuals and not just elements of a story or things to scare people with. The game feels like a breath of fresh air for the genre somehow, it looks great to me, the music is great, the voice acting is awesome... I'm not saying it's perfect: the overall sound design could be more immersive, the environment doesn't feel as alive as the characters and there could be more to interact with, the puzzles could be more challenging by far... eh, there's a lot of things if you want to start picking at it. I've seen people be disappointed and I can kinda see where they're coming from. But for the main programmer's first big project, made while he was finishing his studies, it's still really, really impressive. I've watched a couple of UniqueGeese's streams and he seems like a genuine guy. He's clearly really excited to be making this game and also really ambitious about what the future chapters are gonna look like. The chapter 2 kickstarter met its' goal 5 (nearly 6!) times and I'm not too surprised. My big worry at this point is that they try to do too much and the game ends up feeling disjointed or the story or charm gets lost in the process. There's a lot of potential here and I'd just love to see it all realised. Chapter 2 is expected to come out late 2025-early 2026 from what I understand. It's a bummer of a wait, but they want to make the game the best it can be, which is also refreshing. ...So, yeah! This has been a random person info-dumping about a game they like! If anyone actually reads any of this, then... thanks! Genuinely! A lot! Now, I just got done playing Still Wakes the Deep, so I'm off to watch John play that!
i'm so excited you played this! i also fell in love with this game. it's no solid evidence, but chapter 2 was funded well over 4 times their asking goal, so hopefully we'll see it soon!
As a big Disney parks fan, I love everything I see in this game. Really feels like it comes from a place of love for the parks. Lots of little details and things you notice. I really hope this series does well.
The music in this game is top-notch! I really really enjoyed watching this gameplay, and I really really hope that they continue it. It felt really polished and clean as well. Their team did an amazing job!
Definitely feels inspired by the closing credits song of the original Portal with the ending song there Cautiously optimistic about this one, mascot horror usually tends to be a wash in recent memory
Possibly the most "furry" mascot horror game I have seen so far. You can tell from the art style on Rambley. The skunk also looks like your typical fursona. I think they did a good job with Rambley. I find it kind of funny that he is basically trying to sell you on this game in-between lines.
I really enjoyed rambleys rambunctious little act!! Everything about the game was so cute and well balanced in my opinion!! I definitely want to see more of it, i hope the production value stays the same or gets better with chapter 2!
The music and the atmosphere are really good! Genuinely blew me away, glad you had a good time John. I have no doubt chapter 2 is going to do well, UniqueGeese and the team seem to be in this for the right reason and it's awesome to see. If you and the others plan to talk about it on Spine Chill, looking forward to hearing more of you and the others thoughts!
Thank you for turning off the “graphical annoyances” it really helps me not get motion sick and I can actually enjoy the whole video. Pots girlies appreciate it
As someone friends with one of the core devs of the game, I can assure you that merchandising will NOT be the main focus, nor was it ever intended to be. In fact, on release of the game, there were no plans for merch- they just wanted to put the game out and hopefully kickstart-fund the second chapter. When there was a HUGE DEMAND for it, they also ran a Makeship plush campaign for Rambley. I think there have been a few merchandise plans, but right now, they're going full in on writing the next chapter, and the success of Chapter One has given them the means to make the next chapters a thousandfold better. But as Mason (UniqueGeese) says in the note at the end, this is a passion project, made by people who genuinely love the story and characters, made by artists and animators and creators and musicians. The love is baked in, and people recognizing that is so refreshing. With the collectibles, you missed clicking on them to get extra dialogue from Rambley, but then again it wasn't made as clear as it could be and several others did, too. But it IS worth checking out if you get the chance! It sheds some... *interesting* insight into the background lore, and to who Rambley is. The next chapter is tentatively slated for next year, since chapter 1 took a year to develop (while Mason was GRADUATING COLLEGE no less!) and they're expecting to be doing bigger and better going forward. So it might be a while, but it'll be worth the time it takes to cook. In the meantime, you can actually find the official animated music video for Rambley Review on RecD's channel (since it's his song).
This felt so fresh and fun! I got major flashbacks to those big kid play spaces that would usually pop up near a mall in the 90s, and I wish there were some still around that I could have taken my daughter to when she was younger. I saw someone else comment it too, but I really like that Rambley is an actual guide (at least for now) and is helping the player. Maybe this game will have a similar theme to My Friendly Neighborhood where there really is a path to “saving” the park, even if you can’t save the mascots! Hope they continue to develop it and would really love to see you continue the game if they do!
John's immediate amazement and then reminiscing about those crazy plastic tube and colorful mat play scapes was amazing. I miss places like that when I was a kid. I felt like I could really feel the texture of those mats too, they were designed well in game. He really seemed to have fun in there 😄
It's good to see you enjoying a goofy but well done game. I eye rolled when I saw this the first time, the whole "not another one," but you can tell that a lot of love and care was put into this. I adore the voice acting and the soundtrack is fantastic. Plus you actually get to interact with the attractions! I love that! I hope the next chapter lands well too!
@@TheReZisTLust they is also utilized as a form of non binary specifics. gender-neutral third-person pronouns. i utilized it to be vague for folks who don't know who sinow is. yes there are people who don't.
The episode one of Indigo Park has me really excited, and like you said a lot of games have a great ch1 and then poof. I really loved this and hope chapter 2 happens and is just as great!! Also Andy's Apple farm dev is working on chapter 2, coming along slowly but surely!
I just how how this game is able to encapsulate what I love most about amusement parks. The carefully crafted words of corporate, the cutesy mascots that try to get you to buy their merch, and all the rubbish bins. The three bins being near each other is really one that I agree with. Too many parks have too few bins. Hunting is never fun with the amount of people you have to move around. Would love to see more and maybe merch because Rambley has certainly made me want a plush of him.
Ok, so I normally hate horror games that are published in chapters, but I enjoy Rambley and the credit song at 58:08 is perfection. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the aquatic section turns out.
44:40 they have made adult sized places like this! I know of one in England, but I think there is also one or two in the US somewhere. They’ve got the funky patterned carpets and everything
The funniest and longest bit John has ever had was him starting a new game and saying he has "never played before" and then the game saying that he can continue in some way or other lmao it always gets me.
As a kid i got stuck in McDonald's play house while my family was visited by quebec and i didnt speak french and the level here wasnt exactly triggering but it was like scary asmr. Scares tingles
So glad John played this! This is such a charming game! Maybe its not such a scary game like one would expect a horror game to be. But it does a lot of other things good and im looking forward to what the devs do next. It has so much heart. I do wonder if it will surprise me with a good tense scare or moment down the line. Either way, its a real good introduction to the game! If they really continue with that passion, then i really do see this game becoming a success. Music and voices were great.
I agree on the over-merchandising of mascot horror games. I get the devs need and want to earn money and that's fine, but as soon as they start designing their franchise on the basis of being toyetic, things take a turn for the worse, every time.
It seems to be clearly ironic here. Maybe it won't be further down the line, but here they are joking about aggressive marketing, not trying to push hard for merchandising.
I think John's right in that there's lots of charisma in the game. The soft play setting was really cool. Music was great throughout. But generally I think the game is so similar to others that there's nothing really unique about it. So many games where you do little puzzles and then run from the enemies. Even the bit where the bird climbs through the pipe was a little bit Poppy Playtime... The mini arcade game was a nice idea - they could potentially make that the unique aspect. Have a number of mini arcade games within the mascot-horror game, but make it so they are necessary to the progression of the story and integrated into it. At the moment I think it's a nicely-made game, but not yet anything new.
The game itself is pretty good from an atmospheric perspective. I hope the second chapter, which met its Kickstarter goal with money to spare, is just as polished. Also, the music is a banger throughout the game.
Oh wow, this was terrific! I had heard good things but no idea what it was about, I can see why people like it. The music is great, there's a great sense of humor and energy about it, Rambley's cute, the art and creepiness are really well done, the idea is fun and actually well done - John compared it to FNAF Security Breach in the ball pit area, there are a lot of things about it that remind me of Security Breach but done much better imo (the AI/mascot who's your helper and not evil, the other mascots being evil monsters who get dispatched at the end of their levels, the huge kids' park "after hours" with different character-themed areas). It also reminded me of a game I remember playing with my cousin as a kid - I think it was some Barbie mystery game that I think was also set at an abandoned theme park that had some mystery person roaming around with you. It'd definitely be nowhere near as scary now as I remember it, but I remember it was so creepy for baby!me that I didn't even manage like an hour because the emptiness was too spooky lol. Abandoned parks and stuff are a staple of horror, but something about the visuals - the shots of the sky and the moon? the clocktower? maybe the music? made me remember it super vividly. The eerie music really set the mood, again just really nicely done!
The voice acting in this game is really good and I like the fact that Rambley is a 2D companion to your journey around the park, whether he remains that way and kind of on your side we shall see.
I didn’t think I’d see you play this let alone grab all the collectibles 😂❤ yea the music is great and i love the va they got for rambley. They add a lot of personality to this episode alone
dude! Just a few minutes into the video and the music and art is immediately recognizable as the same creator of the Garten of banban remake! incredibly impressive work.
I love the animation and voice acting of Rambley, genuinely super cute and charming. I hope the following episodes keep this level of quality, normally I'm very neutral about mascot horror but they did it so well here!
Rambley is adorable! the VA and animators definitely got the assignment. Now i want to follow this game purely to hear his cute monologues, despite the gameplay being a bit generic.
The little details for things the player experiences, the cartoon art style and animation, and the pacing all reflect a lot of thought and passion put into the game, but the _humor_ and the voice acting for Rambley really sell it for me. Loved the ending song!
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John saying “I’m not going to worry about the collectibles in this game!” then getting all the collectibles is my favorite running bit on the channel
That’s his stamp of approval
when john called out the specific font I clapped, him clocking fonts and assets from horror games is my favorite john superpower and i'm glad to see it make a return
Same!!! I love it, and his authentic criticism, he made me want to get back into the horror genre, it felt so refreshing to hear someone give people the truth about these half assed games coming out.
Same lol
I want to see John play newer bad games and see if those tropes have changed by now
I enjoy Rambley being an ally to the player rather than either a neutral threat or a typical ambiguous “betrayal” antagonist like what you see in most other mascot horror games
He feels like an actual character and not another monster you’ll run away from
I mean he could still be a betrayal character. It's not like they tell you that when they first meet you.
@@GolemCCNah the creator said he made him specifically to be an ally and he's tired of that trope.
@@GolemCC according to the creator he's the last character who will turn on the player
still gonna patiently wait to see if my theory about rambley actually being salem in disguise and you have to rescue the real rambley will come true :3
@@Murr248just wondering, do you mean this in the literal sense that he’s the last on the list of characters who’ll eventually betray the player.
Or he’s the last because he is the least likely to turn on the player as in everyone will but he’ll never?
I love Rambleys pure HATRED for Lloyd lmfao
John: "I wonder what Sinow thought when playing this, cause his name was Lloyd."
Sinow: "I discovered my fursona."
Rambley's "Cause I like trains" line made me giggle 😂@12:49
I love how John made up an argument about whether the bird was a falcon or a hawk and it’s actually a parrot
fr i was like: how are you wrong THRICE*
(*eagle? really?)
Actually it's a macaw... which is a parrot subgroup... so...
Not John out-Guys-ing you both 😂
@@JohnTwolfe Yup, and even MORE specifically, she's a blue-and-gold macaw! (apparently the folks who named the species didn't feel the little splashes of green on their wings were worth noting lol)
@@JohnTwolfe A parrot subground... so still a parrot. Lol.
33:20 fun fact, the disney parks actually observed park guests to determine how far away to space trash cans to discourage littering. Turns out folks are less likely to litter when a trash can is less than 30 steps away at all times.
I have a thing for wee trash cans within reach. I don’t know why human brains freak out on occasion and forget to use them.
Yeh no shit, obviously the nearer a can is the less likely you are to litter.
@@user-os7ec4dm8x the point is exactly HOW many steps that is
They hit it out of the park with Rambley's VA. I want to trust my little racoon friend and see him again.
John's character running for his freaking life...
...but still being "Oh Hey, a collectable! YOINK!" 🤣🤣
Personally one of my favorite things about Indigo Park is that the mascots actually feel like characters children would have liked. I feel like I don't get that vibe a lot from mascot horrors focused on corrupted childhood aesthetics, the idea that this character you're inventing is actually something children would love and want to see. But the animated versions of Rambley and Friends, they're charming, they're perfectly simple and endearing for all ages. I can believe the protagonist just visiting Indigo Park again because they kind of miss having gone there as a kid, and reminiscing over the collectible merch items about hwo their mom liked Mollie, and what they thought of the different characters. It feels like the mascots are genuinely aimed at kids and then twisted into something, not just inventing a monster that allegedly kids liked. This is one of my biggest jarring complaints about, say, FNAF- the animatronics are scary, but you can't tell me children actually went to those pizza places to see 'em. But you could tell me kids went to Indigo Park to go see Rambley.
I mean, in defense of the FNAF animatronics, old animatronics really do just be like that. Like the old Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics were really quite creepy and not that different looking from the FNAF ones. I do agree with you on the rest though!
If I could borrow a portion of of a Twitter quote to repurpose for my own needs? As a kid, I would have loved Rambley and the gang, and I would have loved FNAF 1's animatronics. I would have beat the Garten of Banban mascots and the Security Breach animatronics with a baseball bat and screamed the entire time.
Awww. John never thought to click on the collectibles in the information kiosk. Rambley has unique dialogue for all of them! He gets so upset at Lloyd's limited plush.
There definitely needs to be a "click on the plushie to get rambley's opinions" hint or something
@@Queenpoisonquinn Yeah, it's a bit odd since John is playing the post-patch version where it quite clearly says to Click on the collectibles at the top of that screen (though in this vid the "Click" is covered by his facecam, which he only moved for a second at one point).
@@QueenpoisonquinnIt was on the upper left, you could see it right before John flipped which side his facecam was on.
@@Queenpoisonquinn it says something in the top left but his camera was covering it.
This game was so cute. I could feel the love and work they put into Rambley's animations.
If you click on the collectibles in the kiosk Rambley will say something about them.
That ending song felt like the creator must be a fan of the Portal series.
Portal was definitely an influence! RecD has said so himself.
I think this game's biggest strength is Rambly. He's got the charm of Freddy in Security Breach (or Wheatley from Portal 2) where he's the only 'good guy' trying to help you, but without dumb mechanics holding you back. Often times horror games skimp on the characters and the most we know of our allies are that they're mysterious and angsty and stuff, so Rambly is a really, really nice change of pace.
You know what I love about him more than anything else? That he uses those phony corporate terms, like calling you a valued guest instead of a customer, apologizing for the inconvenience instead of just admitting they effed up, things like that. But he uses them genuinely.
@@ScrambledAndBenedict Did you notice that there are things he's obviously not supposed to say, and he gets glitchy when he tries to use them? When he tries to say "free", he has to drop into the voder voice, and later, when he tries to say "angry", he glitches and stutters until he changes it to "upset". When he glitches, he's almost always either switching character modes (I think of them as AI Assistant Rambley/Character Rambley/Ride Actor Rambley) or trying to say something corporate wouldn't want him to.
@@forcesinbalance5685 Oh yeah. That sort of stuff is genius. He even does it when you show him the poodle plush: he glitches really badly when he tries to say "Non-Indigo Brand", like he's not even allowed to talk about their competitors lol
It’s honestly the one and only strength of the game tbh
It doesn’t offer much beyond that at the moment
@@whatastandupguy3050 Yeah, but to be totally fair, it IS essentially just a demo made by a newbie game developer. From the way UniqueGeese has been so active with fans, I figure his plan was to get something out there that would attract attention, engage with fans to see what they liked, what worked, and what they wanted, and then make a game built around that.
You can really tell a bunch of SUPER skilled artists put a lot of love into this. The racoon animations are all great, the death splash screen is great. Its a bit jarring to see art thats so modern and a seemingly very sophisticated ai character in a setting that is supposed to really old and dilapidated. It feels like an artistic inconsistency but at the same time its so charming I don't really care, I am kinda bored of the old school feeling mascot designs.
I mean, the park only closed down about 8 years ago (Rambley's "You're the first guest in [x] days" translates to 8 years). Maybe sophisticated AI, but then Indigo himself said that the focus of the company was the innovations of "tomorrow". The park isn't as old as, say, something built and abandoned in the 50's/60's, it was probably most recently remodeled sometime in the 2010's, 2000's at earliest. :)
I used to have nightmares about bright primary colored playrooms with monsters such as a giant bird following me around. It's like this dev made a game out of my nightmares as a kid.
This game has tons of promise and personality. Rambley is easily one of the best parts of the game. I'm glad they didn't focus too much on merchandise compared to most mascot horror games. I'm looking forward to seeing what chapter 2 has in store. There is a genuine heart to this game that I like.
When I played this myself I enjoyed it but I could also tell the devs were pretty new to game design. Rambley's animations, writing and character was by far the best part of the game along side the really good music. I quite enjoyed the presentation but I felt there wasn't much of a game here. Like the critter cuff doesn't really do much other than open doors. I feel like it would be cool if the developers included some sort of puzzles or mechanics because the very basic ones in chapter one. Although this is the dev's first real game so who can say what chapter 2 will bring. I also wonder if chapter one will get updates as they go along. I can see them improving the game in areas such as making that cafe feeling more Indigo branded rather than just a generic looking coffee shop or filling up some of the empty spaces.
I think with enough positive feedback and pointers they can fine tune the game to be a lot better in the second chapter, and even make improvements to the first. Here's hoping!
Rambly going "I like trains" was fantastic, highly approve
Lloyd is a badass but total main character name, makes sense that he'd be a theater kid. Love the casual Sinow lore too
What I wouldn’t give to hear Brian Blessed as Lloyd!
@@WhiskeyJones-xy4cp "PETROL! WE'RE RUNNING OUT, RAMBLEY!"
ooooo i really like the music! rambley is very cute also
I get what you mean, it seems like they put production value into it, with the animations, voice acting, music, the arcade game, etc. The bird's fate caught me really off-guard. I'm interested to see what happens in the aquarium... I hope this gets a Chapter 2 soon!
I love when horror games get silly. Alan Wake 2 weaves its tones so masterfully, switching between comedy and horror do fluidly. Every stories ought to be more than just one thing.
Hi John! Just so you know, you can click on the collectables in that menu to listen to Rambley's thoughts on each one! imo it's worth it to just sprint through the game and grab everything against just to hear it.
I’ll be honest, I’m glad this is free because it feels more like an introduction to the characters than a first chapter. Which is fine. I’m just not terribly sold.
And I mean it’s another game where “place of joy and wonder has become corrupted and what were once fun loving rascals are now bloodthirsty monsters.” Where’s the gun that shoots alphabet flash cards at cartoon characters come to life while we search for a submarine to the surface? It’s fine. Just feels like explored territory
Innovation is always nice, but ultimately it's never what matters. Execution is. 99% of massively successful game, movie, series, etc... are not original in the slightest. Also, yes, mascot horror is gonna be like that. It has become a genre for a reason. Kinda like complaining that a fantasy setting has dark evil forces trying to take over the land. You can get tired of it and wish for/appreciate deviation from it, deconstruction, subversion, etc... but at the same time... it's the genre.
Mind you i'm not sold on this either. There's passion, but passion is ultimately not enough to make a good game. You need skills too. And the horror aspect and gameplay are both lacking at the moment. Otherwise the park seems fine, the characters are okay conceptually, and the main mascot is endearing enough.
Thanks for checking this out John!
I think a big gripe I have about episodic games like this is that they tend to kill off monsters/characters too quickly without letting us get a better feel for their scares. Why did they mention Mollie's cool ability to imitate voices if they're just gonna kill her off without showing us the skill? I feel like she had the potential to be used for a more nefarious horror segment where audio could've been important, like the "Until Dawn" section where the wendigo could imitate someone's voice to lure you to a death scene. It's just me being nitpicky though, as I did genuinely like the ball pit chase scene and felt it was pretty tense.
I wonder if this game is going to pull the story trope of Rambley being the big bad all along and he'll be released once we "fix" the park and/or kill his friends. I'm ok with them trying that as long as Rambley's scare sequence is a good pay-off!
This 100%
They have like 4~5 main mascots and threw one in the trash bin in 5 minutes. Complete waste of potential. It's honestly tragic that the scariest and coolest moment for that character was the title screen.
My favourite example of mascot horror: Project Zomboid. The game has nothing to do with cute animals or toys whatsoever, it just has an anthropomorphic raccoon mascot named Spiffo for some ridiculous reason. It's a zombie survival horror game.
that's not what mascot horror is. that's like saying genki is the mascot of saints row.
@@rainbowtvz I was messing around, taking the term 'mascot' at its most literal. The Zomboid raccoon is a mascot, the devs _call_ it a mascot. It's also not even a character, so it's not like Genki. It just appears everywhere and on everything.
@@Safiyahalishah Spiffo is actually the mascot of the fast food chain in game that supposedly started the apocalypse with contaminated meat! Im not sure if it's confirmed or just a theory though
@@Izzy_is_Gone I believe that's just a game theory at the moment, but it's a very plausible one. I do know that the devs included Spiffo and gave him a whole restaurant chain in Zomboid because he's technically the Indie Stone mascot. He was in their first game, a fighting game with animal characters, but that was cancelled. I suppose they were attached to his design and didn't want to give him up!
@@Safiyahalishah Yeah but the point is that it's a horror mascot, not mascot horror. It's a mascot in horror, not horror about mascots.
I think the reason this game works so much better than most other mascot horror games, is they focus on the innocent aspect too. This genre derives its horror from the idea of taking something innocent and childish and safe, and corrupting it into a monster and a threat. A lot of mascot horror games don't have an innocent aspect; they design things to be creepy and weird and scary right out the gate. Indigo Park looks like a real theme park, like a place you would actually want to visit before it fell into disrepair. The mascots look like real mascots from such a brand, and you get to know them in their innocent form before the monsters show up. Compare it to a game like Garten of Ban Ban where you only know the mascots as being monsters, and you only know the place as a surreal nightmare land. You don't get that contrast between the innocent and monstrous like what this game has.
I didn’t know Sinow’s name was Lloyd!
The amount of Disney references was amazing! The magic bands, the railway ride, the trash cans every 30 ft 😂
Also I loved the Rambley Lloyd hate in this.
Edit: the soundtrack is GREAT! and I loved the funhouse chase despite the immediate death screens
sinow lore
I really enjoyed the chase music, as well as the music from the arcade game! This sound team knows their stuff!
Yeh his name is Sinow Lloyd McFuckface! He's obviously considering changing it..... (to Sinow Boyd McFuckface) but he's keeping it now because of the lion.
Man, the music in this game SLAPS!
I love the opening video because it was exactly like Walt Disney’s speech during the opening of Disneyland.
A LOT of Disney parks references in this one. There's a Disneyland ride literally called Barnstormer, for example.
That ending song is pretty damn good. It's no "Still Alive" but that's only because Rambley doesn't have the build up and characterization Glados does.
I immediately started bopping to the intro music at the same time John did lmaoo
Pleasantly surprised to see you play Indigo Park and SO glad you liked it! I don't comment a lot (bc anxiety etc) but this game's one to get me started. Sorry in advance for rambling (...heh, punny... But seriously, I cannot write short comments apparently, I'm sorry).
I never really got into mascot horror before this, the draw just wasn't there for me. I'd have a good time watching people play (or hate-watch them play Ban Ban & then hate myself- but that's another thing)... but um. I am a fan of Indigo Park. Like you said, it has charisma. The characters feel alive and like they're each appreciated as individuals and not just elements of a story or things to scare people with. The game feels like a breath of fresh air for the genre somehow, it looks great to me, the music is great, the voice acting is awesome...
I'm not saying it's perfect: the overall sound design could be more immersive, the environment doesn't feel as alive as the characters and there could be more to interact with, the puzzles could be more challenging by far... eh, there's a lot of things if you want to start picking at it. I've seen people be disappointed and I can kinda see where they're coming from. But for the main programmer's first big project, made while he was finishing his studies, it's still really, really impressive.
I've watched a couple of UniqueGeese's streams and he seems like a genuine guy. He's clearly really excited to be making this game and also really ambitious about what the future chapters are gonna look like. The chapter 2 kickstarter met its' goal 5 (nearly 6!) times and I'm not too surprised. My big worry at this point is that they try to do too much and the game ends up feeling disjointed or the story or charm gets lost in the process. There's a lot of potential here and I'd just love to see it all realised.
Chapter 2 is expected to come out late 2025-early 2026 from what I understand. It's a bummer of a wait, but they want to make the game the best it can be, which is also refreshing.
...So, yeah! This has been a random person info-dumping about a game they like! If anyone actually reads any of this, then... thanks! Genuinely! A lot! Now, I just got done playing Still Wakes the Deep, so I'm off to watch John play that!
"How could that be profitable for Frito-Lay" is a favorite movie quote of mine lol
i'm so excited you played this! i also fell in love with this game.
it's no solid evidence, but chapter 2 was funded well over 4 times their asking goal, so hopefully we'll see it soon!
That was so fun. I don't usually care about the mascots from these types of horror games, but I love Rambley!
As a big Disney parks fan, I love everything I see in this game. Really feels like it comes from a place of love for the parks. Lots of little details and things you notice. I really hope this series does well.
YESSSS I was just thinking that! My favorite detail is the soarin' font popping up (in a logo) in the game lol
The music in this game is top-notch! I really really enjoyed watching this gameplay, and I really really hope that they continue it.
It felt really polished and clean as well. Their team did an amazing job!
Definitely feels inspired by the closing credits song of the original Portal with the ending song there
Cautiously optimistic about this one, mascot horror usually tends to be a wash in recent memory
Possibly the most "furry" mascot horror game I have seen so far. You can tell from the art style on Rambley. The skunk also looks like your typical fursona.
I think they did a good job with Rambley. I find it kind of funny that he is basically trying to sell you on this game in-between lines.
Not everyone is a degenerate.
My dear, that's not at all what furry art looks like. Rambley couldn't be farthest from it.
@@nox4498 Huh, maybe you have more experience on this then. Are you a furry?
@@bludgeon1081 Do I have to be one to recognise a pattern?
@@nox4498 No you don't. Which is why I know that it is.
I really enjoyed rambleys rambunctious little act!! Everything about the game was so cute and well balanced in my opinion!! I definitely want to see more of it, i hope the production value stays the same or gets better with chapter 2!
Oh wow the music in this game is fantastic!
Also Rambley is so adorable it hurts.🥺
The music and the atmosphere are really good! Genuinely blew me away, glad you had a good time John. I have no doubt chapter 2 is going to do well, UniqueGeese and the team seem to be in this for the right reason and it's awesome to see. If you and the others plan to talk about it on Spine Chill, looking forward to hearing more of you and the others thoughts!
Eric Andre has a skit with him saying bird up a long time ago. So I had to chuckle when I saw the soda was called that
Thank you for turning off the “graphical annoyances” it really helps me not get motion sick and I can actually enjoy the whole video. Pots girlies appreciate it
Maybe this just caught me at a good time but I feel it was brilliant watching you play this. Something about it, has huge amounts of charm!
As someone friends with one of the core devs of the game, I can assure you that merchandising will NOT be the main focus, nor was it ever intended to be. In fact, on release of the game, there were no plans for merch- they just wanted to put the game out and hopefully kickstart-fund the second chapter. When there was a HUGE DEMAND for it, they also ran a Makeship plush campaign for Rambley.
I think there have been a few merchandise plans, but right now, they're going full in on writing the next chapter, and the success of Chapter One has given them the means to make the next chapters a thousandfold better. But as Mason (UniqueGeese) says in the note at the end, this is a passion project, made by people who genuinely love the story and characters, made by artists and animators and creators and musicians. The love is baked in, and people recognizing that is so refreshing.
With the collectibles, you missed clicking on them to get extra dialogue from Rambley, but then again it wasn't made as clear as it could be and several others did, too. But it IS worth checking out if you get the chance! It sheds some... *interesting* insight into the background lore, and to who Rambley is.
The next chapter is tentatively slated for next year, since chapter 1 took a year to develop (while Mason was GRADUATING COLLEGE no less!) and they're expecting to be doing bigger and better going forward. So it might be a while, but it'll be worth the time it takes to cook. In the meantime, you can actually find the official animated music video for Rambley Review on RecD's channel (since it's his song).
He didn’t click the collectibles in the information kiosk 😔
😔
😔
They never do.
@@jesternario He even updated the text specifically telling players to click on them. 😔
😔
NGL, the singing at the end was pretty good.
Rambley the raccoon sounds like the name of a youtube rantsona 🦝
RambleyIsHere
This felt so fresh and fun! I got major flashbacks to those big kid play spaces that would usually pop up near a mall in the 90s, and I wish there were some still around that I could have taken my daughter to when she was younger. I saw someone else comment it too, but I really like that Rambley is an actual guide (at least for now) and is helping the player. Maybe this game will have a similar theme to My Friendly Neighborhood where there really is a path to “saving” the park, even if you can’t save the mascots! Hope they continue to develop it and would really love to see you continue the game if they do!
That chase music!!
Prewatch: Thank you! Thank you John for trying out Indigo Park!!
Yessss new John video to watch with lunch 🥪
This reminds me of old school John, and it makes me happy. Good video! Thanks!
John's immediate amazement and then reminiscing about those crazy plastic tube and colorful mat play scapes was amazing. I miss places like that when I was a kid. I felt like I could really feel the texture of those mats too, they were designed well in game. He really seemed to have fun in there 😄
It's good to see you enjoying a goofy but well done game. I eye rolled when I saw this the first time, the whole "not another one," but you can tell that a lot of love and care was put into this. I adore the voice acting and the soundtrack is fantastic. Plus you actually get to interact with the attractions! I love that! I hope the next chapter lands well too!
sinow loved the fact they got a Lloyd sweet mascot. XD i did watch their playthrough too.
yea he went nuts for lloyd it was great 😂
Who did he play it with?
@@user-os7ec4dm8x he played it by himself? it was a few weeks back. should be on his youtube channel still.
@@fruitpunch-mouthhe asked "they" cause they is commonly a plural for multiple people. Just saying cause the question mark you put
@@TheReZisTLust they is also utilized as a form of non binary specifics. gender-neutral third-person pronouns. i utilized it to be vague for folks who don't know who sinow is. yes there are people who don't.
The episode one of Indigo Park has me really excited, and like you said a lot of games have a great ch1 and then poof. I really loved this and hope chapter 2 happens and is just as great!! Also Andy's Apple farm dev is working on chapter 2, coming along slowly but surely!
I thoroughly enjoyed Andy's Apple Farm, really looking forward to chapter 2!
I once worked at a place with a ball pitt. We found a kid's retainer in it.
I just how how this game is able to encapsulate what I love most about amusement parks. The carefully crafted words of corporate, the cutesy mascots that try to get you to buy their merch, and all the rubbish bins. The three bins being near each other is really one that I agree with. Too many parks have too few bins. Hunting is never fun with the amount of people you have to move around. Would love to see more and maybe merch because Rambley has certainly made me want a plush of him.
I really liked the animations of Rambly, the hand movements, gestures, emotions, it's just so nice.
John 🐺 in the house! John 🐺 in the house!
the bird chase music was so good! some parts of it reminded me of Pathologic somehow. The credits song was so good too!
John always has nice hair
Postwatch: Thanks again John!!
People put out merch for Rambly before the Devs got to. They did eventually release a plush.
I enjoyed watching!
The Music Team really outdone themselves!
fun informative fact: You can click on the collectibles and rambley talks about 'em to you!
..he hates lloyd's though. they're real funny trust
Ok, so I normally hate horror games that are published in chapters, but I enjoy Rambley and the credit song at 58:08 is perfection. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the aquatic section turns out.
@@viperv6768 I’m looking forward to the water section too! A sea serpent has the potential for a lot of great scares and mechanics!
44:40 they have made adult sized places like this! I know of one in England, but I think there is also one or two in the US somewhere. They’ve got the funky patterned carpets and everything
John! I love your content! I’ve been a fan for over 5 years, so happy to keep watching you do your thing!
You need to click on them Rambley comments on them. Otherwise it’s only your character that comments on them
The funniest and longest bit John has ever had was him starting a new game and saying he has "never played before" and then the game saying that he can continue in some way or other lmao it always gets me.
Haha you’d be surprised how often I get accused of playing games through twice 🤭
Hey John, it’s guys!
As a kid i got stuck in McDonald's play house while my family was visited by quebec and i didnt speak french and the level here wasnt exactly triggering but it was like scary asmr. Scares tingles
So glad John played this! This is such a charming game! Maybe its not such a scary game like one would expect a horror game to be. But it does a lot of other things good and im looking forward to what the devs do next. It has so much heart. I do wonder if it will surprise me with a good tense scare or moment down the line. Either way, its a real good introduction to the game! If they really continue with that passion, then i really do see this game becoming a success. Music and voices were great.
I don't know why but I started crying at that ending song and I have no idea why 😭
I agree on the over-merchandising of mascot horror games. I get the devs need and want to earn money and that's fine, but as soon as they start designing their franchise on the basis of being toyetic, things take a turn for the worse, every time.
It seems to be clearly ironic here. Maybe it won't be further down the line, but here they are joking about aggressive marketing, not trying to push hard for merchandising.
One of my absolute favorite things from John’s videos is him calling out the fonts lol
I think John's right in that there's lots of charisma in the game. The soft play setting was really cool. Music was great throughout.
But generally I think the game is so similar to others that there's nothing really unique about it. So many games where you do little puzzles and then run from the enemies. Even the bit where the bird climbs through the pipe was a little bit Poppy Playtime...
The mini arcade game was a nice idea - they could potentially make that the unique aspect. Have a number of mini arcade games within the mascot-horror game, but make it so they are necessary to the progression of the story and integrated into it. At the moment I think it's a nicely-made game, but not yet anything new.
Absolutely loved this! I really hope they're able to release all episodes. I want to see what they do with it!
well, finally found someone who really likes the intro music. :3
I am so glad I finally got to see John play this! I really hope the game gets the support it deserves so we get to see more
The game itself is pretty good from an atmospheric perspective. I hope the second chapter, which met its Kickstarter goal with money to spare, is just as polished. Also, the music is a banger throughout the game.
Loved this one, and was waiting for you to play it! keeping my fingers crossed for a great chapter 2
Oh wow, this was terrific! I had heard good things but no idea what it was about, I can see why people like it. The music is great, there's a great sense of humor and energy about it, Rambley's cute, the art and creepiness are really well done, the idea is fun and actually well done - John compared it to FNAF Security Breach in the ball pit area, there are a lot of things about it that remind me of Security Breach but done much better imo (the AI/mascot who's your helper and not evil, the other mascots being evil monsters who get dispatched at the end of their levels, the huge kids' park "after hours" with different character-themed areas).
It also reminded me of a game I remember playing with my cousin as a kid - I think it was some Barbie mystery game that I think was also set at an abandoned theme park that had some mystery person roaming around with you. It'd definitely be nowhere near as scary now as I remember it, but I remember it was so creepy for baby!me that I didn't even manage like an hour because the emptiness was too spooky lol. Abandoned parks and stuff are a staple of horror, but something about the visuals - the shots of the sky and the moon? the clocktower? maybe the music? made me remember it super vividly. The eerie music really set the mood, again just really nicely done!
The voice acting in this game is really good and I like the fact that Rambley is a 2D companion to your journey around the park, whether he remains that way and kind of on your side we shall see.
I didn’t think I’d see you play this let alone grab all the collectibles 😂❤ yea the music is great and i love the va they got for rambley. They add a lot of personality to this episode alone
dude! Just a few minutes into the video and the music and art is immediately recognizable as the same creator of the Garten of banban remake! incredibly impressive work.
I love the animation and voice acting of Rambley, genuinely super cute and charming. I hope the following episodes keep this level of quality, normally I'm very neutral about mascot horror but they did it so well here!
Me confused: So that ain't a parrot?
Later: Ah it's a Macaw
the credits song is so good! major portal vibes
Rambley is adorable! the VA and animators definitely got the assignment. Now i want to follow this game purely to hear his cute monologues, despite the gameplay being a bit generic.
This game was SO fun. If chapter 2 comes out, I would love to see you play. The ending song sold me lol.
The little details for things the player experiences, the cartoon art style and animation, and the pacing all reflect a lot of thought and passion put into the game, but the _humor_ and the voice acting for Rambley really sell it for me. Loved the ending song!
Come for John playing the game. Stay for John naming fonts.
So happy John likes Indigo Park!