I played and beat Decartion over the weekend. I had such an interesting bug that I didn't catch for about 2 hours. The music track "Tout dépend de toi" NEVER ENDED. I played through a majority of the games most harrowing moments with that catchy poppy track endlessly on loop. I assumed it was to evoke an uneasy feeling out of the player so I never tried to do anything about it, but eventually I found it very comforting to hear. I took a break to go out and get food eventually and was incredibly saddened and confused when to my surprise and horror the track was no longer playing when I booted the game back up. That song had become a constant little light at the end of the tunnel for my Gloria and for it to just be absent was jarring. My experience with this game was incredibly different than most people's because of that bug and I think it makes me love it even more.
I HAD THAT TOO! I thought it was because i was playing the switch version 😂 i also had moments where no music at all would play. I too thought it was intentional at first
@@HannyaBoi that must be the reason why… i was noticing differences in gameplay between those that played on PC and my own gameplay experience but i didn’t have anyone else who played it on switch as well to compare it to! Thankfully none of the issues remained after the patch they released yesterday
Honestly, the banner art already won me over. Anything with art drawn for it that reminds me of the wonderful nightmare fuel that is Saya No Uta is something I want to play.
Fear of ageing, fear of being thrown away, relationship with another woman that doesn't last, Perfect Blue? It's as though this game was made for me. Thank you for reviewing and recommending this, I'm picking this one up.
In all honesty, Ragnar, your transparency is both super refreshing and immensely inspiring. Thank you so much for making a difference in games journalism and media criticism as a whole!
I stopped watching about 10 minutes in to buy the game. It resonated with me so so deeply, this will be a game I remember for a long time. In particular, the quote about heart pounding. Is it fear or courage? if you are falling, it is fear. But if you push yourself forward and upward, it's courage. It completely changed the way I think about anxiety. Thank you for showing this game off!
Hey Kristel! I'm so happy this element of the game could resonate with you. I wish you all the best! Regards, Quentin (Decarnation's creative director / writer)
I didn’t know you struggled anhedonic depression. I get the feeling, you aren’t exactly sad but you just feel nothing; you feel like staring at the ceiling for hours without doing anything. But hey, this video was really cool and this game really seems to be right up my alley!
Appreciate the Philomena Cunk reference, I always love hearing about games I've never heard about on here. Horror in gaming is a genre much broader, older and more creative than what you find just looking at the hits.
I wanted to like this comment, as I also enjoyed the Cunk reference, but at the time of my writing this, it has exactly 69 likes, and I just… I can’t be the one to ruin that!
I looked this game up on Steam before the video started and Steam told me that it's similar to the Fear and Hunger sequel. Consider me both fascinated and concerned.
It is definitely not in mechanics though, just know that. Fear and Hunger is pure sadism in game design form (and I adore it for that, for the record) - Decarnation is way more approachable as a straightforward narrative.
Really? I always get this cringy impression that someone wants to curse but tries to soften the harsh language with dialect. Like they're too embarrassed to just say "shit" plainly.
@@odinsrensen7460 Hmm, it's definitely not the impression I get. But everyone's different I suppose. I really like it when foreign students on my course start incorporating the Scottish dialect/words into their own vocabulary because it definitely makes me see them as part of the community a bit more.
@odinsrensen7460 I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, whether I say the actual curse or substitute a different word is largely influenced by my surroundings and the people I'm with. For example most of my friends don't care but one has a pretty strong distaste for crass language. So, I do my best to keep it down, out of respect, although she's never actually requested it. Then there's the more obvious situations like work or school. 🤷🏻♀️
Fun fact about "Pump up the Jam": in Argentina, a Spanish cover of the song was used in a commercial to convey the message "Things are usually better in their original form", because they translated the lyrics literally -like "Inflate the marmalade", and when you read them that way it's hilarious 😂
Hey! Perfect Blue was a strong influence indeed. Alongside Lynch's Mulholland Drive / Blue Velvet. And the unknown novel The Blind Beast, by Edogawa Ranpo. Regards, Quentin (Deca's creative director)
Thank you for bringing up the jumpscares! I'm usually not bothered by heavy subject matter, but as someone with an anxiety disorder, jumpscares can be very upsetting for me. Knowing about them beforehand will make it a little easier for me to play the game. I'm a big fan of Junji Ito and Satoshi Kon's work, so this seems like the kind of game I would enjoy, and I'll definitely be checking it out as soon as possible!
I'm glad that pointing it out reaches people; I know how heavy that can hit for people with anxiety struggles. Genuinely appreciative of websites like wheresthejump for that matter. I often thought it'd be fantastic if it became a more common accessibility thing in games to add a "Jumpscare-sensitivity" option in the settings, exclusively for those who struggle with them. This could either deactivate the loud noises or just give a warning on screen beforehand. Would help those who need it without taking the suspense away for those who don't.
@@RagnarRoxShowi think its thoughtful that you also considered those with a disability while pointing out the few flaws the game has. I personally can’t play a game that has no option for accessibility regarding quick events, i am 1. Legally blind, and 2. Have a mobility issue, and so I struggle with that aspect that a lot of horror games have. Cult of the lamb have a lovely accessibility feature allowing for you to avoid the fishing feature (you have to click at a specific time, which I can’t, and it does it automatically for me)
i got this game at launch and im absolutely happy that i did. its one of the few (if not the first) games that i immediately got! i adored the demo so much, as short and sweet as it may be. one of the devs even replied to my feedback on it! i mentioned that it reminded me a lot of RPGMaker games and apparently, while the current game is in unity (as stated in 13:11) decarnation was an RPGMaker game at some point. pardon the plethora of edits, though im glad im not the only one who deals with the whole "one session or get blocked" mentality when it comes to media. i notice this a lot when i pick up games or even shows, but somehow decarnation is one game i willingly came back to without that mental block. its quite special to me, relating to some of the subject material to immense degrees. on a side note, im glad i finally finished a game you featured before you made a video on it haha
You've sold me on this game; it looks like something I would absolutely adore to play. I'd love to see a sequel to this review a few months from now when you've had time to process everything 😊 I can't afford it right now, but I will be playing the demo and adding it to my wishlist for when I have some extra money.
oh my gosh, how timely. writing this comment as a personal bookmark--i'm disabled & my condition degeneratively impacts my hand & finger mobility/dexterity, and have struggled for years with "doing life" (typing, writing, things i love--including gaming) and so have found myself 'soft locked' out of a lot of different experiences/titles even with the modifications ive made in my emulators & to my consoles. so, my habit with your channel--watch a video, let it sit for a couple years, return to that title & see how far i can get before my body says no (hoping it won't). this is how i discovered "norco"--a new lifelong favourite. rediscovering point & clicks has been brilliant. or, using your videos to revisit titles i can no longer play (or, not yet replay!!!) because of the aforementioned reasons--this is all context, not a pity party, for anyone that reads this i had a pain mgmt+treatment shift a couple months ago that has minimised the pain enough to wrap finishing adaptive tool/equipment projects i've had sitting around for some years. so, for the *first time*, i'm discovering a title through your channel, and instead of watching your video and letting the memory decay enough to where i feel like i can experience the title (mostly) independent of your impressions--i'm able to go over to steam and get the game and experience it myself & KNOW i can complete it. and then come back to your video, lol. incredible how the most simple things now are inversely the most monumental--i've watched your channel for yeaaaars and never been able to do this before, i'm thrilled purchased; cannot wait to edit this comment on the other side
Fantastic review! Really hoping you’ll revisit the game for a deep dive video. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the stuff that goes into spoilers and the themes later in the game. I’m a big fan of your extremely thoughtful commentary!
I told myself that I'd only watch a bit of this video and then stop since this is a game I'm planning to get and play at some point but I found the video so captivating that I ended up watching until the end. And now this game has definitely jumped up in priority, let's hope it goes on sale before the end of the year. As an aside, it's nice to know I'm not the only one that can struggle to pick up a game again after the first session even when I like it, in recent times I've been prioritizing games I can finish in just one weekend just to circumvent that problem.
I *knew* this had to be inspired by RPG Maker games! The gameplay style, the puzzles and the heavy themes in horror were a giveaway XD Anyway, amazing vid, definitely has made me interested in playing this game
The Wordspiel with the Swansong LOOM-ing over the Character was so Perfectly crafted. The Whole time it Played in the Background i just could Think about Loom becous its so intervined with the Game for me Allready and then that droped. Just Perfect.
I saw this while searching for specifically psychological horror visual novels online and skipped past since it wasnt the game genre i was looking for, knowing more about it now tho, its definitely going on my list of games to play in the future!
The main issue of the game is that everything that's related to the rhythm game (even the heart part, it seems) is slightly offbeat, which really makes the heart a lot harder than it needs to be. My headcanon now is that Gloria has arrhythmia.
Sorry for that. It was one of the oldest systems we made, and we started improving it toward the end and it became a mess. We improved it in the last patch tho! Regards, Quentin (Deca's creative director)
@@QuentDB That was pretty much the only issue I had, everything else was pretty much a nitpick. It was solid and felt nice to experience. Thank you for the game!
I saw this video, heard the part where they let you do your own review and went out to buy it. I don't care if this game is my thing or not, that level of confidence in their work deserves to be rewarded.
I love your reviews for all these horror games I typically play them on while I work overnights and I hope you a long review on fear and hunger 1 and two I'd be interested in hearing you analyzing a setting like that
This review convinced me to get the game after sitting with your words for about a day and it's every bit as horrific and fantastic as I'd hoped. Already sank 20 hours into replaying it over and over with friends so they can share the experience too. So, thanks.
Just finished playing this for the first time. Thank you so much for this video, without which I and now many of my horror game player friends, would not have heard of this game. It might possibly be one of my favorite gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
I always love it to see you cover games I havent heard of before. There is only so much cool stuff I can find and play on my own. Ofcourse its also interesting to see you focus on more well know titles since your videos approach games in a way that is vastly different from other videogame channels I know. Much more appreciative and trying to highlight the subjects strength. In a way your videos feel like the games asked you for help with a job interview if that makes any sense.
I am so happy i found this channel, as it's an good way to learn of new or old old games. That are fun and a good way to fund games to play on a live stream
I actually had to stop this video halfway though and go play the game. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Thank you so much for making this video. I can now enjoy your video in full. Thank you for the analysis and review, you hooked me and I enjoyed it. Take care.
You shouldn't be surprised they wanted you to try the game Ragnar. Your like the top horror game channel. Your indepth videos are amazing. Just like the games you talk about, your videos are very detailed.
Thank you for bringing more attention to this game. We must support indie games, that's where we find the most creative and passionate devs. Have you played Blasphemous? I strongly recommend it. The sequel comes out later this Summer. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
I just finished playing the whole game in one sitting after watching the first few minutes of the video this morning ^.^; Can't say enough good things about the game, thank you so much for highlighting it ! Really poignant stuff, can't wait to see you dive into it in the video !
Oh I've played it, it's absolutely phenomenal! It's hard to cover all the things that I'd like to considering how many topics I've queue'd up, so Signalis was one that I saw being covered by so many people already that I ended up focusing on other things less people were actively talking about.
This looks interesting, I do like the inspirations it draws from. But watching further down the video I do wonder if it runs the risk of falling in the "you can learn from trauma and get stronger" theme. I'll think about it, thank you for the video!
I actually saw this game on a channel called Alpha Beta Gamer so I thought the subject was interesting. One thing that I noticed was that the game had really good character animations.
I'm sorry, I saw the line: at 16:05 "Here's the little blue box for Joy" and immediately thought of "Joy", the drug from LISA: The Painful, that makes you feel nothing and gradually turn into a hideous mutant.
Nice catch my friend! It's on purpose yeah. I'm Decarnation's director/writer and Lisa The Painful is one of my favorite game. Without Lisa there would be no Decarnation. Also "Joy" works fine with what the character represents for Gloria. And Joy/"Glory"is also a nice combo I guess. And the blue box comes from Mulholland Drive. At some point I had to be careful with how I used all these reference, so the game doesnt become a sort of easter egg fest.
PUMP UP THE JAM! PUMP IT UP! WHILE YOUR FEET ARE STOMPING AND THE JAM IS PUMPING! LOOK AHEAD, THE CROWD IS JUMPING! PUMP IT UP A LITTLE MORE GET THE PARTY GOING ON THE DANCEFLOOR SEE, CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE PARTY'S AT AND YOU'D FIND OUT IF YOU DO THAT!
I feel like the game talks about how to overcome stalkhome syndrome And how the protagonist never gave up on finding ways to escape her captuere And how to find redemption with different versions of herself
4:33 Haven't played the game yet, but by the footage you've shown thus far, it seems to be at its core Perfect Blue - the game. An idol-like figure dealing with anxiety and the outside world manipulating her.
I just finished it in one sitting, I loved it so much, the way it seems to sell itself as "Perfect Blue meets Silent Hill" only to turn into something really hopeful is such a welcome surprise in a genre so full of cynical storytelling
This had been on my wishlist for about a year or so, I never play the demos of games I know I'm definitely buying, so after I finished chapter 1 and took a break, I played through chapter 2 all through to the ending in one go. Couldn't put it down, I was also wondering if the whole capture thing was happening inside Gloria's mind like you said, the game did a wonderful job of gaslighting even the player and huge props to that. Amazing soundtrack, but that last simon says minigame towards the end of the game, with the heart, can rot in hell. I had so much trouble with it and I'm not horrible with rhythm games myself, but the input wouldn't register correctly for some reason. It must've taken me 20+ tries. But yeah, overall amazing game, beautiful visuals as much as they were haunting. I'll definitely be thinking about it for some time to come and the soundtrack is a must purchase as well.
@@QuentDB And thank you for providing a meaningful gameplay experience, that's so rare in 2023! Also, idr the chapter, but the scene where the player can traverse through mud with sinkholes and trains in the background, I somehow clipped through that and the game registered the broken trains background as the walking field, and the mud (where you were supposed to use to traverse) as the wall/no-go area, it was the only bug I encountered, but it was funny.
@@PouresMaggie we fixed some of these issues too! Yea this scene, that we call "the subway pit" came late in the production and brought its huge amount of bugs haha. BTW patch1 is only on Steam for now. In a week or so patch2 arrives for Steam and 1+2 for Switch. Tons of fixes and improvements incoming!
I bought the game and played the whole way through in an afternoon and into the night. I just could not put it down. This video does a great job at explaining why (and omg I WISH I could have skipped that final heart puzzle. I was terrible at it lol)
I'm at least glad that I could bring awareness to this for you! Would be really peachy if the devs implemented a skip-function at some point, as I suggested in the video; it would make it accessible without losing too much of the overall experience imo.
I know exactly what you mean by the timing of the rhythm game! I'm almost sure that the notes are timed on the off-beat, I can't tell if it's supposed to be a stylistic choice or not though lol
Recently finished it and while it really is super-beautiful... it also plays it pretty safe somehow? Everything gets wrapped up neatly in the end and you even get to pet the dog. It's weird to say that about a game that has a mile long content warning but it left me with a smile and a good feeling.
Hey To be frank I've been struggling a lot with writing the end of the story. How dark/bright should it be? It's only a few months before the end of the project it ended up like that. Probably my main fear was that I turned into some stupid hollywoodish happy end. Regards, Quentin (Deca's creative director / writer)
Hey thank you for taking the time to answer. Reading the comments needs courage so I really appreciate it. [POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING] Endings are hard, yeah. I think it is a really tough decision and I don't think there is a right or a wrong one. It's your creative vision. In a way an upbeat ending makes the bitter parts more digestible. It is weird to say that about a character that goes through such a really bad time but I felt a little bit of... envy? Getting that final victory over the perpetrator, reconnecting to those we pushed away, building that safe space we visit in the finale... it is pure wish fullfilment for trauma survivors. Now it does gets me thinking after all. Why do I have no problems with the power fantasy of shooting up the hordes of hell in a video game but a "psychological" power fantasy of leaving behind this kind of experience without years of therapy makes me protest? Maybe I should apologize to Gloria. It's okay that you get to be happy. :)@@QuentDB
@@studiospecialplace Taking a guess, it's probably because the common expectation now is that if something is dark, then the ending should be horrible for the character as well. It's a very common ending now for the main character, after surviving so much, get a supposedly happy ending, only there to be a twist that it wasn't happy at all. At this point, the twist dark ending is the hollywood ending we're expecting. It's very rare for main characters in dark stories to get a win nowadays that Decarnation becomes refreshing and also uplifting.
@@QuentDBA bit late here, great game overall, as someone who liked Perfect Blue I have to say that it's basically its child in videogame form (which is a good thing). My biggest issue, mechanicwise, was with the heart rhythm part, I even almost thought of dropping the game there because I was getting frustrated since for some reason I couldn't get the timing right until all out of nowhere I did (and yet it still felt off). Aside from that, I had no problems with the minigames per se, in fact I actually appreciated that a game that was as story focused as this one didn't forget that it was, well, a videogame (I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much if all I had to do was walk from point A to B to advance the story). As for the ending, I have to admit that for once it's refreshing to see a "positive" ending to a dark story in a time where everyone wants to make dark endings, or "happy" endings that end up with a twist which makes them dark and whatnot. However, I have to agree that it felt too unrealistic and it almost broke my immersion, which sucked because I was really the story (I basically binged it in ~3 days). I think the biggest offender for me was Bob somehow surviving. When Olivia attacks him, she basically "drowns" him and walks outside very slowly. Yes, it's stated that she does call the ambulance later on, but realistically by the time it reaches Bob's house (which by the way I'm not sure how Gloria knew where it was since she was unconscious when she was brought there), he would be long dead by then. Another thing that worried me is what happened with the theater where Gloria worked at. It just conveniently got sold in a span of ~4 months, despite there not being foreshadowing of it doing "badly" enough to be sold (at least as far as I remember, I could be mistaken). And on the matter of the theater, I also felt like Gloria hitting her 30s and it making her "unappealing" to the public eye was a bit too much. Yes, I'm aware that it isn't 2023 and people from before looked 80ish in their 50s, but the difference between a 20-something and a 30 year old isn't that big, and Gloria looks like an active character who takes care of her body and keeps herself in shape, so I'd have bumped her age to at least 35+, which is when you can start noticing changes in your body which might make you "not as attractive" to others (white hair, you start having more "fat belly", wrinkles and etcetera). But despite this, I really loved the story, and the OST is so underrated, I really loved Boketto and I still listen to it to this day. I actually wished you had more attention, if it wasn't for this channel I wouldn't even have known of this game's existence.
Hey! Witch's house is a game I really enjoyed! In that genre maybe my two favs are Crooked Man and Ib. Try them if you haven't ;) Quentin (Decarnation's creative director)
I sadly can't do quick time events as I have a processing problem. By the time I can "understand" what I am seeing, the prompt is long gone. It is also why I can't play real time action games. D: It is why I used to stick to RPGs in all forms, buuuuuut they are being choked out. (Hell I can't even play Rune Factory well due to my shit brain, and it is sadly getting worse. I used to be able to play WoW. . . now I really can't) I hope I can watch a play through of this some day as this looks like an AMAZING game!!! I will probably gift my brother and his friend this game.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 85 | คู่เอก "ยอดเหล็กเพชร vs ผึ้งหลวง"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qq_19bnnxEo/mqdefault.jpg)
I played and beat Decartion over the weekend. I had such an interesting bug that I didn't catch for about 2 hours. The music track "Tout dépend de toi" NEVER ENDED. I played through a majority of the games most harrowing moments with that catchy poppy track endlessly on loop. I assumed it was to evoke an uneasy feeling out of the player so I never tried to do anything about it, but eventually I found it very comforting to hear.
I took a break to go out and get food eventually and was incredibly saddened and confused when to my surprise and horror the track was no longer playing when I booted the game back up. That song had become a constant little light at the end of the tunnel for my Gloria and for it to just be absent was jarring.
My experience with this game was incredibly different than most people's because of that bug and I think it makes me love it even more.
Haha that’s incredible
Awesome touch of happy little accidents ❤
I HAD THAT TOO! I thought it was because i was playing the switch version 😂 i also had moments where no music at all would play. I too thought it was intentional at first
@@dot8731 I was also playing the Switch version!
@@HannyaBoi that must be the reason why… i was noticing differences in gameplay between those that played on PC and my own gameplay experience but i didn’t have anyone else who played it on switch as well to compare it to! Thankfully none of the issues remained after the patch they released yesterday
Honestly, the banner art already won me over. Anything with art drawn for it that reminds me of the wonderful nightmare fuel that is Saya No Uta is something I want to play.
Honestly, that banner art is just so stunning.
@@RagnarRoxShow Have you ever played fear & hunger? I just fell into the rabbit hole. This is definitely a game that would interest you.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein Amazing games!
@@RagnarRoxShow Definitely agree. Would love a video from you about them.
@@RagnarRoxShow Please play Saya no Uta. It's one of the best lovecraft horror stories I've seen and a great romance to boot.
Fear of ageing, fear of being thrown away, relationship with another woman that doesn't last, Perfect Blue? It's as though this game was made for me.
Thank you for reviewing and recommending this, I'm picking this one up.
In all honesty, Ragnar, your transparency is both super refreshing and immensely inspiring. Thank you so much for making a difference in games journalism and media criticism as a whole!
Totally agree with this sentiment
I stopped watching about 10 minutes in to buy the game. It resonated with me so so deeply, this will be a game I remember for a long time. In particular, the quote about heart pounding. Is it fear or courage? if you are falling, it is fear. But if you push yourself forward and upward, it's courage. It completely changed the way I think about anxiety. Thank you for showing this game off!
Hey Kristel!
I'm so happy this element of the game could resonate with you.
I wish you all the best!
Regards,
Quentin (Decarnation's creative director / writer)
I didn’t know you struggled anhedonic depression. I get the feeling, you aren’t exactly sad but you just feel nothing; you feel like staring at the ceiling for hours without doing anything. But hey, this video was really cool and this game really seems to be right up my alley!
Appreciate the Philomena Cunk reference, I always love hearing about games I've never heard about on here. Horror in gaming is a genre much broader, older and more creative than what you find just looking at the hits.
I wanted to like this comment, as I also enjoyed the Cunk reference, but at the time of my writing this, it has exactly 69 likes, and I just… I can’t be the one to ruin that!
I caught that too, cracked me up.
inflate the condiments!
I looked this game up on Steam before the video started and Steam told me that it's similar to the Fear and Hunger sequel. Consider me both fascinated and concerned.
It is definitely not in mechanics though, just know that. Fear and Hunger is pure sadism in game design form (and I adore it for that, for the record) - Decarnation is way more approachable as a straightforward narrative.
That's "Tout dépend de toi" by Fleur et Bleue from the game's soundtrack.
As a Scotsman, hearing a Norwegian using the word "shite" really warmed my heart.
Really? I always get this cringy impression that someone wants to curse but tries to soften the harsh language with dialect. Like they're too embarrassed to just say "shit" plainly.
@@odinsrensen7460 Hmm, it's definitely not the impression I get. But everyone's different I suppose. I really like it when foreign students on my course start incorporating the Scottish dialect/words into their own vocabulary because it definitely makes me see them as part of the community a bit more.
@odinsrensen7460 I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, whether I say the actual curse or substitute a different word is largely influenced by my surroundings and the people I'm with. For example most of my friends don't care but one has a pretty strong distaste for crass language. So, I do my best to keep it down, out of respect, although she's never actually requested it. Then there's the more obvious situations like work or school. 🤷🏻♀️
5:36 NO!!!! I thought I escaped that song, it's seeping its way out of Cunk on Earth
Thank you for this joke, genuinely made my day
Fun fact about "Pump up the Jam": in Argentina, a Spanish cover of the song was used in a commercial to convey the message "Things are usually better in their original form", because they translated the lyrics literally -like "Inflate the marmalade", and when you read them that way it's hilarious 😂
This reminds me of the anime Perfect Blue. That one revolved around a star aging out of her profession and becoming an object of obsession.
he mentions it in the video
Hey!
Perfect Blue was a strong influence indeed.
Alongside Lynch's Mulholland Drive / Blue Velvet.
And the unknown novel The Blind Beast, by Edogawa Ranpo.
Regards,
Quentin (Deca's creative director)
It's nice of you to include the significance historical important of Pump Up the Jam in the video for a better context.
Thank you for bringing up the jumpscares! I'm usually not bothered by heavy subject matter, but as someone with an anxiety disorder, jumpscares can be very upsetting for me. Knowing about them beforehand will make it a little easier for me to play the game. I'm a big fan of Junji Ito and Satoshi Kon's work, so this seems like the kind of game I would enjoy, and I'll definitely be checking it out as soon as possible!
I'm glad that pointing it out reaches people; I know how heavy that can hit for people with anxiety struggles.
Genuinely appreciative of websites like wheresthejump for that matter.
I often thought it'd be fantastic if it became a more common accessibility thing in games to add a "Jumpscare-sensitivity" option in the settings, exclusively for those who struggle with them. This could either deactivate the loud noises or just give a warning on screen beforehand.
Would help those who need it without taking the suspense away for those who don't.
......Boo!
@@RagnarRoxShowi think its thoughtful that you also considered those with a disability while pointing out the few flaws the game has. I personally can’t play a game that has no option for accessibility regarding quick events, i am 1. Legally blind, and 2. Have a mobility issue, and so I struggle with that aspect that a lot of horror games have. Cult of the lamb have a lovely accessibility feature allowing for you to avoid the fishing feature (you have to click at a specific time, which I can’t, and it does it automatically for me)
i got this game at launch and im absolutely happy that i did. its one of the few (if not the first) games that i immediately got! i adored the demo so much, as short and sweet as it may be. one of the devs even replied to my feedback on it! i mentioned that it reminded me a lot of RPGMaker games and apparently, while the current game is in unity (as stated in 13:11) decarnation was an RPGMaker game at some point.
pardon the plethora of edits, though im glad im not the only one who deals with the whole "one session or get blocked" mentality when it comes to media. i notice this a lot when i pick up games or even shows, but somehow decarnation is one game i willingly came back to without that mental block. its quite special to me, relating to some of the subject material to immense degrees.
on a side note, im glad i finally finished a game you featured before you made a video on it haha
Yeah I've always felt weird about that mental block so I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with it!
That Pump Up The Jam bit just made me bust out laughing so hard
Gloria was really pumping up the jam 🤣🤣🤣
You've sold me on this game; it looks like something I would absolutely adore to play. I'd love to see a sequel to this review a few months from now when you've had time to process everything 😊
I can't afford it right now, but I will be playing the demo and adding it to my wishlist for when I have some extra money.
Just play the cracked versiob
The talk about the art exhibit, the statue, and and Ragnar talking about the "mask" really made me start thinking of Chambers' The King in Yellow.
Always love your deep cuts and insightful, thoughtful takes. I trust your opinion whereas i don’t many. Thanks
I will definitely be getting this one! Thank you for the great video! My God, the art design is amazing!
oh my gosh, how timely. writing this comment as a personal bookmark--i'm disabled & my condition degeneratively impacts my hand & finger mobility/dexterity, and have struggled for years with "doing life" (typing, writing, things i love--including gaming) and so have found myself 'soft locked' out of a lot of different experiences/titles even with the modifications ive made in my emulators & to my consoles. so, my habit with your channel--watch a video, let it sit for a couple years, return to that title & see how far i can get before my body says no (hoping it won't). this is how i discovered "norco"--a new lifelong favourite. rediscovering point & clicks has been brilliant. or, using your videos to revisit titles i can no longer play (or, not yet replay!!!) because of the aforementioned reasons--this is all context, not a pity party, for anyone that reads this
i had a pain mgmt+treatment shift a couple months ago that has minimised the pain enough to wrap finishing adaptive tool/equipment projects i've had sitting around for some years. so, for the *first time*, i'm discovering a title through your channel, and instead of watching your video and letting the memory decay enough to where i feel like i can experience the title (mostly) independent of your impressions--i'm able to go over to steam and get the game and experience it myself & KNOW i can complete it. and then come back to your video, lol. incredible how the most simple things now are inversely the most monumental--i've watched your channel for yeaaaars and never been able to do this before, i'm thrilled
purchased; cannot wait to edit this comment on the other side
So I wasn't the only one who saw the title art and immediately thought of Satoshi Kon? That's a relief!
5:32 the way I spiritually levitated when the punchline came swinging
If you're up for it, I'd love a fuller breakdown of the story and themes after the appropriate amount of time for spoilers has passed.
I just finished this! I avoided your video for a few days so that I could go in blind, and I'm glad I did. Such a cool experience.
Always a good month when a new Ragnar video comes out
Fantastic review! Really hoping you’ll revisit the game for a deep dive video. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the stuff that goes into spoilers and the themes later in the game. I’m a big fan of your extremely thoughtful commentary!
I told myself that I'd only watch a bit of this video and then stop since this is a game I'm planning to get and play at some point but I found the video so captivating that I ended up watching until the end. And now this game has definitely jumped up in priority, let's hope it goes on sale before the end of the year.
As an aside, it's nice to know I'm not the only one that can struggle to pick up a game again after the first session even when I like it, in recent times I've been prioritizing games I can finish in just one weekend just to circumvent that problem.
I love Earthbound inspired quirky RPG maker games that delve into dark topics. Indie game developers are truly unrivalled when it comes to creativity.
I missed your work!! Thank you for another video❤️
I can’t imagine how much better game reviews would be if people had the standards that you have.
Meat lady! Meat lady! Meat lady!
I *knew* this had to be inspired by RPG Maker games! The gameplay style, the puzzles and the heavy themes in horror were a giveaway XD Anyway, amazing vid, definitely has made me interested in playing this game
Great video, I love when you cover new indie games as well because it’s always something amazing
omg thank you for mentioning accessibility and need for warnings that made me so happy
Have you played Fear and Hunger? It seems right up your alley and I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it.
second this
I found out about it from him years ago
The Wordspiel with the Swansong LOOM-ing over the Character was so Perfectly crafted. The Whole time it Played in the Background i just could Think about Loom becous its so intervined with the Game for me Allready and then that droped. Just Perfect.
I saw this while searching for specifically psychological horror visual novels online and skipped past since it wasnt the game genre i was looking for, knowing more about it now tho, its definitely going on my list of games to play in the future!
I think I'll have this in my cart this summer, looks way up my alley, not to mention that the art is insanely gorgeous.
The main issue of the game is that everything that's related to the rhythm game (even the heart part, it seems) is slightly offbeat, which really makes the heart a lot harder than it needs to be. My headcanon now is that Gloria has arrhythmia.
Sorry for that. It was one of the oldest systems we made, and we started improving it toward the end and it became a mess.
We improved it in the last patch tho!
Regards,
Quentin (Deca's creative director)
@@QuentDB That was pretty much the only issue I had, everything else was pretty much a nitpick. It was solid and felt nice to experience. Thank you for the game!
@@HanaShimeji Thank you! Offbeat rythm game is pretty annoying, the critic was totally deserved!
I saw this video, heard the part where they let you do your own review and went out to buy it. I don't care if this game is my thing or not, that level of confidence in their work deserves to be rewarded.
I love your reviews for all these horror games I typically play them on while I work overnights and I hope you a long review on fear and hunger 1 and two I'd be interested in hearing you analyzing a setting like that
This review convinced me to get the game after sitting with your words for about a day and it's every bit as horrific and fantastic as I'd hoped. Already sank 20 hours into replaying it over and over with friends so they can share the experience too. So, thanks.
Just finished playing this for the first time. Thank you so much for this video, without which I and now many of my horror game player friends, would not have heard of this game. It might possibly be one of my favorite gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
I always love it to see you cover games I havent heard of before. There is only so much cool stuff I can find and play on my own.
Ofcourse its also interesting to see you focus on more well know titles since your videos approach games in a way that is vastly different from other videogame channels I know.
Much more appreciative and trying to highlight the subjects strength. In a way your videos feel like the games asked you for help with a job interview if that makes any sense.
I am so happy i found this channel, as it's an good way to learn of new or old old games. That are fun and a good way to fund games to play on a live stream
I actually had to stop this video halfway though and go play the game. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Thank you so much for making this video. I can now enjoy your video in full. Thank you for the analysis and review, you hooked me and I enjoyed it. Take care.
You shouldn't be surprised they wanted you to try the game Ragnar. Your like the top horror game channel. Your indepth videos are amazing. Just like the games you talk about, your videos are very detailed.
Cage Head is such a darling
This may be the first time I've ever seen a TH-cam video reference my favorite game of all time (Loom) and I'm so happy right now.
24:26 That‘s an absolute masterclass in musical reference. The guild is pleased.
You won me with Yamaoka, I didn't watch the video but still played it muted in the background, so thank you, I will play it.
Thank you for bringing more attention to this game. We must support indie games, that's where we find the most creative and passionate devs.
Have you played Blasphemous? I strongly recommend it. The sequel comes out later this Summer. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
Absolutely love Blasphemous!
Isn’t that by the same devs that made The Last Door?
@@marianatheschizoid5912 Yes, The Game Kitchen. Give it a try, it's fantastic.
@@AndréVilaFranca Cool, definitely gotta try it. I really liked The Last Door back in the day
I didn't realize how much I missed your voice, haha.
Great content as always. Thank you =)
I always get a big smile when i click a new video and RagnarRox starts narrating lol great stuff, as always!
I absolutely appreciate your thorough rundown keep it up😊
I just finished playing the whole game in one sitting after watching the first few minutes of the video this morning ^.^; Can't say enough good things about the game, thank you so much for highlighting it ! Really poignant stuff, can't wait to see you dive into it in the video !
The Cunk on Earth joke at 5:32 caught me totally off guard. I wonder how many people watched it and actually recognized it 🤣
Quite a few when I scrolled through the comments. I said the same thing. Caught me off guard too.
It's actually very strange that you didn't make a video about SIGNALIS. You really should check it out
Oh I've played it, it's absolutely phenomenal! It's hard to cover all the things that I'd like to considering how many topics I've queue'd up, so Signalis was one that I saw being covered by so many people already that I ended up focusing on other things less people were actively talking about.
@@RagnarRoxShow oh, thx for clarifying :). Still gonna w8 for your vid on this matter!
This looks interesting, I do like the inspirations it draws from. But watching further down the video I do wonder if it runs the risk of falling in the "you can learn from trauma and get stronger" theme. I'll think about it, thank you for the video!
Love how they use the Overlook Hotel carpeting in the apartments hallway
I actually saw this game on a channel called Alpha Beta Gamer so I thought the subject was interesting. One thing that I noticed was that the game had really good character animations.
Love the “Pump Up The Jam” reference
Hot fckn damn this game looks BEAUTIFUL and sounds amazing and I need to buy it yesterday.
Fantastic "Cunk on Earth" reference. (Pump up the Jam part)
I'm sorry, I saw the line: at 16:05
"Here's the little blue box for Joy"
and immediately thought of "Joy", the drug from LISA: The Painful, that makes you feel nothing and gradually turn into a hideous mutant.
Nice catch my friend! It's on purpose yeah.
I'm Decarnation's director/writer and Lisa The Painful is one of my favorite game. Without Lisa there would be no Decarnation.
Also "Joy" works fine with what the character represents for Gloria. And Joy/"Glory"is also a nice combo I guess.
And the blue box comes from Mulholland Drive.
At some point I had to be careful with how I used all these reference, so the game doesnt become a sort of easter egg fest.
Thank you for the footnote! Anhedonia. I'll need to remember that one for later.
Awesome work as always
8:45 that's like the beginning of the movie Blind Beast
PUMP UP THE JAM! PUMP IT UP!
WHILE YOUR FEET ARE STOMPING
AND THE JAM IS PUMPING!
LOOK AHEAD, THE CROWD IS JUMPING!
PUMP IT UP A LITTLE MORE
GET THE PARTY GOING ON THE DANCEFLOOR
SEE, CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE PARTY'S AT
AND YOU'D FIND OUT IF YOU DO THAT!
I feel like the game talks about how to overcome stalkhome syndrome
And how the protagonist never gave up on finding ways to escape her captuere
And how to find redemption with different versions of herself
ah Paris will always be Paris
That last heartbeat thing was making me mad Ragnar. Like I was doing it correctly!!!!
soooorry!! we balanced it in a patch on Steam (coming next week on Switch)
Loved this look at it! Ill definitely pick up the demo.
Got Perfect Blue vibes with its themes
4:33 Haven't played the game yet, but by the footage you've shown thus far, it seems to be at its core Perfect Blue - the game.
An idol-like figure dealing with anxiety and the outside world manipulating her.
Welp, I just finished Fear and Hunger second playthrough, and it looks like I'm going to experience new depression
Instant like and comment for the Cunk on Earth reference!
couldn't put this down, finished it in one go and it was fantastic
I just finished it in one sitting, I loved it so much, the way it seems to sell itself as "Perfect Blue meets Silent Hill" only to turn into something really hopeful is such a welcome surprise in a genre so full of cynical storytelling
video on fear and hunger when ? I think you will love it
this game looks great, and your video answers all the questions I would have had.
Ragnar upload on my day off, excellent!
Just Subscribed 😊😊
This had been on my wishlist for about a year or so, I never play the demos of games I know I'm definitely buying, so after I finished chapter 1 and took a break, I played through chapter 2 all through to the ending in one go. Couldn't put it down, I was also wondering if the whole capture thing was happening inside Gloria's mind like you said, the game did a wonderful job of gaslighting even the player and huge props to that. Amazing soundtrack, but that last simon says minigame towards the end of the game, with the heart, can rot in hell. I had so much trouble with it and I'm not horrible with rhythm games myself, but the input wouldn't register correctly for some reason. It must've taken me 20+ tries. But yeah, overall amazing game, beautiful visuals as much as they were haunting. I'll definitely be thinking about it for some time to come and the soundtrack is a must purchase as well.
Sorry for the heartbeat thingy! We patched it since then.
Thanks or your enthousiasm, that's heart... (hum) warming.
@@QuentDB And thank you for providing a meaningful gameplay experience, that's so rare in 2023! Also, idr the chapter, but the scene where the player can traverse through mud with sinkholes and trains in the background, I somehow clipped through that and the game registered the broken trains background as the walking field, and the mud (where you were supposed to use to traverse) as the wall/no-go area, it was the only bug I encountered, but it was funny.
@@PouresMaggie we fixed some of these issues too! Yea this scene, that we call "the subway pit" came late in the production and brought its huge amount of bugs haha.
BTW patch1 is only on Steam for now.
In a week or so patch2 arrives for Steam and 1+2 for Switch. Tons of fixes and improvements incoming!
@@QuentDB Thanks a lot for your support and dedication! Will be looking forward to any future projects from you and support however I can!
From the beginning of the video when the guy touching the statue I got Perfect Blue vibes.
I like the part where he says "It really makes you FEEL like a French cabaret dancer!"
eagerly waiting for your take on the Fear and Hunger games!
I'm so happy to know about this game, I really wanted to play something like this, also I would love if you covered fear and hunger 2: termina.
5:36 I also enjoyed "Cunk on Earth". Easily one of the funniest shows that has come out in the past 5 years.
I bought the game and played the whole way through in an afternoon and into the night. I just could not put it down. This video does a great job at explaining why (and omg I WISH I could have skipped that final heart puzzle. I was terrible at it lol)
I suck at action time puzzles, so I probably won't play it, but I would still buy it and would love to see a playthrough
Tracks by Akira Yamaoka? Already sold.
I am sad to say that I will be giving this a miss as a rhythmically impaired individual. Thank you for mentioning those segments.
I'm at least glad that I could bring awareness to this for you!
Would be really peachy if the devs implemented a skip-function at some point, as I suggested in the video; it would make it accessible without losing too much of the overall experience imo.
I know exactly what you mean by the timing of the rhythm game! I'm almost sure that the notes are timed on the off-beat, I can't tell if it's supposed to be a stylistic choice or not though lol
Recently finished it and while it really is super-beautiful... it also plays it pretty safe somehow?
Everything gets wrapped up neatly in the end and you even get to pet the dog.
It's weird to say that about a game that has a mile long content warning but it left me with a smile and a good feeling.
Hey
To be frank I've been struggling a lot with writing the end of the story. How dark/bright should it be? It's only a few months before the end of the project it ended up like that. Probably my main fear was that I turned into some stupid hollywoodish happy end.
Regards,
Quentin (Deca's creative director / writer)
Hey thank you for taking the time to answer. Reading the comments needs courage so I really appreciate it.
[POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING]
Endings are hard, yeah. I think it is a really tough decision and I don't think there is a right or a wrong one. It's your creative vision. In a way an upbeat ending makes the bitter parts more digestible.
It is weird to say that about a character that goes through such a really bad time but I felt a little bit of... envy? Getting that final victory over the perpetrator, reconnecting to those we pushed away, building that safe space we visit in the finale... it is pure wish fullfilment for trauma survivors.
Now it does gets me thinking after all. Why do I have no problems with the power fantasy of shooting up the hordes of hell in a video game but a "psychological" power fantasy of leaving behind this kind of experience without years of therapy makes me protest?
Maybe I should apologize to Gloria. It's okay that you get to be happy. :)@@QuentDB
@@studiospecialplace Taking a guess, it's probably because the common expectation now is that if something is dark, then the ending should be horrible for the character as well. It's a very common ending now for the main character, after surviving so much, get a supposedly happy ending, only there to be a twist that it wasn't happy at all. At this point, the twist dark ending is the hollywood ending we're expecting. It's very rare for main characters in dark stories to get a win nowadays that Decarnation becomes refreshing and also uplifting.
@@QuentDBA bit late here, great game overall, as someone who liked Perfect Blue I have to say that it's basically its child in videogame form (which is a good thing). My biggest issue, mechanicwise, was with the heart rhythm part, I even almost thought of dropping the game there because I was getting frustrated since for some reason I couldn't get the timing right until all out of nowhere I did (and yet it still felt off). Aside from that, I had no problems with the minigames per se, in fact I actually appreciated that a game that was as story focused as this one didn't forget that it was, well, a videogame (I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much if all I had to do was walk from point A to B to advance the story).
As for the ending, I have to admit that for once it's refreshing to see a "positive" ending to a dark story in a time where everyone wants to make dark endings, or "happy" endings that end up with a twist which makes them dark and whatnot. However, I have to agree that it felt too unrealistic and it almost broke my immersion, which sucked because I was really the story (I basically binged it in ~3 days).
I think the biggest offender for me was Bob somehow surviving. When Olivia attacks him, she basically "drowns" him and walks outside very slowly. Yes, it's stated that she does call the ambulance later on, but realistically by the time it reaches Bob's house (which by the way I'm not sure how Gloria knew where it was since she was unconscious when she was brought there), he would be long dead by then.
Another thing that worried me is what happened with the theater where Gloria worked at. It just conveniently got sold in a span of ~4 months, despite there not being foreshadowing of it doing "badly" enough to be sold (at least as far as I remember, I could be mistaken). And on the matter of the theater, I also felt like Gloria hitting her 30s and it making her "unappealing" to the public eye was a bit too much. Yes, I'm aware that it isn't 2023 and people from before looked 80ish in their 50s, but the difference between a 20-something and a 30 year old isn't that big, and Gloria looks like an active character who takes care of her body and keeps herself in shape, so I'd have bumped her age to at least 35+, which is when you can start noticing changes in your body which might make you "not as attractive" to others (white hair, you start having more "fat belly", wrinkles and etcetera).
But despite this, I really loved the story, and the OST is so underrated, I really loved Boketto and I still listen to it to this day. I actually wished you had more attention, if it wasn't for this channel I wouldn't even have known of this game's existence.
Anyone else getting "Witch's House" and "Saya no Uta" vides?
Hey! Witch's house is a game I really enjoyed! In that genre maybe my two favs are Crooked Man and Ib. Try them if you haven't ;)
Quentin (Decarnation's creative director)
love the philomena cunk reference
Another ace video!
I sadly can't do quick time events as I have a processing problem. By the time I can "understand" what I am seeing, the prompt is long gone. It is also why I can't play real time action games. D: It is why I used to stick to RPGs in all forms, buuuuuut they are being choked out. (Hell I can't even play Rune Factory well due to my shit brain, and it is sadly getting worse. I used to be able to play WoW. . . now I really can't) I hope I can watch a play through of this some day as this looks like an AMAZING game!!! I will probably gift my brother and his friend this game.
Was not expecting a Cunk reference at the start
I need to play this!