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Hoooly shit, this video unlocked so many memories for me. This game was a *phenomenon* with the circle of kids in my street back in the late 2000s because this internet cafe clerk guy (who's Japanese) was a huge fan of the series. It was like a secret code or a general interest to get a conversation going for kids from my street. Whenever he's booting it up on the cafe's crappy 1:1 monitor to play this game he always tells us to "look away" and that "this game is for big boys only!", of course that warning sounds like a challenge to a bunch of middleschoolers and we promptly get scared shitless from just huddling behind the guy and watching him play. He'd always translate the dialogue for us and teach us a thing or two about the language, but the best part about it all is hearing whoever the lucky bastard holding the controller is scream in sheer terror when we pass it around and having a good laugh about it LMAO Hell I'm willing to say it was a very heartwarming little weekly thing (despite the choice of game) seeing kids from completely different backgrounds and statuses just messing around and having fun As it currently stands, the clerk guy moved back to Japan in 2011 and the letters stopped coming a year later (when the cafe was turned into an office and later on abandoned) Our circle went separate ways when highschool came around or just from general life reasons. As much as this game kept me up late at night when I was younger (and probably scarred me to hell and back), it was definitely a one hell of an experience for me. 10/10
This game looks like it captured the Uncanny better than any other horror game ever made. Looking at it gives me chills. I've heard music from these games for years, and thought they were good but they didn't prepare me for the visuals
My dad took me to a video store in a different suburb when I was 9 years old in 2003, and said I could rent a PS2 game. As a very normal 9 year old girl would do, I picked Forbidden Siren! I booted it up to play, and got the scariest fucking piece of media I'd ever experienced. I genuinely cried myself to sleep that very night, imagining horrific faces at my window. Good times.
I was born and raised in Detroit, a place that stopped growing in the 60s-70s. I remember walking through abandoned houses and stores all the time with my dog when I was a kid, wandering farther from the house than I was supposed to.. But there wasn't many kids or people nearby, much of the neighborhood was burned down, abandoned, or simply just grass and fields with pavement showing you were city neighborhoods used to be. Games that have taken place in faithfully recreated ruins have always given me a strange feeling of comfort and sadness at the same time. I've always said that being in abandoned buildings can feel like being in so many places in time at once. You feel the echo of the past glory, while looking at the marks of all the people who have been in the room since it was abandoned. The last person to organize it. The person that walked through and left a bottle of booze. The people that through rocks through the window one day just for the quick satisfaction of the shattering glass. Sometimes you find parts that don't seem as abandoned as the others, they seem visited regularly for various reasons. Video games can give that sense of horror, inspection, and loneliness so well. I used too think I just found these things comforting because of where I grew up and exploring the buildings and places as a kid, growing up and painting them as I got older. However I've noticed that people who enjoy these games tend to have similar emotions towards them. There is something truly special about these places - whether the abandoned places you remember from childhood, an abandoned rural village in Japan, or an evacuated zone in Ukraine thats been abandoned since the days of the Soviet Union. Abandoned places are like physical memories or thoughts that exist in multiple parts of time at once, and I love them.
Similarly, I lived in Detroit and stayed there intermittently throughout my childhood- I really relate to having that feeling of melancholy seeing ruined houses and abandoned buildings in the area
The amount of passion clearly poured into this game is _staggering._ The graphics and art direction look genuinely like something that could've come out _this year_ out of the retro ps1/ps2 wave. I have no idea how I never heard of it! It's nice to see a game be this beloved by both fans and devs years after it's release, specially nowadays when even great, critically aclaimed titles so often come packaged with development horror stories or studio layoffs/shutdowns...
Yeah I'm very impressed with the work that went into this and she has a nice voice easy to listen to and suits the creepy theme no offense intended ofc
I am glad that you mention that SIREN is not an unreasonably difficult game, and that it is possible to reach the true ending with only the hints in the work and in the manual. In Japan, SIREN has a cult following that rivals or exceeds that of Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, and Silent Hill, and commentary videos and RTAs still abound. Still, I found this video to be very valuable for Japanese people as well. There are many videos that mention individual topics, such as discussions focusing only on the story, commentary describing the innovative gameplay, strategy, and behind-the-scenes stories of production and filming. However, there has never been a video that explains SIREN in an objective, comprehensive, and detailed manner from all perspectives for those who are unfamiliar with the game. This is one of the best first videos a SIREN fan can show to drag a friend who knows nothing about it into the swamp! However, although I was able to read it with no problem using the automatic translation, it would be even better if there was a Japanese translation, as some proper nouns such as Hanyu Snake Village, Shiro and Fallen Tatsuko are fannishly written. DeepLで翻訳しました
@@fulish1231 In the West . . . . Which reminds me Sweet Home the movie and game is basically responsible for what we consider Resident Evil and horror as a whole in the lead up to our current time in horrors' history. Very few people in the west know of Sweet Home, but the inverse could be said of Japan. It really depends on where you live and the amount of your own exposure in this case. By the way Sweet Home was luckily saved and uploaded on here legally, it is definitely worth a watch to see into the veil of movies for that era.
I love how dedicated and close the entire development team was. Everybody did their part, and everybody was recognized for it. You just absolutely love to see it.
Fun fact: the reason spiders legs curl up when they die is because they use blood pressure to extend their legs and walk and when theyre dead they lack that pressure and their legs contract.
I think it's just a hard game to get into. Siren blood curse is also locked to the PlayStation store so it's hard to get the actual game, let alone understanding it.
Hopefully you get your Silver Play Button soon, because you certainly deserve it. Everything from your topic choices, research, editing, and voiceover work are ace.
You've just brought back a DEEP memory of reading about this game in GameInformer as a child and being both incredibly curious and scared shitless of this title. Thank you for letting me experience it through your work!
I remember watching screenshots in a gaming magazine in 2003 when I was a kid and the face of a shibito scared me so much that I remembered it years later when I searched for the name of this game.
@@Croftmaniac05 yo same. I think the fact that they're silent, still images conveys an even worse sense of dread because now you've got your imagination filling in the games lol
i love the photorealistic face motion, it was so original sadly they stopped using it since they using face cgi i hope indie game can capture the feel from siren game
A while back, I spent several breathless days immersing myself in anything Siren I could find on this site. It pleases me to no end to not only see new content about it, but to learn there's even more *old* content that I was never aware of existing! Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication in sharing this information with everyone.
I have always had a weird soft spot for forbidden siren growing up. I even remember writing a film for it when I was 15. It was awful. I always have time to listen about Siren.
I think this might be the first review I've seen of Siren to mention the alternative method for the "towel" puzzle. I'm glad you did because many of the secondary objective requirements do have backup solutions if you did not find the prerequisites for the normal solution. In fact, you can complete every secondary objective prior to unlocking direct control of the link navigator without meeting their supposed prerequisite. They all have some backup method. The first required prerequisite is for Naoko's secondary mission where she needs to incapacitate all Shibito, which funny enough is the EXACT mission that unlocks the link navigator. The game can get a little janky, but it's to the team's credit that if you do miss any secondary objective prerequisites, you're not forced to repeat the loop again. At least as long as you don't give up.
That's one of my favorite parts of this game, honestly. There are so many "alternate solutions" to the puzzles, and many levels end up feeling like a small hub world, where you're free to experiment and figure things out, even if they don't conform to what the devs intended.
I adore siren, it's so good to finally seeing it getting some well deserved attention. It is also lovely finding people in the community too! I've found it hard to find a place to talk about it with fans, so it's nice to see a little buzz in the comments lately. Loving the video, can't wait to see more from you!
After Silent Hill, Forbidden Siren is my favourite horror game! The gaming world wasn't prepared for that, if it was released today, it would be praised by its difficulty and art style 🖤Edit: your thumbnail is NIGHTMARE FUEL 😭
Forbidden Siren is less like a survival horror and more like this weird camera puzzle that wants you to keep going at it until you figure out exactly how to give all the enemies the slip. It re-contextualizes what people expect out of a game like this when a lot of other survival horrors want you to just conserve ammo and stand your ground when absolutely necessary.
man, I sure love watching long form videos of games I've never heard of. No, really in all seriousness, I really love how this video wasn't just a beat by beat retelling of what happened in the story, and instead took the time to go over the unique quirks, story details, gameplay etc. and I really appreciate that, and I just think this video's structure and production quality is amazing!
Tremendous video from you as always. Imagine doing this for all Siren games, throw in your playthroughs with commentary giving your insights and impressions, that would be the most definite Siren material on TH-cam.
Siren is probably my favorite survival horror game and I am totally floored by the amount of love, passion, and work that you put into this. The presentation of interview quotes put a big smile on my face. Thank you so much for this!
One of the greatest and most ambitious horror games ever made, bar none. Fantastic video: exceedingly well researched, edited, paced, and narrated, with fun cameos from other video essayists. Siren is criminally underrepresented in modern horror discourse, and seeing someone put this much love and appreciation into its truly astounding level of depth is almost a relief, in a way. Thank you thank you thank you!! ❤
Siren is a series that I have been obsessed with for some time, and this video does it more than enough justice. I especially appreciated the voiceovers from various content creators that, through some way or another, have also given their own take on this wonderfully cursed video game.
Glad to see how much this channel has grown; a very refreshing presence in online gaming discourse. I hope the trajectory continues upwards, it’s all vibes here. So tired of the hot-take merchants & 4-hour monologues
This is sort of a 1.5-hour monologue but it's a very well-made one about a game that I've never heard of and would probably never have played because I don't have a PlayStation. I still haven't played it, but if I ever do, it will be because of this video and only because of this video.
Fantastic video. I played this game on PS2 to 100% and I adore it. But I've never seen all that extra stuff on the websites and all that. So cool to see it. Thank you for covering all this!
Phenomenal job on this video! It sucks the websites aren’t up anymore. I remember being very young and playing with the site, it was so fun. I still play this game from time to time.
i love how much effort was put into old games like this clearly has so much heart and soul on top of the game it has multiple websites that add to lore and emersion and the manga and old game manuals that have character bios and hints tips tricks just dont make em like they used to
I LOVE FORBIDDEN SIREN. As a kid this game was so alluring and mysterious to me. Like it was some sort of 'forbidden' game like the name suggests. Glad to hear its getting more attention.
This is the first video of this channel that I watched, and I absolutely love it! Siren has been THE scariest horror game I've played, largely because of the goddamn creepy but successful art design of the shibitos. I've almost watched all the videos about Siren analysis on TH-cam, and rarely found one dedicated to the art of this sequal. So can you imagine how surprised and happy (and scared, haha) I am now?! Thank you so much for the in-depth analysis! Love it!!!
Wonderfully eloquent love letter to a game I casually dismissed years ago. You've convinced me to practice patience and give it another go, as this experience seems well worth the effort required. Thank you for creating this video. It's been inspiring to see you progress all the way from Wild World to where you are today!
I love the uncanny look of siren's characters. The face texture animations are amazing. The whole setting and plot is also amazing. Its a perfect monster and cosmic horror story and it uses both classic and environmental storytelling perfectly. Few things are fully explained, lots of things are implied, and the threat is more about getting trapped in an endless hellish existence (and time loop) rather than just weird zombies, even though it starts as a regular zombie game. The fact you can literally see things through your enemies' eyes (even playing as a character that is in the process of becoming a shibito) is also an incredible feature that elevates the experience to another level. The fact that the shibito see the world in their own twisted ways adds a lot to the creepyness.
The amount of effort that has been put into this video is much appreciated. I've never even heard of the Siren series until this video, but I was genuinely intrigued by them. Seems like a truly well crafted game.
To this day the first scene where you're learning about the radio, and you change frequencies, you see static and then yourself, from the point of view of an enemy, very close to you; is one of the very few moments from a game not Silent Hill to actually scare me and fill me with dread.
The plot of siren is very similiar to Bloodborne's Old Huhters DLC. The otherworldly entity appears in a starving village and gets consumed. It curses the people and locks them in time
The Old Hunters DLC is also derived from Junji Ito's Uzumaki which also impacts this- also both Siren and Bloodborne draw from hp Lovecraft as inspiration hence the similarities. I would love if Hidetaka Miyazaki played Siren and realized how much DNA his titles share with Toyama's titles despite them seemingly never interacting. I'd say SIREN was so far ahead of its time, it equals the similarly difficult and esoteric Souls titles but without the audience to recieve it.
Beautifully explained and researched, this is an amazing work of annalysis!! This game is such an intresting concept, and their take of time loops is so good. Also, a massive Thank You from all of us hard of hearing for adding Captions
I 100% this game, not because it's my favorite horror media of all time, not because I absolutely loved the story, but because I knew I wouldn't be playing this game a 2nd time because of how scary it is! And that's the biggest compliment I can give it. While playing this game I had really freaky dreams even though I've played it as a full grown adult. There is so much creepiness in the game that I really want to write my own story by borrowing elements from it. To me it surpasses even Silent Hill 2, I truly believe in terms of scare factor this is #1. I don't want to write spoilers but a lot of the stuff that goes on in the game is insanely creative and seemingly out of nowhere. Thank you again eurothug4000, you deserve all the subscribers for amazing horror game analysis!
I love how Forbidden Siren has gone from being this quasi-obscure oddity with barely any videos about it, to getting these full blown video essays dedicated to it. I remember being absolutely spooked by the trailers and demo of the first game when it came out, so much so that I felt unable to go and play it all these years later. I keep meaning to hunt down a copy of it for my PS2 along with it's sequel, but it was always put in the backburner. I might have to do that soon before the prices start getting too out of hand!
Thank you so much for this video! I have watched a lot of videos on siren but none that actually cover the story as in-depth as you, and detailing the marine inspiration behind the shibito was so fascinating! ALSO having actual up close videos of the shibito was so nice to see, cause trying to find good images of them online IS A NIGHTMARE!
i love how inherently human this game is, from its creation to the game itself to the process of playing it… they really dont make them like this anymore
I’ve played it, and watched a few things related to Siren, but you’ve enlightened so much. Your thematic analysis scratches an itch that so many in this space don’t even begin to touch. Plus, the comprehensive research really puts you a cut above the rest. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Man I really miss Japan Studio, they cranked out a lot of odd ball titles within the confines of a major publisher (which is honestly crazy to think about nowadays). They even shared hands with From Software with Bloodborne which definitely pulls inspiration from Forbidden Siren, especially Old Hunters while also showing off really well-done recontextualized Shinto themes and imagery.
I’m genuinely impressed at the facial animations of this game, doing what LA Noire tried to popularize but years before it. They do look slightly uncanny, but given the game’s atmosphere, it work very well for what they’re going for.
"She also ends up turning into a dog Shibito too, which I can’t imagine was what she was going for." It's moments like this that Eurothug4000 puts in that keep me on my toes when watching a video.
I have just watched 5 minutes, but I noticed the ticking clock in the video is correspondent to the youtube video itself! Nice artistic touch! I love this kind of clock, its very stress inducing.
Hello, discovered you through this video and i just gotta say, wow, incredible work. I can tell a lot of care, love, and research went into this, and being someone who desires more Siren content, this was definitely a sight to see being recommended to me. Subbing and watching from here on out.
Okay I just wanna tell you, I love all the close-up shots of all the characters and environments you did for this video, made this video super comfy to watch. I love how in-depth you went in to everything, and even referencing the manga for the character backgrounds. This has to be one of the most detailed videos on the first game out there.
I am too much of a wimp to actually play horror games but I really enjoyed this video - it was fantastic quality and really got across your love for the game. I'm looking forward to checking out your other videos!
This game is so nostalgic to me and weirdly comforting. Don't get me wrong, I'm still scared and tormented by this game as an adult. But this game to me was a time when my family would come together. We would set days where we'd play through games like Forbidden Siren, Silent Hill and Project Zero (also known as Fatal Frame). We'd shut the curtains, grab snacks and blankets and all huddle up on our couches to watch my dad play through these games. I was very young, around 4-6 years old but they're still very fond memories to me. My sisters also still remember them fondly. I love horror because of these games but i can't say they didn't affect me, being so young. I still see some of the monsters/enemies when I'm in the dark (I'm now 25) and because of that, I'm still afraid of the dark. It's a strange love/fear relationship 😂
My favorite PS2 game. Always nice to see it get some recognition. For me the greatest horror game ever created. I've been playing this game since it came out in 2004, I know everything in this game by heart... yet it still feels scary and can get me anxious every time I replay it. The gameplay design, the depressive atmosphere, the soundtrack and sound design, the PS2 era graphics and the colors used, the shibito design and the sounds they make and of course the sightjack mode, everything in this game came together perfectly and I doubt we will ever see such a carefully crafted horror game again. While Forbidden Siren 2 and Blood Curse are awesome as well, the atmosphere on those 2 is lacking compared to Siren 1. They just can't give you the same level of anxiety and fear as Siren 1. But overall the greatest horror series ever created for me : P
Your coverage of the game is superb, and I loved watching this to fall asleep to. hearing your in game raw reactions to some of these moments you had a fright to or a tough time figuring out would would be so fun to hear in addition to your already well written essay. Much love
This game feels like if David Lynch directed a Lovecraft adaptation, but instead of putting in some of the quirky humor of "Twin Peaks," it leans HARD into the "Inland Empire" surreal horror Edit: I just got to the Junji Ito inspiration being mentioned, and duh that makes sense
I have a ton of appreciation for this games even though I didn't enjoy playing them myself. I think it adds a lot more clarity to the design choices seeing that they were trying to get players together to discuss strategy outside of the game. Great video!
I played this game for the first time about a year ago and thoroughly loved it, but I was pretty disappointed to see the lack of videos about it (at least in English). This video really does justice to it, and I learned a lot that I had no idea about. Also great to hear surprise appearances by folks like Super Eyepatch Wolf. You really went all out and it shows!
the making of this game is really cool, I love that they went exploring themselves and even recorded sound effects from these places. Something about that adds a lovely personal touch to Siren, you really do feel the love that was put into it!
My favourite game of all time. The gameplay might be a little rough on the edges but I have always felt fascinated by the story, characters and setting. I remember as a kid new to youtube and the Internet looking in all places for more information about this game and then looking like crazy to my friends when talking about the shibito and Datatsushi haha
Stumbled upon this video today on my daily commute. It was an enjoyable listen while I worked. Fascinating and wonderfully narrated. I can't wait to check out more of your stuff 😄
i remember watching a playthrough of siren when i was younger and enjoying it a lot. i was a huge wimp (still am) so id rarely finish horror game playthroughs, but for some reason, i couldnt keep my eyes off the screen watching siren despite its terrifying imagery. i had no idea it was so lovingly crafted! this video made me like this game even more. thanks for making it !!!
This video hits hard for me, cause before silent hill, RE series, Siren was the first horror game that I played, still remember been frustrated and excited at the same time playing this incredible game, amazing video as always and I will wait for the next Siren video!! Cheers
I hit the “Looking For Something Different” button on my feed, it took me here and now I’m blown away at how I never came across this channel before because I LOVE this style of content, just subbed and currently binge watch this entire channel 👍
This is a fantastic video. Forbidden Siren is one of my favourite series of all time, and your video has so much insight and detail i would never have seen for myself. I thank you for making such an impressive documentary. I remember as a kid i used to have an official PS2 magazine demo disk including Forbidden Siren 2, and it gave me nightmares for weeks, maybe even months, to the point that I couldnt sleep if I was turned over towards the shelf on which i placed the disk. Silly, for sure, but shows how much impact this series had for me.
I loved how you reproduced the Siren timer with the actual video timestamp, that attention to detail is unnecessary but it just elevates the quality of the video
It's always so nice seeing Siren get the love it deserves. Sure it can be particularly difficult and confusing in places, but I just found myself completely enveloped by it. I still need to finish Forbidden Siren 2 and definitely need to replay Blood Curse. Great video.
as someone who watched a lets play and then playing it, this game is what i feel like pathologic was, basically a suffering simulator, also seriously underrated
you have no idea how glad I am seeing this masterpiece of a game finally get recognition and an amazing description of it at that. timeless both the video and the game
This is my favorite video covering Siren by far, love the hell out of this game and cant get it out of my mind so massive thanks for this badass video!
I remember when I first discovered this game I absolutely loved the pacing and way it told its story and not to mention the fear you feel playing through it was so unmatched
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Thanks so much for watching everyone!!
Hoooly shit, this video unlocked so many memories for me.
This game was a *phenomenon* with the circle of kids in my street back in the late 2000s because this internet cafe clerk guy (who's Japanese) was a huge fan of the series. It was like a secret code or a general interest to get a conversation going for kids from my street. Whenever he's booting it up on the cafe's crappy 1:1 monitor to play this game he always tells us to "look away" and that "this game is for big boys only!", of course that warning sounds like a challenge to a bunch of middleschoolers and we promptly get scared shitless from just huddling behind the guy and watching him play.
He'd always translate the dialogue for us and teach us a thing or two about the language, but the best part about it all is hearing whoever the lucky bastard holding the controller is scream in sheer terror when we pass it around and having a good laugh about it LMAO
Hell I'm willing to say it was a very heartwarming little weekly thing (despite the choice of game) seeing kids from completely different backgrounds and statuses just messing around and having fun
As it currently stands, the clerk guy moved back to Japan in 2011 and the letters stopped coming a year later (when the cafe was turned into an office and later on abandoned)
Our circle went separate ways when highschool came around or just from general life reasons.
As much as this game kept me up late at night when I was younger (and probably scarred me to hell and back), it was definitely a one hell of an experience for me. 10/10
what a wholesome story
What a precious time
holy shit thats so wholesome, I love it! Children really need more horror media I stg
Thank you for sharing that story. It isn't very often that a comment is more entertaining than the video
I had a pretty similar experience with this exact game in my childhood too. So awesome!
absolutely blown away by the genius of the “I sure wouldn’t want my sight jacked, it’s a total breach of PRIVACY” that led into the sponsor.
I laughed so hard while writing that line 😭 I was like fuck it I’m keeping it in LMAO
This game looks like it captured the Uncanny better than any other horror game ever made. Looking at it gives me chills. I've heard music from these games for years, and thought they were good but they didn't prepare me for the visuals
I'm a big fan of the Siren series, but deSPIRIA beats it in the uncanny department.
Silent Hill (on which the creator of Forbidden Siren worked on) definitely achieved it as well.
@@Kageryushin lolwut
Bro what are you on? The music is scary as heck it ain't like silent hill where you could be fooled by its music
The PS3 failed to capture "the look" of the original opting for generic 3d models instead of model photo hybrids. A crying shame.
My dad took me to a video store in a different suburb when I was 9 years old in 2003, and said I could rent a PS2 game. As a very normal 9 year old girl would do, I picked Forbidden Siren! I booted it up to play, and got the scariest fucking piece of media I'd ever experienced. I genuinely cried myself to sleep that very night, imagining horrific faces at my window. Good times.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that was absolutely terrified of their faces.
I was born and raised in Detroit, a place that stopped growing in the 60s-70s. I remember walking through abandoned houses and stores all the time with my dog when I was a kid, wandering farther from the house than I was supposed to.. But there wasn't many kids or people nearby, much of the neighborhood was burned down, abandoned, or simply just grass and fields with pavement showing you were city neighborhoods used to be.
Games that have taken place in faithfully recreated ruins have always given me a strange feeling of comfort and sadness at the same time. I've always said that being in abandoned buildings can feel like being in so many places in time at once. You feel the echo of the past glory, while looking at the marks of all the people who have been in the room since it was abandoned. The last person to organize it. The person that walked through and left a bottle of booze. The people that through rocks through the window one day just for the quick satisfaction of the shattering glass. Sometimes you find parts that don't seem as abandoned as the others, they seem visited regularly for various reasons. Video games can give that sense of horror, inspection, and loneliness so well.
I used too think I just found these things comforting because of where I grew up and exploring the buildings and places as a kid, growing up and painting them as I got older. However I've noticed that people who enjoy these games tend to have similar emotions towards them. There is something truly special about these places - whether the abandoned places you remember from childhood, an abandoned rural village in Japan, or an evacuated zone in Ukraine thats been abandoned since the days of the Soviet Union. Abandoned places are like physical memories or thoughts that exist in multiple parts of time at once, and I love them.
Similarly, I lived in Detroit and stayed there intermittently throughout my childhood- I really relate to having that feeling of melancholy seeing ruined houses and abandoned buildings in the area
The amount of passion clearly poured into this game is _staggering._ The graphics and art direction look genuinely like something that could've come out _this year_ out of the retro ps1/ps2 wave. I have no idea how I never heard of it!
It's nice to see a game be this beloved by both fans and devs years after it's release, specially nowadays when even great, critically aclaimed titles so often come packaged with development horror stories or studio layoffs/shutdowns...
The chapter cards showing the actual timecode of the video is so sick and such a nice touch. Editing effort appreciated 👌🏻
All the text following the theme of the game is nice too
Yeeaa I came looking for this comment. I wonder how many people noticed it.
And yet no chapters, or timestamps, or any other conveniences regular long form has
agreed
Yeah I'm very impressed with the work that went into this and she has a nice voice easy to listen to and suits the creepy theme no offense intended ofc
I am glad that you mention that SIREN is not an unreasonably difficult game, and that it is possible to reach the true ending with only the hints in the work and in the manual.
In Japan, SIREN has a cult following that rivals or exceeds that of Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, and Silent Hill, and commentary videos and RTAs still abound.
Still, I found this video to be very valuable for Japanese people as well.
There are many videos that mention individual topics, such as discussions focusing only on the story, commentary describing the innovative gameplay, strategy, and behind-the-scenes stories of production and filming.
However, there has never been a video that explains SIREN in an objective, comprehensive, and detailed manner from all perspectives for those who are unfamiliar with the game.
This is one of the best first videos a SIREN fan can show to drag a friend who knows nothing about it into the swamp!
However, although I was able to read it with no problem using the automatic translation, it would be even better if there was a Japanese translation, as some proper nouns such as Hanyu Snake Village, Shiro and Fallen Tatsuko are fannishly written.
DeepLで翻訳しました
@@fulish1231 In the West . . . . Which reminds me Sweet Home the movie and game is basically responsible for what we consider Resident Evil and horror as a whole in the lead up to our current time in horrors' history. Very few people in the west know of Sweet Home, but the inverse could be said of Japan. It really depends on where you live and the amount of your own exposure in this case. By the way Sweet Home was luckily saved and uploaded on here legally, it is definitely worth a watch to see into the veil of movies for that era.
I love how dedicated and close the entire development team was. Everybody did their part, and everybody was recognized for it. You just absolutely love to see it.
I suppose it's the Japanese Way of Working.
Fun fact: the reason spiders legs curl up when they die is because they use blood pressure to extend their legs and walk and when theyre dead they lack that pressure and their legs contract.
so grateful whenever someone makes a video about this game bc it is criminally unrecognized for how scary it actually is
I think it's just a hard game to get into.
Siren blood curse is also locked to the PlayStation store so it's hard to get the actual game, let alone understanding it.
Hopefully you get your Silver Play Button soon, because you certainly deserve it. Everything from your topic choices, research, editing, and voiceover work are ace.
that’s so nice of you to say! 😭❤️ appreciate the support!
YES! Some Siren franchise appreciation.
I am a huge fan of your video essays, so i am so glad to see a video about one of my favourite games ever.
You've just brought back a DEEP memory of reading about this game in GameInformer as a child and being both incredibly curious and scared shitless of this title. Thank you for letting me experience it through your work!
same lol (though it was a different magazine for me), I went on to tell my friends about the game as if I played it myself
I remember watching screenshots in a gaming magazine in 2003 when I was a kid and the face of a shibito scared me so much that I remembered it years later when I searched for the name of this game.
And you just brought back a deep memory by mentioning Gameinformer, lol
@@Croftmaniac05 yo same. I think the fact that they're silent, still images conveys an even worse sense of dread because now you've got your imagination filling in the games lol
That’s so cool.
i love the photorealistic face motion, it was so original sadly they stopped using it since they using face cgi
i hope indie game can capture the feel from siren game
there is a lot of indie game who use it, espiecaly in Chilla's art games on steam
A while back, I spent several breathless days immersing myself in anything Siren I could find on this site. It pleases me to no end to not only see new content about it, but to learn there's even more *old* content that I was never aware of existing! Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication in sharing this information with everyone.
This is so well put together. Especially love the clock/timer on the interview graphics.
I have always had a weird soft spot for forbidden siren growing up. I even remember writing a film for it when I was 15. It was awful.
I always have time to listen about Siren.
There is a movie adaptation too, from 2006, have you seen it? if not, check it out.
ah i love looking back at my own creations and cringe 🥲 i wrote a fanfic about kyoya and miyako 😭💀 it was so bad
lol I wrote a godawful Resident Evil film script when I was about fifteen.
I did the same thing with RE as well. It was about a Charlie team that went to the mansion. Just typing that made me cringe. @@bluevioletandlilac
@@ir0npichulka I did, as I remember it is like a "realistic" adaptation. Cheap and not interesting.
I think this might be the first review I've seen of Siren to mention the alternative method for the "towel" puzzle. I'm glad you did because many of the secondary objective requirements do have backup solutions if you did not find the prerequisites for the normal solution. In fact, you can complete every secondary objective prior to unlocking direct control of the link navigator without meeting their supposed prerequisite. They all have some backup method. The first required prerequisite is for Naoko's secondary mission where she needs to incapacitate all Shibito, which funny enough is the EXACT mission that unlocks the link navigator.
The game can get a little janky, but it's to the team's credit that if you do miss any secondary objective prerequisites, you're not forced to repeat the loop again. At least as long as you don't give up.
That's one of my favorite parts of this game, honestly. There are so many "alternate solutions" to the puzzles, and many levels end up feeling like a small hub world, where you're free to experiment and figure things out, even if they don't conform to what the devs intended.
I adore siren, it's so good to finally seeing it getting some well deserved attention. It is also lovely finding people in the community too! I've found it hard to find a place to talk about it with fans, so it's nice to see a little buzz in the comments lately.
Loving the video, can't wait to see more from you!
After Silent Hill, Forbidden Siren is my favourite horror game! The gaming world wasn't prepared for that, if it was released today, it would be praised by its difficulty and art style 🖤Edit: your thumbnail is NIGHTMARE FUEL 😭
Forbidden Siren is less like a survival horror and more like this weird camera puzzle that wants you to keep going at it until you figure out exactly how to give all the enemies the slip. It re-contextualizes what people expect out of a game like this when a lot of other survival horrors want you to just conserve ammo and stand your ground when absolutely necessary.
man, I sure love watching long form videos of games I've never heard of. No, really in all seriousness, I really love how this video wasn't just a beat by beat retelling of what happened in the story, and instead took the time to go over the unique quirks, story details, gameplay etc. and I really appreciate that, and I just think this video's structure and production quality is amazing!
Tremendous video from you as always. Imagine doing this for all Siren games, throw in your playthroughs with commentary giving your insights and impressions, that would be the most definite Siren material on TH-cam.
Siren is probably my favorite survival horror game and I am totally floored by the amount of love, passion, and work that you put into this. The presentation of interview quotes put a big smile on my face. Thank you so much for this!
Is there a way to play it on PC?
@@frost-80 The PS2 version emulates decently!
One of the greatest and most ambitious horror games ever made, bar none. Fantastic video: exceedingly well researched, edited, paced, and narrated, with fun cameos from other video essayists.
Siren is criminally underrepresented in modern horror discourse, and seeing someone put this much love and appreciation into its truly astounding level of depth is almost a relief, in a way. Thank you thank you thank you!! ❤
Siren is a series that I have been obsessed with for some time, and this video does it more than enough justice. I especially appreciated the voiceovers from various content creators that, through some way or another, have also given their own take on this wonderfully cursed video game.
Glad to see how much this channel has grown; a very refreshing presence in online gaming discourse. I hope the trajectory continues upwards, it’s all vibes here. So tired of the hot-take merchants & 4-hour monologues
This is sort of a 1.5-hour monologue but it's a very well-made one about a game that I've never heard of and would probably never have played because I don't have a PlayStation. I still haven't played it, but if I ever do, it will be because of this video and only because of this video.
Fantastic video. I played this game on PS2 to 100% and I adore it. But I've never seen all that extra stuff on the websites and all that. So cool to see it. Thank you for covering all this!
Phenomenal job on this video! It sucks the websites aren’t up anymore. I remember being very young and playing with the site, it was so fun. I still play this game from time to time.
Was so happy to see this come up on my feed. It was very fun to hear all the tidbits and developer words you dug on siren.
i love how much effort was put into old games
like this clearly has so much heart and soul
on top of the game it has multiple websites that add to lore and emersion and the manga
and old game manuals that have character bios and hints tips tricks
just dont make em like they used to
LETS GOOOOO LONGEST VID EVER!!!
LETS GOOOO 🔥🔥🔥
Pssshh, this ain't nothin', it's only an hour and a half.
@@Nerdicaful dude the script was 35 pages long
Hiding in Private's "Persona 4 Analysis."
Wendigo has entered the chat
This video clarified many unanswered questions about the story, thanks so much!
I LOVE FORBIDDEN SIREN. As a kid this game was so alluring and mysterious to me. Like it was some sort of 'forbidden' game like the name suggests. Glad to hear its getting more attention.
This is the first video of this channel that I watched, and I absolutely love it!
Siren has been THE scariest horror game I've played, largely because of the goddamn creepy but successful art design of the shibitos.
I've almost watched all the videos about Siren analysis on TH-cam, and rarely found one dedicated to the art of this sequal.
So can you imagine how surprised and happy (and scared, haha) I am now?!
Thank you so much for the in-depth analysis! Love it!!!
Wonderfully eloquent love letter to a game I casually dismissed years ago. You've convinced me to practice patience and give it another go, as this experience seems well worth the effort required.
Thank you for creating this video. It's been inspiring to see you progress all the way from Wild World to where you are today!
I love the timer and font, that revived the Siren memories for me. Nice attention to detail.
I love the uncanny look of siren's characters. The face texture animations are amazing.
The whole setting and plot is also amazing. Its a perfect monster and cosmic horror story and it uses both classic and environmental storytelling perfectly. Few things are fully explained, lots of things are implied, and the threat is more about getting trapped in an endless hellish existence (and time loop) rather than just weird zombies, even though it starts as a regular zombie game.
The fact you can literally see things through your enemies' eyes (even playing as a character that is in the process of becoming a shibito) is also an incredible feature that elevates the experience to another level. The fact that the shibito see the world in their own twisted ways adds a lot to the creepyness.
The amount of effort that has been put into this video is much appreciated. I've never even heard of the Siren series until this video, but I was genuinely intrigued by them. Seems like a truly well crafted game.
To this day the first scene where you're learning about the radio, and you change frequencies, you see static and then yourself, from the point of view of an enemy, very close to you; is one of the very few moments from a game not Silent Hill to actually scare me and fill me with dread.
The plot of siren is very similiar to Bloodborne's Old Huhters DLC. The otherworldly entity appears in a starving village and gets consumed. It curses the people and locks them in time
What’s The Old Huhters 😂
@@akimbofresh8109It’s a the name of a DLC from the FromSoftware game Bloodborne.
I think you mean The Old Hunters is like Siren, since Siren came out earlier.
The Old Hunters DLC is also derived from Junji Ito's Uzumaki which also impacts this- also both Siren and Bloodborne draw from hp Lovecraft as inspiration hence the similarities.
I would love if Hidetaka Miyazaki played Siren and realized how much DNA his titles share with Toyama's titles despite them seemingly never interacting. I'd say SIREN was so far ahead of its time, it equals the similarly difficult and esoteric Souls titles but without the audience to recieve it.
Beautifully explained and researched, this is an amazing work of annalysis!! This game is such an intresting concept, and their take of time loops is so good. Also, a massive Thank You from all of us hard of hearing for adding Captions
I 100% this game, not because it's my favorite horror media of all time, not because I absolutely loved the story, but because I knew I wouldn't be playing this game a 2nd time because of how scary it is! And that's the biggest compliment I can give it.
While playing this game I had really freaky dreams even though I've played it as a full grown adult. There is so much creepiness in the game that I really want to write my own story by borrowing elements from it. To me it surpasses even Silent Hill 2, I truly believe in terms of scare factor this is #1. I don't want to write spoilers but a lot of the stuff that goes on in the game is insanely creative and seemingly out of nowhere. Thank you again eurothug4000, you deserve all the subscribers for amazing horror game analysis!
Man, this was such a solid video and probably the most in depth video for siren ive seen. Stellar work!
I love how Forbidden Siren has gone from being this quasi-obscure oddity with barely any videos about it, to getting these full blown video essays dedicated to it. I remember being absolutely spooked by the trailers and demo of the first game when it came out, so much so that I felt unable to go and play it all these years later.
I keep meaning to hunt down a copy of it for my PS2 along with it's sequel, but it was always put in the backburner. I might have to do that soon before the prices start getting too out of hand!
Thank you so much for this video! I have watched a lot of videos on siren but none that actually cover the story as in-depth as you, and detailing the marine inspiration behind the shibito was so fascinating!
ALSO having actual up close videos of the shibito was so nice to see, cause trying to find good images of them online IS A NIGHTMARE!
i love how inherently human this game is, from its creation to the game itself to the process of playing it… they really dont make them like this anymore
I’ve played it, and watched a few things related to Siren, but you’ve enlightened so much.
Your thematic analysis scratches an itch that so many in this space don’t even begin to touch. Plus, the comprehensive research really puts you a cut above the rest.
Keep doing what you’re doing!
Man I really miss Japan Studio, they cranked out a lot of odd ball titles within the confines of a major publisher (which is honestly crazy to think about nowadays). They even shared hands with From Software with Bloodborne which definitely pulls inspiration from Forbidden Siren, especially Old Hunters while also showing off really well-done recontextualized Shinto themes and imagery.
I’m genuinely impressed at the facial animations of this game, doing what LA Noire tried to popularize but years before it. They do look slightly uncanny, but given the game’s atmosphere, it work very well for what they’re going for.
"She also ends up turning into a dog Shibito too, which I can’t imagine was what she was going for." It's moments like this that Eurothug4000 puts in that keep me on my toes when watching a video.
I have just watched 5 minutes, but I noticed the ticking clock in the video is correspondent to the youtube video itself! Nice artistic touch! I love this kind of clock, its very stress inducing.
Hello, discovered you through this video and i just gotta say, wow, incredible work. I can tell a lot of care, love, and research went into this, and being someone who desires more Siren content, this was definitely a sight to see being recommended to me. Subbing and watching from here on out.
Okay I just wanna tell you, I love all the close-up shots of all the characters and environments you did for this video, made this video super comfy to watch.
I love how in-depth you went in to everything, and even referencing the manga for the character backgrounds. This has to be one of the most detailed videos on the first game out there.
Great effort on this behemoth of a video! The wait has been more than worth it.
With the setting and element of natural diaster, it gives me major Higurashi vibes. 🖤
Your videos, especially this one are great for the spooky season. Thank you!
I am too much of a wimp to actually play horror games but I really enjoyed this video - it was fantastic quality and really got across your love for the game. I'm looking forward to checking out your other videos!
This game is so nostalgic to me and weirdly comforting. Don't get me wrong, I'm still scared and tormented by this game as an adult. But this game to me was a time when my family would come together. We would set days where we'd play through games like Forbidden Siren, Silent Hill and Project Zero (also known as Fatal Frame). We'd shut the curtains, grab snacks and blankets and all huddle up on our couches to watch my dad play through these games. I was very young, around 4-6 years old but they're still very fond memories to me. My sisters also still remember them fondly. I love horror because of these games but i can't say they didn't affect me, being so young. I still see some of the monsters/enemies when I'm in the dark (I'm now 25) and because of that, I'm still afraid of the dark. It's a strange love/fear relationship 😂
My favorite PS2 game. Always nice to see it get some recognition. For me the greatest horror game ever created. I've been playing this game since it came out in 2004, I know everything in this game by heart... yet it still feels scary and can get me anxious every time I replay it. The gameplay design, the depressive atmosphere, the soundtrack and sound design, the PS2 era graphics and the colors used, the shibito design and the sounds they make and of course the sightjack mode, everything in this game came together perfectly and I doubt we will ever see such a carefully crafted horror game again. While Forbidden Siren 2 and Blood Curse are awesome as well, the atmosphere on those 2 is lacking compared to Siren 1. They just can't give you the same level of anxiety and fear as Siren 1. But overall the greatest horror series ever created for me : P
So happy to finally see you hitting 100k+ views consistently, in less than a year it's so crazy, keep it up
Another great eurothug vid to watch on a rainy day, love to see it 👏
Siren is so underrated and this video is great! There are so many things about this game that I didn't know...
Your coverage of the game is superb, and I loved watching this to fall asleep to. hearing your in game raw reactions to some of these moments you had a fright to or a tough time figuring out would would be so fun to hear in addition to your already well written essay.
Much love
This game feels like if David Lynch directed a Lovecraft adaptation, but instead of putting in some of the quirky humor of "Twin Peaks," it leans HARD into the "Inland Empire" surreal horror
Edit: I just got to the Junji Ito inspiration being mentioned, and duh that makes sense
so happy to see such a well documented and lengthy video of this game, subscribed!
Siren truly deserves to have a remake. It'll bring back memories for the old fans, and a new memory for those who are fresh to it.
Your presentation is fantastic. Also, I remember reading about the first game on magazines and it seemed the scariest game ever to me.
I’m only 10 minutes in and I can already tell this is a gem of a video. The quality of your script and the amount of detail is so high!
Well done! This is probably the best video essay on Forbidden Siren I've seen so far. I absolutely love the Forbidden Siren games.
I have a ton of appreciation for this games even though I didn't enjoy playing them myself. I think it adds a lot more clarity to the design choices seeing that they were trying to get players together to discuss strategy outside of the game. Great video!
Thank you! I love your analysis of Horror games. Your love of the genre really comes across. Siren is one of my favorite franchises
I played this game for the first time about a year ago and thoroughly loved it, but I was pretty disappointed to see the lack of videos about it (at least in English). This video really does justice to it, and I learned a lot that I had no idea about. Also great to hear surprise appearances by folks like Super Eyepatch Wolf. You really went all out and it shows!
Siren is truly a gift that keeps on giving. I will never tire of revisiting it.
hour and a half maria video? let’s go ✨ congratulations on finishing this video 😊
the making of this game is really cool, I love that they went exploring themselves and even recorded sound effects from these places. Something about that adds a lovely personal touch to Siren, you really do feel the love that was put into it!
That's how video game development worked before hell SCE Cambridge Studio visited several graveyards for inspiration on Medievil
I’m super glad people are starting to find this gem. Especially japans horror games are nice due to them having a different aspect of horror.
My favourite game of all time. The gameplay might be a little rough on the edges but I have always felt fascinated by the story, characters and setting. I remember as a kid new to youtube and the Internet looking in all places for more information about this game and then looking like crazy to my friends when talking about the shibito and Datatsushi haha
Stumbled upon this video today on my daily commute. It was an enjoyable listen while I worked. Fascinating and wonderfully narrated. I can't wait to check out more of your stuff 😄
i remember watching a playthrough of siren when i was younger and enjoying it a lot. i was a huge wimp (still am) so id rarely finish horror game playthroughs, but for some reason, i couldnt keep my eyes off the screen watching siren despite its terrifying imagery. i had no idea it was so lovingly crafted! this video made me like this game even more. thanks for making it !!!
This video hits hard for me, cause before silent hill, RE series, Siren was the first horror game that I played, still remember been frustrated and excited at the same time playing this incredible game, amazing video as always and I will wait for the next Siren video!! Cheers
I hit the “Looking For Something Different” button on my feed, it took me here and now I’m blown away at how I never came across this channel before because I LOVE this style of content, just subbed and currently binge watch this entire channel 👍
I'll come back once I've watched a playthrough of the games because they sound intriguing and I'm always up for more horror media in my life.
Really like that you explore more of the stuffs behind the scene on the game, something that rarely touched in other siren reviews. 👍
I have been looking so long for a deep dive of Forbidden Siren. Thank you for doing this.
This is a fantastic video. Forbidden Siren is one of my favourite series of all time, and your video has so much insight and detail i would never have seen for myself. I thank you for making such an impressive documentary.
I remember as a kid i used to have an official PS2 magazine demo disk including Forbidden Siren 2, and it gave me nightmares for weeks, maybe even months, to the point that I couldnt sleep if I was turned over towards the shelf on which i placed the disk. Silly, for sure, but shows how much impact this series had for me.
I loved how you reproduced the Siren timer with the actual video timestamp, that attention to detail is unnecessary but it just elevates the quality of the video
It's always so nice seeing Siren get the love it deserves. Sure it can be particularly difficult and confusing in places, but I just found myself completely enveloped by it. I still need to finish Forbidden Siren 2 and definitely need to replay Blood Curse.
Great video.
This video was AMAZING! I watched it twice. Can not wait to watch more of your video game content!
Ps. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE a sequel video??
Was a most beautiful video, with great guest voices too!
as someone who watched a lets play and then playing it, this game is what i feel like pathologic was, basically a suffering simulator, also seriously underrated
The amount of dedication in this video is amazing! Thank you for your hard work and for making a video for Siren
Forbidden Siren 2 next, this one feels more complete than the first one. And it way scarier in my opinion.
you have no idea how glad I am seeing this masterpiece of a game finally get recognition and an amazing description of it at that. timeless both the video and the game
Fantastically presented! I would love to see a Siren 2 video.
Its so nice to discover new channels like this that i know I'll love. Its like finding gold.
This is my favorite video covering Siren by far, love the hell out of this game and cant get it out of my mind so massive thanks for this badass video!
I remember when I first discovered this game I absolutely loved the pacing and way it told its story and not to mention the fear you feel playing through it was so unmatched