Stephen's Sausage Roll - The Best Puzzle Game I've Played
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- Опубліковано 25 жов 2017
- Twitch - / andersonjph
Second Channel - / @josephandersonchannel...
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Books: www.amazon.com/Joseph-Anderso... - Ігри
> very challenging
> big interconnected world
> a lot of rolling
So it's basically Dark Souls of puzzles.
''very challenging'' lol this game is prob harder than any souls game
I can't finish the video because I don't want to be spoiled but now I'm probably gonna blow too much money on a sausage rolling game and it's all your fault
I'm going to be that kid can I be featured in one of your videos
Good.
Now. Shut up and take it.
Did you finnish the game?
Update?
"From this point onward you will be manipulating more than just sausages."
-Joseph Anderson 2017
Mitchell Forrest cannot breathe
You could write a quotations book out of Joseph...
I'm vegan so can't play this out of principle.
READ AND THEN DELETE ME Here we go with the people having to metion they are vegan for literally no reason.
+Sectric
I can't help it if you feel insecure because I am making better life choices than you. Both morally and health wise.
up until 17:45 or so, I was already convinced that the game was clever. But then he suddenly used a sausage to pull an entire chunk of the level out of the water, & I knew it was brilliant.
I have a midterm in 5 hours and I’m watching a critical review of a sausage puzzle game.
@Living A Peaceful Life They watched a critical review of a sausage puzzle game before midterms. How do you think it went?
brian how did it go please tell us
@@edwardevans5759 I did alright and finishing school next year. Going to start my teaching program as well.
@@SuperbrianOK This is the most beautiful reply I have ever received! Thank you for this! All hail the sausage!
same lol
It's basically the dark souls of family cook outs.
be quiet, @indeimaus will hear you!
Brand new sentence
>family cook outs
let's eat (,) grandma
the way the developer explored and refined the simple concept of rolling sausages onto grills to such an extreme is almost like how a mathematician explores/develops a new field of mathematics
there's so much depth that can arise from a simple set of rules if you choose to explore it fully
I don't know if you're familiar, but it strongly reminds me of some of the earlier chapters of Gödel Escher Bach, exploring formal systems and seeing how intensely complicated they can get even with just 2 or three rules is insane.
Your profile pic... it nothing like anything i have seen... is it a dawing, if so what character is this?
What are you doing here Fun :D
"The exercises in your undergrad classes probably required one of two things: having good ideas, or doing hard work. In this class, you have to do both: you need to come up with the idea yourself and do a lot of work to execute it" -- My advisor explaining the difference between undergrad and graduate math
This is super true in this game! Many many levels need a huge creative "spark". Where other puzzle games would be "done" at that point, Stephen's Sausage Roll requires you to solve five more "subpuzzles" on your way to implementing your idea.
"Don't add content until you cant add any more. Build upon what you have until you can't change anything without the whole game breaking"
I'm not sure the exact quote or the person who said it, but It's something along the lines of this, and I think it describes this game well
Maxwell Sorensen
Sounds like extra credits
YanDev should follow that quote
How did you just convince me that a game about rolling meat is the most genius game of the year?
Did you forget who your watching?
Most genius puzzle game *ever*, not because it was released last year, but because there are very few games that even come close to this games perfection.
I myself call this game one of the extreme few games that capture the true possibilities of video games.
Because he made the game and is very motivated to convince you because he enjoys making money?
Bruce William What led you to this conclusion?
It isn't just Joseph who thinks this game is genius. Influential game developers like Jonathon Blow, among many other game devs, think this game is one of the best ever made.
now youre thinking with sausages
The Bratwurst is a lie...
The amount of times you have to say the word "sausages" in this video is outrageous and I like it.
@just dontbruh that is literally the second to top comment and you reply to a 3 year old comment by stealing it.
I just left a comment, 5 years later, expressing the same sentiment. It's so delightfully serious about sausages.
Man, I'm usually one who enjoys puzzle games, but this one looks like it would drive me insane. Similar to the last few levels in Snakebird.
TheSlayerN We don't talk about the last few levels of Snakebird!
Man those are nuts. I still feel like i need to finish those sometime, but i dont know if i cant
People have made it to the last levels of Snakebird? I didn't think it was possible!
While Snakebird got much more difficult as it went on (the star levels especially), SSR mostly maintains a similar difficulty throughout. I would maybe put a few puzzles in all of SSR on the same level of difficulty as the easier star puzzles from Snakebird. Most of SSR is about as hard as mid-to-late game non-star-level Snakebird.
I still cant beat the last 2 lvls of snakebird. Its been years
This is one of the most tame, reasonable YT comment sections. Your videos are worth it if only for their ability to discourage shitposting and encourage actual thought. Not even joking, that’s a rare gift.
I'm probably in the minority, but I actually really like the aesthetics of Stephen's Sausage Roll. The crude texture work, the craggy floors, the calming waters, the pointless day and night cycle, the randomness of the music. I think they give the game a lot of charm. It feels a bit surreal while also being very tranquil.
I enjoy light puzzling in games, but Stephen's Sausage Roll is definitely beyond me. I love videos like this because it helps me not miss out on really cool experiences that I would frankly not enjoy playing through but still appreciate hearing and learning about.
I really like how jagged and roughly textured everything looks in this game. I don't know why, but I find it very visually appealing.
It's charming.
Because you've played PS1 games and it reminds you of that.
I think what you're responding to is the intentionality in which all the visuals are made, like everything is extremely considered.
It gives me old school 90s PC game vibes or ps1 games
I know you didn't find the story too impressive, but I really liked how the crude style of art and the late story reveals served to make a puzzle game about rolling sausages around genuinely sinister in a way. The basic art no longer is simply a result of a limited budget, but actively serves to make you doubt the reality of the actions you do in the game. Or maybe I am overthinking it, but the presentation unsettled me well enough during the final third anyway.
No that's definitely valid! I had thoughts somewhat similar to those, but I think overall it wasn't intentionally for that reason. They're serviceable though, and I liked the little story notes more than this video suggests.
Oh that's nice to know. :D (also you replied! Yay for early access benefits via patreon!)
Did you watch the whole video? He explains it.
I mean you could just look up the game to see the 'twist', but for now, basically consider the idea of *why* there are so many huge sausage shapes lying around in the first place. :P
All I can think of is too obscene to be posted here
14:07 "...there are a lot of girls..." :o?
So I was not the only one who thought he said that.
"Expected to use"
a lot of grills and they all want the sausage ...
“This was one of my favorite puzzles in the game”
“I was really happy to see this puzzle again”
🤔
gamer grils
I've just started playing this game. I've played this game 21 hours this week alone. I'm on level 3. I literally played and stared at one level with the controller down for 3 hours earlier today.
Can't wait for your view on Baba is you
Hey Joseph,
You wanted to think about how games can fully explore their mechanics, and why simpler games seem to be able to do it better. I have a couple ideas for you.
1.) Games are about their limitations. What you can't do is frequently just as important as what you can do. Multiple mechanics frequently get in the way of how in depth other mechanics can be explored. Think if Stephen's Sausage Role gave you a jump button to leap over a single square and how many puzzles would now be broken. A simpler idea, imagine if Super Mario World never went underground and you could fly through every stage. Limitations are the challenge, and there's elegance in simplicity that allows you to fully explore an idea, in part by preventing you from taking an easier route with more complexity (more options).
2.) Consider how rare it is that even a simple game like Stephen's Sausage Roll is fully explored. Developers are only people too, even the best would struggle to fully explore more complicated games. Perhaps it is also a limitation of us all just being human. Maybe it could be done, but its improbable for our puny human minds. Think about how difficult it is to balance something like an RTS. It is hard to prevent dominant strategies from emerging because there is too much complexity to account for it all.
Thanks for this btw, I was super happy to see this game get some publicity, it needs it. Your videos genuinely keep getting better and better and I appreciate that you are willing to grow so much.
While I appreciate when a game uses a single mechanic and explore it to its fullest, I have a really hard time thinking how the same principles could be applied to certain genres, particularly Stylish Actions games like Bayonetta where the point of the game is to give a lot of options and freedom to the players
Christian WS In short, it would be way too difficult to pull off and no one would get it even if they did. It's really only with simpler games mechanically can this kind of beauty be pulled off effectively.
Sorry for the late reply. I don't even think it would be difficult, but impossible to do without compromising the whole point of those games
I think another point about the limitations is that when your tools are limited you need to put more careful thought and innovation into to how to get the most efficient use out of them. and because you have fewer tools you can afford to put that level of focus into mastering them whereas if you had a bunch of mechanics to work on that extra generalization would lead to many of them being half baked( or grilled in this case). its the same logic behind the word limit for an essay, you need to put a lot of thought into refining your point by removing fluff and unnecessary content.
21:49 i learned in grade school that restrictions breed creativity. like if someone put a blank sheet of paper in front of me and said “write an essay” i wouldn’t know where to start. but if they gave me a clear set of instructions for the essay then i could write something really good.
Expect the unexpected.
Stephen's Sausage Rolls instead of Witcher or Nier!
Love ya.
godda cook dem sassages
Aye aye
Little did he know Joseph would release a 12 hr Witcher series
@@thewingdings1324 Yeah, "release" xD
check out stephen lavelle's other games, he's kind of a creative genius imo
www.twitch.tv/andersonjph
ua-cam.com/channels/IJlrEQoJE3eI168TWSl39g.html
twitter.com/jph_anderson
Here are the links I speak about at the beginning. It should go without saying that you should ignore them if they don't interest you, but if you like streams and let's plays, maybe check them out. The Automata run has some fun moments.
Odyssey stream will be at 11 AM EST tomorrow (from when this was posted). I haven't decided if I should do a video on the game yet so maybe people should stop by and convince me to do it, or not do it. Depending on what you want!
Thanks!
twitch link doesn't work for me
The twitch one works, not the youtube though
now it works
Recommendation (feel free to disregard, its ur stuff and ur awesome) but your second channel, JASecond Channel is a bit of an, eh name. what if you renamed this channel to Joseph Anderson Reviews and the new one Joseph Anderson Plays??? it just seems a bit more fitting. anyways i love you.
2 words: Stories Untold... On stream... 4 words... And a winky face 😉
It took me a while after beating the game to realize that I really haven't played anything better than it, ever.
This is absolutely not the kind of game I would enjoy, as I usually just end up brute forcing my way through puzzles even in games where they aren't the main focus. But I always enjoy listening to you deconstructing what you think about a given game in fully fleshed out details, using comparisons, metaphors, and examples to make a clear picture of your points and arguments.
21:27
This was a long time ago, and it might not be the exact term you're looking for, but I do have one:
*Emergent complexity,* specifically where it can refer to games.
It refers to complex situations that can arise from relatively simple mechanics at play.
I found the last puzzle fun personally. It has so many solutions it could be considered more of a problem than a puzzle, with some tedious ways of tackling it and some more satisfying/interesting. I may have gotten lucky with mine, and you may have found an awful and long way. I still think it’s great because it’s a great climax to the game, “”story”” wise and gameplay wise. I also like the great tower since it really lets you know what your in for.
Dammit Joe, I was trying to sleep
Who is Stephen and why is he rolling sausages?
Hollow Knight who is this knight and why is he hollow
Who is Matthew and why is he walking?
Stephen Lavelle aka Increpare is an indie dev. Check out his website, lots of small surreal games.
Matthew Walker thats a surprisingly hard question to answer.
I am not really a fan of complicated puzzle games, but I love your analysis of them. This video was great (and it reminded me of your awesome Witness video).
...now get some sleep!
P.S. Greetings from Europe, where this video came out at a very reasonable hour ;-)
I can't beleive I just watched a 25 minute video about fucking sausage and enjoyed it.
rolling sausages, not fucking them.
spoilers
“Now you’re thinking with sausages”
Joe, I've never been a recognised content creator but I can imagine the difficulties one could have in relating to how your viewers see you. I'd like to remind you of your own idols, the content creators that have influenced, inspired, comforted, intrigued and entertained you. You now take up that role, not just for myself but for many others too. If you've ever followed a streamer avidly or read an engaging biography. If you've ever studied someones work because you see the quality, expression and genuine value in their process. If you've ever created that emotional attachment that comes from recognising traits and behaviours that you could learn from to become better. Then you understand the nature of what you mean to us. Thank you.
“You’re like one of the sausages.” I don’t know if that was intentional Joseph, but if it was it was really smart.
Do you think that SnakeBird deserves a similar video?
The controls are exactly the same as SSR, and puzzles are complex while looking simple as well. The final series of puzzles is done in a perfect way IMO.
After being amazed by the game's adorableness and puzzle design, I'd love to see a comprevensive review of SnakeBird.
joseph got a little frustrated with stephen's longer puzzles that take up more of the screen or introduce tedium in putting sausages in place, or force you to repeat moves over large areas with multiple sausages
but with snakebird that's just 70% of the entire videogame,
i wouldn't wish snakebird onto joseph, or anyone in this world
dont make or let joseph anderson review snakebird
Thank you so much! This is the first comprehensive video review I've seen of SSR, and you've noticed and noted all the features I think make it an excellent puzzle. Thanks for giving this some good publicity.
I might reply to this later with some notes.
Glad to see you playing another puzzle heavy game, I feel these are where your observations really shine!
wow... was wondering YESTERDAY if you had ever got your hands on this one. my favorite game. thank you for this.
that said i don't think i can watch this yet because i'm not quite done... ;) i'll be back
I think the reason stephen's sausage roll and other puzzle games get to reach this level of depth with only a few mechanics is because the entire runtime can be dedicated to that mechanic rather than the runtime being split between developing 5 different mechanics, and also less mechanics reduces the number of tutorials needed for just learning how the game works.
I love this video and I just got the game because of it! Loving it so far, and the spoilers didn’t do too much harm. There’s a lot of learning how to think that can only happen by experiencing the game first hand. The ‘rules’ of the puzzles settled in only after having a tactile connection with the game. This process of learning has been very satisfying and continuously engaging.
Thanks, Joseph!
Yes! Thank you! This is seriously one of my favourite games of all time, and I am so happy that you are covering it. Every level has a perceptual shift. All of them features a "Eureka!" moment, and it's great. I love that someone is giving this the attention it deserves.
In my play of the game I got to the great tower, and after quite some time I was able to solve it, but it didn't leave me satisfied. I no longer felt excited about learning new things because that one I felt introduced too many concepts all at once, and was afraid the rest of the game was going to be like that so I stopped the game with two “worlds” completed. I knew I probably could have kept going, but I had many other games to play and no longer felt my investment to each puzzle solution was worth the payoff of slowly harder puzzles that took longer. I think if I had more time I would have gone through to the end, and your video is great at showing the good feelings I had at the start do apply to the rest of the game. Your analysis encourages me to try again sometime, and I enjoyed hearing about it, thanks again.
The artstyle reminds me of Petscop, I love it
Ur genuinly one of the most interesting people ive ever seen on youtube and the long wait per video is a killer so hopefully these streams help with that lol
It's kind of like the dark souls of platformers
You mean the dark souls of puzzle games
Dark souls of cooking games.
I’m gonna beat yo ass for this comment specifically
Okay but the level names are actually straight up written like areas in Souls games.
Try snakebird. You'll get stuck on the second level guarantied.
Take a shot every time Jo says "sausages"
Darragh are you trying to get me to kill myself
I may not love puzzles due to a shite attention span but I DO love watching your videos and listening to your opinions on games, never stop.
Its way too late at night and I have just been marathoning your videos. I don't agree with you all the time but always love your opinions. But I'm so glad to see you mirroring every single thought I've had for Stephens Sausage Roll. It's one of my favorite puzzle games.
Good stuff on the second channel. You've come to become one of my favourite UA-camrs and I never miss a video. Thank you for the entertainment and everything else! :)
Here is my theory about why the later levels feel 'easier' than the earlier ones.
First of all, when you get the newer areas, you have gained a lot of knowledge from solving the puzzles in the previous ones. As a result, you are able to think more abstractly about this game. This means that you won't try to do the most obvious thing when you encounter a new puzzle (although you might still try it, just to see why it doesn't work).
Secondly, the first few puzzles give you a very small area, and they expect you to use almost all of the tiles. However, if you look at the later stages, they have huge, open, areas. This is because it would be extremely frustrating to pay attention to every single move that you make. Also, notice how some of the later puzzles are just simply 'push sausage onto grill and cook' (this is especially notable in worlds 3 and 4). The only thing is that you need to figure out how to get the sausages to the grill.
To add to this, there are next to no repeated concepts. Many things that you learn in the previous areas are rarely needed in the later ones. For instance, stepping on a grill to get some extra reach is rarely used anywhere else in the game.
The absurdity of you saying "sausage" over and over, very seriously, is simply delightful. 10/10 sausages. Would recommend.
Your reviews are an experience in itself, it's an enlightenment. I love it.
I think this man might be my favourite creator on UA-cam, period. I love listening to him talk and he seems to have a genuine love for games that get your thinkerbox going.
This game is also on sale until the first of November, (currently about 12 USD) so if the price was throwing some people off, they can get it now :)
joseph talking about a overall well-made game: there's so many problems!
joseph talking about stephen's sausage rolls: this is some serious gourmet shit!
I really enjoy how you break down and show your thoughts on a game. Your Fallout 4 - One Year later video is how I found you. I find when you do lesser known games the more I enjoy the level of understanding you put in. Maybe its since its in a vacuum for me and since I have no bias. Hope you keep doing this deconstruction of games I well keep watching.
I love Stephen’s sausage. Everyone should give Stephen’s sausage a try. I promise you’ll like Stephens sausage.
17:50 OH MY GOD WHAT
I haven't played the game and am not really interested in trying, but I'm very impressed by the way you synched the video and the audio on this one. It's always clear what exactly you're talking about. Nice one. Also, the word you''re looking for with games of that kind is "emergent".
I seriously expected this video to be a joke, but its actually pretty interesting. You definitely moving in the right direction with youre recent videos Joseph!
I love listening to people talk about things they're passionate about and this was amazing to hear.
Such a good channel, such a good video, thanks for your work!
Damn you, Joseph.... I already cant get enough of your videos, now you're gonna have me watching your 7 hour lets plays xD
Orson Welles once said "the enemy of art is the absence of limitations"
I think that's what you're experiencing here. This is why games that have more to do often feel less refined and less substantial. Stephen made a very clear and deliberate decision here: his game is about moving sausages. Everything you can do to them to move them is a method of moving them and is available to you from the outset. Nothing is unlocked, instead its merely not required. By limiting himself to this one simple mechanic of gameplay, he created a honed puzzle game where the player can really lose themselves if they let themselves.
i love all your content and in depth analysis
That moment you realize he isn't joking and that this isn't an April Fools video
Oh my god yes your finally streaming, have watched almost all of your videos and darksouls twice, even though i have played barely any of the games on your channel, cant wait to watch on twitch
Now I really want a Joe Anderson Podcast where Joe talks game philosophy like at the end of this video
This game is way beyond my brainpower but I did enjoy watching you do it!
Stephen + Johnathon Blow = Game of the Decade.
xD
I love how seriously we're talking when reviewing a game about Sausages...
Nice video dude!
Just wanted to give you a big thanks for these reviews. I found myself debating over buying a certain circle line game with a big expectation from story, and you really saved me from that. Since then, I've found myself watching your videos about games I have never considered or even heard of buying. And still have no intention of buying, but somehow still watch your videos. O.o
I didn't know about your books until your videos, and have checked them out since then ^.^
Dude you don't have to "rationalize" the price. Stephen lives dirt poor, pay the man for his fucking sausages.
Man your so proffessional about analysing video games and stuff. Like your so methodical about it... good stuff
The walking onto a grill thing i totally missed and got me permanently stuck on the first part of the game. GOD this game is hard.
I like the idea of a complex puzzle game that tries to put players off on purpose so that there are less solutions and let’s plays available online, forcing people to solve the puzzles themselves.
Another fantastic in depth look at an interesting game. I don't have the patience for this calibre of puzzle game and this is definitely something I wouldn't buy. That said, I really enjoyed your look and dissection of this game. It's interesting how devs can take simple premises and flesh them out into a full game/experience. You said it took about 25+ hours to complete w/out getting bored; that is really amazing for such a simple concept. Granted you are extremely cerebral, meaning it takes a specific brain to extract that level of enjoyment. I'm rambling, and, unlike you my rambling is neither coherent, interesting, or enjoyable. Thanks so much for the continued top notch content! I'm always stoked as fuuuuuuuuck when I see a notification from a vid of yours. :D
I feel like snakebird is similar, but the sheer amount of depth in the mechanics displayed before even the halfway mark of this video... holy shit
Never Heard about that but it looks like very well made game And concept that you can move land is Really good
17:48 "From this point onwards, you will be manipulating more than just sausages" my internal monologue when I got my first gf
watching this after beating the whole game is so liberating, i couldnt recommend it more
Wow, did not expect this kind of thinking from a game that looks like this. Congratz you have just obtained: +1 Mindblown Person.
this is why joseph is one of the best channels ever.
I was stuck because, 17:40 I din't think to do that! Thanks for going slow on spoilers! Not sure yet how I'll use it to solve that puzzle XD this game is so good :D
Wow! I learned about this game from Jonathan Blow, who also said it was the greatest puzzle game he had ever played (I found it weird that the creator of such a large-scale game like The Witness would be in awe of some polygonal sausage game, so it must have been good.) Never expected someone else I knew of to actually know what it was though. This game needs some more recognition!
You actually convinced me to give it another try. I love me a puzzle, but ended up among those who got intimidated with the immense difficulty at the start and thought that if it was going to get even worse afterwards then my brain would just boil. Now at least I know that I'm going to get more or less comfortable with the game sooner or later.
I've had this game backed up in my Steam library for a while and had no intention of playing it strictly due to the bad title and graphics, but I guess I'll have to actually play through this now, thanks for letting me know!
I was hoping that one of the game critics I follow talks about this this, glad it was you.
Dude, your videos are great; keep it up!
This really reminded me of Baba Is You. The really challenging levels and with the pure focus on puzzles.
On the concept Joseph calls "refinement" in this video; when a game fully explores all of its concepts while forcing the player to do the same through challenge:
I don't think that's quite as uncommon as this video might imply.
I don't have a different word I use for this idea, it's just how I think of really good games.
Quality multiplayer games are often like this.
In a fighting game one character will usually have several dozen moves or more, each with different properties. To consistently win with that character you have to teach yourself everything about those moves, as well as how they interact with each other, and how they affect different opponents in different ways. That's what it takes to master just ONE character when fighting games usually have upwards of 20 and sometimes much more.
The more you learn the more clear it becomes how different concepts intertwine. Moves that appear useless at first can become valuable tools as your understanding of the game deepens. It's a very rich, rewarding gameplay experience that can be enjoyed for any length of time you care to invest. You can play a quality fighting game for ten years and still learn new things about it every time you play. To me, that's what it means for a game to be great.
Other genres can also follow this pattern. Versus puzzlers like Puyo Puyo and Panel de Pon build from the simple concept of moving colored shapes to towering, intricate concepts that can take years to master.
Single player games can be like this as well if they are challenging enough to fully explore solid concepts. Danmaku games initially seem like a pure test of skill and hand-eye coordination, but the more I play them the more they feel like puzzle games, a cerebral test to see if I can find the loose thread in the sweater made out of bullets.
I think any type of game can achieve this degree of exquisite, intricate gameplay. Even genres like RPGs with menu-based combat, which many people seem to disdain or even hold in contempt (the term "jarpig" is thrown around a lot where I tend to discuss video games) can attain this level of gameplay if they have interesting core concepts they push to the limit with difficulty.
I love this game. got stuck at the great tower, and then my friend sold his gaming computer when he moved. but i look forward to buying it in the future and maybe even complete it.
Get it while it's on sale boys.
Videos like this are the reason I'm a subscriber!
drinking game: take a gun shot every time he says sausage
Oh yeah, this game is on sale at Steam for about a tenner. It's time to pick it up if you're gonna.
This is making me extremely hungry
Thanks for the recommendation! I really enjoyed this game. It’s definitely one of my top 3 favourites, though the number one spot still goes to Baba is You.