STASIS on GOG - gog.la/johnstasis THE LIST - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo I will not link CAYNE. Proper subtitles will be coming in the next few hours. The backend caption tool has been breaking constantly on the site since the time of the Legion video.
"I will not link CAYNE." Good. I enjoyed Stasis when I played it well enough, It had a fair bit of jank and felt... inconsistent, but I liked it. When I saw there was a sequel / sister game I figured I would enjoy it as well. I was very, very wrong. Just... no. Uninstalled quickly and immediately hidden from my account on Steam. It wasn't just bad, it was also horrifically sexist.
do you think you could do a quick review of Eldritch at some point? its a nice enough first person roguelike game with Lovecraftian elements and i would love to see you make a video on it and hear your thoughts on it (also there is something about it that just creeps me out so maybe for Halloween or something?)
4:46 I love how the guy wasn't just content to write "help me" in blood on the screen, but had to also write three dots afterward to make it more ominous.
I mean in all honesty and after playing all of the content The Brotherhood have made I still think that Stasis is The *Best*. I think I could even give the next award just to Beautiful Desolation, I really liked that game for some reason, I just found meself really disappointed by the ending, which I thought would've been much cooler if you were to find out they accidentally made that dystopic future on accident while trying to get back to the right time. Instead it got me really confused. Cayne's writing was just bad, but the game was pretty decent, not my fave. Idk I'm just not far enough along into Bone Totem true, so I think it may get better, but there is just NOTHING that beats the sheer pure Dead Space like horror of Stasis, in point of fact I found it exactly comparable in almost all way to Dead Space right down to the horrorshow special that I to this day am utterly shocked and impressed with them on a level few other devs achieve, that I could have taken a POINT N CLICK of all things as being literally Dead Space tier. 8:27 is a *perfect* classic case in point of this for playing this game, you can literally watch mandy basically audio jumpscare himself to what the fuck just made that sound and close down his menu screen anticipating a monster. Like, WHILE READING LOG FILES OF A POINT AND CLICK. I am never going to stop respecting The Brotherhood for achieving that, that's the kind of true high Art artistry that it takes to combine visual arts direction with lighting, storytelling, writing, and environmental and audio design to pull of truly compelling world building that immersive, that raw, visceral. It's just that sadly I have not gotten this so far from Bone Totem yet, and I am beginning to start wondering if as mandalore said this is partly on account of the AI generated stuff or what regardless how good it looks (having actual face huggers really harmed it tbh, and while good on its own I do also think there's way too many cut scenes that just break the immersion completely rather than adding to it). It's still not a bad game by far and I'm not even halfway done afaik it's just I liked Stasis and Beautiful Desolation better (but then, this is kind of like saying well Dead Space 2 was still better, it's such a high point to comparison that even uttering it in the same breath is itself a compliment).
Mandy always struggles to hit his intended Spooktober schedule and fit everything in before Halloween. This year it seems he ovecorrected but I'm all for it.
Reminds me of Nitro Rad’s Halloween schedule: intentionally starting in September and going into October. Usually covering standalone in September (or following up the previous year in some way) and then covering a whole series through October. And everyone wondering why he starts in September just boosts the algorithm. Which he deserves, his stuff is good.
You can feel in Bone Totem that someone from the team who was responsible for all the breeding horror in Stasis, tried to push it into BT, but was sedated almost every time.
Interesting fact: Years ago there was an early demo for BT where you played the first floor, and the plot/characters were slightly different The main character was written to be pregnant at that time
Oh wow - this is such a welcome surprise! The club music was done by my brother - Nic - using old skool E-Jay. :D Looking forward to your review of Bone Totem!
@@MandaloreGaming Thanks for all the work you put into your reviews! It makes it all worth it. :D (Unless you hated Bone Totem... then you're dead to me.). :D
@@STASISGameQuick question for you guys. Have you ever considered doing a small overhaul on stasis? With what Mandalore mentioned, it seems like it would be somewhat quick to do, like building more for the running sprite for example. Either way, very good job on the elements of the game, and hope you all are doing well.
Honestly, the escape pod is the umpteenth time I've seen that particular ship model used in something. I get it's relatively inexpensive (it's a Daz3D item; including a license for game use it'd be about $50 US), but honestly I've yet to see it used as what the artist meant it as. (Which is to say, a scout/explorer.) Pretty sure Stasis is the only time I've seen anyone actually use any part of the interior, what little we're given. So kudos to The Brotherhood for that, at least.
I love that when Mandy really wants to make a point about bad audio, especially cutting and clipping, he goes so far out of his way to make the worst, most grating audio clips possible. Never change
My favorite example of this was when he actually made a real VHS version of a line read in the alien isolation video, including the visuals, just to make a point. “Yeah. It’s really hard to do. I’m doing it right now but most just use a filter.” Subtext: “I’m a UA-camr and I can do it. You’re a game with a multi million dollar budget. Do it for real, make an affect that’s almost as good, or just don’t do it at all.”
27:45 I want to know what vocal director got THATline delivery from Sarah Anne Williams in Cayne, because she is an exceptionally talented voice actor (most people probably know her as Jinx in League) and is more than capable of doing the kind of 'nervous, unhinged crazy' character effortlessly.
I'm sorry but is delivering lines with more corn than the entirety of central America considered talented? I swear people who watch dubs and/or play LoL have brain rot
I actually had a nightmare about the surgery scene when the game released. I was 23 years old in 2015. Next day I’m having a lunchable for dinner thinking “man that was wild”
Meanwhile I was wondering how Star Trek would tie into this. I'm surprised Mandy didn't mention this in the video (nor have I seen it in the comments) but the Eugenics Wars have been a part of Star Trek canon for over 55 years. Other than the addition of body horror, the description of the Eugenics Wars in Stasis is basically identical to everything we know about the Eugenics Wars in Star Trek, right down to the name and the aftermath. Really weird choice IMO
That game would probably be to much for me to stomach, but I always love hearing about them. Horror is such an incredibly interesting genre when done properly, I just wish I would be better at actually playing it myself.
This feels like a high production quality of those escape from x flash games of the early 2000s. I am definitely buying this since my interest is peaked. Thanks for the video Mandalore!
I am not a fan of playing horror games (though a big fan of watching LPs of them) and I don't know what compelled me to contribute to this game's Kickstarter about a decade ago, but I am really glad I did. I had a bunch of fun with this game when it came out and look forward to playing Bone Totem.
It’s so subtly considerate of you to point to where we can buy the game BEFORE discussing the story. Very classy, and without wasting our time with unnecessary info to pad out the video length. I wish more content creators were like you:
Bone Totem is even bigger, more atmospheric and more interesting, almost getting rid of all the minuses. One of those quest horror games where the game keeps you interested from start to finish.
Mandalore's adventure game videos are the crux of my existence, I only leave my psychological domain of meditation to watch his latest in the series, then return to my lucid slumber.
I think it is actually really intresting to see how the team developt, from Stasis -> Cayne -> Stasis: Bonetotem. With each game they made a massiv leap forward. But i have to agree the sounds and especially the voice cast knocked it down quit badly but all around for 2 bucks it is defnitly worth some couple of hours. Anyways looking forward to your impression on Bonetotem.
I know I'm late to the party but the ending... makes sense?.. It did say that Te'ah stored the research into Ellen's bone marrow. And John did at one point express his desire to let people know what was happening aboard Groomlake. He sacrifices himself, and bam - research saved, and so is the proof of what was happening. It's not guaranteed - a lot of things could happen to the corpse en route - but it's a possibility. ..Right?..
having those isolated death cutscenes is straight out of the pre rendered game overs that Aliens Trilogy and Fade to Black had and I'm glad to still be seeing them
I read every single text log that's shown in the video, and omg, the writing is horrifically well done. I felt sick reading about the "products" the wife on her way to a holiday one was so hard to read. I felt my chest twisting and sinking. I can tell if i were to play this game, i would puke.
"[...]Not enough resources given to maintenance until something bad happens[...]" Thanks for your Shadows of Change review, Mandy! I laugh, lest I start crying.
This game just made me really really want Mandy to do a video on Signalis. Though that might be a bit well known in the genre, it deserves every bit of spotlight it gets. A modern sci-fi psycho-horror classic.
I’d second that, I think Stasis and Signalis share a lot in common, it would be fun to see him trying to tackle the bat shit rabbit hole that is its story.
I just want to say it, I been watching your videos for a long time now, (around when you had only 1k subs) and every time I watch your videos I question how you don't have a million subs already. The quality of the videos are high, keep the good work flowing.
17:45 Now that's a sneaky Marv electrocution, nice work blending it in. Was already expecting it there but had to look it up just to be sure it wasn't part of the game.
The "use all your might" valve you mentioned reminds me of the one major issue I had with one of my favorite old-school Adventure games - The Dig. There was a single puzzle in the entire game where you had to click *and hold* on a button for it to work. Took *hours* to figure that one out.
The puzzles in The Dig were generally pretty awful. The bridges were pretty bad, but the worst has to be the puzzle where you have to trap a creature. That is just so poorly explained how its even supposed to work.
Breath of Fire 3 for the playstation, near the end of the game you're told to "pray" to progress. At no point in the game you ever had to "pray". It meant to stand still in front of a pedestal for like a minute, this was not a mechanic anywhere else in the game.
The use of the "pizza" in connection with Sbarro's is a mite bit questionable, though. Granted, it is pizza-shaped, but that's as far as the similarities really go.
@@MandaloreGaming And thank you for the compliment. Runner up was 'That pizza looks like how a DM would hint that all the food on the table is mimics.'
That ghost master track made me smile. Great choice. Also that SoC jab, well done. I played this game like a month ago and it was fun for the most part. I liked the start a lot more than the rest, monsters were a lot more "monstrous" and it felt a lot more intense. Later they are just feral greys. Some puzzles though I HAD TO get help to solve. This one bit where you are prepping for surgery and there is an organic matter compartment and you have to put "processed organic matter" in it was absurd to me. Being reasonable I thought I had to purify the mangled scab I got off the wall but nope, all that was needed was to bash it with the gun to make it more loose and there it was, "processed" and ready for surgery.
I could hear it instantly. Many of the "odd" or "cartoonish" voices you described are devastatingly South African. The main villain in Black Panther has the same accent. It is an accent found most commonly in individuals who's first language is Afrikaans rather than English. I was born and raised a in close proximity to this accent, but hearing it in media out of the blue feels like stepping on a rake and getting bonked as the handle flies up at you. Never get used to it XD
15:38 I literally did work on a Call center, a guy had a panic attack and took one of those axes and destroy an office (no injure people), after that YOU CAN NOT BELIVE WHAT THEY DID!
I have to say, Mandy's voice and generally calm tone certainly adds to the atmosphere in the story section of these reviews. Like, the subject material by itself has aspects that make my spine want to melt out of my body in repulsion, but the way he discusses it just elevates that level of horror. It's impressive as hell. I'm also super impressed by what I see of this game here visually, tons of effort and work, but am also far too chickenshit to probably ever play it. I'm glad to get to know about it (and apparently the sequel soon!) still!! For that deep of a sale, I'm still picking it up. Maybe one day I'll be less of a coward, but in the meantime I'm glad to throw support the devs' way!
I like most of the voices, besides from the technical mishaps. They made me wonder if they were real living beings, which just added to the mood. And I couldn't get over the fact that the character is made only out of sprites, because some of the animations and the lighting changes are done very well (if we don't talk about the running) 😅
That opening bit where you push the vending machine in front of the turrets, I just immediately imagined what they were thinking of, just sitting there, waiting for something to move, waiting some more, waiting... Suddenly this big object falls in front of them and they both freak out, and start shooting wildly in front of them in a panic, just, "AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
Whoa, I wasn't expecting another video so soon! I've heard of Stasis: Bone Totem, but not this... ...holy shit. That's all I have to say about Stasis. I'll certainly be back for the Bone Totem video.
The deep sea is just a inherently more hostile environment. An airtight can is going to stay airtight in space barring damage from other sources, there is no guarantee the same will hold true deep in the ocean. Not to mention the fact that, in space, you can tell if you're alone. The ocean, on the other hand, can easily hide massive things from you.
Ever see Underwater with Kristen Stewart? It’s a fairly modest premise and cast but honestly overdelivered imo. A very enjoyable B horror movie with some surprisingly good effects and ideas.
@@michimatsch5862 I guess so, but Mandy just sort of surprises you with a high-quality review of something a lot of us have never heard of/a classic game we didn’t expect him to cover/a new release (the most uncommon of all)
Okay, that was extremely interesting and atmospheric. Amazing aesthetic, excellent voice acting from the main, brutally compelling horror. I genuinely can't wait for your video on Bone Totem.
I remember the days of waiting months for a mandalore upload; these days it feels like you're putting a video out every other day! really puts a smile on my face. great content as always!
Oooooh boy! That Goosebumps music always pumps me up! Mandy’s Halloween videos are always the best! Wonder what fever dream he’ll subject us to this year?
I played this back 2 years ago, was blown away by how hard they nailed a 90's adventure game. Need to try the 2nd one that came out in 2023. VERY HAPPY U MADE VIDEO :)
Man, thank you. This game evaporated from my memory. About half a year ago, i've remembered about it's existence but couldn't figure out the name. Now i can see why
All I can say is that I look forward to seeing your Bone Totem review. The atmosphere and setting and everything in this review were excellent, more so because you edited some of the more whiplash-y moments you talked about down or out and just told the story excellently aside from what works for the game and what doesn't. Thanks for the video, keep up the good work!
You clever girl putting that spine rip tease at the very end for those max views 😂😂 absolutely love when your videos get posted! makes my day ! Love from NFLD canada 🇨🇦!
I'm so glad you reviewed this game, it's definitely one of my favorite games ever, please check out the other games made by The Brotherhood, especially the sequel to this one: Stasis Bone Totem, Beautiful Desolation is also pretty good.
Yo! I love the music you throw in your reviews. Some times I go mad thinking, “Hey! I know that track, where was it from?!” 11:00 during the gameplay features. You seriously trying to drop the level select theme from Carnevil into there, one of the greatest rail-shooters of all time, and not expect me to get excited! You would be wrong! I what a treat to hear, on this Halloween episode. Cheers mate!
Stasis for me, was a classic. It has a very unique unsettling vibe. Super interested to see the true sequel in your manner of exposition and recapping.
I found Stasis to be fine-ish. Beautiful Desolation on the other hand was really great. I loved the atmosphere, world building paired with South African protagonist, creepy technocratic characters, the story was also really good and original and choices felt meaningful.
I had a blast with Stasis when I played it a couple of years ago. I would love to see you review Beautiful Desolation, also form the brotherhood. I loved that game!
After that description of the spine removal, I wondered how bad it could be. I should have settled for the description. Great video as always. That deep sea game looks interesting, I might give it a go before your video comes out.
@@dragonlordpeter9006 Yes it starts on an offshore rig and they take an incredibly dodgy submersible down into the fucking abyss AFTER seeing: - a man's corpse with his back opened up and strung up like wings into the ceiling they can't see the end of - literal evidence of aliens - the entire top section of the rig is abandoned with tools they could have looted - Other corpses, signs of danger and they had to repair the submersible before using it Also they're like cyberpunk characters with some minor implants and come from the same kind of city with debt problems who are there for salvage, very cool premise, I like it alot
I’m genuinely happy that you came across this game. I always thought about it after playing it all those years ago but could never remember the name, nor why it made me angry and squeamish for a while, mostly for all the best reasons. Anyway - great review, keep up the good work!
Hey mandalore just wanted to take a few moments to thank you for your hard work. You have one of my favorite youtube channels and i hope you make enough to continue your creativity Thank you.
Holy shit, I just finished Bone Totem, I can't believe I didn't realize this game was by the same people, I never played Stasis but dang, that's crazy.
A game i actually beat before big mandy reviews it. A tumultuous wave of euphoria crashes into my body and soul providing me with a feeling of enlightenment ive never had before.
Wait until a Mandalore video drops on a game you've started but haven't yet finished (this has happened to me multiple times). I swear I dip System Shock for years because I hear it's too clunky to be worth playing through and the week I learn, independently, of the enhanced edition and nut up and start playing that has to also be the week this guy drops a review of it. The flip side to this being that since we're seemingly fated to play all the same games he at least makes for a good source of game reccs
@@jacobbreitinger6789 Same. Not only did I play through Stasis, I finished Bone Totem too. It's nice to beat him to the punch. It's funny too because I thought this would be something he would review after I finished it. Was surprised it wasn't already done.
One of the few times I've done that is with Northern Journey. I played it a LONG time ago, back when Dillon "Taffer King" Rogers started talking about it, and I was so happy to see it get signal-boosted by Mandy. Now, if he ever does Mundaun, that'll be another game that I beat before the Mandy review. Also, y'alls definitely need to play Mundaun if you want a cool horror experience.
Spoilers are to follow, for those who care about such things: A pet peeve of mine in stories like this one is the whole "supersoldier"-thing. Be it mutants, cyborgs, aliens or Frankesteinian ubermenschen, it will never ever be anything but a bad idea. Even if they are somehow 100% loyal, heavy artillery just doesn't care that your dudes are made of the toughest meat around. It's still meat. Guns are cheaper than illegal genetic research, have no free will with which to rebel, and are in general a much better way to make your enemy more deader before they make you the deadest. If you ever find yourself in the position of a CEO of an evil corporation, take my advice: fire any mad scientist who does not have an engineering degree. They are going to unleash mutant zombies on you for no other reason than wanting to see what would happen, and that is going to impact your bottom line whichever way you slice it. Keep the insane engineers. But not in populated areas. They may produce a gluon-bomb or a killer app, you never know, but there's good money to be made in either scenario.
@@DeoMachina Use regular soldiers with high-tech riot gear! If you lose a soldier, you could still possibly salvage the gear. Losing a supersoldier, and that is gonna take time and money to replace, assuming it doesn't rebel. (They always rebel.)
I think it's realistic BECAUSE it's a bad idea. Companies always make bad decisions based off of ideas they deem promising. Weyland-Yutani and the Xenomorphs. Facebook and the Metaverse. The corporation of my colon and the spicy calzone I ate for dinner last night. Humans are foolish. Stupid, go-nowhere ideas are our bread-and-butter.
I mean, on the other hand, the hybrids seem completely servile. Like, they seem to worship Malan as much as he does. It could be less to make a better substitute for humans in battle and more to make a mass-producable, efficient, completely loyal slave race.
Really interested if you're planning to cover BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION by the same developers It's got one of the coolest settings, bio punk in post apocalyptic Africa
I love how Mandalore just drops a review of a random game while everyone is busy watching reviews or playing an AAA game that just came out and still gets more views than everyone bro just doesn't give a f***
I remember buying the bone totem freshly after finishing signalis; I loved the horror, but by GOD did I hate playing it, it was a huge wake-up point for me not to buy point-and-click adventure games. I'm just that bad at them xD
STASIS on GOG - gog.la/johnstasis
THE LIST - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo
I will not link CAYNE.
Proper subtitles will be coming in the next few hours. The backend caption tool has been breaking constantly on the site since the time of the Legion video.
Amogus
ah understandable. I was wondering why there were no subtitles, I greatly appreciate them as I'm hearing impaired.
"I will not link CAYNE."
Good. I enjoyed Stasis when I played it well enough, It had a fair bit of jank and felt... inconsistent, but I liked it. When I saw there was a sequel / sister game I figured I would enjoy it as well. I was very, very wrong. Just... no. Uninstalled quickly and immediately hidden from my account on Steam. It wasn't just bad, it was also horrifically sexist.
Bone Totem next?
do you think you could do a quick review of Eldritch at some point? its a nice enough first person roguelike game with Lovecraftian elements and i would love to see you make a video on it and hear your thoughts on it (also there is something about it that just creeps me out so maybe for Halloween or something?)
4:46 I love how the guy wasn't just content to write "help me" in blood on the screen, but had to also write three dots afterward to make it more ominous.
You know the next game is something special when Mandy just straight up tells you it's the next review
It IS something, really.
I played it because of the review and it is definitely worth talking about
I mean in all honesty and after playing all of the content The Brotherhood have made I still think that Stasis is The *Best*. I think I could even give the next award just to Beautiful Desolation, I really liked that game for some reason, I just found meself really disappointed by the ending, which I thought would've been much cooler if you were to find out they accidentally made that dystopic future on accident while trying to get back to the right time. Instead it got me really confused. Cayne's writing was just bad, but the game was pretty decent, not my fave. Idk I'm just not far enough along into Bone Totem true, so I think it may get better, but there is just NOTHING that beats the sheer pure Dead Space like horror of Stasis, in point of fact I found it exactly comparable in almost all way to Dead Space right down to the horrorshow special that I to this day am utterly shocked and impressed with them on a level few other devs achieve, that I could have taken a POINT N CLICK of all things as being literally Dead Space tier.
8:27 is a *perfect* classic case in point of this for playing this game, you can literally watch mandy basically audio jumpscare himself to what the fuck just made that sound and close down his menu screen anticipating a monster. Like, WHILE READING LOG FILES OF A POINT AND CLICK. I am never going to stop respecting The Brotherhood for achieving that, that's the kind of true high Art artistry that it takes to combine visual arts direction with lighting, storytelling, writing, and environmental and audio design to pull of truly compelling world building that immersive, that raw, visceral. It's just that sadly I have not gotten this so far from Bone Totem yet, and I am beginning to start wondering if as mandalore said this is partly on account of the AI generated stuff or what regardless how good it looks (having actual face huggers really harmed it tbh, and while good on its own I do also think there's way too many cut scenes that just break the immersion completely rather than adding to it). It's still not a bad game by far and I'm not even halfway done afaik it's just I liked Stasis and Beautiful Desolation better (but then, this is kind of like saying well Dead Space 2 was still better, it's such a high point to comparison that even uttering it in the same breath is itself a compliment).
@@drek9k2how did bone totem go
Mandy always struggles to hit his intended Spooktober schedule and fit everything in before Halloween.
This year it seems he ovecorrected but I'm all for it.
I thought this was the video from Halloween 2022 XD
There's still 28 days left.
Reminds me of Nitro Rad’s Halloween schedule: intentionally starting in September and going into October. Usually covering standalone in September (or following up the previous year in some way) and then covering a whole series through October.
And everyone wondering why he starts in September just boosts the algorithm. Which he deserves, his stuff is good.
If we can prepare for Christmas in October then we can prepare for Halloween in September
atleast Ross Scott never disappoints. It might be one game dungeon per year but goddamit its gotta be Halloween themed
You can feel in Bone Totem that someone from the team who was responsible for all the breeding horror in Stasis, tried to push it into BT, but was sedated almost every time.
Interesting fact:
Years ago there was an early demo for BT where you played the first floor, and the plot/characters were slightly different
The main character was written to be pregnant at that time
@@DeoMachinaof course they fucking were
They were probably super fascinated with that one quest in Arcanum.
What sort of pervert worked on this game?
@@g.4279 weird or strange people usually make the best art tbh
Oh wow - this is such a welcome surprise!
The club music was done by my brother - Nic - using old skool E-Jay. :D
Looking forward to your review of Bone Totem!
Thanks for all your hard work!
@@MandaloreGaming Thanks for all the work you put into your reviews! It makes it all worth it. :D (Unless you hated Bone Totem... then you're dead to me.). :D
@@STASISGameQuick question for you guys. Have you ever considered doing a small overhaul on stasis? With what Mandalore mentioned, it seems like it would be somewhat quick to do, like building more for the running sprite for example. Either way, very good job on the elements of the game, and hope you all are doing well.
Thank you for bringing us Moses. My Moses
Ayyyyyyy
>There is no Hope here
I finally got to finish Bone Totem because of your review so this line ended up making me smile. Nothing beats your writing.
when Mandalore breaks out the Goosebumps theme... that's when the anticipation begins for which weird masterpiece he's gonna play this Halloween
You’re right it only just turned September. Maybe Bone Totem will be the big Halloween video?
Highlight of the year
Legit hoping for Deadly Premonition but Mandy might break out something even better this year
@@michaelmoore2679 That or Ghost Master, he used some of the music :)
I hope from the shout-out in this video it's the I have no mouth and I must scream point and click adventure game
Honestly, the escape pod is the umpteenth time I've seen that particular ship model used in something. I get it's relatively inexpensive (it's a Daz3D item; including a license for game use it'd be about $50 US), but honestly I've yet to see it used as what the artist meant it as. (Which is to say, a scout/explorer.) Pretty sure Stasis is the only time I've seen anyone actually use any part of the interior, what little we're given. So kudos to The Brotherhood for that, at least.
John Stasis is a brilliant protagonist name, you really outdid yourself with that one.
Wait till you hear about Jimmy Space
Thats an inside gaming joke XD
Max0r would be proud
John chaser
I still like Max Power more
I love that when Mandy really wants to make a point about bad audio, especially cutting and clipping, he goes so far out of his way to make the worst, most grating audio clips possible. Never change
his kingdom under fire review will forever be one of my favorites for this lol
My favorite example of this was when he actually made a real VHS version of a line read in the alien isolation video, including the visuals, just to make a point.
“Yeah. It’s really hard to do. I’m doing it right now but most just use a filter.”
Subtext: “I’m a UA-camr and I can do it. You’re a game with a multi million dollar budget. Do it for real, make an affect that’s almost as good, or just don’t do it at all.”
John Stasis is that genre of game protagonist like Isaac Clarke or Gordon Freeman where nothing good is ever allowed to happen to them.
They're all in a support group with Peter Parker.
@@richmcgee434And Guts
Point Man from F.E.A.R. should be included here.
Edit: Also, Max Payne.
@@michaelandreipalon359He's only in 1 game without any voice acting or a face so it's hard to consider him an actual character though
@@EldradDinkleberg Alrighty then. What about Max Payne?
27:45 I want to know what vocal director got THATline delivery from Sarah Anne Williams in Cayne, because she is an exceptionally talented voice actor (most people probably know her as Jinx in League) and is more than capable of doing the kind of 'nervous, unhinged crazy' character effortlessly.
didn't realize it was jinx, i was wondering why she sounds familiar when she says the "heck yeah i'm scared" line
My bet is that it’s one of the earlier takes of the line reading that somehow made it into the final cut, Quantic Dream style.
I'm sorry but is delivering lines with more corn than the entirety of central America considered talented? I swear people who watch dubs and/or play LoL have brain rot
It can be hard for a voice actor to put on a good performance if they're just given lines, but don't see what the character is doing as they say it.
Wasn't she abridged Tifa?
I actually had a nightmare about the surgery scene when the game released. I was 23 years old in 2015. Next day I’m having a lunchable for dinner thinking “man that was wild”
It's worse than eye surgery in Dead Space 2
@@davethefreshmaker I intentionally fail that at least once every playthrough
That makes me so incredibly happy.
@@GriffinatorOriginal To be fair they literally tell you “stick a needle in your eye”
@@Allen667sjja Yeah, but only the needle, not the rest of the assembly with it.
"Compounding Lasagna of Terror" is an absolutely wonderful phrase and you should be proud for putting it into the world.
Me: "oh cool, another game I've never heard of i can't wait to check it out!"
Also me: "How the fuck is this going to tie into Marathon."
Meanwhile I was wondering how Star Trek would tie into this. I'm surprised Mandy didn't mention this in the video (nor have I seen it in the comments) but the Eugenics Wars have been a part of Star Trek canon for over 55 years. Other than the addition of body horror, the description of the Eugenics Wars in Stasis is basically identical to everything we know about the Eugenics Wars in Star Trek, right down to the name and the aftermath. Really weird choice IMO
Mandalore has completely broken us with Marathon.
Plot twist: this ties into the Myth timeline instead.
but is myth free form the marathon cannon
@@QuintessentialWalrusI think the Eugenics War is another one of those "Greatest Hits of Scifi" references he talked about.
That game would probably be to much for me to stomach, but I always love hearing about them. Horror is such an incredibly interesting genre when done properly, I just wish I would be better at actually playing it myself.
Don't take it too hard. I can't play horror either, but I love to hear people talking about them.
If you told me Rebecca was voiced by an AI using Laura's voice from Silent Hill 2, I'd believe you
Messed up that this makes perfect sense.
Sounded to me like the Red Queen from the first live action Resident Evil
Funny how this aged well in few days
Oh man, Stasis. This game certainly had its moments. That whole flesh pool sequence was delightfully horrifying
This years prolific upload schedule doesn't displease me in the least.
Agreed ❤
I think we can thank CA for fucking up Warhammer 3 allowing for a more productive Mandalore
@@Diego000793 Is it that bad atm? I've not played in about six month
@@burge117it had not become any better, that's for sure
I'm busy playing royal match
This feels like a high production quality of those escape from x flash games of the early 2000s. I am definitely buying this since my interest is peaked. Thanks for the video Mandalore!
I am not a fan of playing horror games (though a big fan of watching LPs of them) and I don't know what compelled me to contribute to this game's Kickstarter about a decade ago, but I am really glad I did. I had a bunch of fun with this game when it came out and look forward to playing Bone Totem.
ah, it's kickstarter's project- explains A LOT.
Bone Totem is INCREDIBLE and a big step up from Stasis!
Wow a decade but its pretty soild
@@dimas3829what
It’s pretty impressive that a kickstarter actually produce something!
That quick little stab at Creative Assembly/Shadows of Change was priceless. Unlike the DLC... which very much has a price.
I'm only watching this about a month after it came out, and THAT had me legit guffawing.
It’s so subtly considerate of you to point to where we can buy the game BEFORE discussing the story. Very classy, and without wasting our time with unnecessary info to pad out the video length. I wish more content creators were like you:
nice profile picture bro
Mandy is a step above! Truly the best content creator for point and click adventures.
He always does it. This your first time ?
He is a class act!
You should see his other stuff
From the start he holds himself to a high standard
Cayne giving us the words of psychological horror, desolation, and unbridled fear: "hecc yeAH im scARed"
THAT JUST HAPPENED!
uh oh oopsie doodles!! Im on a friggin spaceship talkin to friggin plant people!!!!!
@@StrikeWarlockwait you weren't joking lol
@@Intestine_Ballin-ism yea it's apparent they were still trying to figure out how to write with this game.
Bone Totem is even bigger, more atmospheric and more interesting, almost getting rid of all the minuses. One of those quest horror games where the game keeps you interested from start to finish.
Good to hear, got it on my wishlist!
Does it require any knowledge of STASIS?
@@Ninjaguiden89 None - you can go in blind and enjoy the ride. :D
Is that a sequel? I was they looked very similar.
@@jebronlames5997 it is a game in the same universe, different characters
Mandalore's adventure game videos are the crux of my existence, I only leave my psychological domain of meditation to watch his latest in the series, then return to my lucid slumber.
5:43 That Banban frame was like a jumpscare, it triggered deep memories of the streams in my head
The Banban protocol
The Garten of Kadesh
I think it is actually really intresting to see how the team developt, from Stasis -> Cayne -> Stasis: Bonetotem. With each game they made a massiv leap forward. But i have to agree the sounds and especially the voice cast knocked it down quit badly but all around for 2 bucks it is defnitly worth some couple of hours. Anyways looking forward to your impression on Bonetotem.
CAYNE came after STASIS
@@zerpblerd5966 You are right fixed the order.
8:15 "if i heard that at night i would get a gun to shoot myself" actually made me laugh out loud
same
Easily a new "Out of Context" classic.
I know I'm late to the party but the ending... makes sense?..
It did say that Te'ah stored the research into Ellen's bone marrow.
And John did at one point express his desire to let people know what was happening aboard Groomlake.
He sacrifices himself, and bam - research saved, and so is the proof of what was happening.
It's not guaranteed - a lot of things could happen to the corpse en route - but it's a possibility.
..Right?..
That's the idea, yeah.
having those isolated death cutscenes is straight out of the pre rendered game overs that Aliens Trilogy and Fade to Black had and I'm glad to still be seeing them
I read every single text log that's shown in the video, and omg, the writing is horrifically well done.
I felt sick reading about the "products" the wife on her way to a holiday one was so hard to read. I felt my chest twisting and sinking. I can tell if i were to play this game, i would puke.
I can't find it, where is it? pls, I feel like I`m going crazy.
UPD.
Nevermind, found it. its on 15:09 if anyone is looking
Softie 😅
@@denarte6986 edgelord
I puked once playing bone totem, which was toned down!
so I can not imagine playing this
"[...]Not enough resources given to maintenance until something bad happens[...]"
Thanks for your Shadows of Change review, Mandy! I laugh, lest I start crying.
This game just made me really really want Mandy to do a video on Signalis. Though that might be a bit well known in the genre, it deserves every bit of spotlight it gets. A modern sci-fi psycho-horror classic.
I’d second that, I think Stasis and Signalis share a lot in common, it would be fun to see him trying to tackle the bat shit rabbit hole that is its story.
I'd watch his review on Signalis just to have him make sense of it.
Honestly Signalis seems like it's made for Mandy in particular
I think Signalis is more Sseth territory due to anime lesbians and distinct lack of feet to fetishize
@@kellerharris2593 Nah, it seems more like Pan Pizza's (Rebeltaxi) kind of game.
Most of the issues inherent to adventure games are fixed in the sequel, I'd really recommend giving it a whirl, it's very good.
That one he said is the next video...
@@OtherSideLLC Maybe they stopped watching at the spoilers section?
@@Jesayou it was after the skip to here part
I just want to say it, I been watching your videos for a long time now, (around when you had only 1k subs) and every time I watch your videos I question how you don't have a million subs already. The quality of the videos are high, keep the good work flowing.
17:45 Now that's a sneaky Marv electrocution, nice work blending it in. Was already expecting it there but had to look it up just to be sure it wasn't part of the game.
And here I thought there was no Marv in this video!
The "use all your might" valve you mentioned reminds me of the one major issue I had with one of my favorite old-school Adventure games - The Dig. There was a single puzzle in the entire game where you had to click *and hold* on a button for it to work. Took *hours* to figure that one out.
The puzzles in The Dig were generally pretty awful. The bridges were pretty bad, but the worst has to be the puzzle where you have to trap a creature. That is just so poorly explained how its even supposed to work.
The valve has an entry in the next room mentioning turning it three times.
Breath of Fire 3 for the playstation, near the end of the game you're told to "pray" to progress. At no point in the game you ever had to "pray". It meant to stand still in front of a pedestal for like a minute, this was not a mechanic anywhere else in the game.
You are all small time babies. Sonic 3, zone 4, act 2, That Fucking Barrel
I raise you anything from Armed and Delirious.
0:24 I’ve never seen a pizza that looks like it comes free with your oil change.
This is the greatest description of Sbarro's I've ever heard, thank you.
The use of the "pizza" in connection with Sbarro's is a mite bit questionable, though. Granted, it is pizza-shaped, but that's as far as the similarities really go.
@@MandaloreGaming And thank you for the compliment. Runner up was 'That pizza looks like how a DM would hint that all the food on the table is mimics.'
That ghost master track made me smile. Great choice. Also that SoC jab, well done.
I played this game like a month ago and it was fun for the most part. I liked the start a lot more than the rest, monsters were a lot more "monstrous" and it felt a lot more intense. Later they are just feral greys. Some puzzles though I HAD TO get help to solve. This one bit where you are prepping for surgery and there is an organic matter compartment and you have to put "processed organic matter" in it was absurd to me. Being reasonable I thought I had to purify the mangled scab I got off the wall but nope, all that was needed was to bash it with the gun to make it more loose and there it was, "processed" and ready for surgery.
Not many people have made a video covering this little gem and I haven't seen anyone make a new one in the past 4 or 5 years now.
Honestly I just had enough of this storyline its just annoyingly boring and disgusting
I could hear it instantly. Many of the "odd" or "cartoonish" voices you described are devastatingly South African. The main villain in Black Panther has the same accent. It is an accent found most commonly in individuals who's first language is Afrikaans rather than English. I was born and raised a in close proximity to this accent, but hearing it in media out of the blue feels like stepping on a rake and getting bonked as the handle flies up at you. Never get used to it XD
i played this and Bone Totem like a month ago while digging through indie titles on Steam, was really impressed with both.
15:38 I literally did work on a Call center, a guy had a panic attack and took one of those axes and destroy an office (no injure people), after that YOU CAN NOT BELIVE WHAT THEY DID!
i really love your videos! your editing style is great and the reviews are always so in depth! thanks for taking the time to make them :D
I have to say, Mandy's voice and generally calm tone certainly adds to the atmosphere in the story section of these reviews. Like, the subject material by itself has aspects that make my spine want to melt out of my body in repulsion, but the way he discusses it just elevates that level of horror. It's impressive as hell.
I'm also super impressed by what I see of this game here visually, tons of effort and work, but am also far too chickenshit to probably ever play it. I'm glad to get to know about it (and apparently the sequel soon!) still!! For that deep of a sale, I'm still picking it up. Maybe one day I'll be less of a coward, but in the meantime I'm glad to throw support the devs' way!
I love that Stasis really reminded me of Pandorum (2008) which had a cool twist at the end, but it went waaaay darker :D
they said it was part of the inspiration
Well, on the short list of films that deal with space madness, it feels far more like it than Sunshine (Thank god).
Please god in heaven, do not let ''self-serve surgery stations'' become reality.
This 'verse's techbase seems to have been using biotech forever.
I like most of the voices, besides from the technical mishaps. They made me wonder if they were real living beings, which just added to the mood. And I couldn't get over the fact that the character is made only out of sprites, because some of the animations and the lighting changes are done very well (if we don't talk about the running) 😅
Thanks. :D John had over 1500 frames of animation - it was a nightmare to manage!
@@STASISGame I can imagine that, but it really payed off. Really impressive and I loved every single detail!
@@Skaatjepaid*
@@angelem5960 Oops. But in my defense, I am an idiot.
That opening bit where you push the vending machine in front of the turrets, I just immediately imagined what they were thinking of, just sitting there, waiting for something to move, waiting some more, waiting...
Suddenly this big object falls in front of them and they both freak out, and start shooting wildly in front of them in a panic, just, "AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
Whoa, I wasn't expecting another video so soon! I've heard of Stasis: Bone Totem, but not this...
...holy shit. That's all I have to say about Stasis. I'll certainly be back for the Bone Totem video.
If there's one thing as good if not better than space horror, it's deep sea horror. These guys know what they're doing.
Hopefully we get a review of Barotrauma soon, seems like it'd be right up Mandy's alley
The deep sea is just a inherently more hostile environment. An airtight can is going to stay airtight in space barring damage from other sources, there is no guarantee the same will hold true deep in the ocean. Not to mention the fact that, in space, you can tell if you're alone. The ocean, on the other hand, can easily hide massive things from you.
Ever see Underwater with Kristen Stewart? It’s a fairly modest premise and cast but honestly overdelivered imo. A very enjoyable B horror movie with some surprisingly good effects and ideas.
I love how Mandalore doesn’t even need to build up hype for his videos; he just drops them and we’ll watch
Uh... yeah?
Is that uncommon?
Almost all channels I am subscribed to are like that afaik.
@@michimatsch5862 I guess so, but Mandy just sort of surprises you with a high-quality review of something a lot of us have never heard of/a classic game we didn’t expect him to cover/a new release (the most uncommon of all)
Agreed
Yes he doesn't do that usual run up of TV ad spots and viral marketing to boost the exposure of his videos. No skywriting, nothing. Utter rock star.
Okay, that was extremely interesting and atmospheric. Amazing aesthetic, excellent voice acting from the main, brutally compelling horror. I genuinely can't wait for your video on Bone Totem.
Ahhh you know it’s gonna be a good day when Mandy posts a video. Keep it up Mandy!
I remember the days of waiting months for a mandalore upload; these days it feels like you're putting a video out every other day!
really puts a smile on my face.
great content as always!
Ive had this on my wishlist for ages, I should really get around to playing it. I love its style and vibe.
Oooooh boy! That Goosebumps music always pumps me up! Mandy’s Halloween videos are always the best!
Wonder what fever dream he’ll subject us to this year?
Daaang, kudos to the game creators! They did a lot with a little and Mandalore seems quite impressed. That means a lot!
I played this back 2 years ago, was blown away by how hard they nailed a 90's adventure game. Need to try the 2nd one that came out in 2023. VERY HAPPY U MADE VIDEO :)
Always pleased to see the Daemonculcuba concept alive and well in more media. (If you know, boy howdy do you know.)
Man, thank you. This game evaporated from my memory. About half a year ago, i've remembered about it's existence but couldn't figure out the name. Now i can see why
I haven't clicked a UA-cam notification this fast in ages. I love Statis, Cayne and Stasis 2. Amazing games!
check out beautiful desolation
Mandalore you and Seth are the men.
Constantly providing me with good old games my shitty laptop can run.
Who?
@@dragonlordpeter9006they already did. The review that has a "mech" that is a tower of cars and is isometric.
@@winstonsmith3703BRIGADOR baybbeeeee
@@AL-lh2ht ssethtzeentach. Mandaloregaming's alternative persona when he's off the meds
2:20 "just cuz theres no people doesnt mean theres no danger" gotta be one of the truest things ever said
It's also kinda spooky.
I AM THE DANGER
just ask an australian
All I can say is that I look forward to seeing your Bone Totem review. The atmosphere and setting and everything in this review were excellent, more so because you edited some of the more whiplash-y moments you talked about down or out and just told the story excellently aside from what works for the game and what doesn't.
Thanks for the video, keep up the good work!
The surgery part was intense as hell and spine-chilling. Especially if you fail.
Was that an intended pun or not?
@@calamaty2007 Not intended.
Thank you for making a point in Cayne about how genuinely upsetting dialogue like that is.
With Daedalic's (effective) closure, I would love to see you do a video or two on their point-and-clicks, especially the Edna & Harvey games.
You clever girl putting that spine rip tease at the very end for those max views 😂😂 absolutely love when your videos get posted! makes my day ! Love from NFLD canada 🇨🇦!
I'm so glad you reviewed this game, it's definitely one of my favorite games ever, please check out the other games made by The Brotherhood, especially the sequel to this one: Stasis Bone Totem, Beautiful Desolation is also pretty good.
Yo!
I love the music you throw in your reviews. Some times I go mad thinking, “Hey! I know that track, where was it from?!” 11:00 during the gameplay features. You seriously trying to drop the level select theme from Carnevil into there, one of the greatest rail-shooters of all time, and not expect me to get excited! You would be wrong!
I what a treat to hear, on this Halloween episode. Cheers mate!
I'm so glad people still make games like this.
ohhh. I loved the brigador audiobook guy.
his voice sounded like the smell of oil and work in a mechanics shop
Thanks! You'll love the sequel, it's messed up in a way I can't quite describe.
Stasis for me, was a classic. It has a very unique unsettling vibe. Super interested to see the true sequel in your manner of exposition and recapping.
【Shades Finnish Pirates】 8:11 Jukka cola vending machine, Jukka is a basic finnish male name and that caught my eye instantly
Ahh, phenomenal! I look forward to watching this, grand lore-lord Mandalore.
I found Stasis to be fine-ish. Beautiful Desolation on the other hand was really great. I loved the atmosphere, world building paired with South African protagonist, creepy technocratic characters, the story was also really good and original and choices felt meaningful.
"This game... this game is... this game is next." Oh, now I'm excited. Haven't heard Mandalore give that kind of statement in a long time.
Mandy, you never fail to make me crack up with your deadpan delivery of jokes. I kept snickering after the Groom Lake joke.
Honestly, this makes me remember Numenera and makes me think of the TRPG. Gives me inspiration for future stories to play there
I had a blast with Stasis when I played it a couple of years ago. I would love to see you review Beautiful Desolation, also form the brotherhood. I loved that game!
I didn't even realise Stasis: Bone Totem was a sequel. Better get downloading!
After that description of the spine removal, I wondered how bad it could be. I should have settled for the description.
Great video as always. That deep sea game looks interesting, I might give it a go before your video comes out.
I got Bone Totem because it looked awesome and totally forgot there were games before it.
@@dragonlordpeter9006 Yes it starts on an offshore rig and they take an incredibly dodgy submersible down into the fucking abyss AFTER seeing:
- a man's corpse with his back opened up and strung up like wings into the ceiling they can't see the end of
- literal evidence of aliens
- the entire top section of the rig is abandoned with tools they could have looted
- Other corpses, signs of danger and they had to repair the submersible before using it
Also they're like cyberpunk characters with some minor implants and come from the same kind of city with debt problems who are there for salvage, very cool premise, I like it alot
I’m genuinely happy that you came across this game. I always thought about it after playing it all those years ago but could never remember the name, nor why it made me angry and squeamish for a while, mostly for all the best reasons.
Anyway - great review, keep up the good work!
Damn what a _spine_ tingling experience!
Hey mandalore just wanted to take a few moments to thank you for your hard work. You have one of my favorite youtube channels and i hope you make enough to continue your creativity
Thank you.
Oh damn, I remember recommending Stasis years ago, so glad it's being reviewed!
Holy shit, I just finished Bone Totem, I can't believe I didn't realize this game was by the same people, I never played Stasis but dang, that's crazy.
Defo cover Hype The Time Quest - The game is a hilarious entry from my childhood :)
What a Friday! A mando video AND it's about a game we can actually play? Brings a tear to the eye.
A game i actually beat before big mandy reviews it. A tumultuous wave of euphoria crashes into my body and soul providing me with a feeling of enlightenment ive never had before.
Wait until a Mandalore video drops on a game you've started but haven't yet finished (this has happened to me multiple times). I swear I dip System Shock for years because I hear it's too clunky to be worth playing through and the week I learn, independently, of the enhanced edition and nut up and start playing that has to also be the week this guy drops a review of it. The flip side to this being that since we're seemingly fated to play all the same games he at least makes for a good source of game reccs
Oh my god. Same thing happened to me when he uploaded Tyranny. It makes my game taste feel like a special step above haha.
@@jacobbreitinger6789 Same. Not only did I play through Stasis, I finished Bone Totem too. It's nice to beat him to the punch. It's funny too because I thought this would be something he would review after I finished it. Was surprised it wasn't already done.
One of the few times I've done that is with Northern Journey. I played it a LONG time ago, back when Dillon "Taffer King" Rogers started talking about it, and I was so happy to see it get signal-boosted by Mandy.
Now, if he ever does Mundaun, that'll be another game that I beat before the Mandy review. Also, y'alls definitely need to play Mundaun if you want a cool horror experience.
@@GmodPlusWoW same story here with Northern Journey was stoked to see him cover it
Spoilers are to follow, for those who care about such things:
A pet peeve of mine in stories like this one is the whole "supersoldier"-thing. Be it mutants, cyborgs, aliens or Frankesteinian ubermenschen, it will never ever be anything but a bad idea.
Even if they are somehow 100% loyal, heavy artillery just doesn't care that your dudes are made of the toughest meat around. It's still meat.
Guns are cheaper than illegal genetic research, have no free will with which to rebel, and are in general a much better way to make your enemy more deader before they make you the deadest.
If you ever find yourself in the position of a CEO of an evil corporation, take my advice: fire any mad scientist who does not have an engineering degree. They are going to unleash mutant zombies on you for no other reason than wanting to see what would happen, and that is going to impact your bottom line whichever way you slice it.
Keep the insane engineers. But not in populated areas. They may produce a gluon-bomb or a killer app, you never know, but there's good money to be made in either scenario.
Might be that supersoldiers aren't intended to fight other nations, but rather put down riots/uprisings at home
@@DeoMachina Use regular soldiers with high-tech riot gear!
If you lose a soldier, you could still possibly salvage the gear.
Losing a supersoldier, and that is gonna take time and money to replace, assuming it doesn't rebel.
(They always rebel.)
I think it's realistic BECAUSE it's a bad idea. Companies always make bad decisions based off of ideas they deem promising.
Weyland-Yutani and the Xenomorphs.
Facebook and the Metaverse.
The corporation of my colon and the spicy calzone I ate for dinner last night.
Humans are foolish. Stupid, go-nowhere ideas are our bread-and-butter.
@@DeoMachina That's the origin for the Spartans in Halo
I mean, on the other hand, the hybrids seem completely servile. Like, they seem to worship Malan as much as he does. It could be less to make a better substitute for humans in battle and more to make a mass-producable, efficient, completely loyal slave race.
Really interested if you're planning to cover BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION by the same developers
It's got one of the coolest settings, bio punk in post apocalyptic Africa
The usage of the jeepers creepers song just got my like, god I miss hearing that song
I love how Mandalore just drops a review of a random game while everyone is busy watching reviews or playing an AAA game that just came out and still gets more views than everyone
bro just doesn't give a f***
That is called being actually INDEPENDANT and having INDEPENDANT free will motivation to REVIEW what you LIKE and what you are forced to LIKE.
@@diamondhamster4320 why do YOU, do THIS, with YOUR comments?
@@RottenHeretic some sort of brain rot most likely
@@RottenHeretic why not? it is not illegal to give comments some flair/flavor with some emphasizing, mate.
@@honeybadger6275 Broski projecting hard.
Groom Lake is a film. It's a hokey Sci-fi that also happens to be William Shatner's debut role. Part of it was filmed in the Biosphere 2.
I remember buying the bone totem freshly after finishing signalis; I loved the horror, but by GOD did I hate playing it, it was a huge wake-up point for me not to buy point-and-click adventure games. I'm just that bad at them xD