Thank you to the incredible @FlowerBoiDeMii for letting me use "CHXKEM3!" in the video! (05:57). He's an amazing breakcore/DnB artist, so please check out his complete works, he's got a UA-cam but most of his content is on his Spotify! open.spotify.com/artist/7HcU7yCOfyw3hqrj1ZSORc ua-cam.com/channels/V190KbWFbERiKzgdEQ8XyA.html
@@WayneGlensky-vx5eri think the music is from Beethoven or something but from the way you're asking for the music it seems like your not just asking for the """music"""
There's exactly one (1) cannibalism scene, the satanic act is tied to that and otherwise it's only a mention of a cult. Though there is a lot of murder. Did you even play the game lol?
@@rheokalyke367Did YOU even play the game? Andrew and Ashley sacrifice their parents to a demon and then eat their corpses too. There's 2 cannibalism scenes and they both involve demonic influences, the second of which is a pretty big part of chapter 2 and plays a significant role in the story. Quit your lying.
It's sad to see Nemlei leave the internet completely even after this masterpiece of a game. With genius storytelling, great art and the most mentally deranged duo in fiction. I'm excited for episode 3 but without Nemlei and their devlogs can we really be excited for something we don't know of?
I know but It's sad that they're going completely off grid. As announced also, this month's devlog will be the last we'll ever hear from Nemlei.@@marco3829
finally, an ACTUAL good analysis of this game - I've seen other people on here trying to dismiss this game's writing as nothing more than just "UA-cam clickbait" and it's just sad that people's disgust towards a taboo subject colors their ENTIRE view on the actual writing. people are allowed to write about topics like these, jeez
Obviously. This game is a dark comedy masterpiece. I guess it was created to push moral boundaries as hard as possible, so that the plot is so surreal and unrealistic that it makes you laugh, kinda one of the points that make GTA games so popular. And if people see this as “disgusting” it’s THEM who is fucked up, if the worst sins possible seem realistic enough for THEM to be disgusted of.
andrew is trying to convince himself he’s the bigger person when he’s actually messed up as well, being attracted to his own sister and slowly losing empathy for others as he grew with ashley, and well ashley clearly has extreme attachment issues with andrew because she feels like he’s the only one that’s ever cared, and that doesn’t pair well with her manipulative ways (probably got from her mother) and how badly she was raised just nagging andrew until she got what she wanted
This is the most realistic manipulative/codependent relationships I’ve even seen in media. The way they play off of each other is so disgustingly real that it’s intoxicating. And that’s why people like it so much.
What's honestly shocking to me is that the incest route is supposedly the 'happy' route/ending so far. In decay route, when the player supposedly thinks that it's a good thing Andrew is going to kill Ashley and finally get rid of the toxicity in his life, he's more broken and depressed than ever. Meanwhile in.....*that* vision, he's confident and bold. Even with choices that only enables the incest ending, it results in the siblings being at their happiest. Yeah, it's fucked up, but I think decay route also tells us one thing that burial route does not. Andrew just can't cut off the source of the problem, even if he knows Ashley fucked him up. It's been over 20+ years with her, and vise versa for her side too. Psychological, children get use to a certain routine/way of life after living it for the majority of their lives, which is what the Graves siblings have been doing. Just being with each other. They are both beyond the point of fixing and accepted being with each other is what makes them happy and sane, even if it's toxic and fucked up. The difference is that Andrew has shame, while Ashley doesn't Another thing I'll point out about Andrew is yeah, he's down bad for his sister. And yeah, he hates himself for it. But when the only woman in your life that you've had a 'stable' relationship with has been your sister, biology takes over...
Its not just that Andrew is attractive and charismatic enough to get his own girlfriend but when he does, he tried making that said girlfriend to be like his sister and I don’t think I can blame Ashley for that but it being Andrew’s own attraction for his sister
We also know that the basics of human love is shared experience. Physical attraction gets us interested, but it's shared/related experiences that drive us humans into a deeper connection together.
One thing I do disagree with you strongly on is what the blood oath does for the story. With that and Andrew’s thought about killing Ashley in mind, it shows that he’s willing and able to weaponize violence. And there’s a secret scene in episode 2 where Andrew threatens to backhand Ashley for wanting to put her name on a call girl’s wall for money. In it, she accuses him of being a wife beater and he says something along the lines of “only for you.” This implies that Andrew has done acts of violence like this before, but even if he hasn’t, that little comment makes the choking scene look less like him standing up for himself and more like him letting the mask slip. It’s a reminder to both himself and Ashley who really has the power here, and that their dynamic only continues to exist because Andrew allows it. Ashley never acknowledges the danger she’s in until the Decay route spells it out for her, but she was in that kind of danger all along and never knew. That’s terrifying. It goes to show that there is no “good guy” in their relationship. Andrew is not a henpecked doormat, and him choosing Ashley in spite of his violent thoughts, constant irritation, and past trauma becomes much more poignant because if it. He isn’t forced to be with Ashley, and he could’ve ended it at any time. I wrote a few analyses on this game that better explain my thoughts. I’ll email them to you if you’re curious.
@@SunshineJesse Incredible analyses! Your look into Andrew's controlling behaviours was exquisite, especially the importance of whether he empties the gun. I disagree with some things (like how you say they would be happier with separation; I don't think there's any fixing these two), and I still don't like the blood oath, but overall very spot-on. I can appreciate that the blood oath is actually a clever way for Andrew to manipulate Ashley - priming her to be a convenient big bad influence and consequently him as a victim - but I don't like the idea of the same Andrew reeling in guilt over Nina's death simultaneously being so mischievous. And again, like I suggested in the video, this contractual obligation (plus the earlier blackmail) takes away from episode 1's portrayal of Andrew organically following Ashley around. This is one of my favourite paragraphs from your essays: "She still thinks about the idea of controlling him, of trying to get him to stay. There's internal monologue about it. But that's the difference. Before, we rarely see any internal monologue of her thought patterns- she just acts. Not thinks. But here, she's unsure. Here, she has to look inward. She has to self-reflect. She still frames it as her trying to keep Andy around, but Andrew is making it obvious in both words and actions that he will always be there for her, and he's so COMFORTABLE about it."
Well you have some points I disagree that Andrew has all the power. Yeah certainly Andrew could physically leave. But he can't mentally leave. In the route it is said he is willing to kill her I think it is implied he is giving up on his own life too. Also not sure if you are aware but in that same dream if the gun has ammo there is the option to have Ashley shoot him. and if you choose not to she just calmly accepts dying to him in the dream. She may not seem the type to use violence. but at the same time she has never needed to use violence before. Lastly you seem to be ignoring that Ashley actively pushes him to violence. She literally has him kill someone she could have killed herself then gaslights him over it.
@@phantom-ri2tgexcept Andrew also has that same inclination towards violence he just hides it better than Ashley take the lady from 302 for example Andrew who up until that point has been very cautious in his approach towards there escape let’s her go? No the real answer is that he killed her for a reason unknown to us because if you look at the room she lays there with her throat slit on her bed there is no blood in the room outside of that and he wouldn’t have had time to clean it up before Ashley got back and the nail gun didn’t move from it’s original position and even if all that was true what would be the point of putting her back in her bed afterwards Andrew also never has that panic attack he was “saving for later” after all the people they killed Andrew has multiple ways to just say no to Ashley and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because yes while he can’t mentally leave her you seem to forget she can’t leave him either neither of them are willing to leave each other however Andrew is the only one who threatens it so making it seem like Ashley forces him to do these things is untrue because he can say no he just chooses not to think of it like this Ashley is a bad person and she knows it and doesn’t care if people know Andrew is equally as bad but does care if people notice because they will take him away from ashley
Something I saw another person say regarding this game is how obvious it is that Mrs. Graves is the reason why Ashley probably views any sort of close bond as having to be romantic. Mrs. Graves insists that Andrew must be sleeping with Ashley because she can’t possibly think of any reason why else he would refuse to help his parents and betray his sister. Not once does it cross her mind that Andrew is closer to Ashley, that he knows his mother sold them out, that he doesn’t care about his parents nearly as much as he does his sister. Her first thought is to jump to physical attraction. I don’t deny she’s definitely noticed how touchy feely the both of them are, but I also suspect she would have said this even if she hadn’t noticed and even has implied this more than once. She indirectly continuously reinforces the idea that the two must be sleeping with each other in order to have this codependent/very close (albeit insanely toxic) bond which I imagine hasn’t helped Andrew at all regarding the thoughts he’d rather not be dealing with nor has it helped Ashley comprehend that she doesn’t need to own Andrew’s ability to have physical intimacy in order to be important to him.
Hey dude. Those are chalkboards. She isn't painting over paintings, she's cleaning off the chalk dust. There's no replacement of old bitter memories, there's a realisation of what her happiness was truly, without lying to herself. There's a reason she's disappointed in him denying everything. Without everything she understands is necessary for true love, doing it wouldn't be love. But if all needed things for love are present, this can be as important a part of it. She released him from the cage and stopped seeing him as important object, instead respecting him as a person. Now there's suddenly a need and missing piece of her heart to be filled, so she can feel the love she always asked of him.
Agreed. Andrew really doesn't need to do the things Ashley tells him to a lot of the time. Really Andrew just blames Ashley for his bad decisions then refuses to face any of the consequences. He didn't have to prank Nina, he could have turned himself in for her accidental murder. He didn't have to kill that woman in room 302, which he claimed was self-defense but really it was because he didn't want any witnesses to his crimes. He also doesn't want the murders on his conscience so he puts all the blame on Ashley.
@@Palepetal I think the two of them are fucked up Andrew just has this prettending attitude even though they bote know it what the reality is. The only way for them to progress further and not go incane , one of them dying is to accept the situation and accept their fucked up relation ship and situation.
7:31he still had and has, game shown that blackmail never was much of a lever on Andrew/Andy. It's just usefull excuse for him and nothing more. If look at the endings so far and especially "Final Finale Finally", reins of relationship were always in the hands of Andrew in one way or another. Truthfully she would've never snitched on him, yeah she could do other things and would've. But we know, she knows, Andy knows (even then), that realistically the biggest loser would've been her if everything came to light. She has too few things, so every loss hits her so MUCH harder. (can attest to that from personal experience) She says that nobody likes her, so she has nothing to lose. But that's not true, she has Andy and if she loses him, that only "thing" in her toy box, then she will lose EVERYTHING. And she knows it, that's why her reaction is always so visceral to anything that comes even remotely close to snatching him away from her.
I think it was more to show the extent Ashley is willing to go. they know she has too much to lose. but that does not mean you still wouldn't feel pressured at the time. even more coming from someone who has uhh. pretty reckless tendencies. Of course I doubt the blood oath had much at all impact long term.
Oh nah this game is seriously peak fiction, the psychology behind the siblings, the extremely pleasing art style, near perfect storytelling. Well worth the £5 I bought it for. Episode 3 bouta be so hype
Quit glazing bro😂 i hate when people think that they are so individualistic and are such intellectuals when they like such mild games with writing lacking any subtlety and tropes that you see in countless anime. Yet people claim its some refuge in taboo when it doesn’t even say anything about its subject matter, like the creator was afraid of saying anything that could actually warrant criticism. Calling this peak fiction is an insult to any actually good story and is like saying Taylor Swift is peak music with intricate messaging.
Tropes aren't everything, @@mainframe1608. It's how you use them which sets apart the thoughtfully designed from the dumpster fires. And in this day and age, this IS a refuge for some folk. Taboo paired with an artstyle of this kind is a rare combination due to the dedication behind making video games - even visual novels. The only other game that comes to mind which has a similar combo of tone and fluffy artstyle would be Cult of the Lamb, though I'd appreciate if you could prove me wrong there. Additionally, what if the taboo IS what the creator wanted to say? What if the symbolism to be said already flew over our heads?
The funniest part is that Ashley IS the one who doesn't have incestual feelings for her brother, her feelings aren't romantical, she wants his attention.
Bro the glazing for this game is insane 😂 people are really creating strawmen over that one scene and saying that people are mad at the game when people actually aren’t. The scene is so expected because of all the overt clues throughout the game and when you actually get to the scene, the game acts like it did something even though it was obvious it was going to happen and the game expects you to act surprised. In terms of writing, the game is full of anime tropes and it barely says anything about its subject matter. The only reason people like this game is because of the aesthetics, nobody would be playing this game if it wasn’t for the cute goth girl cutting people up and eating them, and people pretend that they play the game to avoid the fact that thats the only reason they like it.
I really enjoy how you got into Burial Ashley's reaction to Andrew's changes. So many fans seem to chalk it up to her being upset she can't control him for the sake of control, or because she's a bad person, but I think you hit the nail on the head; she's unnerved and confused, because she's never had to fight someone constantly for love and affectionate. That's her entire framework, her entire life up until this point, woven in her personality and behaviors. There's a lot of trauma surrounding this for her. Andrew simply loving and enjoying her for her, no strings attached, no manipulation required to keep him around is something she has no idea how to respond to, because she's never had that before, and it's equally as tragic as it is beautiful. This is by far one of my favorite video essays on this game. I've never had more fun picking apart and inspecting characters like I have for the Graves' siblings. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the community! Excitedly anticipating your take on chapter 3a/3b when they're released! :)
14:40 I. DID. NOT. Notice the pillow during my playthrough... Holy fuck... Neither did I notice that the art style becomes more detailed and realistic in the scenes where the characters supposedly become act more mature and feel whole. I want to express my gratitude, because videos like these boost my faith in humanity a little bit. The scandal and all the incest jokes (as well as bunch of funny live reactions to that route) made me gave the game a try, out of curiosity. And after completing it... I'm just so happy that there are people who can actually read into it. Who can read between the lines; notice all the subtleties; to fucking comprehend why the author made their particular choices when writing this narrative. While choosing this theme (along with a somewhat sussy art style) definitely bought this game a lot of attention through indirect fan service, this game isn't BASED around it. Just like Star Wars aren't based around lasers, kek. It's just another questionable theme that helps to show the player just how far gone, how warped the characters are. I'm sure there will be a happy ending for them. But it will only be happy to someone who's as messed up as those two are.
@@naber5852When Ashley jumped on top of him on the cough he got a reaction from that. And as soon as his mother came and Ashley quickly got off him, he pushed the pillow between his legs to cover his "reaction". Genious, just brilliant. I didn't even realize the meaning behind it at first
Never seen so much detail going into understanding so deeply the psychology aspect of the game, which is the main aspect. I've come to facepalm myself multiple times wondering "how did I not notice that!?" multiple times while watching this video. This was exceleptionally well done
I utterly and absolutely adore your editing and analysis. I can't wish for Episode 3 any more if not just to hear your break down this astounding story. I hate how much this game has rooted into my skull. I don't think I'll be able to escape it even when it ends
Thanks for putting together your commentary on the mother, I was honestly fooled by her lying. I was second-guessing if she actually sold her children to the organ traffickers. The way she lied to them both, wow it was hard for me to believe a mother was this good at lying through her teeth about caring about her own children.
Exactly. First time I ever played the game, I picked the olive branch, partialy also because I just felt uncomfortable thinking about murdering your own parents, but also because I did mostly see Andrew as a blameless victim on my first playthrough and I thought him getting rid of Ashley could fix him.
6:59 I think the degree to which the blood oath/pact undermined the narrative or its integrity from Ep. 1 may be mitigated or excused, if not itself undermined, by the fact that Andy gave himself a loophole that allowed him more priorities than just Leyley, and he kept it hidden from her long enough that by the time she realized, it was too late to do it over. It demonstrated that although limited, he did find a way to assert agency without violating the pact, and it showed a cleverness with negotiation.
I found the coffin of Andy and Leyley through the drama, but it wasn't the incest the roped me in while I was watching reactions to the infamous scene. I was enthralled by Ashley and Andrew, and how they talked to each other, how they interacted, how they were. I didn't really care about the incest to be honest, I was too interested in them. So I bought the game and played through it while specifically going for the burial route. I loved it, and obsessed over it for days. Then I went back for the decay route. I had been anxious to play this route, because I really didn't want to see Andrew and Ashley fight. The final scene on the bridge in decay made me well up, and I both hated decay and appreciated how it made me feel. After I finished decay, I ran through burial a second time to feel better, and started to ask myself why burial and decay affected me so deeply. It hit me recently why they were both so impactful, and why I adore Andrew and Ashley equally. I've played the decay and burial routes out in my own love life (not with a sibling though, I'm an only child). I've had two girlfriends in my life, and ironically, I've been Leyley in both relationships, for better or worse. My first girlfriend (who I'll call Annie) played off my energy well enough. We had jokes and laughed together, but it was destined to end in heartbreak. She dumped me, yet we still acted like lovers. Kissing, flirting, saying "I love you" in ways that couldn't just mean friendship, and even sexual activity. Though, when she found a new boyfriend, I was very quickly thrown out and ignored. She even started to get mean, calling me an idiot and openly saying to my face how she doesn't have feelings for me anymore, knowing full well I still did and not caring. But, stupid as I was, I clung to her, hoping I could worm my way back in and steal her away. But like Andrew in decay, she had nothing to say to me. When we finally went separate ways, I was more or less a shell. I had just started college and my brother from another mother died in a car accident when he was only 17. Through this, I just wanted Annie back, under the delusion that she could make me feel better when all she did was make me feel like shit. Despite this, another girl entered the picture. This girl (let's call her Lily) was sweet, and we fell in love real damn fast. I was scared of seeming like I was rebounding onto her, so I didn't commit right away. But with time, I did. Like Dandy said in this video, Lily and I were each other's everything. Still are, actually. She and I are still dating and absolutely crazy for each other. This is my burial route, because she and I are crazy enough to make sure everyone knows we're off limits. Is it healthy? Probably not, but it works for us, and we're happy. Coffin really showed me how similar I can be to Ashley. I used to be horribly neurotic and get paranoid over actually nothing. I still need damn near constant reaffirmation from Lily. And I could easily see myself doing something horrible for the people I love. All in all, I'm obsessed with Coffin because I see myself so clearly in Ashley and Andrew and am rooting for their success. I love this game and can't wait for the next installment. Thanks for reading everyone, sorry for the long comment.
@@DandyDNA I’m glad you asked cause I forgot to comment on this part. You mentioned that Ashley is more similar to their mother, but I always thought that Andrew is his mother’s son, with both of them being great manipulators and liars.
I’m glad this game exists. In a climate of constant pandering from larger art studios (movie/game) we are in desperate need of media that really challenges the mind. The Coffin of Andy and Ley-Ley. Saltburn. It forces us to engage in a way that doesn’t let us be comfortable. It’s brilliant. We need more content about bad people.
I strongly agree with the points made in this video. The game possesses numerous layers, and I'm eagerly anticipating Episode 3 and its potential impact on the storyline. As highlighted by several commenters, the flashback, in my view, suggests that Andrew has control over his relationship with Ashley and that he harbors resentment towards her. Ashley's actions appear more like immature outbursts, driven by her paranoia of being replaced by Andrew, who himself fluants that he has other options, even though we, as players, know he would invariably always choose Ashley. Given how he treats Julia. A fascinating aspect of Andrew's character is his tendency to disregard inconvenient truths until they cause significant problems. He conveniently blames Ashley for his childhood misbehaviors and passively endures her whims, likely a behavior reinforced by their mother's indulgent parenting approach "Just indulge Ashley, so she doesn't make a scene". This negligence by young Andrew leads to pivotal events, such as Nina's death, contributing to Andrew's trauma and resentment. He also overlooks Ashley's harassment of Julia, and Julia, lacking assertiveness, fails to confront the issue, allowing Andrew to ignore it. This leads to their eventual breakup, possibly accelerated by the quarantine but probably still inevitable. This theme of avoidance persists until Andrew breaks the cycle it in the burial route. (And Ashley does by trusting him) Here, the mother's disparaging remarks about Ashley prompt the player to make Andrew acknowledge the mother's role in their troubled upbringing. The mother views Ashley as a burden, somewhat justifiably given Ashley's NEET status prior to the game. If the player chooses the burial route, Andrew sees through this hypocrisy and threatens their mother. Nemlei emphasizes this dyamic by having Ashley express relief that their parents regret BOTH of their births, eliciting a knowing/pitying reaction from Andrew which Ashley does not comprehend. By acknowledging their parents' contribution to their problematic upbringing, Andrew begins to shed his resentment towards Ashley, paving the way for a more balanced relationship, surpassing the inequity of the blood oath. You can then further accelerate this by having Ashley trust Andrew with her true feelings of romanticism. (after THE VISION) In the burial route, Andrew evolves, becoming more introspective and treating Ashley with greater kindness and playfulness, recognizing her needs. He shows her significantly more empathy, highlighted by their first genuine hug in the series. Or, in the tamer burial route, he seems neutral and amiable towards her. Episode 3 is likely to depict a more patient and playful Andrew, who may focus on positively reinforcing Ashley. The burial theme symbolizes burying their past and progressing towards a balanced relationship, whether as siblings or lovers. In contrast, the Decay theme represents succumbing to negative traits like Andrew's resentment or Ashley's paranoia, leading to the deterioration of their relationship. Episode 3 is expected to offer two distinct paths based on the choices made in Episode 2, either fulfilling or averting the vision. This follows the pattern set in Episode 2, where the player's decisions can either realize or prevent the vision concerning the hitman, which technically was one of the potential endings.
I like the coffin of Andy and Leyley because its terrifying. Partners in crime, complete assholes, neglected, hopelessly codependent, psychologically pushed to the very edge and ready to snap. Its all just perfect and a great reflection on how the human brain works. It also gets you thinking about the horrid amount of siblings that also went through something similarly, at least through the neglect and incest lense. Cant wait for episode 3 to eventually drop, however long that takes 😭🖤❤
TCoAaL fans pretending that the story is good to avoid the fact that they only play the game for the goth girl that cuts people up and eat them be like:
Thank you for the video, and the psychological analysis that you did on the entire game, I’m glad that there are still people who understand how to properly evaluate such masterpieces.
This is actually one of the best videos ive seen when talking about the coffin of andy and leyley. it is genuinely SO HARD to find someone who doesn't just immediately hate on the game cus "ew incest" i think more taboo subjects should be talked about in games to better help people understand what leads up to such events, and how it can be resolved/prevented. and also the whole point is that its a PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR But anyways im getting off topic, this comment is specifically about you and how wonderfully you edited and talked about this game. You made me aware of things i literally missed the first time i played this game and im so glad that others are also commemorating you for this amazing video, genuinely love this
i like the burial portrait scene in this scene you see all the normal should be figures in ashleys life that aren't there due to neglect but that's when ashley replaces them with andrew because he was her brother, her friend the parental figure in her life andrew was all she needed. and the portrait scene shows that well.
i was waiting on your views on ep2 and it was well worth it. your ability to explain what is going on as a WHOLE helped me see some unnoticed character attributes beyond just the differences between routes. everything is beautifully intertwined... thank you! i feel ready to dive into ep3 when it comes out.
Thank you! This game is so lovingly crafted; nothing is unintentional or half-baked. Which points stood out for you in particular? I know myself that I haven't seen anybody else talk about the 3rd art style.
@@DandyDNA art styles are a big one for sure. I did watch no less than 4 or 5 other videos on the game and you got me with deeper look into similarities of possible routes. They really are sides of the same medal… Ah, also, your thoughts about “love” route being potentially the best one really got to me. Maybe someone out there explained it already but i either missed it or just did not get to it at all. After all, it is hard to stumble upon (and notice) good analysis of that particular part because of all these “haha look incest! Incest” hollow rambles on the internet. Warm regards from Russia. Excuse me if my way with words is not very good :) (I played the game in original btw. Not much faith in language localisations these days!)
@@DandyDNA i’d like to add that it were the memes about incest and somewhat quirky artstyle that caught my attention to start considering the game (but not to play it, which i decided after finding out that there is so much more to it in psychological sense). My times with gaming and especially this style (jrpg-like) are long gone. I have to say that i regret nothing and tcoaal would have been a shame to sleep on!
@@DandyDNAfrom an artist’s perspective I honestly feel the change in art style is less of a conscious choice on the artists part. When you draw the same character over and over (assuming you’re not content to be sedentary in your skill) you inevitably improve their design or add detail over time. I think we’re watching the artist push themself to improve over the course of development. What your video pointed out to me, though was just how thoroughly the mother lies through her teeth about EVERYTHING she says. I somehow missed how she referred to herself as both a great and terrible mother depending on which sibling she’s talking to, and that’s a HUGE detail.
@@CrazyLikeUhFox I get what you mean about artists tiring of repetition, but the contrast between art styles within the same frame has to be intentional. Episode 1 did this as well, even though fatigue would have been less likely so early on.
I wonder if the twist is going to be that the vision in Burial, like the first vision, never comes true, but in Decay Leyley is desperate to keep Andy around and tries extreme measures. He feels forced into it and goes along, of course, and a miserable alternate version of the vision plays out for real.
Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. the phrase applies extremely well with horror art. The dumbesst thing is twitter hating something is free marketing who wouldnt wanna see a game twitter doesnt like it happened with harry potter. It's a sign the game is worth checking out.
DAMN DUDE! I can't believe how much I missed and how HORRIBLE I am about picking up on subtle details in conversation. This feels like I'm watching a MASTER at work creating a perfect analysis, amazing job on this video I can't remember the last time I was THIS impressed while watching a video
@@DandyDNA You keep this up, you'll surpass me! I thought I was good at analyzing characters, you blow me out of the water! Are you a psych student, how are you so good at this?
I came to this exact same conclusion regarding Andrew's mental state. I had interpreted andrew to be the actual generator of the toxicity. Ashely certainly is psychotic but it's Andrew's desire and unwillingness to suffer consequences that cause a bulk of the problems.
@stephenjenkins7971 did she do so to get him to kill the security guard who caught her? Or the girl in the apartment? Or when he chocked her around the end of episode 1 and threatened to kill her if she didn't start behaving the way he wanted.
@@caelandenning2648 Obviously not. But she did when she claimed that eating the cultist was his idea. Or when she denied that they agreed to bury Andy and LeyLey. Or when she fake cried as a kid to get fake sympathy from him to get what she wanted. It goes on and on. I like how you frame Ashley going on a massive tantrum to the point of blocking his way of leaving as threatening to kill her if she didn't behave the way he wanted. Like yeah, abusive on his part, but it was hardly that straightforward. Andrew doing terrible things doesn't absolve Ashley from it.
@stephenjenkins7971 I like how you think those are nearly as negatively impactful on their relationship as Andrew committing several murders and constantly doing anything to escape consequences.
@@caelandenning2648 People gaslighting others to commit murders are a thing, and Ashley explicitly did so. Its to the point that he genuinely feels guilt over Nina and has nightmares about her. He unironically would never have killed anyone without Ashley. But because he felt responsible for her, he was the one that had to fix Ashley's muck ups; he explicitly avoids doing bad things in the first place unless gaslit by Ashley or when in a dangerous situation. They're both messed up, but Ashley specifically gives no crap because she relies on Andrew to get them out of such a situation. So yes, she's just as bad, if not worse than Andrew. If only because Andrew actually thinks about the consequences and puts on a civilized front.
their complicated and codependent history contorts them to such vile and irreversible lengths, and it makes it so that they are literally unable to exist outside of how their relationship has been impacting them. they feed one another, and the horrors that result from their desperation just keep the cycle going. the way they twist around each other as broken and sick people makes me horrified, and I'm so proud of the creative team for pulling that off.
Aahhhhhh! I am so happy to find someone who actually put thought and really good logic and analysis into deconstructing this. I just found this game, and it’s literally some of the best writing I’ve ever seen for manipulative and co-dependent characters. You absolutely crushed pretty much everything in terms of analysis. Really really great work, dude. I’m glad you saw through the incest and shit and actually saw it for the piece of art that it is. Keep the great work up :D
I never thought about how the “family friendly” option in the burial ending not having an actual vision is used to show the significance of the vision for the other choice. Really makes you think the left door is the narratively correct ending for episode 2, and the dev log images would also go along with that.
i alway thought that these two sibling had something very messed up going on (psychologically) but then there's you who explain it better than my own thought great video keep it up!
I'm so happy that this game is getting known more! I fell in love with the art style, storyline and dark themes. I played Chapter 1 and heard Chapter 2 came out WITH STORY AFFECTING CHOICES. I love this game. I love how disturbing it can make us feel and I can understand the hate for the incest themes but I think it really enhances the experience. But that's just me. --don't actually support incest though
What a great video. What a masterful amount of interpretation of this game. While the source material is clearly carefully constructed and powerfully layered you've dug into elements that may or may not have been actively considered by the creator. It brings an even greater legitimacy to this medium. I haven't yet seen anything like this that has so much respect for the author and for what they created. This video really earns it's semi-viral status and hat's off to you for putting it together! One element that I love in this game is the way that the player is brought down with Andrew and Ashley. Its a common trope in video games where by necessity your actions at the controls are necessary to push the story forward. Sometimes this is acknowledged as complicity; the game will throw it back and shame you for continuing to make things worse. But here the interactive medium makes you root for these two broken and demented souls, to find even a crumb of happiness in a life that has taken everything from them. They didn't deserve their circumstances and cast in just the right light we almost find justifications for what occurs...but their thinking is frozen in childhood. These two don't behave or interpret the world like functional 20-somethings they act like 15 year olds without fully formed faculties for reason or empathy.
Very well done analysis. At first I couldn't tell which episode I liked best, but in retrospect, I enjoyed Ep 2 even more than Ep 1 tbh. The blackmail and blood oath scene didn't take away from it imo. And honestly ep 2 was even more impactful to me since it fleshed out the characters more. Maybe there was some nostalgia involved with Ep1, but in hindsight, I had a lot more fun and feels throughout Ep2.
What I find interesting about the two siblings is how different they are on the psychopath spectrum. Ashley is the walking red flag. She's rude, mean spirited, and for the lack of a better term, a total bitch. She causes problems for everyone, does not even try to hide how much she dislikes everyone who isn't Andrew, and is overall just a nuisance to everyone around her. Meanwhile, Andrew is far more complex. There's another comment that explains it in depth, but he's just as bad if not straight up worse than Ashley. He's a lot more composed, he establishes himself as the mature one, and is just the more "normal" of the two. Unlike Ashley, he has a social life at college and even has a girlfriend. However, we get subtle hints that he's not as much of a victim as we think he was during chapter 2. His inner monologue confirms he fakes having nightmares to snuggle with Ashley, he has subtle hints of being more than willing to use violence, and he even subtly manipulates Julia to resemble Ashley. What makes Andrew the scarier sibling isn't just that he's crazy, it's that he knows how to hide it. He knows the best way to ensure nobody tries to take Ashley away from him is by pretending that she has him psychologically whipped into being unable to say no to her. The fact that everyone who only played chapter 1 felt bad for Andrew and thought he was a victim is proof of this. It wasn't until we were literally in his head that we realized how much of a psychopath he really is. We all fell for his act just like the characters in universe did.
Finally someone intelligent here, there are a lot of people who don't see Andrew's true self, little by little I realized that Andrew was worse than Ashley due to his signs: •Andrew never showed genuine remorse for his actions • Andrew only has empathy for Ashley, he pretends to have empathy and concern for other people. And just to be clear, there are psychopaths capable of having empathy with someone or some people, but that would be a mild aspect of psychopathy, since I don't know if a serious psychopath has empathy for someone or not. •Andrew is only worried about the consequences of his actions • Andrew blames Ashley for his bad things and mistakes, sometimes Ashley is really to blame but I've never seen him blaming himself for something •Andrew is a complete liar, he lies all the time to pretend to be someone normal (mask of sanity) •Andrew since he was a child showed a lack of remorse and only empathy for Ashley being indifferent to what happened to Nina, he would only be frightened and scared if someone saw what happened to Nina •He is a sadist, he himself said that he wanted to see the guard who looked at his little sister like that, suffer before dying for him and he also likes BDSM practices from the looks of it. Of course, not all psychopaths are sadists, but Andrew is one. •He himself managed to act very well as a false persona for people, society, family and himself •He is also very possessive and obsessive about Ashley, he doesn't accept anyone having him. Some psychopaths can be quite possessive and obsessive, but this is rare in psychopathy itself. Andrew has all the signs of psychopathy, I believe he is in a mild aspect, as he still only has love and empathy for Ashley, something that a pure psychopath wouldn't have for anyone. And I liked your observation about Andrew's true self, you're a genius!
YEAAAH MAN I discovered your first video on this game when episode 2 was already out and I was excited for you to cover the second episode! This is gonna be a treat
Definitely worth a sub for this, you've made a great analysis and put in words the difference between Decay and Burial that I struggled to explain to a friend a few weeks ago.
17:28 Because of the devlogs on the steam news page for the game. I think it can be assumed that the puzzle in the right door IS the vision and that the tar soul is Andrew.
Also I loved this video so much. Gave me closure on a lot of things that didn’t fit right in my interpretation of this story. I.e how guilty Andrew was
Terrific video, the Explanation, the editing, the direction, everything i love it. 💯💕 Thank you very much for making this video, i really appreciate it ☺️🙏❤
Your review of the first episode was great, but this one was excellent, and it shows without a shadow of a doubt that you have a refined ability for critical analysis and artistic literacy (or at least the sense to not let one taboo rarely depicted so overtly cloud your objectivity/give you tunnel vision to the point where you cant appreciate/lose sight of the core themes of a piece of media) to make a good critique. (Good music taste too 👍🏻) Wonderful job dude! Cant wait for your take on Episodes 3 only second to their release. Also, if you care for my 2 cents: read up on Cluster B personality disorders (NPD, BPD, and ASPD). I havent seen discussion of them other than comments using "sociopath" in a pejorative sense. Though the mother is a textbook example of someone with ASPD, Ashley and Andrew seem to alternate between borderline-esque behavior and codependency to sociopathic (at least in their treatment of each other) in reaction to the other almost like flipping polarity: Ashley is normally overtly ASPD with BPD traits, while Andrew (or Andy) is BPD with ASPD traits; this flips during the Decay route. Ashley becomes more timid/scared, while Andrew (sans Andy) becomes apathetic and devoid of all empathy including for her, as shown by his explosive anger outbursts when Ashley screws up or screws with him (not literally lmao) and calm, apathetic-seeming malice/vindictiveness towards her in his "neutral" state. Cluster B disorders have a lot of overlap in some cases, and these two seem to essentially be not just mirrored, but flipping Venn diagrams of dual BPD/ASPD. 1 note: sociopathy and psychopathy are not clinical terms, but they have utility as causative/contextualizing interchangable terms with ASPD - sociopathy meaning ASPD caused by "nurture" (environment, trauma, upbringing, etc) and psychopathy being ASPD caused by "nature" (as a congenital disorder/hereditary). Another school of thought is that both terms corespond to the low and high functioning ends of a spectrum, sociopathy being low and psychopathy being high. I subscribe to the first, but really both are purely utilitarian, since theyre just outdated names for the same disorder being put to use for deeper analysis of it. Anyway, hope that provides any tangibly useful info/insight for your analysis or a lead to get more. Again, great vid!
I thought Andy was more NPD. He keeps Ashley on a tight leash, carefully dispensing affection strategically to keep her under his control. Her dependency on him is the narcissistic supply for his desired image as the "responsible good brother taking care of his crazy sister", that image also being why he's so fastidious about hiding his crimes and not wanting to be found out. If they do get caught or Ashley tries to get away from him he'll almost certainly murder-suicide them.
Personally, I don't think the blood oath made Episode 1 worse (despite my nostalgia, recontextualizing and analyzing while playing was amazing.), and I think the misogynistic claim is a bit of a stretch, but other than that, this is the best, well-rounded, solid analysis I've had the pleasure of watching and listening to.
im so grateful that you made this video, you did the game justice and really displayed what a masterpiece this game is. Even though i already adored the game, this video showed me that there is so much more to it and how amazing the creator is
I think the purpose behind the burial endings without incest is even more evidence that this game isn't fetish. It offers the player the option out if they're not comfortable with it.
Nemlei is guilty of one thing: making millions on an indy game with zero budget. It wasn't a grassroots anti-incest theme crusade (by the same people who loved Game of Thrones).
Fly me to the moon~ Let me play among the stars And let me see what spring is like On Jupiter and Mars! In other words, hold my hand~ In other words, baby, kiss me...
I’m sure someone else has pointed this out but in Ashley’s dream when given the choice between two doors, the right door is named “opt_out” in the game files. Interesting
Couldn't miss leaving a comment under this great analysis. You have really found some details, showing just how deep the relationship between the Graves siblings really goes. Personally, I prefer the version that the blood oath doesn't have that much significance, and that Andrew holds the decisive, physical power, and chooses to stay with Ashley, using her as an excuse, but an awesome video nevertheless! Also, probably not the first person to point this out, but... coffin? GRAVES siblings?
Can others please stop bullying Artists for addressing dark, unholy topics? Just because they address them doesn't mean they think it's worth worship it! Its just fictional. God.
Maverlous analysis and editing! The quality is something I expected to see in a 100k+ subscribers channel, so I was shocked to see you only have 2k subs?? Here's to more subs and views man, u deserve it
A shame you never dwell on the demon cult plotline but I understand there isnt enough of it to talk about it Hopefully episode 3 delivers on both plotlines and bring this entire story to a close
@@johnathanera5863 not really in the DEC LOG 07 (on steam) in the "frequently asked question" There’s the question of how many episodes The game has………to witch Nemlei answered that… there’s gonna 4 episode………and two of them are two different versions of episode 3 (probably ep3 "decay" and ep3 "burial") Witch end’s up with ( Episode 1/Episode 2/Episode 3 (burial)/Episode 3(decay). )
Really, the worst thing they've done was to Nina and that was arguably an accident. It's not like they have set out to wrong people who haven't wronged them first, yet.
I just love your analysis on this game. I'v been saying almost the same stuff you've said but for I always get the "you as wrong" or "the incest isnt neeed to tell a story" arguments that mostly just ignored everything I'v stated. So gald there are people who actual understand the characters on a very high level. Can't wait for your analysis on part 3 when it comes.
I've only watched this and the previous Andy and Leyley episode. I must say your analysis is impressive, it's like hearing a representation from a psychology student. Do you actually know some psychology or do you just do dedicated analysis and research for the characters? Edit: Also if it's not too troubling, what is the science behind your edits that gravitates our intention cause I can maybe partly get it but I would like to know the whole picture from you if you can.
Really good video, I agree with your point. Im kinda sad that people can't really appreciate the story and just shit talk the game for "incest". Hope the dev is ok after the doxxing
This Is amaizing Analytics. There was many things I miss And Now when I see it, it Is even better. Can't Wait for your Analytics of episode 3, when it comes out
personal head canon the parents are also siblings. the graves family is trapped in a cycle of incest and parricide using demonic rituals to cancel out the negative effects explaining how the demon is drawn to Ashley. the parents were trying to get rid of their kids after finally noticing how close they had gotten before they suffered a similar fate to their own only for it to backfire. the questionable Buriel Rought is just a continuation of it.
theyre the textbook example of making each other worse, but its just too interesting to watch unfold and dismantling their psyches. if you can stomach the cannibalism, murder, and incest. know what you can handle seeing, and if its not this, then theres no shame in that
Thank you so much for the elaborate and professional analysis, have been looking for something like this for some time now. You actually made me see so much more to this story and its plot than i could have ever imagined. So, i thank you from my heart for bringing such a deep and realistic world with its characters two us viewers eyes
Considering that this is apparently set in a fictional country in Northern Europe, I'm imagining the idea of Andrew having the voice of Vargskelethor Joel. Not gonna lie, I feel like Joel's rant about having an immense oversupply of shitty juice boxes is perfect material for a joke/animation/edit about that.
Peak yt content it simply dose not get better then this. This was a great video man i cant wait for not just the later chapters of the game but also i cant wait for your analysis of it.
When the 1st episode came out it was called 'The Coffin of Andy and Leyley DEMO'. The very first frame you saw in the game says "Episode 1'. It was always known the game was supposed to be 4 episodes.
I love how you go in depth in this game, i agree on all of your points. people like to accuse the game and call it bad without looking at the reasons, Also they get mad at the incest..... as if there isnt cannibalism and murder, but i digress. Andy and Leyley's story of toxicity, codependency, manipulation and aging really resonates with me, Ch 2 really set into motion how impactful the family visit was, Ms. Graves/ Ashley truly are the key to burying the hatchet or decaying the line between the two siblings.
I actually disagree with the blood-oath making Andrew more of a doormat. He was on the one who initiate the blood-oath and can break it whenever he wants. How many years did he had to realize that if Nina's body was found and wasn't traced to him? Not to mention, he's over all more independent than her. Given he has a license, was attending college before quarantine, had at least one romantic relationship, a summer job, and a bank account; while Ashley is implied, if not flat out stated, to not have any of those.
I was mainly miffed by the earlier blackmail (which of course resulted in the blood oath) since that well and truly took away Andrew's agency up until the blood oath. Like I suggested at 7:44, the blood oath was a means for Andrew to assert himself. I know my take on the blood oath is controversial but I nonetheless generally agree with blood oath fans that it was a clever way for Andrew to manipulate Ashley, and that's amazing-but this contractual obligation he's laid out (and the fact he was bargaining from a position of weakness in the first place) certainly paints a different picture from Episode 1, where Andrew was portrayed as organically sticking with her. Then again, the fact it was a contract - rather than organic - does actually complement Ashley's insecurities over whether Andrew even likes her. I admit that any 'grievances' I have with the blackmail/blood oath for recontextualising Episode 1 should be taken with a grain of salt due to my admitted nostalgia for Episode 1, which I considered perfect. I think the new fans who came in after Episode 2 are likelier to love these scenes, and that's excellent, really; the discussion has been excellent, and the scenes have their merits, so it's great their fans appreciate the scenes for what they are.
I've been waiting, it's finally here! So I'll be writing this as I watch the video so excuse the almost rambly vibe I'm putting your comment section Dandy xD. So, I agree with your grievances about the flash back and continuation of the Nina part as it weakens Andy's personality in episode 1. The blood oath for example shows that if Ashley didn't say a word, Andrew still would've let go, he made an oath which he respects out of principle. It does strenghten his personality in episode 2 but the Andrew that was starving in his apartment feels so jaded in comparision with the not so starving version of himself, it takes away at his seemengly semi independednt personality. When it comes to the different choices, you can make an argument for the canonicity of either pretty well as we see Andrew is more volatile but also lacking the mental fortitude unless pushed over the edge while Ashley is capable of making solo decisions (most of the time), though it's very, very clear, based of off their personalities Burial is canon(now which branch I won't speak upon cuz they both fit, though Ashley has been feeding off of the codependent feedback loop for like 10 years now so her letting Andrew go is very, very weird, so you see what I personally think fits the 2 as disgusting as it is), the incest segmnet...Well I rambled on for long enough about that last time :>(though I wonder if my ramblings helped you to where to look for that segment). You literally went over all my thoughts of the Incest ending, i've been waiting for a while for your own opinion about that. Your explanation is the best one I've heard that can possibly show the possibility of the decay ending(though as least likely as i see it being). Wonderful video Dandy! loved it.
Thank you to the incredible @FlowerBoiDeMii for letting me use "CHXKEM3!" in the video! (05:57). He's an amazing breakcore/DnB artist, so please check out his complete works, he's got a UA-cam but most of his content is on his Spotify!
open.spotify.com/artist/7HcU7yCOfyw3hqrj1ZSORc
ua-cam.com/channels/V190KbWFbERiKzgdEQ8XyA.html
For no reason at all… 11:29
What
Is
The
Music called?
@@WayneGlensky-vx5eri think the music is from Beethoven or something but from the way you're asking for the music it seems like your not just asking for the """music"""
@@wyattaward4368 Beethoven draw that shi 💀
No wonder his ass wasn’t a ninja turtle
By any chance, what's the music at 8:13? it's super relaxing, I really like it!
Were is French Ashley?
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!,THERE IS INCEST IN THAT GAME!",procedes to let all the murdering, cannibalism and satanic act slide like they've never happened.
And they all pretend like they weren't shipping Jon and his aunt in Game of Thrones lol.
And they completely ignore the point of the story
cmon we have standards
There's exactly one (1) cannibalism scene, the satanic act is tied to that and otherwise it's only a mention of a cult. Though there is a lot of murder.
Did you even play the game lol?
@@rheokalyke367Did YOU even play the game? Andrew and Ashley sacrifice their parents to a demon and then eat their corpses too. There's 2 cannibalism scenes and they both involve demonic influences, the second of which is a pretty big part of chapter 2 and plays a significant role in the story. Quit your lying.
It's sad to see Nemlei leave the internet completely even after this masterpiece of a game. With genius storytelling, great art and the most mentally deranged duo in fiction. I'm excited for episode 3 but without Nemlei and their devlogs can we really be excited for something we don't know of?
she is still working on the game as shown on the devlog
I know but It's sad that they're going completely off grid. As announced also, this month's devlog will be the last we'll ever hear from Nemlei.@@marco3829
sharty always wins
Who's nemlei?🤨
@@sonic12jbthe developer of the game
finally, an ACTUAL good analysis of this game - I've seen other people on here trying to dismiss this game's writing as nothing more than just "UA-cam clickbait" and it's just sad that people's disgust towards a taboo subject colors their ENTIRE view on the actual writing. people are allowed to write about topics like these, jeez
Cough Lily Orchard cough cough. Btw, that person is not even a lol cow anymore their just fucking evil.
There is similar problems with Ogekom in fact.
This is exactly why the videos this guy makes are so refreshing!
@@OlTimeyChara Way better than Lily Orchard, ugh
As a lily orchard ex-fan I agree @@clevtrog
The creator of the game with winchest, killing, cannibalisim, patricide, abuse, and isolation is more sane than people on twitter
Obviously. This game is a dark comedy masterpiece. I guess it was created to push moral boundaries as hard as possible, so that the plot is so surreal and unrealistic that it makes you laugh, kinda one of the points that make GTA games so popular. And if people see this as “disgusting” it’s THEM who is fucked up, if the worst sins possible seem realistic enough for THEM to be disgusted of.
Ah yes~ He's gaslighting her, She's gaslighting him, Their gaslighting themselves :')
Gaslight her into gaslighting you🧠😎
I love gaslamping people into thinking things are not what they actually are.
andrew is trying to convince himself he’s the bigger person when he’s actually messed up as well, being attracted to his own sister and slowly losing empathy for others as he grew with ashley, and well ashley clearly has extreme attachment issues with andrew because she feels like he’s the only one that’s ever cared, and that doesn’t pair well with her manipulative ways (probably got from her mother) and how badly she was raised just nagging andrew until she got what she wanted
@julie-18 You're bent.
Just kidding
Love you
Reminds me a lot of Heather's and I am here for it.
This is the most realistic manipulative/codependent relationships I’ve even seen in media. The way they play off of each other is so disgustingly real that it’s intoxicating. And that’s why people like it so much.
Holy SHIT, someone else who ACTUALLY GETS THE CHARACTERS!!!!
THANK YOU.
Understand just one of the more important characters is like studying for the fnaf lore test in Mandarin
It's oddly rare, huh?
@@blooharrison8105 Indeed, I feel their romantical actions as wholsome, and their actions as trusting eachother as development in their relationship
@@The_voices_are_getting_louder_ woah incest is wholesome. say are you from alabama?
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
What's honestly shocking to me is that the incest route is supposedly the 'happy' route/ending so far. In decay route, when the player supposedly thinks that it's a good thing Andrew is going to kill Ashley and finally get rid of the toxicity in his life, he's more broken and depressed than ever. Meanwhile in.....*that* vision, he's confident and bold. Even with choices that only enables the incest ending, it results in the siblings being at their happiest. Yeah, it's fucked up, but I think decay route also tells us one thing that burial route does not. Andrew just can't cut off the source of the problem, even if he knows Ashley fucked him up. It's been over 20+ years with her, and vise versa for her side too. Psychological, children get use to a certain routine/way of life after living it for the majority of their lives, which is what the Graves siblings have been doing. Just being with each other. They are both beyond the point of fixing and accepted being with each other is what makes them happy and sane, even if it's toxic and fucked up. The difference is that Andrew has shame, while Ashley doesn't
Another thing I'll point out about Andrew is yeah, he's down bad for his sister. And yeah, he hates himself for it. But when the only woman in your life that you've had a 'stable' relationship with has been your sister, biology takes over...
Its not just that Andrew is attractive and charismatic enough to get his own girlfriend but when he does, he tried making that said girlfriend to be like his sister and I don’t think I can blame Ashley for that but it being Andrew’s own attraction for his sister
yea just keep ashley 6 feet underground, mf doesn't let my boy have a life
Can't deny it 😊
We also know that the basics of human love is shared experience. Physical attraction gets us interested, but it's shared/related experiences that drive us humans into a deeper connection together.
Actually not really theres a better ending called the "sane route" that doesn't give much insight but it's a fun little route
One thing I do disagree with you strongly on is what the blood oath does for the story. With that and Andrew’s thought about killing Ashley in mind, it shows that he’s willing and able to weaponize violence. And there’s a secret scene in episode 2 where Andrew threatens to backhand Ashley for wanting to put her name on a call girl’s wall for money. In it, she accuses him of being a wife beater and he says something along the lines of “only for you.”
This implies that Andrew has done acts of violence like this before, but even if he hasn’t, that little comment makes the choking scene look less like him standing up for himself and more like him letting the mask slip. It’s a reminder to both himself and Ashley who really has the power here, and that their dynamic only continues to exist because Andrew allows it.
Ashley never acknowledges the danger she’s in until the Decay route spells it out for her, but she was in that kind of danger all along and never knew. That’s terrifying.
It goes to show that there is no “good guy” in their relationship. Andrew is not a henpecked doormat, and him choosing Ashley in spite of his violent thoughts, constant irritation, and past trauma becomes much more poignant because if it. He isn’t forced to be with Ashley, and he could’ve ended it at any time.
I wrote a few analyses on this game that better explain my thoughts. I’ll email them to you if you’re curious.
Very good points, please publish your analyses online, everybody would love to read them!
@@DandyDNA I have! I linked them in the reddit thread.
@@SunshineJesse
Incredible analyses! Your look into Andrew's controlling behaviours was exquisite, especially the importance of whether he empties the gun. I disagree with some things (like how you say they would be happier with separation; I don't think there's any fixing these two), and I still don't like the blood oath, but overall very spot-on. I can appreciate that the blood oath is actually a clever way for Andrew to manipulate Ashley - priming her to be a convenient big bad influence and consequently him as a victim - but I don't like the idea of the same Andrew reeling in guilt over Nina's death simultaneously being so mischievous. And again, like I suggested in the video, this contractual obligation (plus the earlier blackmail) takes away from episode 1's portrayal of Andrew organically following Ashley around.
This is one of my favourite paragraphs from your essays:
"She still thinks about the idea of controlling him, of trying to get him to stay. There's internal monologue about it. But that's the difference. Before, we rarely see any internal monologue of her thought patterns- she just acts. Not thinks. But here, she's unsure. Here, she has to look inward. She has to self-reflect. She still frames it as her trying to keep Andy around, but Andrew is making it obvious in both words and actions that he will always be there for her, and he's so COMFORTABLE about it."
Well you have some points I disagree that Andrew has all the power. Yeah certainly Andrew could physically leave. But he can't mentally leave. In the route it is said he is willing to kill her I think it is implied he is giving up on his own life too.
Also not sure if you are aware but in that same dream if the gun has ammo there is the option to have Ashley shoot him. and if you choose not to she just calmly accepts dying to him in the dream.
She may not seem the type to use violence. but at the same time she has never needed to use violence before.
Lastly you seem to be ignoring that Ashley actively pushes him to violence. She literally has him kill someone she could have killed herself then gaslights him over it.
@@phantom-ri2tgexcept Andrew also has that same inclination towards violence he just hides it better than Ashley take the lady from 302 for example Andrew who up until that point has been very cautious in his approach towards there escape let’s her go? No the real answer is that he killed her for a reason unknown to us because if you look at the room she lays there with her throat slit on her bed there is no blood in the room outside of that and he wouldn’t have had time to clean it up before Ashley got back and the nail gun didn’t move from it’s original position and even if all that was true what would be the point of putting her back in her bed afterwards Andrew also never has that panic attack he was “saving for later” after all the people they killed Andrew has multiple ways to just say no to Ashley and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because yes while he can’t mentally leave her you seem to forget she can’t leave him either neither of them are willing to leave each other however Andrew is the only one who threatens it so making it seem like Ashley forces him to do these things is untrue because he can say no he just chooses not to think of it like this Ashley is a bad person and she knows it and doesn’t care if people know Andrew is equally as bad but does care if people notice because they will take him away from ashley
Something I saw another person say regarding this game is how obvious it is that Mrs. Graves is the reason why Ashley probably views any sort of close bond as having to be romantic. Mrs. Graves insists that Andrew must be sleeping with Ashley because she can’t possibly think of any reason why else he would refuse to help his parents and betray his sister. Not once does it cross her mind that Andrew is closer to Ashley, that he knows his mother sold them out, that he doesn’t care about his parents nearly as much as he does his sister. Her first thought is to jump to physical attraction. I don’t deny she’s definitely noticed how touchy feely the both of them are, but I also suspect she would have said this even if she hadn’t noticed and even has implied this more than once. She indirectly continuously reinforces the idea that the two must be sleeping with each other in order to have this codependent/very close (albeit insanely toxic) bond which I imagine hasn’t helped Andrew at all regarding the thoughts he’d rather not be dealing with nor has it helped Ashley comprehend that she doesn’t need to own Andrew’s ability to have physical intimacy in order to be important to him.
Hey dude. Those are chalkboards. She isn't painting over paintings, she's cleaning off the chalk dust. There's no replacement of old bitter memories, there's a realisation of what her happiness was truly, without lying to herself. There's a reason she's disappointed in him denying everything. Without everything she understands is necessary for true love, doing it wouldn't be love. But if all needed things for love are present, this can be as important a part of it.
She released him from the cage and stopped seeing him as important object, instead respecting him as a person. Now there's suddenly a need and missing piece of her heart to be filled, so she can feel the love she always asked of him.
It's ironic that ceasing her neurotic attempts to lock him down is the actual way to secure him
the blood oath was just a way for andrew to have a excuse that he was being forced to do bad things, but just like ashley said, " you still did it "
Agreed. Andrew really doesn't need to do the things Ashley tells him to a lot of the time. Really Andrew just blames Ashley for his bad decisions then refuses to face any of the consequences. He didn't have to prank Nina, he could have turned himself in for her accidental murder. He didn't have to kill that woman in room 302, which he claimed was self-defense but really it was because he didn't want any witnesses to his crimes. He also doesn't want the murders on his conscience so he puts all the blame on Ashley.
@@Palepetal I think the two of them are fucked up Andrew just has this prettending attitude even though they bote know it what the reality is. The only way for them to progress further and not go incane , one of them dying is to accept the situation and accept their fucked up relation ship and situation.
he was a child and traumatized after accidentally killing a child
7:31he still had and has, game shown that blackmail never was much of a lever on Andrew/Andy. It's just usefull excuse for him and nothing more. If look at the endings so far and especially "Final Finale Finally", reins of relationship were always in the hands of Andrew in one way or another.
Truthfully she would've never snitched on him, yeah she could do other things and would've. But we know, she knows, Andy knows (even then), that realistically the biggest loser would've been her if everything came to light. She has too few things, so every loss hits her so MUCH harder. (can attest to that from personal experience) She says that nobody likes her, so she has nothing to lose. But that's not true, she has Andy and if she loses him, that only "thing" in her toy box, then she will lose EVERYTHING. And she knows it, that's why her reaction is always so visceral to anything that comes even remotely close to snatching him away from her.
I think it was more to show the extent Ashley is willing to go. they know she has too much to lose. but that does not mean you still wouldn't feel pressured at the time. even more coming from someone who has uhh. pretty reckless tendencies. Of course I doubt the blood oath had much at all impact long term.
Oh nah this game is seriously peak fiction, the psychology behind the siblings, the extremely pleasing art style, near perfect storytelling. Well worth the £5 I bought it for. Episode 3 bouta be so hype
Quit glazing bro😂 i hate when people think that they are so individualistic and are such intellectuals when they like such mild games with writing lacking any subtlety and tropes that you see in countless anime. Yet people claim its some refuge in taboo when it doesn’t even say anything about its subject matter, like the creator was afraid of saying anything that could actually warrant criticism. Calling this peak fiction is an insult to any actually good story and is like saying Taylor Swift is peak music with intricate messaging.
Tropes aren't everything, @@mainframe1608. It's how you use them which sets apart the thoughtfully designed from the dumpster fires.
And in this day and age, this IS a refuge for some folk. Taboo paired with an artstyle of this kind is a rare combination due to the dedication behind making video games - even visual novels. The only other game that comes to mind which has a similar combo of tone and fluffy artstyle would be Cult of the Lamb, though I'd appreciate if you could prove me wrong there.
Additionally, what if the taboo IS what the creator wanted to say? What if the symbolism to be said already flew over our heads?
@@mainframe1608 Wow, you are seething all over this comment section, huh
The funniest part is that Ashley IS the one who doesn't have incestual feelings for her brother, her feelings aren't romantical, she wants his attention.
But she doesn't like the idea that Andrew doesn't want to have sex with her.
@@fanscp6421 I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME⁉️😭
@@revyrev28you are you mate
Wait wth on god?
@@leanslayer1589 Wdym ?
This game is honestly one of the best in terms of writing it shouldnt even be labeled problematic even if THAT scene is in it
Bro the glazing for this game is insane 😂 people are really creating strawmen over that one scene and saying that people are mad at the game when people actually aren’t. The scene is so expected because of all the overt clues throughout the game and when you actually get to the scene, the game acts like it did something even though it was obvious it was going to happen and the game expects you to act surprised. In terms of writing, the game is full of anime tropes and it barely says anything about its subject matter. The only reason people like this game is because of the aesthetics, nobody would be playing this game if it wasn’t for the cute goth girl cutting people up and eating them, and people pretend that they play the game to avoid the fact that thats the only reason they like it.
I really enjoy how you got into Burial Ashley's reaction to Andrew's changes. So many fans seem to chalk it up to her being upset she can't control him for the sake of control, or because she's a bad person, but I think you hit the nail on the head; she's unnerved and confused, because she's never had to fight someone constantly for love and affectionate. That's her entire framework, her entire life up until this point, woven in her personality and behaviors. There's a lot of trauma surrounding this for her. Andrew simply loving and enjoying her for her, no strings attached, no manipulation required to keep him around is something she has no idea how to respond to, because she's never had that before, and it's equally as tragic as it is beautiful.
This is by far one of my favorite video essays on this game. I've never had more fun picking apart and inspecting characters like I have for the Graves' siblings. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the community! Excitedly anticipating your take on chapter 3a/3b when they're released! :)
14:40
I. DID. NOT. Notice the pillow during my playthrough...
Holy fuck...
Neither did I notice that the art style becomes more detailed and realistic in the scenes where the characters supposedly become act more mature and feel whole.
I want to express my gratitude, because videos like these boost my faith in humanity a little bit. The scandal and all the incest jokes (as well as bunch of funny live reactions to that route) made me gave the game a try, out of curiosity.
And after completing it... I'm just so happy that there are people who can actually read into it. Who can read between the lines; notice all the subtleties; to fucking comprehend why the author made their particular choices when writing this narrative.
While choosing this theme (along with a somewhat sussy art style) definitely bought this game a lot of attention through indirect fan service, this game isn't BASED around it. Just like Star Wars aren't based around lasers, kek.
It's just another questionable theme that helps to show the player just how far gone, how warped the characters are. I'm sure there will be a happy ending for them. But it will only be happy to someone who's as messed up as those two are.
what does the pillow mean
Couldnt have said it better myself.
@@naber5852When Ashley jumped on top of him on the cough he got a reaction from that. And as soon as his mother came and Ashley quickly got off him, he pushed the pillow between his legs to cover his "reaction". Genious, just brilliant. I didn't even realize the meaning behind it at first
@@koresaliva didn't he also "put the elephant under the tent" after the incest dream?
Never seen so much detail going into understanding so deeply the psychology aspect of the game, which is the main aspect. I've come to facepalm myself multiple times wondering "how did I not notice that!?" multiple times while watching this video.
This was exceleptionally well done
I utterly and absolutely adore your editing and analysis. I can't wish for Episode 3 any more if not just to hear your break down this astounding story. I hate how much this game has rooted into my skull. I don't think I'll be able to escape it even when it ends
We're all trapped in the Coffin😱And I wouldn't have it any other way!
Thanks for putting together your commentary on the mother, I was honestly fooled by her lying. I was second-guessing if she actually sold her children to the organ traffickers. The way she lied to them both, wow it was hard for me to believe a mother was this good at lying through her teeth about caring about her own children.
Ah yes. Mrs graves is so good at manipulation she even fooled the players not just the characters in game
Same
I was still second guessing it but I thought
"Ykwhat that does make sense"
Andrew is same what your mother!
Exactly. First time I ever played the game, I picked the olive branch, partialy also because I just felt uncomfortable thinking about murdering your own parents, but also because I did mostly see Andrew as a blameless victim on my first playthrough and I thought him getting rid of Ashley could fix him.
6:59 I think the degree to which the blood oath/pact undermined the narrative or its integrity from Ep. 1 may be mitigated or excused, if not itself undermined, by the fact that Andy gave himself a loophole that allowed him more priorities than just Leyley, and he kept it hidden from her long enough that by the time she realized, it was too late to do it over. It demonstrated that although limited, he did find a way to assert agency without violating the pact, and it showed a cleverness with negotiation.
Or that leyley was stupid.
I found the coffin of Andy and Leyley through the drama, but it wasn't the incest the roped me in while I was watching reactions to the infamous scene. I was enthralled by Ashley and Andrew, and how they talked to each other, how they interacted, how they were. I didn't really care about the incest to be honest, I was too interested in them. So I bought the game and played through it while specifically going for the burial route. I loved it, and obsessed over it for days.
Then I went back for the decay route. I had been anxious to play this route, because I really didn't want to see Andrew and Ashley fight. The final scene on the bridge in decay made me well up, and I both hated decay and appreciated how it made me feel. After I finished decay, I ran through burial a second time to feel better, and started to ask myself why burial and decay affected me so deeply.
It hit me recently why they were both so impactful, and why I adore Andrew and Ashley equally. I've played the decay and burial routes out in my own love life (not with a sibling though, I'm an only child). I've had two girlfriends in my life, and ironically, I've been Leyley in both relationships, for better or worse.
My first girlfriend (who I'll call Annie) played off my energy well enough. We had jokes and laughed together, but it was destined to end in heartbreak. She dumped me, yet we still acted like lovers. Kissing, flirting, saying "I love you" in ways that couldn't just mean friendship, and even sexual activity. Though, when she found a new boyfriend, I was very quickly thrown out and ignored. She even started to get mean, calling me an idiot and openly saying to my face how she doesn't have feelings for me anymore, knowing full well I still did and not caring. But, stupid as I was, I clung to her, hoping I could worm my way back in and steal her away. But like Andrew in decay, she had nothing to say to me.
When we finally went separate ways, I was more or less a shell. I had just started college and my brother from another mother died in a car accident when he was only 17. Through this, I just wanted Annie back, under the delusion that she could make me feel better when all she did was make me feel like shit. Despite this, another girl entered the picture. This girl (let's call her Lily) was sweet, and we fell in love real damn fast. I was scared of seeming like I was rebounding onto her, so I didn't commit right away. But with time, I did. Like Dandy said in this video, Lily and I were each other's everything. Still are, actually. She and I are still dating and absolutely crazy for each other. This is my burial route, because she and I are crazy enough to make sure everyone knows we're off limits. Is it healthy? Probably not, but it works for us, and we're happy.
Coffin really showed me how similar I can be to Ashley. I used to be horribly neurotic and get paranoid over actually nothing. I still need damn near constant reaffirmation from Lily. And I could easily see myself doing something horrible for the people I love.
All in all, I'm obsessed with Coffin because I see myself so clearly in Ashley and Andrew and am rooting for their success. I love this game and can't wait for the next installment. Thanks for reading everyone, sorry for the long comment.
I have so much to say but finally someone else understood the game. I absolutely adore your editing!
Thank you thank you! Did I miss anything you had in mind?
@@DandyDNA I’m glad you asked cause I forgot to comment on this part. You mentioned that Ashley is more similar to their mother, but I always thought that Andrew is his mother’s son, with both of them being great manipulators and liars.
bro went from detective to a top tier psychologist, true skill right here.
I’m glad this game exists. In a climate of constant pandering from larger art studios (movie/game) we are in desperate need of media that really challenges the mind.
The Coffin of Andy and Ley-Ley. Saltburn. It forces us to engage in a way that doesn’t let us be comfortable. It’s brilliant.
We need more content about bad people.
I strongly agree with the points made in this video. The game possesses numerous layers, and I'm eagerly anticipating Episode 3 and its potential impact on the storyline. As highlighted by several commenters, the flashback, in my view, suggests that Andrew has control over his relationship with Ashley and that he harbors resentment towards her. Ashley's actions appear more like immature outbursts, driven by her paranoia of being replaced by Andrew, who himself fluants that he has other options, even though we, as players, know he would invariably always choose Ashley. Given how he treats Julia.
A fascinating aspect of Andrew's character is his tendency to disregard inconvenient truths until they cause significant problems. He conveniently blames Ashley for his childhood misbehaviors and passively endures her whims, likely a behavior reinforced by their mother's indulgent parenting approach "Just indulge Ashley, so she doesn't make a scene". This negligence by young Andrew leads to pivotal events, such as Nina's death, contributing to Andrew's trauma and resentment. He also overlooks Ashley's harassment of Julia, and Julia, lacking assertiveness, fails to confront the issue, allowing Andrew to ignore it. This leads to their eventual breakup, possibly accelerated by the quarantine but probably still inevitable.
This theme of avoidance persists until Andrew breaks the cycle it in the burial route. (And Ashley does by trusting him) Here, the mother's disparaging remarks about Ashley prompt the player to make Andrew acknowledge the mother's role in their troubled upbringing. The mother views Ashley as a burden, somewhat justifiably given Ashley's NEET status prior to the game. If the player chooses the burial route, Andrew sees through this hypocrisy and threatens their mother. Nemlei emphasizes this dyamic by having Ashley express relief that their parents regret BOTH of their births, eliciting a knowing/pitying reaction from Andrew which Ashley does not comprehend. By acknowledging their parents' contribution to their problematic upbringing, Andrew begins to shed his resentment towards Ashley, paving the way for a more balanced relationship, surpassing the inequity of the blood oath. You can then further accelerate this by having Ashley trust Andrew with her true feelings of romanticism. (after THE VISION)
In the burial route, Andrew evolves, becoming more introspective and treating Ashley with greater kindness and playfulness, recognizing her needs. He shows her significantly more empathy, highlighted by their first genuine hug in the series. Or, in the tamer burial route, he seems neutral and amiable towards her. Episode 3 is likely to depict a more patient and playful Andrew, who may focus on positively reinforcing Ashley. The burial theme symbolizes burying their past and progressing towards a balanced relationship, whether as siblings or lovers. In contrast, the Decay theme represents succumbing to negative traits like Andrew's resentment or Ashley's paranoia, leading to the deterioration of their relationship.
Episode 3 is expected to offer two distinct paths based on the choices made in Episode 2, either fulfilling or averting the vision. This follows the pattern set in Episode 2, where the player's decisions can either realize or prevent the vision concerning the hitman, which technically was one of the potential endings.
I like the coffin of Andy and Leyley because its terrifying. Partners in crime, complete assholes, neglected, hopelessly codependent, psychologically pushed to the very edge and ready to snap. Its all just perfect and a great reflection on how the human brain works. It also gets you thinking about the horrid amount of siblings that also went through something similarly, at least through the neglect and incest lense. Cant wait for episode 3 to eventually drop, however long that takes 😭🖤❤
TCoAaL fans pretending that the story is good to avoid the fact that they only play the game for the goth girl that cuts people up and eat them be like:
Thank you for the video, and the psychological analysis that you did on the entire game, I’m glad that there are still people who understand how to properly evaluate such masterpieces.
This is actually one of the best videos ive seen when talking about the coffin of andy and leyley. it is genuinely SO HARD to find someone who doesn't just immediately hate on the game cus "ew incest"
i think more taboo subjects should be talked about in games to better help people understand what leads up to such events, and how it can be resolved/prevented.
and also the whole point is that its a PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
But anyways im getting off topic, this comment is specifically about you and how wonderfully you edited and talked about this game.
You made me aware of things i literally missed the first time i played this game and im so glad that others are also commemorating you for this amazing video, genuinely love this
i like the burial portrait scene
in this scene you see all the normal should be figures in ashleys life that aren't there due to neglect but that's when ashley replaces them with andrew because he was her brother, her friend the parental figure in her life andrew was all she needed. and the portrait scene shows that well.
Upon looking deeper into the game, it becomes even better and better.
i was waiting on your views on ep2 and it was well worth it. your ability to explain what is going on as a WHOLE helped me see some unnoticed character attributes beyond just the differences between routes. everything is beautifully intertwined...
thank you! i feel ready to dive into ep3 when it comes out.
Thank you! This game is so lovingly crafted; nothing is unintentional or half-baked.
Which points stood out for you in particular? I know myself that I haven't seen anybody else talk about the 3rd art style.
@@DandyDNA art styles are a big one for sure. I did watch no less than 4 or 5 other videos on the game and you got me with deeper look into similarities of possible routes. They really are sides of the same medal…
Ah, also, your thoughts about “love” route being potentially the best one really got to me. Maybe someone out there explained it already but i either missed it or just did not get to it at all.
After all, it is hard to stumble upon (and notice) good analysis of that particular part because of all these “haha look incest! Incest” hollow rambles on the internet.
Warm regards from Russia. Excuse me if my way with words is not very good :)
(I played the game in original btw. Not much faith in language localisations these days!)
@@DandyDNA i’d like to add that it were the memes about incest and somewhat quirky artstyle that caught my attention to start considering the game (but not to play it, which i decided after finding out that there is so much more to it in psychological sense). My times with gaming and especially this style (jrpg-like) are long gone. I have to say that i regret nothing and tcoaal would have been a shame to sleep on!
@@DandyDNAfrom an artist’s perspective I honestly feel the change in art style is less of a conscious choice on the artists part. When you draw the same character over and over (assuming you’re not content to be sedentary in your skill) you inevitably improve their design or add detail over time. I think we’re watching the artist push themself to improve over the course of development.
What your video pointed out to me, though was just how thoroughly the mother lies through her teeth about EVERYTHING she says. I somehow missed how she referred to herself as both a great and terrible mother depending on which sibling she’s talking to, and that’s a HUGE detail.
@@CrazyLikeUhFox I get what you mean about artists tiring of repetition, but the contrast between art styles within the same frame has to be intentional. Episode 1 did this as well, even though fatigue would have been less likely so early on.
I wonder if the twist is going to be that the vision in Burial, like the first vision, never comes true, but in Decay Leyley is desperate to keep Andy around and tries extreme measures. He feels forced into it and goes along, of course, and a miserable alternate version of the vision plays out for real.
Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.
the phrase applies extremely well with horror art.
The dumbesst thing is twitter hating something is free marketing who wouldnt wanna see a game twitter doesnt like it happened with harry potter. It's a sign the game is worth checking out.
DAMN DUDE!
I can't believe how much I missed and how HORRIBLE I am about picking up on subtle details in conversation.
This feels like I'm watching a MASTER at work creating a perfect analysis, amazing job on this video
I can't remember the last time I was THIS impressed while watching a video
Thanks champ 😁 Feels good to hear it from such a large channel, keep being awesome yourself
@@DandyDNA You keep this up, you'll surpass me!
I thought I was good at analyzing characters, you blow me out of the water!
Are you a psych student, how are you so good at this?
The bunny in the moon makes me think of the Japanese moon rabbit too
Yeah , he’s just as possessive of her. Ever since he killed the lady 305, I knew he was a liar.
I came to this exact same conclusion regarding Andrew's mental state. I had interpreted andrew to be the actual generator of the toxicity. Ashely certainly is psychotic but it's Andrew's desire and unwillingness to suffer consequences that cause a bulk of the problems.
I-I'm sorry? Did you ignore the part where Ashley consistently gaslights him and blackmail?
@stephenjenkins7971 did she do so to get him to kill the security guard who caught her? Or the girl in the apartment? Or when he chocked her around the end of episode 1 and threatened to kill her if she didn't start behaving the way he wanted.
@@caelandenning2648 Obviously not. But she did when she claimed that eating the cultist was his idea. Or when she denied that they agreed to bury Andy and LeyLey. Or when she fake cried as a kid to get fake sympathy from him to get what she wanted. It goes on and on.
I like how you frame Ashley going on a massive tantrum to the point of blocking his way of leaving as threatening to kill her if she didn't behave the way he wanted. Like yeah, abusive on his part, but it was hardly that straightforward.
Andrew doing terrible things doesn't absolve Ashley from it.
@stephenjenkins7971 I like how you think those are nearly as negatively impactful on their relationship as Andrew committing several murders and constantly doing anything to escape consequences.
@@caelandenning2648 People gaslighting others to commit murders are a thing, and Ashley explicitly did so. Its to the point that he genuinely feels guilt over Nina and has nightmares about her. He unironically would never have killed anyone without Ashley.
But because he felt responsible for her, he was the one that had to fix Ashley's muck ups; he explicitly avoids doing bad things in the first place unless gaslit by Ashley or when in a dangerous situation.
They're both messed up, but Ashley specifically gives no crap because she relies on Andrew to get them out of such a situation. So yes, she's just as bad, if not worse than Andrew. If only because Andrew actually thinks about the consequences and puts on a civilized front.
More people need to see this analysis, you seem to understand them to the tea! Love your videos man
their complicated and codependent history contorts them to such vile and irreversible lengths, and it makes it so that they are literally unable to exist outside of how their relationship has been impacting them. they feed one another, and the horrors that result from their desperation just keep the cycle going. the way they twist around each other as broken and sick people makes me horrified, and I'm so proud of the creative team for pulling that off.
Aahhhhhh! I am so happy to find someone who actually put thought and really good logic and analysis into deconstructing this. I just found this game, and it’s literally some of the best writing I’ve ever seen for manipulative and co-dependent characters. You absolutely crushed pretty much everything in terms of analysis. Really really great work, dude. I’m glad you saw through the incest and shit and actually saw it for the piece of art that it is. Keep the great work up :D
I never thought about how the “family friendly” option in the burial ending not having an actual vision is used to show the significance of the vision for the other choice. Really makes you think the left door is the narratively correct ending for episode 2, and the dev log images would also go along with that.
ITS FINALLY HERE LETS FRICKIN GO
Can't wait for episode 3 and your inevitable video of it
i alway thought that these two sibling had something very messed up going on
(psychologically) but then there's you who explain it better than my own thought
great video keep it up!
THE best analysis I have seen of the game so far. Jaw dropping. Thank you for this video tbh
I'm so happy that this game is getting known more!
I fell in love with the art style, storyline and dark themes. I played Chapter 1 and heard Chapter 2 came out WITH STORY AFFECTING CHOICES. I love this game. I love how disturbing it can make us feel and I can understand the hate for the incest themes but I think it really enhances the experience. But that's just me.
--don't actually support incest though
What a great video.
What a masterful amount of interpretation of this game. While the source material is clearly carefully constructed and powerfully layered you've dug into elements that may or may not have been actively considered by the creator. It brings an even greater legitimacy to this medium. I haven't yet seen anything like this that has so much respect for the author and for what they created. This video really earns it's semi-viral status and hat's off to you for putting it together!
One element that I love in this game is the way that the player is brought down with Andrew and Ashley. Its a common trope in video games where by necessity your actions at the controls are necessary to push the story forward. Sometimes this is acknowledged as complicity; the game will throw it back and shame you for continuing to make things worse. But here the interactive medium makes you root for these two broken and demented souls, to find even a crumb of happiness in a life that has taken everything from them. They didn't deserve their circumstances and cast in just the right light we almost find justifications for what occurs...but their thinking is frozen in childhood. These two don't behave or interpret the world like functional 20-somethings they act like 15 year olds without fully formed faculties for reason or empathy.
Very well done analysis. At first I couldn't tell which episode I liked best, but in retrospect, I enjoyed Ep 2 even more than Ep 1 tbh. The blackmail and blood oath scene didn't take away from it imo. And honestly ep 2 was even more impactful to me since it fleshed out the characters more. Maybe there was some nostalgia involved with Ep1, but in hindsight, I had a lot more fun and feels throughout Ep2.
The Blood Oath has admittedly grown on me over time-I'll definitely give it another look in my Episode 3 videos!
What I find interesting about the two siblings is how different they are on the psychopath spectrum. Ashley is the walking red flag. She's rude, mean spirited, and for the lack of a better term, a total bitch. She causes problems for everyone, does not even try to hide how much she dislikes everyone who isn't Andrew, and is overall just a nuisance to everyone around her.
Meanwhile, Andrew is far more complex. There's another comment that explains it in depth, but he's just as bad if not straight up worse than Ashley. He's a lot more composed, he establishes himself as the mature one, and is just the more "normal" of the two. Unlike Ashley, he has a social life at college and even has a girlfriend. However, we get subtle hints that he's not as much of a victim as we think he was during chapter 2. His inner monologue confirms he fakes having nightmares to snuggle with Ashley, he has subtle hints of being more than willing to use violence, and he even subtly manipulates Julia to resemble Ashley.
What makes Andrew the scarier sibling isn't just that he's crazy, it's that he knows how to hide it. He knows the best way to ensure nobody tries to take Ashley away from him is by pretending that she has him psychologically whipped into being unable to say no to her. The fact that everyone who only played chapter 1 felt bad for Andrew and thought he was a victim is proof of this. It wasn't until we were literally in his head that we realized how much of a psychopath he really is. We all fell for his act just like the characters in universe did.
Finally someone intelligent here, there are a lot of people who don't see Andrew's true self, little by little I realized that Andrew was worse than Ashley due to his signs:
•Andrew never showed genuine remorse for his actions
• Andrew only has empathy for Ashley, he pretends to have empathy and concern for other people. And just to be clear, there are psychopaths capable of having empathy with someone or some people, but that would be a mild aspect of psychopathy, since I don't know if a serious psychopath has empathy for someone or not.
•Andrew is only worried about the consequences of his actions
• Andrew blames Ashley for his bad things and mistakes, sometimes Ashley is really to blame but I've never seen him blaming himself for something
•Andrew is a complete liar, he lies all the time to pretend to be someone normal (mask of sanity)
•Andrew since he was a child showed a lack of remorse and only empathy for Ashley being indifferent to what happened to Nina, he would only be frightened and scared if someone saw what happened to Nina
•He is a sadist, he himself said that he wanted to see the guard who looked at his little sister like that, suffer before dying for him and he also likes BDSM practices from the looks of it. Of course, not all psychopaths are sadists, but Andrew is one.
•He himself managed to act very well as a false persona for people, society, family and himself
•He is also very possessive and obsessive about Ashley, he doesn't accept anyone having him. Some psychopaths can be quite possessive and obsessive, but this is rare in psychopathy itself.
Andrew has all the signs of psychopathy, I believe he is in a mild aspect, as he still only has love and empathy for Ashley, something that a pure psychopath wouldn't have for anyone.
And I liked your observation about Andrew's true self, you're a genius!
YEAAAH MAN I discovered your first video on this game when episode 2 was already out and I was excited for you to cover the second episode! This is gonna be a treat
Definitely worth a sub for this, you've made a great analysis and put in words the difference between Decay and Burial that I struggled to explain to a friend a few weeks ago.
17:28 Because of the devlogs on the steam news page for the game. I think it can be assumed that the puzzle in the right door IS the vision and that the tar soul is Andrew.
Also I loved this video so much. Gave me closure on a lot of things that didn’t fit right in my interpretation of this story. I.e how guilty Andrew was
@@bobcat_mike7619 I'm curious about your previous interpretations!
This lore makes sense now, I never gave this all much thought. Fucking crazy
Terrific video, the Explanation, the editing, the direction, everything i love it. 💯💕
Thank you very much for making this video, i really appreciate it ☺️🙏❤
Your review of the first episode was great, but this one was excellent, and it shows without a shadow of a doubt that you have a refined ability for critical analysis and artistic literacy (or at least the sense to not let one taboo rarely depicted so overtly cloud your objectivity/give you tunnel vision to the point where you cant appreciate/lose sight of the core themes of a piece of media) to make a good critique. (Good music taste too 👍🏻)
Wonderful job dude! Cant wait for your take on Episodes 3 only second to their release.
Also, if you care for my 2 cents: read up on Cluster B personality disorders (NPD, BPD, and ASPD). I havent seen discussion of them other than comments using "sociopath" in a pejorative sense. Though the mother is a textbook example of someone with ASPD, Ashley and Andrew seem to alternate between borderline-esque behavior and codependency to sociopathic (at least in their treatment of each other) in reaction to the other almost like flipping polarity: Ashley is normally overtly ASPD with BPD traits, while Andrew (or Andy) is BPD with ASPD traits; this flips during the Decay route. Ashley becomes more timid/scared, while Andrew (sans Andy) becomes apathetic and devoid of all empathy including for her, as shown by his explosive anger outbursts when Ashley screws up or screws with him (not literally lmao) and calm, apathetic-seeming malice/vindictiveness towards her in his "neutral" state. Cluster B disorders have a lot of overlap in some cases, and these two seem to essentially be not just mirrored, but flipping Venn diagrams of dual BPD/ASPD.
1 note: sociopathy and psychopathy are not clinical terms, but they have utility as causative/contextualizing interchangable terms with ASPD - sociopathy meaning ASPD caused by "nurture" (environment, trauma, upbringing, etc) and psychopathy being ASPD caused by "nature" (as a congenital disorder/hereditary). Another school of thought is that both terms corespond to the low and high functioning ends of a spectrum, sociopathy being low and psychopathy being high. I subscribe to the first, but really both are purely utilitarian, since theyre just outdated names for the same disorder being put to use for deeper analysis of it.
Anyway, hope that provides any tangibly useful info/insight for your analysis or a lead to get more. Again, great vid!
I thought Andy was more NPD. He keeps Ashley on a tight leash, carefully dispensing affection strategically to keep her under his control. Her dependency on him is the narcissistic supply for his desired image as the "responsible good brother taking care of his crazy sister", that image also being why he's so fastidious about hiding his crimes and not wanting to be found out. If they do get caught or Ashley tries to get away from him he'll almost certainly murder-suicide them.
I ain’t reading all that 💀
Andrew is psychopath mild!
Personally, I don't think the blood oath made Episode 1 worse (despite my nostalgia, recontextualizing and analyzing while playing was amazing.), and I think the misogynistic claim is a bit of a stretch, but other than that, this is the best, well-rounded, solid analysis I've had the pleasure of watching and listening to.
im so grateful that you made this video, you did the game justice and really displayed what a masterpiece this game is. Even though i already adored the game, this video showed me that there is so much more to it and how amazing the creator is
This is the best piece of video i have seen about the game ever,like actually its an amazing analysis.
Thank you, I aim to surpass this when Episode 3 comes around!
I think the purpose behind the burial endings without incest is even more evidence that this game isn't fetish. It offers the player the option out if they're not comfortable with it.
This game is a gem. It's shocking yet strangely - heartwarming at the same time...
Nemlei is guilty of one thing: making millions on an indy game with zero budget. It wasn't a grassroots anti-incest theme crusade (by the same people who loved Game of Thrones).
this is a beyond amazing analysis, this is impressive
Fly me to the moon~
Let me play among the stars
And let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars!
In other words, hold my hand~
In other words, baby, kiss me...
I’m sure someone else has pointed this out but in Ashley’s dream when given the choice between two doors, the right door is named “opt_out” in the game files. Interesting
Couldn't miss leaving a comment under this great analysis. You have really found some details, showing just how deep the relationship between the Graves siblings really goes. Personally, I prefer the version that the blood oath doesn't have that much significance, and that Andrew holds the decisive, physical power, and chooses to stay with Ashley, using her as an excuse, but an awesome video nevertheless!
Also, probably not the first person to point this out, but... coffin? GRAVES siblings?
you should talk about her previous games as well
Can others please stop bullying Artists for addressing dark, unholy topics? Just because they address them doesn't mean they think it's worth worship it! Its just fictional. God.
Maverlous analysis and editing! The quality is something I expected to see in a 100k+ subscribers channel, so I was shocked to see you only have 2k subs?? Here's to more subs and views man, u deserve it
A shame you never dwell on the demon cult plotline but I understand there isnt enough of it to talk about it
Hopefully episode 3 delivers on both plotlines and bring this entire story to a close
The dev said we're getting four more stories.
@@rc59191I thought they said we're getting 4 I. Total, so two more episodes after this.
@@johnathanera5863 not really in the DEC LOG 07 (on steam) in the "frequently asked question"
There’s the question of how many episodes The game has………to witch Nemlei answered that…
there’s gonna 4 episode………and two of them are two different versions of episode 3
(probably ep3 "decay" and ep3 "burial")
Witch end’s up with ( Episode 1/Episode 2/Episode 3 (burial)/Episode 3(decay). )
Me losing my absolute fucking mind as the incest route becomes the most wholesome ending:
Now that is dandy video essay. Amzazing work chef.
Really, the worst thing they've done was to Nina and that was arguably an accident. It's not like they have set out to wrong people who haven't wronged them first, yet.
The way he said "the right door is the family friendly option, and the left door is the Fammley FrenDLEyy option" had me rolling😭😭
Bro this video went from occult to incest REALLY FAST O_o
I wasn't expecting the Grandstand theme tune at the start of this video.... How fitting that I'm watching this on a Sunday.
I just love your analysis on this game. I'v been saying almost the same stuff you've said but for I always get the "you as wrong" or "the incest isnt neeed to tell a story" arguments that mostly just ignored everything I'v stated. So gald there are people who actual understand the characters on a very high level.
Can't wait for your analysis on part 3 when it comes.
I can’t WAIT for episode 3 and so on. This is my favorite game of the last year.
I've only watched this and the previous Andy and Leyley episode. I must say your analysis is impressive, it's like hearing a representation from a psychology student. Do you actually know some psychology or do you just do dedicated analysis and research for the characters?
Edit: Also if it's not too troubling, what is the science behind your edits that gravitates our intention cause I can maybe partly get it but I would like to know the whole picture from you if you can.
Really good video, I agree with your point. Im kinda sad that people can't really appreciate the story and just shit talk the game for "incest". Hope the dev is ok after the doxxing
This Is amaizing Analytics. There was many things I miss And Now when I see it, it Is even better. Can't Wait for your Analytics of episode 3, when it comes out
personal head canon the parents are also siblings. the graves family is trapped in a cycle of incest and parricide using demonic rituals to cancel out the negative effects explaining how the demon is drawn to Ashley.
the parents were trying to get rid of their kids after finally noticing how close they had gotten before they suffered a similar fate to their own only for it to backfire. the questionable Buriel Rought is just a continuation of it.
I love your voice and telling of the story and sharing your thoughts. Your use of music too is really well done.
I would hug Julia, hold the door for her, treat her to a modest (broke college kid) dinner, and end the night with the invitation to a second date
Your content is amazing, my only criticism is that there isn't enough of it
theyre the textbook example of making each other worse, but its just too interesting to watch unfold and dismantling their psyches. if you can stomach the cannibalism, murder, and incest. know what you can handle seeing, and if its not this, then theres no shame in that
Thank you so much for the elaborate and professional analysis, have been looking for something like this for some time now. You actually made me see so much more to this story and its plot than i could have ever imagined. So, i thank you from my heart for bringing such a deep and realistic world with its characters two us viewers eyes
Thank you so much for a serious and open-minded analysis on this game!
It's a pleasure!
this game is a true masterpiece man
Finally after waiting for a month its here and did not disappoint, as always good editing
Considering that this is apparently set in a fictional country in Northern Europe, I'm imagining the idea of Andrew having the voice of Vargskelethor Joel.
Not gonna lie, I feel like Joel's rant about having an immense oversupply of shitty juice boxes is perfect material for a joke/animation/edit about that.
this would also mean that flashback Andy would get Joel's babi voice.
All countries in Europe are fictional
This video is very well established great work! The editing, narrative and analysis are great! Keep up the great work my guy.
Peak yt content it simply dose not get better then this. This was a great video man i cant wait for not just the later chapters of the game but also i cant wait for your analysis of it.
When the 1st episode came out it was called 'The Coffin of Andy and Leyley DEMO'. The very first frame you saw in the game says "Episode 1'. It was always known the game was supposed to be 4 episodes.
Not true, just look at Manny's playthrough from March
I love how you go in depth in this game, i agree on all of your points. people like to accuse the game and call it bad without looking at the reasons, Also they get mad at the incest..... as if there isnt cannibalism and murder, but i digress. Andy and Leyley's story of toxicity, codependency, manipulation and aging really resonates with me, Ch 2 really set into motion how impactful the family visit was, Ms. Graves/ Ashley truly are the key to burying the hatchet or decaying the line between the two siblings.
I actually disagree with the blood-oath making Andrew more of a doormat. He was on the one who initiate the blood-oath and can break it whenever he wants. How many years did he had to realize that if Nina's body was found and wasn't traced to him? Not to mention, he's over all more independent than her. Given he has a license, was attending college before quarantine, had at least one romantic relationship, a summer job, and a bank account; while Ashley is implied, if not flat out stated, to not have any of those.
I was mainly miffed by the earlier blackmail (which of course resulted in the blood oath) since that well and truly took away Andrew's agency up until the blood oath.
Like I suggested at 7:44, the blood oath was a means for Andrew to assert himself. I know my take on the blood oath is controversial but I nonetheless generally agree with blood oath fans that it was a clever way for Andrew to manipulate Ashley, and that's amazing-but this contractual obligation he's laid out (and the fact he was bargaining from a position of weakness in the first place) certainly paints a different picture from Episode 1, where Andrew was portrayed as organically sticking with her. Then again, the fact it was a contract - rather than organic - does actually complement Ashley's insecurities over whether Andrew even likes her.
I admit that any 'grievances' I have with the blackmail/blood oath for recontextualising Episode 1 should be taken with a grain of salt due to my admitted nostalgia for Episode 1, which I considered perfect. I think the new fans who came in after Episode 2 are likelier to love these scenes, and that's excellent, really; the discussion has been excellent, and the scenes have their merits, so it's great their fans appreciate the scenes for what they are.
I've been waiting, it's finally here! So I'll be writing this as I watch the video so excuse the almost rambly vibe I'm putting your comment section Dandy xD. So, I agree with your grievances about the flash back and continuation of the Nina part as it weakens Andy's personality in episode 1. The blood oath for example shows that if Ashley didn't say a word, Andrew still would've let go, he made an oath which he respects out of principle. It does strenghten his personality in episode 2 but the Andrew that was starving in his apartment feels so jaded in comparision with the not so starving version of himself, it takes away at his seemengly semi independednt personality. When it comes to the different choices, you can make an argument for the canonicity of either pretty well as we see Andrew is more volatile but also lacking the mental fortitude unless pushed over the edge while Ashley is capable of making solo decisions (most of the time), though it's very, very clear, based of off their personalities Burial is canon(now which branch I won't speak upon cuz they both fit, though Ashley has been feeding off of the codependent feedback loop for like 10 years now so her letting Andrew go is very, very weird, so you see what I personally think fits the 2 as disgusting as it is), the incest segmnet...Well I rambled on for long enough about that last time :>(though I wonder if my ramblings helped you to where to look for that segment). You literally went over all my thoughts of the Incest ending, i've been waiting for a while for your own opinion about that. Your explanation is the best one I've heard that can possibly show the possibility of the decay ending(though as least likely as i see it being).
Wonderful video Dandy! loved it.
its 2 days after new years and i just stumbled upon coffin today through a yt short, and holy shit i did not expect to tunnel down such a rabbit hole.