my Episode 2 video is finally here (ua-cam.com/video/Zi6sToWUC80/v-deo.html), so with that I'll also give you the songlist at last! In order: >Wandering Flame - Final Fantasy X (00:00) >Ambrosia - A Reminiscent Drive (01:06) >Gravity - Jafet Meza (02:03) >Komorebi - Unknown Artist (03:27) >suffocate alone - nihigo (03:58) >Ganado I - Resident Evil 4 (05:11) >i wont try anymore - andy pls (05:29) >Eternal Rest - Silent Hill (07:35) >Pursuit - Final Fantasy X (09:13) >Character Creation - Demon's Souls (10:16) >Plant 42 - Resident Evil 2002 (10:58) >私を忘れて - nihigo (12:05) >Drifting - Final Fantasy VIII (13:27) >Everyone knows this song (15:03) >Near Light - Ólafur Arnalds (17:36)
Well we see and hear about murder and canabalism all the time so we got a bit desensitized to it. But not with incest plus just eeew imagine wanting to screw s family member that’s just disgusting
@@snaillicious7984that's wild cause personally chopping up a humans body into bite sizes portions and then cooking human meat into a stew to eat is also kinda gross but I mean maybe not all of us are desensitized to cannibalism like you are 💀
The horror doesn't come from trying to induce fear but instead psychological dread. The story isn't scary, it's subtlely morbid. Nemlei is definitely at their prime with TCOAAL
@@deft4184well the characters themselves are pretty scary how do you chop up your parents disembowel them and even skin their faces and screwdriver out their teeth without throwing up once
@@boredboi6279 dude that's what I'm talking about. Cannibalism, parental abuse, detailed gore etc. isn't scary, just disgusting. Your reaction most likely isn't screaming in terror or covering your eyes, but rather frowning and getting nauseous.
Given the right circumstances Andrew could have gone his whole life as a seemingly normal person completely unaware of the violence and darkness he's capable of It's very fascinating
If you played the Chapter 2, you notice that everything its genuinely their parents fault, the mother got pregnant at 15, at 17 decided that she could deal with another one, proceeded to absolutely shit on Ashley, to the point neither her or Ashley's father even celebrated nor remember her Birthdays, all of her classmates also isolated her, her only human contact was Andrew, and Andrew was also the ONLY one that cared for her, she grew irrationally attached to him because she had NO ONE else to relate with.
imo the blame cant really be placed on only one person. the parents neglected their kids, ashley took advantage of andrew, and andrew enabled her (including for his own gain, namely using her as a scapegoat and getting to share/place the blame of his actions on anyone but him). everyone plays a role, some people more responsible than others, but i appreciate the way everyone contributes to the toxicity as imo its more realistic than it being solely the blame of one person.
Kinda my problem with the game reading up on it. It's just too dark, every aspect of the world and characters are unrelentingly horrible with nothing to balance it. Just feels too edgy like something a teenager would write. RPGMaker games seem to have this issue all the time
@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 I mean...isn't life the same way for some unfortunate people? child trafficking victims for example; what's there to balance the immense shittiness of everyone around _them?_ some people genuinely are that unlucky-not all to the same extreme as my previous example, but the point stands. I've known dozens of people who were victims of abuse one way or another by members of their families, so-called friends, or just random people in their lives. unrelenting horror absolutely exists in our world, too; you may not see it, so you may take your relative peace for granted, but you just have to understand that your experience isn't _the_ human experience. there are people living much better than you, and there are people living _much, much worse._ thanks for coming to my TED talk. _edit: spelling._
@@capt.raptor4650 Yes but all the dark shit that happens here happens in a very short amount of time and without a more balanced and mature tone it just feels unrealistic and edgy for its own sake. It's a work of fiction, you can't always depict reality completely as is but also the average person isn't a trafficking victim either. Most people do have SOME good moments. I also heard this game is pretty comedic so that probably balances out the constant bad shit that happens but no one seems to bring that up so it seems to the outside this game is just the edgiest shit ever and that makes me wonder what people see in it. It's what I feel is an accurate descriptor of "misery porn", constant unending darkness in quick succession mainly done to manipulate the audience's emotions but it falls flat because there's nothing to contrast it with. That's what I think you need to make a dark story work, you NEED happy or pleasant or peaceful moments to make the dark stuff hit harder, that's why I love a show like Bojack Horseman, it has very realistic depictions of flawed people ruining their lives interspersed with goofy comedic antics. And it works far better than if it was just edgy all the time. The ending shot still works me up whereas thinking about this game I feel more annoyed than anything. You can be desensitized to dark shit and it makes it feel more clinical like you're watching a breaking news story about a grisly murder, the news is infamous for making people not care about suffering. A breaking news story recently made me cry because it was about the humanity of the people inflicted instead of solely the bad shit. Which I can't say about this game either from what I've seen, Ashley seems pretty one-dimensionally evil for instance.
As someone starting to study a small bit of criminology, it makes sense how all of this kinda built up. Isolation, bad influence, lack of actual nutrition, lack of supervision, and a messed up childhood. It’s hard to take my eyes off it
There was a psychology experiment with two rat cages to see how each side acted when one cage was given low resources and the other cage was given a lot of resources. The cage with low food and cramped space had the rats start self harming, cannibalizing, and mating with things that were abnormal to mate with. Mother rats would straight up abandon their kids and forget them, basically running over them to help themselves. Male rats were either super aggressive or super cowardly in a constant fight for territory. The cage with a lot of food and space had rats living their healthy best life. No injuries, no r🍇pe, no incest, no patricide, and very caring mother rats This experiment was conducted in regard to how overpopulation and crime rates had a connection in big crowded cities. Andy and leyley just reminded me of this experiment with how they start out in hungry, cramped, dirty, and abandoned circumstances. They start doing a lot of what the rats were doing
@@13_faces in the same flashback that andrew makes a "blood oath" with ashley. when you go to the kitchen to grab the knife, you can inspect a table and see it there, iirc.
The thing that draws me in, that behind Ashley's constant emotional manipulation, there's a disturbing amount of truth behind her words and actions, as opposed to just purely to get what she wants soley for herself. It's quite literally a necessity for her to stay alive.
Interestingly, the incestuous undertones shifted in part 2. Now Andrew is more affectionate, and, thanks to the pov shift, now we know he's been thinking about it. And in (almost unanimously called) "that" route, after thier vision, Ashley isn't too affected by the implications, but Andrew is very flustered. It might be that Ashley doesn't really care if she has to fuck her brother to keep him close. After all, keeping him close is what she wants, the means are trivial. In a way, that's even more fucked up than simply doing so out of love. ... And something doesn't have to do with anything, but I noticed about Leyley's hairclips sort of resemble demon eyes
I think Ashley's opinion towards it depends on the choice you make when Andrew asks her "We're not like that, right?" If you choose "Nah." Ashley thinks to herself she's indifferent, though this could just be a cope. If you choose "Never say Never" Ashley is visibly disappointed when Andrew says he is against it.
@@claytonkruseAndrew doesn't really shut her down though. He just brushes it off and changes the topic. He admonished her a little and all that but he's nowhere near as opposed to the idea as one would normally be.
Well about andrew not loving her back, in episode 2 we see that andrew is not just possesive about her, he actually CAN only think about her, when he gets a girlfriend, it is to try and throw away those feelings for her, even then, he cannot do it, going as far as to asking Julia to tie her hair in the same manner as ashley. In the images, we see him getting very touchy with her too, even when not going the incestous ending. I think the devs utilized the incest as the perfect way to show how twisted their love for each other is, to the point they don't even care about what they are doing to the others, it's almost an excuse to do everything they do, and it creates a lot of tension when you don't know if they are snapping at each other or just weirdly flirting.
To build on Ashley’s desired to let Andrew kill him if that’s what he wants, in the burial ending in act 2, if Ashley shoots him in the vision she’s very obviously manic as she shouts at his corpse. Whereas, when she lets him kill her with the cleaver it flashes a heart above her head and she appears to not even be that bothered about it.(interestingly Andrew also says he’ll be there soon implying that he’ll off himself afterwards further cementing the codependency. TL:DR need me an Ashley frfr)
After playing the two chapters on one sitting, I realized the terrible headache I had from playing the game. This game will not scare you like any other horror game. This game will quite literally rot your mind, and make you question if you trully are a sane human being. I still cant stop thinking about this game, and the horrible things I had to do in it. Huge probs to Nemlei for this amazing game, I hated every second of it, 11/10
Yea, you kinda described what I felt watching the game. I thought the sibling interaction was cute, but at the same time the game made me feel REALLY SICK, something about the story, the mood, everything.
This game fucked me up pretty hard. So much of Andrew as a character felt like holding up a mirror to myself that made me nauseous. He’s such a living doormat that subjects himself to manipulation and abuse and even convinces himself that these things are a sort of affection, so much so that he has almost no will of his own. This game felt like getting slapped in the face with my own character flaws and weaknesses, so much so it made me physically ill. Great game, btw.
The best part to me is how it tells the story of 2 people who are toxic to the point that they can't survive alone anymore. A test of wills, how far will you actually go, and how much humanity are you willing to sacrifice to survive? Broken monsters just trying to stay human. I love it.
That final segment about cutting the Leyleys out hit me harder than it should have. I don't know how to phrase this, so I'm just going to say it, my sister is one of those Leyleys. Constantly needing attention and validation, viciously cruel, emotionally abusive, incredibly manipulative, and guilting me into being emotionally codependent because I had to be the good big brother. Thankfully, she's not homicidal (and never got into my love life, I was smart enough to shoot THAT shit down), but she definitely does not show empathy. Honestly, the game made me question our entire relationship and was the impetus for me eliminating my emotional dependence on her. Brilliant character and dynamic analysis, man. I'm curious as to your thoughts about Episode 2.
They have a diff view of their feelings to one another Ashley claims ownership over him while he subconsciously has created deep emotional dependency and carnal desires for her.
in my eyes (because letsplayer that i watched pointed it out) Andrew never really felt guilt. it was just a scare of getting caught and (at least in young age) getting separated with Ashley
I agree, at least with the information we have? He totally cares more about the consequences than the killing. The only exception is maybe the eating people. He did almost vomit from that, and even then I'm not sure if he felt guilt, or just visceral disgust from it.
Fun fact: In one of the true endings of chapter 2, they canonically went full sweet home Alabama on each other. Although it was just a vision, there's a possibility that they might actually do it.
@@placeholder_384oh Andrew had that vision Nr 1 He was blushing after he woke up Nr 2 Ashley has plans to manipulate andrew with an alabama basically meaning that she has a last resort she NEVER considered Nr 3 In a previous vision andrew said youll forever be in my heart immediatly followed by an insult but maybe he wants to change how ashley affects his life in a positive way in his eyes So those are the points to why andrew is the one with the vision
I do not understand the problem with it when there's already cannibalism, toxic relationships and murder in this game. It's literally the cherry on the cake.
The whole game itself is about co-dependency on extreme situations and circumstances (probably the reasons why nemlei wrote in the cannibalism and organ harvesting quarantine stuff) and ig its also a test of how much the player can take all this extreme stuff in a way. Theres also a lot of hidden meanings and sub texting that just gives more hints to andrew and ashley’s relationship, episode 1 focuses on ashley’s point of view in the relationship while episode 2 kind of focuses andrew’s pov, im assuming that episode 3A and 3B will probably focus on both of them as a whole
The constant incestuous undertones I think really add to the overall mood. It makes the experience constantly uncomfortable and never lets you slip into at any point thinking their relationship is okay
@@singodofui >Person who's currently talking from a comfortable spot in the internet, where they don't have to elaborate on their bullshit Yeah, I can see that.
"He is not returning her feelings" laughs in chapter 2. but even in ch1 you could see that he very much did feel the same, which is why didn't care enough for his gf to no stand her up.
@@user-fl3oc1bw3uno, he wants to bang ashley, but his morals are keeping him away... he's not morally down bad like ashley is, but if he was disgusted about it he would have thrown up and be dead serious about the vision and making it clear that will NOT happen... but instead he heavily blushed and looked like a 9 y/o after his first kiss... so yeah. Andrew has something for ashley but he might either be scared of telling her, or he's scared of his own feelings. Whatever it is i'm sure we'll see it next episode.
@@poutykeiki2574 I still don’t think that’s blushing only because it’s red and what are you saying, that all the dialogue afterwards from him is just pretending he doesn’t want it?
One random detail I noticed in the artwork is how subtly touchy Andrew is. One particularly odd example to me is when they're in their parents' kitchen and their mother sneaks up to eavesdrop. Andrew has his hand on Ashley's hip. But not just on her hip, his finger is seemingly looped through one of the belt loops on her jean shorts. Both a literal and figurative show of how he can't help but attach himself to her, even if he doesn't want to and is appalled by the situation they've gotten themselves into. Also I feel like this story already being messed up with the themes it explores really does make the incest part feel like a minor issue in comparison. I mean. What would you rather have, incestuous neighbors or CANNIBALISTIC MURDERER NEIGHBORS... I have a feeling you're gonna pick the former if you have any level of survival instincts whatsoever. I do feel that Andrew vaguely shares Ashley's feelings too, because he's been depressed, alone and dependent on her for so long that he.. kinda has no choice at this point. He's realizing he's always gonna be alone and miserable if he doesn't accept his circumstances, (Depending on the route you take in the second chapter, that is.) because Ashley will never just _let_ him have a normal love life without her constantly pestering his next girlfriend. So.. As long as she's alive, Ashley _is_ his only option. And he's already proven once that he _can't_ afford to kill her.
When your at the motel you can interact with a wall full of call girl numbers and Ashley suggests she puts up hers. Andrew immediately gets mad and tells her he'll backhand her if she says another word, when Ashley calls him a wifebeater he says "Aww don't say that. it's only towards you, honestly"
This whole game is just cheff's kiss. It is a masterpiece in horror and dread. The themes it explores as so well presented and the fact that these are almost never explored in today's media makes it even more outstanding. The game is absolutely mortifying not because it presents some outlandish horrifying creature, but because it holds up a mirror to the player and society. I personally am suprised we can still get this sort of artistical masterpiece in our day and age. Hats off to Nemlei!
it's not an horror. Where in this game do you feel scared at least for one second???? It's just an edgy adventure game not even close to being a horror.
@@larsmuller97 what? Are you serious? Are we talking about the same game? You mean those dream sequences? Or "ultra scary parents sacrifice" in EP 2? Go look up some real horror games like "Silent Hill", "Fatal Frame", "Forbidden siren" etc. And compare them to this game. Even "ao oni" is far scarier than this!
Sadly the reason she didn't go for the gun was most likely because she couldn't muster the strength to let go of the hands shocking her, as later a vision showed that she is more when capable of shooting her brother if it means she gets to live. At the same time the panic she felt from that vision proofs that she actually can't live without him, like yeah she could kill him to survive but then what? It wouldn't even be suprising to assume she would commit suicide or go full mental and keeps his corpse around while looking for a way to revive him using demon powers
What I find more disturbing is that, after all this, they still genuinely care for each other. Then again, it's not surprising, they're the only ones who understand each other, and they can only trust each other. They are physically inseparable, they need and care for each other, in a twisted dark way, but the reminiscence of being siblings is still there.
Hi! amazing video! Sadly, quite a number of theories do fall apart in episode 2, specifically the theory about the driving force behind Ashley's manipulations, as in the episode it's quite evident that romantic feelings do drive Ashely almost as much as her need for a symbiotic relationship where she doesn't need to fear abandonment, though most of this is theorizing(SPOILER) : Specifically in Andrew's dream, there is a area where you can read 3 of the voice messages that Ashley used to harass Julia, Andrew's EX, one of which, the last one, ending with the line "Just because you can fuck him and I can't?" which shows that Ashely views the act of physical love as the ULTIMATE act of love. Another scene comes right at the end of the game, where you choose which ending you would wanna get, if you picked the correct options, you will have the choice between "love" and "friendship", previous to that you would need to grab a bunny, who's body color, gree, evidently represents Andy, the little note about the bunny being "the best thing in the world". I personally always though her manipulative tendencies came about her refusal to both awcknoledge her feelings as well as trying to create a bubble in which Andy is stuck with her and only her, any adventure outside the bubble ending in the best case scenario harassement, though I firmly belive Andrew's ex wouldn't be alive if Ashley wasn't quarantined for those 3 months. Going back to how I belive Ashley's brain is wired around love, every instance of a bed that her parents slept in talks about sex, literally every single one, which means that she connects the healthy relationship of her parents to their physical interactions, which explains all of her incestious innuendos, since she really has no idea how to show love any other way but physical touch. This also goes back to Episode one with the woman from room 302, Ashley's scene being caused by her jelousy, specifically when she found out Andrew let go of the girl. She clearly saw that as a betrayal, profiting off the dream she had before the entire sequence, she tried to reinforce the bubble through guilt tripping, which is the only form of manipulation she actually tries to actively pull on him. The scene of Andrew choking her out and her accepting it we agree upon, Ashely dying for Andrew would be her greatest death imaginable, as it would allow him to be happy, which is something Ashely does seek out, her brother's happiness, just in a very bad way. Ashely and Andrew are two co-dependent, emotionally unstable people that NEED each other, it's unhealthy and disgusting, depending on the ending you get, but it's healthy for them. They are both jealous people that at the very least are over protective of each other, specifically Andrew as both Ashley and himself state he's as envious as her, he just never needed to express his envy because of Ashley's personality terryfing all boys who might have had an interest in her, but I firmly belive that Andrew would act the same as Ashely if the opportunity presented itself. If you get the love ending of ep2, Andrew's reaction to the premonition of HIMSELF DOMMING HIS SISTER isn't that of disgust, but of a multitude of emotions which may even include that of love, hell even Ashley claims she thinks the 2 of them would eventually do it as it won't be the worst thing they ever did. Ashely and Andrew have such a symbiotic relationship, the two would never allow each other to find love outside the bubble Ashley made. Which is also why I belive this will be the main conflict of Episode 3: A (bury ending). Anyways, great video! enjoyed watching and will continue to see your career in great interest!
Excellent analysis mate, thank you for writing this! I very much agree with your points. I'm not upset by any of my theories aging badly since I made them in a pre-Episode 2 world; Episode 2 was always going to introduce new information to the audience that could recontextualise Episode 1 (being able to play as Andrew and see his perspective is a major source of such information). Episode 1 still makes perfect sense in a post-Episode 2 world!
@DandyDNA Thanks dude! Your analysis was amazing judging the limited knowledge we all had at the time, Ashley came out either as manipulative or as emotionally unstable, you caught the first variant, I the second. The video still fits in a post episode 2 world, evidently with a few inconsistencies(primarily the last segment, but episode 1 is so tame compared to 2) but the main themes are still there. Hell, most of your points are REINFORCED by episode 2. But I do wanna ask, any planned analysis for episode 2?
So I've replayed episode 2 because this comment was VERY incomplete, so as a way to properly finish this, here are all the examples of the theory also fits for Andrew(the last 2 points are more like setting it in stone than examples). So here is the signs Andrew wants to fuck his sister: -First thing he notices while she's in profile is her ass, calls it a "fat ass"(motel room) -Andrew can just, touch Ashely's ass, whenever he fuckn' wants I guess, he's even proud of it too, joke or not.(Graves' home back garden) -"Where it may fester with all other thoughts you wish you never had", since he did actively tried to kill Ashley in a fit of rage, it can't be that, but if not murdering your sister, what can that thought even be... suspicious I must say(Right coffee time with mom, after reading the recipe book) -Dude's envy cuz Ashley likes Andy and not Andrew, clearly he never saw Andy as himself, so he's envious of that (sort of like how Leyley is envious of Andrew's gfs, suspicious isn't it?) (washing the dishes) -"Cuz Andrew's all you're gonna get" hmmmmmm, then the lip touch and immediate stuttering and embarrasment after, Andrew Andrew, you might be from Alabama dear Andrew...(Washing the dishes) -As claimed in point 2, Andrew can and *will* touch his sister's ass whenever, he is also embarassed when he gets cought by mother(washing the dishes) (the entire washing the dishes scene is the biggest piece of evidence bro wants to fuck Ashley) -He doesn't like Julia's idea to offer Ashley more independence(Andrew's dream) -He gets quite offended when Julia claims Ashley is difficult in general, and since it's a dream and not actual live happenings, he does know what she said(Andrew's dream) -While hugging Julia, it feels his expression is that of both doubt and regret and even shame, the immediate request for Julia to tie her hair up when we know that was the hairstyle of Ashely before the quarantine, since we see memories before those 3 months, is a massive red flag...Andrew, where you feeling shame cuz in your embrace WASN'T your little sister?(Andrew's dream) -He's not bothered that he'll never see Julia again(Andrew's dream) -This is a correction in my original comment: The interphone section is still in Andrew's dream, which means that ISN'T what Ashely actually said to Julia, so every sexual undertone is what Andrew BELIVES his sister said, not what he actually said, every little thing that we know Ashley won't say that is said in the section is completly false, which provides a lot of context to Andrew's character(Andrew's dream) -He wanted to kill the warden slowly, since he was always starring at Ashley(Andrew's dream) -The thing he regreted the most was not killing Nina, but the risk of himself and Ashely getting separated in prison(Andrew's Dream/Andrew's memories) -I mean, it's just fan service, but the first thing you see being your sister's tits and not her face when you wake up is VERYYY suspicious Andrew boy(After waking up) -He gets embarrased when Ashley tells the demon that his soul is hers(after summoning the demon and taking your parent's souls) ->this is about Ashely, but to reinforce my original comment: As Andrew chops up your parent's corpses (if you trusted him and if Andrew declined the olive branch), ashely gets a knot in her stomach which can mean a multitude of things, either nervousness or possible romantic feelings, either entry fit Ashley in every possible way, since she's either developing a possible fear/anxiety for Andrew, as he starts acting like her, or a possible romantic development because of the same reason. -He gets flustered at the romantic idea of both him and Ashely sleeping with their hands locked togheter, with a half smile(Right before the last dream sequence) -In the love ending vision, Andrew's reaction is far more "SHIT DID I GET CAUGHT BY THE DEMON THING" rather than discust, especially compared to the reaction Ashely got of just "guess that'll happen" This was all I was able to catch while replaying episode 2, but I think these are it
A result of being an elder sibling to both a Leyley (Protective) and an Ashley (Kind of hate), and fully relating to taking the parental position for the sake of the kids the parents can't really care for, I found that this story has hooks in my soul. I haven't encountered this class of character writing since the re-release of Doki Doki Literature Club's prequel scenarios. Looking forward to episode 3 in its entirety.
You know that the game is amazing when it's leaving you with storm of emotions that is so hard to calm and get a whole picture of it. Mainly bcs theres so many details. Nemlei is a talented person.
Hit the nail on the head with it being a horror game that lives with you long after you play it. It doesn't rely on the gore, shock value or easy scare tactics, the game even down plays these moments when possible. The horror is watching two psychopaths' so corruptly intertwined with each other live as this mockery of love as we understand it. They love each other but its all wrong on every level, its sick, but watching it play out in real time is fascinating. How they casually discuss mugging and killing passerby's for the remainder of their lives, or Ashley's childlike delusion of replacing their parents and living in the house as if nothing had happened, and with how nihilistic their world is making such a unreasonable thing slightly possible in the face of Andrews reasoning. As for the parts that really stuck out to me was entering 302's room after the sacrifice and seeing what Andrew did. I genuinely didn't expect it and with how he pathologically lies around Ashley, I cant tell if what he said was the truth, she is dead on the bed, the nail gun never left its spot and even when he decompartmentalizes all the deaths he's caused he doesn't really give her a second thought other than Ashley would have killed her any way...which he would have been right about. Then there's crawling around the parents house, the only part that had me on edge the entire game. Not because of what was going to happen after but the existential dread of the kids discovering how little they mattered to their family, that they were better off with out them, richer, happier. Them writing their children off as dead weight and it being unequivocally true. That selling their children for blood money wasn't just justified, but it would have been the best thing their parents could have done for the world...though they put them in the position for them to grow into the threats they now are by doing so. The only other big moment that got me was the decay route, I had initially done the Alabama ending on my first playthrough so going back and doing decay was a hard trip from the prior banter of Burial. Seeing just how done Andrew is with Ashley and how its invisible to her , she created a monster that will eventually kill her and she is oblivious, less than that even, she thinks Andy is back and subserviently in her grasp when he is not. If she protects her self from Andrew she is left with nothing, nothing at all in the whole world, if she doesn't he will intimately kill her and then himself but the horror there is even being armed with this knowledge she is incapable of utilizing it because she doesn't genuinely see that she is the problem and while she is trying to reach out to him he is too far gone to be receptive of her pleas. And playing that, knowing that as the player you are positioning them to tear each other apart and that being the best thing to happen else the swath of death they will leave in their wake is really fucked. On one hand as the player you want to be protective of your player characters and strive for the best outcomes for them but this game lets you do the opposite, you can hurt them. Make them suffer. Make them intimately tear each other apart as only they, the grotesquely intertwined monsters only can.
THIS THIS VIDEO IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED An in depth analysis of the game's history, the character's psychology, and even the art direction and game design! I loved your analysis of everything about the Graves' relationship, and i can't wait for chapter 2
I noticed you have Guts with the armor in your pfp; call me crazy, but Andrew and Ashley remind me of Serpico and Farnese respectively before they join Guts.
One thing i like is that in both episodes even when they're having a very light and silly conversation it always feels to me that there is a very heavy tension with every dialogue that anything could go to shit even when his sister is acting flirty there is still this tension that could make Andrew snap at any moment and things go sour and toxic or chaotic and dangerous very quickly These two are a perfectly written toxic codependent relationship
@@Melissa31179 violent outbursts and reclusive yes(though even then he's clearly tried being social before. His sister just makes that difficult and because he's a sociopath who is also obsessed with her, he tolerates her actions), but the guilt part is wrong. He lies about feeling guilty or not being able to sleep because of his actions, he only says that to hide his sociopathy and be able to share a bed with Ashley(which honestly is kinda crazy. He lies so much and even Ashley believes him). I agree that he likely has PTSD, but just wanted to make a correction
@@user-fl3oc1bw3u he can have PTSD without regrets. He doesn’t regret his actions, that doesn’t mean he’s happy with his life. As far as he’s concerned, he’s a victim of one of the most cruel and extreme situations ever.
If you can genuinely scare audiences without jumpscares or grotesque display, then that's a really good storywriting. I don't find the story scary personally. But the story itself is fascinating, it's like a void that keeps reeling you in down the rabbit hole of how much more fucked up it can go in your wildest imaginations. As weird as it sounds, part of the fandom were losing their heads on the incest part of this story calling it sick, but same crowd never bat an eye with the cannibalism, murder, parenticide and how toxic their relationship is.
I think its because with the themes of the game and how they are developed, the incest and manipulation feels more "real" than any of the things that happen, for example the cannibalism in an apartment where organ harvesting is being done, while there are guards who dont give people food, and kill everyone who tries to help, the weird supossed parasite that people got, the weird ads that play on tv talking about weird cola and sweeping a whole story about an apartment complex getting burnt down under the rug while obssesed with talking about sponsors and products after talking about this very serious thing that would be news for weeks on tv in the real world, the random hitman that wants to kill two supossedly dead people, the demonic sacrifice, the demon in itself, the cultists who want to almost openly summon demonic entities, all of this adds to a society that is almost distopic on presentation, it makes you go "what the fuck is wrong with the people here" and makes you disconnect a little with the horrible things happening because almost everyone is horrible, but the codependent abusive relationship and fucked up upbringing, coupled with the emotional and potential physical incest, just makes it feel way too real, like, there are siblings that could do that and people in situations like that, the incest is the cherry on top for some people, it makes you go "i ignore the murders, the caniballism, the crime, now i gotta ignore the incest even though its not even the worse part in reality?"
Can't agree with you more, people only talk about the incest part when there's literally murders, cannibalism, abuse and toxic relationships. They might've overlooked the fact that the game itself is genuinely dark and besides it's fictional why do they care so much anyways
@@checkthisout7616 Honestly I have a theory about the hitman. My theory is that the government(or whatever organization the nurse works for) wanted to cover their tracks after Andrew and Ashley escaped and burnt the building down to keep the place from being searched. I think they predicted that Andrew and Ashley would be happy about such an occurrence at first because it also covers their tracks, but would also potentially be after them in the future when they figured out more so they hired the hitman to find them before that.
I freaking love this series and their dynamic. Ngl i don't even mind the incest bit because the story is so good, and seeing Andrew blush like that made me feel *something*
This video was so good! Like the writing, the editing, loved it! I’m glad this game is starting to get more attention too cause it is just so well-written. Like Ashley’s gaslighting is so realistic that it can easily go by unnoticed. I’m glad too that you acknowledge that Andrew has got some screws loose as well cause in a lot of discussions about the game, people will try to say that Andrew is just purely a victim. That fact though is that he never took a lot of convincing to kill, nor were his reactions all that deep either. He doesn’t HAVE to do what Ashley says, but by doing so he can escape accountability. As for why he let go instead of strangling her, I have a bit of a different way of seeing it I suppose. Ashley is willing to let Andrew kill her, but when she says, “I want to go now” he asks if she means to die, she says no, she wants to escape the apartments with Andy and he says he does too, but that he’s pissed off and that he knows she’s not gonna change and she agrees she won’t. Despite all that though, he still lets her go which in a way WAS doing what she wanted since she said she wanted to leave with him. His attachment to Ashley is just too strong just as well. If she’s gone, he really wouldn’t have anyone. On top of that, Andrew has issues with anger and aggression, committing acts of violence in a fit of rage. In the moment he wanted to kill her, but in the long run he didn’t and he doesn’t like that side of himself. And yeah, I think he felt bad and guilty just as well. “I like you, but you’re exhausting” sounded kind of like, “I’m sorry. I don’t actually want to kill you” to me. Another thing I found interesting was that Ashley was the one constantly calling their mom asking for help in quarantine while Andrew seemed to think it was useless. It kind of implied that Ashley wasn’t COMPLETELY dependent on Andrew alone at all times and that being cut off by their mom might have made Ashley even more clingy of Andrew than before. Like their reactions to their parents neglect is different. Ashley fights it and demands or pleads for help or attention from their parents, meanwhile it seems as though Andrew doesn’t have much faith in them and would rather just focus on himself and especially being there for Ashley. A defense mechanism some people have toward not feeling taken care of is by putting their energy into taking care of someone else to compensate. Those are just some speculations on my part though. Sorry for TLDR lol. Once again great analysis looking forward to the second chapter of the game!
I agree with a lot of what you said. Of course, the reason Andrew and Leyley ended up this way was thanks to their parents, though Leyley is quite a unique case. I can see anyone becoming Andrew given the right environment. But it is hard for me to picture how one could become a Leyley. Makes me consider how sociopaths, or psychopaths come to be. Andrew certainly wouldn't be in this situation if his sister just let him live his life. Leyley grew dependent on her brother, but not only in a toxic and manipulative form. Showing such disregard for thoughts on taking a life, let alone going through with it, is a massive red flag to avoid.
@@summerycast7936Sociopathy/Psychopathy are mostly just pop culture relics of how we used to view people in older versions of psychiatry. Ashley & Andrew both seem to have personality disorders stemming from a seriously fucked up childhood causing CPTSD when their brains were still developing. Some people (due to biology or circumstance or luck) end up having their brain try to fix the damage one way or another but it's extremely common for that sort of damage to make empathy not develop how it "should". Add to that their incredibly weird dynamic & you can start to see how two children with unhealthy attachment styles & either severely reduced or no empathy start to feed into each other's worst impulses when no one is really there to intervene
Giving her a name in the second chapter is nice. We got the.. LOOOOOOREEEE. Seems all the names censored "_ _ _ _" on 4 slots, will have 4 characters like the girls name "Nina" this will make it easier to theorize about names
For 17:04 the "Incest point" As someone who comes from disfunctional household its very difficult to find the small line that separates 'platonic' and ' romantic ' love Me and my sister joke around alot most with sexual innuendos And thats seen as normal for us as we had to raise ourselves In a loveless village. And when you're in a loveless village theres not much reason to learn how to love. So not incest just I agree with someone else's comment 2 young siblings abandoned by their parents formed a toxic codependent relationship. Its horribly toxic but none of eachother can leave because Andrew ★ will feel horrible as hes leaving his sister . Ashley ★ technically will kill to get her brother back. And is incredibly dependent on him which andrew notices and he'll only feel worse. Also from another commentor ★FUCK I LOVE TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS DONE WELL JUST CHEFS KISS KNOWING ANDREW CAN SNAP AT ANY MOMENT IS LIKE THE WHIPPED CREAM ON MY MILKSHAKE ❤️❤️✨
As someone who had 5 other siblings 6 including me who had to raise ourselves in the absence of our parents I must say that this has never been more of a true and problematic statement….I would elaborate but…tmi I guess
You need an exorcist ASAP. It's about time you come to the realization that trauma bonding that escalates to sex between siblings IS NOT LOVE, and it NEVER will be.
@@goofygoober6412people have different relationships with people in there lives. just cause you are afraid you might want to bang your siblings cause you make sexual comments or jokes with them doesnt mean others with different perspectives or fundamental understandings of a 'love' and boundaries in there relationships will too. ive had plenty of platonic friendships with people where sexual attraction plays a key part in our discourse, but we'd never get together. some people have different ways of expressing themselves
I just found your two videos now and oh my god, the way you describe and talk about the story is just 100% gold. well done, and i hope you are lookign forward to parts three and four.
In chapter 2 there's a lot more clues that Andrew is very much into his sister and is a manipulator too. Like when he asks his girlfriend to tie her hair up like Ashley, or looks sad when hugging her after she refuses. In several scenes he just pauses while talking to her from really close up, he has his hand on her ass in one scene, and later when ashley is kinda crawling over him doing ashley things, their mom catches them and he uses a pillow to cover up a... situation at his groin. That's on top of all the other little touches and details presented to us. And after the incest vision, he's not disgusted like their mother was. He's embarrassed and flustered. Their mom might have been wrong saying they were fucking (they weren't... yet), but Andrew is very much into it AND Ashley is ready to indulge him, something that is confirmed at the end of chapter 2. Plus, their parents aren't much better and are arguably the reason these two are like this.
i really like the way u dig onto these themes and how u explain ur point of view, i really enjoyed the vid, i hope u can soon make a part 2 talking about the early access
Andrew with guilt? LOL we certainly have not played the same game, Andrew was only concerned about getting caught due to the consequences, especially he feared being separated form Ashley, he is just a hornier and more socially functional version of Ashley.
Andrew does feel guilty about accidentally killing Nina. Even though he didn't want to suffer the consequences, he is shown being horrified at her body and still thinks about her.
Now that chapter 2 is out you gotta review that too bro, I really enjoyed this video when i watched it a few days ago, would love to see your take on chapter 2 fr
its honestly surprising how good nemlei was at conveying such a parasitic relationship the way the psychological horror conveys itself is amazing and i dont think i could say anything that hasnt been said i really like episode two in particular where even after the mom says she can give andy a better life and even after he agrees that he wants it he still chooses ashley because the two are yin and yang he just wouldnt feel whole without ashley there and i like in one of the routes we finally see andrew regaining some control over his life no longer always caving into ashleys desires, cleary conveying his wants and needs, and even getting ashley to do what he wants and i think the dream sequence where ashley isnt holding hands with andrew conveys their relationship quite well and is an incredible metaphoric plot point one part of ashley is obviously narcissistic and controlling a which is leyley but the other half is ashley wholey devoted to her brother the part that loves him so increidbly much shed literally die for him in the scene where andrew catches up to you you have the choice to kill him or let him kill you wjich defines the rest of the story deciding which half of ashley is coming out of thst dream sequence wholey in tact and in turn deciding what side of andrew is finally going to be more prominent atleast thats how i view it what with the ending where you dont kill andrew he says hes going to put her in the trunk and drive off the bridge and ashley almost instantly agrees
Hey just wanna say found you utterly by chance, gotta look at more of your content but seriously this was great. I could listen to your Game introspections forever man really interesting POINTS!
Mate your editing skills are off the grid as the colloquialism goes, I love your work it’s incredibly unique and creative. Keep up the good work man. I also am awaiting the arrival of chapter 3 😮
With a couple exceptions, Ashley is still less psycho than a couple of the exes i have. I would even suspect that a good part of the draw IS to, at least on the male side, guys thatve endured this toxic, this insane of a relationship and lived to tell about it. Part 2 definitely kicked shit into high gear, and when this game is complete, perhaps things will change, but as is? One hell of a good game that dives hard and deep into some very nasty topics. If mainline gamedevs showed 1/100 of the fortitude that Nemlei has here - especially the "Cry About It" stunt -- we'd have a lot more genuinely good games out.
Bro, this is the perfect video ive seen about The Coffin of Andy and Leyley, the music used in the background, the way you explained everything, and adding that bit of humor for the, elephant in the room part. Just everything hit perfectly in this video. Very W video.
4:45 The Better Half reference :sob: Glad to see someone discuss this game who's actually a fan of/aware of Nemlei's other work This was a really interesting analysis of the themes and dynamics in the first chapter; great stuff!
I don't know why, but after seeing this game I've become incredibly obsessed with it to the point that at work it's the only thing I can think about. Probably not a good thing, although it won't effect my job performance because my work doesn't require thought
I hope you make a second part dissecting episode 2! I’m really interested to see how your opinions about how Andrew and Ashley’s psyches are actually much more different than episode 1 let on.
Great video! It seems that anyone who has completed and felt this game becomes obsessed with it at least for a while, this is a pattern :D A lot of things in the game are very familiar and relatable to me, but I especially want to note how in this scene with strangulation (which you did so well described) at first both get as furious as possible and then, not finding a solution by pressure and breaking down, one after another they rush to hug each other in a surge of affection. This is a situation that I have experienced many times, when all the tension on both sides is discharged and turns almost into a desire to kill each other on the spot, but then in the place of anger comes care, like an influx of oxygen after a thunderstorm, and no matter which side had more grievances. I suppose it's a natural progression of events, but while it mends all the broken feelings in the moment, it doesn't necessarily become the basis for sorted shit to be maintained long-term. This is what we eventually saw in the next chapter. Yes, this game also turned half the Internet into psychoanalysts, ha-ha! Thanks for the video once again!
Its a loop for andrew. >kill or depravity >blame it on leyley >try to be dominant and in control >cant muster it. He never assaults his sister, or tries to scar her. after eating the neighbor he goes to her to vent. That dosent sound like a guy willing to take charge. Expressing your guilt to the maniac who jerks off to throwing it in your face every chance she gets.
Honestly, I am suprised I havent heard of you earlier. You make good analyses and theories and dont seem to miss the point like other creators who does something similiar do. After seeing the master analysis of Episode 2 and looking at this now I cant wait to see how you analysis Episode 3
I really hate the fact that I love this game, it is literally embedded into my brain and I keep watching more and more videos about it and I even bought it and played it, I feel addicted to it and no matter how much I try to avoid it it always comes to my mind and I even started having dreams about it, well I guess the reason why I love this game is that my brain is kinda fucked up like Andrew's and Ashley's brains but not at the level of summoning demons and sacrificing people and my life is kinda relatable to theirs
I’m so happy you made this, I always love me my analysis videos. Especially with a game of this caliber. Because in short, there has never been a game like this (that I can think of anyway.) The things I love the most about this game is the dark elements and comedy. As well as the overall story. So much so that as I’m typing this comment, I’m currently writing music for an acoustic album all about The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. It’s seriously become one of my favourite games in recent memory (probably because I play through it with my gf who also loves everything I just listed above) You can find links to my music on my channel, but what my vision for the album is something like this: The melody of each song is going to sound basic, (it’s just myself and my acoustic guitar) with the lyrics of the song’s describing certain plot points in the game. Along with a few jokes here and there. Hope to release it when Coffin is finished and I hope you guys will enjoy it! If you read through all of this, thank you very much. Here, have a cookie. Take care y’all, be safe. - B
I'll be honest i came to the game for the incestuous sexual tension between the protagonists, but I found a really well plotted piece of psychological drama. Every flashback/headspace section hit me hard. The game's world normally is pretty whacky and the events in it are very over the top, but the way the dream sequences present it and make you reflect on it are pretty gutting, for me at least. Its just so well written. Also sibling sex confirmed.
Very nice vid man you deserve more attention, man the editing was also good but the best was your voice idk kinda weird was just very interesting to listening too
The strange thing is in many game you can do cannibalism even in fallout. So nothing strange, incest in Game of Thrones their is a big part of the story relate to that with the Lannister and it is still a master piece.
17:24 he refused idea of pimping her for food.He killed that NEET on purpose. Lack of any damage to the room and a slice to the thoat. And the body was on bed not the floor.
I'm absolutely in love with this game, great vid btw. It's just perfect in every way, I first played the demo in late May when i only just turned 17 and i loved it ever since. It definitely had an impact on me.
Are you thinking of uploading an analysis of the second chapter of the game? I liked the way you analyzed the plot and I would love to see your perspective on the continuation of the story.
The real horror about this game is that no matter how many different endings there are when the final episode is released, both Andy and Leyley went far past the point of no return. They are doomed no matter what they do. In the words of Ramsay Bolton: “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
Hats off to you sir! I to enjoy this game (maybe a bit to much) but this game is kinda cathartic. As you said we all have our LeyLeys and I couldn't agree more with your stance on honesty. If something is wrong you point it out and don't sugar coat how you feel, and while so times you need to be tactful and go in circles, we all need a resolution. Thanks for the wonderful video about a wonderful game. God bless ya dude.
In case of Andrew snapping, in chapter 2 Ashley has a vision (it’s in the same dream where if you do things different you see they will fuck in the future) where he just goes full Jason and chases her down with full intention to kill her. Mind you when he does catch up you can either let him slit your throat or you can just blow his brains out. Now it makes me think what the fuck happened for him to snap that way not even hesitating while slitting her throat. If all the death, cannibalism and other wholesome things his sister did didn’t make him snap then I’m reallllly curious what did she do/ what happened.
It's because the route diverges if she's even crueler and more manipulative to him. You can tell how much he hates her even before the dream when she doesn't show him trust. Then there is a violent tension in their conversation at the end that Andrew keeps trying to downplay. At the end he's lying, he's much more furious than he's said and he's already seriously contemplating violence(also the reason he didn't snap at cannibalism or Nina's fate is because he is a sociopath and was just covering it up better than her)
@@traehignight I am aware of all that, what im saying is what in particular will make him snap. It seems unlikely that he will just choose on a whim to kill her, rather she will do something vile… yeah
Great video. Interested to hear your thoughts on chapter 2 if you make another video. I think it's absolutely beautifully written and I've become frighteningly obsessed with this game.
my Episode 2 video is finally here (ua-cam.com/video/Zi6sToWUC80/v-deo.html), so with that I'll also give you the songlist at last!
In order:
>Wandering Flame - Final Fantasy X (00:00)
>Ambrosia - A Reminiscent Drive (01:06)
>Gravity - Jafet Meza (02:03)
>Komorebi - Unknown Artist (03:27)
>suffocate alone - nihigo (03:58)
>Ganado I - Resident Evil 4 (05:11)
>i wont try anymore - andy pls (05:29)
>Eternal Rest - Silent Hill (07:35)
>Pursuit - Final Fantasy X (09:13)
>Character Creation - Demon's Souls (10:16)
>Plant 42 - Resident Evil 2002 (10:58)
>私を忘れて - nihigo (12:05)
>Drifting - Final Fantasy VIII (13:27)
>Everyone knows this song (15:03)
>Near Light - Ólafur Arnalds (17:36)
I hate this game and everyone in any way involved with this crap.
@@J--12 Ok, then go play something else, mature content isn't for everyone.
@@richi3035 If this is "mature content", then i'm Duke Nukem in real life.
@@J--12 I mean you don't like it so it's clearly mature content
I was just about to ask for this thank you
I find it funny that people are more disturbed about the incest then the murder in the cannibalism 😂
I’m one of the people disturbed by the incest but it’s apart of the horror
Well we see and hear about murder and canabalism all the time so we got a bit desensitized to it. But not with incest plus just eeew imagine wanting to screw s family member that’s just disgusting
@@snaillicious7984that's wild cause personally chopping up a humans body into bite sizes portions and then cooking human meat into a stew to eat is also kinda gross but I mean maybe not all of us are desensitized to cannibalism like you are 💀
@@dbdplays8487idk, is pretty cool😎
Because we are used to violence in videogames
The horror doesn't come from trying to induce fear but instead psychological dread. The story isn't scary, it's subtlely morbid. Nemlei is definitely at their prime with TCOAAL
There is nothing scary about it, it's rather appalling.
@@deft4184well the characters themselves are pretty scary how do you chop up your parents disembowel them and even skin their faces and screwdriver out their teeth without throwing up once
I would argue that it’s not exactly subtle…
Tea Coal
@@boredboi6279 dude that's what I'm talking about. Cannibalism, parental abuse, detailed gore etc. isn't scary, just disgusting.
Your reaction most likely isn't screaming in terror or covering your eyes, but rather frowning and getting nauseous.
Given the right circumstances Andrew could have gone his whole life as a seemingly normal person completely unaware of the violence and darkness he's capable of
It's very fascinating
Makes one think about what they themselves are capable of under the right circumstance
@@DylanJo123 Precisely my thoughts, I genuinely believe any of us could be an Andrew in this situation.
All that because the mom basically said to Andrew when she had Ashley "Alright now it's your problem congratulations !"
Thats true about literally everyone
why do i feel like this is a personal attack
If you played the Chapter 2, you notice that everything its genuinely their parents fault, the mother got pregnant at 15, at 17 decided that she could deal with another one, proceeded to absolutely shit on Ashley, to the point neither her or Ashley's father even celebrated nor remember her Birthdays, all of her classmates also isolated her, her only human contact was Andrew, and Andrew was also the ONLY one that cared for her, she grew irrationally attached to him because she had NO ONE else to relate with.
imo the blame cant really be placed on only one person. the parents neglected their kids, ashley took advantage of andrew, and andrew enabled her (including for his own gain, namely using her as a scapegoat and getting to share/place the blame of his actions on anyone but him). everyone plays a role, some people more responsible than others, but i appreciate the way everyone contributes to the toxicity as imo its more realistic than it being solely the blame of one person.
Kinda my problem with the game reading up on it. It's just too dark, every aspect of the world and characters are unrelentingly horrible with nothing to balance it. Just feels too edgy like something a teenager would write. RPGMaker games seem to have this issue all the time
@@ChangedMyNameFinally69
I mean...isn't life the same way for some unfortunate people?
child trafficking victims for example; what's there to balance the immense shittiness of everyone around _them?_
some people genuinely are that unlucky-not all to the same extreme as my previous example, but the point stands. I've known dozens of people who were victims of abuse one way or another by members of their families, so-called friends, or just random people in their lives.
unrelenting horror absolutely exists in our world, too; you may not see it, so you may take your relative peace for granted, but you just have to understand that your experience isn't _the_ human experience. there are people living much better than you, and there are people living _much, much worse._
thanks for coming to my TED talk.
_edit: spelling._
@@capt.raptor4650 this is super well written! you've written completely what was in my mind
@@capt.raptor4650 Yes but all the dark shit that happens here happens in a very short amount of time and without a more balanced and mature tone it just feels unrealistic and edgy for its own sake. It's a work of fiction, you can't always depict reality completely as is but also the average person isn't a trafficking victim either. Most people do have SOME good moments. I also heard this game is pretty comedic so that probably balances out the constant bad shit that happens but no one seems to bring that up so it seems to the outside this game is just the edgiest shit ever and that makes me wonder what people see in it. It's what I feel is an accurate descriptor of "misery porn", constant unending darkness in quick succession mainly done to manipulate the audience's emotions but it falls flat because there's nothing to contrast it with. That's what I think you need to make a dark story work, you NEED happy or pleasant or peaceful moments to make the dark stuff hit harder, that's why I love a show like Bojack Horseman, it has very realistic depictions of flawed people ruining their lives interspersed with goofy comedic antics. And it works far better than if it was just edgy all the time. The ending shot still works me up whereas thinking about this game I feel more annoyed than anything. You can be desensitized to dark shit and it makes it feel more clinical like you're watching a breaking news story about a grisly murder, the news is infamous for making people not care about suffering. A breaking news story recently made me cry because it was about the humanity of the people inflicted instead of solely the bad shit. Which I can't say about this game either from what I've seen, Ashley seems pretty one-dimensionally evil for instance.
As someone starting to study a small bit of criminology, it makes sense how all of this kinda built up. Isolation, bad influence, lack of actual nutrition, lack of supervision, and a messed up childhood. It’s hard to take my eyes off it
Literally everything in the story built up into a messed up duo.
Makes me think the creator might be a bit of a true crime buff.
There was a psychology experiment with two rat cages to see how each side acted when one cage was given low resources and the other cage was given a lot of resources.
The cage with low food and cramped space had the rats start self harming, cannibalizing, and mating with things that were abnormal to mate with. Mother rats would straight up abandon their kids and forget them, basically running over them to help themselves. Male rats were either super aggressive or super cowardly in a constant fight for territory.
The cage with a lot of food and space had rats living their healthy best life. No injuries, no r🍇pe, no incest, no patricide, and very caring mother rats
This experiment was conducted in regard to how overpopulation and crime rates had a connection in big crowded cities. Andy and leyley just reminded me of this experiment with how they start out in hungry, cramped, dirty, and abandoned circumstances. They start doing a lot of what the rats were doing
seeing nina as a missing kid on the milk cartridge fucked me up. i can't explain why, but it's such a heavy moment.
When did we see this?
@@13_faces in the same flashback that andrew makes a "blood oath" with ashley. when you go to the kitchen to grab the knife, you can inspect a table and see it there, iirc.
@@1havenoworth thanks, definitely missed that
Yeah, I just froze right there and cried inside. Ugh, awful
damn no pause?
The thing that draws me in, that behind Ashley's constant emotional manipulation, there's a disturbing amount of truth behind her words and actions, as opposed to just purely to get what she wants soley for herself. It's quite literally a necessity for her to stay alive.
Why do i see your comments in every video I watch?
Andrew is basically her entire world.
Sometimes lies are based on truths but ever so slightly altered
@@deltap6967 Half truths, if you will.
are you single
Interestingly, the incestuous undertones shifted in part 2. Now Andrew is more affectionate, and, thanks to the pov shift, now we know he's been thinking about it. And in (almost unanimously called) "that" route, after thier vision, Ashley isn't too affected by the implications, but Andrew is very flustered.
It might be that Ashley doesn't really care if she has to fuck her brother to keep him close. After all, keeping him close is what she wants, the means are trivial. In a way, that's even more fucked up than simply doing so out of love.
...
And something doesn't have to do with anything, but I noticed about Leyley's hairclips sort of resemble demon eyes
I think Ashley's opinion towards it depends on the choice you make when Andrew asks her "We're not like that, right?" If you choose "Nah." Ashley thinks to herself she's indifferent, though this could just be a cope. If you choose "Never say Never" Ashley is visibly disappointed when Andrew says he is against it.
@@claytonkruseAndrew doesn't really shut her down though. He just brushes it off and changes the topic. He admonished her a little and all that but he's nowhere near as opposed to the idea as one would normally be.
I might be gotten a different cut scene - in mine A-man quite literally barfed, that goes beyond flustered...
@@SunDry_Marchy Are you hallucinating? :D
I haven't seen that anywhere
@@SunDry_Marchy I do not recall anyone barfing.
Well about andrew not loving her back, in episode 2 we see that andrew is not just possesive about her, he actually CAN only think about her, when he gets a girlfriend, it is to try and throw away those feelings for her, even then, he cannot do it, going as far as to asking Julia to tie her hair in the same manner as ashley. In the images, we see him getting very touchy with her too, even when not going the incestous ending. I think the devs utilized the incest as the perfect way to show how twisted their love for each other is, to the point they don't even care about what they are doing to the others, it's almost an excuse to do everything they do, and it creates a lot of tension when you don't know if they are snapping at each other or just weirdly flirting.
To build on Ashley’s desired to let Andrew kill him if that’s what he wants, in the burial ending in act 2, if Ashley shoots him in the vision she’s very obviously manic as she shouts at his corpse. Whereas, when she lets him kill her with the cleaver it flashes a heart above her head and she appears to not even be that bothered about it.(interestingly Andrew also says he’ll be there soon implying that he’ll off himself afterwards further cementing the codependency. TL:DR need me an Ashley frfr)
That's the Decay route.
You cant fix her dude!
@@YoureSoCreezy No, but her brother in the wincest burial route can.
After playing the two chapters on one sitting, I realized the terrible headache I had from playing the game. This game will not scare you like any other horror game. This game will quite literally rot your mind, and make you question if you trully are a sane human being. I still cant stop thinking about this game, and the horrible things I had to do in it. Huge probs to Nemlei for this amazing game, I hated every second of it, 11/10
IT'S IN WORDS
THANK YOU FOR DESCRIBING WHY IM OBSESSED WITH IT
Yea, you kinda described what I felt watching the game. I thought the sibling interaction was cute, but at the same time the game made me feel REALLY SICK, something about the story, the mood, everything.
been obsessed for the past 5 days and this, this describes me
This game fucked me up pretty hard. So much of Andrew as a character felt like holding up a mirror to myself that made me nauseous. He’s such a living doormat that subjects himself to manipulation and abuse and even convinces himself that these things are a sort of affection, so much so that he has almost no will of his own.
This game felt like getting slapped in the face with my own character flaws and weaknesses, so much so it made me physically ill.
Great game, btw.
The best part to me is how it tells the story of 2 people who are toxic to the point that they can't survive alone anymore. A test of wills, how far will you actually go, and how much humanity are you willing to sacrifice to survive? Broken monsters just trying to stay human. I love it.
Berserk did it better imo
Is she tho?
@@TheBatman39 OnePiece did it better imo
Andrew is coping with PTSD, but is getting manipulated by a psychopath.
He is also incestuous
*Sociopath
@@hoshicloverfield She kills , and has no remorse at all , in part 2 she kills her parents
@@idk-rl4he Yep, and what is your point?
@@idk-rl4hepsychopaths and sociopaths are practically the same except one is born and the latter is made
That final segment about cutting the Leyleys out hit me harder than it should have. I don't know how to phrase this, so I'm just going to say it, my sister is one of those Leyleys. Constantly needing attention and validation, viciously cruel, emotionally abusive, incredibly manipulative, and guilting me into being emotionally codependent because I had to be the good big brother. Thankfully, she's not homicidal (and never got into my love life, I was smart enough to shoot THAT shit down), but she definitely does not show empathy. Honestly, the game made me question our entire relationship and was the impetus for me eliminating my emotional dependence on her. Brilliant character and dynamic analysis, man. I'm curious as to your thoughts about Episode 2.
I'm curious what the Paul brother's thoughts on episode 2 would be... If you know, you know.
I was curious about your thoughts on chapter 2. If there is anything new under the Sun there.
@@MM-rf6tf Mine? I was repulsed, shocked, unnerved and I felt downright violated...
And I can't wait for chapter 3.
@@ShawnsLegacyW
w fr@@ShawnsLegacy
Andrew doesn't return her feelings? ...Chapter 2 has something to say about that...
They have a diff view of their feelings to one another Ashley claims ownership over him while he subconsciously has created deep emotional dependency and carnal desires for her.
💀
"Come here you!"
"Wait, G-Gently, Gently goddamn it!"
(Quotes from the game)
@@someguy7110(Mayhaps…)
-also a quote from the same scene
@@AdrasAdrakiAndrew would fuck Ashley just for his own desires but Ashley would let Andrew fuck her just as a tool make him stay with her
in my eyes (because letsplayer that i watched pointed it out) Andrew never really felt guilt. it was just a scare of getting caught and (at least in young age) getting separated with Ashley
I agree, at least with the information we have? He totally cares more about the consequences than the killing. The only exception is maybe the eating people. He did almost vomit from that, and even then I'm not sure if he felt guilt, or just visceral disgust from it.
Fun fact: In one of the true endings of chapter 2, they canonically went full sweet home Alabama on each other. Although it was just a vision, there's a possibility that they might actually do it.
It was just an idea and Andrew is completely against it, it’s just that the creator is teasing the audience cuz he or she knows what they want
@@placeholder_384 I mean, Nemlei said on a devlog there would be a ending with a lot of hate so...
I'm convinced that's gonna be one of the endings tho
It'd be hilarious lol, even if it would be kinda shitty
@@placeholder_384oh Andrew had that vision
Nr 1 He was blushing after he woke up
Nr 2 Ashley has plans to manipulate andrew with an alabama basically meaning that she has a last resort she NEVER considered
Nr 3 In a previous vision andrew said youll forever be in my heart immediatly followed by an insult but maybe he wants to change how ashley affects his life in a positive way in his eyes
So those are the points to why andrew is the one with the vision
I do not understand the problem with it when there's already cannibalism, toxic relationships and murder in this game. It's literally the cherry on the cake.
The whole game itself is about co-dependency on extreme situations and circumstances (probably the reasons why nemlei wrote in the cannibalism and organ harvesting quarantine stuff) and ig its also a test of how much the player can take all this extreme stuff in a way. Theres also a lot of hidden meanings and sub texting that just gives more hints to andrew and ashley’s relationship, episode 1 focuses on ashley’s point of view in the relationship while episode 2 kind of focuses andrew’s pov, im assuming that episode 3A and 3B will probably focus on both of them as a whole
The constant incestuous undertones I think really add to the overall mood. It makes the experience constantly uncomfortable and never lets you slip into at any point thinking their relationship is okay
Peeps get too comfortable on the Internet.
@@singodofuihow so?
@@singodofuihe's right though
@@singodofui >Person who's currently talking from a comfortable spot in the internet, where they don't have to elaborate on their bullshit
Yeah, I can see that.
Happy for the peeps who got it lol. Cause it seems it went over the heads of everyone else.
“Wow! What a wonderful and perfect game! I cant wait for the end of episode two-“
*”oh sweet mother of god.”*
*mortifying*
@@dinonuggiesguy4847 I think you meant to say *gratifying*
mortifying
@@leondong5037 big words don’t fit in your mouth.
mortis
"He is not returning her feelings" laughs in chapter 2.
but even in ch1 you could see that he very much did feel the same, which is why didn't care enough for his gf to no stand her up.
Are you all forgetting that he was literally about to throw up after seeing the vision in which they…. you know
@@user-fl3oc1bw3u he didn`t almost throw up, he was blushing. He has feelings for her 100%
@@HdsaMddaa even if that’s true the dialogue afterwards shows that he doesn’t want them to end up together
@@user-fl3oc1bw3uno, he wants to bang ashley, but his morals are keeping him away... he's not morally down bad like ashley is, but if he was disgusted about it he would have thrown up and be dead serious about the vision and making it clear that will NOT happen... but instead he heavily blushed and looked like a 9 y/o after his first kiss... so yeah. Andrew has something for ashley but he might either be scared of telling her, or he's scared of his own feelings.
Whatever it is i'm sure we'll see it next episode.
@@poutykeiki2574 I still don’t think that’s blushing only because it’s red and what are you saying, that all the dialogue afterwards from him is just pretending he doesn’t want it?
One random detail I noticed in the artwork is how subtly touchy Andrew is. One particularly odd example to me is when they're in their parents' kitchen and their mother sneaks up to eavesdrop. Andrew has his hand on Ashley's hip. But not just on her hip, his finger is seemingly looped through one of the belt loops on her jean shorts. Both a literal and figurative show of how he can't help but attach himself to her, even if he doesn't want to and is appalled by the situation they've gotten themselves into.
Also I feel like this story already being messed up with the themes it explores really does make the incest part feel like a minor issue in comparison. I mean. What would you rather have, incestuous neighbors or CANNIBALISTIC MURDERER NEIGHBORS... I have a feeling you're gonna pick the former if you have any level of survival instincts whatsoever. I do feel that Andrew vaguely shares Ashley's feelings too, because he's been depressed, alone and dependent on her for so long that he.. kinda has no choice at this point. He's realizing he's always gonna be alone and miserable if he doesn't accept his circumstances, (Depending on the route you take in the second chapter, that is.) because Ashley will never just _let_ him have a normal love life without her constantly pestering his next girlfriend. So.. As long as she's alive, Ashley _is_ his only option. And he's already proven once that he _can't_ afford to kill her.
Its a choice its because of the voicmails. Thats the reason that andrew is attached.
When your at the motel you can interact with a wall full of call girl numbers and Ashley suggests she puts up hers. Andrew immediately gets mad and tells her he'll backhand her if she says another word, when Ashley calls him a wifebeater he says "Aww don't say that. it's only towards you, honestly"
This whole game is just cheff's kiss. It is a masterpiece in horror and dread. The themes it explores as so well presented and the fact that these are almost never explored in today's media makes it even more outstanding. The game is absolutely mortifying not because it presents some outlandish horrifying creature, but because it holds up a mirror to the player and society. I personally am suprised we can still get this sort of artistical masterpiece in our day and age. Hats off to Nemlei!
dawg ur jus wrong itscrazy
@@soap.7931 ok
it's not an horror. Where in this game do you feel scared at least for one second???? It's just an edgy adventure game not even close to being a horror.
@@kurakburak4668 every single moment is filled with psychological dread. The only reprieve you get is the cute moments between the siblings
@@larsmuller97 what? Are you serious? Are we talking about the same game? You mean those dream sequences? Or "ultra scary parents sacrifice" in EP 2? Go look up some real horror games like "Silent Hill", "Fatal Frame", "Forbidden siren" etc. And compare them to this game. Even "ao oni" is far scarier than this!
Sadly the reason she didn't go for the gun was most likely because she couldn't muster the strength to let go of the hands shocking her, as later a vision showed that she is more when capable of shooting her brother if it means she gets to live. At the same time the panic she felt from that vision proofs that she actually can't live without him, like yeah she could kill him to survive but then what? It wouldn't even be suprising to assume she would commit suicide or go full mental and keeps his corpse around while looking for a way to revive him using demon powers
She also cries after the "bang Bang" ending of the decay route
What I find more disturbing is that, after all this, they still genuinely care for each other. Then again, it's not surprising, they're the only ones who understand each other, and they can only trust each other. They are physically inseparable, they need and care for each other, in a twisted dark way, but the reminiscence of being siblings is still there.
Hi! amazing video! Sadly, quite a number of theories do fall apart in episode 2, specifically the theory about the driving force behind Ashley's manipulations, as in the episode it's quite evident that romantic feelings do drive Ashely almost as much as her need for a symbiotic relationship where she doesn't need to fear abandonment, though most of this is theorizing(SPOILER) : Specifically in Andrew's dream, there is a area where you can read 3 of the voice messages that Ashley used to harass Julia, Andrew's EX, one of which, the last one, ending with the line "Just because you can fuck him and I can't?" which shows that Ashely views the act of physical love as the ULTIMATE act of love. Another scene comes right at the end of the game, where you choose which ending you would wanna get, if you picked the correct options, you will have the choice between "love" and "friendship", previous to that you would need to grab a bunny, who's body color, gree, evidently represents Andy, the little note about the bunny being "the best thing in the world". I personally always though her manipulative tendencies came about her refusal to both awcknoledge her feelings as well as trying to create a bubble in which Andy is stuck with her and only her, any adventure outside the bubble ending in the best case scenario harassement, though I firmly belive Andrew's ex wouldn't be alive if Ashley wasn't quarantined for those 3 months. Going back to how I belive Ashley's brain is wired around love, every instance of a bed that her parents slept in talks about sex, literally every single one, which means that she connects the healthy relationship of her parents to their physical interactions, which explains all of her incestious innuendos, since she really has no idea how to show love any other way but physical touch. This also goes back to Episode one with the woman from room 302, Ashley's scene being caused by her jelousy, specifically when she found out Andrew let go of the girl. She clearly saw that as a betrayal, profiting off the dream she had before the entire sequence, she tried to reinforce the bubble through guilt tripping, which is the only form of manipulation she actually tries to actively pull on him. The scene of Andrew choking her out and her accepting it we agree upon, Ashely dying for Andrew would be her greatest death imaginable, as it would allow him to be happy, which is something Ashely does seek out, her brother's happiness, just in a very bad way.
Ashely and Andrew are two co-dependent, emotionally unstable people that NEED each other, it's unhealthy and disgusting, depending on the ending you get, but it's healthy for them. They are both jealous people that at the very least are over protective of each other, specifically Andrew as both Ashley and himself state he's as envious as her, he just never needed to express his envy because of Ashley's personality terryfing all boys who might have had an interest in her, but I firmly belive that Andrew would act the same as Ashely if the opportunity presented itself. If you get the love ending of ep2, Andrew's reaction to the premonition of HIMSELF DOMMING HIS SISTER isn't that of disgust, but of a multitude of emotions which may even include that of love, hell even Ashley claims she thinks the 2 of them would eventually do it as it won't be the worst thing they ever did.
Ashely and Andrew have such a symbiotic relationship, the two would never allow each other to find love outside the bubble Ashley made. Which is also why I belive this will be the main conflict of Episode 3: A (bury ending).
Anyways, great video! enjoyed watching and will continue to see your career in great interest!
Excellent analysis mate, thank you for writing this! I very much agree with your points. I'm not upset by any of my theories aging badly since I made them in a pre-Episode 2 world; Episode 2 was always going to introduce new information to the audience that could recontextualise Episode 1 (being able to play as Andrew and see his perspective is a major source of such information). Episode 1 still makes perfect sense in a post-Episode 2 world!
@DandyDNA Thanks dude! Your analysis was amazing judging the limited knowledge we all had at the time, Ashley came out either as manipulative or as emotionally unstable, you caught the first variant, I the second. The video still fits in a post episode 2 world, evidently with a few inconsistencies(primarily the last segment, but episode 1 is so tame compared to 2) but the main themes are still there. Hell, most of your points are REINFORCED by episode 2. But I do wanna ask, any planned analysis for episode 2?
@@TheNeXuS_L Big things are coming
@@DandyDNA I'll be waiting
So I've replayed episode 2 because this comment was VERY incomplete, so as a way to properly finish this, here are all the examples of the theory also fits for Andrew(the last 2 points are more like setting it in stone than examples). So here is the signs Andrew wants to fuck his sister:
-First thing he notices while she's in profile is her ass, calls it a "fat ass"(motel room)
-Andrew can just, touch Ashely's ass, whenever he fuckn' wants I guess, he's even proud of it too, joke or not.(Graves' home back garden)
-"Where it may fester with all other thoughts you wish you never had", since he did actively tried to kill Ashley in a fit of rage, it can't be that, but if not murdering your sister, what can that thought even be... suspicious I must say(Right coffee time with mom, after reading the recipe book)
-Dude's envy cuz Ashley likes Andy and not Andrew, clearly he never saw Andy as himself, so he's envious of that (sort of like how Leyley is envious of Andrew's gfs, suspicious isn't it?) (washing the dishes)
-"Cuz Andrew's all you're gonna get" hmmmmmm, then the lip touch and immediate stuttering and embarrasment after, Andrew Andrew, you might be from Alabama dear Andrew...(Washing the dishes)
-As claimed in point 2, Andrew can and *will* touch his sister's ass whenever, he is also embarassed when he gets cought by mother(washing the dishes)
(the entire washing the dishes scene is the biggest piece of evidence bro wants to fuck Ashley)
-He doesn't like Julia's idea to offer Ashley more independence(Andrew's dream)
-He gets quite offended when Julia claims Ashley is difficult in general, and since it's a dream and not actual live happenings, he does know what she said(Andrew's dream)
-While hugging Julia, it feels his expression is that of both doubt and regret and even shame, the immediate request for Julia to tie her hair up when we know that was the hairstyle of Ashely before the quarantine, since we see memories before those 3 months, is a massive red flag...Andrew, where you feeling shame cuz in your embrace WASN'T your little sister?(Andrew's dream)
-He's not bothered that he'll never see Julia again(Andrew's dream)
-This is a correction in my original comment: The interphone section is still in Andrew's dream, which means that ISN'T what Ashely actually said to Julia, so every sexual undertone is what Andrew BELIVES his sister said, not what he actually said, every little thing that we know Ashley won't say that is said in the section is completly false, which provides a lot of context to Andrew's character(Andrew's dream)
-He wanted to kill the warden slowly, since he was always starring at Ashley(Andrew's dream)
-The thing he regreted the most was not killing Nina, but the risk of himself and Ashely getting separated in prison(Andrew's Dream/Andrew's memories)
-I mean, it's just fan service, but the first thing you see being your sister's tits and not her face when you wake up is VERYYY suspicious Andrew boy(After waking up)
-He gets embarrased when Ashley tells the demon that his soul is hers(after summoning the demon and taking your parent's souls)
->this is about Ashely, but to reinforce my original comment: As Andrew chops up your parent's corpses (if you trusted him and if Andrew declined the olive branch), ashely gets a knot in her stomach which can mean a multitude of things, either nervousness or possible romantic feelings, either entry fit Ashley in every possible way, since she's either developing a possible fear/anxiety for Andrew, as he starts acting like her, or a possible romantic development because of the same reason.
-He gets flustered at the romantic idea of both him and Ashely sleeping with their hands locked togheter, with a half smile(Right before the last dream sequence)
-In the love ending vision, Andrew's reaction is far more "SHIT DID I GET CAUGHT BY THE DEMON THING" rather than discust, especially compared to the reaction Ashely got of just "guess that'll happen"
This was all I was able to catch while replaying episode 2, but I think these are it
A result of being an elder sibling to both a Leyley (Protective) and an Ashley (Kind of hate), and fully relating to taking the parental position for the sake of the kids the parents can't really care for, I found that this story has hooks in my soul. I haven't encountered this class of character writing since the re-release of Doki Doki Literature Club's prequel scenarios. Looking forward to episode 3 in its entirety.
You know that the game is amazing when it's leaving you with storm of emotions that is so hard to calm and get a whole picture of it. Mainly bcs theres so many details. Nemlei is a talented person.
Hit the nail on the head with it being a horror game that lives with you long after you play it. It doesn't rely on the gore, shock value or easy scare tactics, the game even down plays these moments when possible. The horror is watching two psychopaths' so corruptly intertwined with each other live as this mockery of love as we understand it. They love each other but its all wrong on every level, its sick, but watching it play out in real time is fascinating. How they casually discuss mugging and killing passerby's for the remainder of their lives, or Ashley's childlike delusion of replacing their parents and living in the house as if nothing had happened, and with how nihilistic their world is making such a unreasonable thing slightly possible in the face of Andrews reasoning.
As for the parts that really stuck out to me was entering 302's room after the sacrifice and seeing what Andrew did. I genuinely didn't expect it and with how he pathologically lies around Ashley, I cant tell if what he said was the truth, she is dead on the bed, the nail gun never left its spot and even when he decompartmentalizes all the deaths he's caused he doesn't really give her a second thought other than Ashley would have killed her any way...which he would have been right about. Then there's crawling around the parents house, the only part that had me on edge the entire game. Not because of what was going to happen after but the existential dread of the kids discovering how little they mattered to their family, that they were better off with out them, richer, happier. Them writing their children off as dead weight and it being unequivocally true. That selling their children for blood money wasn't just justified, but it would have been the best thing their parents could have done for the world...though they put them in the position for them to grow into the threats they now are by doing so.
The only other big moment that got me was the decay route, I had initially done the Alabama ending on my first playthrough so going back and doing decay was a hard trip from the prior banter of Burial. Seeing just how done Andrew is with Ashley and how its invisible to her , she created a monster that will eventually kill her and she is oblivious, less than that even, she thinks Andy is back and subserviently in her grasp when he is not. If she protects her self from Andrew she is left with nothing, nothing at all in the whole world, if she doesn't he will intimately kill her and then himself but the horror there is even being armed with this knowledge she is incapable of utilizing it because she doesn't genuinely see that she is the problem and while she is trying to reach out to him he is too far gone to be receptive of her pleas. And playing that, knowing that as the player you are positioning them to tear each other apart and that being the best thing to happen else the swath of death they will leave in their wake is really fucked. On one hand as the player you want to be protective of your player characters and strive for the best outcomes for them but this game lets you do the opposite, you can hurt them. Make them suffer. Make them intimately tear each other apart as only they, the grotesquely intertwined monsters only can.
Marvelous comment.
THIS
THIS VIDEO IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED
An in depth analysis of the game's history, the character's psychology, and even the art direction and game design! I loved your analysis of everything about the Graves' relationship, and i can't wait for chapter 2
I noticed you have Guts with the armor in your pfp; call me crazy, but Andrew and Ashley remind me of Serpico and Farnese respectively before they join Guts.
One thing i like is that in both episodes even when they're having a very light and silly conversation it always feels to me that there is a very heavy tension with every dialogue that anything could go to shit even when his sister is acting flirty there is still this tension that could make Andrew snap at any moment and things go sour and toxic or chaotic and dangerous very quickly
These two are a perfectly written toxic codependent relationship
If you think hard on it Andy seems to have PTSD, violent outbursts, reclusive, strong sense of guilt and so
@@Melissa31179He's also extremely hypervigilant.
@@Melissa31179 violent outbursts and reclusive yes(though even then he's clearly tried being social before. His sister just makes that difficult and because he's a sociopath who is also obsessed with her, he tolerates her actions), but the guilt part is wrong. He lies about feeling guilty or not being able to sleep because of his actions, he only says that to hide his sociopathy and be able to share a bed with Ashley(which honestly is kinda crazy. He lies so much and even Ashley believes him). I agree that he likely has PTSD, but just wanted to make a correction
@@traehignighthe can’t have both PDSD and no regrets
@@user-fl3oc1bw3u he can have PTSD without regrets. He doesn’t regret his actions, that doesn’t mean he’s happy with his life. As far as he’s concerned, he’s a victim of one of the most cruel and extreme situations ever.
If you can genuinely scare audiences without jumpscares or grotesque display, then that's a really good storywriting.
I don't find the story scary personally. But the story itself is fascinating, it's like a void that keeps reeling you in down the rabbit hole of how much more fucked up it can go in your wildest imaginations.
As weird as it sounds, part of the fandom were losing their heads on the incest part of this story calling it sick, but same crowd never bat an eye with the cannibalism, murder, parenticide and how toxic their relationship is.
I think its because with the themes of the game and how they are developed, the incest and manipulation feels more "real" than any of the things that happen, for example the cannibalism in an apartment where organ harvesting is being done, while there are guards who dont give people food, and kill everyone who tries to help, the weird supossed parasite that people got, the weird ads that play on tv talking about weird cola and sweeping a whole story about an apartment complex getting burnt down under the rug while obssesed with talking about sponsors and products after talking about this very serious thing that would be news for weeks on tv in the real world, the random hitman that wants to kill two supossedly dead people, the demonic sacrifice, the demon in itself, the cultists who want to almost openly summon demonic entities, all of this adds to a society that is almost distopic on presentation, it makes you go "what the fuck is wrong with the people here" and makes you disconnect a little with the horrible things happening because almost everyone is horrible, but the codependent abusive relationship and fucked up upbringing, coupled with the emotional and potential physical incest, just makes it feel way too real, like, there are siblings that could do that and people in situations like that, the incest is the cherry on top for some people, it makes you go "i ignore the murders, the caniballism, the crime, now i gotta ignore the incest even though its not even the worse part in reality?"
Can't agree with you more, people only talk about the incest part when there's literally murders, cannibalism, abuse and toxic relationships. They might've overlooked the fact that the game itself is genuinely dark and besides it's fictional why do they care so much anyways
@@checkthisout7616 Honestly I have a theory about the hitman. My theory is that the government(or whatever organization the nurse works for) wanted to cover their tracks after Andrew and Ashley escaped and burnt the building down to keep the place from being searched. I think they predicted that Andrew and Ashley would be happy about such an occurrence at first because it also covers their tracks, but would also potentially be after them in the future when they figured out more so they hired the hitman to find them before that.
I think it goes too far and kinda loops into being silly though
@@user-eq6uq3xc2zbecause incest is weird?
I freaking love this series and their dynamic. Ngl i don't even mind the incest bit because the story is so good, and seeing Andrew blush like that made me feel *something*
Ah yes that funny saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer except in this situation the two overlap.
This video was so good! Like the writing, the editing, loved it!
I’m glad this game is starting to get more attention too cause it is just so well-written. Like Ashley’s gaslighting is so realistic that it can easily go by unnoticed.
I’m glad too that you acknowledge that Andrew has got some screws loose as well cause in a lot of discussions about the game, people will try to say that Andrew is just purely a victim. That fact though is that he never took a lot of convincing to kill, nor were his reactions all that deep either. He doesn’t HAVE to do what Ashley says, but by doing so he can escape accountability.
As for why he let go instead of strangling her, I have a bit of a different way of seeing it I suppose. Ashley is willing to let Andrew kill her, but when she says, “I want to go now” he asks if she means to die, she says no, she wants to escape the apartments with Andy and he says he does too, but that he’s pissed off and that he knows she’s not gonna change and she agrees she won’t. Despite all that though, he still lets her go which in a way WAS doing what she wanted since she said she wanted to leave with him.
His attachment to Ashley is just too strong just as well. If she’s gone, he really wouldn’t have anyone. On top of that, Andrew has issues with anger and aggression, committing acts of violence in a fit of rage. In the moment he wanted to kill her, but in the long run he didn’t and he doesn’t like that side of himself. And yeah, I think he felt bad and guilty just as well. “I like you, but you’re exhausting” sounded kind of like, “I’m sorry. I don’t actually want to kill you” to me.
Another thing I found interesting was that Ashley was the one constantly calling their mom asking for help in quarantine while Andrew seemed to think it was useless. It kind of implied that Ashley wasn’t COMPLETELY dependent on Andrew alone at all times and that being cut off by their mom might have made Ashley even more clingy of Andrew than before. Like their reactions to their parents neglect is different. Ashley fights it and demands or pleads for help or attention from their parents, meanwhile it seems as though Andrew doesn’t have much faith in them and would rather just focus on himself and especially being there for Ashley. A defense mechanism some people have toward not feeling taken care of is by putting their energy into taking care of someone else to compensate. Those are just some speculations on my part though.
Sorry for TLDR lol.
Once again great analysis looking forward to the second chapter of the game!
I aint readin all that 💀
@@matthiasrabanoson24C l o w n
I agree with a lot of what you said. Of course, the reason Andrew and Leyley ended up this way was thanks to their parents, though Leyley is quite a unique case. I can see anyone becoming Andrew given the right environment. But it is hard for me to picture how one could become a Leyley. Makes me consider how sociopaths, or psychopaths come to be. Andrew certainly wouldn't be in this situation if his sister just let him live his life. Leyley grew dependent on her brother, but not only in a toxic and manipulative form. Showing such disregard for thoughts on taking a life, let alone going through with it, is a massive red flag to avoid.
@@summerycast7936Sociopathy/Psychopathy are mostly just pop culture relics of how we used to view people in older versions of psychiatry. Ashley & Andrew both seem to have personality disorders stemming from a seriously fucked up childhood causing CPTSD when their brains were still developing. Some people (due to biology or circumstance or luck) end up having their brain try to fix the damage one way or another but it's extremely common for that sort of damage to make empathy not develop how it "should". Add to that their incredibly weird dynamic & you can start to see how two children with unhealthy attachment styles & either severely reduced or no empathy start to feed into each other's worst impulses when no one is really there to intervene
Giving her a name in the second chapter is nice. We got the.. LOOOOOOREEEE. Seems all the names censored "_ _ _ _" on 4 slots, will have 4 characters like the girls name "Nina" this will make it easier to theorize about names
For 17:04 the
"Incest point"
As someone who comes from disfunctional household its very difficult to find the small line that separates 'platonic' and ' romantic ' love
Me and my sister joke around alot most with sexual innuendos
And thats seen as normal for us as we had to raise ourselves
In a loveless village.
And when you're in a loveless village theres not much reason to learn how to love.
So not incest just
I agree with someone else's comment
2 young siblings abandoned by their parents formed a toxic codependent relationship.
Its horribly toxic but none of eachother can leave because
Andrew ★ will feel horrible as hes leaving his sister .
Ashley ★ technically will kill to get her brother back.
And is incredibly dependent on him which andrew notices and he'll only feel worse.
Also from another commentor ★FUCK I LOVE TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS DONE WELL JUST CHEFS KISS
KNOWING ANDREW CAN SNAP AT ANY MOMENT IS LIKE THE WHIPPED CREAM ON MY MILKSHAKE ❤️❤️✨
As someone who had 5 other siblings 6 including me who had to raise ourselves in the absence of our parents I must say that this has never been more of a true and problematic statement….I would elaborate but…tmi I guess
I have noticed this detail a lot.
You need an exorcist ASAP. It's about time you come to the realization that trauma bonding that escalates to sex between siblings IS NOT LOVE, and it NEVER will be.
You need to genuinely re-evaluate yourself if you and your own sister are making those type of jokes.That’s gross as hell
@@goofygoober6412people have different relationships with people in there lives. just cause you are afraid you might want to bang your siblings cause you make sexual comments or jokes with them doesnt mean others with different perspectives or fundamental understandings of a 'love' and boundaries in there relationships will too. ive had plenty of platonic friendships with people where sexual attraction plays a key part in our discourse, but we'd never get together. some people have different ways of expressing themselves
That’s really good bro, amazing editing, amazing “storytelling”, explaining, and theories. Thanks for the video❤️❤️🙏
I just found your two videos now and oh my god, the way you describe and talk about the story is just 100% gold. well done, and i hope you are lookign forward to parts three and four.
episode 2 is definetly a great continuation of the demo and explores the characters way more. it released quite recently you should play it!!!
Especially a certain little section near the end of episode 2... ;D
@@The0urg1a Everyone knows about the incest scene chill out
Andrew certainly explores ashley better
@@bigmanpesto in every way
@@idk-rl4he amd through every way if you get me
In chapter 2 there's a lot more clues that Andrew is very much into his sister and is a manipulator too.
Like when he asks his girlfriend to tie her hair up like Ashley, or looks sad when hugging her after she refuses.
In several scenes he just pauses while talking to her from really close up, he has his hand on her ass in one scene, and later when ashley is kinda crawling over him doing ashley things, their mom catches them and he uses a pillow to cover up a... situation at his groin. That's on top of all the other little touches and details presented to us.
And after the incest vision, he's not disgusted like their mother was. He's embarrassed and flustered. Their mom might have been wrong saying they were fucking (they weren't... yet), but Andrew is very much into it AND Ashley is ready to indulge him, something that is confirmed at the end of chapter 2.
Plus, their parents aren't much better and are arguably the reason these two are like this.
i really like the way u dig onto these themes and how u explain ur point of view, i really enjoyed the vid, i hope u can soon make a part 2 talking about the early access
I'm Brazilian, and I'm very excited for this game, leaving everything up to date on the channel too, amazing video hehe
You know its a promising game when the introduction to the game is literally
"Dinner with my sister: chapter 1 cannibalism"
That escalated quickly
Andrew with guilt? LOL we certainly have not played the same game, Andrew was only concerned about getting caught due to the consequences, especially he feared being separated form Ashley, he is just a hornier and more socially functional version of Ashley.
Idk it’s heavily implied he has guilt after the parent thing
@@ajakakakakthat depends on what choice you make
Andrew does feel guilty about accidentally killing Nina. Even though he didn't want to suffer the consequences, he is shown being horrified at her body and still thinks about her.
Now that chapter 2 is out you gotta review that too bro, I really enjoyed this video when i watched it a few days ago, would love to see your take on chapter 2 fr
its honestly surprising how good nemlei was at conveying such a parasitic relationship
the way the psychological horror conveys itself is amazing and i dont think i could say anything that hasnt been said
i really like episode two in particular where even after the mom says she can give andy a better life and even after he agrees that he wants it he still chooses ashley because the two are yin and yang he just wouldnt feel whole without ashley there
and i like in one of the routes we finally see andrew regaining some control over his life no longer always caving into ashleys desires, cleary conveying his wants and needs, and even getting ashley to do what he wants
and i think the dream sequence where ashley isnt holding hands with andrew conveys their relationship quite well and is an incredible metaphoric plot point
one part of ashley is obviously narcissistic and controlling a which is leyley
but the other half is ashley wholey devoted to her brother the part that loves him so increidbly much shed literally die for him
in the scene where andrew catches up to you you have the choice to kill him or let him kill you wjich defines the rest of the story deciding which half of ashley is coming out of thst dream sequence wholey in tact and in turn deciding what side of andrew is finally going to be more prominent atleast thats how i view it
what with the ending where you dont kill andrew he says hes going to put her in the trunk and drive off the bridge and ashley almost instantly agrees
Hey just wanna say found you utterly by chance, gotta look at more of your content but seriously this was great. I could listen to your Game introspections forever man really interesting POINTS!
man this videos actually had good editing and script, nice video man!
Mate your editing skills are off the grid as the colloquialism goes, I love your work it’s incredibly unique and creative. Keep up the good work man. I also am awaiting the arrival of chapter 3 😮
With a couple exceptions, Ashley is still less psycho than a couple of the exes i have. I would even suspect that a good part of the draw IS to, at least on the male side, guys thatve endured this toxic, this insane of a relationship and lived to tell about it. Part 2 definitely kicked shit into high gear, and when this game is complete, perhaps things will change, but as is? One hell of a good game that dives hard and deep into some very nasty topics. If mainline gamedevs showed 1/100 of the fortitude that Nemlei has here - especially the "Cry About It" stunt -- we'd have a lot more genuinely good games out.
"Andrew doesnt return her feelings"
Chapter 2: "Are you sure about that?"
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is literally so extreme underrated
Bro, this is the perfect video ive seen about The Coffin of Andy and Leyley, the music used in the background, the way you explained everything, and adding that bit of humor for the, elephant in the room part. Just everything hit perfectly in this video. Very W video.
Oh my god!! This video is so well made. I can’t wait to see an analysis for episode 2!!
Damn. If teenage angst was a solid this game would have to be shipped by trains
I love your words bald man
4:45 The Better Half reference :sob: Glad to see someone discuss this game who's actually a fan of/aware of Nemlei's other work
This was a really interesting analysis of the themes and dynamics in the first chapter; great stuff!
I don't know why, but after seeing this game I've become incredibly obsessed with it to the point that at work it's the only thing I can think about. Probably not a good thing, although it won't effect my job performance because my work doesn't require thought
blud is not a chaos insurgent
@@peterpumpkineater6979blud has no job.
what does the afro in your name mean just curious@@YourSocialistAutomaton
same
I feel the same way lol. Besides this, only MD occupies my mind to much an extreme
the best and most comprehensive review I've seen, thank you
Just played chapter 2, both endings are so good and this video still keeps up
Very informative, covers one of my favorite games, I LOVE THIS VIDEO
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, you have my sub man, I’ll tune in for more of your videos!
I'd love to see a sequel to this video for chapter 2 and see how your theories and opinion evolve
I hope you make a second part dissecting episode 2! I’m really interested to see how your opinions about how Andrew and Ashley’s psyches are actually much more different than episode 1 let on.
“Madness is like gravity, all it takes is a little push.” Can’t fit better.
Great video! It seems that anyone who has completed and felt this game becomes obsessed with it at least for a while, this is a pattern :D
A lot of things in the game are very familiar and relatable to me, but I especially want to note how in this scene with strangulation (which you did so well described) at first both get as furious as possible and then, not finding a solution by pressure and breaking down, one after another they rush to hug each other in a surge of affection. This is a situation that I have experienced many times, when all the tension on both sides is discharged and turns almost into a desire to kill each other on the spot, but then in the place of anger comes care, like an influx of oxygen after a thunderstorm, and no matter which side had more grievances. I suppose it's a natural progression of events, but while it mends all the broken feelings in the moment, it doesn't necessarily become the basis for sorted shit to be maintained long-term. This is what we eventually saw in the next chapter.
Yes, this game also turned half the Internet into psychoanalysts, ha-ha!
Thanks for the video once again!
I actually really like your take and interpretation of the game. I loved the game so much and I'm looking forward to your take on episode 2!
Its a loop for andrew.
>kill or depravity
>blame it on leyley
>try to be dominant and in control
>cant muster it.
He never assaults his sister, or tries to scar her. after eating the neighbor he goes to her to vent.
That dosent sound like a guy willing to take charge. Expressing your guilt to the maniac who jerks off to throwing it in your face every chance she gets.
Fetish wise this that romaticized "manipulative woman" she throws it in with the voicemails "i have the coversations he won't have with you."
now do part 2
Honestly, I am suprised I havent heard of you earlier. You make good analyses and theories and dont seem to miss the point like other creators who does something similiar do.
After seeing the master analysis of Episode 2 and looking at this now I cant wait to see how you analysis Episode 3
this some top tier editing man wish u best luck in your career
I really hate the fact that I love this game, it is literally embedded into my brain and I keep watching more and more videos about it and I even bought it and played it, I feel addicted to it and no matter how much I try to avoid it it always comes to my mind and I even started having dreams about it, well I guess the reason why I love this game is that my brain is kinda fucked up like Andrew's and Ashley's brains but not at the level of summoning demons and sacrificing people and my life is kinda relatable to theirs
The reason why I also hate it is because I only have a sister and she is kind of a psychopath like Ashley 💀
I’m so happy you made this, I always love me my analysis videos. Especially with a game of this caliber. Because in short, there has never been a game like this (that I can think of anyway.)
The things I love the most about this game is the dark elements and comedy. As well as the overall story.
So much so that as I’m typing this comment, I’m currently writing music for an acoustic album all about The Coffin of Andy and Leyley.
It’s seriously become one of my favourite games in recent memory (probably because I play through it with my gf who also loves everything I just listed above)
You can find links to my music on my channel, but what my vision for the album is something like this: The melody of each song is going to sound basic, (it’s just myself and my acoustic guitar) with the lyrics of the song’s describing certain plot points in the game. Along with a few jokes here and there.
Hope to release it when Coffin is finished and I hope you guys will enjoy it! If you read through all of this, thank you very much. Here, have a cookie.
Take care y’all, be safe. - B
I totally get it man, and I'll be one of the first listeners! Thank you for the comment and for working on the album!
Really? There's a billion edgy RPGMaker games like this
this video was so well made! keep up the good work
What an awsome Video. I didnt expect an Video about this Game with this much effort put into it. Thanks a lot and keep going ^^
I'll be honest i came to the game for the incestuous sexual tension between the protagonists, but I found a really well plotted piece of psychological drama. Every flashback/headspace section hit me hard. The game's world normally is pretty whacky and the events in it are very over the top, but the way the dream sequences present it and make you reflect on it are pretty gutting, for me at least. Its just so well written.
Also sibling sex confirmed.
That first sentence is real concerning XD
@@negate4828I mean.. Clearly it's something the Creator is trying to do 😅
@@Noname-mi1oo you just have to visit the subreddit
I can't take the last sentence seriously, BHAHAHAHA 😭
source or it aint happening.
this game is one of my favorites. i know it sounds strange, but the characters are so well made and there is a lot more going on than just cannibalism
God the music was fantastic in this video, like ON POINT.
I need a playlist for these songssssssss
Very nice vid man you deserve more attention, man the editing was also good but the best was your voice idk kinda weird was just very interesting to listening too
The strange thing is in many game you can do cannibalism even in fallout. So nothing strange, incest in Game of Thrones their is a big part of the story relate to that with the Lannister and it is still a master piece.
17:24 he refused idea of pimping her for food.He killed that NEET on purpose. Lack of any damage to the room and a slice to the thoat. And the body was on bed not the floor.
HOLY SHIT, 1st 15sec is already top production! Guess im here for a great ride.
I’m very glad you made this short video talking about this game cuz I’m too busy on that drg grind
2023's Incest Masterpiece
thank you for the .5 second reference to better half :) I understood that reference.
Ohhh boyyyyy you’re gonna have a field day with episode 2 can’t wait to see your thoughts on it
I'm absolutely in love with this game, great vid btw. It's just perfect in every way, I first played the demo in late May when i only just turned 17 and i loved it ever since. It definitely had an impact on me.
The *Fucking* french music and follow by the incest letter is what got me.
I will have a stroke whenever I hear “Penny for your thoughts?” for the rest of my life
Instant classic indeed! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Are you thinking of uploading an analysis of the second chapter of the game? I liked the way you analyzed the plot and I would love to see your perspective on the continuation of the story.
I've followed the series since the day it was out and its so good.
I've been around since day 3, hard to believe it's been over half a year.
The real horror about this game is that no matter how many different endings there are when the final episode is released, both Andy and Leyley went far past the point of no return. They are doomed no matter what they do.
In the words of Ramsay Bolton: “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
and what's horror about this? like that scares you? you get chills down your spine cause andy and ashley are doomed?
Hats off to you sir! I to enjoy this game (maybe a bit to much) but this game is kinda cathartic. As you said we all have our LeyLeys and I couldn't agree more with your stance on honesty. If something is wrong you point it out and don't sugar coat how you feel, and while so times you need to be tactful and go in circles, we all need a resolution. Thanks for the wonderful video about a wonderful game. God bless ya dude.
I like how this basically came out just a few days before episode 2.
In case of Andrew snapping, in chapter 2 Ashley has a vision (it’s in the same dream where if you do things different you see they will fuck in the future) where he just goes full Jason and chases her down with full intention to kill her. Mind you when he does catch up you can either let him slit your throat or you can just blow his brains out. Now it makes me think what the fuck happened for him to snap that way not even hesitating while slitting her throat. If all the death, cannibalism and other wholesome things his sister did didn’t make him snap then I’m reallllly curious what did she do/ what happened.
It's because the route diverges if she's even crueler and more manipulative to him. You can tell how much he hates her even before the dream when she doesn't show him trust. Then there is a violent tension in their conversation at the end that Andrew keeps trying to downplay. At the end he's lying, he's much more furious than he's said and he's already seriously contemplating violence(also the reason he didn't snap at cannibalism or Nina's fate is because he is a sociopath and was just covering it up better than her)
@@traehignight I am aware of all that, what im saying is what in particular will make him snap. It seems unlikely that he will just choose on a whim to kill her, rather she will do something vile… yeah
wait till bro finishes part 2
The coffin of Andy and Leyley is a MASTERPIECE in my opinion
Great video. Interested to hear your thoughts on chapter 2 if you make another video. I think it's absolutely beautifully written and I've become frighteningly obsessed with this game.