If somebody else wants to try Ecstatica, I recommend the rare Windows version (apparently a very limited CD release at the time Ecstatica 2 came out). Runs more smoothly, looks way sharper, and most importantly you can actually turn while running!
Thanks, and you're welcome! If anyone is having trouble finding this obscure version of an obscure game, just search it on UA-cam and check the comments. There is even an unofficial patch that makes it work like a charm on Windows 7 (no idea about 10).
@TriviaBot Woah! I had no idea this version existed at all! I've played through the DOS one a couple of times, and love it. I'll have to hunt down a copy of the Windows version now! Many thanks.
I started and only played the Windows version and it's way sharper indeed. Man that game was hard, unforgiving, but scary and very rewarding when you move forward into the story, a true gem.
If I'm not mistaken, this game pushed the idea of using spheres instead of poligons, when the standard wasn't decided yet. Imagine the history of videogames if spheres had been chosen as the correct shape for 3D graphics!
Ellipsoids. Andrew Spencer did a load of maths and pioneered the technique, so it could draw coloured ellipses very fast, and not much else. The technology ended there.
Graphics from Spheres is SO MUCH BETTER. Step into voxels would be achived so much faster. Always wondered from childhood after ive sen this, how that approach was not used while "new" games looks so much worse.
man I've seen lots of old games and stuff. But this is true gem and pretty interesting, I just can't imagine the tension this game brought to people back then. Forgotten gems definitely needs to be a series
I played it when it came out and to this day it remains one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had. I played it again for the first time in over 25 years today. Frankly the tension is still there. Sure it’s short but it’s extremely intense and the humor doesn’t even spoil the horror, it just makes the atmosphere that much more oppressive. I’d be very surprised if Hidetaka Miyazaki never heard of this game.
I first stumbled upon your channel about a year ago, but I forgot your channel name for a while. After coming across your channel again, I binge-watched every single one of your videos. I've been interested in game design and horror since a very early stage in my life, and your videos have inspired me greatly. I'm definitely looking forward to future content! Keep up the good work.
Completed Ecstatica long ago. Scary moments in this game such as the priest, the naked women in the lake and ofcourse the ending. I remember at some point they were planning to develop a action hero-oriented type game using the same ellipsoid engine (i've seen a screenshot of a guy with leather jacket holding a gun standing on the rooftop of a building) but it got cancelled. Couple more gems/obscure games: quarantine, montezuma's return, inferno/tfx, seal team, commanche overkill, slipsteam 5000, tron 2.0, sherlock holmes: consulting detective, herc's adventure, hi-octane, fade 2 black, ace combat, lands of lore, gato, star blade, arcade: m.a.c.h. 3, senjyo, challenge, space zapp, astroblaster.
i was just a little boy when i played this game and i have to say it made a mark on me, 20+ years later i still remember all of it, thanks for the review!! you took me back to those years of my life. cheers!!
Oh my, I hadn't expected to ever see anyone cover it! Now that's a trip down the nostalgia lane! I hope that you'll cover Nocturne or The Dark Eye at some point as well.
I am aware that you have already mentioned Rune, the game, in another video. But I think you should do a complete video on that masterpiece. It might be the nostalgia talking, but that addicting and smooth gameplay mechanics don't lie. Great multiplayer and great singleplayer campaing. One of my favorite game of all times.
Please make more Forgotten Gems! In an era when 80% of the games are filled with nice graphics, with nothing in between, one needs to return to classics and create gaming diversity - mix good modern games and true retro experience.
This game was an awesome surprise to me when I was a kid. It looks colorful and a little cartoonish but the amount of suspense it has is phenomenal. The game never ceases to amaze and surprise the player. The monsters were really scary too. Can't tell more without giving spoilers but if you like horror survival games this game is gold.
Wow those animations are quite impressive, especially considering the time this came out! The way the werewolf tackled the character was really well executed!
Some additional forgotten games that I rarely see make many online lists (and gems can be a subjective term 😉) - The Wheel of Time - 1st generation unreal engine FPS - Azrael's Tear - good luck finding this anywhere but it had a helluva premise - technology of the day held it back - I can only imagine what it would have resulted in modern day - Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (ok it's a Looking Glass game so maybe not that forgotten) - Lands of Lore / Legend of Kyrandia series (both from Westwood) - Fade to Black - the lesser known sequel to Flashback - Realms of the Haunting - ahead of its time action / RPG / horror / FPS - Battle Realms - little known RTS that made some awesome tweaks to the standard formula - Robinson's Requiem or its sequel Deus: the first pure survival rpg - Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender - The Bermuda Syndrome: Flashback with dinosaurs?? Where do I sign up?
These videos are amazing! I love forgotten games and hidden gems, but I find when I search for them so many people bring up the same “cult classics” that are great fun, but not necessarily hidden or secret. Some of these games like these one really excite me since I’ve really never seen them in any hidden gems lists or have only heard of in passing and even when you do present a hidden gem I’m familiar with you present it in such an engaging way that I can’t help but watch
I always had a soft spot for those armies of classic monsters (ALA Werewolves, Vampires, Mummies, Skeletons, goblins, ect. ect.), and to put them in a video game and make it a horror adventure game is a real treat. I'd love for another one to be made, just to bring back the old Dracula/Wolfman style feel of it.
I really would have said "Yeah no the game looks to chibi to be creepy." Then you show the second game and I say "I was wrong". The second game looks absolutely like a crazy horror game. Also the animations are crazy. Love it! :D
I though I was the only one on this planet who knew this game. got it at a fleemarket 13 years ago. It was pretty weird. Started it over and over again until I got stucked. never finished it.
These games are my childhood. Ecstatica was one of the first games i ever played when I was way too young, and while I cannot take off the rose tinted glasses, in all my years NOTHING has even came close to the atmosphere in the first game (The second game had a different feel, but is still a favorite in it's own right :)), maybe with the exception of "Veil of Darkness", despite the gameplay differences. Actually maybe you could do a video on that game?
Oh dear! I know this video is old but I was so happy to see this I couldn't help but write a comment! I LOVED this game when I was a child! It was one of the first games I've ever encountered. Though, I remember it being quite funny for some reason, more than horror. It sure was scary but, weirdly funny at the same time. I gave it another go a few years back and I could see why I thought it was comical. It had some sense of medieval humor in it. No one around me seems to remember this game, now I know here's a video to show whenever I mention it :D Also, I didn't even know Ecstatica had a sequel, I've got to give it a go!
This was one of my childhood games along with Dungeon Keeper, Bad Toys 3D, Abes Exodus, Novastorm, Heretic and Destruction Derby. I still have dreams that Ecstatica has hidden levels somewhere but I know I've searched everywhere in the game and their are non but idk their could be something in the coding we do not know about.
Wow. Your channel is amazing. I've just watched your hidden gems videos and they are extremely well made. Not only they are interesting but your english is easy to understand for non native speakers like me and you also included subtitles! It's hard to find such quality among all the stuff on youtube.
Id gladly see this series grow to a lot of videos, its very cosy to listen to. And makes you think about all the 1000s of lost games that is out there to be talked about.
I hope you played the sequel. It was fun but tough. Those oblong spheroids allow for a juxtaposition among the physical makeup of the human and indeed his former castle, and the sharp geometric graphics of many of his foes.
LOVE IT!! You should do Ecstatica 2 as well! And btw Ecstatica 1 and should be remade! Make it with Skyrimish graphics. edit: I played 2 back in 97. It even has a beautiful map and it was big, I love it.
This has earned you a subscription! :) I love Ecstatica! I still remember it because of a) its elliptoid design, b) the great atmosphere and b) it was one of the few games I actually bought on release (normally I wait until games are older and thus cheaper)! I even finished it, but somehow I must have missed Ecstatica II, because your vid is the first time I've heard of the sequel! I have to look if GOG has them... (fuck Steam, those assholes from Valve will only get my money when they release Half-Life 3 and Portal 3) And you are right, it is a forgotten gem, because even I, who once owned, played and liked it have forgotten its name over the years. I just remembered "The game with elliptoid graphics" and luckily there aren't that many so Google was very helpful! Great vid, great game, thanks for tingling my nostalgia senses! :-)
I've still got my Ecstatica 1 and 2 in their original Big Box with every goodies ! One of my hidden gems ! (with some Ultima boxes). you should do a collaboration with Ross, from Accursed Farm. His format Game Dungeon is also a wonderful place to (re)discover some old gems !
And now I feel a strange urge to play these games. Thanks, Ragnar! I knew the game felt familiar, because I used to play, way back in the day, the demo for the 2nd one, but I even forgot I did play it :))) Have to find them again. Once again, many thanks. Keep up the good work, mate.
Reminds me a lot of character design - and overall aesthetics - from the days of Alone in the Dark (1992) and Little Big Adventure (1994). Something that definitely made the video even more enjoyable, as I still remember being spooked beyond comparison by the former and... rather confused by the latter. Such a shame Esctatica (1994) is not easily acquired (legally, anyway) today, because aside from the dated visuals, I suspect you're right in that it truly is a forgotten gem.
Please make one of these for 'The Swapper'. It is not that old a game, but it is an absolute masterwork of a game and it got none of the attention it deserved.
Thank you very much for this review! There hasnt been any good review for this truly hidden gem to this point. This game is the first one ever to really scae me, even before resident evil 1. I remember playing this game for the first time, when I was around 10 years old. The soundtrack added to the atmosphere quite a bit. But I finished this game and kept it n great memory ever since. This is a truly hidden gem. I wish more people would know it!
Such a great game and what great era to be around when it came to PC video games. C&C, Duke Nukem 3D....The Settlers....and also gems like Ecstatica. I loved this game, I think I have the original CD too. I was very much terrified of the werewolf. Your description of him is exactly what he is. I did beat the game back then. But I never got fully into the sequel unfortunately. Man, wish I could go back in time....the 90ies were so great to us PC gamers. A lot of creative stuff was made back then.
I agree with your comparison, the second game reminded me a lot of Demon's Souls - or more precisely, when I first saw Demon's Souls I was reminded not only of this game, but I had the same sense of the type of slow progression through a rich environment that the (admittedly flawed) Ecstatica contained.
That's exactly what I thought the first time I saw Demon's Souls - "wow, this game feels a lot like Ecstatica"! I used to have Ecstatica 2 on a CD - one of my favorite games in my childhood, even if it's hard as hell and I've yet to beat it.
I dont know how I found this game as a kid but i loved it. Played the hell out of it. Got to the point where I could get to the endgame bone weapon and not spawn a few of the werewolves just so I could waste them with it.
Amazing! I really love "hidden gems" kind of videos, and hope you make more of that. BTW, if you interested, i'll can try make a list of some forgotten gems that i remember, maybe you like something. Cheers from Belarus
+Alexander Nekh absolutely! Feel free to send it to the mail address in the about section of this channel. I encourage everyone to share their forgotten gems with me! I just can't promise to make a video on all of them ;)
Somehow it still looks awesome to me. Especially with what seems to be dynamic motio-movement of the characters. Looks quite spontaneous, natural and unscripted apart from the swivel-on-ball mechanic. But yet it's still not as pronounced as it is in President Evil. But apart from this, of course props go to the graphic presentation only limited by the cage of flesh called technology. I mean... Look at the man hanging on the wall naked. Then look at the big man being mauled to death by the werewolf after he has "had his way with the buff guy". I actually felt natural and spontaneous empathy at that point in the video. And I would think that being a DOS game they didn't employ the then-futuristic motion capture teknolojies. It does give off a lonely King's Quest vibe though. Before Connor actually came into play. And perhaps a little bit of Drakan 2(the bits where she visits towns). Oh God I miss Drakan. Now that was the a true Open World in my Illuminatean Pineal Eyeball Of A Childhood That Would Only Foretell Future Suffering, Abandonment and Loneliness. Thank God for Gehrman and his cue to make sex dolls come to life by imbuing it with blood from the Great Ones. _"But of course I _*_love_*_ you... After all... Isn't that how you made me?"_
If somebody else wants to try Ecstatica, I recommend the rare Windows version (apparently a very limited CD release at the time Ecstatica 2 came out). Runs more smoothly, looks way sharper, and most importantly you can actually turn while running!
That's a great recommendation. Pinned.
Thanks, and you're welcome! If anyone is having trouble finding this obscure version of an obscure game, just search it on UA-cam and check the comments. There is even an unofficial patch that makes it work like a charm on Windows 7 (no idea about 10).
@TriviaBot Woah! I had no idea this version existed at all! I've played through the DOS one a couple of times, and love it. I'll have to hunt down a copy of the Windows version now! Many thanks.
I started and only played the Windows version and it's way sharper indeed.
Man that game was hard, unforgiving, but scary and very rewarding when you move forward into the story, a true gem.
I've never had computers has a kid so that's why I haven't seen and never played some of these hidden gems
If I'm not mistaken, this game pushed the idea of using spheres instead of poligons, when the standard wasn't decided yet. Imagine the history of videogames if spheres had been chosen as the correct shape for 3D graphics!
The release of Tomb Raider would have caused worldwide blindness and broken wrists.
Ellipsoids. Andrew Spencer did a load of maths and pioneered the technique, so it could draw coloured ellipses very fast, and not much else. The technology ended there.
Graphics from Spheres is SO MUCH BETTER. Step into voxels would be achived so much faster. Always wondered from childhood after ive sen this, how that approach was not used while "new" games looks so much worse.
3D gaussian splatting exploited this!
Nice nod to Goethe there at the beginning.
Omg the animations aged like wine
The quality of animations in this game is incredible
Even with facial expressions! :)
man I've seen lots of old games and stuff. But this is true gem and pretty interesting, I just can't imagine the tension this game brought to people back then. Forgotten gems definitely needs to be a series
I played it when it came out and to this day it remains one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had. I played it again for the first time in over 25 years today. Frankly the tension is still there. Sure it’s short but it’s extremely intense and the humor doesn’t even spoil the horror, it just makes the atmosphere that much more oppressive. I’d be very surprised if Hidetaka Miyazaki never heard of this game.
Table is the funniest enemy in this game! because of this funny voice! Like: "HEY! That's mine, get off!"
I first stumbled upon your channel about a year ago, but I forgot your channel name for a while. After coming across your channel again, I binge-watched every single one of your videos. I've been interested in game design and horror since a very early stage in my life, and your videos have inspired me greatly. I'm definitely looking forward to future content! Keep up the good work.
Completed Ecstatica long ago. Scary moments in this game such as the priest, the naked women in the lake and ofcourse the ending. I remember at some point they were planning to develop a action hero-oriented type game using the same ellipsoid engine (i've seen a screenshot of a guy with leather jacket holding a gun standing on the rooftop of a building) but it got cancelled.
Couple more gems/obscure games: quarantine, montezuma's return, inferno/tfx, seal team, commanche overkill, slipsteam 5000, tron 2.0, sherlock holmes: consulting detective, herc's adventure, hi-octane, fade 2 black, ace combat, lands of lore, gato,
star blade, arcade: m.a.c.h. 3, senjyo, challenge, space zapp, astroblaster.
Man, I didn't expect to see someone mention this game ever again. Great video!
Once again, Ragnar knows how to pull the viewer in and teach them something they had no idea they needed to know. This game looks amazing!
Seeing a new RagnarRox upload left me feeling ECSTATIC!
I'll show myself out.
This must be the best balloon animal simulator there ever was.
one of the best channels on youtube and especially love your forgotten gems series, please keep them coming!
We need an Ecstatica reboot!
i was just a little boy when i played this game and i have to say it made a mark on me, 20+ years later i still remember all of it, thanks for the review!! you took me back to those years of my life. cheers!!
Oh my, I hadn't expected to ever see anyone cover it! Now that's a trip down the nostalgia lane!
I hope that you'll cover Nocturne or The Dark Eye at some point as well.
Seen a video covering Nocturne a few days ago, you should check it out.
@@Sundog1985 oh? do you still have a link?
@@shards-of-glass-man yeah! ua-cam.com/video/6yl04QwEErY/v-deo.html
I am aware that you have already mentioned Rune, the game, in another video. But I think you should do a complete video on that masterpiece. It might be the nostalgia talking, but that addicting and smooth gameplay mechanics don't lie. Great multiplayer and great singleplayer campaing. One of my favorite game of all times.
Please make more Forgotten Gems! In an era when 80% of the games are filled with nice graphics, with nothing in between, one needs to return to classics and create gaming diversity - mix good modern games and true retro experience.
This game was an awesome surprise to me when I was a kid. It looks colorful and a little cartoonish but the amount of suspense it has is phenomenal. The game never ceases to amaze and surprise the player. The monsters were really scary too. Can't tell more without giving spoilers but if you like horror survival games this game is gold.
Awesome to see a vid on Ecstatica, a very rare sight. I never played the original, but the sequel is fantastic.
Wow those animations are quite impressive, especially considering the time this came out! The way the werewolf tackled the character was really well executed!
Some additional forgotten games that I rarely see make many online lists (and gems can be a subjective term 😉)
- The Wheel of Time - 1st generation unreal engine FPS
- Azrael's Tear - good luck finding this anywhere but it had a helluva premise - technology of the day held it back - I can only imagine what it would have resulted in modern day
- Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (ok it's a Looking Glass game so maybe not that forgotten)
- Lands of Lore / Legend of Kyrandia series (both from Westwood)
- Fade to Black - the lesser known sequel to Flashback
- Realms of the Haunting - ahead of its time action / RPG / horror / FPS
- Battle Realms - little known RTS that made some awesome tweaks to the standard formula
- Robinson's Requiem or its sequel Deus: the first pure survival rpg
- Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender
- The Bermuda Syndrome: Flashback with dinosaurs?? Where do I sign up?
More Forgotten Gems. I had never heard of this game, I am very interested in trying it out now. Thank You!
I remember seeing ads for this game eons ago in old PCGamer magazines. THANK YOU for helping me remember the name of this game after many long years!
These videos are amazing! I love forgotten games and hidden gems, but I find when I search for them so many people bring up the same “cult classics” that are great fun, but not necessarily hidden or secret. Some of these games like these one really excite me since I’ve really never seen them in any hidden gems lists or have only heard of in passing and even when you do present a hidden gem I’m familiar with you present it in such an engaging way that I can’t help but watch
I always had a soft spot for those armies of classic monsters (ALA Werewolves, Vampires, Mummies, Skeletons, goblins, ect. ect.), and to put them in a video game and make it a horror adventure game is a real treat. I'd love for another one to be made, just to bring back the old Dracula/Wolfman style feel of it.
I really would have said "Yeah no the game looks to chibi to be creepy." Then you show the second game and I say "I was wrong". The second game looks absolutely like a crazy horror game. Also the animations are crazy. Love it! :D
I though I was the only one on this planet who knew this game. got it at a fleemarket 13 years ago. It was pretty weird. Started it over and over again until I got stucked. never finished it.
bubble butt, bubble bubble bubble butt
Got this on the shelf next to me, i struggled so hard to get it to work but worth it, very creepy game.
These games are my childhood. Ecstatica was one of the first games i ever played when I was way too young, and while I cannot take off the rose tinted glasses, in all my years NOTHING has even came close to the atmosphere in the first game (The second game had a different feel, but is still a favorite in it's own right :)), maybe with the exception of "Veil of Darkness", despite the gameplay differences. Actually maybe you could do a video on that game?
Wow after 2 decades plus I learn the damn wear wolf isn’t invincible I’ll be damned
Oh dear! I know this video is old but I was so happy to see this I couldn't help but write a comment! I LOVED this game when I was a child! It was one of the first games I've ever encountered. Though, I remember it being quite funny for some reason, more than horror. It sure was scary but, weirdly funny at the same time. I gave it another go a few years back and I could see why I thought it was comical. It had some sense of medieval humor in it. No one around me seems to remember this game, now I know here's a video to show whenever I mention it :D Also, I didn't even know Ecstatica had a sequel, I've got to give it a go!
You played little big adventure 1 and 2! Esctatica 2 and LBA2 are my favourite games of all time
This was one of my childhood games along with Dungeon Keeper, Bad Toys 3D, Abes Exodus, Novastorm, Heretic and Destruction Derby.
I still have dreams that Ecstatica has hidden levels somewhere but I know I've searched everywhere in the game and their are non but idk their could be something in the coding we do not know about.
Never heard of this before, but it looks like several nightmares I had as a child.
Wow. Your channel is amazing. I've just watched your hidden gems videos and they are extremely well made. Not only they are interesting but your english is easy to understand for non native speakers like me and you also included subtitles! It's hard to find such quality among all the stuff on youtube.
Wow, realy didn't ecspect to see a video about this game in my feed.. Forgotten gem indeed...
Interesting to see the geometry is made out of bubbles instead of boxes. The animations do look very good, especially for its time!
Someone should remaster these games and re-launch them on GOG.com
Man it was one of the first games that I owned and I agree with your statement that it is impossible to forget.
Looks pretty well animated...
im genuinely suprised at how well this game is animated for its time, what a bizarre find, please do more of these! (maybe even one on "evolva"? ;P)
Giant Citizen Kabuto its a hidden gem (in my eyes). Also Stubbs, the zombie without a pulse
Wasteland. A great grand daddy of all post apocalyptic rpgs. It has great depth for event in its time.
Freezy Pop Never played it when it came out but dabbled with the game a year ago. Shocked how much I loved it. Didn’t get far but it was fun
Not sure how much that one is actually forgotten seeing it got a heavily crowd-funded sequel.
Thank for showing this to people!
I wish Andrew Spancer would go indie and made a new game)
Your voice has cleared out a lot over time.
+Bucky•JaKRBT thank you! I've definitely worked hard on that aspect :)
Id gladly see this series grow to a lot of videos, its very cosy to listen to. And makes you think about all the 1000s of lost games that is out there to be talked about.
I hope you played the sequel. It was fun but tough. Those oblong spheroids allow for a juxtaposition among the physical makeup of the human and indeed his former castle, and the sharp geometric graphics of many of his foes.
"Omikron: The Nomad Soul" is probably one of my favourite games of all time, but few people ever talk about it.
always love your vids, your voice is simply put pure eargasm material
Just reminded me of Twinsen's Odyssey. Great video btw
LOVE IT!! You should do Ecstatica 2 as well!
And btw Ecstatica 1 and should be remade! Make it with Skyrimish graphics.
edit: I played 2 back in 97. It even has a beautiful map and it was big, I love it.
Awesome Der Erlkonig reference in the beginning! One of my all time favorite Schubert pieces to perform!
this was very well put together :) I enjoy listening to you elaborate on these things you enjoy.
I remember playing Ecstatica II, what a weird game.
Absolutely would love more of these videos.
They so need 2 do a reboot of this series, gameplay similar to RE4, God of war 2018 and Hellblade, that B fucking incredible.
Hell yeah more forgotten gems! This was great!
Watch Super Bunnyhop's DS analysis
This has earned you a subscription! :)
I love Ecstatica! I still remember it because of a) its elliptoid design, b) the great atmosphere and b) it was one of the few games I actually bought on release (normally I wait until games are older and thus cheaper)!
I even finished it, but somehow I must have missed Ecstatica II, because your vid is the first time I've heard of the sequel!
I have to look if GOG has them... (fuck Steam, those assholes from Valve will only get my money when they release Half-Life 3 and Portal 3)
And you are right, it is a forgotten gem, because even I, who once owned, played and liked it have forgotten its name over the years. I just remembered "The game with elliptoid graphics" and luckily there aren't that many so Google was very helpful!
Great vid, great game, thanks for tingling my nostalgia senses! :-)
hell yes, i want to see more vids like this Ragnar, keep em' coming
This somewhat reminds me of the original Alone in the Dark trilogy and Little Big Adventure too. This looks like my jam!
It's actualy a lot better than AitD I think
Hairy Cornflake LBA FTW! And the sequel was even more polished!
I've still got my Ecstatica 1 and 2 in their original Big Box with every goodies ! One of my hidden gems ! (with some Ultima boxes). you should do a collaboration with Ross, from Accursed Farm. His format Game Dungeon is also a wonderful place to (re)discover some old gems !
For as old as this game is I am really surprised how well the animations are.
Holy shit I remember reading about this game years ago and had completely forgot about it.
Thanks so much for bringing it back!
And now I feel a strange urge to play these games. Thanks, Ragnar! I knew the game felt familiar, because I used to play, way back in the day, the demo for the 2nd one, but I even forgot I did play it :))) Have to find them again. Once again, many thanks. Keep up the good work, mate.
Awesome! Never heard of this one. I love these old graphics. They have a feel all their own and are creepy in their own way. Very cool.
Reminds me a lot of character design - and overall aesthetics - from the days of Alone in the Dark (1992) and Little Big Adventure (1994). Something that definitely made the video even more enjoyable, as I still remember being spooked beyond comparison by the former and... rather confused by the latter.
Such a shame Esctatica (1994) is not easily acquired (legally, anyway) today, because aside from the dated visuals, I suspect you're right in that it truly is a forgotten gem.
This game scared the shit out of me when I was a kid! Good call!
Please make one of these for 'The Swapper'. It is not that old a game, but it is an absolute masterwork of a game and it got none of the attention it deserved.
I enjoyed your video, keep up the good work
you should check out the game "exanima"
its early access, but this one actually gets updates and the devs often ask for feedback on the forums
6:04 "It's like Resident Evil meets Dark Souls"
More forgotten gems! Shadowgate 64?
im defintely gonna give this a try!
Thank you very much for this review! There hasnt been any good review for this truly hidden gem to this point. This game is the first one ever to really scae me, even before resident evil 1. I remember playing this game for the first time, when I was around 10 years old. The soundtrack added to the atmosphere quite a bit. But I finished this game and kept it n great memory ever since. This is a truly hidden gem. I wish more people would know it!
Thank you for this video Ragnar. These games look near damn perfect D:
Such a great game and what great era to be around when it came to PC video games. C&C, Duke Nukem 3D....The Settlers....and also gems like Ecstatica. I loved this game, I think I have the original CD too. I was very much terrified of the werewolf. Your description of him is exactly what he is. I did beat the game back then. But I never got fully into the sequel unfortunately.
Man, wish I could go back in time....the 90ies were so great to us PC gamers. A lot of creative stuff was made back then.
Well, you've convinced me to try Estatica 2. Metroidvania, with some early shades of Dark Souls. Yes please!
I agree with your comparison, the second game reminded me a lot of Demon's Souls - or more precisely, when I first saw Demon's Souls I was reminded not only of this game, but I had the same sense of the type of slow progression through a rich environment that the (admittedly flawed) Ecstatica contained.
I had this game as a kid and was absolutely terrified every time i played it.
looking forward to the next episode of this neat mini series, Papa bless!
I remember this game I played it when I was 11 or 12 it was so awesome. couldn't beat the first enemy
Man, I Love your channel xD
That's exactly what I thought the first time I saw Demon's Souls - "wow, this game feels a lot like Ecstatica"! I used to have Ecstatica 2 on a CD - one of my favorite games in my childhood, even if it's hard as hell and I've yet to beat it.
I remember buying this at the dollar store in 2000, but it wouldnt run on my computer, haha
It was incredibly hardware-demanding at the time. I know a couple of people who upgraded their PC just to be able to play this.
I dont know how I found this game as a kid but i loved it. Played the hell out of it. Got to the point where I could get to the endgame bone weapon and not spawn a few of the werewolves just so I could waste them with it.
Keep doing this awesome series!!!
This video reminded me this game existed and that I managed to actually finish it several times two decades ago.
I loved this game! Never played the sequel (in fact I forgot it existed) - I'm surprised how sharp it looks
Dang all your content is great.
"don't make deals with the devil" before it was cool :3
Amazing! I really love "hidden gems" kind of videos, and hope you make more of that.
BTW, if you interested, i'll can try make a list of some forgotten gems that i remember, maybe you like something.
Cheers from Belarus
+Alexander Nekh absolutely! Feel free to send it to the mail address in the about section of this channel. I encourage everyone to share their forgotten gems with me!
I just can't promise to make a video on all of them ;)
It looks amazing
I don't remember this one
Strange
I REMEMBER THIS !
Rubber boots to go through acid, or horrible animatons when you jump into furnace. Wands ware OP.
Arx Fatalis next?
Am I the only one who thought Ragnar was quoting the Erlking for the entire beginning ?
Somehow it still looks awesome to me. Especially with what seems to be dynamic motio-movement of the characters. Looks quite spontaneous, natural and unscripted apart from the swivel-on-ball mechanic. But yet it's still not as pronounced as it is in President Evil. But apart from this, of course props go to the graphic presentation only limited by the cage of flesh called technology. I mean... Look at the man hanging on the wall naked. Then look at the big man being mauled to death by the werewolf after he has "had his way with the buff guy". I actually felt natural and spontaneous empathy at that point in the video. And I would think that being a DOS game they didn't employ the then-futuristic motion capture teknolojies. It does give off a lonely King's Quest vibe though. Before Connor actually came into play. And perhaps a little bit of Drakan 2(the bits where she visits towns). Oh God I miss Drakan. Now that was the a true Open World in my Illuminatean Pineal Eyeball Of A Childhood That Would Only Foretell Future Suffering, Abandonment and Loneliness. Thank God for Gehrman and his cue to make sex dolls come to life by imbuing it with blood from the Great Ones.
_"But of course I _*_love_*_ you... After all... Isn't that how you made me?"_
NICE I found this review again after only recalling the graphics, vibes, maybe that there was a werewolf and literally nothing else