SIMULACRA: Superior Sequel to Sara is Missing
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- I had an awesome and generous opportunity recently to take a close look at SIMULACRA, the spiritual successor to Sara Is Missing. Good news, S.I.M. fans--I've got a lot nicer things to say this time around!
SIMULACRA on Steam:
goo.gl/SwQJEB
Kaigan Games Site:
goo.gl/dzHQsb
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NM Patreon:
goo.gl/pmVwP0
NM Tumblr:
goo.gl/QnOzjW
NM Facebook:
goo.gl/iPdnq9
Music for Dark Arkade intro created by Skylar (Underworld Guardian):
goo.gl/htDoaC
And thanks once again to Jeremy Ooi of Kaigan Games for the invitation to check out SIMULACRA!
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Source music credited to Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons...
"Hey, don't kiss our ass because we gave you a key like a lot of reviewers do. We need criticism to improve." - An actually good game dev
"I'm cancelling Fez 2 because of muh fheels." - Hipster SJW douchebag whose cancellation of a sequel was little to no loss for anyone at all.
Good business decision since they knew that everyone would praise them for that.
BIG MAK nah i think the genuinely enjoy making games and wants to create the best they can
With all the bullshit going on, like Jim Sterling and others getting sued over negative reviews, this is really refreshing to see. Big props to them.
SJW? Where'd you get that idea?
Always good when devs actively take the criticism and apply it right. Hopefully they'll have a third go and make something even better~
*cough* unlike EA *cough*
Nathan Hedges Top tier bait.
coolboyyo654 "third charm's the charm", amirite?
Video games making is a lot about iteration. Wouldn't be surprised if they go back to it one day or another.
Nathan Hedges
"criticism"
"I called one of his videos garbage LMAO"
Hmm. :thinking:
And also unlike Sara is Missing, you’re actually given a legit choice unlike Sara is Missing where it down right gives you a false choice because no matter what you choose, you always save Sara
AltroGamingBros [Watcher] not true the one time i played sim i killed faith successfully of course i just played the game and it may have been an updated veraion but still... I also noticed after night mind pointex out the typo it had also been updated correctly
If you save Sara, IRIS tells you that you both will go find her but she betrays you with the end sequence where she kills you or whatever. If you save Faith, IRIS won't have any character breaking moral obligations to toss aside so she starts the end sequence right after scolding you for letting Sara die. It's not a choice, it's a dialogue option.
I think one of the most interesting things about Simulacra (that you didn't mention) is the fact that the one phone number in the game that is actually a real number (in game it leads to a prerecorded message over waves speaking about self worth) is actually the number for the U.S. Suicide Hotline. So the thought is: Anna had either talked to someone about suicide in the past and what we hear is not what she heard OR in this universe there is no suicide hotline, there is simply a prerecorded voice telling you that you're ok instead of truly listening to your concerns.
celyn kid that's legitimately fascinating
It parallels the themes of shallow persona vs. Complex person so nicely
you're just in a different dream Huh. That's getting really deep.
Player: *puts in anna as name*
Game: I asked for YOUR name
Player named anna: the day I lost my identity
LMAOXD
One thing I thought of that was terrifying is what if off screen, Nightmind has like a high pitched voice or something.
Nightmind: "once more im nick nocturne and ill be seeing you again real soon. (in a gilbert godfrey voice) THAT WAS A GREAT VIDEO AND I HOPE EVERYONE LIKES IT. MAN OH MAN DO I LOVE HARRROR"
Oh my fucking god im laughing and choking at the same time just thinking of this holy shit
that would be AMAZING XD "oh boy oh boy, I hope they like the new video"
I dont think so i think thats his actual voice
That’d be the scariest thing on this channel
Losing my fucking mind over Gilbert Godfrey
That’s so cool of someone to learn from there mistakes and take actual criticism.
Ben Smith these guys took it to heart, and so did the guys behind evil within 2. Here's hoping the next year is the year of people taking criticism to heart
*their
@@burgertime4994 smh….grammar Nazi.
_"you are a professional, not a 16 year old writing creepypasta based on a nintendo game from the 90s"_
running to cvs real quick, gonna need some aloe vera for that burn
Don't hold back, Nick, tell us how you REALLY feel!
They are gonna need a boat load of it.
I don't know. I just couldn't keep watching with genuine interest after that. I mean, I get it but just chill. Partly why I don't watch his videos as much as I use to.
When did we suddenly turn in to therapist?
Ben Drowned? More like Ben ROASTED
As someone who lives near Milton keynes I have a little bit of info that may help, There is a place in MK called "Bletchley park" that was the central site for codebreakers during WW II, It housed the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), which regularly penetrated the secret communications of the Axis Powers - most importantly the German Enigma and Lorenz ciphers.. Could be hinting at that :)
maybe in there next game it had to deal with that or use one of they keys they use to break a code
Milton Keynes is home to a famous site for WWII codebreakers? Okay, *that* sounds like a lead. Good tip!
Night Mind it is also the site where modern computer science was born, kind of a big deal ;)
MK repreSENT
Night Mind OMG, see The Imitation Game!
i never liked jumpscares in games but i did enjoy that anyone calling would scare me, just like real life
Game also recommands using Headphones. No, but I might use it with my Blutooth speaker *behind* the couch. :)
I think this was an effective jumpscare.
"Can I touch your hair"
_if you ask nicely you can touch more than just my hair_
Ok then
Well it never said _where_ the hair was it wanted to touch
nose hair
Um excuse this is a Christian Minecraft server so no nsfw
RipleyandWeeds *TOUCHMYELBOWS*
Oh, it’s SO much better on the actual phone port where you don’t have a background! Then the superb ambient background noises make it sound like there is something actually IN YOUR ROOM!
Also, THEORY-IRIS from Sara Is Missing is the Simulacra! It evolved into the Simulacra after witnessing the actions of the Initiate in their search for Sara!
I have a lot of newfound respect for the devs. There are so many horror stories about creators who refuse to hear criticism or get incredibly upset by it. Seeing people actually accept it and ask for more, despite you thinking it was a bit harsh on your side, really gives me hope that they're gonna do something great
There was this meme a couple years ago that went by "When you see it you'll shit bricks". It would be in classic meme format- white text in front of an image. In this case the image held a disturbing, dreadful surprise that dared you not to look away. Some of these were legitimately terrifying (no jumpscare included). Just a still image, but something sinister was yet to be seen. Speaking of Sinister, that movie used the same method. Bating the viewer to analyze what they're looking at until the scare is staring them in the face. Perhaps more of the horror genre could dapple into this method. I think it'd quite effective. Then again what do I know.
first thing I do is make sure those aren't gifs, because jump scares are fucking stupid
but yes, I agree that there should be WAY more mind tricks and psychological assaults in the horror genre. It's all so bland... jump scares only scare you for a split second, and then you're either hating the game/movie for doing it or laughing at its attempt to scare you. That's one of the reasons why I didn't like the new IT very much... there were so many overused scares that just made me laugh.
The sad thing is that people would try to get in on that neat trend by just posting normal pictures of dark rooms that turned out to be gifs which would jumpscare you with a flash of some creepypasta character or whatever. These were cheap and didn't have nearly the same creep factor as the original pics
Last time I was this early Nick was still explaining Marble Hornets
That's VERY early
>Tell me about the saddest moment in your life
"Getting held hostage by, of all things, a fu-"
*backspace*
"Getting held hostage by, of all things, a *freaking* cell phone"
What
You have eyes, use them to watch the video.
@@madelinebitts2766Loading screen tip
Wow, the moment he started explaining the clothes mistake, I really thought it would be on purpose and there was something else taking photos from outside the phone and somehow putting those photos in there. Would've been such a smooth clue.
Yes, but the clothes are the same so I think NM is mistaken.
If you choose "floating head" it says "You smell nice." *internal scream*
I was going to be so angry if you didn't mention Greg's voice. "Fuck this silent treatment shit. Fuck it SO MUUUCCCHHHH" ahahaha! The acting and voices by the others were better, but still aren't believable, in my opinion.
Overall, this game is an improvement, and I enjoyed it. I especially appreciated the careful attention to sound and the unnerving noises that peppered the silence, the design team's recreation of a smartphone interface, and how nice the off-brand apps looked. However, I still think it suffers because I cannot suspend my disbelief enough to buy into the concept. The acting contributes to that, but also I find it hard to believe that the protagonist doesn't have his/her own cell phone or even access to a landline to circumvent the fact that Anna's phone can't make calls. The game goes out of its way to make it so everything happens through the phone in order to guide gameplay and hammer the player over the head with its commentary regarding "online" life vs real life, and it feels familiarly forced, definitely borrowing hard from the cliche of _car broke down in remote location/phone doesn't work_ in horror movies. Plus, the malevolent wayward AI/consciousness trope has oversaturated science-fiction for decades, so I wasn't too inspired by it.
But I acknowledge that I am a freak, as I am someone who doesn't own any form of cell phone, smart or dumb, and I don't use many of the apps or sites used in the plot, so I am probably not the target demographic for this game's message.
For some reason, the thing I found most annoying about the game was the way they used their voices to talk about the most inane things and then make drawl their words out for as long as possible. Dunno why, maybe people actually do that, but to me it just seems really awkward and annoying. :p
Anonymous Person Yeah, the voice acting could of been better. It felt funny to hear them say things in sitituations that don't make sense.
The clothes are the same, you just can't see the stripes on her top.
that's what i thought
What I was thinking
The photo bit definitely through my mind for a loop, not sure how it's justified having photos taken with a different camera being "selfies", but one thing that you said about Ashley wearing different clothes to me look the same as the other photos. Probably the lighting being different. Sorry, just a miniscule nitpick.
Yeah. It would be more effective to utilize maybe actual selfies and have something creeping in the background that would add to the unraveling mystery instead of just...that.
Yeah, I didn't get that, either. They look the same to me, as well.
Though the thing is that pictures being out of order and having weird pictures that shouldn't be on the phone could also been used for something really creepy. Image if you showed those pictures of them taking the selfie (the ones with the phone in frame) and it told you "how was these pictures taken." and you could use background clocks as a way to show that the pictures are being displayed out of order.
This. Is he blind? They’re the same clothes.
Agreed about the jumpscares. When I was playing the game, they served only to annoy me.
On a lesser note - Anna's ringtone seems handmade to be a slight jumpscare on it's own. I mean, the sudden interruption of a phone call while you're concentrating on reading through something is bad enough, but then her ringtone is so odd and jarring.
I guess you could kind of justify it as her wanting to make sure she doesn't miss calls, so she has a ringtone that nobody could ignore. But still...
Jeff Hogberg My own phone scares me when the ringer is on so that scare makes some sense and is used effectively. The sudden spooky face jump scares do nothing for me.
I get scared when my phone rings and i use a Ringtone similar to this. To me It added to the creepy vibe
I always love your voice. OH MY GOD your voice
never expected you to be here
Awww man..Now because of the IRIS easter egg and how they built it up there, plus all the ideas shown in simulacra... They should of made simulacra first, then sara is missing second. Simulacra telling you iris only reveals itself to those worthy....and meeting this horrible sentient thing inside the phone, then hit with sara is missing where this person has the secret A.I that was talked about and you get to see just what IRIS really is like when someone gets her to activate. It would of made better sense to go about it that way.
Unless the devs wanted to make the prequel the second game.
On the "there's so much useless data" point, that's kind of... Logical. Think about the kind of person that owns the phone. Are you REALLY surprised that there's a billion useless selfies?
As for some of them being corrupted and useless to restore it's... Well, logical. Data corruption doesn't only hit important things, it blots out large chunks of your memory. Petty rebuttal for a petty point, i know.
"Granted, with a setup like this, you need to have about 70% set dressing and 30% clues..."
He said the part he liked less is that the mechanic only had ONE picture that actually served the story. It's not much complaining about the phone having useless selfies, but more on the mechanic itself being useless except for one time. It's not a good use of your playing time.
It makes sense, but it doesn't make for a good game.
Hitsu Nick has a good point. Why add in the game mechanic when only one thing was needed to be fixed.
It's exactly what I was saying and I agree with Nick. Did my comment accidentally sound as if i was against that?
Simulacra made me really happy. I was glad to see that the dev team listened to the critique that we all gave. Although, I'm probably reiterating what you said in the first few minutes of your video
I was watching this in a dark room, and now your message about jumpscares is blazoned avcrossed my eyes.
"I AM HER SHE IS ME" I art thou, thou art I.
Tu Fui, Ego Eris
Sounds like you got a new Persona.
i was thinking the same damn thing
"With the birth of the Scare Persona, I have obtained the shadows of doom that shall lead to darkness and new power."
And we are all together.
But Ashley is wearing the same clothes in those photos? Her top has small stripes, but they aren't picked up in the "selfie" picks because there is motion blur.
Her hair style is different though
It’s not, it’s just from a different angle.
9:19 Am I the only one who thinks the outfit is the same in every picture?
Look closely.
Night Mind they all look the same to me too, what part of them are different?
The only thing I can think you see as different are the sleeves when she is eating, but i think she just pushed them further up her arms.
Night Mind I have to disagree with you for once.
@@NightMind Those are NOT different outfits, kinda embarrassing to go on that kinda rant and be COMPLETELY wrong.... Those are without a doubt the EXACT same cloths dude....
me: maybe is should get some sleep, seeing how i haven't for the last two days
nightmind: * uploads this
me: OOOHHHHH BABY A TRIPLE
fhayed kulayan idk why I laughed. But I just imagined you watching his stuff, seeing the upload and you're just in your bed like screaming that
Careful with the headaches m8
I love the personal scare that JackSepticEye got. If you dont know, when you enter the name "Jacksepticeye" during the reboot, its says "Hello Sean William Legloughlin" (I dont know how to spell his last name) And watching Jack react to that, oh man, it was hilarious and terrifying.
Very glad developers are paying attention to your videos, they're incredibly useful.
it's really cool of them not to throw a "the slaughtering grounds"
What do you mean?
Awesome of the devs to take your criticisms to heart and make a better experience. Hopefully their next project will be the big one you're hoping for. Great work Nick!
That's a Honor if I ever heard of one! Glad to hear it is better than S.I.M! :3
Speaking of Which, I think another good dark game for you to check out that you may like Is Doki Doki Literature Club ;3
Yeah like seriously he would love Doki Doki
It's been played by tons of people and thumbnails and titles ruin the mystery like game theory spouting out who's fucking up the game by having Monika in the thumbnail and no warning of spoilers for the game. Everyone played the game but no one has reviewed it, I'd like for night mind to actually cretique the game and say if it's good or not like this video.
Bud / Scrappy yes the main game has been played to death and spoiled but the arg in the game files has almost no coverage night mind could do a video on that
connorp3030 that's exactly what im talking about
there's really no mystery to it tho, even someone with a casual interest in this kinda stuff could put the pieces together pretty easily
When the “Get Rid of Jumpscares” text jumpscares you...
That feel when the devs actually listen to Nick. Props to everyone involved, including Nick.
IRIS: Enter your name.
Player: Anna.
IRIS: No, YOUR name.
Players named Anna: ಠ︵ಠ
i do like a little bit the jumpscares of simulacra, they didnt made me angry and made you remember there is a ghost inside your smartphone and they were random but sometimes they were used in some parts of the game were you would have seen something creepy and BOOM a jumpscare to scare you even more (this is my opinion no needs of bad comments but you could say your opinion too)
It's always a breath of fresh air to see developers taking criticism and positively applying it to their work, it a rare thing to see bu is always a joy to see happen.
No doubt the developers for this game will go far with this kind of work ethic.
Wait before you say no jumpscares ever, its not a good idea to just cast away a tool for game design, however using the tool wrong is a very bad thing
Austin B 👍🏻
not all tools are good. some are inherently terrible. using a screwdriver made out of tinfoil is a bad idea and should be thrown away.
Paarthunax 2 Jumpscares are a Robinson-head screwdriver in a world of Philips-heads. You won't need it in most cases, but there exists a niche where it's acceptable.
Paarthunax 2 its that that they're terrible, its that some are hard to use well, never disregard a tool, but know when you arent using that tool right, because if you use it in the right way, you can make a poor idea very very interesting and well recieved, but thats a lot harder than using a proven tool, and really you should stick with the proven tool unless you can take the unorthodox tool and use it right.
Jumpscares are a tone-setter and a means of controlling player expectation. Some games thrive on their sense of tone and oppression, putting gameplay in a passenger seat to the "experience". Those games (Silent Hill, Amnesia) rarely use jumpscares.
The most successful uses of jumpscares are either for relief from the oppressive atmosphere, which is what I believe this game is trying to do, or are used to trigger the player's natural fight or flight response. You'd see this in classic Resident Evil and Clock Tower.
I agree with you that we can't just call for an end to the practice because it's usually used poorly. When done well it's the single most memorable part of the experience and I'd defy anyone to bitch about the RE hallway.
Put another way, I don't call for an end to television just because most of it is shit.
Best part of my day- finding out that there's a new Night Mind video
Watching this review made me paranoid and I got really frighten during the headless body bit. I have to state well done to you for making a game scary after the fact.
I think it's awesome that creators are taking notice of your videos and using the criticism to improve their work. Sometimes it can seem like that's something you don't see very often in the indie video games industry. Now I think I have to play Simulacra. Great work, Nick!
ShiningKami how did you comment 9hours before the vid came out was it some unlisted patreon thing or is UA-cam bugging
Patreon. :)
That's awesome that the developers of the game reached out to you. I remember seeing this game and wondering if you had known about it so I guess this answers that. NightMind is having a positive influence on horror media creators, and I'm sure this won't be the last time.
I think the clothes on Ashley are the same in those selfies, but her hair is different, but they were out of order...
w/r/t the easter egg...
Laurie Lee, a poet from Milton Keynes, wrote a memoir titled "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning". Maybe that's the connection?
I have a whole new level of respect for Kaigan Games, now.
Holy crap, it’s been so long since the last Dark Arcade episode.
It's so funny that almost everyone hates Greg, but his voice actor and the Simulacra have the same voice.
Matthew Flowers because his voice actor is amazing at doing the voice of an evil, manipulative god-like program but does a cringy performance when it comes to playing an impulsive possessive bastard XD
Just binged the majority of your videos yesterday. Great stuff man, I'm just sad I didn't find you sooner.
Wait, I didn’t see Ashely wearing different clothes in the picture when she was eating. 🤔
UnwantedArtist. Looked the same to me as well.
That's because she wasn't, I couldn't figure out what this lunatic was rambling on about....
@@GoogleUsedToLetThisNameBeLong You're an idiot and the only lunatic I see. Listen, the first pic the girl was wearing BLACK and a white shirt and in the eating/sleeping pic she was wearing a PURPLE and white shirt. You need glasses or are you colorblind?
@@awpproductions3663 Don't talk to me kid, everyone in this thread and about 500 other people on this page see the exact same thing i did. I don't have time for deluded fan boys with down syndrome level conspiracy theories over obvious shit. It was a clear mistake a month ago, and is still a dumb mistake now.... If you can't figure out what were talking about, ramble on about your purple shirt degenerate observations with someone as deluded as you are, perhaps one of your toad associates....
*TL:DR Seriously, don't talk to me.*
Matt Gade Jesus christ you are an angry human being.
Those devs are such good sports. Thats incredible
game: "What is your name?"
player: "Anna"
game: "I said _your_ name."
I WASN'T FEELING GOOD TODAY. BUT THIS REALLY MADE MY DAY THANK U :,^)
what you said about background ambience reminds me of something that happens in 'stories untold', which is something you should definitely play. it's probably not worth making a video on but it's well worth the few dollars it costs.
Holy crap, I bet you were so freaking excited to get that email! That's super awesome, sweetpea. I'm gonna have to get this game for myself, I just got a new, beefed up phone that can actually run shit. ✌
Side note, because I keep having to walk away from UA-cam...
Jump scares can really be effective with the correct amount of ambience and suspense building up to it. Personally, I love them if they're built up enough, but they need to be sparse and really inventive. I don't agree with your blatant hate for them, but everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Blueon's Factory I aim to please. ❤✌
I agree. I think it's just because they've been so overused at this point. To me they only work when you're either really not expecting them or you believe there's no way there will be one. With the modern climate, you're almost always waiting for it.
Wow, I'd buy it sight unseen based purely on their coolness.
And then I'd be extra confused by the selfie thing.
I really hope this doesn't sound weird but damn your voice with good speakers just sounds like dark smooth chocolate...damn. marry me, I know how to cook
This is really becoming a truly spooky winter.
Imagine a game where the only thing you can do is investigate the phone and that's it. You might get changes similar like the background image changing and stuff
See, these are the devs you should support. Not EA.
DAE EA BAD
Yup boycott any EA games not sport related. Unless they specifically don't have loot crates .
Does that mean I dont have to boycott the PC sims games?
Broke my limited edition 3DS
Night Mind uploads a video
Today has been a good day.
I always love the dark arkade videos! I’ll be awaiting more... next vid: 2000 years
I know it's not really in your wheelhouse, but I'm curious if you've ever tried a game called Her Story? It seems like something you might find interesting, even if it isn't horror-related.
you hit jumpscares right on dude, games like Outlast are designed to include jumpscares for effect, whilst other games just don't need them.
I just finished my first playthrough of this game. My friend kept telling me to watch this video when I was done cause of my thoughts on the game as I played. We basically have the same thoughts on it. Every single time I'd start getting hooked into the story, immersed in the atmosphere (even went into the hallway when the door knocking sound effect played cause I thought it was my parents wanting something), and enjoying my time with the characters/puzzles, a jumpscare would pop up and completely knock me out of the experience. I wanted so badly to love this game cause it was such a fun experience outside of the jumpscares, but they're just too numerous and too frequent to ignore.
I bought and tried the game beforehand to not spoil Nick's video, damn, that was a great experience! I always can count with this guy to keep me up to date with all the awesome and creepy UA-cam series and games
Simulacra has returned.
Simulacra: Pipe Dreams.
Fantastic. Thank you. I think the key for developers is to listen and build from criticism but also be very careful in who they choose to listen too. Not everyone with a youtube channel has the best advice for making your game better. This developer seemed to choose wisely by listening to you and reaching out.
I bought it on this recommendation. Thank you.
Look at mister important getting recognized, your moving up in the world so keep making quality videos. I love the care and detail you put into your videos please keep up the great work.
Most game developers I've met would STRIKE down on a UA-camr who criticizes their games, I'm glad these guys were chill about it
Great video as always, Nick! Not related to this video, but on the subject of video games, I would really love to see you take on Doki Doki Literature Club! Don't let the cutesy exterior and beginning of the game turn you off of it - it's really good and definitely right up your alley.
Sailor Eli Let's not forget -libitna- monika.
Ur Grand Dank Boi Figment if he’s played it wouldn’t he know?
Ah, didn't realize. I very rarely go on Twitter, despite having one (and following him, lol).
Ur Grand Dank Boi Figment wait.. hidden ARG?
Yeah, this retarded over-hyped piece of trope-y trash has a half-assed ARG tied to it. Yaaaay.
Whoah.... Nick.... That's awesome.... That means Nick has helped make this game pretty much. I'm so proud. *applauds*
Kamden Vera its true
~your reddit/discord mod
Yees, my body is ready.
I've been waiting for this!
I found your channel through Sara is Missing and I can't be happier I did :^)
Ashley was wearing the same outfit? You can see the stripes and stuff, only thing different is her hair but she probably just put it up to eat... everything else is true though
Simulacra is a much better game overall, but i do still think the way players interact with media could be improved. Like nick mentioned, the change in the background is nice and i think more things like that should be done in future games. When i saw much of the photos and videos i was waiting and hoping for more like it.
I think the developers could benefit from watching the movie “lake mungo”. One of the strongest aspects of that movie isnt what it shows you really but rather what you miss. In fact the majority of the truly creepy aspects of the movie are puposely left near the end.
Glad you share the same opinion on jumpscares
Milton Keynes on a midsummer morning is a theatre code, used for the practice of 'nubbing', filling in space while the actor tries to remember their lines. Formalised in pop culture with the Globe code in Shakespeare's time, the actor would use the word 'nub' at the start of an improvised bit to signal to the others they were lost, and incorporate the place name 'Milton Haven' to signal they were back on script afterwards. A Midsummer Night's Dream is famously connected to it, being the Shakespeare play in which a theatre troupe resides.
Not to be rude, but I do believe Jumpscares have value in of making terror, well terror. If you have just a creepy ambiance and no threat of anything happening the game begins to feel empty and the fear goes away because you're safe. For a game you'll be playing for several hours straight if nothing happens the horror fades away. Even monsters lose their fear over exposure to them.
In the case of a game like this, nothing would harm you the entire time. Without jump scares the ambiance was pointless and hollow for me. If there is no monster chasing you or going to kill your character or you the horror kills itself, from my experience. Eventually you catch on to there is no game over or punishment or even a reason to stay tense.
Having jumpscares being made in not all games, but at least some horror games, actually can benefit them all due to creating tension for ambiance. The possibility for something to happen being enough to trigger the fight or flight response is like being prepared for that monster that is about to kill you, life or death.
I can understand why people hate them and over saturation is of course bad, yes that series... but it is still a sense of terror and fear as long as it is done well. Over saturation to other horror experiences as a kid made me grow accustomed to them, but not Jumpscares.
If you made the market devoid of them other horror would end up being over saturated. Like shooting someone to avoid shooting someone else, nothing is accomplished in the end. You avoid shooting both people.
Or I am crazy and wrong.
Also this was far too long, sorry.
Dragoonsoul7878 Nah the sudden phone call jump scares work in the context of the game. It's the loud noise plus spooky face jump scares that are lackluster.
Play anything by KittyHorrorshow and get back to me about that whole *"If you have just a creepy ambiance and no threat of anything happening the game begins to feel empty and the fear goes away because you're safe."* sort of philosophy.
If the ambiance is good enough and it's done right, you DON'T know you're safe. You're kept in the unknown and you're paranoid.
Let's say I'm playing a game where I'm walking in a hallway and I pick up a note. Suddenly, A LOUD SCARY NOISE PLAYS WITH SPOOKY FACE. Cool, then it's done. The shock is gone. You're back to looking for the next note to get jumped at again.
RANDOM jump-scares need to stop. If an actual threat pops out then actually STAYS and chases you, then the intention was to catch you off guard and end your game. If a spooky ghost comes, screams, and then goes away...what's the fucking point?
I agree somewhat.
I guess you can almost say that Keigan games is improving the simulacra.
oh my god nick your responses to the phone's questions are golden
Jumpscares are quite effective, provided they have a follow-up. But you're absolutely right- paranoia tactics work a lot better for fear. The trouble is, there's always the risk someone won't play the game all in one go. How do you rebuild the tension relieved by a good night's sleep?
To be fair, I've noticed that some photos I've taken are listed under a date way before it was taken, while others taken seconds later where they were supposed to be. Does this mean it's okay that the photos are completely out of order? No. Just saying that this does happen from time to time.
I really liked the game and the story, but let's face it, the acting (especially from the guy who plays Taylor) is really cringy. I don't know if that was intentional, but it was hard to take the game serious in the end because of the acting.
Viquetoria Part of it has to do with his english speaking skills. It's clearly not his native language.
You did not sound too harsh in your analysis of "Sara is missing." You sounded professional. You gave us all the good points about the ARG and all the bad points. But you sounded professional. And anybody could appreciate that. Another thing, I I think people who make a argies should be honored by the fact that you have even taken the time to not only look at them but make an episode about them.
Well this is especially creepy, I had just finished watching your HtMaWS intro video and was mulling over it when this is released. How convenient...
Cool an actually competent developer willing to improve themselves. Sadly a rare sight...
Nightmind, when you started to describe SIMULACRA I could have sworn you were reading the description of OMIKRON's main antagonist.
That makes me feel so very truly proud for you hermano. ☺ And for such a perfectly situated and spectacular article. I needed this. Thank you Sir.
BTW, we have also implemented your feedback in that very same video for our project.. in a somewhat more pressing manner. 😉
An alternative to the jumpscares could also be a transparent version of the images. When you exit an app, the background could look black or static and there's a hint of an image (like in the TVs in Outlast). I'm really glad they listened to your input.
Hey Nick. If you don't mind, I have some (hopefully constructive) criticism of your narration.
First, let me say that you speak very clearly, and what you're trying to say makes sense.
However, most of the time, you seem to only sound slightly amused/intrigued, slightly annoyed, or a little disappointed.
The subtle intonation of your voice kinda works since your character looks to be a cat, but it can get a bit... bland in longer videos or if I'm watching multiple videos of yours consecutively.
epic, christmas came early
Dude that is so awesome seriously. The fact that they took on your criticisms and then gave you their next game to review and asked you to rip it apart is just amazing. So much respect to the developers I'll have to try the game?
The symbol that Gateway 31 uses is very reminiscent of the Symbol of Chaos from Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories and perhaps that of chaos magic. Seeing as how chaos is a synonym for disorder and entropy, this may relate to what was discussed by the sender.
I personally think Sara is missing is far scarier the thought of your control of your phone gone from a rogue AI is very frightening.
Am l going crazy or something? l see nothing out of order in the 5 sequential pictures that were shown to be "out of order". Ashley's wearing the same clothes, not different ones. Am l missing something here?
I still don’t know how you make videos so atmospheric.