How Playdead Created the Greatest Level in Gaming History

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  • Опубліковано 7 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 114

  • @Jack-mp9yg
    @Jack-mp9yg Рік тому +79

    I’ve watched a lot of video essays in my time but none that have captivated me and tapped into emotion so deeply. I had the exact same experience with this level.
    Your videos are of a quality of someone with millions of subscribers and I have no doubt you will get there very quickly.
    Honestly I just watched your video on morality in games too and the way you’ve edited both of these videos and gotten those cinematic shots is absolutely Mindblowing to me. Your pacing, compositions and feel for drama and emotion is next level.
    Please don’t ever stop making these.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  Рік тому +3

      Dude thank you so much!!!
      I still feel like I've got a lot to work on but this lets me know I'm at least on the right path.
      I'm only getting started though :)

    • @Ara.Ara..
      @Ara.Ara.. Рік тому +1

      Apparently he also has you hooked .. I also came from that same video lmao and I think he really did just cop 2 new fans

    • @oooodaxteroooo
      @oooodaxteroooo 6 місяців тому

      i didnt. the word "great" is ambiguous anyway. the whole game is a well-crafted piece of art, but nothing stands out. if anything its the lump at the end that twists you insides somehow. that gripped me :)

  • @razmataziest
    @razmataziest Рік тому +65

    I saw the title and just knew which level it was. I love this level and will never forget the first time I played it. You really did it justice in this video.

  • @georgemccartney8906
    @georgemccartney8906 Рік тому +45

    "I walked in the level with fear but I came out of it with bravery" If there is a single sentence to describe the impression this level leaves, it would be this. Bravo on this analysis, it was especially captivating and satisfying seeing someone just as enthralled by this level as I

  • @emilymitchell6823
    @emilymitchell6823 Рік тому +35

    Totally unexpected for this to just pop up in my timeline and I’m glad it did. This is great

  • @ariabritton9669
    @ariabritton9669 11 місяців тому +37

    you forget that once you reach the elevator, the game basically says "you ain't outta the woods yet, boy!" and the shockwave smashes the elevator car to bits with you in it.

    • @kataminedj
      @kataminedj Місяць тому +1

      Immediately drowning after that feeling of victory hahaha

  • @LostLegendTrance
    @LostLegendTrance Рік тому +23

    Superb video. I love this game and that level was also my favorite. Glad you pointed out how good the music is.
    As a musician, this level blew my mind, not only for the change of mood after that one puzzle, but the sound design. How the blast evolves into a synth bass stab that accompanies the swelling music, just brilliant.
    Great video, I have subscribed!

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  Рік тому +3

      I'll often times play Inside and skip to the shockwave level just so I can have the ambient music in the background while I do other work. It's so soothing, even with the blasts. The sound design very much makes the moment special. Martin Stig Andersen is a genius.
      Thanks for watching and subscribing!!!

  • @CoyoteCountry
    @CoyoteCountry Рік тому +9

    To this day, I can still hear the shock wave’s noise in my ear without having to listen to a video of it. This level BROKE me, and I am here for it once again.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  11 місяців тому

      The sound design is absolutely stellar in this game. I often have this level playing in the background while I do other work. There’s just something so oddly soothing about it.

  • @matthewjames5474
    @matthewjames5474 10 місяців тому +6

    Inside is one of the greatest games I've ever played. Ranks up there with the 13 year me playing original Zelda on NES. the ending to this game is epic.

  • @danielRpauls
    @danielRpauls Рік тому +8

    This level taught me what Lovecraftian was before I knew what Lovecraftian meant.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  11 місяців тому +5

      You’re so right. The whole game remains a puzzled mystery but this level in particular: The deadly blasts coming from a fog of abyss. There’s yet to be a scientific explanation for it. And that’s what makes it so great.

  • @ranchipoo1727
    @ranchipoo1727 10 місяців тому +4

    You should be a voice actor for a horror podcast, your deep and rumblyvoice is absolutely PERFECT for it! Very thrilling!

  • @placebo_effect
    @placebo_effect Рік тому +11

    I'm so glad you made this video!! It's my favourite level too, and this game is so underrated that I've never seen anyone talk about the level before. Or how such a silent game can make you feel such intense emotions. We had a similar experience playing the level, I remember not wanting to leave once I finally surpassed it, but the game had brainwashed me into just keep moving forward, so I did. After a few seconds of standing there, trying to understand whatever I had survived, I just kept running forward. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about the level, like what was the shockwave invented for? Why was there an entire obstacle course for it, sitting there, abandoned? How many people died before it was left there, shooting out it's shockwaves for the rest of eternity? Like the place is so dangerous, the scientists had to evacuate and leave it how it was. They couldn't shut that thing off. It gives me chills, and the whole game does. But jesus christ, why would anyone mess with something so lethal and dangerous. For the sake of science, but at what cost

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  Рік тому +2

      That’s part of what makes this level incredible: The mystery surrounding the purpose and origin of the shockwave. The game gives you enough to piece together your own theory, while simultaneously not giving you much at all. It leads you to think deeply about it, like how you stated. It’s abstract, but at the same time, it isn’t. It’s a masterfully done level.

    • @placebo_effect
      @placebo_effect Рік тому

      @@StrictlyMediocre Exactly, I've never wondered so much about a single video game level in my life. But playdead really knows how to let our minds fill in the blanks perfectly

  • @id3YRecreating
    @id3YRecreating Рік тому +2

    Amazing video, like always ! Keep up the great work! Me too this is one of my favourite soundtracks after the shock wave, man I love this game

  • @RS-jb1lf
    @RS-jb1lf 5 місяців тому +3

    This was a fantastic analysis and the relief is palpable; the shift in music when the cover with the rotating metal shields the boy is simply euphoric. Cinematic genius and so highly rewarding. Come on Playdead; bring us Game 3!

    • @feritye767
      @feritye767 4 місяці тому +2

      playdead's 3rd game has been in development for 7 years, and it was described as 'a sci-fi 3rd person 3D open world game set in a remote corner of the universe.'

    • @MarkRosOfft
      @MarkRosOfft 4 місяці тому

      ​​@@feritye767 yep, and you can watch all the concept arts on my channel about this game. Video is called Playdead's next game "ROVER"

  • @caesarplaysgames
    @caesarplaysgames 3 місяці тому +1

    As many others have said, I had the same experience with this level, particularly with the rotating shield part. You saying you were about to look up the solution, but then looked at the screen and just decided to go for it in the most nerve-wracking way is *exactly* what I did as well. Great video, you know how to put into words feelings and thoughts that I think we all felt playing this level.

  • @tommo120
    @tommo120 Рік тому +2

    That was fantastic! Makes me very happy to hear someone else appreciating such a beautifully fantastic game, let alone the very literal best level in the whole game. I feel like there isn't anything I can add since you've put all of my feelings into words already here! All I can say is it feels pretty amazing to know others had their imagination light up like a Christmas tree playing that level.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  11 місяців тому +1

      Sorry for responding so late!
      Thank you though dude! It’s a level I constantly thinking about (it’s been seven years since I played it) so I just had to make a video showing my love for it. I’m glad others feel the same way about it!

    • @Maszzmic
      @Maszzmic 3 місяці тому +1

      Yeah, it's so great to see many other people had the same experience!

  • @kataminedj
    @kataminedj Місяць тому +1

    oh the sound design is perfect. Though I couldn't manage the level that smoothly, it most definitely felt smooth. I realised then I wasn't really searching for the exit.

  • @TheKrutchie
    @TheKrutchie Рік тому +3

    This video was super well put together dude! You get across tone and emotion in ways I don't see many other creators doing, good stuff!

  • @draqonid
    @draqonid Рік тому +3

    this was an amazing video wtf , i loved every second!

  • @Xprimentyl
    @Xprimentyl 3 місяці тому +1

    You earned my sub. Perfectly articulated; I feel the exact same way. INSIDE is easily one of the most brilliant games of all time, and this section is the most brilliant piece of it. It's more than a game; it's an experience, an experience I highly doubt will ever be matched. Perfection is a high standard.

  • @iainmcdonald9032
    @iainmcdonald9032 Рік тому +4

    The commentary, the editing and everything else puts this video above “Strictly Mediocre” into something brilliant.

  • @elisha2358
    @elisha2358 11 місяців тому +1

    Hey man, you created a very very profound piece of art with this video. My mind is blown by the quality writing and production.

  • @1negroup841
    @1negroup841 Рік тому +4

    You Need more Subs Dude Fantastic Video

  • @ArshadAnsari-lm2du
    @ArshadAnsari-lm2du Рік тому +2

    I think I should write my grocery list here for the algorithm.

  • @ittakir
    @ittakir 5 місяців тому +1

    Not a single word about THE LAMP? This is simply the pinnacle of a whole level!

  • @luckykidz804
    @luckykidz804 6 місяців тому

    honestly it is INFURIATING how underrated this part is, It's so cool! how could this not be your favorite part?

  • @TheDarkNikolai1
    @TheDarkNikolai1 7 місяців тому

    Finding a secret in this game was when I realised just how amazingly put together it really is. I was fully mesmorised. This presentation really took me back to that moment. Deserves a lot more views.

  • @raakone
    @raakone Рік тому +2

    Love this! It's epic.
    Also, at least one other game has a "tribute" to the Shockwave Chamber at one point.

    • @raakone
      @raakone 2 місяці тому

      update: said game has TWO different tributes to the Shockwave Chamber!

  • @doxielain2231
    @doxielain2231 5 днів тому

    My headcanon is that Inside is a generation ship that's gone off the rails. That chamber was the heart of the vessel, and things have gone very, very wrong.

  • @dastaug
    @dastaug Рік тому +2

    My absolute favorite experience in a video game ever. A masterpiece indeed!!

  • @ThousandairesClub
    @ThousandairesClub 6 місяців тому

    *Everything you described is exactly how I felt about this level. the anticipation from the door vibrations, the clockwise shield, the music kicking in once you figure it out....its the most perfect experience I've ever had with this type of game* 👌

  • @W31RD0.mp4
    @W31RD0.mp4 4 місяці тому +1

    thanks youtube compression.

    • @Maszzmic
      @Maszzmic 3 місяці тому +1

      Uhuh! It's a pretty dark video! Watched it yesterday at night, totally amazed by the video, wanted to see it a second time right now and just can't watch this in daylight, which is a shame for it is beautifully crafted. Although the games is very dark as well, I think this video is darker than all the other video's i've seen on Inside.

  • @ZenoWatson
    @ZenoWatson Місяць тому

    100% Agree. Such a truly transcending game. Hence why I have patiently waited 7+ years for the next game from this developer.

  • @Tugar_Dumkin
    @Tugar_Dumkin 5 місяців тому

    I don’t play inside every often but I love the feeling I get in some parts of the game. The same feeling of acceptance I get from dreams I’ve had where the only thing I can do is wander. Traveling endlessly because I have nothing else. No obligations or resources. I know I will die eventually in said situation so it doesn’t matter anymore.

  • @MuhlisErtugrul
    @MuhlisErtugrul 4 місяці тому

    I've played this game like 5-6 times since Epic Games gave it for free a few years back (thanks Epic), and this level still gives me chills. It's so beautifully created. Can't wait for the next masterpiece from Playdead.

  • @someidiot6359
    @someidiot6359 3 місяці тому +1

    Holy, compression did you dirty bro 😭

  • @PicxlPlay
    @PicxlPlay 4 місяці тому

    Damn this is great video!

  • @its_lauren3090
    @its_lauren3090 9 місяців тому

    this video was truly fantastic!

  • @zeltsalat_ofc
    @zeltsalat_ofc Рік тому +1

    Beautifully explained 🙂

  • @cieles5758
    @cieles5758 Рік тому +1

    Great Video!

  • @benjaminfranklinstyl
    @benjaminfranklinstyl 3 місяці тому

    That's how you play that game. Really enjoy and observe the love devs put in this game ❤

  • @amrahmd
    @amrahmd 4 місяці тому

    you explained exactly what I felt when 1st time play this game specially the shock wave level ,

  • @solconnection2
    @solconnection2 3 місяці тому

    well said, this game is a masterpiece and that section is all time.

  • @gummitheguppy5901
    @gummitheguppy5901 7 місяців тому +1

    "i felt attached to this boy after this long level"...The ending must've done a number on you huh 😭

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  7 місяців тому +4

      *SPOILERS*
      Bruh I thought the whole mission of the game was to save the blob when I first saw it. Not become it 😭

  • @john1754
    @john1754 8 місяців тому +1

    I feel you man! I personally loved the game for its animation! ❤

  • @sarahelster6835
    @sarahelster6835 Рік тому +1

    Great video, you have an amazing voice

  • @brumeargentee
    @brumeargentee 4 місяці тому

    It's curious but i felt the same when i played the last level of Limbo. the gravity shift mixed perfectly with the music is very similar to this level.
    And i absolutely loved the last level of Limbo because of that. so when i saw the shockwave level of Inside, it's the moment i realised that Inside was a masterpiece.

    • @Maszzmic
      @Maszzmic 3 місяці тому

      It's funny how personal these experiences are, and I guess that is the whole point of the video. This creator making an essay how this level left an indelible impression on him, starting with how this can be true for many games. A few comments above I read someone talking about some GTA helicopter level. Go figure!
      This video very deeply connects to my experience of Inside as well, as it does to many other gamers I read. This level made an impression that I won't forget. So after Inside, I played through Limbo, expecting that it would leave an equal impression on me. But somehow I just don't remember much of it. It's so bat that yesterday I saw some clips from the game and it gave a déjà vu feeling "hey, I have been there, and seen that before!", not really able to connect it to a real memory of me playing it. So yeah, these experiences are very personal and apparently I have to play through Limbo again :)
      I guess I'm just a sucker for post-apocalyptic landscapes, 'experiments gone wrong' kind of type. Portal 2 also left an indelible impression on me, especially the deep 'underground' section with Cave Johnsson.

  • @Tyzone123
    @Tyzone123 7 місяців тому

    My favorite part of the game is the shock wave part it has been for 7 years and it will always be

  • @aspekt7631
    @aspekt7631 3 місяці тому

    This whole game is a masterpiece

  • @ArshadAnsari-lm2du
    @ArshadAnsari-lm2du Рік тому +3

    This was absolutely fire 🔥

  • @thenightflower7615
    @thenightflower7615 7 місяців тому +2

    This is undescribable ! I have no words to describe how beautiful and deep this game is ! And your words are so touching and sad I really like it 🍀 I hope you do another video about the game called " Little nightmares 2 " look forward for it ✨

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  7 місяців тому

      That would be fun!
      I enjoyed the first one, and I’ve yet to play the second. It’s pretty up on my list of games to play.
      Thank you for watching!

  • @s.hamedstriker5315
    @s.hamedstriker5315 Рік тому +2

    " This threatening area is the most lethal in the game. It is the beating heart that powers this industrious world. it is intimidating, overwhelming, unfathom ...
    This place wanted me dead. But the fear I felt before has now been replace with invincibility ...
    it was inspiring ...
    I was now in the same mission as the boy whatever it was..."
    Wow. amazing words and description. I wrote an analysis for story of this game and I thought this area was remnants of an old war. but the details you've mentioned here, "the beating heart that powers this industrious world", seems much more correct. Yes! an active monstrosity that has this world in its talon wants us to stop, to be dead, as it has changed all free-will into puppetry and killed every good free person around it already. Not to mention the clashing debris you mentioned strongly suggests that these pulses are made to kill the boy otherwise those buildings or the elevator shaft later on would have been destroyed long time before. Thank you for giving me this insight about "inside"! You are very talented, however, I appreciate people like you to contribute more in the actual world than social media but that is just my opinion. Have a good life my man.

  • @Shythalia
    @Shythalia Рік тому +2

    The level with the funniest death in the game.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  Рік тому +1

      yeah ngl I may have laughed when I first saw that death lol

  • @andru9259
    @andru9259 2 місяці тому

    Beautiful intro
    Great video

  • @PinkJuno
    @PinkJuno Рік тому +1

    what a beautiful video! glad this showed up on my tl

  • @noodleydoo2862
    @noodleydoo2862 Рік тому +1

    This was great!!

  • @sagnikchakraborty1613
    @sagnikchakraborty1613 10 місяців тому +1

    Inside and Limbo are not games, they're an experience. goddamn i agree with you 100% this level was the best there was. altho i'm a bit biased towards the anti gravity ones as well.

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  10 місяців тому +1

      Those were incredible as well, but the sound design in this one takes the cake for me. They’re utterly perfect pieces of art. Each one is unforgettable. The “secret level” in Limbo blew me away. I could go on haha.

  • @AndrewFosterSheff69
    @AndrewFosterSheff69 День тому

    My fave scene, gotta admit!

  • @YesMyNameIsJohan
    @YesMyNameIsJohan 7 місяців тому

    So basically, «i did everything Else on impulse, when i got to use my brain i was filled with amazement and awe!» cool and such but very dramatic

    • @StrictlyMediocre
      @StrictlyMediocre  7 місяців тому +1

      Sorta?
      The game is filled with puzzles throughout that don’t rely on impulse decisions and require a level of thinking that varies from simple to complex. What makes this level different from the rest is the unique sound design and the feelings it invokes. The eerie set design. The life threatening shockwave that has no definitive explanation, yet there is so much in the design of this level that can lead to your own theories, which in turn adds to your experience.
      Admittedly, I can see how people find this video over dramatic, but I genuinely feel this way about the level. It’s not something I’m ashamed of 🤷‍♂️

  • @manishparmar3946
    @manishparmar3946 7 місяців тому +1

    Man, this guy has not heard of GTA Vice city Helecopter mission, you dont come out as same person who went in, if... if you are able to complete it !!!

    • @ZOOM_BOI_YT
      @ZOOM_BOI_YT 5 місяців тому

      Yeah.... Just appreciate the only thing ..... Not just about hardness also creativity and etc matters.... You minors don't understand 😑 if you don't understand the point of the video so just don't open your stupid mind here.

  • @noahmagerkorth9146
    @noahmagerkorth9146 Рік тому

    I've never heard of this game but I may have to try it out now

  • @marinhoutube
    @marinhoutube 11 місяців тому

    Wow. U did a gj telling us about ur emotions. Congratulations.

  • @onlythistube
    @onlythistube 7 місяців тому

    There are so many memorable in this almost perfect game. My favourite is the overwhelming deep call of the underwater horn. Gets me every time. This is easily imho one of the best games out there. So are Journey, Ghost of Tsushima, Mad Max, Portal 1, 2 & Revolution, Ori 1 & 2, Gris, Fez, Chants of Sennaar, Days Gone, Sable, Control, Soma, Animal Well, Children of Morta, Alien Isolation, GTA IV, A Short Hike, Quantum Break, The Touryst, Horizon Zero Dawn, Luigi's Mansion 3, Honeycomb Hotel, The Talos Principle, Eufloria, Burnout Paradise, Mark of the Ninja Remastered, Outer Wilds, Dave the Diver, Stray...

  • @neilloughran4437
    @neilloughran4437 13 днів тому

    Yeah still waiting for something even approaching the sophistication of this game. I think I bought it in 2018 and I had it running on a projector on a 2.5m screen in my basement in the winter of a very cold Norway. My friends and I were hooked... sitll nothing approaches this. I have played many rip offs like Stela but again nothing really captured that atmosphere. Somerville had promise but I got bored half way thoguh...

  • @saiganesh1202
    @saiganesh1202 5 місяців тому

    Is this game still available in Play Store

  • @jordancarr2669
    @jordancarr2669 Рік тому +1

    holy shit

  • @ArshadAnsari-lm2du
    @ArshadAnsari-lm2du Рік тому +4

    Comment for the algorithm

  • @thespaghetti6957
    @thespaghetti6957 23 години тому

    I love this

  • @cj6732
    @cj6732 5 місяців тому

    I stopped watching at 10:40 coz I haven't passed this last part yet. But great video

  • @travkenn1019
    @travkenn1019 9 місяців тому

    Omg the drama

  • @jimmyperez4883
    @jimmyperez4883 Рік тому +1

    Omawwww daaaa directaaaa

  • @TheGiantWGuy
    @TheGiantWGuy 5 місяців тому

    Womp womp

  • @JPI_RV
    @JPI_RV 10 місяців тому

    Cool!

  • @ArshadAnsari-lm2du
    @ArshadAnsari-lm2du Рік тому +1

    Let's gooooooo!

  • @ghuibul
    @ghuibul Рік тому

    its not cause and effect so no

  • @Ara.Ara..
    @Ara.Ara.. Рік тому

    Im subed

  • @1Corinthians151-4
    @1Corinthians151-4 21 день тому

    1.5x

  • @bloocifer
    @bloocifer Рік тому +1

    another great one