Killer 7 - Story Explanation and Analysis
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- I've always known of this game's existence. In fact, I remember seeing commercials for this game when I was 11 or 12 years old. The art style always stuck out in my mind. I never played it, for some reason I can not explain. Recently, I was able to go through the game with a couple of guys from my Discord server. I was blown away by just how deep this story is from a psychological, political, and religious perspective.
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Intro by icaro
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#killer7
#suda51
#killthepast
The game being on rails kind of adds to your point of him being a slave to the unconscious. The Killer 7 dont have free will, just the option to move on a predetermined path. There’s no explanation for this either.. they’re just set to go for the rollercoaster that’s made for them. Brilliant stuff imo
Damn didn’t think of it like that. Great observation!
That's a bit of a contradiction though, isn't it? Yes, the macroscopic path is predetermined, but in theory, each character is free to decide whether to advance along that path, to backtrack, or even stay in place. Heck, the choice to completely change personas exists too. So while the options may be relatively limited, the will to freely choose the course of action exists nonetheless, at all times.
And so the entire game (imo) is the complete opposite of "being a slave to the unconscious". Rather, the thematic conflict is the existential angst of being "hyper-conscious" of having such tremendous free will, yet being nonetheless constrained by the finitude of available action, as well as the inevitable linearity & trajectory of "the World".
Faced with that premise, the game then asks us (personified through Harman & Kun Lan, and ostensibly answered at the end with Emir): "Should one strive to forge an Identity through deliberate action, or should one embrace the Identity that emerges passively from circumstance?". To what extent is either option even possible?
@@justinpiche8561 nahhhhh i mean compared to other games (games with more than 1 player choice and free movement) this game’s mechanics give you VERY little free will. I wouldn’t call the option to backtrack and stagnate “free will” or player choice. At that point it’s just nitpicking. The game designers KNOW you’re going to advance forward eventually and so does Harmon. I mean heck, the power to change personas was taken from Harmon in the first place. “Everything happens for a reason”
Interesting idea there! Having borrowed my copy of this game to many friends and none of them being able to get very far because of the controls, I always felt that the controls were just Suda's way of daring the player to finish the story. Like a rite of passage, or a trial by fire. This idea, especially the trial by fire aspect, meshes well with one of the game's many themes. Trauma and abuse.
That doesn't even make sense
I’ve had a weird obsession with this game since it came out and I never talk about it with anyone I just walk around with it everyday like a damn weirdo
I feel the same, but I’m a newcomer to Killer7. I just beat Killer7 for the first time a few months ago. What did you want to say about it?
bruh same, i played it probably in 2005 or 2006, game really had huge impact for me during these years, and i obsessing a lot for so many aspect of the game
@@samuelbaugh4952 mainly the metaphysical chess game between Harman and Kun Lan and how it kind of personifies everything that happens in world events and sometimes smaller things (especially regarding historical conflicts of the Eastern and Western worlds). It’s kind of the mental image I use when looking at any sort of dichotomy.
Also (this is semi embarrassing) but I’ll hear the character switch noise in my head and imagine myself reforming into someone else sometimes when I have to access a different emotion or aspect of myself
Like a damn weirdo
Same bruh same lol
@@BasedGodZolus You are not the only weirdo,I sometimes laugh Like a heaven smiles......so hey you are not alone
Actually, Killer7 is a connected to Moonlight Syndrome. It's part of Suda51's mega series, dubbed by others with the name "Kill the Past". Although it may not seem like it, these games take place in the same world/timeline. Games in the Kill the Past series(other than the ones mentioned already) include The Silver Case, Flower, Sun, and Rain, and No More Heroes. I highly recommend you check these games out because not only are they connected, but they follow similar themes to the ones seen in Killer7.
A little late, but Killer7 takes place in an alternate timeline if I remember correctly, with the mainline universe being the NMH universe, hence why Mills is still alive in Travis Strikes Again. Plus, in the K7 timeline air travel is banned and network communications, aka the internet, was shut down completely, though there are apparently still online multiplayer games. This doesn’t fly with NMH, since Shinobu travels to Japan, which was destroyed in K7, and Travis got his original beam katana the Blood Berry in an online auction.
@@charlestonobryant807 Yep, following on this. Killer7 is actually happening in an alternate universe, not the actual same timeline as NMH, it's like mixed up with past things done with The Silver Case and FSR, we can even see Sundance Shot in the beta trailer of Killer7. But Killer7 is not part of the exact same world than NMH.
@@charlestonobryant807 Killer7 might be in an alternate timeline, but that's an unnecessary conclusion jumped to by people who examine the dates of events throughout the games in the series without considering some important details:
-Time travel is in-use within the universe.
-Alternate realities have been established.
-Not every piece of information we are given is necessarily true.
With those things in mind there are other ways to explain the timeline discrepancies between games like The Silver Case and Killer7.
I literally just learned about Killer7 about 5 hours ago.
sincronicity strikes again
I suggest buying it asap without spoiling yourself too much if you're interested, truly an hidden gem.
it takes place in the same universe as my game ;)
No More heroes ;)
For me it was just a little more than 20 minutes ago
One of my fovorite games OFF ALL TIME
Killer7 is one of my favorites. This is the most intelligent game i've ever played.
You should play the other Kill The Past games, Flower Sun and Rain is also really interesting.
Btw explaining the kid was amazing. I knew he was related to MS but i never thought much about his metaphor. Btw, Killer7 was originally meant to be a sequel to Flower Sun and Rain, so yeah: it was meant to have Mithra canonically. To have a much larger context, you should play both The Silver Case and Flower Sun and Rain. And look into the old Killer7 beta trailers.
I think the reason the metaphor never fully hit me until this video was because it took a familiar symbol-the yin and yang-and obfuscated it into a full paragraph, describing it piece by piece but never outright putting a name to it. It was like a riddle that takes the question that usually follows-"What am I?", an address to the audience-and tosses it away, leaving the audience lost…at least until somebody realized what Mithra was talking about and put it to paper/pixels/a video.
Also, I think that The Silver Case, FSR, and The 25th Ward are their own full trilogy; while Silver, FSR, and killer7 are the more well-known thematic trilogy.
12:24 "Epstein didn't kill himself."
Bilal Kabasakal Is there a “Carole Baskin murdered her husband” message somewhere in this video too?
Suda's always been on to something. There's government corruption in all the games he wrote himself.
epstien was killed by the presidential staff.
the president fucked kids with him and he was going to squeal about it.
get on board and educated.
@@dante224real1 dont be partial. Tell about all the sides. Not just Trump's but Clinton's and Biden's too. Plus your theory needs evidence. While Biden sniffing kids is like an everyday thing.
@@stormlogos7230 www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-epstein-private-islands-caribbean-real-estate-portfolio-photos-2019-7#epstein-planned-to-build-a-compound-on-the-island-but-was-issued-a-stop-work-order-in-december-for-not-obeying-environmental-regulations-according-to-the-new-york-post-the-stop-work-order-was-ignored-and-construction-on-the-island-continued-17
Can't explain how much I loved this game. It's one of those subconscious thing. Rationally I could give good arguments why this game is awesome but I can't explain why it's so embedded in me.
ROSE6450 same
12:24- Subliminal message. Also, please make more videos on other Suda51 games.
Message reads: Epstein didn't kill himself.
@@mercenarygundam1487 Well yeah, i know that.
@@brunofranco4416 He wrote it for people like me who couldn't stop on the right frame.
Tbh Killer7 is amazing but it’s so damn underrated that barely anyone is willing to talk about it
Talk about what idiot? What is there to talk about? You play the game you finish the game its over. How hard is that to understand 😅😅😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂😂
I remember when i was around 6 or 7. My stepdad loved this game but i was too horified to watch him play it. It gave me nightmares on how it looked but im so interested in the story now and i want to know more about the game without having to play it and have flashbacks.
had a blast being apart of this~ game truly inspired me throughout my life and i really hope this illuminates the game to many people to try it out.
the game deserves the spotlight
You say expanding on this would be overly long but I would gladly watch a 3 hour video of you breaking down all of the hidden incredibly interesting metaphysical/cosmic shit going on intrinsically linked to every facet of this game. Wonderful video!
You helped me understand psychosis with silent hill 2 and your expert analysis. Every time synchronicity is strong in my life, your videos are too. I’m deeply connected with Killer 7 and I’m just barely embarking on my playthrough. Im on the 2nd mission and I’m obsessed. I’m going to downlod this video and probably be buried with it. I need to know more, and I need to know about Samantha. I love you and know you, you cosmically genius man. I’ll make a video response to you one day, just you wait.
thank you, finally someone deep dives into this forgotten jewel...
Dude I LOVED the aggressive cel shading for this style. I would be happy with either a cleaned up remaster or a solid remake, as long as they keep the recognizable art style.
Killer7 is my favorite game of all time, and played a formative role in my development as a designer. Thank you for the thoughtful analysis and hopefully your continued videos on the topic.
as a fellow designer and killer7 fan, i would love to see your work!!
12:24 really ties the whole video together. Also, phenomenal video. I am someone who was turned off by the gameplay so i appreciate being able to watch this and learn about what a risk suda took with this thing.
I love killer 7 , i played in a ps2 slim and i fell in love with the dialogue and the art style , music , concepts and ideas. Seriously , if you came here withouh know it about killer 7. At least give it a try , in the name of harman
For people who haven't tried killer7 yet, I think this video is a good starting point
God you're channel is sooo damn underrated it hurts my mood to think about. Videoessays is my go-to-place for entertainment/relaxation, and I'm subscribed to shit tons of channels for said entertainment, and your stuff just always manage to bring unique takes in approach, analysis, correlating themes, and so on. Not even gonna mention your preface in this video. Dude, your good at it, I love the stuff you're doing, it's original. Good job!
Imma damn sticky subscriber at this point.
Thanks so so so so much! This comment sincerely made my day. Been feeling anxious all day today for some reason. By the way, the best way to help my channel is by sharing my videos, so please keep doing that.
this video is very important , hope to see more about killer7
It all depends on how many people watch this video. Please share it. :D
I bought this on the cube back in 2005 thinking it would be an intense fps but after 45 mins of gameplay, I put it away and I picked it up again in highschool and I could finally appreciate the complexity of its controls and now that I replay it as a 32 yo man, I understand its heavy political plot.
What a game.
I hope you do more Suda51 games , especially 25th ward and the silver case .
I've always been a huge fan of Killer7, and generally speaking; Suda51's games mean a lot to me. Thank you for making this video.
(I'm from the Discord server)
Mr. Derrat i just want to say i love your videos they are insightful and well made. they have gotten out of a dark place. thank you for giving light to killer 7 Please do more videos on this game thank you.
Please make another Killer7 video
Max i just started playing this game, one of games I havent played in the suda51 catalouge and you just so happen to make a video on it?!! Love ya work mate
I challenge you to give your take on Flower Sun and Rain and The 25th Ward by the way.
"Who decided the universe must be this way?"
Before I find out what it is I say it must be the collective unconscious we all communicate and feel a connection with all human beings in this world, never changing or twisted by ideology, memes, language and identities of others that allow us to strengthen our psyche and self to revive our people, nations and identity and respect those of others!
I knew it, Ive been watching too much of Max's videos
I finished this game and I still don't know wtf is going on
Still hoping for a follow up to this video. I feel this one just covers the basics. Killer 7 deserves way more
So happy you made this video. This is one of my favorite games. Killer work dude. Thank you
YYEES
Suda51 hinted that Killer7 shares a universe with the No More Heroes series...
...hoooo boy...
Suda's games are a crash-course in subjective reality. Sometimes it's up to us to form-up our own perceptions of face-reality to make a single thing make sense.
Going back and watching your videos after listening to your Aion videos and yea, now i fully understand why JP said it's terifying
Lol I was looking for an actual _story explanation_ Like, what's up with Garcian/Emir Parkreiner? Does the entire Killer 7 live in Harman's body? The actual story elements. One day I'll find a decent explanation.
Huge spoilers, If you haven't finished the game yet I really recommend you to do so.
When Emir was 13 years old he was already a great assassin, and he killed the original Smith Syndicate, who are actual people. after the assassination he attempted suicide by shooting himself. Harman Smith, who's actually a powerful god-like entity, took care of him since then. Emir's identity was literally shattered ater he shot himself and he gained the split personality of the smith syndicate and a new one, of Garcian.
The Killer 7 are lead by Harman but operated by Garcian. Some speculate that he can actually shape-shift into each personality, but I believe that it's just Garcian pretending to be them.
Hope I helped!
Sweet intro
Hmm... never did pay much attention to this at all, but since it's actually on PC I might try it, provided it will run on a decade-old computer
Thanks for the video. There's no shame in having a little trouble understanding intelligent stories and themes. That's why we play/watch/read media of higher substance. To improve ourselves right? I hope this game keeps being remembered. It's a great advocate for the artistic merits of gaming in general without feeling the need to be completely nonsensical or film-like to convince an audience of that fact.
Epsteine didn't kill himself 12:25
My favourite ps2 game, grasshopper/sudo57 had some unique games
this is why fuck anything that's not for PC. it'll just end up in the trash otherwise
I think the most peculiar thing about killer 7 is the fact that travis says the phrase straight up atleast 6 or 7 times throughout the game, and straight up is travis scotts main ad lib
Awesome intro Max!
Ooooh liking the new intro
I thought I was the only one who found this game interesting; along with Eternal Darkness.
Lmao not even close bro. You ever play the game or just do a quick wiki?
Hopefully Max covers more of the "sudaverse" in the future
You couldn't get the bit with the boys exposition up? Jesus Christ I had to struggle over & over with the volume settings to hear what he says. It's also baffling since he has the voice of an old man rather than a kid
I copied the auto-captions and made what corrections I could.
'unpity' is a real word? Seems it's the lack or want of pity...
I don't know who or what a _King 'trauder_ is tho! *_; P_*
07:46 - Light is caprice,
07:49 - sometimes it escapes the darkness,
07:52 - sometimes it _hides_ in it, sometimes it
07:57 - engulfs us keeping us warm, other times
08:01 - it _desiccates_ us with absolute _unpity.[?]_
08:05 - Wherever the light __may lead__
08:08 - a beast _awaits._ You
08:10 - shall be _
Killer7 has so many layers. Thanks for this video, very informative.
OMG YES A NEW KILLER 7 VIDEO ON THE STORY THANK YOU YOU ARE A GOD
I've experienced a lot of different games from the snes to nowadays, and this game is an absolute unique and amazing piece of art. No other creation or game could be compared to killer7. As decades will past in the future, Suda Goichi will be progressively considered as one of those who changed the game design and narrative in video games. Trust me
YOOOOOOO I LOVE THIS GAME
Can you explain the story of the Silver Case? If you're up for more Suda51.
I want to see that supercut explaining all of killer7 🗣
You change the thumbnail and think I won’t notice!
Do a part 2!!!! I 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 Killer7
Your opening statements perfectly sum up my feelings for this game. It is honestly one of my favourite pieces of art.
You should consider doing a series on this game like how thegamingmuse did for the silent hill series. It should be fun (imho).
It depends on how many people watch this video. Make sure you share it. :D
Pleeeaseeeeee my life depends on you making more killer 7 vids
Pitch perfect analysis man. Killer7 is one of my favorite pieces of art, I've always wanted to start a podcast where I do nothing but talk about Killer7. This is by far one of the best readings I've seen of the game, excellent job!
Dan and Kun's relationship is similar to Charles Xavier and Magneto both are enemys by idealologies but in reality are friends and have similar ideas
Wow, this game looks so interesting!
Points for realizing the synthesis of Harman and Kun-Lan in Emir. It didn't occur to me that's the kind of role he plays. A reconciliation of opposites.
I shoplifted this game in high-school from the bargain bin at Walmart, I thought the cover looked cool. Never thought the game would be so good 😂
Wouldn't catch me saying this. But good on you.
@@vandagylon2885 saying what? The truth? And if you didn't do what I did why would you say it? 😂
I've loved Killer 7 since it came out.
Would you consider analyzing "A Clockwork Orange"?
I wasn't planning on it, but maybe! There is a LOT to that movie that can be discussed.
Killer7 is like one of those games where its so good you just want to keep it low profile and not mainstream.
*_Holy cow!_*
That's a much clearer light shone on and through this crazy diamond than I ever would have thought possible. Many thanks!
I love Killer 7, one of my favorite games ever but if anyone would ask me why the game is so good I couldn't explain it at all.
Never clicked on a video faster than this one. Very glad you made a (very good) video on one of my most favorite games of all time! Huge fan of SUDA51, especially his "Kill the past." games including The Silver Case and Flower, Sun And Rain. I hope this video - and your channel as well - gain more popularity. I'd love to see another video about killer7 or a video about The Silver Case and perhaps maybe its sequel The 25th Ward. :]
curtis said he didnt kill himself
This game is straight up criminally under rated
This duality between America and Japan is even expressesd in the animation style. Americain animation in disc one and japanese in the second. This is meta as hell. Thank you very much for this vid
There's Japanese animation in the first disc also
I think this deserves an entire series of videos explaining stuff, there are so many perspectives in which this game can be viewed omg... if i had the caaaaash to pay this guy x_x
You are a literal genius. I would have never pieced this together on my own.
Cool intro.
sigh... time to play my gamecube copy i've owned since it came out. then finish watching the other 17 minutes of your video.
you say mithra is the only connection between K7 and MS, however, there are a few others.
you would need to watch the ending sequence of moonlight syndrome to understand them, but you'll certainly know them when you see them.
i had my grandma buy this game for me when it was out on ps2 when i was like 5, We would go to walmart and get games sometimes and i wanted something like grand theft auto but couldnt really find anything cool. I seen the case of killer 7 and was like this is the one i want. Played it once, couldnt kill a cop or hooker so i stopped playing it plus i didnt understand wtf was going on
So many overlapping symbolic and literal themes in this game. This video is a nice peek into some of the more "transcendental meditation" sides of things. ^___^
you KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS GAME AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM FUCKING WITH VOTES!
I may be a smol twitch streamer, but I stream this game annually to share its weird brilliance to anyone who comes across it. ^^
subliminal message "epstein didnt kill himself" at 12:24 .. what's that all about? that kind of thing is reason enough to unsubscribe for me..
WHY? you sound like a fkin NPC.
I'm just glad someone else beside me made the connection.
@@IIISWILIII its not about whats in the message. i couldnt care less for that. its about forcing something in my mind and trying to hide it.
@@Gunnahan pretty sure it was a tongue in cheek gesture... effective subliminal messaging is undetectable to our conscience. And we are bombarded by it daily so...
@@IIISWILIII it is 1 frame in the video.. and i think it could have been in the source material used, thats why i asked what is up with it..
and i am aware of the bombardment.. thats why i try to stay away from it.
again: it is a question of willingness..
I remember reading an analysis on gamefaqs many years ago on Killer 7 and it utterly blew my mind how insanely deep the story is. This video BARELY scratches the surface.
Also, it's a crying shame we never got a remaster of Eternal Darkness.
give us a follow up
I might have missed your explanation. You said Emir replaced Harman and Kun Lan in the Unconscious. Does that mean they replaced Emir? The only reason I ask is because of the 100 year time jump at the very end with Harman and Kun Lan.
Taoist principles are a HUGELY recurrent motif, and are ostensibly the primary foundation for the entire narrative, art direction, and gameplay mechanics. You allude several times to the Tao (which I believe was the concept you intended to reference) but instead misapply the concept/term of "duality". Whereas the former concept implies that the inherent essence of a "thing" is inextricably bound to its "converse", the latter concept implies a distinct boundary for the purpose of explicit contrast between the "things". Semantically, the term "opposite" cannot be applied to the Taoist concepts, which I believe your video was intended toward.
No one would be wrong to point out that, yes indeed, Killer7 is full of dualistic contrasts and "opposites", but in my opinion, it wouldn't give the game and artists their proper credit to view and interpret it only at that surface level. It's sooo much more than that - truly a masterpiece imo.
Anyways, sorry to sound like such a pedantic douche. Just thought I'd point out the subtle difference in case anyone else happens to be interested and/or is as obsessively infatuated with this game as I am.
Regardless, great video man, thank you!
Eehhhhhh.... there's a couple of things wrong with this analysis. First red flag was that part about Japan being responsible for heaven smile, which is false. Kun Lan is the Creator and leader of heaven smile organization, who also pulls the strings of the Japanese politicians. Also not sure if it's what you intended to say but Herman's loss at chess meant that Kun Lan could establish control of the west coast. Not to set up a organ trafficking ring, Curtis Blackburn started the trafficking ring with Pedro Montana over decade later after he killed Dan Smith for thinking that Dan betrayed him. ua-cam.com/video/dhbNnvjhfP8/v-deo.html
This is the best philosophical analysis channel I have ever come across . You deserve more recognition .
Killer 7 is a classic!
12:24 nice
I could not play this game. I've put it in the PS2 twice and both times I made it to the parking gargage (yeah, like 5 minutes into the game) and stopped. Terrible controls, aiming, text speed and movement. I'm not looking through twenty tutorial files to figure out how to play the game. Looking forward to watching this video so I can see if the story is interesting but the game is nearly unplayable for me
your new intro is so cool!!
1:14 i actually disagree with you about the graphics. i think the cel shading and the simple color gradient textures the game uses really give it an artistic edge that adds to it's early 2000s gritty pulp fiction esque vibe. i think it is one of the few games from this era that really stands out and holds up in the modern era. i was playing it the other day and a friend thought it was a modern indie game.
This video is pretty good but I do disagree with Emir being the one to kill the two avatars of Harman and Kun Lan. It's implied that Young Harman was actually the one who killed them with his signature weapon, the Tommy gun and the injuries being very similar to that gun.
Everything else was very interesting with dive into the philosophy of national politics and the analysis of the divine forces and how they must balance each other.
Also, I find it interesting that you found the ending to be contrary to how most interpret Garcian escaping the divine forces of Harman and Kun Lan and finding himself once again as Emir. Another thing that could also disprove your theory is how Emir lost his ability to see Heaven Smiles and the other consciousnesses of the Killer 7 which would point to him losing his powers to connect to the Unconscious.
The movie equivalent for me was
Waking Life
You may also Enjoy Izo (Takashi Miike)
I honestly wanna like this video, but I think it would have been best if you decided to go all the way with explaining it.
Because in its current state its just too vague for me to really get a handle on what you're trying to say, I never played Killer 7 and I keep hearing about this "kill the past" series of games and I just don't get it honestly.
I've watched several videos on not just this game, but also Moonlight Syndrome and The silver Case and I don't understand, what the games are trying to say and when people try to explain it, its either not done very well or too short and disjointed to properly convey any point. Im all for Carl Jung philosophy in video games but im not seeing it here despite your explanation.
I hope you do a longer follow up video one day because I am indeed interested.
Thanks for sharing your analysis. Now, more mature and cult, I see things that I can't find when I was young
But was it not young Harman who shoot them both, for revenge because both used him and old harman trapped him for many years ? I mean kun lan used him, and old Harman punished him for working with Kun Lan. And young Harman escaped, shoot them as a revenge and pointed Garcian to find out the truth.