So I Got to Play Decarnation (2023) | Launch Review
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- Decarnation is a charmingly hand-pixelated and animated psychological horror adventure; the first release by the French indie developer Atelier QBD. I've gotten access to the game before launch and it had hooked me from the moment I played the demo a few months ago, and I couldn't stop playing until I got to the end of its 6-8 hourlong campaign set in the world of cabaret dancing in late 80s Paris.
Noteworthy to mention is that the maestro himself, Akira Yamaoka has contributed to the soundtrack with 10 highly atmospheric tracks to underscore to the surreal and haunting nightmare-dreamscapes protagonist Gloria visits during her Oddyssey into the depths of her psyche.
The game and soundtrack are available on Steam:
store.steampowered.com/app/16...
Chapters
0:00 Intro
05:14 Overview and First Impressions
21:33 Digging deeper (past the Prologue)
30:56 Puzzles and co.
37:15 Conclusion
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Credits
Captions (English): Mira Cox
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I played and beat Decartion over the weekend. I had such an interesting bug that I didn't catch for about 2 hours. The music track "Tout dépend de toi" NEVER ENDED. I played through a majority of the games most harrowing moments with that catchy poppy track endlessly on loop. I assumed it was to evoke an uneasy feeling out of the player so I never tried to do anything about it, but eventually I found it very comforting to hear.
I took a break to go out and get food eventually and was incredibly saddened and confused when to my surprise and horror the track was no longer playing when I booted the game back up. That song had become a constant little light at the end of the tunnel for my Gloria and for it to just be absent was jarring.
My experience with this game was incredibly different than most people's because of that bug and I think it makes me love it even more.
Haha that’s incredible
Awesome touch of happy little accidents ❤
I HAD THAT TOO! I thought it was because i was playing the switch version 😂 i also had moments where no music at all would play. I too thought it was intentional at first
@@dot8731 I was also playing the Switch version!
@@HannyaBoi that must be the reason why… i was noticing differences in gameplay between those that played on PC and my own gameplay experience but i didn’t have anyone else who played it on switch as well to compare it to! Thankfully none of the issues remained after the patch they released yesterday
Honestly, the banner art already won me over. Anything with art drawn for it that reminds me of the wonderful nightmare fuel that is Saya No Uta is something I want to play.
Honestly, that banner art is just so stunning.
@@RagnarRoxShow Have you ever played fear & hunger? I just fell into the rabbit hole. This is definitely a game that would interest you.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein Amazing games!
@@RagnarRoxShow Definitely agree. Would love a video from you about them.
@@RagnarRoxShow Please play Saya no Uta. It's one of the best lovecraft horror stories I've seen and a great romance to boot.
Fear of ageing, fear of being thrown away, relationship with another woman that doesn't last, Perfect Blue? It's as though this game was made for me.
Thank you for reviewing and recommending this, I'm picking this one up.
I didn’t know you struggled anhedonic depression. I get the feeling, you aren’t exactly sad but you just feel nothing; you feel like staring at the ceiling for hours without doing anything. But hey, this video was really cool and this game really seems to be right up my alley!
In all honesty, Ragnar, your transparency is both super refreshing and immensely inspiring. Thank you so much for making a difference in games journalism and media criticism as a whole!
Totally agree with this sentiment
I stopped watching about 10 minutes in to buy the game. It resonated with me so so deeply, this will be a game I remember for a long time. In particular, the quote about heart pounding. Is it fear or courage? if you are falling, it is fear. But if you push yourself forward and upward, it's courage. It completely changed the way I think about anxiety. Thank you for showing this game off!
Hey Kristel!
I'm so happy this element of the game could resonate with you.
I wish you all the best!
Regards,
Quentin (Decarnation's creative director / writer)
I looked this game up on Steam before the video started and Steam told me that it's similar to the Fear and Hunger sequel. Consider me both fascinated and concerned.
It is definitely not in mechanics though, just know that. Fear and Hunger is pure sadism in game design form (and I adore it for that, for the record) - Decarnation is way more approachable as a straightforward narrative.
That's "Tout dépend de toi" by Fleur et Bleue from the game's soundtrack.
As a Scotsman, hearing a Norwegian using the word "shite" really warmed my heart.
Really? I always get this cringy impression that someone wants to curse but tries to soften the harsh language with dialect. Like they're too embarrassed to just say "shit" plainly.
@@odinsrensen7460 Hmm, it's definitely not the impression I get. But everyone's different I suppose. I really like it when foreign students on my course start incorporating the Scottish dialect/words into their own vocabulary because it definitely makes me see them as part of the community a bit more.
@odinsrensen7460 I can't speak for anyone else, but personally, whether I say the actual curse or substitute a different word is largely influenced by my surroundings and the people I'm with. For example most of my friends don't care but one has a pretty strong distaste for crass language. So, I do my best to keep it down, out of respect, although she's never actually requested it. Then there's the more obvious situations like work or school. 🤷🏻♀️
Appreciate the Philomena Cunk reference, I always love hearing about games I've never heard about on here. Horror in gaming is a genre much broader, older and more creative than what you find just looking at the hits.
I wanted to like this comment, as I also enjoyed the Cunk reference, but at the time of my writing this, it has exactly 69 likes, and I just… I can’t be the one to ruin that!
I caught that too, cracked me up.
5:36 NO!!!! I thought I escaped that song, it's seeping its way out of Cunk on Earth
Thank you for this joke, genuinely made my day
Fun fact about "Pump up the Jam": in Argentina, a Spanish cover of the song was used in a commercial to convey the message "Things are usually better in their original form", because they translated the lyrics literally -like "Inflate the marmalade", and when you read them that way it's hilarious 😂
This reminds me of the anime Perfect Blue. That one revolved around a star aging out of her profession and becoming an object of obsession.
he mentions it in the video
Hey!
Perfect Blue was a strong influence indeed.
Alongside Lynch's Mulholland Drive / Blue Velvet.
And the unknown novel The Blind Beast, by Edogawa Ranpo.
Regards,
Quentin (Deca's creative director)
That Pump Up The Jam bit just made me bust out laughing so hard
Gloria was really pumping up the jam 🤣🤣🤣
It's nice of you to include the significance historical important of Pump Up the Jam in the video for a better context.
Thank you for bringing up the jumpscares! I'm usually not bothered by heavy subject matter, but as someone with an anxiety disorder, jumpscares can be very upsetting for me. Knowing about them beforehand will make it a little easier for me to play the game. I'm a big fan of Junji Ito and Satoshi Kon's work, so this seems like the kind of game I would enjoy, and I'll definitely be checking it out as soon as possible!
I'm glad that pointing it out reaches people; I know how heavy that can hit for people with anxiety struggles.
Genuinely appreciative of websites like wheresthejump for that matter.
I often thought it'd be fantastic if it became a more common accessibility thing in games to add a "Jumpscare-sensitivity" option in the settings, exclusively for those who struggle with them. This could either deactivate the loud noises or just give a warning on screen beforehand.
Would help those who need it without taking the suspense away for those who don't.
......Boo!
@@RagnarRoxShowi think its thoughtful that you also considered those with a disability while pointing out the few flaws the game has. I personally can’t play a game that has no option for accessibility regarding quick events, i am 1. Legally blind, and 2. Have a mobility issue, and so I struggle with that aspect that a lot of horror games have. Cult of the lamb have a lovely accessibility feature allowing for you to avoid the fishing feature (you have to click at a specific time, which I can’t, and it does it automatically for me)
The talk about the art exhibit, the statue, and and Ragnar talking about the "mask" really made me start thinking of Chambers' The King in Yellow.
So I wasn't the only one who saw the title art and immediately thought of Satoshi Kon? That's a relief!
i got this game at launch and im absolutely happy that i did. its one of the few (if not the first) games that i immediately got! i adored the demo so much, as short and sweet as it may be. one of the devs even replied to my feedback on it! i mentioned that it reminded me a lot of RPGMaker games and apparently, while the current game is in unity (as stated in 13:11) decarnation was an RPGMaker game at some point.
pardon the plethora of edits, though im glad im not the only one who deals with the whole "one session or get blocked" mentality when it comes to media. i notice this a lot when i pick up games or even shows, but somehow decarnation is one game i willingly came back to without that mental block. its quite special to me, relating to some of the subject material to immense degrees.
on a side note, im glad i finally finished a game you featured before you made a video on it haha
Yeah I've always felt weird about that mental block so I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with it!
5:32 the way I spiritually levitated when the punchline came swinging
Meat lady! Meat lady! Meat lady!
The main issue of the game is that everything that's related to the rhythm game (even the heart part, it seems) is slightly offbeat, which really makes the heart a lot harder than it needs to be. My headcanon now is that Gloria has arrhythmia.
Sorry for that. It was one of the oldest systems we made, and we started improving it toward the end and it became a mess.
We improved it in the last patch tho!
Regards,
Quentin (Deca's creative director)
@@quentindebeukelaer4244 That was pretty much the only issue I had, everything else was pretty much a nitpick. It was solid and felt nice to experience. Thank you for the game!
@@HanaShimeji Thank you! Offbeat rythm game is pretty annoying, the critic was totally deserved!
Always love your deep cuts and insightful, thoughtful takes. I trust your opinion whereas i don’t many. Thanks
oh my gosh, how timely. writing this comment as a personal bookmark--i'm disabled & my condition degeneratively impacts my hand & finger mobility/dexterity, and have struggled for years with "doing life" (typing, writing, things i love--including gaming) and so have found myself 'soft locked' out of a lot of different experiences/titles even with the modifications ive made in my emulators & to my consoles. so, my habit with your channel--watch a video, let it sit for a couple years, return to that title & see how far i can get before my body says no (hoping it won't). this is how i discovered "norco"--a new lifelong favourite. rediscovering point & clicks has been brilliant. or, using your videos to revisit titles i can no longer play (or, not yet replay!!!) because of the aforementioned reasons--this is all context, not a pity party, for anyone that reads this
i had a pain mgmt+treatment shift a couple months ago that has minimised the pain enough to wrap finishing adaptive tool/equipment projects i've had sitting around for some years. so, for the *first time*, i'm discovering a title through your channel, and instead of watching your video and letting the memory decay enough to where i feel like i can experience the title (mostly) independent of your impressions--i'm able to go over to steam and get the game and experience it myself & KNOW i can complete it. and then come back to your video, lol. incredible how the most simple things now are inversely the most monumental--i've watched your channel for yeaaaars and never been able to do this before, i'm thrilled
purchased; cannot wait to edit this comment on the other side
I will definitely be getting this one! Thank you for the great video! My God, the art design is amazing!
Great video, I love when you cover new indie games as well because it’s always something amazing
You've sold me on this game; it looks like something I would absolutely adore to play. I'd love to see a sequel to this review a few months from now when you've had time to process everything 😊
I can't afford it right now, but I will be playing the demo and adding it to my wishlist for when I have some extra money.
Just play the cracked versiob
I just finished this! I avoided your video for a few days so that I could go in blind, and I'm glad I did. Such a cool experience.
If you're up for it, I'd love a fuller breakdown of the story and themes after the appropriate amount of time for spoilers has passed.
I missed your work!! Thank you for another video❤️
I can’t imagine how much better game reviews would be if people had the standards that you have.
I absolutely appreciate your thorough rundown keep it up😊
I saw this while searching for specifically psychological horror visual novels online and skipped past since it wasnt the game genre i was looking for, knowing more about it now tho, its definitely going on my list of games to play in the future!
omg thank you for mentioning accessibility and need for warnings that made me so happy
Always a good month when a new Ragnar video comes out
I think I'll have this in my cart this summer, looks way up my alley, not to mention that the art is insanely gorgeous.
Fantastic review! Really hoping you’ll revisit the game for a deep dive video. I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the stuff that goes into spoilers and the themes later in the game. I’m a big fan of your extremely thoughtful commentary!
I always love it to see you cover games I havent heard of before. There is only so much cool stuff I can find and play on my own.
Ofcourse its also interesting to see you focus on more well know titles since your videos approach games in a way that is vastly different from other videogame channels I know.
Much more appreciative and trying to highlight the subjects strength. In a way your videos feel like the games asked you for help with a job interview if that makes any sense.
I told myself that I'd only watch a bit of this video and then stop since this is a game I'm planning to get and play at some point but I found the video so captivating that I ended up watching until the end. And now this game has definitely jumped up in priority, let's hope it goes on sale before the end of the year.
As an aside, it's nice to know I'm not the only one that can struggle to pick up a game again after the first session even when I like it, in recent times I've been prioritizing games I can finish in just one weekend just to circumvent that problem.
Have you played Fear and Hunger? It seems right up your alley and I'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it.
second this
I found out about it from him years ago
I actually had to stop this video halfway though and go play the game. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Thank you so much for making this video. I can now enjoy your video in full. Thank you for the analysis and review, you hooked me and I enjoyed it. Take care.
I love your reviews for all these horror games I typically play them on while I work overnights and I hope you a long review on fear and hunger 1 and two I'd be interested in hearing you analyzing a setting like that
I *knew* this had to be inspired by RPG Maker games! The gameplay style, the puzzles and the heavy themes in horror were a giveaway XD Anyway, amazing vid, definitely has made me interested in playing this game
The Wordspiel with the Swansong LOOM-ing over the Character was so Perfectly crafted. The Whole time it Played in the Background i just could Think about Loom becous its so intervined with the Game for me Allready and then that droped. Just Perfect.
Awesome work as always
Cage Head is such a darling
Thank you for the footnote! Anhedonia. I'll need to remember that one for later.
You won me with Yamaoka, I didn't watch the video but still played it muted in the background, so thank you, I will play it.
This review convinced me to get the game after sitting with your words for about a day and it's every bit as horrific and fantastic as I'd hoped. Already sank 20 hours into replaying it over and over with friends so they can share the experience too. So, thanks.
Loved this look at it! Ill definitely pick up the demo.
I didn't realize how much I missed your voice, haha.
Great content as always. Thank you =)
24:26 That‘s an absolute masterclass in musical reference. The guild is pleased.
Love how they use the Overlook Hotel carpeting in the apartments hallway
This may be the first time I've ever seen a UA-cam video reference my favorite game of all time (Loom) and I'm so happy right now.
I always get a big smile when i click a new video and RagnarRox starts narrating lol great stuff, as always!
I love Earthbound inspired quirky RPG maker games that delve into dark topics. Indie game developers are truly unrivalled when it comes to creativity.
It's actually very strange that you didn't make a video about SIGNALIS. You really should check it out
Oh I've played it, it's absolutely phenomenal! It's hard to cover all the things that I'd like to considering how many topics I've queue'd up, so Signalis was one that I saw being covered by so many people already that I ended up focusing on other things less people were actively talking about.
@@RagnarRoxShow oh, thx for clarifying :). Still gonna w8 for your vid on this matter!
this game looks great, and your video answers all the questions I would have had.
I am so happy i found this channel, as it's an good way to learn of new or old old games. That are fun and a good way to fund games to play on a live stream
I just finished playing the whole game in one sitting after watching the first few minutes of the video this morning ^.^; Can't say enough good things about the game, thank you so much for highlighting it ! Really poignant stuff, can't wait to see you dive into it in the video !
I saw this video, heard the part where they let you do your own review and went out to buy it. I don't care if this game is my thing or not, that level of confidence in their work deserves to be rewarded.
Just Subscribed 😊😊
Another ace video!
I need to play this!
Fantastic "Cunk on Earth" reference. (Pump up the Jam part)
couldn't put this down, finished it in one go and it was fantastic
Hot fckn damn this game looks BEAUTIFUL and sounds amazing and I need to buy it yesterday.
8:45 that's like the beginning of the movie Blind Beast
bought this game 7 minutes into the video! super excited to dive into this on my steam deck :)
You shouldn't be surprised they wanted you to try the game Ragnar. Your like the top horror game channel. Your indepth videos are amazing. Just like the games you talk about, your videos are very detailed.
Yay new video ❤ ^-^
Got Perfect Blue vibes with its themes
Love the “Pump Up The Jam” reference
love the philomena cunk reference
I'm so happy to know about this game, I really wanted to play something like this, also I would love if you covered fear and hunger 2: termina.
Instant like and comment for the Cunk on Earth reference!
Ragnar upload on my day off, excellent!
Tracks by Akira Yamaoka? Already sold.
The Cunk on Earth joke at 5:32 caught me totally off guard. I wonder how many people watched it and actually recognized it 🤣
Quite a few when I scrolled through the comments. I said the same thing. Caught me off guard too.
I actually saw this game on a channel called Alpha Beta Gamer so I thought the subject was interesting. One thing that I noticed was that the game had really good character animations.
I'm sorry, I saw the line: at 16:05
"Here's the little blue box for Joy"
and immediately thought of "Joy", the drug from LISA: The Painful, that makes you feel nothing and gradually turn into a hideous mutant.
Nice catch my friend! It's on purpose yeah.
I'm Decarnation's director/writer and Lisa The Painful is one of my favorite game. Without Lisa there would be no Decarnation.
Also "Joy" works fine with what the character represents for Gloria. And Joy/"Glory"is also a nice combo I guess.
And the blue box comes from Mulholland Drive.
At some point I had to be careful with how I used all these reference, so the game doesnt become a sort of easter egg fest.
I paused and bought mid video for the switch. Great video!!!!!
Welp, I just finished Fear and Hunger second playthrough, and it looks like I'm going to experience new depression
I suck at action time puzzles, so I probably won't play it, but I would still buy it and would love to see a playthrough
The character sprites remind me a lot of an old mobile game called Las Vegas Nights, especially that part at 3:30 with the two girls walking
Just watched the little trailer clip on steam and holy shit I wishlisted so fast
eagerly waiting for your take on the Fear and Hunger games!
I was curious about this game but it seemed a little too scary for me, thanks for covering it!
video on fear and hunger when ? I think you will love it
From the beginning of the video when the guy touching the statue I got Perfect Blue vibes.
Was not expecting a Cunk reference at the start
I got the reference at 5:32. Genius reference!
I feel like the game talks about how to overcome stalkhome syndrome
And how the protagonist never gave up on finding ways to escape her captuere
And how to find redemption with different versions of herself
This looks interesting, I do like the inspirations it draws from. But watching further down the video I do wonder if it runs the risk of falling in the "you can learn from trauma and get stronger" theme. I'll think about it, thank you for the video!
I know exactly what you mean by the timing of the rhythm game! I'm almost sure that the notes are timed on the off-beat, I can't tell if it's supposed to be a stylistic choice or not though lol
I bought the game and played the whole way through in an afternoon and into the night. I just could not put it down. This video does a great job at explaining why (and omg I WISH I could have skipped that final heart puzzle. I was terrible at it lol)
A Cunk reference here? At this hour? Well played
Jewel as always Ragnar
4:33 Haven't played the game yet, but by the footage you've shown thus far, it seems to be at its core Perfect Blue - the game.
An idol-like figure dealing with anxiety and the outside world manipulating her.
PUMP UP THE JAM! PUMP IT UP!
WHILE YOUR FEET ARE STOMPING
AND THE JAM IS PUMPING!
LOOK AHEAD, THE CROWD IS JUMPING!
PUMP IT UP A LITTLE MORE
GET THE PARTY GOING ON THE DANCEFLOOR
SEE, CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE PARTY'S AT
AND YOU'D FIND OUT IF YOU DO THAT!
It's on my list.
This had been on my wishlist for about a year or so, I never play the demos of games I know I'm definitely buying, so after I finished chapter 1 and took a break, I played through chapter 2 all through to the ending in one go. Couldn't put it down, I was also wondering if the whole capture thing was happening inside Gloria's mind like you said, the game did a wonderful job of gaslighting even the player and huge props to that. Amazing soundtrack, but that last simon says minigame towards the end of the game, with the heart, can rot in hell. I had so much trouble with it and I'm not horrible with rhythm games myself, but the input wouldn't register correctly for some reason. It must've taken me 20+ tries. But yeah, overall amazing game, beautiful visuals as much as they were haunting. I'll definitely be thinking about it for some time to come and the soundtrack is a must purchase as well.
Sorry for the heartbeat thingy! We patched it since then.
Thanks or your enthousiasm, that's heart... (hum) warming.
@@quentindebeukelaer4244 And thank you for providing a meaningful gameplay experience, that's so rare in 2023! Also, idr the chapter, but the scene where the player can traverse through mud with sinkholes and trains in the background, I somehow clipped through that and the game registered the broken trains background as the walking field, and the mud (where you were supposed to use to traverse) as the wall/no-go area, it was the only bug I encountered, but it was funny.
@@PouresMaggie we fixed some of these issues too! Yea this scene, that we call "the subway pit" came late in the production and brought its huge amount of bugs haha.
BTW patch1 is only on Steam for now.
In a week or so patch2 arrives for Steam and 1+2 for Switch. Tons of fixes and improvements incoming!
@@quentindebeukelaer4244 Thanks a lot for your support and dedication! Will be looking forward to any future projects from you and support however I can!
ah Paris will always be Paris