Capcom's Forgotten Alchemic Gem from the PS2 Era
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- Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
- When I play a horror game for the second time, almost nothing about it makes me feel scared or tense. Haunting Ground is the exception to that rule.
1. The State of Modern Horror Games: 0:00 - 3:10
2. The Tragedy of Haunting Ground's Release: 3:11 - 6:13
3. Synopsis: 6:14 - 7:59
4. How Haunting Ground's Horror Stays Fresh: 8:00 - 8:37
4a. Reviewing the Typical Survival-Horror Formula: 8:38 - 9:25
4b. Haunting Ground's Combat: 9:26 - 10:36
4c. RUN AWAY! 10:37 - 11:13
4d. Dynamic Encounters and Panic: 11:14 - 12:10
4e. Summary of Gameplay 12:11 - 12:41
5. A Very Good Boy: 12:42 - 14:43
6. Haunting Ground's Themes: 14:44 - 16:29
7. ALCHEMY: 16:30 - 20:55
8. Final Reflections and Emulation: 20:56 - 22:02
9. Outro: 22:03 - 22:22
Extra Haunting Ground Footage Borrowed From Weiss Network TV
Extra Resident Evil Footage Borrowed From Vash12349
Extra Silent Hill Footage Borrowed From Shirrako
My Emulation Settings: imgur.com/gallery/hJiZzwK
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Azoth Explanation:
Azoth in alchemy is the name given to the "perfect substance". It is sometimes equated with the elixir of eternal life that resides within the Philosopher's Stone, but also with the spirit of the alchemical God Mercurius.
Having the enemies of the game pursue Fiona for her Azoth, so she may allow Aureolis to reincarnate endlessly, lines up well with Azoth's identification with the elixir.
As for Azoth's relation to Mercurius and why that is relevant... Mercurius is the world soul/spirit that resides within the void of space... who binds and penetrates every aspect of existence like cosmic glue. Mercurius, like the Azoth, is everlasting, and its symbols reflect that fact.
There are two symbols often associated with Mercurius. One is the "Caduceus Staff". See, the name "Mercurius" is obviously derived from the Roman "Mercury", whose identifying symbol is the caduceus staff (the intertwining snakes), which we see in numerous places throughout the game and, of course, on the game's cover art. As I said in the video, the compound mercury is associated with the human spirit. For one to contain the spirit (the mercury) of Mercurius, is to contain the Azoth, the substance that grants eternal life.
The other symbol is the "Ouroboros", a snake who eats his own tail (we also see that in the game). This symbol represents two things. First, it represents the aforementioned void of space. More specifically, it represents the void of space prior to the creation of the universe, when all of life was contained in one everlasting seed. This seed, like the ouroboros, represents a paradox. It is a unity of all opposites.
To round things out, the word "Azoth" represents this unity of opposites as well. The name is constructed to reflect this. A-Z = the first and last letters of the English language. A-O = Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters in Greek). A - T(h) = Aleph to Tau (the first and last letters in the Hebrew language).
To summarize everything we have said here as an equation:
Azoth = Mercurius;
Mercurius = World Soul/Spirit;
World Soul/Spirit = Ouroboros;
Ouroboros = Azoth
Repeat in one never ending circle.
#horror #spooktober - Ігри
those fabric physics from the cutscenes were so beautiful especially for the time they were created
I remember picking this game alongside clockwork and rule of roses at a garage sale. The best $20 I ever spent
Man! Lucky. I got Haunting Ground new back in the day but always regretted not getting Rule of Rose.
I don't understand why Capcom don't release a remaster or a remake for Haunting Ground.
This game is a masterpiece
The activists would go after them and doxx their remaster team. Guarantee
Because they'd have to censor it.
If that is the case then that’s unfortunate. However, imagine this game remade in the RE Engine!
@@DeterminedTorres RE Engine is trash
🤡@@KT-rq9id
I love seeing content covering Haunting Ground, it’s such a fascinating game, thanks Max
I would love to see content about What max said about good ideas of silent hill shattered memories.
“The Most Profound Dog in Gaming History” killed me man 😂
Okami
It's that dog
@@olevet75that would be a wolf
This and Rule of Rose messed me up as a kid. 😅 The entire neighbourhood was on high stranger danger alert because one of the kids almost got kidnapped, so on weekends I'd lock myself up in our room and playing THESE games. 😂
So sorry that happened to you. I'm really fucked up myself and can relate to your username a lot. Make sure to love yourself nya 🖤🐾 🖤🐈⬛🖤
I’m always happy to see more people talk about Haunting Ground. It doesn’t shy away from exploring the horrors of being at the mercy of people who objectify you and aggressively try to exploit you. I think it does an excellent job of making the player, regardless of gender, truly sympathize and fear with Fiona. I mean, who doesn’t wanna see her and best doggo Hewie get outta there?
Sex not gender. Gender is a grammar term and tells you if a word is feminine or masculine.
@@hadeseye2297 okay calm down.
@@joeking6972
I know someone
Is getting worked up
they need some Netflix
& Chill.
@@hadeseye2297
Nope it's biological
it's a scientific fact.
@@joeking6972
Someone needs chill lol.
This video in particular felt like it got a very healthy dose of Humor in it! Love the usual education-first style of narrative for your video essays, however this was a lot more light-hearted and funny
the dog joke took me by surprise, especially laughing at his own "deepest moment" video
@@gguioa I loved that so much. It was very unexpected. Made me laugh. Max has good sense of humor too!?
you can tell that its a good game because it had jiggle physics in 2005
I was about to same something very similar
In a way, it made the game even more terrifying.
Hello Max! I'm the creator of the HD Project for Haunting Ground, it's a mod that I have been working on for quite some time and I remade the entire game, since you like Haunting Ground too I wanted to let you know about it!
Keep up the good work!!🎉
Cool! It's in the form of a patch for the image file? Where can we get it? (If that information doesn't get you in trouble, of course)
Haunting Ground is the best Clock Tower game by a longshot; one of my all time favorites. Still have a mint condition copy. Daniella is scary as shit (Always the hotties) and Monsieur Debilitas is best landlord. Man, what I wouldn't give for a remaster of this game.
I recommend Rule of Rose if you want to play more games like this.
Not as much alchemy but it scratches the survival horror itch
The developers who worked on the Blair Witch game could've learned a lot about how to make a good dog companion
Bloober, and they’re the ones in charge of the SH2 remake, so yeah. I don’t trust them with it.
I just learned about this game, but I already love Huey
He is... beyond all shadow of a doubt... a very good boy.
you spelled Hewie wrong...
@@keip4568 Who cares if they spelled it "wrong". Most people would make the same "mistake" due to how common Huey is.
Some trivia of the game development:
Haunting Ground was originally conceived as a sequel to the Clock Tower series, which Capcom had released the fourth in 2002. This game though became its own title later on (the original three Clock Tower games were developed by Human Entertainment who declared bakruptcy in 2000. The franchise is now in possession of Capcom ever since with Sunsoft co-owning the rights). Hence, the mechanics are quite similar but with some improvements, like more direct control to the character over the clunkier point-and-click movement, limited combat capabilities where you have to use your environment to navigate and emerge unscathed from enemies.
I would recommend you to play Night Cry, a game with similar formula made by the director of the original Clock Tower.
Amazing in-depth well Max.
I remember renting this game in Blockbuster when the franchise was still around, I regret never playing this game again because it was such a farcry from what Capcom did with RE4 and didn't receive the love and attention it deserved at the time. Happy to see Haunting Ground make a return to haunt us again! Also want to say that I love you adding more humor into your videos, us old time fans love that nostalgia dosage XD
I was able to buy a copy of haunting ground from there. I still have it
Sad you can't make these kind of games on our times now. When games had much thought put into, it will truly be remembered. Thank you for reminding us. I have not heard of these games. My first horror game was Silenthill 4, best horror game in my opinion.
SH4 is the underappreciated GOAT
The Taco Bell bit is totally relatable, unexpected and gave me a good laugh. Excellent video, as always!
Goes to show Taco Bell is Taco Hell. They are using some elderitch science to craft their "Food." Its some dark alchemy trying to transmute our guts into something not fit for continued life...
@@ninja011 why was your comment shadow banned lol I was curious what someone could say to get their comment shadow banned on such a comment so I sorted by new comments and found it, only then it shows, seems you're onto something here haha ytube protecting taco bell
I enjoy your videos so much! Thanks for using your channel to talk about lesser known games!
incredibly happy to see you discussing "haunting ground"! back in uni, i once used it as a reference for my research topic of female sexuality, gender, and female character depiction in my game history class (i wrested an A for that paper from my meticulous professor, proud to say HAHA)
also that xenosaga shoutout thank you so much!!!! i know these are two quite obscure games that come from nearly two decades past, but it's with an overjoyed heart full of nostalgia that i fondly watched your video 🙏💖
Do you still have that paper floating around? I would love to read it!
Why do you need research to
know how to make a good
Female character?? nobody
Does this male characters
& Always talk about their
identity.
You’ve really grown as a UA-camr. I loved your extremely serious deep dives you’d do into games, and I love even more that you can we’ve that in with quick one off jokes. You’ve really come into your own!
Haunting Ground is one of my all time favorite games, partially because it's one of the only ones I've ever played personally that involved alchemy so much~ I'm glad it hasn't been completely forgotten even if it really is hard to get your hands on a copy. You explain alchemy in such an interesting way, I now want to go listen to more videos on it!
I will definitely give this a go, a horror game i never heard about and it has my favourite alchemist seal of approval, sign me up.
To think its direct competition was Rule of Rose and weirdly enough they ended up the same
I've never even heard of Haunting Ground, and I love your channel for things like this. You're showing love to a dedicated team of people that put their all into something and didn't get the acclaim they deserve. Some part of me strongly feels they WILL see this video, and be happy that someone else noticed their hard work. That in itself it beautiful to me, and now I get to go experience it for myself :). This game looks amazing. Since you've been talking about it, I've begun seeing Alchemical symbols everywhere, (In logos, in old symbols that I've always been around but never noticed) until you brought it up, and I love it! It's real history. You never know how little you know until you start to learn. Thank you Max.
Also, loving the jokes in this, seriously. It did not take away from the seriousness and really gave me a good laugh.
Oh god, I was sooo hoping you will make a video on this game someday! Excellent quality as always, I was glad to hear your thoughts on one of my old favourites! :)
Haunting Ground is one of my lost treasures! I never got tired of playing that game, but somewhere along the way I lost my physical copy… always love to see this game discussed!
I love how Fiona is easiely the most beautiful character Capcom has created so far. Sry Ada, Veronica and Jill..
Isn't she a kid?
@@QuantumTelephoneNo
@@QuantumTelephoneShe's around 18 and a college student.
I absolutely loved your video, especially the foray into alchemy. For me this game is what Clock Tower could've been, it's perfect. Clock Tower 3 is a good time but man is it fuckin' nuts, it has moments that are dark, characters that are vile and evil but it misses the mark because it has neon coloured ghosts and the voice actors don't do anything for the grimness of the characters. Haunting Ground has believable and disturbing characters and the voice actors convey it well. (Although I'm not too sure about Lorenzo.) And boy is this game beautiful, the environments are stunning, the aesthetic and architecture fit so well and the puzzles are good too, the carousel room is A+, the creepy doll room A+, the garden area with that God damn mandragora you pick up and gives you a heart attack. A+. As for the "goodest boy" I would love to say Rex from Fallout New Vegas but the interactions with him are limited and not very expressive of his emotions or personality, Hewie wins as goodest boy, the game is good at showing how much Fiona needs Hewie and expresses emotional interactions between the two well, and kudos to those who got all the endings including the very sad one involving Hewie, and last thing I wanna' say is that Daniella is by far the creepiest character in the whole game.
The most profound doggo in dog-gone history! 13:00 🐶
I literally finished this game a few days ago. So glad you made the video
I loved this game back in the day. Think it's time for another playthrough. Thanks for the video Max
Would you make a video on Vagrant Story? Does it have alchemical or occult themes that could be explored I wonder?
I was hoping you'd do a video on this. It's got so much Alchemical lore, environment and gameplay.
I really like your videos and I'm looking forward to them each week. I like you.
The issue is that horror is a lot more complex than action. Action just has to be loud and fast. Horror needs to engage with all its elements to stack types of dread. Vulnerability alone isnt enough, disgust isnt enough, suspense alone isnt enough
Always fun watching this channel; it also helps with game design, might have to make my own philosophers stone 😅 also staying yellow always reminds me of yellow shamanism
What an interesting game, i may play it. Great video Max
Whoooo!!!! Ive been waiting for him to cover this game!
Nice; I remember having this game when it came out!
OG Haunting Ground crew represent!
What I find interesting is that certain scenes DO NOT always show on the first playthrough, and my theory is that it was to get around censorship laws by hiding some of the more controversial scenes, like the "pregnancy stick" scene, which only shows in at least your second playthrough.
What's also interesting is that there was actually a published study about agency in video games that features Haunting Ground as part of it because of the "panic" mechanics in it that can strip control away from you. Still to this day, Haunting Ground has one of the best panic systems I've seen in a video game.
Heheh I knew you'd love this one. It may not have triple-A successors, but some smaller and indie games still take inspiration from the Clock Tower style of run-and-hide gameplay.
Despite RE’s triumph and my eternal love for the series. I had Haunting Ground at release, back when Best Buy actually sold games (RIP). I still love it to this day Thank you for this video, Max. 😊
this is the 3rd video on this game to appear in my recommended feed and I have watched all of them. perhaps it is a sign
Amazing video analysis of an amazing game❤
I loved this game back in the day! My parents and I used to play horror games like this and Clocktower, Fatal Frame franchise, etc.
Tbh i never paid attention to re that much and i regret it to this day but i did play hunting grounds but like u said this game made me feel actual dread each time i played it to the point i had to put down my controller because my hands wouldn't stop shaking 😅 the other game i can think of that made me feel close to this was clock tower 3 hope u can check it out if u are interested! Awesome video as always!
Love this thanks max
2:17 That was the best "Nope" I've seen this week 😅
I love watching video essays about this game. I truly would love to play this and Rules of Rose, but the secondhand market for games such as these are brutal with their prices.
Yes. I want to see more of your haunting ground videos specifically alchemy and the occult.
alright max u got me downloading as we speak :P keep up the nice ps2 era games im lovin it
The only game to ever give me nightmares
Absolute brilliance
Please do more on the story of this game i would love to hear it.
15:31 I agree, sometimes we have theses "fantasies" but when we see them in someone else or display in another form of media like this or in books our perspectives can change and in some cases we end up dropping theses "fantasies" all together.
15:24 the first few frames looked convincingly real and it reminded me of one of the halway scenes in the first Silent Hill movie where Rose is looking around frantically
16:29 for me its the psychological horror, you really kicked it off for me :)
Max delivering some quality content for the initiated and non initiated
just started watching this vid, but really wanted to say regarding Eternal Darkness: there's no games with sanity systems because nintendo somehow managed to patent said system, thus rendering it unusable for any other developer unless they wanted big n to take them to court. same goes for a nemesis system from shadow of mordor - an amazing innovation that got patented so no one can actually iterate and improve upon it.
I found this game after I played Fatal Frame.
I did not sleep for a while.
If you want another horror game with a dog look up rule of rose.
ANOTHER VIDEO ABOUT MY FAVORITE VIDEO GAME WHOOOO WE STAY WINNING
One of my favorite games ever. Still have my copy from when I first bought it 😊
Good video but as usual with retrospectives/review videos of this game of which ive seen a few they never make mention of the game over scenes (the enemy ones, not the traps which are standard fare horror with blood and gore) which have stuck with me to this day due to the fact they only give you audio and leave your mind to fill in the rest.
Oh man.....I remember attempting to double-team against the stalkers with Hewie when I first began playing Haunting Ground, but quickly learning that no matter how many kicks Fiona managed to land on Debilitas, Daniella, Ricardo (especially if he wasn't being incapacitated by Hewie), etc., she wasn't a member of S.T.A.R.S. nor was she a natural-born fighter. After various [traumatizing] Game Over screens, I realized that hiding and duping the stalkers was a must if I wanted to survive the onslaught of the pursuers whilst progressing the story.
The early 2000's was really something for these underappreciated gems......glad they're being valued now, years after their initial release dates! 😁✌🏽
Sounds like an escort quest where you're the helpless person that needs to be protected.
Just downloaded a rom for this the other day, excited to try it out!!
I own Haunting Ground, Clock Tower 3, and Shadow of Rome. These are 3 PS2 Capcom games I adore and feel should be released together on 1 disc for PS5 as a "Capcom's Hidden Gems Collection".
The bigger issue with making this kind of game nowadays wouldn't be the blowback, it would be the lack of sales. I doubt it would sell any better nowadays.
Damn. Great retrospect
This is one of my favorite games i own on disc. Its so underrated.
Sol and Luna concept hit me hard. It's like Teostra and Lunastra in MHW.
Hi, thanks so much for the video, I've been intrigued by this game for a long time, but never got the nudge I needed to actually get started on it. Your video was it. It really made me want to start for real.
Just one question, I wasn't able to find the emulation tutorial you mentioned, only your emulation settings. Am I just not seeing it...?
I love the beginning with Cloud and Tifa but during the date scene in the game Yuffie was the only one to go for it and show Cloud some fun. I love horror games they are fun and I hope Capcom brings Haunting Ground to modern gaming consoles. I thought It was but I was mistaken. I love hearing about wonderful games like Haunting Ground It's interesting and fun. Cool video. ^_^
I remember the first time I played this game, I might say that this is one of the game that had the best creepy atmosphere, and I liked the characters too, Imagine Capcom revive this game with their current-gen RE Engine, well, a man can dream.
Amazing game. I was fortunate enough to have aquired this game before it got so rare and expensive, however neither me nor my sister have any idea where it came from. Hashtag blessed? Great review!
A big issue with haunting ground was with how it was perceived at releases. A lot reviewers at the time had an issue with Fiona’s objectification, dismissing it as fan service. They didn’t realize that Fiona’s being sexualized was in favor of the horror. The games deals with themes of loss of bodily autonomy, reproductive right (or rather lack thereof), and being subjected to unwanted desire (all of the pursuers wanted fiona’s for their own reasons). The are all uniquely female fears and it seemed to have went all over their heads at the time. I’m gad this game is getting the recognition it deserves
Been in the backlog for awhile might need to jump in soon.
The game that awoke more than a few thousand BDSM fanatics with daddy issues. Love this game. Love the music, the mechanics, the atmosphere, the asthetic. Character and architecture designs are on point. Aside from the tower, there's not a moment of the game that felt clunky to me.
I would love you to do an in-depth analysis of the story.
Hey Max! Have you heard of the manga Homonculus? I started reading it a while ago, and because it handles many psychological subjects in a very interesting way, I thought you might like it. A big recommendation for everyone, of course
I remember trying to finish this game and rage quitting at the end boss
Talking about the alchemy, since your alchemy videos sparked my interest, I've found many articles that talk about 4 phases of the prima materia (I'm copying this from Wikipedia so take all with a grain of salt and from someone that's still learning)
"The original process philosophy has four stages:
-nigredo, the blackening or melanosis
-albedo, the whitening or leucosis
-citrinitas, the yellowing or xanthosis
-rubedo, the reddening, purpling, or iosis"
So... technically the yellow shouldn't be wrong? Also I'm having an hard time finding why some of the processes asks for citrinitas and some avoid it, is unbelievably hard to find good info on the Web in this period
I found haunting ground by accident. It was being sold by a video rental store that we all know. Well I guess you may know of it. Anyway, I had never heard of it at the time and purchased it. It quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I still own the same working copy to this day.
Haunting Ground desperately needs a re-release on modern consoles and PC, asap.
I still hold out hope that we’ll see a return to Siren in the future.
The last game that, convinced me how scary and innovative survival horror is the OG Resi3 nemesis.
So this is where that Cammy DLC costume came from in Street Fighter 6
This looks good
Literally my favorite PS2 game with Shadow of Colossus,but I have more deep feelings for Haunting Ground...Just five enemies...so special ❤
They could absolutely make this game today, no censorship would prevent it especially compared to like the 80s or 90s, the market is flooded with low effort trash because the majority of people don’t care, they buy Call of Duty and Madden.
Large corporations make things that appeal to large audiences thus not being very appealing to anyone with a beyond surface level enjoyment out of whatever medium be it movie, Tv or games. Their is no conspiracy against themes that are dark or sexual that hasn’t existed in perpetuity in America.
I know this is not a horror game but if we’re talking about gems from the PS2 era you should play (if you haven’t already) Dark Cloud. It’s criminally underrated. It’s a beautiful RPG with an amazing story and beautiful nostalgic graphics. Its one of my favorite PS2 games of all time and it’s not talked about enough at all. I feel like it would be a very good game to a video on and I would absolutely love to see it please
Emulation isn't the only reasonable way. You can also play it off a hard drive on a modded PS2. Easier than it sounds. It's how I did it. No hardware modifications needed.
Haunting Ground is indeed one of Capcom's obscure survival horror games. I really wish that they re-release this as a remaster, cause this game is incredible and Huey is an awesome and cutey dog ever. It's interesting that this game was created as part of RE4's concept work back in it's early development.
I wish Capcom make a remaster of this game (and Clock Tower 3) 🥲
Owned this game back in the day, when i still played PS2, and belive it or not, i got a copy for ten "reais" - wich is brazilian Currency - at the time. At first i bought the game cause it was VERY cheap, on top of being a capcom game, so i tought "being a capcom game, it won't be that bad only cause it's cheap'', and man... It was an absolute hidden gem! Love to see it get a much deserved attention 😊❤
I personally never played it, but i do recall seeing it previewed back in gaminformer. very creepy looking even then.
max, thank you for your insights and knowledge
don't you think an analysis of midsommar is worth from an alchemical point of view? i can see clear influence and the seven steps through the movie, so much symbology to explore
Haunting Ground was definitely quite a unique experience, very memorable (and had some really well made jump scares which are extremely rare).
Also there is absolutely nothing villainous or bad about catering to the male gaze (or female gaze), that's just a perfctly natural thing, and frankly it's absurd to compare that with what the villains want from Fiona in the game which is physically and psychologically abusive to her and most importantly done aganist her will (in-universe obviously).
Also Max, the devs absolutely catered to the male gaze and didn't want to shame people for it, they did sell several DLC costumes for Fiona one of which put her into a bikini top and hot shorts, so your assumption about them wanting to shame people for something perfectly natural is 100% wrong.
I don’t know if he was comparing the audience’s reaction to being the same as the villains. It is perfectly natural for any straight man to be aroused by a very sexy girl. Women get about as horny for Leon in Resident Evil anyway.
OMG this game released on my fucking birthday in 05!!! and the fact this was originally RE4 before they changed it to a new IP. I have got to get this game ASAP.
If you liked the girl and the dog mechanic you should totally make an analysis on rule of rose. But I guess it could be a very difficult one to make for you since it is more in the psicological side instead of religion and occult. Would be nice if you tried though.