A Safe Place - A Hikikomori Horror Game Where You Eat, Sleep & Poop in Your Bedroom! Midnight Scenes

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

It's time for new Midnight Scenes game! This is my favorite yet. It's an excellent story! *Spoilers about the ending below. Please don't read until you've watched the video* Although I was sympathetic to Phil's anxiety, I spent a large part of the game thinking he was a bit of a selfish A-hole, but the ending really changed that. After I completed it I even played through the beginning again and had very different feelings for the poor guy!

[@ItsMrAssholeToYou]

You and I had very different takes on the ending. He failed his family in their most desperate moment when he had both the means and opportunity to prevent it, then spent a month refusing to acknowledge what they suffered and wallowing in self-pity. If it wasn't for the tantrum he threw because he didn't get his way with the friend that he all but abandoned, he probably would have kept on with it until the inevitable happened.

[@bryantan4228]

It also explains why all of the shadows have a hole in their forehead.

[@joe125ful]

Cool game its like movie! Not sure whhy ppls here are soo scared to watch this..

[@Derek-b9c]

Nice Analysis! ​@@ItsMrAssholeToYou

[@BriarPatchNyra]

Not sure why you think someone suffering from a crippling phobia was an asshole.

[@Sc3n3Qu33n]

the horrified mouse shake when u realized the p00p bucket was next to ur food XDDDD

[@joe125ful]

Hahah yes he not expect that.

[@nathanielc3161]

The ending really adds an extra layer to the scene where Noelle is bringing him food and comments on how badly the garden smells.

[@myopickid4180]

At first, I thought the plot was going to be the end of the world or that everyone in the town would die mysteriously and Phil would come out of his room to find out what was happening. But at the end, the plot is far darker than expected.

[@taluca8474]

What doesn’t make sense is the fact nobody, not even concerned neighbors or police went to check the house for where the dad and mom are. Not to mention, the weapon Piper used would’ve been heard by other people

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

@@taluca8474 Hi! Others in the comments have already put forward some good reasons for it going undetected for so long. Here's a summary: The gunshots: it's a rural area where hunting is commonplace (the father goes hunting all the time). It's also during very bad (loud) weather and it looks like there's a decent bit of distance between the house and their nearest neighbors. Going undetected for so long: The town is currently in the middle of the worst and longest cold weather period in it's history so people will only be going out when they need to (the priest even says barely anyone's turning up for service because of it). Also the father's actions with his business has made the family quite unpopular, so they probably don't have many friend in the town. Another thing I'd add is that that's easy to forget is that Phil was inadvertently helping to keep up the illusion that the family were still all fine. Neighbors would see his light on at night (and possibly ones left on downstairs) so the house wouldn't look abandoned. He also talked to Noelle about his family as if they were still alive. Noelle sees lots of people at the store on a daily basis and the locals know she's Phil's friend. Any concerned locals may have asked her if the family were okay and she would have inadvertently continued to spread Phil's lie.

[@JFrancisFright]

@@AlphaBetaGamerI can personally confirm that you're right about the gunshots. I grew up in a rural area right next to a place where people went deer hunting every winter. You'd hear gunshots all the time, nobody would bat an eye at hearing a few more.

[@zulucruz664]

@@AlphaBetaGamer one thing didn’t make sense; the Hayashi must sense something wrong because the Phil’s family never turn up to buy groceries. It’s small village I guess people at some point shop only at Hayashi’s. If the social withdrawal started after “the incident” Noelle as someone who cares so much at some point should have tried to visit Phil’s home. And the electricity works just fine despite no one paying the bill after a month but I guess US has some kind of grace period when it comes to household bill

[@enderclasscraft6411]

@@zulucruz664 Possibly because of how they seem to behave with respect to everything days before the event, perhaps they did not get along with each other, they may also have believed that since Noelle was Phil's friend and with whom he communicates, they were simply going to another store.

[@endrgar]

It's literally like a movie. The length of the film, the story fits very well as a thriller.

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

Yeah, these devs are great at creating well written cinematic horror games. Midnight Scenes: From The Woods (their last game) was also a similar length and had a similar vibe.

[@asdfghjkl3669]

It was way better than a lot of the psychological thrillers I've seen

[@minolamycat91]

At first I thought it was going to be a nice reference to shadow people wanting to possess Phil's body in his dreams as he was constantly waking up from nightmares so much that he didn't make a difference between dream and reality. And oh boy it turned out those weren't simple shadow people.

[@CptnMango9108]

The shadow people were not the nightmare, the nightmare is the shadows were people

[@plasticflower]

When Noelle walks past the Church at 14:14 there's a trail of blood leading into the building where the priest was talking to the lady earlier. Also at 12:42 there are crows picking at what looks like blood. That and the suspicious guy at the gasoline station make it seem like Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954). But I suppose these are red herrings and, given the ending of this game, probably figments of Phil's imagination.

[@vendybirdsvadl7472]

keep in mind that during the time you play as noelle, you actually can see pile of snow with blood on top of it. thought that might be related to the cat on poster

[@silvermushroom-gamifyevery6430]

IIRC, all of this can be explained away due to it being seen from Phil's perspective besides the bloody snowpile. That leads me to suspect that she killed someone else prior to the folks

[@xBINARYGODx]

eh, I doubt that points to anything else - if she killed anyone else, it would be news around town and not a surprise that anything bad happened.

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@silvermushroom-gamifyevery6430 if anything its likely the missing cat - a plow probably killed it by accident. But also, several misdirections in this.

[@stefanosavoldini8324]

or new chapter of this game, it's only a part of the game, for me is a extra for new content

[@mr.technicalisolate9188]

1:37:48 "We each suffer our own hell in silence" Jesus Christ,that quote hit me hard like a soft but super hard marshmallow thrown at me. Never have i ever heard a sentence that can relate.

[@endermenon4836]

Me in regards to Phil's situation early on: "Oh sweet Jesus what" Me when seeing what happened near the end: "OH SWEET JESUS WHAT"

[@joe125ful]

You are just tooo weak :):)

[@graxx2805]

​@@joe125ful And yet, every reader of this comment knows he isn't, but you are.

[@joe125ful]

@@graxx2805 How so?:)

[@milanstevic8424]

@@joe125ful Dude it's so obvious

[@jayl5032]

Shitting in a bucket and eating RIGHT NEXT TO IT is some next level hell. Ive never known anyone that got depressed that badly, but I've seen skme nasty shit like it on the internet before

[@joe125ful]

Its normal and its sealed food soo you cant get sick...

[@DylanJo123]

​@@joe125ful thats not normal man. Get some help. Not saying that as an insult, im saying it out of concern

[@joe125ful]

@@DylanJo123 For thinking its normal in small room?:) Sure.

[@DylanJo123]

@@joe125ful god help you

[@xBINARYGODx]

stop feeding the troll

[@anthonytrevino2546]

Dude, that was amazing. The compartmentalization of poor Phil’s mind made every story beat pay off in the end. I remember (funnily enough) thinking the entire PC mini game dream sequence was ham-fisted, but upon seeing the ending, I see the fantastic parallels. Piper’s cracked visual visage of course, and the crossword requiring “Prospero” as a password. A man who sailed on a “rotting carcass” of a boat to face exile. Just amazing. *chefs kiss as I eat my canned corned beef

[@Robiont]

oh? Is there some meaning behind the name "Prospero"?

[@anthonytrevino2546]

⁠@@RobiontIt’s the main character in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

[@OHG_Fawx]

The food and cookware being stored next to a shit bucket and piss bottles is killing me. There is no amount of depression that could drive me to that 😭😭

[@Ranzord95]

ah so that's what the 3rd "eye" on the shadows is

[@ChenLiYong]

Ooooooooh, now I understand the story entirely! I didn’t understand what is the significance of the shadows, what are those dream sequences, the puzzle and girl screaming losing her teeth, etc. which is why I felt the shadow looks like a forced elements. From your comment, now I suddenly understand everything.

[@xPRETTYxGEEKxGAMING]

The "Support your indie devs " bit was super adorable

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

When he clicked socialize, I expected him to turn on his computer, NOT SPY on people?

[@andreabadalassi]

Being someone with ptsd I really appreciate every time the problem of mental health is brought to light which is unfortunately still too underestimated today.

[@joe125ful]

Lol i hope you not end like him..just get profesional help.

[@heypistolero]

I too have ptsd. From twitter

[@puttilepuffie]

Eeeeey. PTSD brothers!! Lets form a gang

[@yoavhayun4590]

That deep cut sure healed up perfectly just by being covered with a used sock. Love this guy's games. Another great one.

[@katehucks774]

I mean… after a month, it could be that his delusions were getting worse all of a sudden due to an infection from the cut- more nightmare shadow people and losing his grip on reality than simply hallucinating the voices of his family like he’d been doing for a month already.

[@jenniferjasso0918]

it sucks being stuck in that depressing cycle, i’ve only gotten through 34 minutes but it’s too realistic. i might have to come back to it at a later time

[@LettersAndNumbers300]

Wishing you the best. Remember, act, don’t sit.

[@-_Zhaun_-]

𝔚𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫𝔢.

[@Beep1980]

It's Not a weakness to ask for Help! No one can do everything on their own.

[@saschaberger3212]

​@@LettersAndNumbers300thank you random citizen. I will use act don't sit as a mantra.

[@JoceBeggar]

Lol thats made up disease from the big pharma

[@JiroEtens]

Sparkle (stray cat?) is also missing in The Nanny. Later, Oliver sees two crows eating something similar to the crows here. He hopes that this isn't Sparkle. I assume, that A Safe Place plays in the same neighbourhood with Sparkle as a hint.

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

Oh, that's an awesome little easter egg! Thanks for the heads up! :)

[@Dashen_]

That was a really good twist reveal, i didnt see it coming until the very last minute. The very subtle hints and imagery, i definetely need to check the other games from this series.

[@MochiPikachu]

After watching this whole video, I think the ending was more sad than scary. To summarize what happened in this game, Phil has been a hikikomori because of the emotional abuse from the father that had been affecting him and his sister Piper. Apparently, Piper thought Phil had died in his room after he locked himself in his room and hadn't heard anything from him in a month. Phil's only friend is Noelle who works at a grocery store and brings him food. Based on his narration, the father Jacob was emotionally abusive to the kids (belittling them and yelling at them, blaming them for what the parents were going through, and so on) and the mom Rose didn't do anything to stop him but feels upset over the fact that the kids hate them for the neglect. The father was the one who ruined the ancestors' company because he was a narcissistic jerk who thinks he's a big shot. Phil has been getting nightmares recently about the shadows telling him something about what he needs to remember. Piper suffered more than Phil did because she faced more of her father's abuse than him. She was fighting for her life when she was born. The only response the father gave child Phil when he asked him if Piper was going to be okay was that he shouldn't be stupid and that he needed to go smoke. Seriously?! Piper often fights with the father since he obviously doesn't care about their well-being. She had a fight with him because the parents broke the relationship between Piper and Jake, who got back together with his ex-girlfriend Amanda because they disapproved of Piper's relationship with him. Everytime Piper argues with the father, she slams the door in her room and plays loud music. The mom was feeling guilty about the strained relationship with the kids, but the father thinks that the church will help fix their attitudes (he's too narcissistic to even know that it was his own fault for the neglect and abuse). Like last month, Piper was attempting to run away from home but had a fight with her "boyfriend" and left him with broken bones. Noelle understands the mental trauma Phil has been going through because of his family; she told her mom of her concerns about the Larner parents caring about their appearances more than his mental health which was worsening over time. She later learns that her father (who cheated on his wife and her mother for a student in his class) was terminally ill and was dying from a tumor in his lungs, so she needed to go to Chicago to see him. A small argument occurred between her and Phil through text because they thought one another was being selfish. Eventually, Phil snaps as he threw his phone to the ground as he suffers more from Noelle leaving before passing out after banging his head against the door. Noelle later regrets lashing out at Phil and goes to his house with her mom to reconcile with him. However, when she went inside the house and turned the lights on, she found out that the father, the mother, and Piper were dead. After realizing what the shadows were telling him, Phil finally remembers that it was Piper who killed the parents before killing herself with a hunting rifle from the father's office. Piper's attempt to run away from home failed when the sheriff found her waiting for the bus to Los Angeles. The parents once again went off on her before she stormed into her room and turned on the music loudly. Over dinner, when the father demanded Phil to get Piper to come downstairs to eat as a family, Phil found that Piper was not in her room but with the music left blaring. In fact, she snuck into the father's office to get a hunting rifle before tripping the fuse box, causing a blackout. As the last straw from the abuse she received, Piper shot the mother and then the father. She briefly looked at herself in the cracked mirror before shooting herself as an act of ending the suffering, freeing herself from her parents' abuse. Noelle finds Phil who then passes out from being mortally wounded in the head. She and her mom call the police and the ambulance gives Phil the medical treatment he needs. The sheriff voices out that nobody knows what people go through as they suffer in silence. Abuse is like mental scars that would never heal every part of the wound. This is probably the longest, but it is the whole summarization of the game's story.

[@rachel_lys]

Thank you for taking the time to summarize it ❤

[@infiniteinmystery35]

something that i missed since i skimmed a great deal of it, was it said that phil started being a shut-in after the traumatic event or he was already holed up in his room long before piper went mental?

[@LunaHeartnet]

@@infiniteinmystery35 He holed up after Piper killed the rest of his family. Look at how the monstrous versions of his parents have a third 'eye' in their forehead. The same place that Piper shot them

[@infiniteinmystery35]

@@LunaHeartnet then my problem with phil was he said he'd be there for her, but it seems he barely did anything to protect or talk to his sister during his father's abuse of her when he wasn't even holed up in his room, leading to piper's mental break to murdering the parents. sad tale either way it goes.

[@CptnMango9108]

​@@LunaHeartnetoohh the third eye. I'm so unaware I swear

[@AntipaladinPedigri]

51:02 about the straw figure. It's a death curse. "In the modern-day common conception, the nails are driven through a straw effigy of the victim, impaled upon the tree behind it. The ritual must be repeated seven days running, after which the curse is believed to succeed, causing death to the target, but being witnessed in the act is thought to nullify the spell."

[@ArtsyInTheCity]

My favorite story so far of this series. Thanks for playing!

[@paganarh]

what an absolutely stunning game. never going to play it but bought it just to support the creators

[@xBINARYGODx]

right on!

[@pinkiepie4273]

Je.... merde, merci. C'est un chef d'œuvre. Si seulement 3 ou 4 jeux par an avaient cette crédibilité et ce don pour un storytelling et un gameplay simple et pourtant plus que prenant, je n'aurais plus besoin de sortir de ma chambre. J'ai regardé ça comme un film. J'ai ri, haï, pleuré. J'ai vécu. Je suis navrée, j'ai du mal à m'exprimer en dehors de ma langue natale lorsque je viens de prendre un coup de poing dans la gueule. Merci ABG, merci les auteurs. Bonne continuation. Restez sains

[@quitchemmy]

Damn, seeing the poop bucket in the room i the beginning made me think he just got high on the fumes

[@ItsMrAssholeToYou]

That sweet, sweet jenkem.

[@infiniteinmystery35]

guy really poops and cooks in the same spot, man... you get to neet so hard you simply don't care about smells and general environment.

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

Haha yeah, that's one hell of a cupboard!

[@myopickid4180]

At least he put all P bottle in the bag instead of drop them down into trash can

[@plasticflower]

Not what I'd call a "safe place". Not from a perspective of food safety.

[@bahamut256]

Oh god I misread that as same pot. I was going into this video expecting the worst.

[@infiniteinmystery35]

@@bahamut256 i went to this video expecting neet life being portrayed as the scary parts, i wasn't prepared whatsover for the reveal...

[@bromomento5913]

All that. Wasted. In a blink of an eyes. The person he loved, his sister. Gone. Just like that. It's tragic

[@francoalmiron5107]

The whole story of this game, is just tragic and gets you in the feels, the Midnight Scenes story really got me.

[@boyketer3585]

A bit of *SPOILERS* in my opinion: I'm glad that the twist of this game is not like "Yarrr, ye killed all of them harrr" but instead makes us player see why the mc is acting the way he is. Felt bad for him, but at least he has a true friend.

[@trahsh_1005]

I thought it was Piper the one who killed her parents

[@craigmorris954]

This has to be the most depressing and tragic tale I've ever seen in a video game. @AlphaBetaGamer and @MochiPikachu have summerized it very well about all the important events in the game. I feel pretty bad for Phil for the psychological hell that he was going through. I can't imagine how things can escalate so bad that it went so horrible all because of his father ruined everything for his family and everyone in town due to how he brought his company down because of his terrible and abusive ways, so with what happend the sister Piper, that she could'nt take it anymore that what she did was to extream. I feel bad for her, but she could have thought to stay with Phil instead of suicide but her suffering would be far worse if she was sent to prison for murder, but she was living in hell because of her father. I can't even imagine this happening to anyone for real, and if it did, then that would be too horrible that words can't even describe it. So it seems that the father is the villian of the story for setting these things in motion. It's very sad how some parents can turn out like that or worse and be cruel or brutal to their children, even if they were raised in a good and happy way. This was a very well-writting, although very tragic tale that was done with emotion, and the last part was a very shocking twist. Excellent work and thanks for deep explanation @MochiPikachu.

[@Anonym-yr4qn]

This is reminding me a lot of "stay" which is following a very similar path storywise. Aside from that, this is one of the best indie titles I've ever seen.

[@Buzzkilljoy1248]

13:55 Bruh, your odds with Noelle aren't any better. In fact, it's quite bold coming from someone who locked and barricaded himself in his room, literally spying on his neighbors with a telescope like an obsessed stalker who watched Rear Window too many times, and has pee bottles and a poop bucket in his closet where he also stores his food and utensils.

[@Ketheral]

Bro did NOT watch the whole video

[@Lacheln-YO]

> Cuts his hand > Immediately rubs it with his other hand to warm them > Doesn't even flinch once

[@TheCynicalNihilist]

I started watching this channel because of the midnight scenes. I loves these games. I always forget they exist and then a new ep comes out. I just saw the last one last year and made me wanna me a game like it. Hope this ones just as good.

[@Sh0ckV]

just watched the entire thing... holy fuck that was terrifying and heartbreaking

[@joe125ful]

Why???Its normal to me..

[@Sh0ckV]

@@joe125ful because you're a cold blooded badass. an absolute sigma. i saw your other comments too. here's your medal: 🎖

[@joe125ful]

@@Sh0ckV Sometimes you needs be like that..feelings are best enemy weapon againts you.

[@zulucruz664]

@@joe125ful getting abused by your father is normal? Watching your own sister killed her family is normal? You need some praise or acceptance for that?

[@joe125ful]

@@zulucruz664 I really cant see anything abnormal. Its just life,crying or trash talking never help.

[@smorphous8928]

At first I thought there were an apocalypse of shadow monsters, but no, Phil is heavily traumatized after what the girl did, poor guy.

[@mariecarie1]

3:54 My husband is turning into this, minus the “socialize.” It’s really hard to see him going through this.

[@mauriciomorais7818]

I want Piper's loud music as my ring tone.

[@zulucruz664]

Noelle, before knowing the truth: fck you Phil, My dad is dying he doesn’t have much time. Stop bothering me. Noelle, after knowing the truth: well I guess your pain is greater than my pain

[@aerith119]

Hello, my name's Noelle and I smelled too many deaths.

[@oddbluedragon]

and my friend are Phil and Brian, not Kris and Susie

[@tde4438]

ANOTHER MIDNIGHT SCENES! Prayers answered~!

[@GJ08DL12]

The one with the open mouth is piper my god that make só much sence now that i know why it has it mouth open that it give me chills

[@valentinhalau3396]

day and night, the lonely loner seems to free his mind at night , at at at night

[@guybrushmonkey97]

Spoilers: Knowing these short horror stories love their plot-twists and foreshadowings, when the shadow people first appeared I did think that the third eyes could be bullet holes, but I didn't think the dev would go there. He most certainly did. Such a mean spirited reveal, with the shadow person with the bigger mouth and all that.

[@Xiroxys]

I've recently eaten a grilled cheese on my toilet like a rat... I think I'm closer to this dude than I might like to admit, now that I see it...

[@neothe1st644]

I ate grilled cheese off the radiator while I did 20 years in the can!

[@raticus79]

I was expecting him to lose that hand, especially with the poop bucket situation and lack of hand washing

[@hajimemitsu612]

I knew this was a gem when i saw the cooking pot next to the poop bucket...

[@RagnarokAvatar]

So that's why he was a shut-in, it was THAT kind of trauma. That kid needs help. . .

[@donttakeitpersonal1]

Wow, I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did.

[@Krauser84]

This was really cool. Basically a point and click adventure of The Twilight Zone.

[@dstream9557]

I feel that i need to watch this til the end so that maybe i can understand Phil and not hate him so much

[@_.BlueCrow._]

C'mon, mans just having crippling depression and anxiety from what I've seen so far..maybe I haven't watched enough to see where your guys hatred came from. Or I have and had too many friends and family members who suffered a similiar faith, but not as dramatic as with the whole pee bottle and poop bucket stuff ofc

[@dstream9557]

I just saw the entire thing and now feel really bad for phil

[@TheAstyanii]

I'd say Noelle or Piper were the real assholes of this story. Piper decided to go murder-suicide to leave her brother with the fallout. Noelle exacerbated the mental trauma by enabling Phil's behavior without performing any kind of due diligence. With that said, a small town should've noticed that an entire family disappeared, all of their normal activities ceased, and no food was being purchased.

[@ItsMrAssholeToYou]

My opinion of him improved, but only VERY minimally. He could've stopped it, but didn't. He could've done right by his family in the wake of it, but didn't. Instead, he went into extended denial and wallowing in self-pity and kind of took advantage of his (presumably) girlfriend that he all but abandoned. That said, @TheAstyanii's assessment is pretty accurate.

[@half.blight]

​​​@@_.BlueCrow._without knowing the ending; people would think he's just a useless, weakly adult man who is irrationally afraid over nothing. Kinda hard to sympathize for a guy like that.

[@james-ql8gk]

I like the environment , you can just chill in your house while its snowing outside and , you can see distant mountains i wanna live in a place like this. It feels cozy.

[@AbstractTraitorHero]

Eastern & mountainside west washington are just like this. It's where the game is set, I look outside my window and see this stuff all the time. So-Move to eastern washington or mountainside western washington. Could try Oregon as well.

[@james-ql8gk]

@@AbstractTraitorHero thanks

[@PIGEON5265]

what a nice writing! it was so fun putting pieces together while watching. 10/10! 🙂

[@chaoslacroix7180]

That was........exceptionally depressing.

[@crocodyllul]

I'm entirely sure the plot was changed midway from a Rear Window-inspired thriller with a red herring supernatural thing to the arguably darker theme of mental health issues. I like (hm kind of) the change of direction from supernatural horror to the current horror/drama Octavi does, but I wish the first part was better integrated in the definite plot, like in From The Woods. Also, he's seriously killing it with those pixel art close-ups. Damn.

[@everythingsalright1121]

Full details on ending spoilers: Wow. Uh. So his sister murdered both of her parents with her dad's guns and then shot herself, and then phil went into massive shock and denial, wanting to not acknowledge that happened or what he saw. Really ramps up towards the end there, intense imagery, and the lack of dialogue really makes your mind connect the dots yourself and go "aw shit...AW SHIT...FUCK NO NO NO"

[@prototype1795]

Still don’t understand how the priest talked to his hallucinatory parents. Like, we heard him tell Noelle he was going to drop by to check on Phil, right? So the fact Phil heard him outside his room seems to indicate that actually happened.

[@bryantan4228]

@@prototype1795He couldn’t have gotten into the house.

[@MoogMonster554]

@@prototype1795 By the end it's obvious that Phil's visions aren't real. The priest's conversation with Noelle is real, but he never actually came to the house at that time. Lots of Phil's visions are pieced together partly from past memories and partly from his own invented fiction. It's reasonably likely the conversation with the priest did occur at some point in the past, but not in that context. You'll notice that during that conversation the priest and the mother never actually say much about Phil locking himself in his room. The conversation could have refered to any unrelated issue that was troubling him long before the event.

[@prototype1795]

@@MoogMonster554 My main concern is that Phil imagined the priest’s visit independent from the latter’s talk with Noelle. He should have had no idea the priest was planning to come over at that time. I guess you can chalk it up to coincidence, but the timing is pretty convenient to me.

[@MoogMonster554]

@@prototype1795 He didn't hear what the priest said, but he did see the priest talking to Noelle. That could be enough to trigger the memory.

[@ichihoseto8783]

Wow. This game really brings to light that not all Hikikomori are like this because they are anti-social but rather because they are suffering from something else. Some people become this because of constant abuse and attempt to cut off reality. From what I can tell here, the protagonist Phil was actually a social person, not a Hikikomori and was a very normal person who was also a bit of an otaku(evidenced by his love for anime and the way he cheered up Nolle). He may have had some social problems but he didn't let them stop him from going out, making friends, and living a life that is similar to that of a student that is in High school or College. Judging by his appearance and lifestyle, I'm assuming he is a recent college student as most college students in Japan or America have part time jobs or at least obtain one like Phil did. His story is that his father constantly abused him and his sister with verbal insults as he was jealous of his own son and hated his daughter for having problems. His father was a failure of a business man and spent much of his ancestor's money on himself and his hobby(hunting). His sister(aka Piper) had complications at birth that led to her having problems. His mother cared deeply for her kids but did not want to do anything about her husband's abuse so she let him be. Phil did his best to stand up for his sister and managed to help her until he started college where he need to spend more time at work and school. By this time, Piper had what many would consider to be a good life as she not only had a supportive brother but she also had a good social life as well. However, unlike Phil who did not let them meet their dad, she allowed her friends to meet her family which resulted in her father finding new ways to cause her to suffer. He forced Piper to break up with her boyfriend and constantly belittled her at every chance he got. Eventually, all her friends left her and she could only turn to her brother for emotional support. Unfortunately, Phil was getting busy and could no longer spend as much time with her as before leading her to cope alone. As for Phil, he would do whatever he could to damage Phil's social life and disrupt him when he could but. In response, Phil began a routine of locking himself in his room and organized his schedule in such away that he could remain locked up his room to avoid his father as much as possible. Notably, he quit his job at the market, only contacted his friends though his phone, and made sure that everything he did was online instead of in person(this included special events.) To keep himself connected though, he spied on his neighbors to see what was going on outside. His father tried several times to get him to come out, from his mother bringing him breakfast everyday(which he told her to stop bringing as he was getting breakfast from his friend Noelle), attempting to drug his breakfast and delete his son's personal bank account, and lastly, getting the local priest involved. In the end, he gave up since all his methods failed to convince his son to come out. In response to this, his sister, Piper, attempted to follow Phil's footsteps but since she no longer had friends to help her, she started doing things on her own from fighting back to coping by playing loud disruptive music in her room. She tried to get all her outside events online but due to her status as a kid/high school teen, she couldn't and still had to deal with her father every day. Her father responded by finding more creative ways to abuse her which resulted in her making plans to run away. In the meantime, Phil's father finally managed to drug him to the point where he was forced to leave his own room for medical attention. Lucky for Phil, the drugs were too strong and as a result, he needed to spend more time in his own room to recover. It was also during this time that Piper ran off with what she could in hopes of starting a new life. While she was away, Phil temporarily set his differences aside to help his family find Piper and secretly asked Noelle to help. However, Noelle eventually informs Phil that she has to leave for a few months to join her father who is dying from a tumor. Because of this, Phil is forced to leave the safety of his room since he now has to get things on his own. Upset, he cuts contact with her while she gets ready to leave and to prevent his father from discovering his friendship with Noelle. Piper is eventually found by the police and taken home by the Sheriff who didn't bother to ask about her situation and assumed that she was just going through a phase like his own daughter. Since Phil cut contact with her, Noelle did not know that Piper had been found. In the meantime, Piper decides to end it all and gets her father's rifle. To prevent Phil from learning about this, she tries to distract him by putting on some loud music in her room to give the impression that she is inside her room. Phil falls for this and comes back to see his sister shoot both his mother and father dead and herself soon after. Unable to take it anymore, he runs to his room and locks himself inside where he injures his head and breaks his phone. For the next few weeks, Phil survives with what little supplies he had left over while trying to forget what had happen. In the end, his injury is too much for him to take care of and he is forced to leave his room. Meanwhile, Noelle decides to make up with Phil so she can properly say good bye. She is still unaware that Piper had been found some time ago and also unaware of what had just transpired at Phil's home. She calls Phil unaware of the fact that he had broken his phone. When she and her mom finally visit, they find the bodies of Phil's family which had been rotting for some time and Phil who had just come out of his room with a severe head injury. In the end, Phil manages to tell Noelle and her mother about what had happened while the police arrive with an ambulance to take Phil away to recover from his injuries and all those years of abuse that his father had inflicted on him. The Sheriff then comforts Noelle and her mother before voicing out nobody knows what people go through in silence with regret over his own part for what had happened.

[@Robiont]

Phil was a normal person. He locked up a month ago when Sister have killed his family. Talks with parents and his sister during this month was just his imagination.

[@ichihoseto8783]

@@Robiont They actually weren't hallucinations. While some parts were, the parts where his father, mother, and sister did appear(as humans) were real things that happened.

[@Robiont]

@@ichihoseto8783 it was hallucinations, parts where his family members appears, they was a long gone with headshots on the first floor.

[@trahsh_1005]

I don't understand, i thought Phil locked in his room after her sister killed their whole family, and the rest of it are hallucinations

[@Robiont]

@@trahsh_1005 yes. Every talk with his family was just hallucinations.

[@zulucruz664]

A masterpiece storyline. Noelle is such a beautiful soul

[@AbyssMaulYT]

I know price are inflated but $35.88 for a can of corn beef 💀

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

Haha, it looks like that's for 12 cans of corned beef though, which I guess is about right? $2.99 each.

[@silvermushroom-gamifyevery6430]

(Spoilers) Mad respect to the devs for managing some horror without any supernatural elements. That said, given what piper ends up doing, are we suppose to believe that the bloody snowpile that Noelle sees is Jake's corpse?

[@xBINARYGODx]

no, other people going missing would have caused suspicioun and someone to go check the x-girlfriends house or whatever. Anyway, probably another red herring or its the cat that disapeared - got killed by a plow I am guessing.

[@InkLoadedBullet]

games like this interest me plus it's been awhile since i have seen a complete unique horror game

[@Murasaki1357]

I like Midnight Scenes: A Safe Place, this game impressed me and shocked me at the end! I like indie games and pixel art, it makes my soul happy! I am glad that nowadays there are people who use pixel art and create such masterpieces! I hope there will be a continuation of the game in the future, I wish the developer of the game all the best!

[@MeBeCreepy]

Ok getting to the end here. The dialogue I think is done clungy like that so it doesn’t get too, um, real. That was horrific. I love midnight scenes

[@xBINARYGODx]

Well, I will watch this MAYBE after seeing this video just pop up in my recommendations and so I went and played it - and... WOW! I can see someone getting a little bored as they play most of it, but your not getting that same affect unless you really immerse yourself before that ending. Best $5 I spent in years.

[@xBINARYGODx]

In case that did not translate, I saw the thumbnail and just decided to play it myself because it was so cheap ($3.something-ish), and I was just not prepared for that twist. Great little game.

[@TheMrBornBlue]

Best episode of all the saga now, need a sequel.

[@or3213]

One thing I don't really understand (spoilers): Why did Phil's credit card suddenly stopped working? Phil thought the father disabled the card, but from the ending we know that's not the case. Did Phil ran out of money in his bank account without noticing?

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

Yeah, I'd say the card stopped working because he went over his max overdraft. The error that pops up on the screen doesn't actually say the card's been disabled. It says "The card on file has expired or is out of funds. Your transaction was declined due to insufficient funds in your account". He just blamed his father because he was still in denial.

[@AmaryInkawult]

Everyone going on about the ending, lemme see how dark it is

[@AmaryInkawult]

Ok yeah, that's dark alright

[@orchidrose1410]

Ok wait, but what was up with the priest visiting the house? Had a convo with Phil and his mom. It couldn’t have been in his head because Noelle has a convo with him outside the church on her way to work and they discussed Phil and his family. I’m confused

[@nathanielc3161]

Dream or hallucinations. The game establishes that you have no idea from one moment to the next what’s a nightmare and what’s real.

[@ItsMrAssholeToYou]

Plot hole. There were a bunch of them, but that was probably the biggest one.

[@MoogMonster554]

@@ItsMrAssholeToYou Not a plot hole. By the end it's obvious that Phil's visions aren't real. The priest's conversation with Noelle is real, but he never actually came to the house at that time. Lots of Phil's visions are pieced together partly from past memories and partly from his own invented fiction, so it's likely the conversation with the priest did occur at some point in the past. You'll notice that during that conversation the priest and the mother never actually say much about Phil locking himself in his room. The conversation could have refered to any unrelated issue that was troubling him long before the event.

[@ichihoseto8783]

@@MoogMonster554 Actually, everything up to the point where Noelle attempts to visit Phil is in the past. We're simply switching perspectives as we go on. His visions were actually real and from the past.

[@ichihoseto8783]

This was all something that happened in the past. The priest coming over was a ploy used by his father to coax Phil out of his room to face his abuse but failed.

[@zZTrUeWiSDoMZz]

This games deep. It’s nice to see indie devs making meaningful experiences.

[@justnothing1430]

This game got me covering my mouth and gasped "HOLY SHIT-"

[@datemasamune2904]

Oh nice! They’re continuing this.

[@sus_account]

My God. This shocked me greatly, to the core... Thank you for the gameplay of such a masterpiece, Alpha Beta Gamer.

[@SleepyDice]

That was...wow. Really was not expecting the plot to hit that hard. Very well done.

[@mitommy3430]

Me: there better be a stupid ABG joke at the end of this…. ABG: does not disappoint

[@Will-sq3ip]

18:08 Clowns, why it had to be clowns?

[@austincde]

When you finally come downstairs and they hit u w/ the WELL LOOK WHO DECIDED TO SHOW UPPP 😂

[@Breadzels]

the fact that i can somewhat relate and understand this guy's feeling... *sigh*

[@annormal1414]

Not bad, not bad at all. I wish it had more "horror" in it but still good dame. Hope they'll continue the series

[@Derek-b9c]

HOLY SHIT... WHAT AN ENDING... makes me so depressed

[@AimanCool440]

Waiting Next Episode is Midnight Scene: Dance of Spring for another year.

[@RaboFrangalStream]

the questions is, what was that strage doll noelle get at mailbox? why that guy was int the middle of a black out and snow stor putting gasoline at the car? why the church was oppen 9:30 pm if they stay only until 8pm? i think maybe things arent soo simple as seems

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's probably an easter egg for a previous game in the series. Possibly The Nanny or From The Woods.

[@xBINARYGODx]

Its from From The Woods - the last chapter/entry in the series - just an easter egg.

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

@@xBINARYGODx Ah, awesome, thanks for the heads up! :)

[@ron4202]

It could have also been a red herring, something to throw you off in what is actually happening

[@mmmmmmmmmmm10]

Damn i can totally relate to this game. This happened to me in 1st yr college. Im good now though, i dont need to worry about affording rent or my next meal, im set for life :)

[@unstopitable]

Depressing and fascinating.

[@Anonym-yr4qn]

This is so odd... I think i legit had a dream about watching those scenes long time ago. This oddly specific Deja Vu moment.

[@delko000]

This was really well written

[@VitaliyMilonov]

finally,, i can roleplay as myself!

[@ZXNTV]

Bro this is just a normal day. 😊

[@ElangPutih45]

man,... poor phil, if only his father actually cared, "that" accident would never happened in the first place

[@QingWeiSanguine]

I have to say this game is very well done

[@nicoladerbyshire7871]

If you put the speed on the video on 1.5 when piper plays music it’s good

[@vladimirluchensvki6987]

hello alpha love your channnel grew big was here when you are like 1k subcriber haha

[@trantruong2065]

I really like Noelle. She is really... cute honestly!

[@muhammadnadhifhindami8195]

Damn, i didnt expect the end would be like this

[@eldritx]

wow, I was in suspense from start to finish, amazing

[@lloydau3610]

Good twist, good moral; I do feel like the tragedy of the second half feels too different from that of the first though, almost as if the game didn't want to fully commit to the horror of a hikikomori rotting away in their cell.

[@GregoryTheGr8ster]

Didn't Howard Hughes live like this t times?

[@AlphaBetaGamer]

I think so! He locked himself in his movie theater though, which is probably a slightly better place to hole up in! :)

[@WolfyFancyLads]

Oh. From the panic attack I thought it was going to be depression or anxiety. So, you know, right thought process, wrong reason. :P Glad the kid at least got a happy ending where he's not jailed for murder and he gets help. Situations like that normally end way worse for the protagonist.

[@seantaggart7382]

*Violins play* I mean cmon YOU CAN'T HAVE OMORI AND NOT HAVE THE VIOLINS

[@Strelokos666]

He failed to be a superhero when he needs to, unfortunately