Anodyne Analysis

[@hx0ad5]

it really means a lot to me to hear someone else talk about this game in so much detail, since i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since i first played it (and have replayed it many times to map out my feelings/interpretations on it). it's cool how your analysis reaches a lot of similar conclusions in terms of the themes & emotional core of the game that my personal analysis does, but you've approached it from a different angle to me. anodyne has always felt to me like a story of young being afraid of how the people & world around him is changing, growing up, getting darker, etc. and him feeling like he's the only one holding onto that innocence of youth. something like that, anyway. hard to explain without rambling for a while. anyway, i really love this video, great job

[@JulezMichaud]

I just picked up Anodyne 2 and came searching for a summary of Anodyne. I knew I loved it in 2013 but wanted a refresher and this was exactly what I was looking for. Great work!

[@plumadeicaro]

I'm actually REALLY impressed on the quality of the video. Your analysis inspires me to do better my videos, and you've convinced me to give a try to the game when I can!

[@yoppimedia]

thanks so much! so glad it inspired you :) and defintely play the game, its really fun! btw all the other games by this studio are also really good

[@omeramrani2274]

Can you make an analysis on the final cards? I would especially love to know what you think about the 49 and 50 card gate and what it represents to you

[@BL-9065]

I'll be honest. While i haven't seen the entire playthrough or played this, i know there ARE heavy topics and ik this is in Young's subconscious. This aspect and the pixel art Zelda-y vibe along with the music, makes me wanna play it. The heavy emotional themes kinda scare me a tad because of how relatable they sound, but the final message you gave about The Briar makes me wanna play it again. We -- myself included -- can and should learm a lot from this game and from Young, as i myself am a somewhat socially inept gamer and a fan of RPGs, heroic legends, and escapist fantasy.

[@Mangapan]

I can tell a lot of effort and thought was put into this video, good job. You deserve more views

[@josephforjoseph]

Wonderful analysis, thanks for making this vid. This is one of my favorite games ever and it was weird when i knew that because i didnt even realize how deep the game had effected me. Thank you for putting words to it more so and making it more tangibly understood.

[@yoppimedia]

glad you liked the video :) yeah a lot of what the game meant to me didn't fully hit me until a good bit after i finished it and i really started reflecting, but before that i did have that unexplainable feeling that this was something special that meant a lot to me

[@brendathevampirekiller]

I really love to see such strong analysis of one of my favorite games! I really agree with most of your interpretation-- over my many replays, I've come to notice a lot of thematic significance. Some of the comments have added some ideas, like themes of discomfort with gender, that I also see in Anodyne, but one lens I haven't seen mentioned is one I believe is important: Young probably has a loved one (Briar) with a mood or personality disorder. The last two areas, Blue and Happy, the ice land full of depressed snowpeople and the fire city full of manic sex-obsessed clubgoers before the ice-and-fire final boss, always really struck me as a loved-one-struggling-with-bipolar metaphor. Sage and Mitra then represent different reactions Young has seen to a sibling or friend's emotional distress. Anyway, it's a sign of a great game that so many themes fit over its story and layer together. Love the channel, great video!

[@yoppimedia]

@@brendathevampirekiller luv this analysis, thnx for the nice comment ^w^

[@Choice_au]

Really cool video mate. I didn't think there'd be much interesting to say about Anodyne based on the graphics, but you proved me wrong. Great insight into a great little game.

[@yoppimedia]

thanks so much :) all the games by analgesic productions have a lot of thematic depth! definetely check em out if you like that in games

[@josealfonsx]

I loved this video, and also loved to hear someone interpreting the game through the same feelings as me. I thought I was the only one being so fascinated towards this game. Thanks for sharing and taking the time for making this 😊

[@warhouse1]

This is a terrific video essay based on a good, obscure game. Well done

[@oramuvelazque2962]

Amazing i really love this video keep making more like this definitely subing :)

[@yoppimedia]

sephonie analysis is in the works :)

[@oramuvelazque2962]

@@yoppimedia Yup

[@s145611]

let's go! great analysis!

[@scas97]

I loved your analysis! Anodyne is one of my favourite indie games ever! Actually, all games from Analgesic Productions are! I played Anodyne, Even the Ocean and Anodyne 2 (I just finished it as it came out on PS4 only a few days ago). I loved the editing of your video as well. Subscribed! I'll go and watch the videos on Even the Ocean and Anodyne 2 as well very soon! Cheers ^-^

[@yoppimedia]

thanks for all the kind words :) glad you like the vid, and thnx for supportin analgesic productions, they're the best!

[@applecidervinegar1650]

Admittedly I didn't know what the word anodyne actually meant but even before I had feelings the game was about drug use alongside the mental realisations. We know in Zelda and other games we interact with the guidance stones but here I felt it meant getting stoned especially as some of the dialogue seemed gibberish. Also other reasons include because you talk to both humans and animals. And that a broom is used which witches use to fly HIGH. And also the levelled up items can be things people do when they are high; widen and extend themselves. But everything you said makes sense especially the part about the sage being annoyed by Mitra.

[@megalobsterface3552]

Knowing what I know about the head writer, and reading what the sign in Young town - "Ying's denial of possessing the name Ying" - it's hard for me not to see this as a trans story. I can see the fantasy world, the clinging Young has to the hero story, as the last remnants of compulsory masculinity. Having a chosen name people don't want to admit they have definitely pushed me in the direction of that line of thought, but especially seeing how Anodyne 2 turned out, I think there's a lot of basis for that.

[@yoppimedia]

i've had the same thoguhts actually, but i suppose i didn't want to put that reading into the video because i didn't want to put in too many assumptions about the connections to the writers personal life. especially considering most of that reading comes from young town, and that part of the game is very dark. so implying that was a very dark part of their life might make them uncomfortable. so i thought it might be better to keep the reading more general. maybe i'm wrong and should've included it, but regardless, yeah i agree that it can be read that way.

[@Kabal39]

Ew

[@megalobsterface3552]

@@Kabal39 hey buddy, this comment is two years old, and from your attitude it's clear you are too, but its commonly agreed to be polite to not dig up ancient shit for the sake of being a prick to strangers. Let your mommy know if you need help reading this!!!

[@andybene5941]

Good analysis!

[@yoppimedia]

thanks so much!

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

I honestly never understood the game, Kind of bummed out that it didn't click with me, i really wanted to like it