Are You Afraid of the Dork? | A Dark Seed Series Adventure

[@Randalor]

I like to believe that during Dark Seed 2, the actual Mike Dawson is still living in California with his hot Librarian girlfriend, and the Mike Dawson in Texas is just a copy made by the Ancients, but they only had his 12-year-old self to base his personality off of.

[@kendromeda42]

I'm fully willing to accept this headcanon

[@jesselindsey9760]

And just like that, I choose to believe this.

[@KitKatNisa]

What do you mean? This is absolutely the official canon. I'm pretty sure I definitely read that in the manual.

[@dreamersdisease2481]

Mike Dawson is a pretty common name there could just be a couple of my Dawson's and this one happens to be a nerd

[@woogha]

Maybe the ancients are like Skynet. All they know is the prophesized name of "Mike Dawson" and they just go around ruining various Mikes not realizing the real Mike Dawson is the friends made along the way.

[@Mr.Mosquito89]

The mental image of Mike Dawson, dawdling paranatural dunderfuck, sifting through the ashes of an entire lineage and SOMEHOW managing to get them ALL on himself and just mildly complaining about his own clumsiness is the kind of faintly bleak humor I crave -- he's like that dude from Mystery of the Druids but less outright sociopathic and more, dangerously incompetent.

[@StarBlue42]

The dude from mystery of the druids is detective Halligan. Put some respect on his name or he'll poison you so he can borrow your office supplies!

[@Mr.Mosquito89]

@@StarBlue42 If I'm too cool for him to touch me and levitate a foot off this chair, the most he can do is steal my scissors. This is the best most people get off when near that -- thing of a person.

[@KyokujiFGC]

Has to be one of the funniest scenes in gaming history

[@matrix3509]

A text description of this scene reads like a Tim and Eric sketch. So much so that I'm wondering if they actually did a bit like this.

[@jpsplat]

I thought if Scorn had a section where you were a little mustache guy who had to return a library book it would have been a sick Darkseed remake

[@lucascoval828]

Already sounds better.

[@BrickleYourFrickle]

Little mustache guy is probably the nicest way Mike Dawson has been described ever

[@LabTech41]

Then, at least the game would've had some kind of coherent story, instead of just being one of those Kubrick style 'experiences'.

[@lucascoval828]

@@LabTech41 It was all a dream.

[@CatBitchNami]

It would have been a better game.

[@weirdotzero7065]

Okay. I had to come back here to dump two random facts about these games I learned. 1. Mike's voice actor in the first game is Deem Bristow(aka Dr. Eggman from Sonic Adventure) and 2. Dark Seed 2 was written by Raymond Benson, who wrote Ultima 7 and just TWO YEARS after Dark Seed 2 would become the main author for Ian Fleming's James Bond Books until 2002. My brain imploded learning these two facts.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

DOCTOR EGGMAN!?

[@Kaltagstar96]

Holy shit, we could have gotten Mike Dawson as James Bond and I don't think there's anything in my life that I want more than that.

[@doricdream498]

glad to see the ultima retrospective series had been foretold for decades.

[@raspymorten]

Just when I thought i couldn't be any more excited for the Ultima 7 episode in the retrospective...

[@kingofthemoon3063]

GET A LOAD OF THIS

[@rastas_4221]

Darkseed one: Mike Dawson is weird but somewhat charming optimistic man, finds intrigue even in the small things Darkseed two: "Billy took my smiley sticker so I cry myself to sleep"

[@Noid]

Mike turns from nerdy connoisseur of fine detail into a redditor in the second game

[@HarleyLocal605]

Darkseed 2 Mike is absolutely the guy that BillyMC bullies.

[@guilhermehank4938]

Mike was a lovable socially awkward lead in 1. But 2... I really wonder what IRL Mike did to piss off Cyberdreams that badly

[@WobblesandBean]

Yeah, that's...yeah.

[@trustno173]

@@guilhermehank4938 I've heard that there was a really bad falling out between the IRL Dawson and the other guys at Cyber Dreams which led to him leaving (he went on to write a couple episodes of Family Matters' final season) and them turning game Mike into a pathetic, childish loser as a form of revenge.

[@matthewwinter611]

I'm the Mike Dawson cosplayer holding Shrimp Baby at 47:46! Another fan had made and brought the plush to PAX. I did a few photos of me standing in the middle of convention hallways looking lost and about to cry to really sell the character. I also brought ring toss rings, which I think you can see in my pocket in the photo!

[@Noid]

Did anybody recognize your niche character? I love the commitment, did you try acting like the oddly descriptive dork from Dark Seed 1, or the bumbling doofus from the second one?

[@matthewwinter611]

Oh I was the bumbling doofus from 2 for sure. I remembered that the rings were in my inside suit jacket pocket. My biomechanical arm (a shitty toy gun) is what you can see in my pocket. This was right after Retsupurae had done their long play of it, so a handful of people absolutely got it, including Slowbeef and Diabeetus, the hosts of Retsupurae. I mostly looked like a deadbeat dad; lost and worrying about getting a splinter or a spider bite @@Noid

[@SchlubbyTomHanks]

that is fantastic. there's nothing that makes me happier at conventions than finding and recognizing lesser-known character cosplays.

[@BriahnAznable]

God tier

[@DilbertDoubloon]

Absolute king.

[@ReverendLeRoux]

Dark seed is genuinely home to my favorite line of Dialogue in any game ever. "This will explain everything." [explodes] [proceeds to answer literally every question in the entire game]

[@LidiaVTuber]

LOL that scene

[@Zomby_Goast]

I'm personally a fan of: "Oh no! Not the Hall of Death again! The only way out of here is death!"

[@popo0129]

@RancorousSea Slowbeef: I've been waiting 6 hours for that

[@falconeshield]

​@@popo0129Classic

[@JoeyLamontagne]

I’m a fan of “Did YOU murder Rita?” to the widow

[@SolstafirAquilaria]

Giger's friendliness and openness toward the developer and their new/unique form of art tracks well enough with how, in the early 80s, Giger listened to and befriended a young extreme metal band from his country called Hellhammer, who (after a name change to Celtic Frost), were allowed use of his artwork, Satan I, for the cover of their new album, To Mega Therion. The band's frontman, Thomas Gabriel Fischer, ended up becoming lifelong friends with Giger, even acting as his personal assistant for the last so many years of his life.

[@AwesomeAutismHC]

That’s so nice! Giger sounds like a swell guy.

[@jumbobagginsjellogo4475]

That’s not even the best part, Celtic Frost, Giger, and the guitar brand Ibanez all collaborated to make limited edition guitars with Giger's artwork on them and the band use them to this day!

[@ChronoWarrior1996]

Didn't Giger also make Jonathan Davis' mic stand?​@@jumbobagginsjellogo4475

[@KBlackW]

Aaaand you can SEE Satan I in Darkseed 2, in Paul's secret cult room! it's the image on the left at 1:05:37!

[@metaleggman18]

I love the idea of an artist known for body horror, alien imagery, and surreal art, is actually just this fun, easy going, almost cute person who sends birthday cards and provides tea and cookies to his guest.

[@mikeJRthe2nd]

Jinji Ito is very similar to that vibe as well. Then you have the antithesis where Miyazaki's films are cute and beautiful, but Miyazaki is actually a jerk in real life.

[@BIacklce]

i mean you either do a post-ironic foil of your work, or you are Glenn Danzig

[@Just.Kidding]

@@BIacklce or or you're henry rollins

[@BIacklce]

@@Just.Kidding no Rollins is just political. Danzig is spooky for the sake of being spooky

[@julzsadventuresinmusic7492]

Corpsegrinder vibes lol

[@MrSkerpentine]

Darkseed 2 Mike is basically just a D&D character that somehow rolls Nat 1s on every single skill check

[@crookycumbles]

My only exposure to Dark Seed were those old Retsupurae videos, you've unlocked some ancient memories.

[@onomatopoeia7505]

Yes! The same for me! I replay those wrongpuraes once a year, just to cringe and laugh at the ridiculous things happening in the game.

[@Pooky1991]

Those videos were hilarious. Them losing it over the head exploding scene in the second game lives rent free in the head.

[@neurohack9038]

Long live Lowtax

[@darkjapan]

I still hope they will restart the podcast again someday. They had such great chemistry.

[@12ealDealOfficial]

RIP Retsupurae. It's kinda hard for me to go back to watching all those associated personalities these days but I do miss Betus.

[@silokhawk]

It's crazy to see reference to GT's top 10 horror games all these years later. That video is also how I first heard of this game and is also what introduced me to my favorite horror game Clock Tower. Regardless, this is a great in-depth look on Dark Seed! Awesome work man!

[@Clancyism]

I hope, one day, we get a Dark Seed III with Mike again, somehow, and he is once again a completely different character

[@Romanticoutlaw]

it's like how Link from tloz is never the _same_ Link, but he's always _Link_

[@Majuular]

I hope he's Mike from the Dark Seed II trailer.

[@Clancyism]

@@Romanticoutlaw Exactly

[@MysteryEzekude]

If there were to be a Dark Seed III, I imagine Mike Dawson becoming a purely immoral scumbag of a character.

[@1Hol1Tiger]

Sadly, I don't see it happening. A big reason for that is Dark Seed 1+2 were meant to come to Steam remastered for modern hardware just like I Have No Mouth did However the main reason it didn't was despite having the rights to the game, they didn't have the rights to the artwork by HR Geiger, and when they contacted the Geiger estate, they were basically laughed out of the room.

[@RIlianP]

Giger loved working on media projects, but for him it was all about the art, and did little to concern himself with such things as age ratings or budgets, it went so far as for him to invest his own money into creating props that have been rejected in order to pitch them again, see the train from Species. The guy was absolutely passional for his art and the projects he was involved in. Absolute legend.

[@skipperxiv9401]

"Compared to Dark Seed II, Dark Seed is an arthouse masterpiece" Uh oh

[@callmebeef338]

I remember being introduced to Darkseed through Retsupurae, and Diabeetus absolutely losing his shit at the "This will explain everything" part. Awesome retrospective video, these games are hilarious

[@onomatopoeia7505]

Same for me, and I still watch those wrongpuraes once in a while, they're just too good at being bad 🥳

[@darkjapan]

I still hope they will restart the podcast again someday...

[@patryksg]

@@darkjapan S-surely they will pick up their Dungeon World game again... right?

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

"This will explain everything." BOOM! Suddenly, "Scanners".

[@Majuular]

My all-time favorite moment from that playthrough is when Mike asks Hank for a cherry ice cream soda, and Diabeetus in Hank's voice says "Sorry Mike, that's for children!"

[@crzyces1693]

This video had me dying. Legit laughing and commenting at my monitor. When I heard... _"you broke into his house and stabbed him"_ I shook my head saying _"but the register is a bridge to far."_ Then you said it. That's when it hit me. You're obviously the dark world version of me, forced to play weird video games to then make videos for the amusement of others for the rest of eternity.

[@Majuular]

If you see a large fellow with a beard, neckbrace and a 3-frame walk cycle come up your driveway accompanied by midi blues rock guitar, do NOT tell him all of your deepest secrets!

[@discipleofdagon8195]

@@Majuular If Darkseed Majuular put me in a self-defence situation, well golly! I'm not sure just what means I would resort to!

[@NobleAbsinthe]

What's the lore reason for the neck brace?

[@Nav-S]

As someone born and raised in Crowley, I can confirm a few things. One: The Ancient Gods sleep beneath the city causing madness in the residents. Two: Mike Dawson IS a huge dork, and three: We had a gas station called McCloud's, but everyone just called it the gas station.

[@planescaped]

That the sequel turned a 30 something ad agency owner and writer into a seemingly fresh outta highschool, forever alone manchild, without actually addressing the change or doing any retconning, is hilarious. lol

[@HQ_Default]

Part of me almost wonders if Dark Seed 2 was originally meant to be a different game with a different protagonist, and they just wound up grafting Mike Dawson over top of some 20 year old they had already written dialogue for.

[@Glassandcandy]

It’s also very funny that he is named and modeled off of an actual real life person who had no say in any way over that portrayal I bet Mike irl was pissed when he played DS2.

[@1Hol1Tiger]

I actually wish we could have that in a more competent game, it's an amazing deconstruction of the "Chosen Hero" trope

[@DonnyKirkMusic]

@@1Hol1Tiger most games don't go full-YIIK but, YIIK.

[@ryaneftink7364]

“Your moral compass is a roulette wheel!” Lelouch Lamperouge, on Mike Dawson

[@traversingthedark]

I can't not immediately connect Darkseed with Retsupurae, but Majuular is a worthy successor!

[@Majuular]

A truly humbling comment!

[@ErrrorWayz]

Yep like Spoony and Ultima.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

@@Majuular Ya missed, pal!

[@DilbertDoubloon]

It's amazing how Mike went from the 1950's nerd in the monster movie who ends up saving the town to the 1950's nerd in the delinquent movie who gets stabbed and literally nobody's upset about it.

[@Poco64]

mike dawson fucking rules fella. the retsupurae riff on darkseed 2 is still one of my favorite longplays 15 years later.

[@onomatopoeia7505]

I thought I was the only one, I still watch those wrongpuraes once in a while 🥳

[@Mateus_Carvalho]

Hey, you missed pal!

[@codexofoverthinking]

But will we ever get an answer to the eternal question: Majuular, did you kill Rita?

[@Majuular]

@@codexofoverthinking (Closes door in Codex's face)

[@WTFisTingispingis]

I'm getting flashbacks to that LP holy cow.

[@timothymclean]

I like the _idea_ of the prison pillow puzzle. It uses the two-linked-worlds idea more than most of the game, and having to figure out what items you want to send yourself in the other world is theoretically an interesting puzzle component. In practice, you need to stick three random items under a pillow when you're sent to jail or you lose the game. I hope another adventure game figures out a way to use these ideas.

[@wheremedad]

I still show my friends the “This will explain everything” moment regardless of wether they know of Dark Seed or not

[@NapoleonBlownapartMMA]

If Alan Wake was less likeable and suffering a catastrophic brain injury, he’d be Mike Dawson

[@Mordrevious]

1:02:29 Cruel Angel's Thesis over Mike Dawson's infamous ring toss is perfect. Just perfect. Thank you, Majuular.

[@darkjapan]

He choose the best bit as well, it's this line; "Young boy, become a legend!"

[@Sigh95]

Cruel Dawson’s Thesis

[@NotOnLand]

From everything I've heard, Giger seems to have been a really great guy with a lot of care. For the movie Species they hired him to design the main creature, and he got so into it he made life sized sculptures, tons of new art, and even designed and shot an entire sequence himself (that barely made it into the movie). Any time the studio tried to add in more unoriginal things like flamethrowers and giant eggs, he would send them constant messages saying "Not like Scott's Alien!" He even would have flown from Switzerland to stay in Hollywood just to help with movie, but his aging mother was sick and he wanted to spend her last days with her.

[@TheJaranuJanic]

As someone who discovered these game through Retsupuraes years and years ago, I love seeing more and more people discover these absurd relics from the past. I watch the Darkseed and Darkseed 2 retsupuraes almost every year at least once. They are just THE Iconic narmy games to me.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

two things to note 1. the carnival strongman had a blonde mustache but brown hair 2. you can totally see the orange tip of the gun they used as a prop.

[@Silvarian]

*Steps out of bushes menacingly* Wait have you not received the Get out of Jail Free card I sent you??

[@vtmarik]

Don't know if any other commenters mentioned it, but Darkseed's creepy baby is the source of the Forever Alone meme face.

[@crazykirsch]

59:05 I was already getting huge Halligan vibes from Mike but stealing change for a payphone seals the deal. What I wouldn't give for a story where these two are forced to work together or are working against one another. Both have absolutely zero social skills or emotional awareness, both are simultaneously dumbfounded and impressed by the most mundane things, and both have near-zero survival instincts or fear when it comes to the supernatural. It would be glorious.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

I do feel Halligan has a shred of malice in his soul, while Mike is just a himbo. I would absolutely die to see them together though

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Melanie was foregrounded but Halligan was lurking in the tower door in a brief shot 13:45

[@cienkitv2854]

Mike's skeletonised body was found later that day

[@redblueandgray]

@@RomanticoutlawMike Dawson has NO muscle, and is therefore not a himbo.

[@lam2142]

Pitza

[@lvl5Vaporeon]

Mike couldn't accept that the Aliens were going to take over. In a casual manner while nobody was looking, he stole a gun after describing the police station for the 5th time. Questioning his own sanity; he puts the gun on his right temple and fires to prevent the alien from escaping. Nothing happens. Mike hears a faint voice from his ear; as if calling to him... EY YOU MISSED

[@elkcrossing799]

Every day a Majuular video comes out is the best day of my life.

[@ML8443]

First time here your comment got me hyped tho.

[@spencerdokes6056]

Maybe you need to do more fulfilling things?

[@ZachareyQuintana-qi4td]

​@@spencerdokes6056you're worse

[@evilredflame]

🤖

[@TannerHartgrove]

You and me both my friend!

[@Solinaru]

Do you think you can get me a cherry ice cream soda?

[@Majuular]

Mike, get the hell out of my diner. (Thank you!)

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

"What a quaint little general store with a little bit of everything for day to day existence." used to be my go-to password for my school's computer account.

[@Phoebe5448]

Me whenever I go to the shops.

[@jesselindsey9760]

That's the stupidest password I've ever heard in my life! That's the kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!

[@darion8476]

every 711 I enter.

[@funnyman10912]

@@jesselindsey9760 "What a quaint little general store with a little bit of everything for day to day existence?" .......... That's amazing, I have the same password on my luggage!

[@littleNorwegians]

34:55 I actually really like this small aside about Mike's depression, how the game handles it and how you feel about it, Majuular. It's small, but appreciated.

[@Ashamaxa]

Mike looks like "middle age crisis" pass through an AI program and put into a videogame. I love him.

[@12ealDealOfficial]

Without being on the nose or a signal, Darkseed II seems to be an excellent depiction of how mental illness must feel. Despite, in your own mind, being well-dressed, polite, and well-meaning, everyone in your town absolutely hates you and has to exert visible effort just being nice towards you. He has his "cool altar ego" which isn't even real, his "uniform" (albeit a limitation in game assets), a weird proclivity of visiting the same few stores without buying anything, and a mental fixation/ short-out/ regression to the mind of a teenager. It's all very deep and probably unintentionally so. Either that, or it's the best addition to the Jeff Foxworthy cinematic universe of all time.

[@1Hol1Tiger]

I agree and believe DS2 to be a master piece for this reason, he reminds me of Chris Chan, of modern incels who see themselves as "nice guys", thinking themselves the hero despite being the villain. It's just amazing how Dawson white knights Rita the whole game, but then considers her a bitch when he realizes she was never gonna sleep with him. If released today it would be considered genius satire, I legitimately beleive it may be one of the most.... brilliant subversive narratives of all time

[@FelisImpurrator]

​@@1Hol1TigerTo be fair, apparently Rita slept with literally every other guy in town, so at that point it might make a bit more sense.

[@BulyssesBwachowski]

@@1Hol1TigerI hate to break it to you, but men making games in the 90s were 99% incel losers. None of it is intentional, or unintentional. Be grateful that as a kid in 2023 you’re already a lot smarter than those nerds. People who worked at McDonalds were smarter than those nerds thirty years ago, and they’re smarter than those nerds now. Having a CS degree and being a white Californian in the 80s and 90s was not the high level intellectual lifestyle you seem to be implying.

[@tac-floor1330]

I heard main character suppose to be high schooler. So you can see some remnants of old script

[@ErrrorWayz]

​@@1Hol1TigerEveryone thinks they're the hero!

[@ConcreteUnending]

The voice acting is at odds with the creepy atmosphere yes but the almost sitcom voicelines have been stuck in my head nonetheless. Dunno. Gives the games a unique vibe. Like Giger mixed with full house. "That's the last bottle of scotch. Boy, Delbert's gonna be mad!" (Del immidiately saunters in) I mean the only thing missing is the laugh track xD

[@WTFisTingispingis]

I am in awe at the power of Delbert.

[@KoopaMedia64]

"In Dark Seed II, Mike is like if someone hastily looked at Giger's artwork and simply said "ooh, yucky!" In my third re-watch of this video and this particular line still sticks out to me, it is so poignantly accurate and so immensely funny in its simpleness. I'm gonna start ironically describing Giger art as "ooh, yucky!" to everyone I know.

[@CassianStone]

This became my comfort video to listen to at work, when life was bad, thank you so very much for it!

[@DrSlackr]

A few days ago I remembered these games seemingly out of nowhere since having played them during my early teens. Then I felt an urge to search for a video to relive some memories about it, and found this gem of a channel. I guess this was Mike Dawson reaching out from the Dark World to put me on to Majuular's channel. Thank you Mike!

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

I remember watching Slowbeef and Diabetus doing an LP of both games several years ago. Watching this felt like something deep within me reawakened and went "OH YEAH, FUCK, DARK SEED 2 IS NUTS" Thanks for the trip down memory lane, you absolutely rule dude, a true inspiration and I do mean that sincerely.

[@LynceusGlaciermaw]

You need to realize that this video is now not only right up on the same level with the Darkseed retsupuraes in the best way, but is now also required viewing in conjunction with them. I’m glad so many others like myself realize this. Basically everyone who knows this game and the retsupurae of it now also know your video on it. This is 100% earned and deserved!

[@Majuular]

lol this is a terrifying prospect, but I'm glad that you think so. Retsupurae was a big influence on my sense of humor as a teenager, and that influence carries on!

[@andrewjamesongray6388]

^^^ I came today to comment this after watching this video for who-knows how many times. This video is going into my cozy treasure trove.

[@NatonJolyBotogoske]

Majuular, dude. Your voice is soothing. Your scripts are funny. The pictures of you in the videos are hilarious. Your content is really relaxing and entertaining. You deserve success.

[@Majuular]

Thank you Naton, such a kind comment.

[@stinkystink9830]

​@Majuular how much money do I have to give you for you to play Granstream Saga

[@NatonJolyBotogoske]

@@Majuular you deserve it, and much more.

[@sjh9812]

remember to work the shaft

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

Success*

[@hivehum]

47:46 hey that's my buddy matt! we split a hotel room together for that year at pax iirc. i had no idea what darkseed was but i did meet diabetus who told me to play battletoads

[@Majuular]

Everything in your story checks out. Matt is a legend!

[@Everdistance]

I died laughing at the cherry ice cream soda gag with the widow. Great video! You're one of my favorite youtubers I've discovered recently.

[@ongogablogian4396]

Retsuprae could have shattered all illusions about this game. Also, "Oh no! Not the Hall of Death! The only way out is death!"

[@onomatopoeia7505]

With the amazing joke of Diabeetus, further into the game: "the halls of government? The only way out of there is government!“

[@therudegentleman4928]

From the day I've seen anything about Dark Seed 2 I've been unable to stop quoting "I think I'll stand here watering my lawn for the next 2 or 3 days". I never even knew the guy was a cultist with his mind being messed with, I just assumed he was really into lawn care.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

tbf Lawn Care is a cult

[@Phoebe5448]

Tbh I think Paul was like that before he got brainwashed by aliens from another dimension. It was just a bonus. Also I think its backstory its mentioned he got into cult stuff because his parents died. I liked Paul as a character, he seemed like the quirky dude who lived across the street and was pretty chill. Before the aliens got to him. I'd like to think he and Mike got along.

[@d.aardent9382]

​@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426yes, im surrounded by cult members of mowing obsessed. One guy mows like as soon as the poor grass grows 1/4" hes out scalping to the ground like hes running a professional golf course.

[@justapeckneck]

What an interesting video. Its a shame about its lackluster qualities. *walks away. Walks back.* You think you could get me a cherry icecream soda?

[@lconfig2117]

I still remember seeing this game on the shelf. It was always a mystery to me, but the cover art was unforgettable.

[@Colddirector]

I've watched the Dark Seed 2 retsupurae more times than I care to mention, but the Dark Seed 2 part of this review still left me rolling. Especially Mike talking about missing the clown and asking the twins to help with Pauls water faucet.

[@Gridiron992]

The head explosion out of nowhere legitimately had me laughing for several minutes out of the sheer insanity of it all. Thank you for showing us all the insanity that is both of these games.

[@andrewlavigne44]

Another amazing video, Maj, but I do want to admit I'm sad you left out the actual ludicrous line of Mike's where he figures out the killer is the hardware store owner: "Ugh, my head is killing me, it's like being hit by a sledgehammer...sledgehammer?...hardware store...PAUL COOPER!!!" It wouldn't be out of place being said by the Adam West Batman but there it would be intentionally funny.

[@onomatopoeia7505]

That's not how that goes. It's when Mike and Jack sit together and conclude that Mike has no chance proving his innocence, and Jack says "he better think of something or he (Mike) is going to sling a sledgehammer for the rest of his life". Mike then connects the sledgehammer to the hardware store, etc.

[@iamjustkiwi]

This game is just peak comedy. I dont think it was intentional, but everything about ot had me rolling on the floor. Great stuff Majuular

[@bluegum6438]

It's a strange, mean-spirited fever dream but I do think it's intentionally funny, it's experimental and doesn't take itself seriously.

[@CrazyxEnigma]

"This will explain everything." *Head explodes* Truly a work of art. Great review as always, hell this might be the best one you've done yet the humor in particular was great.

[@Alucitary]

Hearing the Gametrailers narration was a sledgehammer of nostalgia straight to the dome.

[@andrewkos5560]

The narrator (Brandon Jones) actually launched a new channel called "Easy Allies" that he was with until last year and still does the VA for all of their reviews. He also just released a book a week or so ago.

[@whodatninja439]

@@andrewkos5560i still wanna know why he thought darkseed was so scary

[@MmeCShadow]

Probably based on memory rather than recent play. You remember how surreal it was and the art sticks with you and the timer adds to the tension... might not hold up now but I can see how it would stick with sonebody.

[@gvulture1277]

Brandon Jones rarely wrote anything he read out loud, he's a voice actor first before anything else when it comes to video production. At Gametrailers and Easy Allies (before he left) he would do the voice over for all reviews and videos written by others. When you realise this fact it makes sense how so many videos from Gametrailers flowed so well, the voice actor had no personal involvement in what was being read so he did a great job selling the words like it all came from himself. @@whodatninja439

[@uamdbro]

I am not sure what his justification would have been but I recall a lot of those late 2000s top 10 lists, while being very nostalgic, being very poorly justified in hindsight. Might have just gotten onto the list because of hearsay of hearsay/"Darkseed is super scary" just kind of being the accepted narrative. Kind of true about 2000s gamer culture in general though tbh@@whodatninja439

[@Gigas0101]

Mike Dawson in Dark Seed 1 sounds like he'd be a great host for an educational show, real "Sidekick to Bill Nye" vibes. I'd watch Mike cameo on a NileRed video to help him make a cool chemical reaction. I am convinced Dark Seed 2 started as a different game, which is why Mike Dawson undergoes such a massive character assassination. I am very much afraid of that dork.

[@nathanhoffmeyer9931]

Best opening animation. Didn't expect to laugh the entire time! You're a freaking champion.

[@trumangraham2602]

16:04 Each time he says it he sounds less like he's annoyed and more like he's genuinely pleased.

[@smithmcsmithy2645]

It’s a fetish.

[@RetroSmiles]

Totally with you on being conflicted between giving Mike a wedgie or a hug. Him lamenting lowering his father's coffin at his funeral at one point hit me kinda different from how sudden it was.

[@AnvilPro100]

The Retsupurae Dark Seed 2 series is so iconic KZbin to me. Like I watch it every few months. That idiot longplayer just standing around and needlessly walking back and forth for literal hours really just adds to the Dark Seed 2 experience

[@nicolass155]

The speed in which you are pumping out these videos is insane! Will make some choccy milk and enjoy the kino

[@Majuular]

I went a little HAM because I wanted the video out before Halloween... slightly overestimated how long it would take 😅 Hope you enjoy!

[@cudgle1633]

Your exhausted frustration at Mike's baffling antics is peak hilarity

[@lukahcasshe6197]

I can feel the love for the Retsupurae adventure in this. Takes me back a good decade. Thanks for this, man. Hey, you nailed it, pal.

[@CutShadows]

1:04:37 I was going to make a joke about he couldn't turn the faucet with his "bear hands" and thats why he needed the Teddy Bears....only for the Teddy Bears to ACTUALLY be a roundabout way to complete the puzzle. I'm 100% certain that was the logic the Dev expected you to have in this 90's feverdream.

[@Chadley7805]

Thanks for the spectacular videos you create. I immediately get in a great mood when I see a new video.

[@Majuular]

Holy smokes, thank YOU for the super thanks Chadley. May future videos continue to elevate your mood!

[@lets3]

Mike in Dark Seed 2 feels like a PilotRedSun character.

[@kevindavidson8281]

A PilotRedSun reference in a comment on a video about a video game I only know about because of a decade old retsupurae video... I've been on this site too much

[@korrokthefamished4325]

Okay so this is the greatest title to a KZbin video I’ve ever seen.

[@maxsayo]

Your channel has quickly turned into a comfort food youtuber. As in someone i will rewatch when i just want to get cozy with something fun and familliar to watch.

[@Patheticbutharmless]

I get you. Soooooooo much. This one is golden. Also like the challen Grim Beard. As a tip.

[@timbojohnson7213]

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this video. You've become a kind of ASMR for me at night and videos like this are perfect as there's no big volume jumps, also this video specifically never gets boring for me :D Hope we get more weird point and click game coverage in the future

[@ScottE-2]

I'm not sure what it is about this video but it is my favorite from last year. I keep coming back to it and though I feel some stuff is left out from the review I'm glad at least I found it from watching your Harvester video. It also for whatever reason acts like near perfect sleep medicine. I dunno what it is, whether it's Mike's antics or how well you abridge the story it just helps me relax when otherwise I'd struggle. That and I think Mike especially so in Dark Seed 2 is such a fascinating anti-hero, not in the competence but by the sheer things he does that become a genuine comedy. Like this writing nerd who has been chosen as the vessel to birth a world destroying monster must save everyone from himself. Even if what we see might not be entirely real.

[@CreepyPersonCube.]

Honestly if this story had (several) more writing passes, an editor to help, and much much more self awareness, the degeneration of Mike would be a fascinating if stomach-wrecking story. It would be as much about a person's tenuous grasp on reality and his own sense of self crumbling, as about the Dark World (which would be better thought out as well as more strongly symbolic). As we go along we realize everyone Mike demonizes and dismisses, from Slim to the Mayor, were mostly right about him and some were just trying to help. Then we actually care about Mike and his plight so that if he's finally destroyed (shades of Requiem for a Dream), we FEEL SOMETHING. Or, if he manages to overcome all that and save the day, it will MEAN SOMETHING. Though, admittedly, turning Mike around into a hero would itself be a heroic task.

[@bobjones6154]

Dude I loved the Darkplace gag, freaking LOVE that show. Best comedy series of all time.

[@Spookybluelights]

Majular is truly the apex of Good Boyfriend™ in his timing. I just recently rewatched his Harvester video and was hankering for something just like it and then this uploaded a few minutes later!

[@Majuular]

I've seen several Harvester related comments. This was just fate.

[@RedSpade37]

​@@Majuular You have a Harvester video!? How did I miss that? Well, looks like I have some more content to eat haha

[@skeevy_nyx]

Just finished your thoughtful Ultima IV review, and going back and re-watching some older videos for fun. Your stuff always has the perfect blend of information and humor. My favorite little edits were: Mike continuously getting ashes on himself, the slow pan of dragging the gun to the shopkeeper, Mike just hanging up the phone, and Delbert "emerging menacingly from the bushes" XD And then in Dark Seed II, your impression of the sheriff, and A Cruel Angel's Ring Toss. Thanks for doing what you do, keep it up, man!

[@cecil6075]

youtube just told me darkseed was my "number one game" this year because of how many times i watched this video lmfao

[@MisterDozer]

Same.

[@JoeyLamontagne]

This video is like Retsupurae’s greatest hits: Phantasmagoria, Harvester, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and these two masterpieces

[@Btobebone]

I still quote 'Hey you missed pal' when one of my friends screws something up. But yeah, I remember seeing darkseed on the sa forums back when they were good in the LP subforum. It was an old school screenshot LP, seeing diabetus and slowbeef take it apart a few years later in video format was pretty fun too.

[@Never_heart]

Turning Mike into an incel in the sequel is a level of character assassination only rivaled by the Ring 2's treatment of Alberich

[@bobdude7111]

To this day I mostly remember the game cuz of the retsupurae commentary from what seems like a lifetime ago. That, Cyberdragon, and Harvester.

[@JoeyLamontagne]

That’s how I remember Phantasmagoria

[@onomatopoeia7505]

Cyber Dragon? Do you mean Rise of the Dragon?

[@metaleggman18]

This is probably like the 20th time I've watched this video. Probably just for the intro alone. I don't know why, but despite it being a horror game, I just love hearing you talk about this game. That and KZbin keeps recommending it to me lol.

[@ChaspelCu]

You release these videos at a speed and quality that is not humanly possible. Thank You.

[@AaronQ64]

Majuulars comedic timing and laughing at the dumbassery tickles the gremlins that live in my mind. Always a joy to watch another Majuular video and laugh right along with him. I keep laughing at the scared of your closet bit...who wrote this script with a straight face !? lol

[@tobiasschenkel5760]

I completely lost it at "casual friday hitler" 😂 Great stuff!

[@Slick_Tails]

I remember learning about Dark Seed from the Game Trailers Top 10 video too! I must've watched it a dozen times. The editing is fantastic. The music they used for Dark Seed sounds so insidious, and for the longest time I just assumed it was from the game. I imagined a slow, creeping horror as you explore the game, the music becoming more and more unsettling the further you delve into the alien world. It's not until watching this video that I realise just how absurd and comedic it all is. How it made the supposed top 10 scariest games just baffles me. For an actual scary point and click game, I highly recommend Death Mark and its sequel NG. (Also goes by the name Spirit Hunter: NG.)

[@DaviddeBergerac]

How did you know I'd been thinking about Dark Seed? Oh, props on that sitcom intro. Incredible work.

[@robloggia]

I've watched the intro for this video an unhealthy number of times. Most of the faux-90s stuff I see is all wrong, but this is spot on.

[@jakedizzle]

I’m assuming when Mike left the studio all of the creativity of describing things left with him.

[@ABuffWizard]

Simply incredible. I just found your channel and immediately after finishing Darkseed raced back to watch your Harvester video as well. The way you walk us through the game with info peppered throughout is excellent and the humor is so perfectly balanced. One of the best I've seen in a long time!

[@WobblesandBean]

The 90s sitcom opening was brilliant 😂

[@Phoebe5448]

Now I wish we had Full House Dark Seed with Mike Dawson and friends with eldritch hijinks along the way. Jack: "Mike! The Ancients are trying to take over the town!" Mike's Mom: "You're a lazy bum, Mike! I don't like you hanging out with Jack! He's a bad influence!" Mike: "But Mooooom!!" *laugh track*

[@lassikinnunen]

​@@Phoebe5448the mom should refer to the character alternatively as jack and mike

[@Jen_X]

I cannot believe that, so many years later, lines from the Dark Seed 2 Retsupurae videos are still lodged so deeply in my head that I can speak them alongside Mike "hey, you missed pal!" Dawson. Great video!

[@EarthLordCJ]

So glad I was able to find another retsu-fan in the comment section of these bizarre and ridiculous games.

[@LunaTulpa]

shame beef and beetus don't do it anymore, definitely grew up on it

[@gaminggoddess85]

Didn't they edit the video so even when Mike "won" the ring toss, he still missed (pal)? Or was that someone else's playthrough

[@EarthLordCJ]

@@gaminggoddess85 yeah, that was explicitly edited in their wrongpurae because the idea of Mike winning the ring-toss was totally unrealistic.

[@Constanza235]

I remember Dark Seed due to an old school Let's play server called Retsuprae. It was a fantastic, chaotic adventure. I'm extremely happy to have found your channel, your work is stupendous!

[@Mordrevious]

I rewatch the Dark Seed 2 Retsuprae at least partially about once a year. It’s classic Beef and Beetus on the top of their game.

[@Popebug]

I miss the adventures of Shrimp Baby.

[@BukkakeRidley]

I love that retsupurae but I'm left wondering what a Let's play server is.

[@theonlybilge]

Didn't retsuprae become really shit and boring after they stopped making fun of bad videos?

[@jordanetherington1922]

​@@theonlybilgenah they started making fun of bad video games ans it was better

[@Harthmuth557]

Kiitos!

[@Majuular]

My pleasure Harthmuth, thank YOU for the support!

[@MetalSocks]

Haven't watched a commentary Long play mst3k style on retsupurae what's my main thing with these, but you having to mention that the explosion sound effect was done by a guy going *bloopgh* has heightened the moment to a new peak I would not ever reach ever again. Grand video

[@Uncle-Jay]

I really appreciate through like this entire thing, I can tell you're genuinely trying not to laugh at what you're explaining to us, it makes the overall things a whole lot funnier imo.

[@jesse.qua.]

While he was playing through these games (especially the 2nd), he had to pause and re-watch some parts back because he was crying laughing and had to do a double-take. I love that he still has to restrain himself from laughing in his audio recording

[@MiniTick]

Majuular has fulfilled the promise of covering Dark Seed from the Harvester review, and there was much rejoicing.

[@birdonline2751]

the way you "talk to" mike has me in tears. your tone is perfect, its so funny. "yeah, you know, they bend the rings..." is such a plain thing to say but the way you said it is so good