As Above, So Below: A Journey Through the AMNESIA Series

[@ButterSpaceship]

when the video starts with a "content warning about elon musk and margaret thatcher" you just know you´re in for a good time

[@marianatheschizoid5912]

Nobody can withstand the cosmic horror of corporate billionaires and their enablers.

[@milesupshur9869]

You're the first creator I've ever heard mention Lovecraft's change in belief later in his life. I respect that.

[@PsychoWolf14]

Legit the first time i've ever heard about this either

[@spikeghost666]

Same, the only clues i'd had of it was in a random analysis of The Outsider (Castle Freak) and even then it was barely touched on. I didn't know much his views had changed throughout his life

[@madmorgo6233]

@@milesupshur9869 really? Huh, that's bizarre to me.. unsurprising, given our modern climate ,but still strange. 🙈

[@michimatsch5862]

Hbomberguy also mentioned it. But that's the only other I know.

[@heikesiegl2640]

Yeah, imagine he would have lived longer.. what could have become of him

[@Argacyan]

I will never fail to mention that Frictional Games has a thing for location choices that are either entirely unused in other games or underused. The Dark Descent was not only unique in its gameplay-trend setting, but also in the fact that it's probably the only game where you play in Prussia (outside of strategy games that include all of Europe anyhow) - one of the most powerful states of Europe and a real "dishwasher to billionaire" story when it comes to countries. Other games like the Penumbra trilogy in Greenland or Rebirth in Algeria have a similar thing of taking place in regions of the world that could have a lot to tell & no other game dev else to show it.

[@Argacyan]

The section about French colonialism in Algeria also made me think about how many people accept French lordship over Alsace, another territory invaded & annexed in the 17th century, merely because it is the case right now. These are the same people who back a century ago would be virulent defenders of Algeria "being French" & only publicly speaking accept Algeria's liberty because it has happened against all odds.

[@AL-lh2ht]

@@Argacyan ah yes strawman fallacy.

[@abrahamschuman1692]

Another very literal example of “as above so below” in the bunker is when you go up to the pill box and get sniped at, reminding you that the surface you’re trying to escape to is really still as much a hellscape as the bunker itself

[@RamenLlama]

Thank you so much for that Thatcher warning. I would've jumped out of my seat in terror otherwise.

[@RamenLlama]

29:43 Loving the video so far but WOOF, I cannot disagree more here. It's downright INSANE of you to say White Night and Penumbra: Necrologue are made with the same level of quality and care as TDD; those custom stories are both very flawed and poorly paced experiences, with the latter actively ignoring the lore of the game it's supposed to be a continuation of.

[@Holloaway]

​@@RamenLlamaHello RamenLlama

[@naiknaik8812]

hello ramenllama

[@TheButterWombat]

Thank you sooooo much for giving A Machine for Pigs the retrospective it deserves, along with all the others of course! I enjoyed it from the very start, loved the story so much and was always disappointed that it never got the sort of recognition and attention I thought it deserved, so its great to here someone else talk about how good it is at what it does. I really think the titular machine has inspired a lot more horror that some might think. Also I really like you digging into the colonial angle in rebirth and wanted to add on that the entire pregnancy arc itself is very fitting as a tie in for how colonial states treat pregnant indigenous people and their children. Offering them "better" lives at the ultimate cost of ripping them from the place they belong and isolating them from land and culture and attempting to "breed the native out of them". And much as the war machine still marches on so too does the state continue to find ways to steal the babies of native people. Fantastic video as always I hope you're able to make longer work like this in the future :)

[@russianbacon7969]

At the ripe age of 11 I get introduced to a machine for pigs which then led me to discover the dark descent and I am so happy it happened in that order and not the other way around so my perspective was not tainted. I was fascinated by the game then and I’m so happy it’s finally getting the appreciation it deserves

[@SunsetEnvy]

Same! That's mainly why MFP is my fav despite its major issues, I didn't know english at the time but the vibe of the game really intrigued me and I've loved horror since then.

[@TheLordofSiIence]

It's been said time and time before, but the Mandus speech at the end of Machine for Pigs is still one of the greatest segments of dialogue and voice acting in any video-game ever, maybe even any media ever. That speech, along with the music, really just elevates Machine for Pig's ending above and beyond.

[@cheepytiger]

It's so good! It gives me chills every time.

[@XxX_Toaster_Goth_XxX]

I've just had a bacon sandwich. My house is warm. It's cold outside. There's nothing I have to do today. Raggy dropped a 2 hour video. Today's a good day.

[@jonesy279]

Just don’t think about Machine for Pigs until you’ve digested your delicious sandwich ❤

[@autumntzu2085]

Happy for you! I hope you enjoyed it

[@Galactic321]

This work is an absolute master craft of analysis on not only fantastic horror games, but current day socio-political ideology in a very unsure, hectic climate. I have been a watcher of yours since the early Monster of the Week videos. Never did I imagine we would reach this point of documentary level production quality. I’m very pleased to call you one of my favorite analytical voices and wish you many more years of success! Cheers, Ragnar.

[@AnnaTheFallMaiden]

1:05:10 no you see the whole inventory mechanic of only fitting 10 matchsticks into your inventory makes sense, because Tasi is wearing women's pants :P

[@RagnarRoxShow]

You got a point

[@mesmedor]

I love that they referenced Agrippa. He's such an interesting, colorful, almost mythical figure from the 16th century that not a lot of people know about.

[@jonesy279]

I’m so appreciative of your wonderfully positive and thoughtful perspectives. I’ve always thought that the reaction that Machine for Pigs received was a case of “This game wants me to think. That sucks because I get way more views by overreacting to jump scares. I want money, not philosophical ponderings!”

[@lutfimakarim8258]

Ragnarrox is the only KZbinr I know who hinted on making a giant topic and coming through with it in less time than humanly possible.

[@thinman25]

Thanks for giving A Machine for Pigs a fair shake. Seriously underrated part of the series, imo.

[@backslash153]

RagnarRox with the perfect "Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa" reminds me of Toby Fox speaking German and inserting a super-english "TOHOU PROJECT" into it.

[@SaiceShoop]

Soma was top tier. The story so good and it works on so many levels. You go in blind to the story and you will pick up on whats going on long before the protag does but that still does take away the impact of its story beats. Honestly that is what makes it top of my list for horror you see the cliff coming but you can't bring yourself to turn the wheel to stop it.

[@RageJ]

I always describe the way that too many deaths in a row rips you out of the tension and kills the atmosphere in horror games as the "super meat boy effect" because of an experience i had in alien isolation on the nightmare difficulty. I eventually stopped seeing the environments as anything other than a stage where I had to find the perfect line between objectives and deaths were just gathering data points. No horror remained lmao.

[@fitariflair]

This video was posted at a perfect time, I'm struggling to sleep from a sinus and ear infection and potentially a tooth issue that pain meds aren't helping with. This will soothe me until I either fall asleep or the dentists opens so I can call them 😂 Keep up the good work and happy holidays!

[@RagnarRoxShow]

I hope it lulls you to sleep and your infection gets better soon

[@fitariflair]

​​@@RagnarRoxShow happy to report I was lulled to sleep! Now that I'm awake I'm watching again so I can see the full video

[@Leamcr7]

Get well soon !

[@AL-lh2ht]

@@fitariflair Holy shit no joke go to the doctor as soon as possible as such infections can have long term consequences.

[@SunsetEnvy]

Felt 🥲 I have a very bad chronic headache attack right now, rolling on the nicely cold floor, only getting up to throw up sometimes. I have to wait till morning to get painkillers because that's the only thing that helps.

[@HoleCooker]

I love the addition of Nine Inch Nails tracks. Very fitting for the Industrial setting of A Machine For Pigs.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

I love the interview of Amnesia's creator where he talks about the tutorial message about "Having lower sanity will cause enemies to detect your character more easily" was a complete lie. From his own words, the game "tricked the players into scaring themselves" with that tactic. Absolute genius. Edit: This message right here 15:55

[@RagnarRoxShow]

This interview reminded me of the movie Fargo that starts with "based on a true story", while it was absolutely not based on a true story. But it put people in a certain mindset about it that made it feel even more intense because of this.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

@@RagnarRoxShow Very interesting. I will look into it.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

@@RagnarRoxShow Great video Ragnar. I know there is a lot of content on the game and you may not be as interested in creating a documentary about it. But I'm pretty sure you will absolutely love the lore of Fear & Hunger. It is an extremely hard game, so I recommend researching its secrets to save on time as well. Technically we can beat it in 2 hours. But I have 80 hours on it and still didn't got one of the main endings.

[@PlayfulFruitLPer]

But it was so believable because when Daniel has lower sanity he starts talking to himself and swaying.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

@@PlayfulFruitLPer Yes. Many of the most memorable movies are the ones that play with our perspective and expectations.

[@righteousitch]

The older I get, the more I realise just how much I value deep dives into creative works, and just how much I fear the rise of current oppressive notions that creative arts don't add anything to modern culture. In a society where big companies are churning out mediocre products as slapping exorbitant price tags on them, I'd rather see my money go towards people who actually put the time and effort into something, and actually give a damn. I love your (and everyone involved in making your videos) work, Ragnar. I'm always excited when I see a video of yours pop up, and this wonderful piece of work has definitely got me wanting to lend support so you can do more of what you do. I'm more than happy to become a patron. Also, I totally didn't even realise how long the video was till you mentioned it at the end. I was just engrossed the whole way!

[@Los_Freddos]

What a fantastic essay of our games Ragnar! Loved every second of it and have shared it with the rest of the Frictional team. Thank you so much and hope to see more stuff similar to this in the future! Happy new year! ❤🎉

[@alexwatts1064]

Also Machine For Pigs gets points for having Toby Longworth's voice in it. (his narrations of the Eisenhorn novels are GOATed)

[@RagnarRoxShow]

The voice acting in this game is so phenomenal. There's several moments in it that give me goosebumps every single time.

[@blueberrysblues]

Another thing I really really adore about the series in general is the OST. All games have such a distinctive feel to it (different composers oblige) but there's this common... Motif? Most of it is always heartbreaking. There's this tendency for horror games OST to be mostly tense, or just downright uncomfortable to listen to, Amnesia in general has a much more gentle, melodic approach that I personally find super interesting. A Machine For Pigs is my favourite entry in part for that reason (everyone say thank you Jessica Curry) and it's just one of my favourite part of the whole series overall :) Great video as always, so happy to see you cover Amnesia like this :D

[@N4CH0L]

I'm a simple man, I see one of your videos, I enjoy it.

[@SubzeroCage]

me too I must have watched the cat lady video a dozen times its nice to fall asleep to.

[@CubanSpartan]

Hear hear. That silky voice works every time.

[@dh1380]

Yeah cool

[@odedilanipw9748]

"Scratch a captialist, and a fascist bleeds" Ooooooh man I'm gonna use this so much. Awesome video Ragnar

[@smergthedargon8974]

The Bunker is absolute peak for me - survival horror imsim is such a killer combination.

[@hiddenshadow2105]

I was so impressed by your intro to Machine for Pigs that I went and played the whole game before returning to the video about six hours later.

[@RagnarRoxShow]

Oh wow, kudos, that's commitment!

[@hiddenshadow2105]

@@RagnarRoxShow Your intro for the game was just that good, no jokes.

[@SemicolonExpected]

Thanks for giving Machine for Pigs a chance! It was my first amnesia game and honestly I loved the allegory of class struggle through both a literal and metaphorical machine for pigs. (I love that the name is on point as that of "Gears of War" where the characters are both literal and metaphorical cogs in the war machine)

[@JollyJoice]

I'm only halfway through, but I have to say this is a masterpiece analysis of what I personally think is a masterpiece in storytelling. I'm a huge fan of lovecraft and lovecraftian stories, I think videogames always struggle to portray the horror in helplessness and existential dread, but amnesia absolutely nailed it! I can't play horror games and could only experience the Amnesia series (and Soma) through let's plays on youtube. The way you pointed out how a machine for pigs is literally about fascism, and class war, I'm just... it was staring me in the face and now I like the story even more.

[@bobbobinton5106]

“There is no such thing as a noble, enlightened empire. There never has been and there never will be” PREACH

[@AL-lh2ht]

This is the most peaceful era in history

[@isthisnamegood]

That machine for pigs closing monologue is so powerful, every time I hear it.

[@lunartears6761]

I just realized, the first game was set during the middle of the Prussian empire when they began making both technological and chemical discoveries and inventions, and the latest game is set during the very last years of the Prussian empire (1701-1918). It’s the perfect setting for philosophical and lovecraftian horror.

[@Jopeth23]

This video dropped at the perfect time. As family will be coming over for the New Year celebration, I dread the aftermath of the party: mountains of plates that need to be washed and trash to be disposed of. Luckily, I have this vid to keep me company while I clean-up after the party. Thanks, and take your time cooking up these bangers! 😁

[@SabertoothedTiger69]

Have a nice party!

[@CrystalSoul16]

it almost feels unfitting to say it like this considering the disturbing content discussed, but this video was so beautiful to me. it put things in a perspective that I wasn't used to and blew my mind so many times. I thought I had a full grasp of Amnesia's themes and storytelling by now from the sheer number of video essays I've watched on it, but this showed me that there was still more to find and discuss (also omg someone FINALLY talking about AMFP in a positive light??? so glad I could finally see some focus on the good! ty for that!!). So thank you and everyone who worked on this video for all of your hard work (230 hours altogether??? jfc, all of you at the very *least* deserve some rest and all of the pats on your backs for a job wonderfully done)

[@ciara8811]

The bit about repetition ruining horror is so damn true it hurts, its part of why I came to despise the Outlast games and others of similar styles. There are just only so many times I can slam my head against the wall to find the right path to run down before I'm not just unafraid but annoyed and about to uninstall the game forever. As I continue to watch you talk a lot about the cultural idea of what Amnesia was all about and I must say I was also a victim of this, for quite a long while I wouldn't give the game the time of day because all I ever saw about it was jumpscares and youtubers screaming at the top of their lungs, things which held absolutely no interest to me and I dismissed the game entirely as another cheap fad with little to no substance.

[@alexi2235]

A RagnarRox vid drop on my birthday! What an unexpected but very welcome birthday present!

[@RagnarRoxShow]

Hey, Happy Birthday! :)

[@PinkWytchBytch]

Happy birthday stranger, may you eat plenty of cake and ice cream and get the gift you asked for

[@WillowPattern]

Happy Birthday

[@jakubmakalowski6428]

Oswald Mandus, ozzy mandus. I get it.

[@jakubmakalowski6428]

I honestly never saw soma as actual horror, but much more about questioning what makes us human.

[@emanuelcr]

I've been watching your work for a long time now, but I'm really surprised - and glad - you mentioned Frantz Fanon here. Even more cuz I try so hard to make the same connections for my classes and stuff (Even tho my students don't care that much 😅)... Thanks a ton for this, man!

[@grosezero8834]

You know RagnarRox is about to say some Real Ass Shit when Nine Inch Nails starts playing

[@d00mnoodle]

When i watched a machine for pigs in 2014 (i was late to the party) i was awestruck by the brilliant narrative. The way the machine deceives you, the terrifying ambience under the pistons or church cellar, the elevator ride opera, the moment you realize your kids are already long dead, the slaughtering of london and especially those final speeches by the machine and mandus... The music, the voice acting, the terrifying sounds of the environments. It's my favorite amnesia game not in terms of gameplay but in terms of setting and narrative. I still get goosebumps as i listen to a new century or mandus. I hate that it's so underappreciated

[@crowlinson]

Your effortless eloquence never fails to impress me. I'm not a native English speaker, so not only do I get to learn some new, fancy words, but also get to listen to a phenomenal, complex analysis on one of my favourite franchises ever. It's very impressive to me, because oftentimes using sophisticated language can come off as unnecessarily, irritatingly grandiose, with little actual substance behind it. It takes some real skill to be able to balance between the two and make it right, hats off to you!!

[@m00nj3llyfxsh]

this video is a genuine masterpiece. I didn’t even notice the length of it because I was eating up every word, and every minute was filled with truly captivating analysis rather than empty rhetoric to fill the script. bravo to you

[@GmodPlusWoW]

Speaking of H.P Lovecraft and his beliefs in "open-source storytelling", I wonder if those beliefs were further galvanized by the Great Depression? After all, as stated, Lovecraft did "mellow out" quite a bit over the course of the 1930s. Hell, apparently he thought that the "New Deal" should've gone further, which I can totally understand. One can only imagine how this would have progressed if he somehow survived into the 1940s, witnessing the events that would shake the world once again. Granted, IIRC it was recorded that he was less keen on his literary career after the poor initial reception of his lattermost works, and his mental health had taken a grim spiral after the suicide of Robert E Howard (the author of Conan the Barbarian), but I can't help but wonder if the events of World War 2 would have renewed his creative desires. Even if his writings became more of a side-project, since from what I recall his literary career wasn't paying out like it used to, I reckon he'd probably still want to write stuff if he came out the other side of those dark times leading up to his death. If there was some event that convinced him to visit the doctors sooner, something that overpowered his fears of doctors, perhaps he wouldn't have been done in by that damnable stomach cancer.

[@Quandry1]

His beliefs in "open source storytelling" had definite limits. He acknowledged that he co-opted the mythos from Chambers who wrote The King in Yellow. But when asked about calling it more appropriately the Chambers Mythos he outright said no.

[@nomindseye]

@@Quandry1 Never heard or read any sources of that kind. Could you please link up/refer me to that source? His mythos wasn't "co-opted" from Chambers, anyway. It had some same elements, and he added references to Chambers' work. But there's so little Chambers in it, that I don't really see who would even get the idea to say "Chamber Mythos." He didn't even come up with the Cthulhu Mythos term himself. I don't think he even called it anything particular in his mind, or so I believe.

[@Quandry1]

@@nomindseye it was the lovecraft Mythos in his mind and to many of his contemporaries. His name was forefront on it. it's been a while but it was in one of his later interviews. one of them that involved talking about his views on "open source storytelling" It's been while since I looked at it. The Cthulu Mythos is a term Derleth eventually stuck upon it after Lovecraft. (kind of like calling many Action Adventure's games "Souls-likes") Lovecraft himself tended to prefer to just call it all Yog Sothothery, rather than anything resembling a codified mythos if you want to get truely technical about it. One writer even tried to label the expanded content the Derleth Mythos at one point to dilineate the point that Derleth worked to expand the mythos by publishing some of lovecrafts works after his death and other work that he did on it. But this is all keeping in mind that Lovecraft doesn't even provide the bulk of the mythos at this point and it was quickly becoming that way even in his own lifetime.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Glad someone finally mentioned the British Industrialization angle of Machine For Pigs! Very British phenomenon which only a british dev team could make, it makes it very unique among horror games. Despite its faults, this game should be celebrated for its historical fiction element.

[@thatmagicguy369]

I still can’t believe that they released a hard mode for The Dark Decent 10 years later.

[@shannonblouin9459]

Masterwork of a video. I always learn something new about history, culture, and philosophy - amazing analysis as always. Congrats to you and Michael on the release, the sheer amount of work that goes into something this big is mind blowing.

[@Omnicide101]

You unambiguously made the right artistic call to not split this video up. The impact you mentioned is definitely there thanks to the consistent buildup - excellent work!

[@sumbius1576]

Amnesia is often treated like the inventor of a lot of things Frictional games already experimented with in Penumbra games. I wish Penumbra got more attention it deserves since many seem to forget that those games even exist. Even the initial tech demo felt innovative thanks to the game engine and the physics-based interaction with the world. Similarly, Call of Cthulhu dark corners of the earth was a buggy mess but it had some things that would become common in the genre in later years. That hotel escape sequence was great.

[@Quandry1]

It's kind of the same way that people tend to act like Dark Souls created much of action adventure.

[@EndyHawk]

A machine for pigs has ALWAYS been one of my favorite horror games. Its themes lodged in my head, and continue to pop up every couple months like clockwork. A masterful experience.

[@felidiazbo]

Been here from the beginning of the channel and this is one of your best videos yet. Amazing in depth analysis of the series. Looking forward to more of these long-form videos. Cheers from Argentina Ragnar!

[@herflik3]

Honestly, A Machine for Pigs was my favourite in the series, closely followed by Rebirth. At the time of release, I played it without watching any videos or reading reviews and was very confused by the criticism it received

[@toiletwineconnoisseur6434]

holy hell i recognize that narrator voice. I have listened to so many audiobooks of HP Lovecraft stories online narrated by him. literally sent shivers up my spine hearing that

[@DerpyDerpums]

I'd be inconsolable if I had to fight in that nightmare of a war AND I found a legitimate nightmare bunker. Inconsolable I say!

[@darkshadowjoselynedelgadil8671]

and THEN find out the friend you wanted to save was the monster chasing you!! i'd be in absolute shambles!!!

[@AbigailLorraine]

What an unexpectedly wonderful way to end the year! As always, the analysis was well thought through and thoughtfully presented. The thought-annihilating horror of systematized violence and exploitation is a more interesting evolution of cosmic horror I hadn't considered before, let alone in the Amnesia game series. Well done!

[@jordanmalone2547]

Ragnar I’ve been following you for years, this video had me in tears with your retrospectives of the time frame for each of these games. The Algerian history, the history of the great war, so well done, all to cater and reinforce a fantastic thesis. Love your work ❤ and have a happy new year

[@BlueMagicite]

Loved the A Machine for Pigs segments. It's honestly a little absurd how the rise of streamers and low-hanging fruit content like reaction vids ended up dominating the perceptions and expectations on an Amnesia follow up to such a sharp degree. Even then, I never really understood the whole "AMFP isn't scary enough" sentiment when Amnesia was usually about its atmosphere rather than being a non-stop rollercoaster of jump scares, a perception I don't doubt streamers and reaction vids had a hand in forming. Ends up making Amnesia a crazy case study in how a game's success through content mills can affect an entertainment industry to such a notable degree. Even now, there's an odd perception that helplessness and being chased in a game is somehow the standard for horror titles when it was cemented earlier through the survival horror genre that it was moreso based on atmosphere and resource management. It honestly felt like the survival horror genre was becoming more "westernized" in how its approach felt similar to western horror flicks in their priority to shock and scare rather than to unsettle.

[@blairfujin]

this is coming who (as far as I remember) played it blind around its release and was kinda underwhelmed with it, I think part of it not being that scary was how it looked like pigs weren't ever really around to pose a threat, just... somewhere far away making their noises though that may have been cause of my absolute lack of sense of direction and tendency to getting lost :P (I still remember my experience with the og slenderman game - getting lost in the forest, my flashlight dying and then me just trying to find my way to the main path while bumping into trees - the only thing I could see, when I did bump into them 'xD; and getting annoyed at slenderman for bothering me) that is until an electric pig spawned right in front of me and killed me right there (or some other bullshit, I mostly remember getting pissed at that electric pig and it being pretty much my only enemy encounter in this game) the story was good but the pigs being pretty nonexistent, chairs being the only thing you could pick up that wasn't a necessary puzzle piece (at this point just glue them to the floor, like everything else) and needing to run back and forth with each mcguffin a puzzle needed cause you couldn't just put them into an inventory and bring them all together where you needed them... really weakened the experience

[@irmaeyleen7296]

Honey, wake up! RagnarRox dropped a two hour video essay about a video game you’ve never played

[@xanderdaniels8284]

Holy shit, a 2 hour long Ragnarrox video is the best Christmas present I got this year

[@norahsatelier]

I must admit i firstly just clicked the video because i was like "Nah nothing else too watch while grinding" but end up fully ignoring my grind and watch the video. You did an amazing job on this video. Its so well done in the view and research!

[@marianatheschizoid5912]

Loved the addition of NIN for the soundtrack.

[@OisEucalypt]

This is such an impressive video to watch as the sun attempts to beat down on me from the window outside my house as I wait to see if I need to rush away under a bushfire threat as the NYE night approaches. And thankyou for mentioning how Lovecraft developed as a person later in his life. As others have mentioned, it's a change not often said in regards to views he had and started to regret. It doesn't justify the man's early views in any way, but worth knowing that people like him could change.

[@spikeghost666]

I think it's safe to say that this is your best work so far, and timely most timely work, too. Thank you for this.

[@Batleena]

I enjoyed this way too much! I also learned so much along with missing out of so much from amnesia series. Everything has been portrayed so eloquently in a sophisticated yet warm and gentle way. I truly appreciate that

[@Aphirae]

I didn't play The Bunker and your video motivated me to, it was an awesome experience, thanks a lot! Now I can finish watching the video and not be spoiled x)

[@mudora2999]

A wonderful video to start the new year for me. A beautiful tribute to the Amnesia games, as well to analytical depth that horror can hold for us. It's why I love the genre so - thank you for the hard work. I can't wait for more of your interesting ideas and excellent storytelling. You make these videos rich with intrigue, regardless of the topic.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Tbh Amnesia Rebirth is super underrated. Yeah it doesn’t have the gameplay strengths of The Bunker or Dark Descent, but the narrative was powerful and I respect a horror story about motherhood. Edit: Alan Wake 2 Font (:

[@Uskall]

I love these really long videos, they're great background sound when I'm working on whatever art project I currently have going on, I wish you can keep doing them in the future. I must say however, I'm a little surprised you didn't speak more about the in-game connections between Rebirth and The dark descent. There's much more than "oh and this is probably Alexander's home dimension". though I suppose it's a good thing to leave out in detail for those who have yet to play/watch these games and make the connections themselves.

[@frictionalgames]

omg

[@RagnarRoxShow]

omg²

[@FreakxWannaxBe]

Oh this is going to be a treat of a video! I was deep into the Amnesia fandom back during its glory day, with all the character studies, theories, even crack content, that comes with the then really enthusiastic fandom waters. Daniel still holds such a special place in my heart, and that god damned chase music is still anxiety inducing as ever

[@FreakxWannaxBe]

I've finished it, and what an absolute delight these past two hours have been. Truly, you've surpassed yourself once again with your analysis, writing, editing, everything, absolutely on point. Suprised there was no mention of the Justine DLC, but, I can understand with how similar it is to the base game there may not have been much to delve into with it.

[@RevenantPoet]

Man, it's been awhile since I've thought much about Amnesia--and what a way to dive back in. Thank you for an absolutely fantastic video.

[@colakarmon]

already excited for this one to be one of those video essays i revisit again and again and again. thanks so much for this one!

[@roscobaron]

Was just thinking about you recently and was hoping to hear from you again soon! Thanks for all that you do, this made my day

[@therevenancy]

One of my favorite essayists talking about one of my favorite game series. Thanks Ragnar!

[@lucasferreiraleite7353]

Man, i can't wait to see a Bloodbourne video from Ragnar. It has everything: lovecraft horror, forgotten in the ps4, i fan base that loves it. Please, consider it, my friend. By the time being, happy new year and another great work you havew done here. Amnesia is a cult classic and deserves such love and praise.

[@nothingelse1520]

The Bunker was a pleasant surprise. Soon as I finished it I started a new playthrough, then after that a custom campaign with a weird mismash of difficulty sliders and such. My only gripe with The Bunker is I think the torch should be a given item much earlier and not random chance.

[@Namelessstew]

I remember rebirth making me cry with the loading cutscenes with the protags late daughter. Just the audio is enough to bring me to tears again

[@carlyd5096]

this was an absolutely phenomenal essay, i'm glad to see so many comments recognizing it as such 🧡

[@OGBuddah]

Thank you for this masterpiece of work. I can respect the time and effort that went into this production, and appreciate how it may not feel worth it in the end, at least financially. I can say that your video is a wonderful snapshot in time to display the allusions to the real eldritch horrors around us that birthed the original stories, and in that make it priceless. Just my humble opinion.

[@ShadowMisha]

Absolutely brilliant. Probably the best one you've done so far.

[@HellaFluff]

this is my new favorite of your videos and i can already tell I'm going to watch it a dozen times in the months to come. thank you for your brilliant breakdown and analysis of these games, which I had always written off as youtuber bait after the first one basically launched gamer youtube. also as soon as you said SOMA had a story difficulty i ran to steam to buy it because I'd wanted to play it for years but I am so scared of pursuit enemies in games. Happy New Year Ragnar!

[@miss_strawberry1384]

A 2 hour video about Amnesia? We've been blessed!

[@typefeisu]

excellent timing with this one! happy new year!

[@thelegendofner0]

Epic work, Ragnar! Thank you for this "dark descent" into the body of work of Amnesia games!!!

[@Teeplesexe]

idc what anyone says, a machine for pigs is my favorite amnesia game. the atmosphere is suffocating and the story is incredible. i don't mind that there isn't much threat, monsters just take me out of the atmosphere anyway if there's too much of them

[@Roler42]

I'm gonna have to voice a slight disagreement for Machine for Pigs. Having played it myself at launch, my letdown was not because of the lack of scares or monsters rushing you going "ooga booga", but rather... How much the game lacked in terms of gameplay. No time to play around with the props, or explore rooms, or even have some fun hiding from the pig men, you are railroaded to the narrative path, I think even Daniel ended up doing far more engineering while making his way through Brennenburg Castle compared to Madnus's Machine. There's a reason why I still revisit The Dark Descent to this day and I rarely replay A Machine For Pigs. But this video has been some food for thought, maybe I need to revisit it with a different mindset? Who knows, all I know is you've earned a sub, splendid video essay!

[@pr1ncessyapper]

I love your videos!! And most of all I love your narration. There is something so nostalgic about it. It reminds me of all the really cool history channel documentaries I used to watch in the early 2000s :) never stop uploading!!!

[@TheTyper]

I'm so glad you talked about Rebirth and found such fantastic qualities to it. I feel like it got marred quite a bit on release, many happy to have another "back to roots" Amnesia game but feeling the story as just "okay". When I first played it and realized it involved a pregnancy/motherhood theme, I was actually *really* concerned at first. Pregnancy as a form of body horror is often done with a great deal of schlock in horror stories. I figured if anyone would handle it with care it'd be Frictional. And then I was surprised to find that not only do they mostly avoid the common traps of this theme, they do what they can to keep those aspects off screen and metaphorical, they worked hard to design mechanics around positively reinforcing the player for being empathetic towards Tasi and her situation and never feeling mechanically limited by her pregnancy (you can imagine lots of players realized they were a pregnant woman and would be immediately off put by it). Then at the game's end I was surprised to find that the game's final section was also a bit of a subtler conversation around topics of pro-choice. It's not a 1:1 comparison to what we see in America, and I recognize the devs aren't from America, but Tasi is confronted with a force that tells her she can't leave with her child, that if she were to keep the child it'd suffer and die, everything around her tries to convince her it's the right thing to give up her baby and then when she tries to take agency and keep her child, the villain attempts to rip that agency from her.

[@deckardthe2nd]

One of my fave game series in a two hour video from one of my favourite creators. Will savour this one!

[@GreyGaymer]

This was FANTASTIC. I'll try to set aside some cash in future to support, and thank you for this! It was awesome! The research, real world connections, all of it!

[@0vum]

I’ve been so excited for this video ever since I saw your tweet about it ! Amnesia the dark descent was such a groundbreaking indie horror game & I’m so glad frictional has still been pumping out fantastic games/sequels ever since

[@cheepytiger]

So excited to see this pop up! Can't wait, already settled in for the evening to enjoy :D thank you so much!

[@gxgx4452]

Fantastic video. Love from Spain

[@HelplessFangirl]

Sending this to all my art friends. As we all love horror, we are eating well tonight!

[@brawlives6996]

I remember the first laptop I ever got watching a full gameplay of penumbra and it cooking my head, was the first series of videogame content I actively waited for new episodes of to watch. I mention penumbra regularly when people bring up amnesia and I can never believe how few people have heard of it.

[@BackAlleyTANGO]

A fantastic analysis of a fantastic series. This video was an absolute treat. ❤

[@rateater1857]

Holy shit a ragnar retrospective on my favourite iconic horror series merry christmas and happy new year it's 3am and I am locking the FUCK in !!!

[@rateater1857]

Yep, it was a certified banger.

[@CringelordJen]

i honestly never heard anyone bring up that HPL changed and grew as a person with time for his better, I'd like to think that puts you well above the rest. great video and I'm glad you continue to pop up in my front page with your incredible videos. hope you and your great team get to keep it up! here's to the '25 treating you better, we're rootin for ya

[@HenkkaArtGames]

I think ti can't be overstated how much influence the Thief series had on The Dark Descent. I'm not sure if the developers have said so themselves but the game oozes that Dark Engine feel. Not to mention that Thief games have had quite a few horroresque levels: TG: Down in the Bonehoard, The Haunted Cathedral, Return to the Cathedral. TMA: Some creepy parts where you have to avoid haunts in the crypts. DS: The absolute classic, Robbing the Cradle. I think Robbing the Cradle and the Haunted Cathedral levels are easily the biggest influences for The Dark Descent, especially the Cradle.

[@moonenvoy8048]

I was just rewatching some of your videos last night, so this was a pleasant surprise to wake up to!