Attempting to Analyse LSD: Dream Emulator

[@Nafan__]

thank you for watching 💚💚 i hope you liked it even if it was a bit different to the usual analysis format :) i have the next game picked out to analyse so i’m gonna get working on that ^_^

[@onceacarnowaking539]

This is the first video of yours I’ve watched and it’s pretty good 9/10

[@sporeham1674]

I can confirm that it's not because of the emualtor. I play the game on its original CD, and it just natively runs at 25 or so FPS. I personally think it adds to the game in a way, makes moving feel, well, dream like. My dreams tend to feel slower than real life.

[@Nafan__]

good to know, and that's a good point! i can see that making it more dreamlike and disconnected from reality

[@CyanideOwl]

My dreams run in 1080p 60fps

[@FlOotch]

This seems like hell to interpret, props for doing it, and doing it fantastically!

[@Nafan__]

thank you, it's good to hear that the video still makes sense to people who haven't played the game (assuming you haven't), i was a bit worried that it would come across kinda nonsensical.

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@Nafan__ This Game is Bizarre and Very Random

[@banjogyro]

I think the appeal of LSD is meditative. Even though the game only has 13 locations I was playing it for over 8 hours straight and it gave me tetris effect of actually seeing these locations with the same PS1 controls resolution and graphics in my real dreams. This game is perfect for the Tetris Effect, for dreams. The limited and isolated nature, fits this game. It is like listening to the same song on loop and finding something new everytime

[@TheMightyBluPepper]

It's nice to watch a measured and thoughtful look at this game rather than just "wow game trippy" - I really liked your inclusion of the LSD dream diary, I didn't know that existed!

[@predatorywaspsss]

god your channel is such a gem

[@cgnfake6721]

It is

[@Woot100]

this video was absolutely delightful, i really enjoyed it. Don't feel like this was a waste of time-- your input is valuable and you presented this in a very clear and well thought out way. i'm always really happy to see people acknowledging this game, especially with the recent trend of ps1-era inspired games that cite its influence-- particularly horror titles, despite lsd dream emulator actually being really cheerful a lot of the time, as you said yourself. Tons and tons of people have gone over the eeriness and uncanny valley that can be found in this work, and that's fine, but this is the first real Big Thing i've found that's appreciated it as something that can just be... fun and interesting, and even beautiful in a way. I'm a colossal fan of horror myself, but I wish more people would ease up on the "ooo so scary" interpretations of this game. Like you and the tie-in book both said, it's okay not to read into it too deeply. Sometimes you're just along for the ride! :3

[@Nafan__]

exactly! it's good to hear that a fan of LSD like you still found value in the video, I was curious what people who'd played the game would think.

[@denverbeek]

*His interpretation of the game:* “You see, there are subtle tones of an abstract representation of change, which outlines the inherent human element of dreams.” *My interpretation of the game:* hehe floating elephant

[@Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

*My interpretation of the dream:* 🗜️🗜️🗜️⚓️⚓️🫙🌋🌋🪰🫙🏟️🪨🪨

[@ZemanTheMighty]

Just a few notes from my experimentation I’d like to share with you. I’ve got a purely downer dream on the chart by making my way to the violence distract and standing over the chalk outline until the dream ended. (Doing that also can create some unique events. For example sometimes when you stand on that spot for long enough your character falls over as if you were shot and you get a red screen. Also I think you can teleport from that spot but I’ve only done it once so far) If you approach the remains bin from the side you can clip into it. Not sure if that’s intentional. The grey man can spawn in the warehouses with the gunmen if you get lucky. It’s just extremely rare. On the sumo stage if you walk up to the single wrestler on the stage and stay still for afew seconds you transport into the labyrinth. If you avoid the grey man he will just keep moving until he clips through the wall. Generally my theory is that the person who’s dreams you explore is hiding a dark secret or trauma of some kind. For example in the moon cottage when you look down at the person hiding under the sheets they start hyperventilating. The person lying in the bed often spawns as a corpse. And the two faces seem to run away from the player. The one in the bar also disappears after his running animation. The kanji on the Tv translate to “I will kill you”. The moon cottage definitely isn’t a positive place The suicide victims in the violence district sometimes will get down and start chasing the player. The ghost women decapitate themselves infront of you and teleport you. Very often in my play throughs getting to the top of the moon tower instantly ends my dreams The fact that a whole area arguably takes place in a uterus with Foetus running around is bizarre in its own right. Plus the sexual textures Also I think the grey man was supposed to be a detective. That’s why he follows you around but doesn’t harm you. That’s my personal theory at-least.

[@darknessinc.Inc830]

Well, the gray man deletes the flashback function, dunno how that relates to a detective. The developer said it's just a place full of her dreams, there isn't more to it.

[@Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

The grey man is something many people see while tripping, a shadowy tall figure with a hat

[@taylorciccotelli7822]

Was not expecting this when you announced a new video. Awesome! You're way braver than I am, this game gives me the creeps.

[@onceacarnowaking539]

Yeah it’s quite offputting

[@testname4464]

Some people say this game is meant to be someone dreaming while on drugs, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Dreams can be just as surreal as the environments in this game, they can be chaotic and nonsensical, dark and scary, or just very boring. Speaking of drugs, I do feel that the LSD name was 100% meant to refer to the drug. I can't remember where I heard it from, but someone who helped make the game insisted it did not refer to drugs at all, but much of the game's naming clashes with this. The stretches of vocabulary in the intro to describe a dream with words beginning in L and S (who tf says "sonorous"), to the dream chart literally having two slang names for drugs, being "Upper" and "Downer". (FYI "uppers" are stimulants like cocaine, while "downers" are depressants like alcohol or painkillers). Edit: BTW, fantastic video, I can't wait to fire up a ps1 emulator and check out the translated rom!

[@Nafan__]

totally agree with you on the name. it definitely feels like they were worried it wouldn't be "deep" enough so they popped out a thesaurus and retroactively came up with some other phrases. and glad you liked the video !

[@CoolGuyMemeHead]

i genuinely wish i could communicate just how fucking incredible this channel is. amazing, amazing, amazing stuff. you are carving a path out for good video game discussion with an intimidating amount of talent and poise, ahhhh keep it up!!!

[@Nafan__]

yooo no way... thank you for saying this it's so kind, i'll make sure to keep it up! 😊

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@Nafan__ I have never played This Game but I have seen Videos on KZbin and The Game is Bizarre BEYOND BELIEF

[@piplup223]

Ive always been thinking about lsd simulator for years since I saw a play through of it when I was young and this one of the best vids I’ve seen talking about it ! can’t wait for more vids 😄

[@ratgaming2041]

Really good video, very insightful! The idea that the player is the catalyst for the art is an interesting thought, and I definitely wouldn't have seen it this way if not for this video. I'll be looking forward to your next videos!

[@mr.personalspace7831]

In-depth analysis is fantastic, and you’re fantastic at it.

[@EmpaGalactica]

your channel is such a gem! you deserve way more exposure, your content is great

[@Nafan__]

thanks Joaquín!

[@samuelsparks00]

19:34 Me and the boys on our way to watch the newest Nafan vid at least 20 times Literally loved it, genuinely will watch this quite a few times. It seems not long ago that you released your undertale analysis, I like the frequent uploads but please don't overwork yourself :)

[@Nafan__]

i'm just spending a few hours or less each day on the videos and having a lot of fun doing it, so i'm not burning myself out fortunately. but thank you for being concerned about that, it's very sweet of you :)

[@samuelsparks00]

@@Nafan__ Hahah good to hear

[@V-SanSings580]

As someone who is new to this kind of experience, feeling this dreamlike art first through ENA right here on KZbin, LSDDE has fascinated me to no end. There is a sense of horror that you are not fully in control of this world, but it functions in a way that you aren’t truly frightened by this knowledge, more on edge and unnerved by the uncanny imagery and the eerily random soundtrack. Also the lil character on the map has been referred to as Linen. They are a silly creature. Dunno if they serve a purpose or not since I’m new to researching LSD, but they seem to be something Sato frequently draws

[@darknessinc.Inc830]

Man, there are interactable objects, it's just that the game never tells you. The button to interact is circle.

[@NatureBoybby]

What? I've been playing It 3 years AND never knew😭

[@respectable-username]

Last night I was playing this and on my FIRST DAY, after my FIRST TELEPORT, I was in the violence district maze-allway zone facing 4 shot bodies. When I interacted with them, it did the phase out to teleport, and then showed my pov from the bodies' near-ground level. I was caught off guard 💀 definitely

[@archagenteverlasting1239]

NAFAN STOP POSTING EXCLUSIVELY BANGERS CHALLENGE (IMPOSSIBLE)

[@nullbyt]

In the toy looking area with the robots texture on the ground you can see the word sex written in the purple bricks on the ground

[@Laezar1]

always enjoy seeing people talk about this game, it's so unique.

[@pikachulily4]

YOUR VIDEOS ARE SO AWESOME

[@Nafan__]

thanks! :)

[@marceloflausinofilho5324]

just found this channel, seems like a hidden gem

[@stevenyukabacera160]

Under-appreciated channel, this one.

[@makotoyuki345]

I’m getting some Joel G/ENA vibes

[@diosatapatia]

apparently ENA was inspired by this

[@Cinnacal]

I feel like seeing a floating face shoot “east” in Japanese at you perfectly pinpoints the absurdity of this game, and I haven’t even played LSD. Fantastic video, though! I like the different type of analysis for this absurd, different type of game. I never knew about it beforehand either, so it’s great to discover new, weird titles!

[@Nafan__]

thank you!

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@Nafan__ For A Game made about Dreams it sure A Very trippy Ride

[@imminentlitch9267]

Me: Sees title Me: Good fucking luck analyzing this experience of a game

[@user-xl4rn9lp7e]

The guy in the black coat is the "nightmare guy", he is the men who appears in many nightmares

[@ArmchairRamb0]

Someday, people will recognize this genre-busting game as the masterpiece it is. It's happening.

[@plusah1268]

I'm about to play this game with my vr. It's gonna be actually accurate.

[@SomnambulistMist]

Wonderful analysis. I love.

[@earthbounder8329]

Your channel is amazing

[@SmokeLezduit]

Imagine this with a vr headset that would be lit

[@D__D-cg3zb]

Its getting interesting in like 60+ day , before it, you can skip repeating dreams by jumping off the cliffs. One of the most interesting places are City when it is getting transformed wildly, the sun bridge do to it's rare appearances and white cube abyss. Also meeting the devil and collecting hauntings in a city are fun, By the way: try an occult conspiracy based, point-and-click quest Drowned God.

[@nullbyt]

I find myself coming back to lsd to explore and think. It's a game I put on some nights and every time I find something I haven't seen before. I truly believe that this game was exactly what it set out to be. I don't even know how to describe it tbh. Just try it, spend a few hours with it and exploring and letting it do what it does

[@hsiansjaiakl]

This video is fantastic and insightful

[@roninnozlo9544]

I think the position on the chart is: Positive (Upper) and Negative (Downer) in terms of emotion Calm (Static) and Active (Dynamic) in terms of activity I think I read somewhere your position on the chart determines where you begin on the next day… I am not too sure.

[@anav4844]

It's true, you can search LSD Dream Emulator chart and see which location is every cell responsible for! For example, the very middle of the chart always makes you spawn in Bright Moon Cottage

[@19letters]

Hell yeah new Nafan

[@ulrikahaggard9923]

I love nonsensical, absurd, meaningless artwork. But i also love trying to decipher the unexplainable. But ive found that the best part of nonsense is when you divest yourself of interpretation, thought and meaning and are left with nothing but emotion and the imprint of random, purposeless experiences.

[@mete101]

You're so underrated

[@OMGusGonzalez]

Thought you'd be reviewing LSD, the drug. Not disappointed, though!

[@StoryTeller796]

18:00 Maybe include a Free-roaming mode and a set-story mode? And also, I don't think there's any point to them, they're just mere set-pieces in a nonsensical Wonderland that has no logic, just some random sets of logic and you get to just experience them.

[@henrycarpenter5733]

I tried this game and didn't get on with how slow the walking speed was.

[@JWG.LLC_The_Artist]

11:26 will this clip is monumental! This dog was/is thought to be unused! You need to send this clip to the wiki, and try to figure out how you got it to spawn

[@Nafan__]

are you sure? the page on the wiki about it doesn't appear to mention anything about it being unused dreamemulator.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Wolf

[@SpectreCafe98]

My first video I've been subbed for the upload of :] very excited

[@vindi167]

3:46 you added some extra voices here making it hard to make out what either of them are saying

[@archagenteverlasting1239]

Nafan when are you opening a patreon so I can spend ludicrous amounts of money on you

[@QuantumTelephone]

LSD is about circumsision

[@fybso3057]

Amazing video and i love the game

[@onceacarnowaking539]

Wow this is pretty good

[@toothpicky]

this video is amazing, cant believe i didn't find it sooner!! also, what emulator did you use? none of mine work nd i really wanna experience this game :(

[@Nafan__]

I used OpenEmu, which is a sort of emulator aggregate. It's really good but only for Mac unfortunately. However, OpenEmu uses Mednafen for its Playstation 1 emulation, so trying that one out may work for u, good luck!

[@hiyawile6738]

whats the game at 0:22

[@Yami0229]

Yume Nikki

[@dontknowdontcare44]

Great video

[@Low_Fidelity_3D]

Turn up your mic volume or speak louder homie

[@JamieNotLamie]

There is a difference on the chart. You can Google it I believe. Also, the gray man represents sleep paralysis and the dark man/shadow that everyone sees when you're about the fall asleep. Though there is a theory that he is a friend because he 'helps' you not have "flashbacks". Dynamic - Means there was a lot of characters or objects - more going on Static - Means that there is less to see. Nothing around and more plain landscapes. (Not the patterns but the areas that have less stuff)

[@JamieNotLamie]

Also, circle is an interactive button, you can ride the train, the ferris wheel, kill the shotgun man or the wolf and I think maybe some other things as well.

[@jackgarrison8497]

@@JamieNotLamie I can't tell The difference between The normal Gameplay and this hacked version

[@moonman5496]

Good content

[@onbekendonbekenedd537]

I don't think analysing the game is disrespectful it's more like wasting energy because there are unlimited amount of perspectives

[@TheManOfLaMancha]

but it’s fun

[@onbekendonbekenedd537]

@@TheManOfLaMancha that is very true 🙌

[@garybuseyexperience4406]

If we sent beer, pizza, and beautiful women to the middle east, there would be peace. Put me in charge

[@mushroomanjcc1954]

Gotta criticized the audio levels on this one dude. Really hard to hear without turning my headphones up high

[@Nafan__]

really? I made sure that it was loud enough when my headphones were at like 30-40% volume. or did you mean the music or game audio was overpowering my voice? sorry to hear you had that problem, let me know and I'll see if i can fix it going forward.

[@XD-ly7fp]

@@Nafan__ your voice is fine imo. The only annoying thing i can think of is the obnoxiously loud walking sounds in the game but that can’t be changed

[@heetheet75]

Great video man. There's a lack of analysis on this game.

[@Nafan__]

totally agreed! glad you enjoyed the video :)