Bad Bosses, Beautiful Vistas, and Baffling Mysteries: Blips Episode 8

[@LGR]

Goodness, _Venineth_ looks like my jam, my jelly, my preserves and all other jarred goodies packed into one. "Bryce 3D Trapper Keeper art" was precisely what I was thinking about and then you said it. Looks lovely!

[@richmcgee434]

I was going to post pretty much exactly the same thing, but since you've done it for me I'll just say agreed.

[@or_gluzman561Peace_IL_PS]

LGR nice to see you here

[@InnuendoStudios]

These are always interesting, but you picked four games that are each extremely my jam this time.

[@AlexJ1]

I love it when my favourite channels do the engagement with each other 💜

[@YayapLives]

Yeah, this is the first time I want to buy every example.

[@josephbales7021]

You! You are why I am in this place! How dare you introduce me to these lovely videos and eat up more of my attention indirectly?!

[@Nazmazh]

Venineth looks like a generator for Math textbook cover art, Boston album cover art, and motivational poster generic art. And I say that in a wholly positive meaning.

[@DavidTMarchand]

Chris: Lucifer Within Us My brain: Lusifer, with an S

[@richmcgee434]

"Hey there, I'm Lou, Lou Cypher, damn glad to meet you!"

[@Daekeyas]

Yes! This is what I heard too

[@enriquegarciacota3914]

This was such a Lousy Fair! What a let down!

[@jarmarmarn4323]

"He got me again goddamnit" I mutter, as i add A Hand With Many Fingers to my wishlist

[@LilayM]

Same.

[@ieatatsonic]

This is the first blips where every game seems interesting to me

[@jarmarmarn4323]

@@ieatatsonic episode 5 was all home runs for me personally

[@thegeekclub8810]

I can’t... literally just the other day, I was going to buy A Hand With Many Fingers at the tail end of a sale, but at the last minute I changed my mind. And now here you are recommending it. When you started talking about conspiracy games I thought “haha, what if he was talking about A Hand With Many Fingers”. Then you mentioned the conspiracy board and I got nervous.

[@SEGAClownboss]

Really really enjoyable Blips, there's really nothing out there like your style of game analysis, Chris. Like when you took extra time to note the dimly-lit offices or the sound of buzzing lights and people walking in that conspiracy game.

[@Medytacjusz]

yeah, it's so precious, because such unique content seems to be so difficult to find on KZbin these days, even though it is there. The platform and its algorithms seem to be hellbent on making all content feel the same and make it as hard as possible to find something different :( It has slowly turned into a digital equivalent of an average tabloid. That "Pixel a Day" channel looks cool though.

[@LordofBroccoli]

Cannot wait for the Marble Cinematic Universe!

[@KazikoWhite]

Going Under is amazing! It's description for Avocado Toast is "a delicious alternative to home ownership."

[@JeremyComans]

Any joke at Bernard Salt or Tim Gurner's expense is good to me.

[@samdimascio6524]

Probably my favorite Blips yet? Love the games, love how Venineth feels like a way to talk about a whole genre of marble games that feels underrepresented and glad Going Under was talked about as weirldy that is probably the biggest game among my online friends that I don't hear talked by ANY outlet.

[@PixelaDay]

I'm vibing extremely hard with Venineth.

[@BigChallenges]

Going Under feels like the only time I've seen something ape millennial humor and make it work. I watched a friend play it when it came out and the fact that one of the in-dungeon shopkeepers is a parody of Tai Lopez and his garage/library was unexpected and hilarious.

[@elhayes5573]

This series is really special! Shame to hear it doesn't get as much traction so commenting for the alg*rithm, also to say that it's lovely to see positive coverage of things without being straight up advertisements, just meeting the games where they are

[@randomguy019]

I got like 15 seconds into the description of the Hand with many Fingers before being like: "ALRIGHT, gotta get this."

[@christianisbister9839]

As an Archivist, it's really cool to see tools of Archival research in a game. Just today I was shuffling through the card catalogue at work to write down boxes I needed to pull. Very cool!

[@Zuese1234]

This is one of my favorite series on KZbin. Mostly because every episode I come away with a new game to play. Please keep making these!

[@vegronica9006]

I was so excited to see "Going Under" in the thumbnail; this game is my current obsession and nobody else I know is talking about it!

[@CanelaAguila]

It sounds like so much fun! Definitely wjshlisted

[@elsanto2401]

theres dozens of us. dozens!

[@adams3627]

I just got it on Switch during their summer sale and I love it! (Even though it's kicking my butt worse than Hades did)

[@TheLucanorian]

I've been waiting to get back into Going Under since I have it on the Switch and the new update is set to come out on consoles on the 25th

[@Medytacjusz]

KZbinrs recommending other KZbinrs should be a standard feature, because that seems to be the only way to find new interesting content on this platform. All the automated systems are generally feeding you either what's most popular or more of the same of what what you already know and watch. I feel like I actively have to work against them in order not to go mentally numb (which is probably exactly how advertisers want me). I'm definitely checking Pixel A Day out!

[@Yesnomu]

I recommend Paradise Killer, on the same lines of Lucifer Within Us. Just one case, but big and sprawling over a whole island, with a completely bonkers vaporwavey setting and really convoluted mystery. I enjoyed it a lot.

[@andersdenkend]

I am surprised that we didn't see way more of these marble games on mobile phones with all their gyros and such. Venineth looks gorgeous, would love to play it one day.

[@Ninjacatmuffin]

I'm enjoying the Going Under love here. I loved Hades too, but it's good to see other narrative-based takes on the rougelike genre.

[@adam12343210]

A hand with many fingers and lucifer within us both look amazing. Similarly in that vein, you should 100% check out Paradise Killer. That was my game of 2020, and maybe the best detective game I've ever played. Despite that, it seems to get very little love aside from some great reviews. I think you'd adore its aesthetic!!

[@safe-keeper1042]

Loved the "how do I decide when I'm satisfied" tweet. So much joke material there. "Okay, I'm supposed to eat pasta at this Italian buffet, but then what?" "You eat until you're good :)" "How do I decide when I'm good?"

[@GumshoeGamer]

Going Under is amazing and I’m glad to see it pop up more

[@ts25679]

The gameplay of A hand with many fingers would be great for a Call of Cthulhu game or maybe a horror anthology where your investigation influences the narrative. It would be a bit like stumbling upon the X-Files filing cabinet where it is just as likely that you could find the alien conspiracy or a secret demon cult, or which famous personalities are really lizard people. Just not sure which game series/mechanics I would pick for the horror/action elements.

[@ask5118]

Very much enjoyed this. All the games look great

[@DavisGSee]

I haven't played A Hand With Many Fingers yet, but I've been a fan of Colestia a while so it's cool to see his work here. For anyone who digs the overtly political vibes, I would recommend A Bewitching Revolution, about fighting back against fascism as a communist witch.

[@kat8559]

As an anarchist librarian...I need to play a hand w many fingers. Fun fact, many librarians do not actually like the dewey decimal system. Overrated and over-exposed classification system.

[@ileutur6863]

You're not an anarchist. You're a 1st word kid who thinks its cool to be one

[@InnuendoStudios]

YEAH FUCK THAT DECIMAL SYSTEM UP

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@zUJ7EjVD Umm what definition of anarchy are you and Arsenije M working with? Since when does being against coercive hierarchy mean being in support of mass death? That's like... no bueno dude. I think everyone should be an anarchist

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@zUJ7EjVD Again, what definition of anarchy are you using when you say that? Anarchy isn't anti-government, it's anti-state and anarchists believe that people should be governed in a way that isn't inherently oppressive. Colloquially, anarchy means the same thing as chaos/disorder but that's not what it is as a political ideology.

[@guy-sl3kr]

@@zUJ7EjVD Ah if that's what you mean by anarchism then yeah I agree, that sucks. Although there is no 1 universally agreed upon definition of the term, people that believe in anarchism (me included) typically believe that society shouldn't be organized in a way where some groups of people are superior and others are subordinate. Anarchism and libertarianism aren't completely separate things and are oftentimes considered synonymous. Though in the US, libertarians are usually staunchly pro-capitalist which is why many people make a distinction between the two terms nowadays.

[@meekaboo_]

I always look forward to blips, seeing some stuff I usually haven't heard of and the way you break things down and talk about them is always entertaining and interesting!

[@elsanto2401]

Favorite blip in a long time. First, apparently if you dont use the bell this channel doesnt pop up. Second, always happy to see someone else acknowledge that Going Under exists. Its a complete phantom. Also need to try that Hand game.

[@the_elder_gamer]

I'd like to think there's a parallel dimension where Chris and Errant Signal are the PewDiePie of the parallel KZbin. Terrific content as always. (edit - I'd totally watch a full marble-themed video)

[@Medytacjusz]

I'd so love a parallel KZbin that would make it clearly look as the tabloid it really is. My procrastinating self is constantly putting off exploring Nebula, which I hope could be at least a wee tiny bit better? Really, advertising money is poison to good content.

[@blackdragoncool]

Wow these all seem so polished and beautiful for indie games! I've been looking for a new walking sim/chill puzzle game so I'm really glad to have Venineth on my radar!

[@phelanii4444]

I have to say, I really love theses videos! Putting new indie games on my radar every so often and keeps the crowd fed while we wait on more main line errant signal. I'll definitely look into 'A Hand With Many Fingers', seems like it'd be my jam :D

[@aidanconnolly2212]

Really love these videos, it's so refreshing and encouraging to see this kind of positivity on here. Also the Bryce 3d references, I had a copy when I was like 14 or 15 and I never really figured it out, but it's nice to know that it really did exist.

[@Soundole]

This was such a wonderful collection! You're bringing attention to some real gems, and providing some thoughtful commentary on them. I really love your Blips episodes!

[@FairweatherBaah]

Man I'd pay (even more than I do now) for more Blips :D

[@thecollinhill]

As always, I love these videos. I love when games explore interesting ideas and gameplay mechanics. I also wanted to jump in and say Pixel A Day is absolutely fantastic and yes, underrated as hell.

[@ArmanNasirworks]

Trapper keeper art....something I never thought of before but now want to see more of.

[@tomsko863]

Thanks for the Eliza shout-out. Love Zachtronics games. Looks really interesting. Great videos man. High quality.

[@AlmantasKli]

Venineth got me in my "Life Beyond II" landscapes itch.

[@Runningfromtheredqueen]

Ok, Lucifer Within Us definitively looks like one for me. Love these videos.

[@kevinwillems8720]

"I've known writers who use subtext and they're all cowards" I don't know, it just feels good, that a game says it. Also the vibe of a hand with many fingers looks immaculate

[@Simon-wi7vr]

That quote is a callback to Garth Marenghi's Darkplace which you should check out because it’s fantastic lol

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@Simon-wi7vr it's on my list

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@Simon-wi7vr I actually heard of hand with many fingers during the polygon livestream for the innocence project. Simone and Clayton played it for 2 hours. It was cool

[@keithklassen5320]

@@kevinwillems8720 A Hand With *Many* Fingers.

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@keithklassen5320 thank you

[@dyspie]

I'm so glad you covered Going Under! :D I loved that game when I played it more people need to know it exists ^^

[@JeremyComans]

Lucifer Within Us is a cool premise, and what's there is good. But it did leave me with the feeling that I had paid AUD$30 for a POC, or prologue. It would be interesting to see it done again with more complex scenarios.

[@Disthron]

23:47 *Roguelikes* I played Enter the Gungeon for a bit and it really pissed me off when I discovered that buying guns just added to the gun pool rather than letting me make choices as to what I took going in. It's like a deck builder game where you can't get cards out of your deck. The more I discovered the less likely I was to actually get something I wanted. Not to mention I had no idea how to deal with the bullet hell bosses.

[@Sey318]

I'm definitively checking pixel a day's video. You know that feeling when there's something that is very core to you and marks you heavily, so much so that your passion you would dedicate your life to is intrinsically connected to it, but somehow it's abstract nature makes it impossible to put into words? You know the feeling of finding out it actually has a name? The Sublime definitively sounds like it's the case for me.

[@Medytacjusz]

Hello, fellow fan of the Sublime! This reminded me of that Philosophy Tube video that presented 'sublime' with the vibe of a boring homework-like thing that only German 18-19th century philosophers like, something which you only pursue out of obligation in spite of yourself... Any True Disciple of the Sublime knows that to speak such things is heresy!

[@Sey318]

@@Medytacjusz That actually sounds like something I'd like to check out. TO THE INTERWEBS!

[@Medytacjusz]

@@Sey318 unfortunately I can't remember the exact topic/title of the video, it's the 'sublime' part that stuck.

[@EmotivePixels]

It blows my mind I'm interested in a roguelite/like, but here we are. Thanks for the great picks!

[@SourSourSour]

Venineth and A hand with many fingers have me extremely excited to try them. All of these games actually, you've sold me on each of them.

[@SourSourSour]

I have recently played A hand with many fingers. I really really liked it, I got very paranoid with the feeling watched, so good!

[@Ronin11111111]

Satisfactory is really good at envoking the feeling of the sublime, both with its stunning vistas and with the vast factory complexes you construct over them.

[@Lulink013]

Thank you for the discoveries! I'm not very much tempted by any of these but knowing they exist and what makes them special is good enough for me.

[@Merlandese]

Whoa, I have been subscribed to you forever, and |LIKE| every video you make. This is somehow the first time this video has ever come up on my feed, 2 years later. I thought this was new.

[@SgtJoelberg]

I remember a video that discussed the “how do I know when I am satisfied?” tweet. Does anyone know which video it is?

[@attilabozo7368]

was it an Errant Signal video? GMTK had a video called "The Psychological Trick That Can Make Rewards Backfire"

[@SgtJoelberg]

@@attilabozo7368 The GMTK video could be it. I seem to remember a video where that quote appears at the beginning and serves as more of a basis for the whole thing. I'm not sure if it was Errant Signal, but at first I thought it was.

[@Renken_]

One of the devs of Venineth also has a short third-person fantasy exploration game called Esothe out on Itch, it's really good!

[@nozzle4175]

I second this. It's a beautiful little thing.

[@96FENIR96]

I like this series it really makes transit from work to home much better

[@ProUnderachiever]

Made it through all of halfway through the first entry before I had to go add Venenith to my wishlist. Well-played.

[@helzrose2962]

Always awesome to see another Blips video!

[@L0LWTF1337]

Why is Errant Signal just reading out my steam wishlist?

[@blarg2429]

It's called having good taste, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[@HopDances]

Love Blips

[@mario__265]

Love the show, totally gonna snag hand with many fingers, keep up the good work!

[@BearOldcastle]

Yiss another blips. More for the steam wish list.

[@bartz0rt928]

I've played two Blips so far: Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor and Broken Reality. I haven't finished either, but I did like them. Diaries especially. I found it a very effective simulator of being poor, chronically ill and marginalized (for as far as I can judge that) without being heavy-handed or overly depressing, which I imagine is a fine line. There's definitely a lot of "arthouse games" that offer something new and interesting.

[@jacobstone4070]

"too chaotic to make skilled decisions" could definitely be argued to be a design choice. Like in a "no matter how good you are, to make progress, sometimes needs luck" kinda thing

[@blipdrifter]

god, i love this series. this episode was especially good, keep it up!

[@superfly9291]

I have been wanting a game that creates a genuine need for a crazy red string conspiracy theory board for so long! Thanks! :D

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

_A Hand With Many Fingers_ is the kind of game I want to see more of. _Return of the Obra Din_ scratched a similar itch for me, but not enough for me to be fully satiated.

[@SrMeechio]

Getting strong Kairo vibes off Venineth. That, or a Devin Townsend album cover.

[@KuraiMuin]

This is exciting! Thank you for continuing to do this!

[@Gledster]

Always great videos Errant Signal. For anyone reading this, the channel Outside Xbox played a chunk of Going Under & had a blast with it. Worth a watch!

[@arcadeblob]

i love blips! definitely going to check all these games out

[@rockguitarist8907]

Several of these games i have to play! Thanks!

[@scrustle]

I've had my eye on Veneneth for a while actually, since it seems like something I had been looking for for a very long time. Way back in the early days of XBLA on the 360, one of my favourites from that era was a game called Switchball, which was pretty similar in concept. A marble puzzle platformer where you could change the state of your marble to solve puzzles. Not only was I impressed with the puzzle design, at the time it was really something impressive to look at as well. It may be pretty modest by modern standards, but I remember that being an early example of me being impressed with dynamic lighting, and the sort of Myst-like aesthetic of it. Ever since then I've been on the lookout for something similar, and nothing quite seems to get it right. Veneneth looks like the best thing to scratch that itch though. It seems different in some ways, but that puzzle focused design mixed with surreal and impressive environments, with an emphasis on high fidelity material and lighting effects looks like it should be something I can get in to.

[@hotwheelsdeepstate]

I just bought A Hand With Many Fingers because of this. Thanks a ton

[@diale13]

Love blips

[@RobertMilesAI]

Wow, someone made a better looking marble game than Marble Marcher. Impressive

[@williancruz9657]

Been meaning to check out that work rpg.

[@qxyw]

Going under seems right up my alley

[@donatodiniccolodibettobardi842]

Okay, I started playing Venineth and I managed to beat the first row of levels. I have never played marble games and I generally don't enjoy puzzles. This game? *_I'm loving all of it!_* Also, I have different designation for this game's particular subgenre. It's a parkour game... where you just happen to be a weighted marble, pulled from within. I even managed to fail forward couple of puzzles simply by being stupidly precise and persistent with my momentum, bounces and angles, as you've suggested in a video: the physics and save spot system in this game is very accomodating for getting style points from imaginary judge panel. :P

[@KristofDE]

Glad you're back, man!

[@lucybresgal1519]

I love these videos! I can't wait to try these games.

[@SolarFlorad]

Very cool. Hand with many fingers looks amazing.

[@Daekeyas]

New favorite video. Also having done research in the 80s, some rando scribbling _in red ink_ political editorials, was something I would find without surprise after a short while. Especially in regards to either USA or UK gov't agencies.

[@snotgrrl]

Mr. signal, I am once again asking you to play Paradise Killer. You will adore it.

[@garrett123456789t3n]

I have two(2) of these already going under and a hand with many fingers. I should finish going under. Might get the marble game

[@ThirithCH]

Does anyone know if the lead/character artist on Going Under also worked on Celeste? The visual style and especially the faces of the characters - and, of course, that evil Doppelganger - look rather familiar.

[@sweetBabyD]

Picked up Going Under on sale after watching this, the concept was too compelling- sounds like it hits the same narrative chords as the likes of Broken Reality, Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, VA-11... love my indie critiques of terminal stage capitalism, I guess.

[@SoulGameStudio]

Really great series

[@wrenbeck3370]

Venineth's visual-style kinda reminds me of The Eternal Cylinder, which also does a "weird alien environments with a late-'90s feel".

[@personman4011]

Erranr: "Monoliths to order and logic jutting out of cold uncaring wastelands." Me: "Oh! Blobby thing!"

[@firstlast446]

Hades was actually on steam about a year before 1.0 also hades does joke about Zagreus' escape becoming a daily grind job, thanks for the video.

[@DontMockMySmock]

Lusifer?

[@connerymilne6466]

I just finished A Hand with Many fingers in 80 minutes, and i think I skipped a few boxes because that ending took me completely by surprise

[@kalevtait7442]

Three games to wishlist, one to give a second chance.

[@MechanicWolf85]

Venineth is what I think of when talking about silicon based lifeforms would look like

[@keithklassen5320]

I'm so glad I found this channel all those years ago. That's it, that's the comment.

[@TheCrewExpendable]

The art style of Venineth appears to draw heavy inspiration from the work of Mark Leichliter.

[@JohnnyThousand605]

"Look at this game!" Indeed. O_O

[@zumbizuado]

Ok, this is a long shot but, does anyone knows of a software that would allow me to create my own "red-threaded link board" like the one on A Hand With Many Fingers?

[@fivelines2473]

I had to check the channel name twice after seeing the thumbnail..

[@ErrantSignal]

It'll go to a lovely artsy photo of Venineth after a few days. Just gotta rake those views in while the algo's hot.

[@fivelines2473]

@@ErrantSignal you deserve every view you can get, stir that algo-soup (^^)

[@emac3451]

God the thumbnail... love it tho keep the joke going

[@ErrantSignal]

I've oft lamented that Blips tend to do lower numbers than my other videos, so I started joking that I'd do terrible trashy clickbait thumbnails to get more views. See: twitter.com/Campster/status/1312138791197368322 Really, the thumbnail for this video will be a nice red planet in Venineth in like 3 days.