Daniel Mullins: An Exhaustive Analysis

A deep dive into the strange and often brilliant mind behind Inscryption, The Hex and Pony Island. A video about history, sacrifice and Satan. And ponies.
Huge, huge thanks to my friends Ben and Heather for helping out with the live-action segments (in front of and behind the camera respectively)
Further Reading:
Full list of sources, interviews and music credits can be found here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1h...
For those wanting to find out more about these games' many secrets and hidden ARGs I recommend checking out Flemmonade's channel; his summaries and updates were extremely useful for my research: / @flemmonade
Additionally, check the source document above for links to some great writeups by u/jeck0_0 on Reddit.
Black Video Games | Off The Record by The Storyteller: • Black Video Games | Of...
00:00:00 Intro
00:11:01 Part 1: Pony Island
00:31:40 Part 2: The Hex
01:17:08 Part 3: Inscryption
01:58:32 Finale
#danielmullinsgames #inscryption #ponyisland

[@shokmunky]

Can't believe the real Sado was actually the friends we made along the way. Then lost in a messy argument. Then fell into a cycle of revenge with.

[@user-ty1it5gz4v]

One thing I love about his games is that, meta and ARG stuff aside, they're really good games and stories on their own. Characters are relatable, plot twists are memorable, tragedies are palpable. It's not just about messing with your head, it's about giving the players a great, though bittersweet, experience; and Mullins has the writing chops to pull it off.

[@polocatfan]

my head canon for how death works in the Hex is if you die in a scripted sequence (i.e. regular gameplay) you can be brought back, but if you die outside of an intended way, you're gone for good. EDIT: also I do believe Lionel Snill is supposed to be an intentional mirror for Daniel Mullins. Lionel and Daniel are almost anagrams and if you remove the M and U from Mullins and reverse it, you get Snill.

[@derpymule7977]

Commenting to fuel the unknowable algorithm gods, and also to welcome back one of my favourite video essayists. I didn’t know much about these games besides one playthrough of Pony Island a while back, so it was really interesting to see this deep dive into them. Definitely interested in seeing what Daniel does next. And I’ll definitely be back again for the next upload here, these videos are incredibly high quality and deserve a lot more attention.

[@nathanhudelson1834]

A comment for the algorithim. Sacrifices must be made. I absolutely adore Inscryption's first act, but never really could get into the second or third. As someone who's a sucker for a great deckbuilder and a killer asthetic, the later acts and the meta-story as a whole always sapped my interest a bit, feeling like they were distracting from the most interesting part of the game. So getting to experience them through the lense of someone who genuinely understands and appreciates all those aspects is a treat for me, and I really liked how you tied all the games together throughout your analysis. Looking forward to whatever you have planned next!

[@UomoPolpetta]

I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit scared when I clicked on the video and saw the low view count. I'm sorry but I guess I was being conditioned into believing that having few views must also mean that a video is not worth my time. Luckily I stuck with it tho, thankfully the stylish opening was enough to tell me I wasn't about to watch some low-effort essay. After 2 whole hours I jst wanted to, idk, leave a comment congratulating with you, which is something I rarely if ever do on KZbin. Maybe I'm doing this because I felt bad for my initial judgement, but It's probably because it's demoralizing to see something you put great passion and effort into go unnoticed on the internet and seeing someone take the time to write down their feelings would be more appreciated than just a simple like. So yeah, great video man, hopefully my (admittedly needlessly long) comment can give even the smallest boost to your visibility because you definitely deserve way better.

[@Mezzamine]

Thank you so much! This type of comment always makes my day, I really appreciate it :) Glad you enjoyed the vid - and glad the intro succeeded in getting your attention, I was definitely hoping it would keep people from clicking away immediately so good to know it's doing its job!

[@roadkillwaffle9847]

Watched this whole video assuming it had hundreds of thousands of views, shocked to see only 1k, this needs more attention. Also great use of the Outer Wilds OST.

[@SilverStarStorm.]

Yeah the moment I heard The Nomai track my brain went brrrrr with recognition and I immediately dived into the comments to see if anybody else alr mentioned it :p

[@SilverStarStorm.]

OH GOD, TIMBER HEARTH SNEAKING UP ON ME you're not allowed to make me feel these feelings :')

[@SilverStarStorm.]

AWE HECK, it's been done again It's The Ancient Glade I think? For a second thought it might be the space theme but it's not it. I applaud the variety of Outer Wilds tracks used :D I've seen them used frequently in video-essays, but I think this may be the first time encountering multiple across the video? At least certainly never seen more than two tracks used :p

[@SkyeWint]

You are absolutely the most underappreciated video essayist I've ever seen. You have good analytical skills, good pacing throughout the video, good bits, solid humor (even if it occasionally feels like you don't quite hit the timing right), great games that you focus on... It's impressive. I'd love to see a video on Omori if you've played it (it's very much worth your time if you haven't done so yet, though I'm guessing you know about it already given your existing videos). I think there's a ton to unpack in terms of psychological and thematic content. Honestly, I'd probably make a video essay myself if I had the time and the editing chops to do it justice, haha! All that said... You have a relatively small subscriber base and viewcount that absolutely does not match up to the sheer quality of what you're making - and honestly, like your (and my) view of Daniel Mullins' work, I can't wait to see what you go on to make next!

[@Mezzamine]

Forgot to respond to this, but thanks for the recommendation! I was only vaguely aware of Omori but it does definitely look up my street, wishlisted!

[@SkyeWint]

@@Mezzamine It is one hell of an experience, I hope you enjoy it! Or, uh. Appreciate it. The "psychological horror" genre label is absolutely NOT arbitrary and the warning is far more serious than it is for other psychological horror games. Definitely worth exploring every nook and cranny if you find you appreciate what it's trying to do. :)

[@ExoticMeme]

Have been a big fan of Daniel Mullins since the release of pony island, truly an amazing indie game dev. This video is a great tribute to him! Surprised it has so little views. Also digging the black nail polish, looks sick :)

[@definelowl9775]

This is a really cool stuff. Personally I found Inscryption GOTY of that year, and I am a big fan of Daniel myself. Really comprehensive dive I did here. The overarching theme (even though I did have partially formed in my mind, I never actually articulated it) you formulated really well. Good job mate. (How come this video so little views)

[@Ice--Scream]

Realized this video is awesome when i started tearing up at the recounting of the hex story. Ngl dont have much to say, really like your balance of calm script reading and like, personal touches for the lack of a better word. Commenting for the algorithm mainly.

[@ChimeratAlpha]

1:02:53 I can say you're the first person I've ever heard describe "To The Moon" as a "walking simulator" game. Dear Ester? Yes. 1:06:44 I thought the point of Rust was that it was never released. It was leaked and then the community "completed" it.

[@GuardianRail408]

Bro how does this only have 7.7k views? This is a masterpiece! You explained the details and everything inbetween and what the games mean as a game instead of the lore, you compiled it all into one amazing easily understandable video to watch that was enjoyable and could absolutely help people like myself understand the reason why the games were made, beautifully made! Well done!

[@COlimar788]

Great analysis and retrospective! Really enjoyed watching, and the framing device is fun haha. Makes me want to replay these games... And gets me even more excited for Pony Island 2.

[@keremmadran]

Seeing your channel logo in my subscriptions gave me joy!

[@BeatricePashley]

Very proud of the accomplished young man you are. Great video, well delivered, well researched and well worth the effort and the pain 😊.

[@vyt2622]

Great essay! I think the self-reflection in these games is definitely deliberate (though there may be elements that are just the natural way creators end up in their work). In Pony Island, Satan is petulant, yes, but a lot of it stems from insecurity. I actually ended up feeling bad for him when he asks for more time, and wishing I could comply- close the game and give him a few hours to work on it (which of course, is impossible). The Hex is more obvious. Daniel Mullins had an unexpected runaway hit in Pony Island, and Lionel Snill is a young developer unsure how to handle the pressure of an early hit. It's very clearly a cautionary tale/dark path. Especially since a lot of Lionel's flaws (since he doesn't know the characters are sentient) stem from mistreating the people he works with: needing a gold nameplate to place himself as superior over more-experienced employees, his feud with Carla, stealing pensions. Inscryption has a much gentler take. Kaycee is the most direct developer analog, and a lot of her diary entries in the mod are very direct statements about her love of the game, the creative process, and feeling honored and touched by people's reaction to it. But outside of the mod, all of the scrybes are like different DM styles in a D&D game. P03 is the munchkin player who values minmaxed mechanics over story, Leshy values atmosphere and immersion. Unlike the Hex, the characters aren't hostile to the player, they want to play the game (although all with different ideas how). Leshy *acts* scary in Act 1 because you, as a player, clicked on a horror game and he wanted to give you a good experience. It's why, at the end, he asks to play without keeping score. That's why, though I deleted Pony Island as requested, I feel good playing Kaycees Mod. Replaying Pony Island would be contributing to the Hopeless Soul's imprisonment. Playing Kaycee's mod is me having a fun time playing a spooky game with my friend Leshy.

[@robinsouriau8646]

Hello there. Wonderful job of a video. You've reached all that I love about a Daniel Mullins game: art, talent, humor and wisdom. Thanks mate.

[@Tiraen]

Wonderful video, love your humor and found it super interesting to get the info on The Hex, it was the last big Daniel Mullins game I didn't know much about and now I wish it had more coverage. Time for a couple background rewatches

[@Fregolore]

plz release the card games cut

[@howlt005]

VERY excited to watch all of this! May the algorithm gods smile upon you 🙏

[@sichoys6967]

Definitely captivating and entertaining 2 hour experience. Cheers, for taking your time and making this video!

[@teh1archon]

One of the best videos I've seen lately. Truly worth the 2 hours watch in one go.

[@morejemmex6367]

Great video! Subscribed. I wanted to mention something that you seem to have missed from Pony Island: if you change some of the files, you can get some dialog from Satan that says that sometimes, he "likes to speak in different voices", using the sound effect for hopless soul's voice. The implication being that the whole game was just the Devil tricking you into thinking you were escaping with a friend, when in reality nothing you did was actually hurting him, and you were just playing his game. I would have found that interesting to bring up in analysis

[@mr.j3rs3y]

Only about 11 minutes in, but the writing and presentation here is fantastic! I hope Daniel Mullins comes across this at some point! Subscribed!

[@tiredtato]

I'm not even through the first part yet, but I already know I'm gonna watch this till the end. High quality stuff!

[@yourlittlepadawan]

Incredible analysis and choice of music. Thanks so much

[@tayalorenz289]

Thank you for an incredible video!

[@PPX14]

Back with another great one!

[@BlueLight218]

Very enjoyable video! Glad the algorithm decided to push it my way, especially when I'm a big fan of the developer's work as well.

[@Lou-Lou87]

What a banger of a video essay! :)

[@josephboechat6020]

This video was amazing. I will not try to elaborate because my ingles gramatic is terrible. (I'm brazilian)

[@lienep7917]

Hope the fact that I commented means this video gets recommended to more people, because this deserves so much more views 🙏

[@nomletparti2622]

For Pony Island, Theodore probably isn't the player's actual name. Their alleged killer was a man who never took up the sword, and at the latest, died 400 years before the crusades.

[@wolwer1ne]

This video is soooo underrated!

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

1:47:00 one of the best parts of the game, a shame that the boss got deleted

[@JE-nf2gd]

Great breakdown on the themes in some darkly fascinating games! Have an algorithm comment to feed the algorithm :D

[@ethanhart3108]

Top quality stuff!

[@Veronica-qp2xy]

gonna play them games before finishing, you deserve 10 times the subs CA-CAW

[@toast1612]

Just finished watching the hex portion and wow this video is fucking phenomenal.

[@ayo9109]

Thats an amazing video

[@Crocogator]

I so can't wait for Pony Island 2.

[@Langolyer2010]

Прекрасна робота, дякую за аналіз.

[@ayo9109]

And i love this video!!!

[@olive_oak]

omg they're back! hooray!

[@michaelwarnecke3474]

Hmm, I've played Inscryption, and Pony Island, and I've kind of been wanting to play the Hex for a long time, maybe I should do that soon, so I can watch this video

[@farawayxgalaxy]

I’m a sucker for Sado ngl

[@ahiskali1]

Awesome

[@shatteredpuppet3805]

live laugh pony island 2: panda circus (watch it not be related to any of the previous games, with red herrings being its own spinoff)

[@flameloude]

1:36:42 how dare you. I'm already sitting through an hour and a half plus video. Give me the magic, yegio, and so on ramblings!!!!

[@dennisgalafet165]

Fun fact: (also pony island arg spoiler) The hopeless soul and Satan are the same person

[@heatherdukeswifeandgirlfriend]

not even a mention of leshy and p03 divorce canon possibility

[@awrogers]

Looking forward to lunch time.

[@loudnoises8197]

here before the video blows up

[@felipegonzalez5256]

Am i the only one who would love to hear all the Magic the Gathering and Yugioh explanations?

[@ayo9109]

I love daniel mullins

[@noelle10]

best video ever

[@angry927]

commenting to help the algoritm

[@ayo9109]

Commenting again just for the algorithm

[@ayo9109]

Oh my god

[@qawsqawslol3997]

So first of all this is an incredible video and was a great watch though one small issue so tiny it doesn't really matter but the lost soul is not your ally but rather your enemy inwould recommend you look into it and how pony Island was just a big trick of the player wow sounds familiar

[@qawsqawslol3997]

The devil and the lost soul are the same

[@SeeinHinessight]

swag video

[@qut6122]

comment for algorithm, great video

[@apatheticwithnoa]

Let's gooooooooooo

[@Ban-zx9se]

Bro i havent even 100% pony island

[@notavailable2374]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@gastonschmugge9245]

Comment for algorithm

[@joyous18]

Sight Duffy batangas king teddy

[@morejemmex6367]

1:15:08 sponsored by WHO ?

[@wiking22pl53]

Comment for the algorithm

[@tsendeb9874]

Good vid

[@idiothead5511]

downvoted for cutting the 20 minute mtg diversion

[@idiothead5511]

and for the ygo and Digimon cuts