Descent and Ascent in Dark Souls, Hellblade, Dear Esther and Celeste

[@Bobthepetferret]

That intro gave me chills, and I've never played Dark Souls And Celeste is such a great examination of mental health struggles. That crash down to rock bottom was painful but the exhilaration of the subsequent climb back up is inspiring. One of the most relatable games I've ever played, and I'm glad you examined it here

[@PixelaDay]

Yeah I loved Celeste when I played it, but writing about it made me appreciate it even more. Glad you enjoyed the vid!

[@Kakabundala]

Beautiful framing! I must admit though that my favourite moment of Dark Souls is not just a descend to darkness but a suprise when you reach the bottom. On my first playthrough I went inside the tree in Blight Town and after being scared that down there deep must be even worse place than the swamp, Ash Lake appeared. And after the psychological effect of the descent the primordial feel of that place hit me. The lyricless choir, the unbelievable importance of that place while so unreasonbably hidden, so no player deliberetly finds it. The strange disparity between the area you can see and the area where you can actually move. The Everlasting dragon sitting calmly in the next tree. It was as if at the bottom after descending through the painful psychological complexities you reach a tacid ground filled with sublime meaning.

[@vladimiryakimenko2010]

Thank you so much for the great video! It was extremely inspiring! This is exactly why I admire the "Hero's Journey" story template, which is used in the majority of games with a plot. A journey from a protected village to the dark unknown and returning back, being a different person, might very well be comsidered a beautiful metaphor of battling our own inner demons. Even more astonishing is the age of this template - old Gilgamesh meets Utnapishtim, because he is afraid of death... It is amazing to realise, how close were the authors of the oldest literature to a relatively modern psychology 😮

[@pimscrypt]

I just love how you describe and analyze video game environments. Both in the video about the sublime and this one. I feel a lot more conscious about the spaces I play in, what they mean and how they differ. I appreciate that a lot!

[@PixelaDay]

That’s so lovely Pim

[@justbrowsing9697]

I am sooooo jealous of your writing skills. Like goddamn I don't know a video essay that could top this one with it's quality, imagery, points and message. Just, wow

[@PixelaDay]

You’re too nice 🥰

[@lgob7]

Wow. . . You did magnificent job conveying the fall, and rise, of these stories through your own prose. It felt like a piece of poetry as much a video essay. A wonderful journey, thank you for sharing!

[@PixelaDay]

Thank you for watching!

[@FrokenKeke]

I feel bad for not mentioning Jung in the massive Transparency Celeste video now, haha! Good job!

[@PixelaDay]

Haha thanks Kiki XD

[@Skyehoppers]

Excellent synthesis! Never realized how many games use climbing as a rhetorical device like that. This also comes up in Hollow Knight, as it really felt like you would hit the bottom like ten times before you actually do. The main character being silent and emotionless pretty much right until you descend completely when it finally has a moment of self-awareness. Your ability to combine many seemingly unconnected pieces of media into a strong central theme is awesome, and I'm always excited to see what you come up with. Keep it up :)

[@PixelaDay]

Aw thank you 😊

[@omara74189]

Great video. Thank you for making this.

[@PixelaDay]

If you like what I do please consider throwing me a bit of money on Patreon, check out the tiers and benefits here: www.patreon.com/pixeladay

[@alemka121]

excellent! this is a very serious video about some very serious stuff: how do we deal with the "dark night of the soul", with our shadow, trauma & repressed emotions. only for those who are not afraid to go deep, deep, deep down...loved it!

[@vatoreflex477]

Your writing skills are off the charts. Amazing video.

[@PixelaDay]

Thanks :) :) :)

[@miguerfaustin]

I enjoy your videos so much. You're so well versed, you speak with such clarity and such cadence that it makes me immerse myself in the content like no other youtuber/narrator. Please, keep doing these thoughtful reflections. Congrats from Spain! :)

[@PixelaDay]

Thank you so much! Feel free to share the love by spreading the word about my channel :) I'm glad you're enjoying my work.

[@LambHoot]

yooo exploring these themes through the context of verticality in games is such a good idea! Really really good video, and that cinematic gameplay capture in the preamble is 👌

[@PixelaDay]

Thanks dude!

[@iamerror]

This is a wonderful examination of the psychological importance of heights and depths, internal and external. These games are so relatable (well, Dark Souls not as much!)

[@PixelaDay]

Glad you liked it Error!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

That was a beautiful video.

[@arkham666]

Quite quite beautiful. I've yet to touch a souls game but I've been meaning too. That hopeless descent imagery reminds me a lot of the Silent Hill 2 late game. I think I'll definitely be getting hellblade in the steam winter sale though. You've definitely sold that one too me.

[@PixelaDay]

Ah, I'm so happy to hear that! :) Glad you enjoyed the vid.

[@JoystickDrummer]

I'll never forget that descent in Dark Souls. Excellent video Kat!

[@PixelaDay]

One of my unforgettable gaming memories!!

[@kaiyaweird-pegeensc3679]

I love your videos! Thank you for your analysis. This one was beautiful and so thought provoking.

[@PixelaDay]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@lemegeton7]

I love the video so much ♥️♥️♥️ thanks who sent it in reddit

[@PixelaDay]

Haha thanks! Hope you’ll stick around on the channel

[@simonhis2680]

I didn't watch the hellblade parts since I haven't played it yet, but other than that, a beautiful analysis! Climbing the mountain in Celeste's final chapter was one of the most empowering moments I've experienced in a game ever!

[@PixelaDay]

Excited for you to play Hellblade :) :)

[@psyllid]

Nice. Thank you.

[@zippa93]

Amazing video from writing to delivery! This channel is criminally underrated. What’s the 2D underwater game at 4:10?

[@PixelaDay]

Thank you! Feel free to share on the social medias :) The game is INSIDE!

[@subprogram32]

Finally got round to watching this video, and it was excellent! Very enjoyable indeed - I loved the examples of both the descent in Dark Souls, and the parallel pits of Hellblade and Celeste. The postcards at the end were a great touch too. :3

[@PixelaDay]

Thanks for your lovely comments as always! :)

[@TheGlooga]

The Nickeling bit made me laugh. The mapping of physical space to the Jungian Subconscious is really interesting. I am, perhaps in spite of my better instincts, reminded of Final Fantasy XIII and the contrasting worlds of the Cocoon and the Pulse. I wonder if there's a game that is all about the descent, with no ascent attached. Dark Souls may not have a moment of triumph comparable to Celeste, but it does still rise from the hole in the ground. I...feel like I've played a game like that, but I can't remember which.

[@PixelaDay]

I would say that INSIDE is that game.

[@John-uh1pb]

Perhaps not quite the right genre, but Downwell is all descent. (and a really lovely piece of game design imo)

[@PixelaDay]

@@John-uh1pb Love that game!! I never got past the final set of levels 😅 but dammit I gave it a good go

[@John-uh1pb]

@@PixelaDay You did better than I ever did then!

[@leftovernoise]

Accidentally stumbled onto your channel on my quest to absorb all the pathologic content I could, and I'm glad I did, because your videos are amazing and deserve more subs! Thank you! Ps, Have you played outer wilds? I think you'd really like it judging from your thoughts on the other. Games you've made videos about

[@PixelaDay]

Thank you for visiting! I have indeed played it! :) kat-pixeladay.medium.com/outer-wilds-reflections-from-the-edge-of-the-solar-system-c87f92664851

[@leftovernoise]

@@PixelaDay awesome! I'll give that a read!

[@DavetheTurnip]

This was beautiful! Well done 😃