Games that Make You Part of the Ecosystem

Discover the virtual ecosystems that make you part of the food chain. A meditation on games with worlds designed to make you feel like a small player in a much wider environment.
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It’s a unique experience when a game makes you feel truly unimportant - like you’re just a tiny part of a much larger environment. When a title successfully instills this feeling, it can be like witnessing a sort of magic trick. So what I’d like to do today is take you backstage and explore how different games succeed in making you part of their ecosystems…
0:00 Video Game Ecosystems
1:09 Part of the Food Chain
4:06 Changing Perspectives
6:07 The Power of Insignificance
8:47 Tears of the Kingdom
12:13 On Biomes
15:09 Endling
17:52 A Dark Future
20:02 Hope for Tomorrow
Media Shown: Planet of Lana, Webbed, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Rain World, Minecraft, Endling, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Horizon: Forbidden West, Subnautica, Subnauitca: Below Zero, Skyrim, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Additional Footage from:
Wolfire Games: / @wolfiregames
D4rw1N: / @d4rw1n
Copyright Disclaimer: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. All video/image content is edited under fair use rights for reasons of commentary.
I do not own the images, music, or footage used in this video. All rights and credit goes to the original owners.
♫ Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio:
Mysterious Green Fluid, Sanity Unravels, Haddonfield Horror
♫ Additional music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com):
Infinite, Beauty Flow, Majestic Hills, Second Coming - No Percussion, Bittersweet, Floating Cities
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#CuriousArchive #Worldbuilding

[@suntzu3905]

Plague inc evolved makes me feel like a part of the ecosystem

[@Orthosaur7532]

😂

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Based

[@marshalmarrs3269]

I want to experience the perspective of a non mammal therapsid.

[@unknownman5090]

Every multiplayer game with ranked system make me feel that my life wasted everytime I press Play

[@GodOfWarConnoisseur]

Try the human centipede

[@casualbird7671]

Rain World is such a special one to me, especially with how it's designed to have a full ecosystem that functions with or without the player

[@uwepfaff9226]

I absolutely love staying on screen after death and watch predators and other animals interact with each other without me :’D

[@shadowbonbon3]

@@uwepfaff9226yeah, safari mode was probably one of the best ideas they had with downpour and many times it’s just as fun to just watch scavengers as it is to play a red centi

[@ralliotxd6780]

I bought it in the launching in steam when it was less than 10 dollars

[@Some1_357]

Rain world was a crazy experience, ive never enjoyed games much but when i heard about rain world it just caught my eye. I got it for christmas and beat the game for almost every campaign (working on spearmaster, monk, hunter and rivulet right now) it was worth every penny.

[@casualbird7671]

@@Some1_357 I hope you have a wonderful time finishing it! Spearmaster and Rivulet's campaigns are quite special

[@pathxtoxruin]

Kenshi is a perfect example of a game where you start off thinking it'll be a standard rpg game but you quickly realize you are not the main character. In fact if you die the game doesn't even end. You can sit there and watch the world go on around your corpse until you get bored. It's an awesome game but one that takes time to learn how to play well. Definitely worth checking out.

[@Nachtschicht1]

One of the best games ever and a perfect example for the topic of this video.

[@meksit]

Yes it is!

[@FiendishBanana]

Dove into comments looking for this.

[@aznryan1730]

Ya beat me to it

[@bonafide4874]

I so badly want Curious Archive to do a video about Kenshi, or to mention Kenshi haha! I was thinking about Kenshi throughout this video. Perhaps ecosystem is not the correct word to describe it, but Kenshi defintely makes you feel like you're not important, or you could die at any moment.

[@rmguy1342]

Far Cry 2, Rain World, The Long Dark, Kenshi, and Darkwood are some of the games that make you wondering wether you're NPC or MC due to constant threat you're facing no matter how well equipped or experienced you are in the game

[@sneezyfido]

I love Kenshi! When I can decide on what I want to do, I will start another run. I want to do more about towns and maybe live in them.

[@Espartanica]

A player cannot be a non player character, and you as the focal point the story has makes you the main character. I get your point tho

[@BierBart12]

@@Espartanica A better word would probably be non-protagonist or side-character. At least in worlds that have a clear protagonist or focal point that isn't you. Like you being a sidekick or a simple guard, hearing the story unfold from a distance

[@Espartanica]

@@BierBart12 Protagonist is simply the character or entity that the story follows. The only way not to be the protagonist is not to have a particularly important character in the story.

[@X-SPONGED]

Yup, Far Cry 2 is unforgiving. Rain World makes clear you are part of the ecosystem. The Long Dark (especially on interloper) makes you feel like the last human on earth scrounging for scraps in a world that doesn't want you there anymore. Darkwood is literally a story about you getting trapped inside the dark woods and desperately trying to adapt to the environment and find a way out or fall peril to the many clinically insane residents or dangerous hostile threats inhabiting the wilderness.

[@spacecandygames7575]

As a dev, who has also supported planet of Lana during the whole development of their game it’s exciting to see them in your video. They inspired me to fix the visuals of my game. Thank you for giving them more exposure

[@coledaulton8740]

Pls do dragon slayer codex part two and more realistic Pokémon

[@pixelzebra8440]

I’ve played the beginning of the the planet of Lana and it’s SO GOOD I love mui and how they have their own language instead of just talking in English which makes no sense lol

[@incognitovagabond4763]

Reminds me of if odd world, blackthorne and out of this world had a brain child

[@Mythqil]

loved that game so much

[@anselme198]

my first thought is that gameplay seems highly inspired by abe's odyssey.

[@bluehairedemon]

i love rain world and the way it forces you to learn how different creatures interact with each other. i have 300 hours on it and im still learning new things

[@booyahboogie3350]

i have 800, and even *IM* still learning new things!

[@siyahkopek9415]

Same exept the loads of hours but I do own it on Xbox recently have been playing it a lot he has vids on ur you know it’s his most popular vids

[@lolman6759]

Did you know squidcadas hunt leeches by letting one on them then carrying them to dry land. That's why you can often see dead squidcadas being feasted on by leeches

[@siyahkopek9415]

@@lolman6759 yes

[@deham2514]

⁠@@lolman6759did you know that all slugcats except saint can eat centipedes

[@ruthiewitter569]

Man, I don’t know what exactly it is about these videos, but they bring me to tears. These games are such a gorgeous, powerful, inexpressible work of art and storytelling. It’s so moving.

[@maynardz03]

cool im not the only one

[@keenanflagg6942]

I think Stray fits nicely here. You’re literally just a cat and while your actions definitely irreparably alter the world, you always remain just a cat doing cat things and trying to survive.

[@robert2german]

Now I really want to see you talk about the world of Pikmin.

[@turnipbuthimself9929]

For real! The game itself does a good job of cataloging its creatures already so I feel it would be a good video

[@axjagfilms]

Louie

[@waffletop1018]

yes

[@robert2german]

IMO, 1 and 3 certainly lean into the theme of an indifferent environment, while 2 and 4 are more focused around conquering the environment, but regardless, there is always a sense of mystery.

[@youraveragephesh3173]

He needs to read Louie's Piklopedia entries that teach us how to cook bulborbs and stuff 💀

[@gurburgandr]

One game that makes you feel like an actual ant is shadow of the colossus, not only do the creatures dwarf you, the vast open expanses of grasslands, water, or titanic structures lost to time. The grey sky, lack of human life and large gap between boss fights paints this picture of emptiness. Its one of the reasons why I love it

[@shadowcween7890]

Shadow of the Colossus needs to be talked about more

[@mightyx5441]

@@shadowcween7890 as a person who playes games for fun first the world 2nd the story 3rd, shadow of the colossus is a good, but boring do the same thing game, to big of a world with little added things, the story is "don't skip the cutscenes" ok

[@GameOver-nm2us]

@@mightyx5441 it's not a game to be replayed over and over again, you got competitive games for that. It's a game to relax, chill out, and just soak it in.

[@Azuria969]

*Grounded

[@-mako-6018]

@@mightyx5441 people like you are the last kind of people i'd take game suggestions from

[@MysticMylesZ]

12:02 that's an interesting perspective. I've played it so long and known so much of it, even outside of the game, that I had the complete opposite view. Nothing in Minecraft happens unless you do something, with the exception of it hitting night time, there are no pledges, natural disasters, if a catastrophic event happens like the wither, you caused it. You can even avoid night time monsters by lighting up the environment. And you can shape the world around you by yourself, doing what would take whole civilizations years on your own in less time, all in survival mode. While you're still able to be harmed and still need food, you can do so much.

[@Spiney09]

First time I played subnautica, I had thought that the bigger creatures had infinite HP. Playing it while thinking I had to avoid every leviathan made me feel small in a larger world. Great experience.

[@emeraldeyesinthesand8355]

I always love to hear your voice when I work out dude. Love seeing you explore new worlds and seeing new and weird creatures.

[@kingperson4102]

No way blud works out to speculative bio vids 💀

[@emeraldeyesinthesand8355]

​@@kingperson4102😅😅

[@goattrigger965]

I can't even begin to comprehend what I just read

[@Tortwag]

​@@emeraldeyesinthesand8355 That's a pretty soothing way to work out 😁 I generally use nature documentaries I haven't watched in a while during kendama practice, so, this hits close to home.

[@Verminator4]

Stalker felt like a great ecosystem game. Sure, there’s the hideous mutant enemies and strange phenomena to contend, but the human factions feel like part of it too with the way everyone is fighting for the zone’s resources and stealing and scavenging from one another.

[@tennoskoom2233]

the mutants and phenomena are what make it so alien though. every place outside towns feels like uncanny valley. spend enough time in the Zone, and you forget it exists as part of our reality, and most of the people who live there have also forgotten that. the Zone will chew you up and spit you out

[@RezaQin]

Love Stalker.

[@bobnegman3816]

What made stalker as a whole so great is that the zone doesn't care how much it throws at you, whether it be an anomaly, mutant, bandit, emission etc. You're just another stalker, and the game really punishes you for any mistake or factor you overlooked. It's just baffling how it's all just AI running around doing it's own thing and how nothing is scripted.

[@tricksterzyro3230]

The AI in STALKER is amazing, patrols wander the Zone, bandits encounter said patrol, patrol amd bandits get in a firefight, firefight is reported on the radio (depends) firefight ends in all sides dead, a lonely STALKER finds the aftermath and steals some bandages off a dead bandits corpse. Hundreds and thousands of encounters like the one above can happen in just one or maybe 2 hours, it makes it so that every player has a different playthrough, and it makes the world feel alive.

[@homeopathicfossil-fuels4789]

The weird mutant things are the actual ecosystem, they hunt and get hunted, have distinct social behaviors, day/night behavior changes. I learned not to fear the pig things, but rather the predator that drove them towards my direction in a panicked stampede, when they are this tough and already aggressive

[@tristandaries1129]

The thing I love most about Minecraft is the sense of growth in power, a lot of games end with the main character either not changing at all or slightly growing, but in Minecraft, you go from taking a day or more to build a house to being a dimension hoping travel looking to slay a dragon

[@Nachtschicht1]

If you like the sense of growth, you should try Kenshi. You start as a weak nobody who can't even fight a baby goat, train your skills and hire comrades, until you run a whole town in the end or start wars against whole nations.

[@9nikolai]

@@Nachtschicht1 Or Spore where you start as a tiny cell in the ocean and end as a galactic empire.

[@kenjixiong4566]

@@Nachtschicht1 i love how i can make my own town in kenshi and start wars

[@Ienteredmynamecorrectly-lt3nu]

Terraria and Kenshi were already mentioned but they share a similar aspect.

[@conan2650]

Also how simple threats from the beginning are in the end. Especially when playing for the first time things like hunger or the night are a huge threat to you and exploring can be a big risk. But as you go on your get more interestet in shaping the environment to your own benefit instead of just surviving it.

[@smookthecat]

There is a part in Abzû that is quite simular to 07:42 and it instantly reminded me of that scene. Not one to one but the way you described it just being you and the sun it is the same in this case with the fauna in that scene. The scene where you dive down, slowly next to a whole lot of whales. They start as small is humpbacks but keep getting bigger and bigger with the score underneeth until you are looking into the eye of a blue whale. An eye as big as your character. Ho ly s h i t do i get chills every time i play that. Just these absolute units living their life and oh THE MUSIC. Just wow. One of my fav games.

[@ayyayayayayayyayyyayyyayayyaya]

ohh i played abzu i was like eight or nine and shitting bricks . havent played that game since or come close to finishing it.....

[@VividFire909]

Sky: Children of the Light does a great job of making you feel small in the Golden Wasteland. The walls tower over you, and the ruins of the Spirits’ civilization make you realize that you were never a part of this great thing that happened long ago, now crumbling into the sand. But the most effective part is the Krill. They are the first true danger you face in Sky, and they are a damn good one. The first one you see rips a manta out of the air with a deafening roar, and it instills in your brain that you are not welcome here. They’re so vast, rumbling menacingly as they hover past you, and they are honestly the most terrifying part of the game. Other parts that make you feel small include the windy area in the Starlight Desert, the Coliseum in the Valley of Triumph, the final few floors of the Vault of Knowledge, and beyond the Point of No Return in Eden.

[@flameyoshi07]

Krill Vietnam flashbacks

[@hanapinke]

@@flameyoshi07lol

[@glossyguts]

honestly i really love sky:cotl so much. it kinda makes me sad that once you complete the story the only thing to really do is grind every day to collect cosmetics

[@DrawciaLu2]

love sky cotl sad that the rest of the game is kinda boring and bad but when u start is so fun to explore etc after is just countless hours and days farming for limited things dropped the game 5 months after

[@oo8962]

I've been playing for years and the krill roar still terrifies me. I'd rather skip quests than face the krill.

[@Whydoiexisthere-]

I’ve been playing rain world for a while now, but never got tired of it. The satisfaction of successfully killing a vulture and taking its mask, immediately destroyed by the sudden rumble of the clouds. At that moment, I couldn’t think anything else other than “run.” Past the fake poles, through the hordes of panicking lizards, and one final leap… too late. The rain had caught up. I was forced down the pit, stunning my ability to walk. The rain only built up more and more, until it was strong enough to speed straight past my feeble slug body. No matter how many times I’ve ragequit, this game is still etched into my heart.

[@EchoYoutube]

I loved the idea of “Free Guy” near the end where they had that entire ecosystem like how we do. Not just basic patterns, but specific multitudes of goals that each and every organism has to survive, continue, and eventually.. “learn”. The world could change, and you could do your thing or exist and tons of new stuff could be concepted and connected to create brand new things that affect the whole of how the world works.. and the more in depth and complex, the better. Like, when creatures see you walk across a bridge, they could try.. and depending what watches you, only those specific creatures could know. Then they could show their brothers and sisters, and they’ll learn too.

[@clarencechurch4006]

is this a game your talking about? i couldn't find it on steam

[@EchoYoutube]

@@clarencechurch4006 no it's a movie

[@AnnothArt]

The Isle fits the theme perfectly here. Nothing makes you feel small and insignificant in the environment, when you spend a few hard hours fighting for life, water, food, hoping to create a new generation ... only to have a huge Deinosuchus bite you while you drink calmly from the river. Beautiful!

[@VeryFamousActor]

The Isle on paper fits perfectly, in reality... yeah not so much

[@giorgospapoutsakis5271]

​@@VeryFamousActorok don't care

[@Train_lizard]

Believe it or not, a game I found *suprisingly on Roblox* called “prior extinction” really sets you into the ecosystem. Unlike other survival games of it’s genre, you will have to worry about your dinosaur’s energy, cleanliness, temperature, social, and nutrition stats, instead of the typical food, water, and occasionally sleep. In most situations you have to communicate through body language since chatting can make noise, attracting unwanted visitors, and you also have to have a powerful knowledge of how to find certain plants, navigation without any UI map, and finding out how to hide from larger predators properly. There was a moment where I was playing as a Jianchangosarus and just barely managed to escape into a small log, where my attackers waited just outside for what seemed like forever. Something every player must remember is that every creature in the world around you has about as much intelligence as you. Instead of AI you will have to hunt and hide from other people, which also means your threats can be generally unpredictable.

[@brotimes7879]

One great game that emphasizes this kind of insignificance is “The Final Station” In which you play as a train conductor living through an apocalypse in a low sci-fi world. The story is great and the gameplay itself can be spooky but the glimpses you get of the bigger picture are something else entirely. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes the vibe.

[@EzraTheElusive]

I haven't seen Gibbon: Beyond the Trees talked about anywhere else that I've browsed, so seeing it here made my night. Given my college education focus, this game captured my heart and mind alike from the first time I played. It tells such an intense story through such a simplified manner, and I think that's beautiful.

[@utfofuo4468]

"the ethernal cylinder" is one of THE BEST games I`ve ever played, and i`m surprised it isnt on this list... the game makes you feel like a tiny dot who doesent know if you can even change things for the better or not. The game itself remembers you that you are a really small and fragile creature, but that you have to keep going even tho you r the prey

[@SeveralGnomes]

I don't remember the last time I felt so focused on a video - I usually just put a video to play on the background while I do something else. But I ended watching this video in its entirety, not even glancing at my phone in the middle of it. I will definitely have to check Planet of Lana out, it looks so beautiful.

[@iMatterhorn7]

His other video essays will do that too, not sure if it's your thing but here's a few other channels I find are similarly as engaging as this one: Kiro Talks, Going Indie, Nerdstalgic, LayeinZ (that last one is just a funny retro gamer, but his jokes are really funny). If I think of any others, I'll edit them in.

[@SeveralGnomes]

@@iMatterhorn7 Thanks for the suggestions, I'll make sure to check them out! ☺

[@dinoloveremu]

Planet of Lana is fun and beautiful, it kind of reminded me of FAR lone sails and changing tides

[@windex3154]

You should do a list of all your favorite speculative biology projects and explaining them

[@simbakissa8659]

A game that makes me feel like a part of an ecosystem is The Long Dark. If you don't know the game it's a quite open wirld survival game set in the Canadian winter. You need to gather resources and hunt animals to survive. Unlike other survival games it doesn't rely on base building but rather just staying alive. Definitely my favorite survival game.

[@Korreltjuh]

Ancestors: The humankind odyssey should definitely be on this list, your main goal is to provide for your clan and unlock knowledge for future generations, there's just something about seeing that ape you played as for so long dead on the floor and being able to continue their story playing as their grandchild, definitely reccomend

[@purplehaze2358]

2:57 I'm an arachnophobe, and even I can't help but find a great deal of amusement in the mental image of an actual spider failing to spider this spectacularly.

[@IrisRanelle1328]

I agree it’s really funny

[@syrathdouglas1244]

Please do a bit on The Eternal Cylinder! It’s got a cool bit of biomechanical creatures towards the end!

[@itsamine4840]

Or do overland.

[@cherriemaesicad8830]

Bro i completely forgot about this game its very underrated

[@justusb.plorer8773]

Absolutely

[@toubi4316]

Something I noticed about Planet of Lana was the fact that the local beings truly come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny (and adorable) creature that hid under a rock, to the towering mechanical behemoths.

[@confusedturtle183]

Holy shit I love this channel so much. I've stopped consuming youtube like I used to for the past 10 years, at times mindlessly and automatically staring at the screen for more than half the hours I'm awake. I'm subscribed to more than 2000 channels and have surely watched over 10 000 hours of content. Recently I've been putting in the effort and have found myself in a much healthier place, hardly watching a couple videos per week. I've debated if I should leave youtube behind completely or if I should just transform the way I approach it, and at the moment I only have the notifications on for about a dozen channels, the very best of the best - that I have handpicked for myself based on how much value it provides for me and how much the channels are aligned with the kind of person I'm slowly but surely am becoming. And yea, not having commented much on here I just wanted to say that I'm very happy with what I get from you every time I come here. This time is no different.

[@Elysium4]

This channel is what prompted me to start collecting books on speculative biology. The greatest problem though is when there's an incredible world to explore and no book to go with it to me. So thanks, Curious Archive, for you truly have sparked my curiosity, and by extension, my imagination.

[@ASpaceOstrich]

MIght I suggest Unnatural History Channel? They do ecology videos usually focusing on the monsters from Monster Hunter.

[@Elysium4]

@@ASpaceOstrich thanks for the recommendation. I'll be sure to check it out.

[@rain12723]

hoping rain world is on this EDIT: I LOVE RAIN WORLD!!!!!

[@meowslabs4342]

rain world is undoubtedly the best ecosystem sim game ive seen

[@elliotbenjamin7420]

@@meowslabs4342 yessir

[@elliotbenjamin7420]

they already made a FULL video for Rain World: Downpour ONLY, that's how good it is

[@Slferon]

RAIN WORLDING!!11!!!1

[@gamingcookiereal]

I LOVE RAIN WORLD!!!!!

[@rynaro88]

im surprised kenshi is not here. It exemplifies this idea the best. In kenshi, you are no hero: you are just another struggler in a dying world.

[@justanerd4462]

Gibbon and at least the start of Endling reminded me of an old flash game, Dino Run. You're a small dinosaur (maybe a raptor of some kind?) outrunning a pyroclastic wall of doom brought by the asteroid impact. While the game has collectables like food and eggs for score, the world is mostly indifferent to you. Other dinosaurs run back and fourth in a frenzy and can easily get in your way. Sometimes pterosaurs can pick you up and carry you for a while, but that's about it. Should you not be fast enough, the view turns red and black as the wall of doom approaches, which was outright terrifying for everyone who played it as a child. It's not quite an instant death as you might still be able to outrun it, but once the screen gets fully covered in black, you're doomed.

[@kristym8641]

I know that game! I still play it online sometimes. The devs are working on a sequel too, which looks good so far!

[@dashfire3185]

I don't know why but I love this kind of game, just participating in the ecosystem with minimal effect on it, for some reason it kind of puts me at ease

[@vollied4865]

Definitely one of my favorite KZbin channels, no matter the wait be it a few days or few weeks or exc I always look forward to CA

[@tired_introvert6299]

WolfQuest is really cool also, though it doesn't have its own ecosystem, you just play as a wolf in yellowstone. There are rabbits, coyotes, foxes, bears, ungulates, other wolves, birds, even fish that you can find dropped on the ground. You learn how to claim territory and court other wolves, as well as how to hunt all the different types of prey and how to scare off each competitor. You also have pups and the competitors come and try to take your pups, either to eat them or to just kill further competition. Carcasses can be found or marked and competitors are drawn to them also. There are even herd mechanics for the ungulates. If you haven't checked it out already you really should, it's an awesome game and the team works really hard on it, and they're really amazing people. edit: there is also an ironwolf version, which you can only play on harder difficulties. you have to think about when to hunt, what to hunt, and how much health you're willing to lose before you give up. and sometimes, you get so immersed in the hunt that you forget about what's even outside the game

[@BierBart12]

I love this concept in every form. From being a prey animal to being one unimportant soldier in a war, instead of some hero figure with plot armor. I still hope to someday see a game where you play a worker ant or a 40k Guardsman.. or rather many, as your character will never live for long. I also love things like Viscera Cleanup Detail where you're just seeing/dealing with the aftermath of what the "heroes" were doing.

[@JossOwX]

Rain World is the most perfect game for this video. What an amazing game

[@Poopenfarden]

Rainworld: the game where you watch lantern nice get eaten alive and be strangled by fake poles while a king vulture attacks you

[@BrokenBluebird6]

My dad used to tell me the same thing the thumbnail says all the time. Nostalgic ^^

[@TheRealityWarper08]

Rip

[@mvovo8698]

You should check out Voidtrain, maybe not any top tier game but there are moments that make you feel like you're too small for this world, like the dangerous "Void Sharks" that you kill are nothing more than ants.

[@MarquisDeSang]

All EA and Ubisoft games make me feel disrespected and unimportant.

[@BlakeGoGameDev]

Lol underated comment

[@Mr4IsEntertainment]

Although sparse in terms of living entities, Journey's backdrops were tear-jerking

[@roblox_bedwars_content]

i love this channel. seriously amazing work that intoduced me to the world of speculative biology. i have remained hooked ever since.

[@nessness6594]

I'm so glad you featured the Ori games even if just briefly. It's one of my most favourite games thanks to its amazing environment and world building, gameplay and soundtrack.

[@doodlemunchkin2222]

I think WolfQuest Anniversary Edition really needs its due props in this department, but I’ve never seen anyone mention it when conversations like this come up. And I’ve always thought that was weird. The original game has been around since 2007, on the sole mission to make the player feel emerged in daily life as a wild animal and respect all they have to do to survive-forcing you to think and work in their perspective in order to fully succeed. That’s literally it. That’s the goal. And it’s only been improving the realism of the ecosystem and interactions since then. With what they’ve managed to replicate in the newest version, and with how humble and hard working the devs have been with hiking places in Yellowstone National Park themselves to research and regularly talking with the Wolf Conservation Center to get everything right…in my opinion I think it definitely deserves a spot in the conversation by now.

[@appalachiabrauchfrau]

To go with Endling I think the Shelter games do a good job of what you're describing. Maybe not the most recent one, or Paws, but shelter 1 and 2 definitely accomplish it.

[@brother_sothoth]

CA, you have to be one of my favourite KZbinrs. Every video you make inteigues me and captures me from the get-go and is always so interesting to watch. I first found you from your Rain World video, which introduced me to Rain World - a game I now love. So thank you. If you ever made a patreon I'd gladly become a patron.

[@otherperson]

Really fantastic structure to this video. You could have simply gone through a list of games, one after the other. But instead it has a thematic arc that allowed for the individuality of each game to shine while emphasizing the themes that unite them.

[@XldemonbloodlX]

I'd love to see you do a video on The Forest and Sons of the Forest. The introduction to enemy elements in that game is fantastic, starting with wary natives, watching from a distance until oh wait they want to eat me and are attacking as a group. And as soon as you start to get comfortable with people wanting to eat you, well, that's when you start seeing the cave mutations.... Also a healthy respect for seasons in Sons, with salmon that run upstream, to scarce winters where you look even tastier. Even without playing along with the story elements, the environment does a great job of feeling alive.

[@averagescandinavian9451]

your videos are always so thought provoking. every time i watch one i'm left in awe, you never cease to make me think through new and exciting lenses. you educate on important societal topics whilst being very entertaining to watch. you're hands down my favorite channel on youtube

[@Anky22]

some of these games remind me of games like Little Nightmares 1 + 2, Limbo, and Inside. you should check them out and maybe review them if you like them

[@Digital_is_silly]

i love little nightmares

[@catpoke9557]

I love games that make you intuitively learn things like Land of Lana, Inside, and Rain World. It's my favorite type of gameplay ever, I think

[@b0hannon661]

The Long Dark is so hostile to the player, it definitely forces you to respect the game’s ecosystem.

[@pedrom.8525]

Another game that did something very similar to this feeling you expressed about planet of lana is Abe's Odyssey (1997). In this story, a certain planet's natives were enslaved by invaders. You play as Abe, an slave in a meat processing factory. Some dangerous animals on this world are considered sacred by the natives, so you can't kill them directly and have to learn their behavior to avoid/outrun them. I always thought that it's a brilliant game design and really made me felt as a part of the planet's ecosystem

[@VexxThePrecursor07]

Oh Abe's Oddysee. My favorite game, glad someone knows about it too. It's just a really good classic.

[@pedrom.8525]

Yeah, I also have the impression I am the only person on the planet to know about the game lol. It's a classic indeed, I played the remake recently and loved the experience. Played a bit of Soulstorm too but didn't finish it.

[@CMichaelEH]

i'd love to see more about this. this was my favorite video of your maybe ever. i'm really fascinated by the kind of bright-sky version of Lovecraftian insignificance of being lower on the foodchain and also in the idea that the goal isn't to conquer nature in these games

[@SpinyBadger]

I loved everything about Planet of Lana, except its relatively brief duration. More please!

[@davidhauks]

Kenshi could have been mentioned here. That game has a world that is amazing to Explore

[@prototypelq8574]

Another beautiful essay for the Archive) Thank you for your wonderful work, as always) An essay-channel Arcane Workshop recently made a hour-long video about Endling, and it was..utterly heartbreaking to say the least. Thank you for featuring Webbed as well! It's a very cozy but fun arcade puzzle game, and it haven't seen much light after the release. You might be interested in looking into Toki Tori 2, from my understanding, it's a game where the main character also has to learn the rules other creatures live by to progress. Another game that makes you feel...very insignificant but in a universe is a beautiful and vast place way is Outer Wilds, though it doesn't have much to say in terms so biology, so it probably won't really fit into this channel, but I can try.

[@CommunistSubRex]

this is why i play rainworld, i still haven't even beaten it I just adore being a part of it's world.

[@leonasceramics]

Your reflexions brought me to some of the most meaningful moments of my life at 8:20, those moments where I didn't feel like "me" but as a part of everything that existed, and deeply moved me around 19:00. Thank you for such honest words.

[@SAmaryllis]

I'm so pleased with the burst of indie games these past few years. Planet of Lana's sunrise sequence was breathtaking, and it was wonderful to see gameplay for Endling and Gibbon!

[@thatguywhoanimids]

I think spore is a good example of making you apart of its ecosystem. Especially in the first two stages

[@calculuslover2078]

With all the player initiative you're still OP.

[@aaronatkinson177]

Hollow knight and ori both do a great job of making you feel like you're part of their world's 😊❤ oh I almost forgot about little nightmares limbo inside and bramble the mountain king 🤴 👏

[@abiotic_sloth1768]

This was a beautiful video and I absolutely will check out some of these indie games. It's dissapointing how games with such beautiful messages like this aren't in the mainstream. It's no coincidence that a lot of these games talk about destruction and environmental damage caused by humans. It's upsetting how many of us don't listen.

[@marcosreynoso3901]

I used to have the game of Avatar, the movie ,and it's an immersive one too. It also makes you interact with the ecosystems of Pandora ( the jungle biome) like in the movie. I love this kind of games.

[@D4rw1N]

1:55 hey that's me

[@tardigrademicro]

Lmao it is!

[@Graphomite]

Phenominal video. The pacing was, as usual, very well done.

[@lynx4436]

thank you so much for this video. i've recently reignited my love for single player games and why i loved them in the first place and this has met me at such a crucial point in my life. so from the bottom of my heart, i am grateful for you having made this. lots of love

[@JustMe-hy1kh]

I don’t know why but this video almost made me cry, I love your work so much thank you for the amazing content❤

[@anevergreyforest]

Curious Archive needs to play The Outer Wilds. No other game made me feel like more like an explorer or witness to greater events.

[@meadowfeather176]

its like that feeling you get, when you look up into the sky, the big, bright, blue, sky. You feel so small, You feel so little, compared to the wide open sky, and world you inhabit. It feels wonderful.

[@tpd1864blake]

I’ve never heard of a lot of these games. Thank you for expanding my wishlist by 8 or so items. This channel really has a way of expanding my knowledge of video games

[@serkan978]

great video!! i wish there were more games that just make you part of an ecosystem or a system as 8n society like an actual survival game

[@andrewhooper7603]

There was a survival game where you were homeless I watched a LP of a few months ago, but I forget what it was called...

[@futuristica1710]

Great content as always ❤

[@dinoloveremu]

I think this is my favourite one of your videos yet. I loved planet of Lana, and I also think you might like to read some of headspace-hotel’s thoughts on tumblr about the ecosystem and humans as a part of it

[@missquprison]

One of the most impactful RPGs of my childhood that make you feel like unimportant part of something big and really well captures that feeling is Gothic. Albeit it's still RPG and on the way there you are stronger and more capable, the first steps there really do show your where you belong and such I enjoy games where you have to earn and estabilish yourself in the world you're in much more from typical chosen one, the only one etc.

[@slugfishh]

was so surprised to not see rainworld in here lol! it literally does this probably the best :D after 2 years it is still my favorite game ever

[@rozlekoncan7657]

Wonderfull keep uploading

[@fabiomorandi3585]

Endling is actually even more grimdark than it appears at first glance. According to the game's lore, the vixen acting as the protagonist was the very last of her kind before giving birth, which goes to show the extent of the damage done to the in-game ecosystem considering she's a red fox, a species which nowadays is still plentiful in its native range and has become invasive in Australia, meaning that even if her kits survive the species is going to meet its end soon, either at their death, if they were all the same gender, or a few generations later due to inbreeding.

[@brodriguez11000]

Last MOTHER fox.

[@encr123]

You should try making a video on In Other Waters. Has a fully fleshed out alien ecosystem with different biomes and stuff, along with pictures/sketches if you have the pdf dlc. Is on sale rn for 5$

[@Matters-]

No matter what, Curious Archive always makes a spectacular video. Also: OMG HIII

[@camerontokes2469]

Spore could've done this perfectly until EA turned it into a lego RPG😒

[@Donglator]

Ending was one of, if not the only games to make me genuinely dread pressing the continue button due to how stressful it is to feed your cubs, progress the story, avoid humans and dangerous animals and also get back home before dark

[@user-ws9dg4np7h]

These are the games that can be categorised as art and simply a product ,the beauty of these games make you feel special as you are witnessing the greatness of these games🥺

[@lurker668]

Does Planet of Lana have any inspiration from games like Another World or Flashbacks?

[@mc_va]

@Curious Archive, thank to your Rain World recommendation I discovered an AMAZING game, omg i could never thank you enough! Long live slugcats ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

[@elcachor2572]

Eco has got to be the best example of a game where you feel as part of the ecosystem, as it is a simulation where every single one of your actions will impact the environment in a certain way, be it cutting a tree or killing an elk for food

[@sayLeotardbutsayitChinese]

The thing I loved about Horizon is that no matter how much more powerful you get, the machines still look at you the same. You're still just a little insignificant thing to them, not even worth bothering over for some, and certainly not a threat. You have to develop the skill and know-how to take them down and by the end the world feels completely different because you've actually become a part of it. In reality the machines haven't changed at all. And they can still wreck you if you slip up even one dodge

[@sayLeotardbutsayitChinese]

Also, for anyone who enjoys these games (especially Planet of Lana) check out The Electric State

[@chiliagon_bu]

you videos inspire me a lot. thanks

[@victoreftiriu7713]

not mentioning rain world here feels like a crime

[@vexed3186]

Bro didn’t watch the video

[@giulianoaaronfrancoynsfran4858]

Girl he specifically said he wouldn't do it because he already made a whole video for it

[@luqmanSabah.I]

He has already posted a full vid on that

[@FriendlyKat]

What a fantastic video! Well spoken and informative! It’s a shame what parallels there are in some of those games to our real world. I’ve always been a big supporter of working with the environment, not destroying it. Maybe as time goes on, we’ll learn that any changes to an environment can have a big impact on life itself! Subbed!

[@carimeslockdownedtree2654]

The Endling description had me nearly in tears. I barely held them back because im in public. Wow. Of all things... The simple start had me about to cry.

[@TheLawlessRogue]

I'd like to think that the Subnautica franchise in particular REALLY sold me on the environments and world in general. Even with how much time the player spends underwater, there are just some absolutely BREATHTAKING moments, when you surface from the ocean's depth and look up to see a plethora of stars shining above you as you breathe for air during the night. The sheer scope of the nearby planets is immeasurable and helps to make you feel so insignificant, especially as you hear the waves crash all around you and the distant flicker of the marine life below. Though, even despite that, the game doesn't make you feel lonely even though you're quite literally stranded on an alien environment. Gorgeous visuals and world building, I can't wait to see what they plan next for the third installment.

[@oceansalliteration0419]

These game’s really capture a phrase I read recently that has stuck with me for a bit. “And we bask in our Cosmic Insignificance”

[@user-tw4jg7nh6s]

One obscure game that did it very successfully is Space Rangers 1&2. While you are a protagonist of galactic battles and you play a role in turning the tides of war, for most of the time you fell like just another little space traveler in a vibrant and alive surroundings who tries to get by. Fantastic gameplay feel, it used to swallow me for hours and days. Its step based you can be relaxed, but doesn't feel slow or tedious like Civilization can. Not sure if it even runs on moderns Windows without some tinkering, but boy it was great for its time and still can offer a lot. Full of humor and really not boring text-based quest puzzles to mix things up a bit. It was so funny that one way to get rich there was to get yourself arrested and then optimize your strategy in prison to win a fortune on gambling there. It was a small exploit most players never even discovered and took some thinking to pull off, but mere fact of that option being available in a space-focused game was such a lovely touch. Boy did I used to love that game.

[@graveleater9746]

The swamp area in the Underrail DLC does this super well. You ride a jetski through the first few zones, but you're very quickly forced to leave your vehiclw and continue on foot. At the beginning you might try to defend yourself from the hostile wildlife, but youll quickly realize how impossible that is as you go deeper and the density of their populations increases, seemingly without end. Pretty quickly you'll find yourself sneaking or fleeing through each screen as you realize that this is most definitely NOT your environment and attempting to bend it to your will proves futile time and again. This area gave me chills with how powerless it made me and my character, who, up until then, had been using psychic abilities to mulch everything in his way, feel. Very rarely does a video game tell you "this environment is not crafted for you to play in, it's crafted for you to barely survive or simply stay out.

[@drintrovert4564]

scorn fits this well, quiet literally the trailer says that every creature is happiest when left alone. it takes you out of that protagonist mindset and puts you in a world without explanation, and he gameplay and environment enforce it