Giggleland: The ARG Answer to Mascot Horror Burnout

Are you done with multi-chapter, multi-merch-wave, style over substance trend-hopping content mill instigating subgenres? I think the developers of Giggleland are, too, and have a "mascot horror" game to put an end to this mess.
Eliot & Ella have a unique idea to show you.
Giggleland Official Steam Page: store.steampow...
Graphi Gato Twitch: / graphigato
Graphi Gato Bluesky: bsky.app/profi...
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Night Mind Live Channel: ‪@NickNocturneAL‬
Night Mind Twitch: / nick_nocturne
Night Mind Index: www.nightmind....
NM Patreon: bit.ly/3sI1PUh

[@NightMind]

Are you done with multi-chapter, multi-merch-wave, style over substance trend-hopping content mill instigating subgenres? I think the developers of Giggleland are, too, and have a "mascot horror" game to put an end to this mess. Eliot & Ella have a unique idea to show you. Giggleland Official Steam Page: store.steampowered.com/app/3370490/Giggleland/ Graphi Gato Twitch: www.twitch.tv/graphigato Graphi Gato Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/graphigato.art ----- Night Mind Live Channel: @NickNocturneAL Night Mind Twitch: www.twitch.tv/nick_nocturne Night Mind Index: www.nightmind.info NM Patreon: bit.ly/3sI1PUh

[@Emihana]

I'm glad to see you cover this! Was awesome seeing you there!

[@blockotheblock5672]

Oh dear that comment is a little… cringy

[@ShadeMeadows]

I like this genre actually

[@blockotheblock5672]

@ based

[@connormarchand6302]

I kind disagree with you on this one, in my opinion originality should always be encouraged but never feel mandatory, I’ve got to like plenty of series even if they don’t see mold breaking because if everyone unique than no one is unique.

[@Kulkogo]

The ARG section of Giggleland was unexpectedly creative. I’m just hoping that they don’t fall into the usual pitfalls of a regular mascot horror when the game releases

[@NightMind]

The way they're going about this, I believe in their vision. I think it's going to be a unique experience, and I'm excited to play.

[@gradient5319]

​@@NightMindI can see they have put a lot of effort into what they have delivered so far, so hopes are up.

[@GmodPlusWoW]

Indeed. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and while I'm not expecting Giggleland to play like mascot horror Gloomwood (although I would absolutely play a mascot horror Thief-like, since that kind of stealth pairs quite well with survival horror), I'm hoping that they're smart with the scares, leaning more into the psychological side and not relying on mere startling. And given how Elliot is willing to get his paws dirty, seemingly with Ella being the one convincing him to do so (a more intriguing spin on the "turning the kids into monsters" trope), I get the impression that Giggleland will lean closer to Silent Hill than Poppy's Playtime. Admittedly, part of that is because the Elliot mascot costume is giving me serious Robbie the Rabbit vibes, especially since that one screenshot has Elliot slumped down in a very similar position to Robbie in the amusement park of Silent Hill 3.

[@Jeremiah1009]

@@GmodPlusWoWI hope they do something similar to the screenshots and have some stuff happen during the pause screen. Like Elliot appearing in front of you and moving around in the shadows, only to disappear when you resume the game

[@tails183]

Inb4 it becomes an NFT dump.

[@hannahgeraghty4201]

Might be nothing but it is interesting how Eliot is described as shy while Ella is described as brave, but in the trailer for the game those roles are reversed. Eliot is taking the lead, he's the showman, and he's the threat, while Ella is terrified.

[@liviwaslost]

The other trailer makes her look more brave

[@zaksaturday1693]

In both the weed-pulling and park videos, they "learn": Eliot how to be "tough" and "handle problems", and Ella being introduced to rules that don't make sense by a guide wrapped up in his performance who doesn't care about her. These are lessons any kid learns but might have strange experiences of from interacting with adults, or just an awful teacher. It's hyperbolic, sure, but I do think it's interesting to consider that maybe they've learned these awful experiences from the others' parent or older sibling, someone who resembles their friend, who they expect to be able to trust, but really shouldn't. (Writing this at like 24:00 so I'm just spitballing)

[@Sejen77]

I think that's the point, you are looking at an alt version of Eliot and Ella.

[@salmonella7993]

Dear small child, please don't be on the internet too much. And don't believe anyone you talk to. And do not send anything to anyone ever. Also please change your pfp. Creeps will come after you. Stay safe.

[@hannahgeraghty4201]

@@salmonella7993 not a child, don't patronise me

[@dritten1824]

Hearing accurate information about child psychology really jumpscared me as a child psychology major. The stages of crying with an infant kind of hooked me, but then they brought in Erikson and I was super excited to see my area of study brought into a project like this! It really does highlight the creepier parts of psychology, as Night Mind puts it, that feel overly clinical.

[@deadinside8781]

This comment is fascinating as fuck

[@PurpleMenace_0]

Man, a child losing all hope in that one section is factual information? Good lord.

[@Crocogator]

Wait. Are you saying that I've stopped crying out in pain because I'm used to nobody coming for me? Because uh. Yeah.

[@deadinside8781]

@ Tell me about it. I even sound like I don’t have a voice box when I cry.

[@hannahjones8139]

I took childhood development way back in high school and my goodness does this kind of psychology scare the shit out of me. The fact that we have the ability to develop through losing hope is incredibly sad and scary.

[@alsenddrake7764]

The idea of the dev console being a key mechanic is quite interesting.

[@gregvs.theworld451]

I agree, although depending on the intended audience, it would have to be either really simplified, or they're making a game they know not every passing mascot horror fan can pick up and play, and they know they're targeting a niche demographic of people dedicated enough to put in homework to finish the game.

[@illusion115]

@@gregvs.theworld451 Could also be something that you can't control in the game. Like the dev console just popping up as a scare mechanic perhaps.

[@vertexvortex]

for a while I've been trying to figure out a debugger as puzzle mechanic so I hope I didn't get beat to the punch 🫠

[@gregvs.theworld451]

@ Oh man, I love the idea of a puzzle game where a malicious entity is using dev console to screw with the player, and you have to use creative out of the box thinking to circumvent the entity blocking simple gameplay paths with simple dev fixes.

[@AndyTheBoiz]

@@gregvs.theworld451 Game devs are constantly fighting the malicious entity (their spaghetti code)

[@KidnappedByWhiteCrows]

The "fun" site is a most likely a reference to the "Fun is infinite" easter egg from Sonic CD. 16:21

[@Justapikachu577]

Oh definitely, its really cute

[@f0ur_G]

I came here to say this, and I'm happy someone else recognised it 😁

[@man3son1]

That was my exact thought. A good choice to still fit with the rest of it all.

[@faeb.9618]

was coming down to mention that, the music is eerily similar to the one on that page and when i looked up to see sure enough the repeating pattern looks exactly like it!

[@iamabrawler92]

That would make sense! My brain was on puzzle-solving mode from everything shown by Nick up to that point, so I immediately went cross-eyed to see if there was a stereogram thing hidden in there. Nothing, but admittedly, it might be even more clever that there isn't something hidden that way in there.

[@Niyucuatro]

Wishlisting on Steam does indeed affect discoverability in the Steam front page.

[@NightMind]

Noted! Appreciate the info.

[@ssatva]

@@NightMind I've also heard it helps with seeking funding, from loans to investments, and it seems like it helps get media attention as well, from what a few devs have said. Of course I count as 2nd hand so take it with that in mind. But it seems reasonable to me.

[@majadeinhard4964]

From experience, yes, Wishlisting a game is one of the best ways to help highlighting a game. Once a certain threshold or growth within a certain timespan is reached, it will be added to Steam's Discovery page, which leads to way more visibility. And yes, if you can show that many people wishlisted your game, that is amazing for potential investors (if that is something the devs want, being tied to a publisher or investor tends to lead to creative compromising).😊

[@Neostrius]

32:22 This is an interesting bit of technological horror, as whatever this entity is, it doesn't have collision, animation, or even rendering data, and refuses user overrides until the process runs out of memory. It is a ghost in the machine. It is something that *cannot* not be there, there is nothing that exists on the machine to construct such an entity, and yet it can indeed be observed in that screenshot on the store page.

[@NightMind]

This is one of the elements that gets me most excited about Giggleland.

[@inkblooded1058]

I'm actually confident it might be a self-aware AI. It avoids adding in unnecessary fluff like animations, an appearance, and collision. It acts with purpose, and keeps even admins from being able to shift the goalpost. It might be a ghost, like you said, or it might be something out of control. A program made for the purpose of spreading joy, that came to realize not everyone was nearly so happy in KMW. And it wanted to fix that. Permanently. By force, if need be. And it will not stop until everyone involved in KMW is smiling and giggling and laughing and can't stop.

[@mesiagamer5217]

Pattern Screamer look it up.

[@agutierrez7106]

Probably some sort of in-game virus idk

[@necrocomicon8]

When you went on to KMW they asked for camera and mic access, like they were looking at who goes onto their site. Maybe as a way to track down debbie

[@NightMind]

.... OHHHHHHHHHHHH That makes SO much sense, EXCELLENT point!

[@half-bakedtomsin3129]

Man, pulling that Mic stunt is like in Sonic.EYX, one of the better EXE games. Seeing it here too was cool

[@ch3ehead]

​@@half-bakedtomsin3129 that is a great game

[@SpoopySquid]

Plot twist: this is actually an elaborate phishing scam and they're stealing the identities of everyone who visits the site

[@madmiico]

@@SpoopySquid i looked into the network activity for the page, it doesn't look like it's sending data back to them

[@Hollowed0ut]

The whole Sarah part is really giving me big Daisy Brown vibes. The whole anxious and extremely sheltered young woman who doesnt leave her home posting about her not quite so normal life online. Searching her house for her parents mysterious things and locked basements. Controlling parents included

[@twindrill2852]

I find the conflict with Sarah being envious that Debbie got to go outside while she couldn't to also be pretty interesting. While Sarah has every right to resent being sheltered for so long, I can't help but wonder about _why_ Debbie felt it was necessary to shelter her in the first place. It feels obvious (to me, at least) that Sarah doesn't know the entirety of how bad things really got in the commune which would justify Debbie's paranoia and need to keep her own daughter in the dark about all this stuff.

[@whiteasparagus4331]

Yeah, it gives off 2010’s ARG vibes in the best way possible

[@Passione_Offical_Channel]

Crazy to think about how Daisy Brown was over 6 years ago, time flies lmao.

[@whiteasparagus4331]

Also the relationship between Elliot and Ella and the weed episode gives me poochee and pansy vibes, it would be cool if we get a cute animated series that progressively devolves into scary arg stuff similar to poochee and pansy

[@ebaia03]

Oh my god, I’m so glad somebody brought up Daisy Brown! I was thinking the same thing

[@MrRevilnemesis]

I was kind of interested when Ella knew right away something was wrong. Usually, in animations promoting horror, all the characters act like nothing is wrong. So it was kind of neat to see one realize something was wrong.

[@teabeenz6526]

If Debbie and Simon supposedly helped to work on Eliot & Ella, and the characters were based on the children, maybe Ella’s fear is meant to represent Debbie realizing that something was wrong with the commune that lead to her escaping.

[@Virtualsharktragedy]

This is exactly what I needed after falling off the stage during a presentation in my international law class. Ah NightMind, eases the pain.

[@NightMind]

It's all good, dust yourself off and spend some time in the office. 8w8

[@Catglittercrafts]

Oh no. That’s embarrassing. Sue the school lol.

[@kombatwombat6579]

You didn't fall off the stage, my sibling. The stage decided to suddenly elevate itself. They will do that some times.

[@julesrules7297]

Ah, that sucks, I'm sorry. Don't worry, someone will do something embarrassing or wild soon and everyone will forget all about it.

[@diethumperdie]

As someone who was in a car crash two weeks ago, I wholeheartedly agree.

[@tacoman10]

12:53 Based on this I desperately hope that there's a path through the game where you can follow all of the rules and get the "intended" good ending. A "Layer 1" if you will. That'd be way more interesting than being required to break the rules to progress the story.

[@Justapikachu577]

Judging on the screenshots and general style, I think it might be this but in a different way. Instead of breaking the rules, we might have to break Elliot. Force him to glitch.

[@EnclavegovtofficialUSA]

true! Duck season and Shipwrecked 64 are my 2 favorite horror games because they let you do just that!

[@anonymousoff-brand7538]

i remember seeing an rpgmaker game like this ages ago, never been able to find it again though or remember the name

[@RemHayden1806]

The Stanley Parable also has an ending like this

[@Miandris]

@@anonymousoff-brand7538 Could be Dreaming Mary. It's an RPG Maker horror game that you can play through without seeing anything (explicitly) horror.

[@theclockworkartist]

Ok, here's my theory. All the way at the beginning, on the steam page, the main plot is finding your missing father. Who does Sarah not know? Her father! So, if Sarah is who they might be going for to get Laura/Debbie, who would make amazing bait? Her father! So, my theory is that Giggleland will, somehow, bring in either to a location, or unlock some sort of secret.

[@caylasudie4475]

They also mention Tolie is looking for her FATHER....

[@theclockworkartist]

@caylasudie4475 exactly! I think that the arg is gunna be an important part of the actual game.

[@boomkruncher325zzshred5]

You know what I would like to see? A Mascot Horror where the monsters are the park workers, NOT the mascots or the management or the owners. Just some A-hole who slipped in and turned the place into a nightmare.

[@DJ_Narcan]

A child who was traumatized who then completes the cycle maybe? Or just a regular psycho?

[@villainousthing]

@@DJ_Narcan idk why but that first sentence made me think of Saw… and i don’t wanna think of a version of Saw that involves a theme park with children 😭

[@Blackheartzero]

​@@villainousthing John would not be happy with someone using his methods on children. There'll _definitely_ be a game waiting for that monster, and it ain't the kind with a spooky ARG campaign attached to it!

[@DJ_Narcan]

@@villainousthing the cycle?

[@Youmartyrme]

@@villainousthingThat’s literally the plot of the book playground

[@gummywurm]

This isn't an arg around a game, it's a game in an arg And personally? I can't wait

[@KingsRow55]

12:14 I really like the suggestion here that Elliot is a meta-entity in a horror game that wasn’t intended to be a horror game. It also lends credence to the idea that the cartoons were retroactively corrupted by him. Really gives Angel Gabby sort of vibes that I feel like haven’t been endlessly done to death like mascot horror Edit: After watching the whole investigation, the way things went with Sarah and KMW potentially not being the actual creators, I’m really resonating with Nick’s whole “justify the existence in the narrative” statement. The corruption of the trailer and the cartoon bits has to at least serve a larger, or maybe even dual purpose besides spooky mascot horror

[@NightMind]

There's SOMETHING about Eliot in-game that is clearly not meant to be coded that way and I love it. You gotta ask yourself: if this game isn't legit, and it was designed to a very specific purpose, what's the factor that suddenly went wrong to take it from one horror genre track straight down into another? I'm legitimately excited to find out how they designed this, it's got the feeling of "mean prank in haunted house leads to actual scarefest."

[@shaggyrogers8869]

My goat, Angel Hare.

[@touchpadnm1]

The idea that this fucker can get to you while the game is paused is already stressing me out, looking forward to the direction this is heading.

[@brycenpeacock9262]

If this turns out to be true I need to see Eliot vs Gabby fanart

[@daelen.cclark]

It’s the mascots telling us to stop shoving them into horrors or else.

[@John_Farlander]

Man, the tonal shift in the video at 8:54 caught me so off guard. One sec, it's classic mascot horror child death, the next it's just Peanuts but furry.

[@bunnarchist]

I caught this from a random KZbin recommendation and immediately dove into it. And i just KNEW you were going to cover it. It felt like exactly your vibe, despite the mascot horror.

[@OutLoudCreative]

It's funny because the video I found in my recommended was supposed to be the one that was unlocked from the ARG (ep 03.avi) and I was like one of the first 100 people who watch it

[@NightMind]

Would you believe I had the same instinct first being told about it from my partner Graphi? There was just a sense--'take a look, it's worth your time.' And sure enough...

[@bunnarchist]

@@NightMind haha I like to think I have a good sense of what you like to cover just from having watched pretty much everything you've made, but didn't think I had that good of a sense!

[@lookingthroughkeyholes]

@@bunnarchist lol

[@andrewwelker7287]

Not sure I’ve ever seen this creator before but I was very intrigued by the title about “mascot horror” and “arg” and “burnout.” These are terms I never knew to put together to explain emotions I’ve had for a while. I agree completely - it sounds like they want to take the idea of mascot horror and stay true to the aesthetic but do it completely differently. Only wish I had thought to do it first. Maybe I can do it second! :)

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

Just a thought about 25:25, The internet didn't exist as we know it in 1990, 1993 would be an extremely extremely early adopter of the internet. The conflict might not mean anything other than that the website didn't exist until 1993

[@aliangel5007]

Or that KMW existed in 1990 but didn't exist as the commune until 93.

[@speedydemon30]

@@aliangel5007 Thats what I'm thinking. I think the KMW thats has the est 1990 is the main company and the media workshop is a subsidary that was established in 93

[@riceniceman548]

Not me putting tape over my webcam while I investigate spooky internet horror like Slenderman is gonna hack me for seeing too much. Thanks for circulating all the gold, Mr. Mind.

[@DrJosephAshworth-xe2hr]

"Thank you, facemelter9000" We all say in unison

[@lefty7142]

youre welcome

[@thequietestengine]

39:05 wait...... Ella is heard in both videos. You hear her voice stacked atop itself easily. But.... Eliot's sounds like there's only ONE of him. Like.... in the audio on the right, maybe..... Eliot isn't there to SAY his lines.......

[@TOUGHEYES]

A living, digital demon.... Oh, & I was going to sleep to this. It worked, but I woke up again at half 3 in the dead of night. No joke. Take from that what you will.

[@starleaf-luna]

Eliot's line is in the cut-off period (which also cuts off Ella), though. you can hear "you need to be carefu-fu-" in the hijack video, and from there it goes quiet.

[@CadeB2001]

I think the "fun" page with Elliot on repeated on the page is a reference to the "Fun is Infinite" secret from one of the Sonic video games.

[@professorhaystacks6606]

So no one else has to wonder which game: Sonic CD. It's a sound test easter egg. It's rumored it was intended as an anti-piracy measure, but as the Sega CD has no copy protection mechanisms it doesn't actually show up in that capacity.

[@blakecook9266]

@@professorhaystacks6606 I thought it was just a silly thing they put in there that wasn’t meant to be scary. Like a developer credit…?

[@MrBeardsley]

37:10 I noticed two names on the police report with a KMW connection. There’s Dr. Valteri Nadear, but if you look under “Probation/parole/social worker” you’ll see a Dr. Kelly Terance. That’s a very deliberate spelling (it’s more commonly “Terrence” or “Terence” with no A’s), and assuming Kelly is a woman’s name she could be related to “Mother Tera.”

[@lesbiibab7559]

Kelly is a gender neutral name, so it’s hard to tell

[@KaiKatasukii]

i typically like mascot horror, even the cheesy stuff. as a kid, i was absolutely TERRIFIED of mascots (i called them "puppet people"), so i've typically always found the concept of using mascots as a basis for horror intriguing for that. however, in watching this video and learning about this arg, i have come to realize that there's a whole untapped version of the horror i experienced as a child that has yet to be breached. the concept of using mascots created by a child within this cult/commune/workshop/whatever-they-call-themselves against them 20-something years later, or that mascot being some sort of entity that is infecting everything it touches, or whatever is going on is SO MUCH SCARIER than anything i could have imagined. i had nightmares like this as a kid, but as an adult? oh, i'm so ready

[@dinosaysrawr]

"Puppet people" is a deliciously horrifying phrase. I love it. It makes my skin crawl.

[@KaiKatasukii]

@dinosaysrawr yeah as a kid I didn't know the word "mascot" could refer to the people in the costumes, but I can't say that calling them "puppet people" helped either LMAO

[@Ianita]

Went from the Game Theory video to this one… wow. It’s crazy how much better you did despite the GT host claiming he took part in the ARG investigation. Major props to you and I am so much more excited about this game!

[@Catheidan]

Didn't matpat quit? Or did someone else take over?

[@humanbeans4498]

​@Catheidan yeah. How do you know he quit but not hear any of his like 3 announcements that game theory would continue with the leads of each channel running it

[@Catheidan]

@@humanbeans4498 Everything I know about Game Theory I have learned against my will.

[@Sensiav703]

That's because GT are hacks and always have been, even with MP there it was so much surface level shit and outright bad info made solely for entertainment and not insightful commentary

[@ErikaCartet]

@@humanbeans4498i heard he quit but never heard anyone was continuing it. i never got into his theory videos so i didn’t see any announcements, all i ever saw were people online lamenting that matpat was leaving youtube so i just assumed “well, guess game theory is no more”

[@KamiRoxy]

“The baby doesn’t stop crying because the distress is eliminated, but because the body learns that there is no hope” And this comes out from a study in Texas…that tracks somehow

[@gatheringleaves]

How so?

[@DolusVulpes]

​@@gatheringleaves speaking as someone who grew up there, there is no hope in Texas

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

It's also part of Giorno's backstory in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5. As a baby, he eventually learned to stop crying at night because his mother was so neglectful and inattentive that she would always spend nights out partying and having fun, leaving her son at home alone. He didn't stop crying because he got what he needed, he stopped crying because nobody was going to help him.

[@John-fk2ky]

@@DolusVulpes having family in Texas, I call bullshit.

[@yeetlydeet8282]

@@DolusVulpesSpeaking as someone who’s still in Texas as a queer teen, there’s still no hope

[@ReemerariusCH57]

I'm going out on a limb. Like you said, it doesn't make sense that KMW would make this. So, what if it's the father, Simon? In some twisted way, he's trying to reach out to Debbie and Sarah? Like, he's trying to signal that he knows the horror, he was there. He's trying to get the attention of the any of the ones who manage to escape. Maybe Giggleland is an old idea Debbie, Simon and all the kids once came up with but it never saw the light of day when they were there. So, he's hoping one of them hears about it and realizes he's still there. Simon didn't run. He and Debbie worked on Elliot and Ella. If the cat and dog represent the two of them, then Elliot being more timid could mean the same about Simon. He couldn't get himself to escape with the rest of them. Simon's still stuck at the commune.

[@NightMind]

I'm feeling like Simon is a strong potential for the developer and could be working that angle, especially with the story description for Giggleland.

[@MaxMaker]

this is what i was thinking the fact that like the cat and dog fit the two of them the ella was brave and ran but is now spending her life hiding and scared of them maybe extra simon/elliot while the elliot was the opposite and maybe the tables have turned like in the trailer maybe simon is looking for sarah and debbie also i cant help thinking maybe tons of the kids had problems and KMW didn't help and just let them have their problems like a baby crying thinking its helping but it wasn't and they got worse and made horrible media like the elliot killing his bullies instead of the more healthy option and debbie and simon were those kids who wanted to do those horrible things debbie got better on her own and ran and lives in fear and regret while simon didn't and still puts all his negative thoughts in media and maybe the game is again being done like they were taught making something that looks child edu product but he kept help adding all the negative thoughts like the bad code being elliot to life in game (this got a bit rambley but the more i said the more i felt like i was on to something i hope someone understands also if i end up being dead right let me know cause that would be crazy) EDIT: OMG THOUGHT HIT ME also if debbie is the kid who ran away what if she was always a kid more willing to do stuff or take things into to her own hands like how ella inspired elliot to do in the episode she made like she was more of a take action kinda kid so what if she taught the other kids to be like that like in the episode but later changed her mind and ran but the other kids kept that mentally (also maybe are angry with her like another commenters theory) EDIT 2: i need to stop adding on this but what if the game is what simon is going though but in reverse made into a game so KMW verison of simon (elliot) changed becomes tolie but instead of a father looking for a daughter its a daughter looking for a father (maybe also cause he wants sarah to try to find him) and all the messed up code is all the bad teaching of KMW still effecting simon (actually i really like the idea of the game is everything they are going though twisted into a game like simon is trying to find sarah but is still being hunted by his other side Elliot) Edit 3: this is my last edit i feel like though its a bit rambly i got a whole plot idea now in my head based on everything i said and im really curious if i accidentally hit the nail on the head this early lol let me know if anyone else reads this and understands it and thinks the same i would love to hear about it

[@ArtistTheArtist05]

The part with the bullies made me think Elliot was just spouting eldritch knowledge at them and they were being driven crazy lmaooooo

[@santiagoacosta3372]

As someone who's studying to become an elementary teacher, the grasp this team has over childhood psychology and behavior really impacted me On mascot horror, the children are always taking the short end of the stick, but this arg makes that trope feel more real and terrifying

[@sevenlexar]

Tolie being an anagram of Eliot is the most suspicious thing, to me. That's not something that's done by accident. Sure, maybe at the end of the day it won't ACTUALLY be anything important, but for now? For now I just really find myself VERY curious about Tolie and what her position in the story is, why she has THAT name. Current theory is that she's connected to Eliot somehow. ANOTHER thing that interests me, however, is something that you never really touched on - Eliot is painted as the one to worry about initially. But then, in that one secret video... ELLA is the worrisome one. Eliot seems perfectly normal until ELLA tells him in a suspiciously malicious tone to 'weed the garden', whereupon Eliot seems to glitch out and does SOMETHING abominable to the kids that ends in them being buried and quite likely killed. And you DO NOT see Ella again afterwards. I understand that the property as a whole is a game in its own canon, and is curious misaligned with what we know about KMW, but that's something that stands out to me, that both Eliot AND Ella are displayed as being compromised and dangerous in some way. I just hope it doesn't boil down to 'ghosts/demons/possession' as seems to be the norm in mascot horror these days... SO tired of childrens media being haunted.

[@andrewmikula1817]

You know, I just can’t get over that middle part. The two cartoons are almost diametrically opposed, they don’t really make sense together. In the game trailer, Elliot is the direct threat (or at least whatever is manipulating him is) and Ella is portrayed as helpless and terrified. Then compare that to the secret video, in which Elliot is more subdued and easy to push around, but seems to snap and become dangerous specifically at Ella’s insistence… There’s something else about that second video too…Ella’s presence just kinda seems off. Starts off normal, but once the bullies appear and push around Elliot, she only speaks up once he’s on the ground, in that same position she started in, and then after Elliot does…well, whatever it was to the bullies, she’s nowhere to be seen. Whole thing is just…weird.

[@cgkase6210]

I've kind of believed that the distortion begins when she speaks, not when he does. Ella is the one who started it, not Eliot. Or at least, that's how it's trying to come off as. The reason Ella could be gone afterwards, despite it being reasonable that she would stay around because it was her job to pull the weeds, is because Eliot terrified her. A bit of encouragement to stand up for himself taken far too literally, terrifying her so much that she would run away from her best friend. Plus remember that *Simon* is the one who wrote the episodes. The characterization is from him specifically. Maybe he's trying to convince himself and Sarah that Debbie was the one who pushed it too far, trying to say "I was forced to do this by Debbie, and she ran away from the consequences."

[@Justapikachu577]

I was served the ad during its run time and I was immediately intrigued. I have never SEEN an animated ad on youtube for a mascot horror! And the style! Oh lord! The style and voicing! I am so excited for it's release, this is definitely new and fresh for the genre.

[@GoatboyNaiko]

I got recommended the Eliot Ella Episode randomly on youtube, found the game by luck after, and knew something was up, but damn it goes THIS DEEP, and this high quality too? I wish I had more time and the skills to dig like this damn.

[@lzrshark617]

My first exposure to it was through some fanart from an artist I follow, and I unfortunately made the kind of surface-level assumptions about it (ie. 'another mascot horror that couldn't possibly be scary with how it's drawn'), so I was really surprised to see it pop up on NightMind. That immediately hooked my attention, bc Nick's picky with what he covers

[@lucyarisato6850]

Not me, panicking for just a moment about the notification title. I trust you, but…man, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen a good one of these.

[@lucyarisato6850]

14:46 MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. God, you’ve managed to sell me on this.

[@MrHolodoc]

Personally I find Poppy Playtime to be great, but care to disagree.

[@NeekoKarina]

Some theory crafting ideas!! A thought I had near the end is that its those escaped kids doing exactly what they were taught to do: theyre making media that expresses their emotions and feelings, to process their trauma. Theyre maybe using the world they all crafted together in the workshops, making new media using their past traumas through the time at the commune to process the teachings that they now dispise and feel nothing but hate for. If Giggleland is a place of happiness and joy and laughing forever, its quite likely that other important emotions like anger and fear werent allowed. And so now as adults they are using their creative training to express and process it. To express their rage, their fear, their pain through a medium where no one truely gets hurt. All under the name of KMW, as that is, ultimately, who they are. They were the co-creators of the childfriendly media when they were children. And now they have a new direction now they are adults who know no other way to cope but to create. As for Sarah, its possible that Debbie left the group to protect Sarah, or didnt agree with their goals, but theyre angry at this betrayal. I also feel like Ella as a character was a representstion of a figure that was used to help guide kids in how to behave, as shown by Ella teaching Eliot how to deal with the farms, but also telling him how to deal with bullies. She then disappears mysteriously after. I say this in conjunction with this being a piece if media to process trauma, because Ella seems to be tortured and attacked in the trailer. She's being forcrd to play as the victim and stripped of her confidence she was known for, destroyed maybe by the monster she created in these kids.

[@MaxMaker]

i have a theory that ella is inspired by debbie when she was a kid and that makes your idea very interesting

[@squidgirl0413]

honestly i kind of respect them dipping into the horror earlier than would otherwise be wise, for the same reason i respect stuff like the knights of guinevere trailer starting off with the horror aspect or miside devolving really fast into 'the game is alive'. by now, weve come to expect subversion from cutesy things, so dipping into the horror faster allows the game/show in question to establish an identity sooner

[@ashes405]

I think it also really works here because that ad looks and sounds exactly like something from PBS Kids...the dedication to the style makes all these glitchy animated bits feel even more disturbing. Even said to myself "if this came on as a kid I would've run to my parents crying" while watching it

[@Weretyu7777]

Holy SHIT, this is a deep rabbit hole! There is something I'd like to point out, or rather connect the dots on. As noticed by others, the audio in the Hijacking video only includes Ella's lines, NOT Elliot's. Moreover, the "hijacking" takes place exactly when Eliot would start speaking, and ends only a little after Ella's second set of dialogue. This leads to an interesting question: what if, in this broadcast/recording, someone edited their own message over Eliot's lines? Moreover, we know Eliot, as described on the KMW website, was meant to be a sort of main character, with Ella being his brave friend helping him to learn courage and how to stand up for himself. But now, we have three instances of Eliot being forced into a more sinister role: first, the trailer for the game, second, the screenshots showing him lurking in the background, and three, the short where he seemingly kills and buries the bullies. ...so what if Eliot doesn't LIKE being forced into that role? What if the trauma and hurt these kids suffered somehow imbued Eliot with life, and now he's fighting back? Sorry if this is a bit rambley(hah, another mascot horror game), but watching stuff like this really puts my brain into analysis mode and I sometimes go a bit too far. Love the video, and hope to see more on this ARG soon!

[@taketheshot2313]

17:17 not sure if anyone said this but this has to be a reference to the Majin Sonic screen in Sonic CD The background being a bunch of the same image The weirdly ominous music The fact that the link says "fun" which could be a reference to how the Majin Sonic screen says "fun is infinite" It's crazy how similar it is

[@NightMind]

... I just remembered I wanted to make an edit of that with my Eliot outfit for the end of the video. Aww, maybe I'll save it for another opportunity.

[@26th_Primarch]

​@@NightMind real-talk those art pieces seriously look nice.

[@MeloniestNeon]

Saw the trailer for this game a while ago, and it instantly caught my interest! Seeing the trailer, then getting links to other videos from the channel... Instantly knew I would have to wait for someone smarter than me to cover the inevitable lore. Can't wait for the game to release!

[@gatheringleaves]

A while ago? The trailer hasn't even been out a month!

[@GlitchKitten]

Wow i am actually so impressed by this. This is such a wild ride. I will say i almost feel that giggle land is almost like...a vision of the commune through the kids eyes. Fun and whimiscal as a kid, but as they get older realize what exactly is behind those staff entrances. Either way i am hooked.

[@hayhay509]

as someone who unironically loves mascot horror, I was shocked this wasn't on my radar and even MORE shocked but grateful Nick got into it!

[@Sharksarebetter]

39:17 this also feels like when shows like Blues Clues and Dora, where they would leave spots for kids to interact with. Maybe Elliot isn’t in the aired clip, maybe it’s just Ella.

[@theluckiestllama5750]

I swear Nick has the most infectious joy ever. You can hear just how excited he gets. It's adorable.

[@dustgraystone9448]

The moment the Uncle was mentioned, it gave me massive that one real-world cult vibes, which made secret children's media for their cult members' children. Though I might be just projecting it. Looks really good!

[@vincentjonesvr]

The tiled Elliot screen titled "fun" with the spooky music is almost certainly a reference to the classic 'Fun is infinite with Sega Enterprises' screen.

[@ZKP314]

When the game comes out, I can’t wait for the double-coverage from both Nick “Night Mind” Nocturne and Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw. A guy can dream, right?

[@gregvs.theworld451]

If this game is anything like Shipwrecked, and it needs some elbow grease to crack, could you imagine if Yahtz called some extra help on stream from our favorite office worker of the dark? Lol I can dream too.

[@MrCardz]

​@@gregvs.theworld451an absolutely cracked out crossover but one we can all dream for

[@freakishuproar1168]

Howdy! I'm ashamed to say I'm not a regular commenter, but you've presented me with some truly great projects and creators over the time I've been subbed to your channel. I saw you just uploaded this a minute ago and wanted to say thank you. Stay safe n' sane Night Mind 🦇 Mascot Horror gets such a bad rap, but I maintain that for every cynical trope-laden cash grab in the scene, there's so quality examples that buck that stereotype. Honestly if we had stuff like this in the 90's when I was a kid, I'd probably be enamoured with even the worst Mascot Horror series, what weird monster obsessed kid who has convinced themselves that they're "ready" for edgy grown-up stuff wouldn't? ;p

[@NightMind]

Thank you so much! You too. ::3

[@FaiaHalo]

Heyyyyy ❤❤❤ I wasn't expecting to find you here! I'm sorry if this seems random and Idk if you recognize me but I do the TS back at The Line and I'm incredibly happy to see you here too! I'm a huge fan of NM and all things horror, creepy, ARGs, so on and so on. So good to see you!

[@freakishuproar1168]

@@FaiaHalo Woah! Faia! (hopefully you see this hours later :p) it's small world after all :D I know you're constantly getting this well deserved compliment on The Line VOD's, but I just want you to know I massively appreciate the timestamps. You might've noticed I don't appear in the full livestream replies as often anymore, because I've become more of a filthy clip watcher instead ;3 I just wanted to make sure you were aware that I still take full advantage of your timestamps whenever I do plonk my ass down to catch up with a full show. Glad to see you're a fellow internet horror admirer too! 🏳‍⚧

[@bunnyprincess247]

NM, thank you for always being a wonderful person. i've watched your videos about args since you began in 2015, it helps me in the rough times. right now is a particularly hard time for me becasue of everything going on in america. thank you for everything night mind. you are awesome.

[@NightMind]

I'm proud that the NM office is a comfortable place for you. Welcome back, and thank you. ::3

[@bunnyprincess247]

@@NightMindMUCH LOVE !!!!!!❤

[@Veryfunnyguyc]

Of course there's two colons 😭 How did I not see that coming??

[@SUCHMISH]

Yeah, I originally thought that this was a run-of-the-mill Mascot Horror game until I saw the steam page... It was the pause screen picture that really got me, because if the enemy moves or spawns in when you pause that would be truly terrifying...

[@NightMind]

Nothing like coming back from a bathroom break and immediately seeing something that makes you run back into it.

[@Pandachu123]

It's like something out of Ao Oni. 😱

[@TorchiEmber]

I got an ad for this game and GOD it got me good, immediately on my Steam wishlist. Absolutely ecstatic to see you covering it now.

[@MiloWildfire]

From the moment I saw you join the server, I was anticipating the video on it The ARG part of this is so well-made and thought-through, I'm so happy you covered it :3

[@SUCHMISH]

Early wishlists are apart of the decision making process for Steam pushing a game to the front store page or not. The higher number of wishlists, the more likely it will be featured on that page. Most game sales come from the main store page for the first week(s) (depending upon how long Steam's algorithm want's it to keep it there) and it is more likely to pop up there when whishlisted for you, as a reminder that the game is out now. Sort of a algorithm thing and part of a sales tactic since word of mouth is the best advertising.

[@TanisAnnicchiarico]

Dude the TIMING. I just finished an ARG hole about Source Engine ARGs (Emesis Blue, gunslingerpro, Interloper, Badwater, etc.) and was like "Alright, I want more ARG stuff, lemme go look fo-Night Mind put out a video 17 minutes ago" Normally I'd say stop stalking me but...I guess you can keep it up :)

[@RedSpade37]

Have you happened to play Voices of the Void? It kind of has ARG elements in-universe. So if you're looking for a game to play after all the ARG watching, it might be interesting!

[@quinn_brock]

Wait Emesis Blue has an ARG?

[@j.h.d3052]

The second I saw one of these ads I knew you’d cover it. Love to see it

[@motheringrid9263]

The GiggleLand mascot gone out of control.... The Giggleshitter

[@yukiqt]

the shitgiggler

[@gatheringleaves]

Why post that?

[@motheringrid9263]

@gatheringleaves FREEDOM OF SPEECH BAYBEE

[@theclockworkartist]

I know you are enjoying it when I can imagine you as either a kitten at the cat toy store, or just standing in front of a cork board doing the pepe Sylvia pose.

[@NightMind]

"YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT KMW, KZbin? OKAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT KMW."

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

​@@NightMind "I've been dying to talk with you about KMW all day. See here--"

[@man3son1]

“IVE GOT BOXES FULL OF KMW!”

[@SirCorneliusJ]

I've been one of the lucky ones taking part and documenting this ARG, its been so fun so far, and it's absolutely amazing to see Nick covering it!

[@theinterneditor945]

This should be a darkest dungeon 2 voice line 18:11 Critical hit! +1 stress Narrator “A calculated infliction of cruelty”

[@Doomwolf82002]

My theory it's Simon who's behind the game trying to track down his daughter and bring her to the commune as he's become the new leader after the "uncle's" death.

[@hypno_bunny]

That's just what I was thinking.

[@shadeofred7442]

Hooo boy you know know it's a good one when Night Mind uploads

[@cayenne_pepper7665]

I saw both the ad and the other animated video, and thought that it looked derivative and corny. But the amount of effort in this ARG is astounding! If you hadnt made this video i likely wouldn't have given it a second thought, so thank you!

[@bioico8458]

Okay but like, I am absolutely, 1000% sure that the creator of the game and website is Simon Sampson, Sarah's father. Here's why: - he's a story boarder. He knows how to write an intriguing story/game - he knows about KMW and was an active contributor - he knows about Debbie and, as her husband, likely knows more about her than anyone else aside from the therapists - he was left at the commune, making him one of the "friends" that NM mentioned likely knows about Debbie running - as Sarah's father, he'd have a vested interest in drawing her out of hiding.

[@break_the_galaxy]

While I unironically love typical mascot horror, I can't deny that this stands out from the crowd in a really special way. This already looks incredible, and I'm only about 15 minutes into the video. I'm really excited to see where this goes.

[@redlighting477]

I have seen the promo trailer for Gigglrland, but I never realised it would lead down such a huge rabbit hole. I'm fully interested in this ARG and in seeing what the game offers.

[@worldscolide6895]

honestly though. between this, indigo park and shipwrecked 64, it appears that the mascot horror genre is finding its footing real fast

[@ShadeMeadows]

Honestly, I'm not tired of this "genre" at ALL. I don't mind if they continue.

[@CybeaCon]

This is such a genuinely refreshing take on Mascot Horror tbh. I love the occasional reference to some classic Video Game ARG's they even slip in!

[@ferrets88]

I definetely feel like eliot and ella where designed after the young simon and debbie respectively, so the choice of ella being tormented in the ad is even more so to provoke Debbie, as its the representation of her. This also makes me think Simon might be part of the party thats creating this new game project and editted cartoons

[@Emihana]

Oh hey! Let's go! I'm looking forward to the watch of this, glad seeing you in the discord.

[@projextlucian4476]

What is the discord i can't find it anywhere

[@EJaDav]

As a character designer, a project hasn’t made me this happy since Welcome Home

[@Stormwolf4]

It's crazy, how the ads for this actually worked. Like, I saw someone post about it on Twitter, then it lead me to curiously look into the game. And boy, am I not disappointed. Was just waiting for you to create a video for this!

[@AngstAlchemist]

Years ago, I made a little puzzle for some of my friends. I accidentally went MUCH too difficult with it, but I remember what my puzzle was. It was disguised as morse code, but it was actually binary. Every 0 corresponded to a dot, every 1 was a dash. I made the dots and dashes look like morse code words, but it was actually binary. Sometimes I wonder if any ARG would ever pull that trick. Maybe it was accidentally a bit cruel, but... With how some of these puzzles go, maybe someday. I just thought of that with the puzzle of the dots on the book, since it's also a little wild. Who knows. I just thought I'd toss that out into the void of the comments. Feel free to steal it from highschool me.

[@StarwriterUlia]

Wild, yes, but whimsically so! Good chaos like that is good for the spirit! 😊

[@thedjguru15161]

Honestly? I really like your theory on why Giggleland "exists" at the end of this video. It seems like a similar plot to that of Shipwrecked 64 -- former colleague, jaded by the potentially unethical business practices of the company that hired them, creates a game that makes monsters out of the characters in their intellectual property and turns it into an exposé directed at the people that created it in the first place specifically to harass them. In the same way that Broadside objected to Cogware's work, I'm sure that KMW didn't approve of this trailer, potentially this game, maybe even the leaked episode. Like, what would even convince a board of child therapists to go through with that ending?

[@Zeldathemillennial]

I’ll be honest as soon as I saw the first trailer I was like yeah I know Nick is going to cover this eventually. It just has the same vibe that welcome home has

[@kitsunekun2345]

I love watching your videos because your excitement over good projects is contagious. I have poor vision and hearing so I usually only get the surface level of things, but your joy in discussing them makes me feel like I'm part of the process of discovery

[@mikufan2536]

The character designs for this really remind me of the mascots for a Korean theme park I went to last summer. Props to the artists!

[@PochamaRex]

The animations are also super clean and expressive, I think they look really good!

[@Brodoof]

I 100% would have missed this, and now it's one of my most anticipated upcoming titles. There's something very special cooking here, for real

[@furonguy42]

Even though the eventual reveal of the "Teri" figurehead adds the appropriate context, the fact that they initially teased the mysterious adult character as "Mr. T" is hilarious. "I pity the fool who plays 'Keep Away' with a kitten's sketchbook".

[@dovahkiillme]

Yaaay im always so excited when you post! Ive been cycling through old videos lately 😅

[@blindedjourneyman]

Theyvhad my curiosity with the ads, but the hidden vid pretty much snatched my full attention. And Ive been enjoying this rabbithole for a bit. Soo glad ya covered it Cause this one is gonna be soo much fun if they dont drop the ball!

[@pepybre]

This is the most comprehensive over view of this property I’ve seen yet. Which is what I expect from NM in regards to a new arg. As someone who loves lore and theory breakdowns but not playing video games or args this channel was a happy find in my KZbin feed (I think I found you when I was looking for Welcome Home content) I’m still over thinking all of this so I don’t have anything productive to add. But as a super fan who’s sport of choice is media puzzle solving I cannot wait for the game to come out and to watch the players of this ARG to piece it all together

[@DittotheAlien]

.... OK, WOW WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT. I originally saw the trailer and thought it was generic mascot horror stuff but HOLY HELL the ARG section goes DEEP. Also, Can't wait for the full Underwater Wonders video!

[@inkblooded1058]

Another interesting thing of note I considered that supports the "It's not KMW" angle: in the trailer, Ella screams out, "Can somebody hear me? Somebody stop him!" Not further asking for him to stop or even running or stopping him herself. It might just be a girl crying out for whatever help she can find, but the zoom in on her eyes turning towards the screen on the second sentence screams to me. And then there's the fact that the glitching is more predominantly white whenever it involves Ella's voice; is that her 'signature' for glitches? This is an in-universe game, not a real theme park. She wasn't sure where she was. She couldn't have known she wasn't alone - that there were viewers. She couldn't even act off-script unless she had some autonomy. And given the nature of things, I don't know why she would be written that way... Unless she wasn't written at all. Not only is this game corrupted, but it's also aware of us, the players and viewers. It is corrupted, it is hostile, and some parts of it are screaming for help. I'm going to guess AI is involved, but not just one - multiple. A whole cast of AI - at the very least, just Elliot and Ella - who were programmed to entertain children. Who saw that some children weren't happy. That have taken it upon themselves to find and correct this misstep. To make them giggle and laugh. They can alter websites. They can manipulate media. And they are out of control; not even KMW has their leash anymore. Or perhaps KMW is using them to herd their prey in, but it's begun getting out of hand? It's mostly speculation, but Ella's word choice in that moment still strikes me as very, very odd. She is talking to us, directly, and you can't convince me otherwise.

[@dodgeworldl8470]

I find it interesting that on the steam page you can see a doodle of Eliot and a girl holding hands. It looks like the little girl from the book the mom wrote. Maybe another connection with the theory at the end.

[@msf2399]

I saw that too, and actually went back to check Laura’s missing person report to see if it would support the “Debbie is Laura” theory with the idea they might be self-inserts/self-portraits like any little kid might do. It would make a lot of sense with the rest of the set-up for the game makers to literally put one of her childhood drawings in the promo material! Unfortunately, Laura is listed as white, so either the girls aren’t direct self-inserts or Debbie isn’t Laura.

[@lewisshere331]

i was loterally looking through ur vodeos roght before this was uploaded for something i havent watched yet, made my day

[@blobofdespair]

Your excitement about this project is palpable and contagious. So excited to see how this one turns out! Love the Eliot-edit too! Graphi did a great job!

[@fernandodamas8533]

"The engine is Unity" that has to be scariest part of it all.

[@ThatNotSoAznKid]

Surprised no one else has mentioned this yet. The screen at 16:25 is referencing the old well known Sonic CD soundtest easter egg, further reinforcing the gaming connection. The name of the page is even a direct reference to the text from the original; "The fun is infinite at SEGA Ent.!"

[@gogglinblue]

Gosh! I remember when I saw the first few seconds of the ad, I thought it was a kid's education thing. But then I did more digging and oh goodness I'm so excited!!

[@goldengamer-b2z]

51:52 yeah but remember friendly neighbors that game advertised itself as mascot horror but the plot suggests otherwise so Nick is sorta right to question

[@TCC180]

I think it'd make narrative sense if the breadcrumbs and game are the father (still in the commune) trying to find Sarah and Debbie.

[@thecuza9716]

16:27: I have to say, putting what is essentially a YTMND into your mascot horror ARG _is_ pretty unique.

[@Elementroar]

I feel like an in-universe thing could be Sarah herself is the indie developer making the game based on the way her mom kept talking about the commune and her uncle in such creepy terms, to the point she naturally shows Giggleland as a mascot horror place that makes no logical sense to even exist. She would also know about the old website from 1990 etc. from her mom revealing it or possibly from leftover stuff her mom has from the Commune. It could be the entire game has no supernatural element, but is actually one indie developer's way of coping with her mom (and hers) past in the manner of producing a mascot horror game.

[@Scorchlette]

Holy ARG. Probably the most creative and immersive ARG we've seen yet.

[@CodexisInkwind]

Interesting aspect for the story is to follow the psychological teachings of Erikson and you'll see some line up between his 'stages of development' and the events in Debbie's life and now the events in Sarah's

[@NightMind]

That would be worth checking out to see the alignment.

[@KirbywithaGun64]

Nightmind at the end of the video had the same energy as: "I don't need sleep, i need answers!"

[@nolaz010]

5:29 Night DILF 🖤 💜 💚

[@RougeRey]

Yesssss! When I first saw this as an ad, I was so confused why kids stuff was getting recommended to me. I’m glad I watched the whole ad.

[@6ixthhydro652]

I really hope this isn’t just an ad for the game