How Pacific Drive uses mood to motivate its players

[@theworkshopwhisperer.5902]

When the game said remnants start taking over your mind and making you obsessed with them. Yes this game was the only thing I could think about when I was playing it solid. I was always thinking about which upgrade comes next.

[@Jukebocks]

I was absolutely blown away at how streamlined the learning process in this game is

[@Pixel_Whip]

Yeah, so hands-off, yet super clear at the same time

[@playbabethebookshelf6249]

and now with photo mode, i still take a drive to get the mood for photo stuff. man this game deserved more fund for extra cooking

[@Thracx]

Long, but worthwhile because it's well written and well spoken.

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thanks, tried to make it as long as it needed to be

[@DraenethTTV]

Appreciate seeing a wonderful analysis of a favorite game of mine! Pacific Drive was a great experience.

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thanks!

[@Supernautiloid]

This is one of the best games I've played in years. I really hope they come out with a part 2.

[@michaelschneider1365]

Or good dlc

[@ceepert2153]

The scarriest thing in this game by far for me was when ... I think with the somethings moving modifier or maybe something else, the tourist will sometimes randomly explode. If that happens in hearing range but our of sight it really gives you that eeri feeling that something is out there, moving around

[@aakashdimri9903]

Great video man this is one of my favourite survival games.

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thank you!

[@didusty779]

I love this game I have playing this for the last couple of weeks

[@ItzPewds]

The freedom translation of boot to trunk caught me off guard reading the subtitles 😂

[@fredfred2297]

🤣 “Freedom translation” doesn’t mean anything or even exist in both Brith and American English…in gibberish maybe.

[@ItzPewds]

@@fredfred2297 oh, but it does 🥴

[@Shapeshiftergreen]

I'm elated to see someone do such a deep analysis on Pacific Drive! Looking forward to your next video! Is there anything you are looking forward to playing?

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thanks, glad you liked it! I'm going through some backlog at the moment and I'm loving The Witness. Also going to get through The Talos Principle 1 and 2 soon, and all these puzzle games are making me want to replay through the Portal games again (it's been long enough now I'll have forgotten the solutions). In terms of upcoming games, STALKER 2 and AC Shadows are on my radar. If there's anything you're interested in seeing an analysis on, let me know since I'm always looking for new things to consider.

[@Shapeshiftergreen]

@@Pixel_Whip I actually started Talos Principle 2 a while ago. I can recommend it (even though I never played the first one), especially if you're in a puzzle solving and philosophical mood. It reminds me of Portal, if Portal wasn't filling time with comedy. In regards to analyzing something, I'm sure you've already considered Outer Wilds, so I'd like to recommend anything from Remedy (I.E. Control or Alan Wake 2). I'll leave a reply if I think of anything better (or a good puzzle game).

[@Pixel_Whip]

@Shapeshiftergreen Yes, Outer Wilds is on the list, but I want to do it justice. I'll get there when the time is right. The moment I finished Alan Wake 2, I had a million things I wanted to say about it, so it's on the cards too. A quick jump back, in terms of puzzle games, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is something I'll play soon, and I'm absolutely pumped for it. I love the dev's last game too, Sayonara Wild Hearts. It was so impactful for me given how simple it is and how short a playthrough of that game is.

[@Shapeshiftergreen]

@@Pixel_Whip I can recommend Lorelei! I had an eye on it ever since I realized it was from the creators of device 6. You made me realize I need to finish it, I've gotten near the end. I think you'll really enjoy it based on everything else you've played, I can't speak for the ending yet but the puzzles have been awesome.

[@RedWolf34ef]

*Spoilers* Honestly, I haven't had much problems with the story late game, the problem with Tobias's death might be in how the mission is approached. I spent the mission trying to get the objectives done because I knew that it would be better for the story if I played that way, but several times I was tempted off the beaten path by Anchors and the promise of loot. I can see how if you even slightly disregard the story and get distracted by something, it could hurt the presentation. Additionally, I think the reason why Tobias is in the end with Allen is clear, he died because the zone collapsed around him and not because of bullshit reasoning, though again that's a detail easy to miss in a scene that primarily should have been story and not loot goblin time. Certain missions don't need that.

[@jacksonhopp2003]

Here’s hoping we get some story dlc later down the line with this game, cause I really just love the story and characters of it and even the mystery. Plus, the way it’s left open is pretty much begging for a side story to be set after it.

[@fnaf1983-RWQFSFASXC]

Yeah we should get a dlc where it’s us and Francis trying to solve the mysteries Tobias stayed in the zone for

[@jacksonhopp2003]

@@fnaf1983-RWQFSFASXC Ironically, that’s the same idea I had for a DLC.

[@aggrisabernathy8770]

Good job man, I like your videos so far!

[@Pixel_Whip]

Glad you've enjoyed them, thanks!

[@DkBk-e8u]

This was a really fun vid as a newer pacific drive player this tought me to respect the game more and not just think of it as another roam and upgrade car game

[@TheAlexander775]

Amazing video, you deserve more subs man!

[@Pixel_Whip]

So glad to hear that, thanks. I'll keep it up 😉

[@Qaddosh]

This is a brilliant and very well-made video on one of my favorite games. You did wonderful research and articulated everything about the game really well. A+++++ 🤩

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thanks so much!

[@neonthehybrid8047]

Dude there was one point I was just on a run to gather supplies, but I was meant to turn on my own music. Soon as I was in the game, I just flicked on my remnants radio and cruised into a junction with Perpetual Stability. I gathered and watched the storms roll past, looked up to the stars, listened to the wild things the folks on the radios had to say, and just kept thinking about which panels and doors I was gonna upgrade. When I was done I audibly said "Wait I was sposed to put my music on!", but I was so captivated by that one junction I completely forgot

[@QuestMarker]

I am here to comment positively for the algorithm and to remind myself to come back and watch this after I've played Pacific Drive - so I don't want to spoil!

[@Pixel_Whip]

Thanks! And yes please play it, it's a fantastic game!! (You won't regret it 😉)

[@MidanMagistrate]

"The game trusts the player" is such an amazing way to put it. I noticed that other players that had some trouble at the beginning never minded it, and always managed to catch on quickly. The thing I love most about the game, though, besides the atmosphere, is how it respects it's characters. When Tobias said "Or it could be atlantis!" and Oppy says "Why didn't I think of that?" sarcastically, most stories would have made Oppy continue with something like "Oh wait, because I'm not an idiot!" but Pacific Drive respects it's characters. She didn't need to add that, because it's already clear that she was being sarcastic, and Tobias having known her for so long and being smarter than he lets on, isn't so dumb as to blindly take the sarcastic rhetorical question seriously. Another good example of this is how it's never stated that Tobias and Francis are lovers. Why would they say it, right? Why would, for example, Oppy bring it up? It's not relevant to the situation at hand, and it just wouldn't be natural to bring it up. The only confirmation that we get for their relationship is when they say "I love you".

[@Hatt0riHanz0128]

I agree on the story missing its mark, especially regarding the big heroic sacrifice part. Armored Core 6 has a similar challenge (getting you to care for characters with only their voices and a .png of their emblem), but it manages to pull it off pretty well because it's almost always your own actions that directly affects these characters; your choices have put you at odds with these characters, and now you will have to kill them yourself, and then you get hear their last words. And despite AC6 being a more demanding and intense game, it (mostly) ramps down the intensity for the player to pay attention to the narrative moments. When Tobias sacrifices himself, I'm kinda-sorta paying attention, but I'm mostly making sure I'm steering my car in the right direction to keep that electric thingy bouncing while also avoiding obstacles. "Oh, the other guy is crying now? (I genuinely can't remember his name, he barely leaves an impression on me) Well, I'm still caught up navigating all this crap."

[@Pixel_Whip]

Yeah, when that moment happens, it's an unfortunate perfect storm. The tri-state area between silent protag, busy gameplay section, and obscured main characters. Like I mentioned, it's legitimately a shame too, because the characters are fleshed out enough to be interesting, but just not enough to be impactful. (also, might be a good idea to mention your comment contains a spoiler just in case 😬)

[@RealCoolstriker64]

This, and portal, are games I wish I could play for the first time again.

[@dudeydude77_clips]

Great video. Btw when you mentioned using playing music being fair use: at least in the US, fair use is a term established by the courts. There’s 4 factors that a court considers when it determines if using copyrighted material constitutes “fair use”. It’s not a law which says you are allowed to use something because you use it a certain way. It’s a tool used when one party accuses another of using a copyrighted work. KZbin works with the Mechanical Licensing Collective to automatically manage music licensing, so if you were to be copyright stricken as a result of using copyright music, you essentially have limited recourse because you agree to KZbin’s terms when you use its platform, which includes this automatic management.

[@RealCoolstriker64]

25:16 I had to rewind because I saw the wiggling wreck and IMMIDIATLEY stopped listening and tried to hit the breaks. Those things give me PTSD man.

[@RealCoolstriker64]

I got a quirk for a while where if I toggled my wipers it would close the doors. So if I ever left a door open, I could just spam the wiper button until it wasn't anymore.

[@Zipperheaddttl]

Played this game for 35, over the course of a week or so. First 15 hours are amazing, middle 15 are a bit of a grind, last 5 are amazing again. The story is okay, nothing ground breaking but enjoyable, but they need way more of it in the middle of the game. Or just shorten the grind in that bit. I'm surprised there wasn't more in the middle considering it's basically just a radio show.

[@Zipperheaddttl]

I would fully recommend it btw. Even the middle bit. It's probably one of the very few games that I will play twice.

[@RoelofKlop]

Love the video man! Question, at 45:42 you seem to have a black car interior, how did you do it?

[@UnderWaterLabs]

I come for the music and stay because I’m getting obliterated by my own poor driving skills

[@lonewolf49707]

The only thing wrong with this game is its very addicting which makes you blow threw the story in less than 40 hours. If they don't add some sort of other to do sidequests or new adjectives I will be so bummed out. At the end of the game Oppy did pass the torch to Fransis maybe he can find more to do for us.

[@RealCoolstriker64]

51:05 This isn't technically true. In addition to the status light in the garage lighting up the word "quirks" if you have them, you can also just hit the "fixes" button on the top right of the screen here and see if there are any that need diagnosing. However without the garage: yeah. There have been so many times where I suspected my car developed a quirk only to be proven right upon returning to the garage.

[@champaris2610]

Im only mad blue hotel by Chris Isaac isn’t on the radio

[@kclink1579]

Happily ready to watch an hour video, but was off putting in the first couple of seconds. Well, at least that saved me from subbing.