Tetris Effect and Other Games with Immaculate Vibes

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Connected (Yours Forever) Piano Cover by Henry Walsh: • Connected (Yours Forev...
Digital Foundry Retro: Tetris!: • DF Retro: Tetris!
Errant Signal- Blips Episode 8: • Bad Bosses, Beautiful ...
Additional footage from
World of Longplays: • Arcade Longplay [519] ...
Old Classic Retro Gaming: • Apple II Game: Beyond ...
Squakenet: • Elite gameplay (PC Gam...
Jorbs: • Let's Play Marble Blas...
Visual Media used: Marble Madness (Arcade), Venineth, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, Elite, Karate Champ, Hitman 3, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Elite Dangerous, Ballance, Marble it Up!, Marble Blast Gold, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Mortal Kombat 9, Myst, NaissanceE, Street Fighter V, Tetris Effect, Tetris CD-I, 400 other versions of tetris (see Digital Foundry video for full details)
Music used (chronologically): Connected (Tetris Effect), Level 1 (Marble Madness), Lunar Discourse (Tetris Effect), Level 0 (Tetris CD-I), Level 2 (Marble Madness), Level 8 (Tetris CD-I), Ballance OST, Level 0 (Tetris CD-I), Joy, Connected, Bright Shadow (Tetris Effect), Metamorphosis II (Carrion), End (Venineth), Connected Jazz Improvisations by Henry Walsh, Dire Dire on the Rocks (OC Remix by Geoffrey Taucer/FFmusic Dj), Level 0 (Tetris CD-I)
Additional Music Provided by Epidemic Sound
Thumbnail Credit: / hotcyder
Description Credit: Connected (Tetris Effect)

[@JacobGeller]

If you'd like to see videos early, join the Geller Discord, or politely inform me that I said Myst but showed Riven, jump on my patreon at www.patreon.com/JacobGeller

[@sppie]

join us, its great!

[@aze4308]

YAY

[@conheaton1111]

Jacob, fantastic video. I bought Venineth as soon as I saw that Twitter post you shot out a few months ago. I can't explain how cool it was that you ended up covering this marble masterpiece in one of your videos.

[@EvilGenius815]

I noticed that you said Myst but showed Riven, and simply assumed it was because Riven is the true great entry of the franchise and better represents what Myst is than Myst does.

[@sidremus]

I appreciate that this video was a bit more upbeat. Sometimes, on the weekend you just wanna sit down, forget the craziness for a little and watch a video about games about falling blocks and rolling spheres

[@knowledgedroppings]

Looking at Veninith and Marble Madness side-by-side made me think of this quote-I can't remember who said it and can't find it, it might have been Hayao Miyazaki but idk-that said something like, adaptation is fundamentally like taking another person's work and explaining it to a friend, saying "This is what I saw in it." And I don't know the extent to which Veninith was specifically conceived as a response to Marble Madness, but it certainly feels like one. That "alien" "other-ness" you describe in Veninith feels like a natural extension of the feelings I had about Marble Madness and other similarly "primitive" games when I was a kid. When games that looked like that WERE the peak of graphics technology, I never saw their limitations, their failure to seamlessly render something else. The combination of novel, unfamiliar technology and minimalist abstraction always felt extremely surreal to me, and have stuck with me for years. It always felt like I was having a greater, stranger experience than just playing with a toy from the store, and that's something that I feel like has sometimes been lost in the pathological obsession with having the most photorealistic representations of human skin that seems to have consumed modern AAA developers.

[@april5054]

This is a bit off topic but if you think about it, in that case, it makes sense that older games were never really decried for "shitty graphics" and "bad textures" back in the day. When what you're experiencing _is_ the limit, you never stop to think about how that limit could be broken. Only after the limit is broken can people look back and think, naively, "why couldn't you do this back then?" It makes one wonder what limitations, graphical or otherwise, will be overcome in the future. How can a game 20 years from now be so good that it makes TLOU2 look ugly? How can mechanics be so seamless 20 years from now that new AAA games will feel clunky? It makes me realize that AAA games always have a timer, but indie games are much more timeless, with the lack of a distinct focus on improvement of the basics and a more specialized nature. indie games don't have to break limits, they can just work within them to make something that's never been seen before. anyway im rambling at this point lol

[@finnycopper]

@@april5054 Maybe it’s just me, but I think the progression new games, AAA or indie, are going in is stylization. The graphics and all can still be there in AAA titles, but looking at the frontrunners in the upcoming generation: Demon’s Souls Remake, the God Of War sequel, Battlefield 2042, etc, they have much less “gritty” textures than their previous titles, going more towards things that pop, colorful effects, concise textures, and bombastic animations that are helped out by haptics. Even if they had to use the technology and graphics of 10 years ago, they still would feel distinct, which I think is largely because we’re reaching the ceiling of realism, so you can’t blow your competition out of the water unless you’ve got superiority in gameplay and vibe. It’s also that the indie and AAA scenes are colliding in on each other, games like Hollow Knight and Hades are constantly brought up within game circles, Sony themselves made a rouguelike 3rd person shooter, a genre almost untouched by AAA studios, Sonic Mania is hailed as one of the best sonic games in recent memory, and some of the biggest trendy games, minecraft, undertale, among us, have been produced by indie studios. It feels like, in some ways, 1st party studios are starting to look into more experimental titles, to the extent their left pretentiousness might let them. Ultimately I’m still not sure where they’ll try to go, but personally I’ve become more invested in the mainstream than I have in a while

[@katrinakollmann5265]

Toy ♡ I use these resources to stim as my talents are not generally ... hmm.. profitable to me but only others if I charge for them. I need an outlet for my pattern and problem solving fetishes.. giggle. Can't help it. I don't have a community to utilize my other talents with in trade for them helping me stay alive. Aww Heck... #ytwhining #latestagecapitalism #rabbitholes #h0les

[@april5054]

@@katrinakollmann5265 Huh?? did you reply to the wrong comment or something?

[@darksentinel082]

@@april5054 it’s a bot, maybe, i honestly have no idea

[@rowangrey6437]

Literally the second you brought up Marble Madness I was on the edge of my seat, like "Oh I cannot WAIT for Jacob to talk about Venineth"

[@arthurjeannin3357]

Oh my god same! And at the same time, I didn't think he actually would since it's such an underground game. Super happy that he talked about it and hope it makes people try it out!

[@manaulhoque6507]

How come it has like 60 steam reviews but everybody in the comments seems to know about it?

[@kevinwillems8720]

@@manaulhoque6507 because we watch Errant Signal

[@EmptyFeet]

in Jacob Geller's video at hand he says, "this game is overgrown by elements of nature. so it stands, a tetris obelisk reclaimed by wild unknown, whose soothing beats and backdrops of lush lands convey the goals those game designers had which yet survive, as emulated things much like the game itself, O tetris never-dead, whose great effect is present even here 'the game is tetris CD-I, of all things stack up its blocks, and solid rows will clear!" this little-known rendition, difficult to play, yet echoes in our modern tetris fare about which Jacob G has much to say

[@kimjunguny]

what

[@porcupineangel6632]

Percy Shelley is weeping for not writing this

[@stock_img]

thank you toasty, very cool!!!

[@elijahemerson4934]

*snaps fingers in appreciation

[@_artemkoi]

YEAAAA TOASTYGLOW

[@conheaton1111]

The coolest thing about Venineth is how difficult and long it is, and just how opposed to giving you any sort of direction. Jacob touched on this, but seriously you're dropped into these levels and they go on for hours and hours, and you spend a long ass time just trying to get your marble up an impossibly high slope or clear a wide jump. When you do finally progress, you're suddenly faced with yet another even more head scratching challenges. Often I forgot where I was going or what I was doing, with the only thoughts in my head being "roll, roll roll"

[@TheCyanSqueegee]

become one with marble

[@subzu2733]

I feel the reason why it didn't give you a specific direction is because they didn't only want you to finish a level but explore it and that's really cool

[@aarcade6676]

oh my god ive got like 50 hours in venineth and this is the most ive ever related to a comment. you truly do just forget about any goal or objective and become one with the marble.

[@mg7977]

Jacob-how is everything you make so good? I always start your videos with only a passing interest in the subject matter at best, and always come away feeling like I've had a borderline transcendental human experience that has left me permanently changed in some small but fundamental way.

[@nahometesfay1112]

Mr. Geller is made of immaculate vibes Everything he vibes with vibes even more

[@we-must-live]

i COULD explain how the combination of perfectly-selected music, enthusiastic speech and audible passion form together to create a viewing experience that feels more like... an old friend telling you about their new favorite game, rather than gameanalyst#6153 spouting out the 'connection between gameplay and the inherent human experience expected of most players of the game', but i WONT, because, i, uhh... already have! enjoy the rest of your night!

[@im19ice3]

mood v_v

[@shutuptravis5609]

Jacob is genuinely one of the smartest people on this platform and he spends his time and intelligence talking about how tetris transcends all space and time. Please never stop making videos

[@sirius_714]

True

[@Travisious]

Seriously, this entire video had me in awe of Jacob's ability to synthesize so many different topics together. Jacob is absolutely one of the most intelligent creators on KZbin. Also I'm slightly offended by your username /s lmao

[@dazza2350]

Ehhh

[@earthgrazer2164]

I hate how you chop this up to intelligence

[@dirkdiggler8367]

This nigga Jacob really makes me think about things I never ever thought I could think about ! Idk how to explain it ! I love his videos I wish I had money to give him

[@GrandPrinceBlueblood]

I NEED VENINETH This is the marble game I’ve been waiting for my whole life.

[@jaspin555]

My only question, have you also heard of Marble Marcher? It might not be so profound. But you need to check it out. Awesome combination of marble games and fractals

[@GrandPrinceBlueblood]

@@jaspin555 Yes I have. I watched playthroughs of it.

[@jaspin555]

@@GrandPrinceBlueblood awesome! Meanwhile, i have a game to check out now so :D Venineth here i come

[@StezzerLolz]

It is. Venineth is spectacular.

[@kumatorahaltmanndreemurr]

I've played a few hours now and it's amazing! Definitely worth my $20

[@TheGazorpatron]

Everytime Jacob uploads I literally backwards long jump to my pc to watch it

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

Backwards long jump? You got the plug on mario oddessey two or what lol

[@topichu970]

@@zaidlacksalastname4905 its a mario 64 thing

[@dantesdiscoinfernolol]

WAHOO

[@ricecooker7037]

Do a prop fly over the floor stain, angular flip jump off the pizza box, flying prop manifest to the gaming chair, b hop around in glee. Any % speedrun of KZbin

[@GuiiSanttoss]

YAHOO

[@TheGlooga]

I'm a simple man, I see "immaculate vibes" and "marbles" and I start vibrating with excitement. Venineth is such a good game

[@antomanifesto]

Tetris Effect is easily one of my favourite chill-out games, and tracks from the soundtrack regularly make it on to any playlist I'm making! It really is the perfect symbiosis of visuals and music

[@ahobimo732]

This is getting out of control. I'm damn near falling in love with this man. He is one of the most _human_ human beings I've ever encountered.

[@we-must-live]

oh, you wouldn't believe! in this world full of superficial people spouting on about how 'real' and non-superficial they are, in order to appear as, y'know, not not non-superficial - Mr. Geller is, uhh... a breath of fresh air!

[@ahobimo732]

@@we-must-live I believe that you cannot fake authenticity. The Jacob Geller in these videos is the real Jacob Geller. And I'm very grateful that I got to see him.

[@candyvomit1226]

that's a parasocial relationship. you're only looking at a very heavily edited and curated glimpse of a person, he doesn't know you exist. it's a really unhealthy mindset

[@ahobimo732]

@@candyvomit1226 I'm very well aware that it's one-sided. He knows nothing about me, and he might not like me if he did. But that doesn't mean that I cannot know him or like him. I don't agree with you that the Jacob in the videos is not the "real" Jacob. I know the videos present a limited perspective. There's lots about Jacob that I don't know and never will. But I think that his videos show something authentic. The aspects of his personality that are presented are real. The depiction is truthful And based on these aspects of his personality, I fucking love him.

[@therilyncobrin2372]

@@candyvomit1226 you're damn right it is, and you can't do anything to stop me

[@mybattyvalentine]

i dont usually comment on videos, but i just wanted to take a second to say i am consistently blown away at how sharp and poignant your scripts are. every video you make feels like it is stuffed full of as much thought and care as you could give it and you are one of the only youtubers who talks about games that i know of that actually bothers to take the time to talk about how they affect the real world, i.e. the player, the landscape around the game's release, the feelings they can evoke. emotions. you refuse to be "apolitical". you want your videos to mean something even if it gets vitriol slung your way and despite the fact i don't know you i have a huge amount of respect for you on those grounds alone. thank you, jacob.

[@csonweedagain5054]

This is just my interpretation of Venineth, but it arguably also reflects human experience in a different way by throwing you into a world that you know nothing about, and you learn and experience new things as you continue. Just like starting from birth.

[@we-must-live]

in a way, does that not make it 'another life' for us to experience? actually, doesn't that make ALL videogames 'new lives' for us to live out? sure, they may be antiquated lives, full of expected turns and events, but - you learn new things, you become invested (hopefully!) and, when it all ends, you... aren't really at peace with it... ending. and that's, uh... pretty realistic to the human experience, yeah!

[@csonweedagain5054]

@@we-must-live Absolutely, however I think it depends on the individual. Some view games as another passive story of another's actions for them to mentally throw away - and it's the least interesting thing about me, but being a drug user *gasp*, it's really given me an opportunity to "feel" the games in a whole new way that makes the game feel more unique and exactly like a new life to ME. They also opened up my mind to the idea that everybody has their own unique experience, and that I should learn what I can from all sources that I can, be it right or wrong, because all those aspects were brought about from the things that make life unique to THOSE people as well. I'm high as I type this, so forgive me if it didn't make any sense lol I'll probably find this reply tomorrow and shamefully delete it 😆

[@we-must-live]

@@csonweedagain5054 hehe - you're surprisingly legible while high. i try to explain any concept even after like a few coffees, and i'm going on tangents that lead absolutely nowhere! but not tonight - yeah maybe tonight i just completely lost focus... damn. well, enjoy the rest of your night (if i didn't already say that - did i?)!

[@csonweedagain5054]

@@we-must-live I hope I didn't put off a feeling of trying to make you think you're wrong or anything, you were as legible and correct as I was trying to be lol. You have an even better night, sir :)

[@we-must-live]

@@csonweedagain5054 oh, why thank you! it just so happens that when I write an elaborate piece directed to a specific person, I end up taking the focus in a completely different direction, invalidating the original intended message - just like i've done here! like, really, what is the point of what I just wrote? why am I staying up so late and for so long to try to cause sleep deprivation hallucinations? is it to feel a taste of that fear that used to drive me, or to just give myself an excuse to chug monster and say i chugged monster to all of my internet friends that definitely care about the lie that I chug monster! here i go again, making up stories - guess I'll never change! and yeah, I hope you enjoyed reading my essay as much as I did writing it

[@Vontux]

"We're all connected", can't wait for Serial Experiments Lain Tetris.

[@mcslender2965]

Can't wait for Strand type Tetris

[@InnuendoStudios]

Venineth: modernism Tetris Effect: postmodernism

[@ryba4439]

omg hi ian! always so nice seeing all my fav creators watching each other lol

[@TheMathDieu]

I would argue the opposite tbh. Tetris Effect: tries to ground the game as a sort of universal experience with a recognizable and somewhat logical "design" (quite modernist), while Venineth rejects this universality, rejects the possibility of answering the question of what it is, and subsequently embraces an otherness that is way too alien to be "objectively" understood (postmodern af).

[@lawrencesmeaton6930]

@@TheMathDieu I don't think you're quite right. Modernism is an old term now, and came into the world as an idea in the early 20th century. Modernist art is extremely abstract but grounds itself in fundemental truths and attempts to ascertain meaning through absolutes - for example there is an emphisis on geometry as symbolism. Post-modernism, by extension, is a rejection of 'modernism' and tries to reconceptualise the human experience thrugh a social lense and tries to explain that the meaning of life is through our shared experiences, history, culture and thus our future is dependent on our current relationships - as opposed to some higher universal power or scientific construct.

[@TheMathDieu]

@@lawrencesmeaton6930 modernist art isn't just abstract art, what we know as "abstract art" can be found in both modernist and postmodernist artistic movements, but even if abstract art was exclusively a feature of modern art, I would argue that the visuals of Tetris Effect are much more abstract than the ones of Venineth, so my point would still stand :p I don't see how your comment really contradicts mine tbh, I don't completely agree with how you characterized modernism and postmodernism as I find it a bit reductive (I'd say that your definition is more befitting that of poststructuralism rather than postmodernism per say) as postmodernism, both artistically and philosophically is too diverse and varied to give it a one fits all definition (besides the rejection of overarching truths and narratives which seems to be a trend of postmodern thought) but even if this characterization is taken into consideration, I feel like my comment still holds

[@nahometesfay1112]

@@lawrencesmeaton6930 it's funny that you describe modernism as focusing on fundamental truth and using geometric symbolism then say that Tetris Effect -a game that posits we are all connected by visions of geometric shapes- isn't modernist. But a bit more seriously, postmodernism doesn't simply reject religion and science, but anything that could fill a similar role like culture or history (these are called meta narratives). I think an argument can be made that Tetris Effect is about the subjectivity of an abstract game which sounds postmodernist, but then they tie it all together into a collective human experience which doesn't really sound postmodernist at all. Edit: I have no clue how or why that one line is crossed out

[@diplague]

Shame on you for not mentioning the greatest Historically Accurate Strategy Tower Defence Marble game, The Rock Of Ages

[@herculean616]

Tetris is just the game that you can never quit, you're instead just taking long breaks from playing :)

[@Mrguythepersonman]

There's some irony in Jacob referencing the "RTX On" meme in relation to Venineth, as one of the most advanced RTX demos Nvidia has available right now is a mini-game called "Marbles RTX". Ironic, because it's kind of the opposite of what Jacob finds so captivating about Venineth - all its incredible visual fidelity is used to anchor it in real, mundane things, almost a deliberate rejection of the abstract Marble Madness precedent.

[@ALtheBoi]

Shout out to all my homies who are bad at Tetris and are very embarrassed about it 💪

[@purromemes7395]

Gotta say that your videos have helped me. You along with a couple other youtubers have helped deradicalize from the alt right.

[@GrayAvian]

Jacob: Tetris is a relaxing game- Me, trying to dt canon into a 4 wide while fighting for life: haha yea-

[@username4570]

I love that Jacob watches Errant Signal, I get a great game recommended to me, I go play and love it and then I get an awesome meditative examination of it in a couple months

[@_Conzo_]

This is an incredibly intelligent, articulate, and simply fascinating video essay.

[@casualcadaver]

All his videos are incredibly intelligent and articulate . Its people like him that makes me feel like a dumb smooth brain lol.

[@_Conzo_]

@@casualcadaver Haha, same! I'm not on his level.

[@antomanifesto]

Most unexpected game to give me the Tetris Effect? War Groove! Literally couldn't sleep for all the random battle situations that kept popping up from my subconscious

[@svendinsvinderlin4569]

I got it from playing portal 1 and 2. Trying to sleep while flying around rooms into portals that throw you out in unintuitive places is really difficult.

[@The_Jovian]

I got it from chess and a mobile word puzzler

[@Avioto]

Into the Breach did it for me. I got so obsessed it became a little scary.

[@leomadero562]

I got that way with osu and recently call of duty

[@talonraker1140]

@@The_Jovian I've had it from chess recently too, super cool to know it has a name

[@ollioil]

I remember my first time through Tetris Effect on expert, it was incredibly challenging, supremely difficult to me but it wasn't until I just let the music, visuals, and vibes take over me that I was able to beat it. It was one of my favourite gaming experiences ever and I love going back to it every once in a while and just being swept up in it again. The last stage is incredible, it feels near impossible but once you make it out the other side you're just itching for another go. Tetris Effect is THE definitive Tetris experience to me.

[@EZOnTheEyes]

It was halfway through watching this I remembered I dreamt of the T-Spin move the other night. *The weird thing is I haven't played Tetris in months*

[@SanderAgelink]

I'd love to hear Jacob's perspective on the Myst games

[@manaulhoque6507]

Or The Witness

[@realkingofantarctica]

Why do people feel the need to buy drugs when Tetris Effect is way cheaper and legal?

[@gwen_gets_got]

Breath of The Wild's "vibe" is easily one of the my favs. For the most part a chill game, but those battles and always exciting. One of the reasons it's a favorite of mine.

[@reNINTENDO]

When you mentioned the abstraction of marble games, I was expecting the RTX Marbles demo to get a mention. Photorealistic, grounded levels built upon the most advanced graphics tech currently possible so you can play as a marble. Essentially the opposite of what came before. Gotta say though Venineth looks super cool and definitely a creative take on how abstract most marble games are.

[@user-on9rs3yx3s]

I just stumbled upon your channel accidentally and holy shit did I find a gem. I don't even know how to describe your channel, you just talk about books and games and plays and shit but somehow with every upload you delve deep into my psyche and either reveal something new i've never thought about before or just straight up fuck my brain. You are so eloquent with your words it's entrancing, you're like a poet. Every video i've watched so far i've been hypnotised right from the start - hanging off every one of your masterfully crafted sentences. My man Geller even somehow convinced me I want to read Piranesi and Death of a Salesman, and I haven't read in years. I wasn't expecting to find a top tier KZbin channel with quality on par with Exurb1a/Lemmino/Veritasium/Vsauce when I clicked on your video on the shape of infinity but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Anyway what i'm poorly articulating in my gushing fanboy rant is this channel is amazing and you use words good. I'm gonna go watch your entire catalogue and then eagerly await each new upload.

[@heyitsmort7744]

Love to see an Errant Signal shoutout. Ian Danskin’s was the whole reason I found Chris’ channel, and I’ve devoured his essays since.

[@ParadoxGavel]

"This means something. This means something big. But you, you human, just don't speak the language." I love it when games make me feel that way, but never really had the words for it before. Absolute chills.

[@RRM_Personal]

Jacob: Ah yes, my memories of Myst Also Jacob: *shows screenshot from Riven*

[@RatchetSly]

The golden dome of Temple Island is quite distinctive!

[@GlutesEnjoyer]

i absolutely love the music of this game. yours forever is a fantastic song.

[@workthrowaway8430]

Couldn't believe I saw someone talk about Tetris CD-I. The vinyl release of it is freaking great and came out from left field. Such a solid release.

[@Minihood31770]

When Venineth appeared I literally went "oh yeah, it's that Errant Signal marble game

[@fourleaves6877]

This has to be one of my favorite Jacob Geller videos. Listening (for the third or fourth time) while doing laundry, and I'm reminded that each time you say "We're *all* connected, we're *All* connected, we're *ALL* Connected-" makes a lump rise in my throat. Playing Tetris Effect has made me cry multiple times, and your conviction just makes that feeling come back to me. Thank you Jacob.

[@Laytonmario]

Still waiting for the marble cinematic universe

[@InsidiousClouds]

These videos are a cure all for writers block, artists block, or just.. any block in general. Having a breakdown before work? Boom, put on a Jacob essay. I've never been more satisfied than when I'm watching these videos. They scratch that itch of not being able to describe a *feeling*. And yet, Jacob manages perfectly. Listening to him ramble helps me brainstorm, because of how much he talks. Its therapeutic.

[@toobular]

thank you for talking about my favourite game, venineth. i have put literally 200 hours into it---an amount of time which i suspect is rivalled only by the developers themselves---because i was so smitten by it that i took up speedrunning it. so it's great to see it being enjoyed by and shared with other people. and what a coincidence, cdi tetris is my favourite tetris game too! one of my favourite video game soundtracks (after venineth)

[@tamaramacadam8650]

My friend literally just got Tetris Effect working on their computer a few hours ago, this is slightly terrifying

[@JumboRadish]

Have you seen the game Exo One? I feel like Geller could do an entire video on that one, atmosphere and vibes are truly otherworldly.

[@awanderingtraveler1972]

Really happy to finally see cdi getting some love, ive had the soundtrack in my playlists for years now and it kinda felt like everyone forgot it ever existed, good to know I wasnt the only one enjoying the weirdly chill vibes

[@boomkruncher325zzshred5]

I LOVE to do a complete journey through all the single player levels in Tetris Effect: Connected, the PC port of the game. It’s an endurance challenge that rewards you for your time with progressively more beautiful and emotional experiences, and ends beautifully.

[@nathanl8622]

I think my favorite line in this is that gentle "video games are ridiculous." So many KZbinrs who talk about video games or cartoons or other "nerdy" parts of culture point out how weird or silly it can be as a sort of self-defensive self-deprecation. This doesn't feel like that. It's just a sincere affirmation that yeah, this is all pretty silly, but that doesn't make it any less valuable.

[@shifty1927]

Seeing Jacob talk to us in person makes me smile.

[@BobisOnlyBob]

I wonder how Thumper fits in with these, as a modern "immaculate" take on rhythm games. It has a certain thematic world like Venineth, abstract and alien, and is equally uninterested in giving you a plot. Separately, on a whole different axis, I have to wonder about the vast gulf in tone and theme between Puyo-Puyo Tetris and Tetris Effect and Tetris 99, all of which seem to be thriving as titles simultaneously despite all fundamentally being (at least half) Tetris.

[@nickatorimi6926]

Thank you for the great videos! Your style of talking about these themes is very special, very calming and makes me pretty much meditate and reflect on things.

[@CristinaAlmarazLopez]

I love thinking about the games that inspired these primitive video games. You mentioned those slide contraptions where you just let the marble fall but I think the marble "videogame genre" is much more inspired by those wooden puzzles where you have to turn the whole thing to get a ball through a labyrinth or get several balls in their holes. And I just did a little search and Tetris was inspired by a math puzzle called Pentominos which has very similar moving pieces but made of 5 squares (usually made of wood) that you basically have to make fit together into a box. They're basically the same concepts as the video game incarnations and they share their simplicity and almost primal concept of "game". I just think it's neat that humans of the past and of the present are entertained by the same little things

[@Flo-zj9tg]

Haven’t watched yet but just wanted to say you are consistently my favorite KZbinr

[@alexmorenoac]

Jacob has the the superpower of being able to find any topic, find a deeper meaning intrinsic to it, then talk about it in a video that makes me reconsider all of my previous experiences in a moderate existential crisis

[@Fr0stbite1801]

I should try out Tetris Effect. It makes my senses feel good. If only it had Shinin' by Mondo Grosso.

[@sycastells1212]

When I first saw someone playing Lumines, my impression was "This is basically next-level Tetris." Then a year later I bought the game and sank hours upon hours into it.

[@andriypredmyrskyy7791]

I love that line "Of rolling marbles, and falling blocks"

[@foxsotired3038]

15:30 where did you get this music? I presume its 'Connected Jazz Improvisations by Henry Walsh' in the description, but I can't find anything. Links would be appreciated. EDIT: Found it, was further up the description (great find btw). Here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHjXhWR4es-LeLc

[@CallMeSheyzie]

I'm pretty new to video games (and this channel); I bought Tetris Effect for the switch after watching this video a week ago, and I'm so glad I did! I actually have never played tetris before, and I feel lucky that it's my first experience with it! :) It wasn't even remotely on my radar when considering what games to try out, thank you for talking about it!

[@hawkofthereborn43]

Never heard of Tetris Effect until I was in a discord call one day with some friends, where one was streaming this game to us. The instant he began the first level, I felt as if I recalled something I had long forgotten. This game is euphoria, and I don't think anything could ever match that feeling of pure awe and beauty as its soundtrack and visuals that sync with your gameplay. Tetris Effect is a masterpiece. THE masterpiece, of gaming. Who could have ever thought that falling blocks could make you cry.

[@Bonnythebest1]

I CANT BELIEVE IT.. Alright.. what the hell. Just one week ago I spend an entire day thinking about marble games on a whim and searching for a marble game I swore I saw on an essay video. I looked thorough all supereyepatchwolfs videos, I looked through yours, Jacob, I searched far and wide on Google to find it but alas I went to bed with a bitter taste in my mouth and I soon forgot about it. AND THEN a week later you release a video specifically about marble games, nonchalantly revealing not only that that game was venonith but also that that essay video I swore I saw was errant signals! I... I guess I'll just start thinking really really hard about how cool it would be to have a pc port of Bloodborne?

[@elhombre162]

Love your content! It's thoughtful and very well done and I get excited every time I get a notification there's a new episode.

[@theoe354]

Never stop, Jacob. You're by far my favorite channel to watch late at night when the day is over and im in a thoughtful and reflective mood. No one else could make a video about tetris and marble games anywhere near as interesting as you do. Bravo 👏

[@averytheaxolotl5689]

I think theres something else to add to these: match-3 games and bubble burst games. They are very similar to Tetris and Marble games but… different. We all know what a match-3 game is. Theres a square/rectangle of a few different tiles. You swip to match three or more of the same. Every match-3 game is the same but its also always different. Its the same thing with bubble burst. Its a game where you shoot different colored balls at a mass of balls coming towards you. Match a certain amount and you pop them. Pop all the bubbles around a certain section and the section falls. Both these subgenres havent changed, yet the games have. They havent evolved, like Tetris, but unlike Tetris, they still somehow change. Its strange yet… not

[@KaiserPigu]

"It means something, it means something specific. But you human, you non-marble, don't speak the language." You might not know it, but you've just beautifully sumed up my biggest art obsessions with this sentence.

[@djtakeout9163]

i think, ironically enough, my tetris effect experience/takeaway was much more alien than relatable. it definitely feels extraterrestrial in the sense that the game is permanently floating around a solar system in its menus & the gameplay is at best just an observant, pesky drone of classical physics that can only observe & record its surroundings without being impacted by them or impacting them in turn. it floats around & uses pretty particle effects to build fantastic constructions to remind us of what we already know. the CD-i tetris explored here is attempting to camouflage or peek out of its surroundings instead of replicating something; tetris effect couldn't care less about blending in. this is a tetris that is trying so desperately to pass a turing test it goes for the (best, i cry just thinking about it, no shade whatsoever) sentimental adult contemporary vibes. looking at veninieth was hearing the charles mingus interpretation of a puzzle game, all clamor & negative space jostling to see which is the most jarring but stitched together becomes something so inhospitable & alien you're forced to wrap your brain around it. tetris effect always seems to reach out like someone who knows you, & wants you to know that you know them already as well, even if you haven't seen each other in years; venineth is constantly turning away & presenting a new facet of itself, like it doesn't want to be fully known. after watching this i obviously had to check out the rest of venineth since i'm a dirty rotten macos user with no access to play PC games. i quickly found the speedruns, the intrepid few who want to take the most asocial super monkey ball game of all time & finish it quickly. even truncated like this it's a mesmerizing sight. the shortest runs are still well over an hour & very few people play this. it's still a nascent game in speedrun terms, lots of lost of time clearly visible along with faltering composure during even the world record run currently available on youtube, but i can't help but hope some of that flagging energy, the sudden inability to focus, was on someone's attention flickering &, just for a moment, wondering why stacking blocks or moving marbles in imaginary worlds feels so good, before snapping back & realizing that thinking about it isn't the same as watching yourself make it happen on a screen.

[@vanderkarl3927]

KZbin videos do not do this game justice. The video and audio compression are tested by it. If Tetris Effect seems like it might be up your alley at all, I highly recommend playing it yourself.

[@ethanwagner]

"You human. You... non marble" ah yes, 2021 is completely normal and everything is okay. Damn, this vid was fun

[@sator_project]

I'd say that Zachtronics games give me some Tetris vibes, in that you're less of a protagonist and more the victim of a puzzle.

[@DocKrazy]

Well. I didn't expect to cry twice today and then to spend money on a marble travelling through space. Damn you Jacob Geller.

[@MadHatter42]

Jacob’s description of Veninith’s alien landscape reminds me of H. P. Lovecraft’s description of the ancient idol of Cthulhu; “One sight of the thing had been enough to throw the assembled men of science into a state of tense excitement, and they lost no time in crowding around him to gaze at the diminutive figure whose utter strangeness and air of genuinely abysmal antiquity hinted so potently at unopened and archaic vistas. No recognised school of sculpture had animated this terrible object, yet centuries and even thousands of years seemed recorded in its dim and greenish surface of unplaceable stone. […] Its vast, awesome, and incalculable age was unmistakable; yet not one link did it shew with any known type of art belonging to civilisation’s youth-or indeed to any other time.”

[@fossposs6408]

ah nice, two of my childhood memories packaged into a video :○

[@jammydodger7065]

I do quite enjoy immaculate vibes, and I love your videos! another good one, Jacob :)

[@andriypredmyrskyy7791]

Yo, have you heard of exo one? That's another "Tetris effect for marbles"

[@stephenmorand]

As a Non-Marble, would it be cultural appropriation to play Venineth?

[@CodeRed001]

I'd love to hear you talk about Rez or Myst or Uru. I love those underrated games so much.

[@sugarcoatedslaughterhouse4937]

Have you ever played Sky: Children of the Light? I’ve gotten a lot out of it from visuals alone and I can imagine you enjoying it. And not just because it makes me think about Shadow of the Colossus.

[@npc6817]

Actually I remember my first game of tetris, and it was actually a board game

[@imilegofreak]

Somehow the Algorithm killed this video. Lets hope that changes somehow.

[@animal_4826]

jacob, this was the best video i've seen in a long time on youtube, thanks

[@flare8089]

This video made my day by being posted. I was having a not great day due to too many people and lack of sleep, but then you posted this and I got to watch it at the end of the day and it's instantly so much better :) Hope you had a good day, and your videos are always wonderful

[@noahcrawford3911]

Anyone know what that piano music was towards the end of the video?

[@andriypredmyrskyy7791]

The abstraction of the complex The construction from the simple

[@hansnes9006]

Tweet de Alvinch?

[@DanaKishimoto]

"Unless you watch Errant Signal" ok ya got me

[@JEREMAIAHJONES]

I never knew about the game yet i remember playing it 👁👄👁

[@mrsir3658]

This video is making me want to play tetris again

[@heek8964]

Man this video's vibes are... immaculate. And it also got me to play tetris effect.

[@fiftyfive1s410]

20:00 was an immaculate vibe. So perfect. 20 minutes.

[@Julio974]

3:28: > Says "[the ability to] hold tiles" > Game on screen is the most well-known release without that feature

[@PersonalZombie]

The gameboy color version of Tetris was my first game that I ever owned. My dad found it and the Gameboy color it was in at the airport and, when it went unclaimed at the lost and found for a week, brought it home for me. Still have that cart. It still has it's original owner's name in the high scores dispite how hard I've tried to beat em over the years

[@Cometstarlight]

Ok, I have almost the exact same story. There was a non color Gameboy left behind in lost in found after it was left on an airplane. It went unclaimed, so my Dad’s coworker told him to take it home. The game cartridge inside? Tetris. I still have that Gameboy and the Tetris game. I’m going to have to look to see who has the high score though!

[@SibyllineSounds]

Fantastic, so brimming with the joy and humanity that leaps forth from small innocuous things.

[@DeepDarkDweller]

videogames really are ridiculous. I love them so much XD

[@Т1000-м1и]

"1984 is about unstoppable Soviet construction"

[@subprogram32]

I really need to get to playing Veninith at some point, though admitedly I am very inexperienced with marble games apart from like, the marble levels of Super Mario Galaxy. XD It does sound like one heck of an experience though! And great video in general also! ^w^

[@connorhatch]

There is no Dana, only Tetris

[@3thanguy7]

with just "Tetris effect" I thought this might be about the witness. still a banger tho

[@vizthex]

tetris effect is the definitive tetris. don't @ me.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Jacob Geller has immaculate vibes.

[@shubhamraj25]

Bruhhhh you can make the same thing about chess

[@trevorx7872]

"I've never seen a game work so hard to not include any language." I take it you've never played the game Hyper Light Drifter, in which a beautiful story is told through stunning pixel art and absurdly good sound design. The only language in the game is the button prompts in the tutorial. All character speech is rendered through a unique set of beautifully made pixel-art images. Also, its combat makes you feel and look like a ninja.

[@JacobGeller]

You can literally watch an archived stream of me playing through HLD lol

[@trevorx7872]

@@JacobGeller oh damn where is it? I can't seem to find it on youtube or twitch edit: ok i found it, it's in the swordstream things