Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia - the Importance of Atmosphere

[@maraganger]

PATREON : www.patreon.com/maraganger TWITTER : twitter.com/maraganger There's just something about Lake Ophelia that lives rent free in my head. The atmosphere, the depths having no right being this deep, the music. Aaaah, it was such a fun time to play through this !

[@poppiaria]

There's actually another....hidden?..thing in the game. It can appear near the broken down shack very very rarely but it's interesting.

[@KBash]

Hey, this was really cool - I was just bored at night watching gaming videos and wow, your production quality is really high, specifically the visuals. Cool game and cool video 👏

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! I look up to your work so it means a lot to hear this from you. ; v ;

[@koiofokinawa]

I know the game is supposed to be a little creepy, but it's been therapeutic for me in the sense that it chills my PTSD/depression down in ways most other games don't. It's weird. I love it. Wish I knew more games like it.

[@maraganger]

Ah that's so cool that you can find catharsis in a game like that. Lake Ophelia's definitely special in that way. :>

[@koiofokinawa]

@@maraganger I ended up watching all your videos after seeing this one, you have super good videos and incredible taste in games 🙏

[@maraganger]

@@koiofokinawa Aw thank you, it means a lot to hear this ! ; w ;

[@optiplanetomatosoup]

the game was actually inspired by ocarina’s fishing minigame, cool to see someone making the comparison

[@onetitwndr]

Idk what kinda drugs you put in your videos but they're so addictive I can't stop bingeing your stuff. Great work all around

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you !

[@prahanormal]

Hey, I was also extremely unnerved by the fish pond when I was a kid. For me it was the lingering presence of horror I had already gotten from other areas in the game already. I even caught a look at the loach while messing around with the iron boots and that really freaked me out for some reason.

[@TheAmoring]

Hey, great channel! I just finished this game yesterday and found your video while looking for reviews of this game. L Your review pinpointed my expierence through the game and I was really confused as I really enjoyed the game, but needed some kind of closure as to what the heck was I supposed to get from it... I knew it was talking about something. But I couldn't put my finger on it. And after your story about Ocarina, some memories triggered and I finally understood what was missing. This is my own personal experience and it may or may not make sense but I feel inclined to share. I grew up with a Nintendo 64. Like most, I played ocarina, diddy kong racing, Star fox... And Banjo-Kazooie. Now I mention banjo because it was my favorite game, a game I've spent countless hours fooling around the various stages and this game, MUTLO, finally touched on an uncanny feeling some old games had with me. To explain those feelings, we have to take into consideration feel things: I was a child, unaware of how games are made, and the limitations of the hardware of that era of gaming. Those games had what I'll call """liminal spaces""". Certain parts of levels that existed in-game but... were strange. Out of place. Nothing in particular intentionally scary, but.... something was off. You see, Banjo-Kazooie was a very well-crafted game for the time, so every tiny space in the levels had to have a motive to exist. The hardware didn't support waste of space, and games like Ocarina and Banjo were aware of that. Now, as I mention I didn't know how games were made, BUT, those games would create this environment where you kinda knew that every part of the level existed for a reason. If a door was modeled 3D in banjo, you knew it was a door you could open. There isn't a Door texture in banjo I didn't try to break open using the many attacks moves the game offers you. I didn't know how games were made. But I had played them enough to get a fifth sense that I knew those things. Kind of like you even as a kid realized at some point if a mountain in dragon ball was drawn differently, someone was going to either destroy it or interact with it. You probably didn't know what an animation cell was... but you already understood the mechanics. Everything had a reason to be where it was. So whenever you found a place that seemed.... empty, your senses would go wild. I mention banjo for another reason: Rare had a twisted sense of humor and they would sometimes leave intentional "easter eggs" for players. Sometimes easter eggs there were intentional jokes ON the player. A good example of that is a collectible in Conkers Bad fur day, another collect-a-ton, that is virtually impossible to get. That's right, it's a game about collecting items... but they had one very visible item you couldn't reach in the game through any means. No matter what you did, you couldn't open that damn cell door. Banjo doesn't have those specifically.... but it had unfinished easter eggs, intended to be only unlocked with the sequel game (google "banjo ice key" if you want an example). A mechanic, mind you, that never actually happened, due to the Nintendo 64 limitations. In other others, Banjo had intentional content that couldn't be reached.... So you had areas "without purpose", with secrets you knew were there... but were always one extra jump out of reach. One immovable cell door away. Mysteries, if you will. Ocarina had similar things. Unlike banjo, it wasn't a collect-a-ton, but it was a game filled with secret quests and extra items. Lake hilya was huge and there were always weird little things that kept you wondering "what if I bombed this Tree another time... will it open a secret level?" Being a kid in the early 2000s ofc also meant you didn't have access to the internet, so urban legends among children were plenty ("L is real" comes to mind). In my personal memory, I recall to this day dreaming of discovering a whole new area in Clanker's Cavern. I remember vividly that, in my dream, I found out you could dig a dynamite lever and destroy open a giant metal crate that had a "flammable" icon texture on it. As a child, these levels were endless. I didn't know I could just look up online "where does the level content actually end". Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia is about all those feelings combined. About the calm but tense fishing lake in ocarina, about the ice key locked away, teasing me with secrets and levels I could only dream off. It gives you the sense of this weird subliminal game.... with this one hole under the lake. Tempting you. Always one notch away. But the game gives you the Sunken maid. It allows you to jump into the rabbit's hole. To peek over the curtain your child self dreamt of. The game opens the cell door. The game gives you that one extra jump. You can reach the ice key... But what you get from it is something weird and dark.

[@maraganger]

I definitely get what you mean and glad that you found such a meaning in this game. One small addition though, you actually can get the ice key in Banjo Kazooie by entering a cheat code in Treasure Trove Cove. "CHEAT NOW YOU CAN SEE A NICE ICE KEY WHICH YOU CAN HAVE FOR FREE" without any spaces. You can then get it but it does pretty much nothing since like you said, the Stop N Swap easter egg was unfinished. :>

[@mervynjones9909]

How is this channel not blowing up yet, this is such quality production :0

[@maraganger]

Aw, thank you ! I definitely take great pride in presenting something visually appealing. ; v ;

[@jackjohnnson3475]

I missed out on this game because I was spoiled the ending thinking this was a cheap fake wholesome game fishing for cheap thrills now I'll definitely look towards other games by the creator thanks for the video !

[@williamaitken7533]

Excellent video! I really appreciated the context that you put everything in! I think the claustrophobic feelings you get in those kind of spaces come from how blatantly artificial they are. It triggers that "something in the environment is not correct" sense that helped us avoid being eaten in the wild. If you've ever seen fallout shelters that have natural scenes and sky blue painted on the walls, it's like that.

[@maraganger]

You put that exact feeling in words so nicely. You're absolutely correct, it's that sort of uncanny feeling that permeates the entire play area !

[@gigamt1484]

....I didn't realize there was a run button. This whole time I was thinking it was just a bold choice that you could only move around at a snails pace. Your insights are amazing. At least it brought me comfort because I thought "nothing will chase after me because I can't run."

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you, that must've been quite the experience haha !

[@BackpackComics]

Amazing video! I think fishing in games is cool, Bryce makes such amazing and unique games. Atmosphere is everything and I feel like a lot of new horror games forget about this. Your video was amazing! :D

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! Can't help but agree, Bryce's work goes so hard. ; w ;

[@BackpackComics]

@@maraganger Seriously! I'm always looking for in-depth videos like these! Always wanted to make one myself but it's quite intimidating LOL Gonna check out some more of your vids :)

[@maraganger]

@@BackpackComics The older stuff's a bit eeeh but hope you enjoy ! :>

[@BackpackComics]

@@maraganger I feel the same about my stuff LMAO Im still probably going to enjoy it :D

[@TenorioGustavo]

Great to see someone covering this game, loved your video

[@Kloqdq]

Great video about something so unknown! Awesome video and subscribed!

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@dandy_dragon]

Came across this channel when i looked the game up after playing it, definitely fills the invisible checkboxes in my brain of videos i'll return to several times a month. And delightfully excited to see the rest of your videos !!

[@maraganger]

I'm glad my work managed to hit you in the right spot haha ! Thank you so much. :>

[@billcipherfankamenvorvanov9208]

Fishing is honestly a very underrated part when it comes to games. This game seems very charming for sure. Very lovely review, props to you for mentioning Digimon World!

[@maraganger]

Thank you, you just know I had to mention it at least once haha !

[@morganraine9208]

awesome video. My ears perked up at the dark cloud track. Subscribed uwu

[@maraganger]

So glad someone finally noticed the track haha ! Thank you very much. ; v ;

[@colinsolalcardo]

amazing channel, your presentation and writing is so good ! love the galerians video too

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you ! :>

[@xanakina]

Love the new thumbnail for this video! Also what a cute game! Until the end of course lol! But overall what a comfy game! Great review and can't wait to see more!!

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@Tate231283]

This was great video! 👍

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@stardusty]

Cool review. Thanks for reviewing these under the radar games.

[@somethingelse9598]

Great video! I’m definitely going to check this game out!

[@maraganger]

Hope you enjoy ! :>

[@trashbirdie]

This channel is awesome! I just found you today and then I proceeded to binge all of your videos

[@maraganger]

Aw thank you ! The older stuff is a bit rough around the edges but I hope you'll enjoy nonetheless !

[@codykennedy5485]

Great video on a hidden gem!

[@maraganger]

Thank you ! :>

[@ministermozarella4869]

When you increase your luck it increases the chance to get the green glow in the lake.

[@overdeadhills7387]

Great video

[@Kishy]

Love this game, love this video and subbed to your channel! Super great content!!

[@maraganger]

Thank you so much ! :>

[@morganlak4337]

Ah shit I love this game so excited to see it here!

[@ministermozarella4869]

good video

[@stinky1895]

DARK CLOUD 2 MUSIC 💖💖💖💖

[@cosieman4877]

Just got it from the itch bundle

[@marafolse8347]

This is an amazing game! It was included in the Ukraine bundle, and it’s the first one I played (:

[@maraganger]

Glad to hear ! That bundle was for a great cause and it contains so many great titles. :>

[@PregnantAdamSandler]

what is the clip from 3:12 from?

[@maraganger]

One of Bryce's game in the Haunted PS1 2021 Demo Disc ; Protagoras Bleeds !

[@wispy36]

fish : )