OWLMAN (Something in the Woods)

Stranded at night in a national park, a motorist finds themselves trapped between a killer, and something else entirely.
Check out the game on Steam: store.steampow...
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[@mementoGamedev]

Should say for record that I was trying a lot of new things with Owlman that aren't the sort of things my projects usually consist of, some of which in hindsight falls flat. The motivation for the PSX style was really just that I've made so much in a more realistic style that I wanted to try something different. But I agree PSX and VHS styles combined can come off as gimmicky, though in this case I'm quite happy with the unique look Owlman has. Also should add that the planned followup game is not at all more of the same, but an entirely new set of survival horror mechanics and a new character, an investigator following the missing persons case. Something I struggle with personally is trying to communicate the idea of the thing that's in my head to the player, since after months of focusing on something there's such a complete picture of it in my mind that it can get lost in translation. 38:50 onward is very useful criticism, always appreciate it. I'll push back on the 'lazy' label however since Owlman and now my next release are projects that over the last six+ months, not to be too dramatic- I've put such large parts of myself into that I'll never get back. These things matter to me so profoundly that at the moment I don't know how much left I have to put in them. Which brings me around to the decision to set the game to free, which I was nervous would offend. It seemed however like the right thing to do because the time to complete was much shorter than the expectation which was probably skewed by how long I spent making it. So I sort of trapped myself with no perfect way out... But anyway, I'll keep all this in mind in the future. Rant over, thanks for playing!

[@millenial8212]

Dont get rid of the PS look its amazing tbh

[@ViniSocramSaint]

In case you are taking suggestions for the sequel or future patches to the original: keep the playstation graphics, it's kinda neat. It's an adventure in itself to see everything so realistic from afar then you get close and there is the pixel art. Love the shrub and trees in that style ^_^. Also, about the atmosphere and recording style, give a new "contemporary electronics camera interference effect" for the main adventure, then use the VHS effect on the recordings of the tapes. That will signify to the player when they are in the recording, while keeping the atmosphere of "found footage" in the main exploration.

[@mementoGamedev]

@@ViniSocramSaint was thinking just now about returning to the usual realistic style for the sequel, but I can keep it as is, thanks. It'll all be shown from one character's perspective and have more exposition, so hopefully easier to follow without cutting between tapes recorded by different characters.

[@TheLibrarianYT]

Definitely appreciate that you're trying out new styles and ideas, and that much was clear from the start with the driving mechanics! I do think that pissing off those who paid is just something you'll have to deal with, as it is better going forward if it's free and more or less serves as a demo for the continuation. I think it's the right decision, just one that should have been made before release. You said one thing which I really want to address, because I relate to it big time. Taking what's in your head and conveying it so that others will feel the same thing. That's REALLY hard to do, especially since your games are very much vibes-based, which is so subjective. I felt that Where's Oswald? nailed it in that regard, while others might think of it as a game where not much happens. A niche game, but one that is VERY much appreciated when it's looked at in the right way. Also, as you said, when you spend a lot of time on something, you can become so familiar with certain information that you can't tell how well that information is being communicated to a new player who isn't already aware of it. Getting some volunteers to playtest and seeing what they struggle with might help with this. One thing that should encourage you though is that my main complaint was that it ended too soon for the price tag. I had played through what was there and wanted more. Despite its more concrete tone, I even saw hints of what I liked about Where's Oswald? throughout. You feel eyes on you even before you have reason to suspect there's anything wrong. I couldn't even tell you why, but the feeling is there. So while there's plenty of room for improvement, I'm definitely still interested in seeing what's to come with both Owlman and other games. Keep it up!

[@mementoGamedev]

@@TheLibrarianYT That's exactly right, and I've said this before but that's precisely what I love about these videos- that you not only can pick up on and appreciate when the experience is more about a feeling than it is what's immediately happening on screen, but also articulate it. It's not just entertaining but is super helpful for creating that sort of content. That feeling is so important that I've scrapped entire projects at times when it wasn't there. Where's Oswald itself was the third iteration of something I'd first made in ~2015. What's funny is it probably would have been more beneficial for me as well to have released it as F2P because it could have gotten more exposure that way, since valve recently reduced how frequently sales can be run, from what I understand. But we learn, anyway. I'll for sure have to be getting more playtesters involved, since so far these things have all been made in near total isolation. Got lots of stuff coming up, next game is coming out this month and expands on some of Where's Oswald's themes.

[@thomasknight1726]

Oooooh my god. It took me a bit to realise, but some of the rooms in that house you're walking through around the 10-11 minute mark are direct copies of the house in Observation Duty 5!! Down to the furniture placement and furls of the bedsheets! I guess they're from an asset store or something, but neat either way! Actually, that sounds like a series that you might have fun with Librarian.

[@Isloff]

realised that too lol. i was like hang on a second this looks familiar

[@pandabox006]

I knew I recognised it from somewhere aha!

[@Amphibius_]

It's funny too because I watched Markiplier play Observation Duty 5 on the house level today... Then this came out and I immediately recognized the rooms lmao 😂

[@genericwhitekidthesecond4330]

Oh heh I guess that explains why the bathroom and attic are locked then. They are just carried over assets and the developer couldn't find a use for them so they were locked (except with the bathroom during the killer stalking sequence)

[@zombieslayer02gjustzombies85]

Realized that at the end with the bathroom lol

[@anthhud]

Bruh owl man fills me with fear after those prank videos

[@SirKemzyGodle]

Those were horrifying

[@adobejedrol]

That’s some og shit my man

[@Scp716creativecommons]

i went to see what they were. Ultimate cheese, i get they're for kids, but... le sigh. Camera work, and costumes, were pretty cool. They just need to put half that effort into natural scenarios.

[@PMC14J]

Bruh owl man fills me (i hate myself)

[@cats2927]

I remember that

[@Hackerman177]

Honestly, there's something so unnerving about driving through a forest at night. Some of my most distinct childhood memories are looking out of the car window, sitting in silence as we drive through the twisting, loney backroads of Ohio. Each house we drive pass seems dormant, with no light pouring out of the window. We had a flat tire once, and I saw a deer's eyes staring back at me.

[@FranciumBoron]

Ah, a fellow Ohioan. Hello.

[@TheRogueWolf]

Owls have some really distinct and haunting calls, which would have really pushed up the tension if you could hear the owlmen give them out periodically as they moved. The low-volume hooting they got instead kind of lowers the perception of them being threatening and feels like a wasted opportunity.

[@Masamune-JGb215]

I love your content dude. It reminds me of when creepypastas and horror games exploded into popularity for that golden period on KZbin before the algorithm changed the recommendations. Love to see content like yours that explores curiosity and things of interest that are more niche

[@arbitrary2868]

0:01 Intro/Menu 2:04 Game Start 5:04 Owlman Talk (If you've seen plenty of videos about owls, you'll know why a human sized one is nightmare fuel. Those tallons, being able to see and hear in the dark with predatory focus, and don't get me started on how they rip into their prey.) 5:27 Barn (Urbex > Horror Movie Instinct. Also sounds like a Barred Owl.) 6:52 End of the Road (Negan was here) 7:38 Backwoods Church 8:56 Off the Grid Home 9:10 Something Bad Happened Here... (House Exploration) 11:12 Into the Basement (Hopefully this time Oswald isn't waiting there...) 11:56 Lost Tape #1 13:21 Hoot Hoot (Looks like a Barn Owl, sounds like a Western Screech Owl pitched down, moves like a .jpeg. End of Tape 1) 14:46 No Mans Land (When someone says "We got to make a run for it" you know your in a poor predicament.) 15:38 Death by Hoot Hoot 15:57 The Owlcave (Don't sue us Bruce. Or Evan.) 18:10 The Shadow Realm (Jimbo) 19:08 It's safe to say when you find one animal there's a whole species to be found, no matter its intelligence or elusiveness. 19:39 What an Odd Ending 20:04 Attempt 2 20:39 Hopefully you meet the Green Man. I heard he's a nice guy despite appearances. (You should totally read about him, Raymond Robinson. Warning, he was disfigured so be prepared for that.) 21:40 Bunnyman Bridge (Or Sensabaugh Tunnel, your pick.) 22:11 Death by Hoot Hoot 2 22:22 On the Beaten Path 23:18 Death by Hoot Hoot 3 23:48 Revisiting Tape 1 24:19 Brick Sh**house 24:38 Back to Barn 24:48 Lost Tape #2: Strange Animal Sightings 26:02 Hourn Jumpscare 26:17 Night (in the) Woods Talk 27:01 Cult Cabin (So basically it's Slenderman and a Proxy scenario.) 27:37 Death by Hoot Hoot 4 27:50 Ending 2 (was lame. Most horror indie games do this just so they have "multiple endings.") 28:38 Chase (Card) Mode 30:07 Death by Hoot Hoot 5 30:30 Death by Hoot Hoot 6 30:42 Oops 31:07 Doge 31:45 Attempt 3 (and some explaining) 32:33 Playing with The Proxy 33:43 Behind the Locked Door 34:03 Rear Window (Horror Edition) 34:52 Someone Clip This (Death by Hoot Hoot 7) 35:00 Critique for Game Dev (This is clearly an older project, but it's still good to hear) 35:27 BUT NOT TODAY 35:42 Tip 35:57 Tape 2 Observations 36:24 If you wanted a good look at Owlman, here it is. 37:35 Tunnel Escape (Bob the Builder cleared it earlier.) 38:26 Once or twice in my life. (Audience Question) 38:42 Ending Thoughts 1 39:15 Ending Thoughts 2: Past Edition 39:55 Oh yeah , that's bad. 40:12 Oh that's really bad. 40:50 You know what this reminds me of? Freeware horror games from the 2010s, with everything good and bad that comes with them. Only it's $6. And it's 2023. 41:20 About the Chases 41:28 About the VHS/Aesthetic 43:54 About the PS1 Look 44:48 About the Buildup 45:59 About the Plot 46:48 Outro

[@genericwhitekidthesecond4330]

Why do you put so much effort into the time stamps holy hell Like no hating I'm just surprised you'd do this on a relatively short video

[@arbitrary2868]

@@genericwhitekidthesecond4330 Thanks for the kind words! Usually when the video is under an hour I don't do timestamps, but when Librarian mentioned it was developed by the same person who made "Where's Oswald?" I opened up the notepad and got to it. Which is a good thing, there are plenty of moments here that people can repeat and enjoy (especially 34:52 and 35:27).

[@bussinnutsfuckinbutts5368]

"Moves like a jpeg" lmaooo

[@TheRealVGR]

5:27 Those are Tawny Owl calls. A Barred Owl sounds like its saying: "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you allll?" Also 13:21,Barn Owls don't hoot,they screech.

[@arbitrary2868]

​@@TheRealVGRYeah, it does sound like a Tawny, my bad. I'm saying it LOOKS like a Barn Owl, it sounds like a Western Screech Owl pitched down.

[@TheDBPhantom]

When I was in project extra in elementary school, we got to dissect owl pellets and rebuild the mouse skeletons we found. I got a mostly completed one, it was super cool. I am curious to see what the owlman's regurgitated prey looks like, haha.

[@Redsoul291]

This games concept has a lot of potential. Imagine affecting the timelines of the different tapes. The serial killer could be a roaming enemy in what was a kind of safe house. Now all you have is a cozy safe room like attic. Their could’ve been lots of exploratory parts and mysteries and other little safe houses. Creepy comfy cryptid survival finding new tapes and tvs. That’s part of why it being so lazy sucks because it could’ve been great Edit: like if someone made slender the arrival but better

[@rhondahalley3759]

The man on the strange animal sighting and the killer could be the other two owls at the normal ending

[@Soviet_-_Spy]

Hell yeah! Always a great day when there's a new upload. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@V0ID_X5]

It’s simple: I see The Librarian playing a unique and interesting spooky game- I click!

[@Numbers225]

it's obvious, and the concept has been said before, but the constant tension from someone like me who's conditioned to expect jumpscares, only to keep hearing that soft, but distorted cooing is absolutely goddamn terrifying and stressful.

[@DanielBerthellemy]

Been watching Owlman prank videos few years back, seems like game lore and locations are tied with those prank videos directly. The church especially, when a handicapped man brought his caretaker for a day to the Owlman's crunch to be sacrificd.

[@Grain_Gobbler]

I was not prepared to hear the words “Take me owl daddy!” Come out of Chris’ mouth on this fine Monday evening.

[@CramHuntsCryptids]

This video had me hooked at "Cryptid." I'm super excited for this.

[@generatoralignmentdevalue]

The escape ending is so pretty and chill.

[@DrakeNS42]

Watching this a bit late - thanks for sharing! Had an odd idea for a unique perspective game after watching a bit. A "2nd person" game where you play a game that is presented as dashcam footage. You drive the car, and when you get out, the game places you in front of the car in the headlights, limiting your interactions with what is lit. Somewhat limiting, but also something different.

[@gwenie23100]

I love that I some of the videos with driving librarian still sticks to the road rules

[@enissp6197]

Kinda funny that the title in brackets seem to leave much up to the imagination while the title itself just outright answers the questions you internalize when reading the title of the video (bracketed)

[@thepuzzlax627]

Tis’ always a comfy day when The Librarian posts.

[@creditsunknown7974]

♪ Owlman~ Owl me a man ♪

[@marthinusdvorek1126]

When I was a little kiddo, one of the things I was afraid was seeing an owl. I was not scared of them, but of what they symbolized. As I was told by parents, owls sleep during the day and awake at night. So, seeing an owl means that the darkness is rapidly approaching. For me, owls were sort of a gate into the realm of night.

[@viren_jalkun]

Speaking of Cryptids, when I lived in Ohio I was literally right across the river from Point Pleasant West Virginia. I was outside smoking a cigarette one morning, was about 10:40 I believe. Anyways I looked up into the sky and I saw a fairly large winged creature up in the sky. I thought that possibly it was a large bat of some sort because the wings seemed like they were made of skin like a bat. ANYWAYS as I was watching it it flew INTO A cloud and that blew my mind because that means it was waaayy bigger then I had first thought! :O

[@nicaalex6062]

17:11 here we can see how librarian is transforming into a snake

[@adrielquiroga7901]

38:30 I have. Here, school and university start around 7 am. In winter we go practically at night, because there's the stars and the moon still up at that time.

[@andreaszottl9989]

Librarian playing a horror game and be like: "Now this is kida spooky" at 20:50

[@PumaVoid]

First time I've heard him sound kind of angry

[@Scaveged]

10:42 wait the house looks familiar to another house from a different horror game I can't remember

[@iamahiphopfan3759]

I’m on observation duty 5?

[@Scaveged]

@@iamahiphopfan3759 maybe but the game has an evil or a demon woman and you're like a teenager

[@thobu6576]

The figure on the menu screen definitely becomes clearer as it gets darker.

[@onicore]

Oh, Owlman is the name of a creature from a reeally old horror movie EDIT: Looked it up, the name was "Lord of Tears"

[@Lucas-yu4bu]

Yeah i think I remember it inspired some pretty awesome pranks? I remember seeing a lot of them on KZbin

[@BillyTheBigKid82]

Wow that flashlight effect really hurt my eyes...

[@SBejarano83]

Owlman needs the following things. 1. A character model for the Player. 2. When getting inside and outside of the car. Showing arms and hands of the Player. 3. Door handles that the Player needs to interact with by using arms and hands. 4. Working Mirrors via in Bathrooms or in any location. 5. Have the car Speedometer actually working and the car steering wheel turn with your arms and hands. Have the rear view mirror also working. Have the side mirrors working to be able to se yourself and the road. 6. Change the Flashlight Brightness from what it is. 7. Give the Killer a Voice and the Player as well. I have a question to ask the Developer. What was the point in having the Tunnel Caved In? Why is there no explanation about that? Also, why did the man in the white shirt, who gets turned into a Killer, get possessed by the Owlman?

[@RaidLiam2005]

I’ve been watching u since u started from the fog and I actually rlly love your content and excited for the future of your channel

[@vicooficial]

It's like a fever dream mix of "I live under your house/It lives under the house", "I Remember This Dream", "Driving Home" and one very weird game that you also did a video about that also featured tapes and multiple viewpoints.

[@---qm1th]

Man, Echoes of the Eye looks different from what I remembered

[@Scoobis925]

Man never enter the woods without a flash light with a minimum of 100k lumens and an M1 Abrams

[@samueloville]

I want to see a game made in a sort of "phone found footage" style. the bad pixelated antialiased blury look of a 2008 - 2010 phone would possibly make for a bit more of a scarier and honestly believable experience, especially if done correctly. Since, almost everyone carries a phone with them. Especially when wandering, hiking, or camping. Personally, that would open up a door for a more sort of "Modern Found Footage" genre, rather than the classic 90's found footage we see everytime. If you still don't know what i mean, look at KZbins early videos. like really early. you'll get a picture of the idea. ...or just turn the video quality down to 144p - 240p.

[@kyzaki2338]

I love these videos sm, keep up the good work 👍

[@Amphibius_]

The house you walked through shares the exact same rooms as in Observation Duty 5!!

[@panzerkampfwagonmausbattalion]

0:14. Not gonna lie but the background reminds me of slenderman and the 8 pages. Also beautiful background

[@justafriendlycryptid]

I was brought in because- Owlman is a British Cryptid that's very similar to Mothman. Almost identical really from the descriptions I've found.

[@anthahannnteague8222]

owl packed skates so it can slide around the forest floor

[@Zap_R0sdower]

It'd make more sense of the driver placed the camera on the dash of the car and left it running rather than him seemingly holding it while behind the wheel.

[@cuphead3971]

Librarian, I think you'd love gmod; The Lost Souls of Igneon.

[@TheSmel05]

they're in the wooooooods

[@EnvyTheLost]

Librarian, I don't want to alarm you, but there might an Owlman or Owlmen in the woods!

[@halfwayroundtheworld]

I hope the librarian will play Stanley parable. His input on it is necessary.

[@IvanSensei88]

Love it when horror game devs think it's a clever idea to put a DOT crosshair on the middle of the screen to make their horror experience more immersive. That is as useful as me attaching a silencer to a bazooka the other day in order to infiltrate the enemy base silently... later on I installed an ACOG Scope on my Spoon so I can aim at that soup and scoop it better.

[@greenflames11]

got some paptarts today out the machine. strawwberry, very nice

[@britbdog9136]

Owls are also the only know living things that are completely silent when in flight.

[@Juup2003]

Have you played the puzzle games from rusty lake? They form an entire story. They are imo very good!

[@brassbeast8582]

1:33 you can see a total of 3 there [that i noticed] actually

[@MildManneredBen]

I couldn’t help but laugh at how much that car was bouncing around. It moved like a speed boat! Edit: There’s something about going from pitch black darkness to overblown white light that is really unnerving! Neither option lets you fully see what’s going on…

[@mementoGamedev]

lol was using unreal's new vehicle physics system but it wasn't agreeing with me. The car actually behaved differently in development builds vs shipping builds.

[@MildManneredBen]

@@mementoGamedev Super cool experience, thank you for all your work and effort!

[@SillyismThe]

Enjoyed this! I hope to see more Viscera Cleanup!

[@Laban6112]

I think you would enjoy Rake, the game can be super atmospheric and creepy if you immerse yourself.

[@TheForgetfulTimekeeper]

Love your videos as usual

[@PumaVoid]

You should play Zardy's maze. its a really good free (I think) indie horror game

[@moalisiddiqui]

Their horrifying and incessant hooting!

[@UNKNOWN-mj6lf]

just watched some videos about barn owls and you posted this video, very interesting

[@vlognblog.]

the flash light just..

[@thelegendmario1064]

I thot I worked in a library....

[@thinginground5179]

The owls are not what they seem...

[@iwest6256]

So wait, in the ending where you escape, why are you reported missing and why is someone watching a tape that you recorded that was found?

[@FenrirHalts]

I think that house is the same one from one of the I'm On Observation Duty games. Weird seeing it with the low-res shader effect

[@kodyrankin8749]

Hey I know this is unrelated, but could you take a look at a game called obduction. Similar to outer wilds perhaps?

[@terrhistopheles3570]

THE OWLMAN FEEDS AT MIDNIGHT

[@bssrck3687]

That's the same house from I'm in observation duty

[@Cat-sampo]

I wouldnt even say they tried too hard on the chasing aspect. It looks like they just threw a gmod nextbot into the game called it a day

[@nathanchapin8445]

Oooo nice

[@ttmso]

YOUR FIRST!!!

[@nathanchapin8445]

@@ttmso Finally!

[@DarkStarGames.]

Yooo I love the Owlman. The prank videos around em are so good. You should check em out if you haven’t!

[@personwho4302]

If this guy doesn’t post another from the dog video tomorrow I’m going to die from desth

[@aperture27]

I just finished watching markipliers newest video and then watched this video almost immediately afterand I noticed this house is the exact same house in observation duty

[@Scp716creativecommons]

Taaake me Owl Daddy😂😂

[@cerovk6000]

Owl daddy? Oh man this guy is….

[@furiouskade8592]

elaborate

[@Asghar19019]

Owl indeed

[@ca2t10n]

game recommendation, (if you haven't played it) Silent Hill 4

[@bearishplane17]

Cant lie though, owls are cute in general.

[@pingeee]

i think their kind of hot

[@bearishplane17]

@@pingeee Hold up wait a minute. Something ain't right.

[@cjsolution]

heck yeah!!

[@kaiyotee2475]

"Take me owl daddy"

[@Randomeaninglessword]

The price tag for that length is steep. Especially since it's so underdeveloped. It feels like a mix-and-match of horror game tags pulled out of a hat: "cryptid," "cult," "found footage." What's even the reason for the VHS tape gimmick anyway? Why is your character filming themselves silently driving alone at night on a TAPE (with an old video recorder in one hand I guess)? Why are there VHS tapes within VHS tapes? Why did they think a flashlight that makes it harder to see was a good idea? It's a casserole of poor choices.

[@floppavevo5920]

Yeah, I love found footage stuff, but it does annoy me when the creator can't figure out some reason why they're filming.

[@SavorySoySauce]

That flashlight is so annoying. They might be trying to replicate the video tape effect

[@raymondmurdock8603]

OK but like humanoid owls weren't they on the ringworld at the end of outer wilds

[@pierrevulcan3683]

While that game is pretty disappointing, the term owlman, and the moment when you said "the owlman is coming" at 31:13 reminded me of a duo (technically trio) of old flash games I haven't seen talked about, called Outpost. Seems Dead Space inspired, two engineers come to a station orbiting a planet to check after it's gone dark, and find more that they've bargained for. I'm not sure if flash games are even your cup of tea, but I think you'd enjoy playing them on your own time at least! Just in case, for you or anyone interested, the three games are Outpost, or Outpost: Haven, Outpost: Swarm which was a combat expansion, and Lost Outpost, the sequel. Since Flash can be tricky, you may be better off using the Flashpoint launcher and typing outpost in the search bar. They're there. I won't spoil much, but I will say it isn't necromorphs, it is mostly a top-down shooter, has some pretty good scary moments and environmental story telling. The beginning of the first game is especially delicious, I think. Two more things. Watch for "Ule", and a quote. "The owl men are here, and they are so very hungry."

[@tangytoucan9832]

Will we get more voices of the void?

[@cjsolution]

🎉

[@Akakikukaku]

I love you I mean I love your videos Yes

[@Slipperyslab]

I thought this game was gonna be a banger

[@pingeee]

this developer is amazing at creating ambience and nice looking maps but the enemy and game mechanics fall flat, he really should consider working together with another dev to make up in the areas where he lacks in

[@Ashelybee]

The guy from batman?

[@naturewandererZ]

The complete and utter terror this game gives me on a primal level...

[@RoboPlaysYT]

Y no upload today?

[@basimaziz]

I'm a dev myself and it's not unfair to ask for a couple bucks in return for our time. Our time isn't worth nothing. However, this game isn't making the best case for that.

[@JPBTVA]

bees coot!

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

There's some nice presentation here and there, but overall I concur that this was pretty lazy.

[@cerovk6000]

But the voiceee

[@notconvid7220]

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM

[@cerovk6000]

@@notconvid7220 to who? This utuber? I don't really watch his vids anymore.

[@rexstarley5391]

i could give you tips about Minecraft I wish I could play it with you I have java and bedrock I have been playing Minecraft for 9 years my new dream is to play Minecraft with you I do not wish to be in a video only if you want me to be. i still havent goten a reply

[@DarkJusticeMetal]

Who?

[@soulevans942]

Meow :3 thanks for another video mr librarian!!!!!!!