The Best Lovecraftian Game

[@JunoneMaster3000]

Pretentious list. HURRR DURRH BIG BRAIN

[@Painticus]

ok fine I'll admit it call of duty black ops 3 zombies is the best lovecraftian game because it's like kinda spooky lmao smash that like button

[@MxCheefah]

Lol, you gave me a good laugh.

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

Dunno, if you review as a job, or if you play at all. Still, titles my search brought up included `Barrow Hill 1 & 2´, `Scratches´, and `Dark Fall - The Journal´.

[@guilhermewolfman]

@@Painticus have you reviewed darkest dungeon? If so will you cover the second one?

[@Mixu.]

I would defend Bloodborne as Lovecraftian in a couple ways, but will try to keep it short. Firstly, the Lovecraftian elements exist almost entirely within the rest of the visible world we deal with in Bloodborne. That's why insight is so central. When you expand your knowledge of the cosmos, you start being able to see and hear things that were always there, but you didn't know. Also, dreaming. You dying and respawning could have to do with dream logic. Dreams and reality get heavily mixed up so the lines are blurred, if they're even there anymore. "Magic" also comes from the higher beings we simply don't understand, what's more Lovecraftian than that? But overall I think the fact that it all comes out of left field, taking people off guard when they thought it was just a monster hunting game, *that's* what makes it so good. You start questioning everything, wondering what else there is outside of your knowledge/comprehension, and if you'd even want to know.

[@7graywolf7]

I think people need to understand that Lovecraftian doesn't mean "tentacle monsters and evil gods who do things seemingly at random, also everyone goes insane". One of the reasons STALKER and its source material is a perfect Lovecraftian story is because it goes off in its own original direction without trying to be Lovecraftian. It embraces these concepts and themes and approaches them from an angle that nobody else ever tried.

[@Painticus]

My thoughts exactly - most games get cosmic horror right, but fail when it comes to Lovecraftian horror. Yes, tentacles are scary, but what they represent is much scarier.

[@Daniel-dr7yv]

You should play Darkwood, i think you will find a lot of those elements in it.

[@Jet_Set_Go]

Ohhh good lord that freaking game, just the name gave me chills...

[@DinnerForkTongue]

He was way ahead, had already posted a review on it before you posted this.

[@diekekse9690]

Fun fact: Frictional Games’s (creators of penumbra and amnesia) game engine is called HPL engine.. (howard phillips lovecraft engine) crazy right?

[@MrHammers]

As someone who is a big fan of Lovecraftian fiction, this gives me so much insight into why I loved Stalker so much. Amazing video here dude, keep up the great work.

[@2k13Ghost]

This Painticus guy is super underrated, Jesus

[@Painticus]

Nah he's pretty weird tbh

[@n8zog584]

Why did you tell Jesus about painticus? I mean, it's not a bad thing to do...just you didn't give any context.

[@NineteenInFrench]

⁠@@n8zog584potential KZbin shoutout from Jesus sound rad tbh

[@weofparadigm]

What a great video. Helps people understand you don't need to follow every trapping of a genre to still belong there

[@Painticus]

That was the main goal of this video, I'm glad you appreciate it! There are a few things I'd change about this in hindsight, but I'm really happy to see people are still engaging with it. Thank you!

[@LdNidd]

Oh man, what a great video! STALKER is a series I never really got into, mostly because I'm not much of a PC gamer or FPS gamer, but also because when I did give it a try, it was before I had come to love Dark Souls and games that make me truly work to love them. I kind of want to go back and give it another go, but now I'm buried under a gaming backlog I doubt I'll ever climb out from under even without going back to games I've already beaten. Ah well. I find your categories of Lovecraftian elements to be very interesting and highly applicable, and I shall definitely ruminate on them going forward. However, there are a couple of things that I did think about as I watched and listened to your reasoning. The first big one was about Lovecraft's view of the ocean as a stand-in for the unknown and how the radiation exclusion zone of STALKER is a 21st-century update of that concept. I'm not entirely sure it is. The thing about the sea is that it is a thing of duality, which is an aspect of Lovecraft's work (and good Lovecraftian fiction) that I don't think gets talked about enough. The sea is both benefactor and danger to humanity: it provides food, transport (in Lovecraft's time it was the only means by which worldwide travel was available), and a wealth of resources. At the same time, the seas cause tremendous numbers of deaths from storms and natural disasters, hold innumerable mysteries (with the unknown always holding the potential for bad more than good in Lovecraft), and even regularly destroy those things that man makes in his attempt to master them. It's that last point I find the most important. The exclusion zone, and by extension radiation, isn't as good a replacement for the sea as I think you argue it is because it lacks that necessary duality. Yes, radiation can and is used for good purposes, primarily generating power, medical treatments, and self-defense. But I don't think I'm being controversial if I say that the word radiation carries a negative connotation. You can't say that about any of the things Lovecraft mines for fear in his work: the sea, space, knowledge, colors, family, genealogy, etc. Radiation is more akin to one of the forbidden things that mankind discovers in one of Lovecraft's works and tries to bend to their will, a portent of disaster for trying to harness something so dangerous and clearly meant to be left to itself, and indeed many later authors have used this exact idea, with nuclear power being a self-destructive "gift" by Nyarlathotep or an aspect of the Outer God Azathoth that only brings doom to mankind. The other bit mark against it, while the radiation is a big aspect, the ultimate cause of The Zone is something speculative. This point is more tenuous and a bit harder to explain, so it's probably more of an opinion or a "feel" thing than it is a hard categorical difference. The Zone, if you removed everything about the Monolith and group consciousness and the effects they have on the area around them, would simply be reduced to Chernobyl as we know it today: radioactive, spooky, and desolate-but not mysterious, not really. The mystery is entirely of supernatural origin. In Lovecraft's work, the mystery is almost always something mundane that reveals itself to be far more and, ultimately of ancient or even cosmic proportions. It was a family manor in _The Rats in the Walls,_ an uncharted island in _Dagon,_ and the contents of an ancient, decrepit cemetary in "The Statement of Randolph Carter." If you removed the horrific ends to each of the endeavors, there's still a mystery there that can be solved. Even just the settings Lovecraft uses are mysterious in themselves: even today the ocean holds many mysteries and there is a strong sense of foreboding when plumbing the depths for as-yet undiscovered secrets. Few places are as isolating and scary as the deep, deep ocean or even being lost out in the middle of the ocean at the surface. Space is the same way. Radiation isn't really mysterious, just dangerous. The other big thing I don't think STALKER does _that_ well, as pointed out in another comment (so no giant essay for this one), is provide a sense of grander scale fear beyond what is seen or even really hinted at in-game. Yes, the Monolith, the scienctific cabals, and the C-Conscienceness are all bigger than a single person, but none of them are outside the realm of understanding nor do they appear to be or even hint at greater mysteries that are beyond (current) human minds. Even the C-Consciousness, built specifically to observe and change things a single human mind could not, does not point to anything of greater cosmic significance. There is certainly nothing like Lovecraft's great Gods or immeasurably old artifacts, or books of languages to peoples no one knew existed. Take _The Call of Cthulhu:_ even beyond the cults, the sunken/risen city of R'lyeh, and the Great Old One himself, there are *still* bigger things alluded to, especially in phrases such as "the stars were not right," which by itself makes Cthulhu a being tied to the greater workings of cosmos in way that we do not and cannot understand because of our perception of life and death. STALKER doesn't have anything like this (to my knowledge, please let me know if I'm wrong). I don't disagree with your opinion that STALKER is an excellent example of modern Lovecraftian fiction; your arguments are very convincing on that degree. I just don't know that it's the most Lovecraftian game ever made, or that it's a model for how to update/apply Lovecraftian themes to the modern era. Either way, great video and I'm definitely a subscriber. I might reply to an old comment about Bloodborne not being Lovecraftian, which I wholeheartedly disagree with, but I haven't decided. Cheers!

[@fantaguzziniko]

Best fps out there, immersion 10/10.

[@R0bertRodriguez]

Darkwood, another GREAT horror game could make for a good contender for a Lovecraftian game. Death screen (In permanent death difficulties) just shows your corpse withering away Irreligion (Lots of distorted irreligious imagery within the game, also the existence of out of their mind savages) Xenophobia (The game's setting is extremely foreign and unwelcoming, most people hate your mere presence) Nihilism (''We are all doomed.'' Actual words from the intro) Madness (As you progress further into the game, the protagonist clearly becomes more sporadic when making choices and more driven by impulses) Isolation (Can't leave the zone, Can't leave the woods... Feelings of alienation) Have to work for the ''Good endings'' In retrospect, both S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Darkwood are very close in themes, but play very differently. Definitely worth checking out

[@Sinirol]

I'm not sure how I got here but I like your argument. For the record though, the new CoC game actually does hit a lot of true "Lovecraftian" marks in my opinion, especially the feeling of xenophobia and madness. There are a lot of perplexing scenes that are meant to cause madness and confusion in the player as well as the character. The setting is very eerie and unsettling with a lot of strange and unusual features. The people don't want you, the culture is strange and unorthodox, and you're stuck on a dark island in the middle of the ocean which further adds to the isolation and alienation. I've played through 3 different endings before, and they all felt bad in the same way you describe the endings to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Even the "good" ending I got still ends with the protagonist getting screwed. Lastly, I don't want to spoil anything but the examples you give for irreligion in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. can be seen in many places in CoC. Overall I thought it was a really good game despite some shortcomings in animation quality and other things and it maintains the atmosphere one would expect from the Lovecraft genre from beginning to end for the most part. Hopefully you'll be able to see what I mean when it goes on sale or something in the future. :)

[@Painticus]

If that's the case I'll pick it up next time it's on sale. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll definitely do a follow-up video on the game when I play it.

[@Painticus]

A little over a year later and I can happily say that I've played (& reviewed) Call of Cthulhu - and I was largely impressed! Thanks for the recommendation Trent. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKa7aoSlptSCbKc

[@zvin1611]

i tought it was call of chernobyl aaaaaa

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

Great video, but I'm surprised you wouldn't consider Roadside Picnic a Lovecraftian Horror. I think it's as good if not better Lovecraftian Horror than the game it inspired. Roadside Picnic covers the theme of nihilism and taps into our fear of the unknown probably to more effect than STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl does. In Roadside Picnic, instead of The Zone and things with in it being a product of some manmade experiments, The Zone in the book is a product of unknown processes following an extraterrestrial visitation. Now unlike most first contact scenarios in science fiction, the visitors are never seen, they never interact with the humans, and they never return once they leave, only leaving behind "The Zone", a region where the normal laws of physics, space, and time no longer apply. Illegal treasure hunters known as "Stalkers" venture into The Zone to retrieve strange "artifacts" with strange physics defying properties that these beings left behind. Many Stalkers are killed or go missing as a result of unseen forces known as "anomalies". Nothing about the Zone, and things that reside within it, are understood, and are probably incomprehensible to our small human minds. This better plays on our fears of the unknown, as Cosmic Horror should. The name of the book, "Roadside Picnic" is in reference to a thought experiment one of the character's brings up in the book and it kind of sums up the Lovecraftian themes pretty well... "Imagine a picnic. Picture a forest, a country road, a meadow. Cars drive off the country road into the meadow, a group of young people get out carrying bottles, baskets of food, transistor radios, and cameras. They light fires, pitch tents, turn on the music. In the morning they leave. The animals, birds, and insects that watched in horror through the long night creep out from their hiding places. And what do they see? Old spark plugs and old filters strewn around... Rags, burnt-out bulbs, and a monkey wrench left behind... And of course, the usual mess-apple cores, candy wrappers, charred remains of the campfire, cans, bottles, somebody’s handkerchief, somebody’s penknife, torn newspapers, coins, faded flowers picked in another meadow." Now replace the humans with the extraterrestrial visitors, and replace the wild animals with the humans. It can be interpreted that whatever these seemingly god-like beings were, they did not care about humans, seeing them as insignificant, much like the wild animals were to the humans at the picnic. It's why they never interacted with humanity, despite landing on their planet. Their visitation was likely nothing more than a pitstop, and their artifacts, just discarded garbage that they left behind with little care of how it may effect the biosphere. That's the kind of nihilism and mystery you'd expect in Lovecraftian Horror.

[@strawberrial]

Bloodborne isn't Lovecraftian? Someone didn't pay attention to the story, characters, world It's Lovecraft disguised as gothic

[@Sir_Bone-Head]

I found myself viewing Lovecraftian themes as concepts beyond our own understanding, and the sense of worthlessness they bring, and the sheer unease it can send in you. Honestly, I'm glad this analysis exists, since it does feel like it says more about this kind of horror.

[@javierrayon8808]

Hey Painticus! As always I appreciate your expertise and analysis. I took notes and constantly both enjoyed coincidences for our setting, and also added points on where we can improve. I did not expect Stalker to be the better example of Lovecraftian themes, I will get it now.

[@Painticus]

Hey Javier! I'm glad my video was useful. One game which I didn't mention in this video is Scratches - it nails the Lovecraftian narrative format and atmosphere. I've made a review of that too, but you can also get the game for free by being active in the developer's discord: discord.gg/senscape . I can definitely recommend that as a good love letter to Lovecraft! (Though you may want to use a walkthrough, it's not the most straightforward game :D )

[@williamhowell7854]

I respect your personal parameters for "Lovecraftian" games. However, during a point in your video, you said that Outer Gods were replaced by a machine, which is more reasonable to you due to how much more likely it would be to actually occur irl. This, to me, is exactly what makes STALKER fail as a purely Lovecraftian title. the likeliness of these events almost makes the game tamer, as an experience, and somehow less intense. The more outlandish, the more mind shattering of your perception of reality, the more Lovecraftian. The pure realism breaks that element for me. While nihilistic, it doesn't nail cosmic horror. There is no greater sense of megalophobia or unthinkable horror. What was so cool about the Ocean creatures/alien stuff is how much more vast it is than we'll know for a very long time. The setting of Chernobyl accompanied with a militaristic vibe and realism hurts STALKER in your case in my opinion.

[@trevor3013]

Right I agree. A reason the ocean is referenced in lovecraft is because a good way to imagine cosmic horror is floating in the middle of the ocean, not knowing what's beneath you and being blind to the bigger picture. Things being grander than anyone can imagine. Being nothing in the grand scheme

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

I think STALKER is serviceable as a Lovecraftian Horror (or Cosmic Horror), but I think Roadside Picnic, the book STALKER is based on is an even better Cosmic Horror, because instead of The Zone and things with in it being a product of some manmade experiments like in the games, The Zone in the book is a product of unknown processes following an extraterrestrial visitation. Unlike most first contact scenarios in science fiction, the visitors are never seen, they never interact with the humans, and they never return once they leave, only leaving behind a bunch of strange artifacts of unknown purpose, and "The Zone", a region where the normal laws of physics, space, and time no longer apply. Illegal treasure hunters known as "Stalkers" venture into The Zone to retrieve these artifacts. Many are killed or go missing as a result of unseen forces known as "anomalies". This better plays on our fears of the unknown, as Cosmic Horror should. The name of the book, "Roadside Picnic" is in reference to a thought experiment one of the character's brings up in the book... "Imagine a picnic. Picture a forest, a country road, a meadow. Cars drive off the country road into the meadow, a group of young people get out carrying bottles, baskets of food, transistor radios, and cameras. They light fires, pitch tents, turn on the music. In the morning they leave. The animals, birds, and insects that watched in horror through the long night creep out from their hiding places. And what do they see? Old spark plugs and old filters strewn around... Rags, burnt-out bulbs, and a monkey wrench left behind... And of course, the usual mess-apple cores, candy wrappers, charred remains of the campfire, cans, bottles, somebody’s handkerchief, somebody’s penknife, torn newspapers, coins, faded flowers picked in another meadow." Now replace the humans with the extraterrestrial visitors, and replace the wild animals with the humans. It can be interpreted that whatever these seemingly god-like beings were, they did not care about humans, seeing them as insignificant, much like the wild animals were to the humans at the picnic. It's why they never interacted with humanity, despite landing on their planet. Their visitation was likely nothing more than a pitstop, and their artifacts, just discarded garbage that they left behind with little care of how it may effect the biosphere. That's the kind of nihilism and mystery you'd expect in Lovecraftian Horror.

[@williamhowell7854]

@@xxfalconarasxx5659 thank you for such a thoughtful reply. I'm definitely checking out that book, i had no idea STALKER was based on a book

[@Antroid]

​@@williamhowell7854 Sorry for necro-replying, I haven't even watched the part where he talks about STALKER in this video yet, but I wanna say that I ultimately consider the premise of STALKER, as revealed at the end of the first game, to be more cosmic horror than any sort of old god from the depths of space or whatever. It's because as far as I understand, the thing that happened in STALKER is that through machines and experiments the scientists (or more specifically the c-consciousness) managed to just straight up break reality. The Zone is what manifests when the rules that govern the whole world are just forcibly broken. Now, if you presume that one of the endings implies that this completely fixes itself when Strelok destroys the c-consciousness, it's not too scary because it becomes something more like a blemish that goes away, but I've never bought that ending at face value, and I think the concept of reality itself cracking open is way more nightmarish and cosmic than any ol' old god or what have you.

[@BromdenChief]

Some comments talk about how in Shadow of Chernobyl the "big bad" is not really that Lovecraftian because it's man made, and as such, too "realistic". While in itself that is true, the sequel Call of Pripyat gives this theory a swift kick in the balls. The canon ending of SoC is the big bad being turned off by the protagonist, and despite this, in CoP the Zone is growing and more active than ever. And you won't even get an explanation for that in the game (as far as I can recall). This lifts the setting back into the "weird unknown" category for me, and lets my imagination fly. Is it truly man made? Or did the scientists find Cthulhu's toenail clippings, and, in their ignorance, poked at it too hard? Good video, interesting channel. I'll check out some more videos and then I'll inevitably subscribe. edit: spelung

[@BromdenChief]

Editing my post made the heart thingy disappear. Can I get it back please? I get so few of those.

[@BromdenChief]

Thank you! For both! :D

[@candycommander]

That just comes off as lazy writing. You debunk ideas from the original game and provide zero explanation or even hint. Could be that it was manmade but it entered the point where it could sustain itself like a fusion reaction.

[@dmin5782]

​​@@candycommander They didn't really debunk anything though. The Noosphere (collective field of consciousness) has already been brought up in the 1st game, and considering the Zone is a wounded piece of the Noosphere crashed into the physical world, it makes sense it'd be conscious to some degree. Besides, plenty of weird-ass esoteric shit that the scientists were unlikely to be involved in. Moreover, Iirc they once planned to reveal that the Zone has a mind of its own since the 2nd game, but cut it out of the game for whatever reason. The upcoming STALKER even hints at this idea heavily with each piece of advertisement, so it seems they've never scrapped this idea at all.

[@candycommander]

@@dmin5782 That would be interesting and pave the way for more outrageous and creepy shit. If the series lives long enough.

[@Blackfyre741]

Wasn’t expecting Stalker to be number one as I wanted a game recommended that I hadn’t already played a lot ^^ but regardless. Great channel, really really underrated

[@josefjanousek8404]

8:44 Not confused at all. I absolutely agree. I recently had a conversation with a friend about STALKER:SOC being lovecraftian game and I used almost same arguments. After some explaining and comparison, he agreed.

[@RamChop451]

Your last point really hammered it home for me. What crawls from the nuclear sea

[@Turahk]

Wow, great video! I never looked at Stalker that way, loved your perspective!

[@rupertBluza]

For me the most lovecraftian game, and by lovecraftian I mean the most feeling like a Lovecraft's story, is a little known adventure game called Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder. It's a game about a detective with murder case investigating an house of the victim in a old part of the town and of course stumbling on further mysteries. It's really chilling, relying more atmosphere rather than gore or jumpscares and I think the slow pace of point'n'click game just adds to it since you know, Lovecraft's stories never were fast paced. Shame the devs couldn't repeat the same magic of their first game and they tried three time.

[@alejandromolina7270]

Lovecraftian horror is knowing that the space around us is filled with invisible monsters. Them knowing that we know they're there makes them anxious and eats us. Problem is you are not dead. You exist as an eaten form, but never able to go pass death even after the heat death of the universe. You exist there with all that were eaten before and after you were you were eaten. Screaming, crying, laughing and blabbering, and all you can do is scream, cry, laugh and blabber with them as time is undefinable. It is all the same to you, past, present and the future is a bad joke.

[@chrisossu2070]

By any chance, have you heard of The Last Door? I heard it's actually a pretty good Lovecraftian game that doesn't crib directly from any of Lovecraft's actual work (there are no tentacles to be found) but nails the kind of story, pacing, and tone his stories are known for.

[@Painticus]

I have heard of The Last Door - in fact, a few months ago I bought the first and second chapters! I'm looking forward to playing them - a few people have recommended them as excellent Lovecraftian games. I'll definitely review them when I do play them! Throughout most of December I'll be uploading Lovecraft related stuff - so they might just pop up there.

[@RogueDragon05]

The Last Door dwells more on the dream worlds stuff and general macabre and occult themes of Lovecraft then it does tentacle monsters, it also draws from other writers namely Edger Alan Poe. both seasons are well worth whatever price they are on sale for and you can pretty much get them on any platform nowadays.

[@Tavareskz]

Anu cheeki breeki

[@Legomicroman]

what about the Last Door series? they are clearly inspired by Lovecraft's and Edgar Allan Poe's works i ADORED the second season (haven't played the first one, yet.)

[@aloptuleamagnificanton4983]

Well beside the fact that I love everything you said about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. there is also a really good Lovecraftian game that has been released recently and its still being worked on, called Stygian Reign Of The Old Ones, its was developed by a Turkish studio Cultic Games, its turn based (the good kind of turn based) it has rpg elements has interesting takes on mental illness, highly recommended for Lovecraft fans.

[@Painticus]

I remember seeing a lot of hype surrounding it when it was released, and a good friend of mine who also reviews Lovecraftian media has recommended it too. I'll have to check it out!

[@aloptuleamagnificanton4983]

@@Painticus Also be sure to check out the development story surrounding the game.

[@phant0mdummy]

"The ocean, we can explore that" "So how much of the ocean has been explored? According to the National Ocean Service, it's a shockingly small percentage. Just 5 percent of Earth's oceans have been explored and charted - especially the ocean below the surface. The rest remains mostly undiscovered and unseen by humans." Yea. I think the Ocean is still the scariest damn thing in the universe, and we treat it like a trash bin for our plastics.

[@swordofstabbing]

Amnesia: TDD is literally THE gothic game. It is basically just a gothic novel as a horror adventure game. It popularized notes as storytelling in games which is similar to frame narratives in gothic novels, and the horror is on a very personal and architectural level.

[@g-lix7702]

dead air is an amazing mod if anyone is intrested if you are good from the begining then you are probobly a psychopath

[@gregorymifsud5389]

awesome essay man :) when it comes to bloodborne how susceptible you are to madness (frenzy) is dependent on insight. Insight being the ability to see or knowledge. "My eyes are open" :)

[@hollow3900]

You should check out the Lovecraftian/Bloodborne game Morbid: The Seven Acolytes. I guess maybe you can call it Lovecraftian Lite, or Diet Lovecraft because you can kill the avatars of “the Gahars” essentially the Outer Gods or Great Old Ones. Here’s the brief description of it: Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is a Horrorpunk Action RPG filled with Lovecraftian horrors and Cronenbergian gore, making it the most gruesome take on the isometric Souls-like genre yet! You are the last surviving Striver of Dibrom. Your duty, for which you have trained your whole life for, is to defeat the Seven Acolytes, accursed and powerful beings, possessed by malevolent deities called Gahars. The Gahars have bound their twisted minds to the flesh of the Seven Acolytes, for without hosts they cannot survive. You must slay the Acolytes, thus ridding the Gahars of their flesh.

[@rosesynn3429]

Hello, not sure how I got here. but you really really missed the story of Bloodborne. it, and its Oldhunter DLC are a story of scholars who seeked enlightenment through the old gods. The Bergenworth Scholars were seeking to transcend humanity by trying to understand the ones who came before. The two main scholars disagreed on the how. one thought it was done through transforming your brain literally and the other through their blood. the Moon Presence is trying to have an offspring and keeps Gehermen stuck in the dream torturing him for his sins. the endings are all bleak as well. in one the hunter wakes up and must live on with the knowledge they gained. or they bear the sins of the scholars for Gerhmen and becomes the caretakers for the dream for the moon presence. or they become reborn as a infant great one. no matter what, the dream continues, the scourge continues and you've changed nothing. you've only survived the night.

[@Painticus]

Hello! Firstly, thank you for being civil in your disagreement - I'm glad the video has provoked some real discussion. Secondly, the whole topic is definitely subjective, so if you consider Bloodborne to be the best Lovecraftian game that's totally cool - so long as you can rationally reason it out, which it definitely sounds like you can. That being said, I personally believe that Bloodborne is not Lovecraftian for a few other reasons. The first issue is determining what is "Lovecraftian" and what is "Lovecraft inspired". Bloodborne is undeniably the latter - but it also goes in its own direction, as most of Miyazaki's games do. The main thing that people miss about Bloodborne is its other inspirations; Jekyll & Hyde, Norse Mythology, Van Helsing, Frankenstein and potentially dozens of other old works - Lovecraft is the one that stands out because it is the most visually noteable and is by far the least commonly adapted. If you've played the Dark Souls games you'll be familiar with the game's general "anti-religious" message - and Bloodborne has the same theme, but where Dark Souls subverts the standards of medieval fantasy to achieve that, Bloodborne instead adapts a whole menagerie of other "anti-religion"/"anti-hubris" works, which Lovecraft is simply a part of rather than being the sole inspiration. The biggest difference between what Lovecraft makes and what Miyazaki makes is the focus: Lovecraft focuses on the shortcomings of mankind, whereas Miyazaki focuses on the shortcomings of religion itself. Lovecraft firmly believed that religion was a relic of history that we should abandon, alongside all of its inherent superstitions and fears, in pursuit of greater things, and that is very apparent in his work. To Lovecraft, gods are simply coping mechanisms for humans - which is why, in his works, he completely dehumanises the gods. He makes them (basically) invincible, uncaring and beyond comprehension - saying that if gods really existed, they wouldn't be so recognisable. Miyazaki, however, humanises his gods - he makes them killable, vulnerable, and comparable to man - saying that if gods really existed, they wouldn't be flawless. To summarise, for Lovecraft - gods are above existence, for Miyazaki - existence is above the gods. So you're totally right when you mention the bleak endings - Bloodborne is extremely nihilistic, but in a different sense to Lovecraft, as it's saying "nothing matters", but Lovecraft says "WE don't matter". The facts that the Moon Presence is killable and it's possible to ascend to godhood actively contradict Lovecraft's ideals. The point about the scholars trying to understand how to ascend is an interesting one; I don't relate that to Lovecraft at all, instead I view that as Miyazaki's commentary on two of the world's major religion groups - Abrahamic religions, and Dharmic religions. The former seeks spirituality based on rituals, law, war and inquisition - making it relate to blood. The latter seeks spirituality through enlightenment, understanding and peace - making it relate to knowledge. Lovecraft never really made his irreligious message differentiate between these groups, he seemed to view them all as equals, but Miyazaki seems to be more forgiving towards the Dharmic religions, as through knowledge and great effort, the player can ascend to godhood, or at the very least become a Great One. Whether or not that's a good thing is a whole other matter. I personally view the "dream" as a metaphor for "delusion", which is why in the two endings where you pursue godliness - either through blood (usurping Gehrman) or through enlightenment (becoming an Great One) - you don't wake up. You're just restarting the cycle. This isn't too Lovecraftian as it gives the protagonist too much influence, even if that influence proves to be fruitless. Again, this is all subjective - if you disagree that's totally cool. I just love the fact that there are games out there with enough substance to analyse in this manor. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@rosesynn3429]

@@Painticus oh, my disagreement was not whether it was the best representation of lovecraft. I loved the video on whole. it was your representation of the story of bloodborne being incorrect. it isn't about blood in the end, but human Foley and the belief that a human can reach the level of the gods that led to the destruction of a society that we are seeing after the fact and cant stop it regardless. I'd disagree with your point about the endings there though. while the player has agency in what they do, the hunter learns that no matter what the hunt, the cycle, continues. the hunter isnt necessary for that cycle nor are they important in the end. they can only determine where they see the cycle from.

[@Painticus]

Oh I see - well yes I did oversimplify the story quite a bit, you're right. I mentioned the blood thing as a way to convey the idea that Bloodborne has other influences in gothic stories and whatnot, but I definitely should have elaborated further. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@terrorbilly3722]

Have you ever played soma? That game is full of madness and gives you existencial crisis, and the end is... You have to played it

[@Painticus]

I have played SOMA! It's a wonderful game. It wasn't easy to follow Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but damn, Frictional did it in the best way.

[@CondemnedGuy]

Finally a youtuber who gets lovecraftian horror.

[@JoJo-lj6kk]

Very good video. Keep it up!

[@BurningSunBloodyMoon]

I don't think your reasons for discounting Bloodborne as a Lovecraftian horror game hold up. It having a Gothic horror aesthetic doesn't mean the Lovecraftian elements aren't present and prominent, same with how STALKER being aesthetically a modern military shooter doesn't make it non-Lovecraftian. All of the Lovecraftian elements and themes you list are present in Bloodborne - fear of science going too far, irreligion/religion being a manipulative cult, nihilism with the endings being negative or ambiguous and the protagonist having little real impact on the world, madness due to lack of comprehension (or due to an attempt at comprehension), isolation from society and the outside world, xenophobia, etc. etc. I get the impression you either don't know much about the game, and/or have the wrong impression about it due to some surface-level elements (blood, beasts, the aesthetic), but it's absolutely Lovecraftian to the core.

[@Alfonso-es6ze]

I have played all the games you mentioned, but for me, the most Lovecraftian game is Eternal Darkness from GameCube.

[@l.2264]

So technically archive 81, new Netflix series, is a cosmic horror.

[@Afunnylittlefellow]

I just played the game Darkwood and it is probably some of the most effective Lovecraftian horror I've ever played. As a fan of the genre, I highly recommend it.

[@Afunnylittlefellow]

Just saw your entire video on the game lmfao

[@praetor47]

excellent insights by the most underrated Christopher Walken impersonator on youtube! and yeah, i cringed every time i saw Bloodborne described as "Lovecraftian" in reviews as the only Lovecraft influence in BB was purely superficial in the concept of "the old gods" and who and what they are and where they come from, and their aesthetics, it has next to nothing of the themes, and the ancient ones in BB can even be benevolent, a concept very very alien in everything Lovecraftian. superb game, but Lovecraftian it is not and your analysis of STALKER is so good i'll have to rewatch it sometime. please don't stop making videos :)

[@Painticus]

Superficial is the best way to describe Bloodborne's Lovecrafty-ness, the story is more or less the same as the Dark Souls games that came before it shrouded in a kind of vague cosmic horror. Thanks for the continued support! :)

[@abyssband6254]

Darkest Dungeon wouldn't be a bad choice either, if you really dissect it and don't look at it as a soulsborne spin-off.

[@thedigiseviper1330]

The best Lovecraftian experienceb I've ever had is with a game called 'Fear & Hunger'. The King in Yellow is even a boss toward the end.

[@scottmcconnell9211]

Just out of curiosity, do you think that eternal darkness: sanity’s requiem is a good interpretation of Lovecrafts work? Would love to see your views on the game.

[@Painticus]

I don't know much about the game, but from what I can tell (after some quick googling) it looks to be a very faithful recreation of Lovecraftian concepts. I'll hopefully be able to play it at some point and I'll certainly make a follow-up video some time in the future. Thanks for introducing me to it!

[@scottmcconnell9211]

Painticus no problem. Glad to see other people’s views on certain things.

[@WillieManga]

When I think Lovecraftian, I think of entities one cannot understand without some form of abnormal mindset.

[@Painticus]

That's a really nice and concise way of describing Lovecraftian beings. I think the closest thing to that in the context of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. would be the Wish Granter. In any case, a lot of the creatures in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are pretty horrific to look at - but most of the NPCs don't really think twice about them. I guess thats because they're either already in that abnormal mindset OR they have the stereotypical Eastern European stoicism. Either way, this is fun to think about!

[@WillieManga]

@@Painticus Hehe. The latter theory is pretty funny XD

[@ФоломеевДмитрий]

Вот это я охренел. By the way, bloodborne has deeper connections with Lovecrafts ideas and I personally would pick it as lovecraftianest. But I adore your coise, its cool❤

[@brokestudio_]

Bro Bloodborne is Lovecraftian asf and probably the best one ever made. I touch all those themes you mentioned, the monsters are pretty good and the whole thing about seeking insight on the higher above but also compromising your sanity in doing so and seeing everything around you going to shit especially when you enter the lady maria DLC

[@CondemnedGuy]

It's lovecraftian mostly in aesthetics, but the story doesn't quite get there. It's not deep enough to become true cosmic horror.

[@brokestudio_]

@@CondemnedGuy what do you mean it's not deep enough? you've clearly not checked the lore or played it. That game is easily the best depiction of cosmic horror ever made.

[@CondemnedGuy]

@@brokestudio_ lol, played through it years ago kiddo. If anything, I would wager you haven't read even a single Lovecraft story, hence your misconception of what makes cosmic horror.

[@brokestudio_]

@@CondemnedGuy kiddo? lol i am very sure I'm a lot older than you lol. And i have read at least 5 books from H.P. LC and a few other ones as well from other writers. Not to mention I've watched a bunch of movies based on cosmic horror. So yeah i stand by my statement.

[@CondemnedGuy]

@@brokestudio_ Being triggered by kiddo and listing those "accolades" is a surefire way to tell that you got really upset.

[@kaijupvppy]

i feel like your mini analysis of amnesia, at least dark descent, might be a bit off on the “could be a vampire” thing. i feel like that is kind of important that it sort of couldn’t be, but at the same time, it hits a lot on similar vampire ideas. vague to avoid spoilers, obviously, but it’s still interesting how unique amnesia is even in its similarities to other things

[@lautaroarroyo8527]

anybody knows the song tracks used in the irreligion and atmosphere sections?

[@mrsubject1]

Would love to see what you think of the lovecraftian elements in dead space

[@Kastrenzo74]

you talked about this game for 20 minutes and you missed a lot of the point of stalker... it isnt about the fear of the unknown of radiation, its literally about a hole in reality being torn and turning an area into a place where the laws of science no longer exist. which is of course still very lovecraft horror. but the monsters and dangers you encounter, they're both a product of radiation, sick human experimentation, and a complete tear in reality

[@Mr.Ambrose_Dyer_Armitage_Esq.]

00:19 Knew you were a bottom the moment the "UKIP" icon popped up. 🤣

[@elece1124]

Dear Painticus, how does death space fares for being a lovecraftian game? Isolation (space), religious cult (unitologists), nihilism (whatever u do earth will be eaten by brethren moons), cosmic horror (brethren moons) just to name a few points. It might be an even more fitting choice for best lovecraftian game, or at least be a nominee. If Im right, csn u make a video regarding death space? 😎

[@christianjanjuvpajota4141]

You should play cdda(cataclysm: dark days ahead) it's a rogue like survival that simulates real survival in a very post apocalyptic world where everything wants to kill you

[@rogueskypilot]

The music is from S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

[@neobutters]

Dont really agree with this, but you made some good points. Great video.

[@n8zog584]

Hmm yes, very good. However, i noticed you were talking about the ocean as if it is something we have a grasp on. According to some very smart people, humanity hasn't even mapped 80% of the oceans floor. Which does lend itself well towards possible "unknowable terror". Not to mention the supposedly infinite expanse of space is even more unknowable. Therefore I do not see two of H.P. lovecrafts favorite unknowable abysses becoming outdated anytime soon as sources of terror. But you make a good point, an irradiated wasteland IS a great place to draw modern inspiration from. I offer up this extremely long post to the gods of the KZbin algorithm - may it bring you reprieve from madness

[@Headpotatoes]

Bloodborne takes a lot more from Lovecrafts Dream cycle of stories than the classic ones which are a lot more fantastical.

[@invalidusername6809]

No mention of dead space in the opening? I know everyone forgot about that series but you can’t tell me it’s not a little lovecraftian

[@Painticus]

That is one I hadn't considered, but you're absolutely right, it is pretty Lovecraftian. Now that I think about it, there are several Sci-Fi games that embrace a lot of Lovecraft's ideas; Dead Space, Mass Effect, Prey (2017) all have quite similar approaches. I'll probably make a video in the future about this, it's certainly an interesting area that I don't think many others have thought of. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[@curoamarsalus7822]

I absolutely love this video. I want to note real quick that the zombies aren't undead but instead brain-scrambled people who can't comprehend reality beyond their most basic instincts.

[@5hyper7form94]

Your takes are generally very good, but I recommend revisiting Bloodborne in this case... You won't regret it.

[@creatinerd]

I would actually call that Cosmic Horror and see Lovecraftian Stuff as a part Cosmic Horror. Stuff that isn't related to anything from the Lovecraft Universe or Lovecraft-Alike I wouldn't call Lovecraftian.

[@Painticus]

That's a fair point. The boundaries of the genre are really up to interpretation, nobody has really made any concrete lines between cosmic horror and Lovecraftian stuff - some people claim they are the same thing (I think there are a few minor differences). I tend to use 'Lovecraftian' in the same way people often use 'Shakespearean', 'Orwellian', 'Biblical' etc, which is usually in reference to work that invokes similar themes and ideas rather than being from the actual sources. It's all subjective though - the title of this video could definitely change and it would have the same overall message. Thanks for watching!

[@creatinerd]

@@Painticus oh btw I'm like REALLY happy to see a Western KZbinr giving S.T.A.L.K.E.R. a good Review, have seen only Easterners doing so by now. May the Chiki always be as much as your Briki. !ЧИКИ БРИКИ ИВ ДАМКЕ!

[@creatinerd]

@@Painticus just rewatched this video (once more) and it made me think how you might enjoy the upcoming Sci-Fi Horror game THE INVINCIBLE based on one of my favourite Sci-Fi books (been years since I read it though). Would be pretty cool seeing a game about it and the book's story on here some day c:

[@kaelang12]

I shit you not, I was thinking of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. just seconds before you said it 😂

[@noahawesome99]

Does anyone know what the gameplay at the very beginning of the video was?

[@Painticus]

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth :)

[@noahawesome99]

Painticus thank you for the information. I still need to play that game

[@graymads]

Great video!

[@ThinkHuman]

Awesome video and you bring up some great examples! But i wonder what did you mean by Call of Cthulhu being disqualified from being Lovecraft because it is not as good as the game you had in mind?

[@Painticus]

Sorry, I was a bit unclear there - I didn't disqualify the Call of Cthulhu games from being Lovecraftian, rather I said they weren't the best examples of Lovecraftian games (in my opinion). They are certainly faithful to the concepts and are great in their own ways in the same way Penumbra is, but STALKER brings a fresher and more original perspective while also remaining Lovecraftian in concept and execution. Regardless I'd definitely recommend them to any HPL fans (or horror fans in general!) I'm glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!

[@ThinkHuman]

@@Painticus Oh i see, makes sense, i actually downloaded Stalker a few weeks ago, has amazing atmosphere, but have not gotten far yet, i once played it when it just came out while i was really young, got plenty of childhood trauma from it, but never finished it, plan to finish it this time lol!

[@gloopy-error35]

Bloodborne is absolutely lovecraftian. It just wears a gothic mask.

[@seth3325]

Amazing content, you gained a new fan, but i will disagree with you on insight in bloodbrone being about loss of human morality, as i personally didn't see that in the game. Insight was about seeing things as they truly are, therefore having no insight is about lack of comprehension. I do agree aboit it being more gothic, which is why i loved the fishing hamlet all the more, as it was the one place that felt truly lovecraftian with everything in it.

[@CrimRui]

Thank your for your take on Bloodbourne. I'm kinda sick of people voting Bloodborne as number one Lovercraft game.

[@Retog]

Pathologic is a Lovecraftian game

[@Painticus]

I've heard a lot about Pathologic and Pathologic 2 - I own the first so I'll definitely try it soon!

[@Retog]

Painticus Pathologic 2 is simply a remake of the first so playing either is ok. The 2nd just has a lot of quality of life changes etc

[@HoldFire100]

No Sunless Skies??

[@Marius150PL]

What do you think about Quake like Lovecraft game? ;)

[@HoldFire100]

No Sunless Seas??

[@marcuslindley8233]

You forgot about quake.

[@Painticus]

Quake is one of the earliest examples of a Lovecraft inspired action game that I can think of. I should really get around to making a video on it!

[@MikaelaCaliber]

What about Kenshi?

[@joaquin12348]

i like your aegument but comeone i have yet to see a good lovecraftian fame with all the tentacles and creepy monsters

[@Prince_Cheddar]

I haven't played Stalker. My answer would probably be Dead Space. We have the isolation of being in space, or an alien world. We have the religion worshipping an alien force beyond human comprehension, but is grounded in a form of science. The ending of 3 implies that humanity is just doomed. Nothing special, just one more species consumed by the markers. We have madness as a major compnent for how the markers work. The only thing missing is xenophobia. You have antagonists, but no one is really around to be neutral but rejecting towards you

[@qwp1026]

I got a good feeling this dude is a csgo player that enjoys team flashing his teammates

[@ra.n9482]

I know I'm late but I kinda really disagree with a lot of points presented for the gaes you disqualified. First and foremost, they are *way* too strict for a genre often defined through perspective. Just because a game juggles other themes and horror genres while mixing them with lovecraftian cosmic horror, doesn't mean it isn't a lovecraftian game. On both Amnesia and Bloodborne's case, sure you can swap out the lovecraftian elemants but those *are* core to the experience and removing them would remove a ton of the impact of the games. Hell, Amnesia's *gameplay systems* play around with lovecraftian cosmic horror. Also Yharnam absolutely feels alien, a lot of fromsoftware games achieve that "alien" feel.

[@banan9782]

Goddamn this is good

[@Painticus]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.

[@psychotron2624]

But stalker lacks the existential cosmic horror which means lovecraftian horror doesnt it and the atmosphere isnt really like anything lovecraftian

[@Painticus]

I'd argue that it does have the cosmic horror. The anomalies, artifacts, mutations and generally vague greater-powers are very similar (if not identical) to traditional Lovecraftian staples. The implications of these things are largely downplayed in-game because of the very common stoicism found in eastern-european productions, which does directly contrast the dramaticised writings of HPL, who had much more emotion in his work due to influences such as Edgar Allen Poe. While the delivery may be different, the overall concepts are the same. If you're interested in seeing more eastern-european Lovecraftian work, the 1970s movie "Stalker" by Andrei Tarkovsky (which inspired the STALKER games) is somewhat similar to "The Colour Out of Space" by HPL in terms of cosmic influence, but rather than having HPLs panicked tone, it's much more reserved and almost nonchalant about it's otherworldly elements. The only issue is: it's in Russian, but subtitles are usually available. It's also like 3 hours long, which can be a bit too long for some. I hope this clears things up! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@amercenary732]

You forgot quake…

[@nupaliruns]

I don't think it is correct to call lovecraftian a game that is not at all inspired by Lovecraft, if Lovecraft had written a Chernobyl story it probably would have been about some scientist investigating the area around Chernobyl and being faced with increasingly disturbing phenomena until the horror climax when they finally enter the irradiated zone and are faced with some unnamed abominations and come back from it ravenously mad or something like that Lovecraft stories often show how close the strangeness and horror are from our world (like a seaside town in New England is close to the ocean, it's corrupted by its proximity but it's not in it), he wouldn't have made it the entire world of the story like it is here (protagonist doesn't even have memory of the outside), I feel like a lovecraftian story would progressively approach the source of the horror instead of being thrown in the middle of it you saying that STALKER is the best lovecraftian game kinda feels like something someone would say if they loved Lovecraft but were bored with it, you're not after the best lovecraftian game you're looking for the best NON lovecraftian experience that will give you a similar feeling - STALKER might be the best nihilistic non lovecraftian horror game but it's not a lovecraftian game

[@JohnyParuwka]

No Darkest Dungeon?

[@JohnyParuwka]

Also Cultist Simulator and Sunless Sea

[@Painticus]

There's something I forgot to mention in this video - the difference between "Lovecraftian" and "Lovecraft-inspired". Darkest Dungeon, Sunless Sea and Cultist Simulator all have elements and motifs from Lovecraft's work, but they don't subscribe to his formatting or tone. All excellent games in their own right, but not quite as faithful to his work as something like Penumbra: Overture, Scratches or STALKER.

[@JohnyParuwka]

I see what you mean. But maybe Pathologic should be considered as a Lovecraftian game. I say maybe because I haven't played it yet. Also a little shame you haven't mentioned Eternal Darkness. Oh and I've completely forgotten to say I really love your content, keep up the great work

[@Painticus]

@@JohnyParuwka Eternal Darkness and Pathologic are both games I've been meaning to get around to - I own Pathologic now, but ED is a bit harder to come by (... legally) but I certainly plan on making videos on them when I do play them! And thank you man! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and I hope you keep enjoying them!

[@zisaletter4602]

no, you're right. there's a reason the genre has been renamed "weird fiction" so that people stop thinking it means tentacles and the ocean all the time. that's why the more recent call of cthulhu games have sucked so bad, they get lost in the weeds with innsmouth and fish and the names of types of monsters and like, that's fine, if you want lovecraft, but if you want _weird fiction_ the recent call of cthulhu games really aren't weird fiction. (EDIT TO CLARIFY: I am talking about the drowned city. The drowned city SUCKED. i HATED it. i didn't like the 2018 call of cthulhu game either bc i thought it was heavy-handed and derivative and lacking creativity but it was fine enough. the drowned city was miserably bad.) Control is a pretty good one for that, i like it quite a bit. song of horror is also very good.

[@alexblub2152]

get out of here stalker! great game, strongly underrated.

[@markgregory2746]

Can't say I agree with much said here, a shame as I like a lot of your other stuff. So to be Lovecraftian it has to have permadeath? C'mon man!

[@ajaxslamgoody9736]

heck you might as well mention Metro series...well i guess you did

[@Menace_Gaming_]

tentacles

[@qbito10pl94]

Nah i wont tolerate freedom slander im sorry broski

[@olesdrow6711]

Chornobyl, not Chernobyl

[@grizzdesu9732]

saya no uta is a good Lovecraftian game

[@hal900x]

Someone isn't familiar with Soviet surrealism, which is a very firmly entrenched genre with specific aspects that Stalker is based on and fits within.

[@Painticus]

The purpose of this video is not to define Stalker, it's to show its thematic similarities to the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Just because A equals X doesn't mean A can't equal Y as well. My points are not there to show my awareness of regional art movements, they're there to show the flexibility of what is usually considered an inflexible genre.

[@radiohost3830]

Sorry to comment on a 4 year old video, but I noticed within this video and the comment thread a misunderstanding of Freidrich Nietzche's philosophy of Nihilism. It isn't JUST the fact that life doesn't matter and that "god is dead". The whole point is that nothing matters, so you have to make things matter and create meaning for yourself and your own existence. It isn't just bleak, it's hope and self-determination. While the bleakness and emptiness is certainly there, it isn't something to dwell on but something to accept and move past to create meaning in a world where there is none.

[@manawa3832]

have people actually read lovecraft's works? he was a racist, but not in the way we think of today. he wasnt a supremacist like what you hear from your typical muh white civilization looney toons. arab literature formed an influential framework to create his setting. one thousand and one nights and the dark adventures of sinbad. ghouls are reanimated creatures that lurk in depths. bahamut is the prototype of his old ones. a pelagic horror with proportions so massive that its parts and how they fit together could not be immediately comprehended; looking at it was instant death. lovecraft's arab alter ego alhazred and the infamous author of the necronomicon. the brutal tale of the city of brass and the the many coloured iram inspired the tombs and crypts and secret islands of deranged cultists.

[@jaxcyanorarpplayer]

Yeah lovecraft is racist but ukip isnt They are civil nationalists ,but the media trys to twist that , the racist group in england is the EDL But yeah good video keep it up

[@Painticus]

I was wondering when someone would point this out! I was really joking with that bit, I'm aware that UKIP isn't inherently racist, it's just a shame that groups like the EDL are so closely associated with them in the public eye. Thanks for watching!

[@jaxcyanorarpplayer]

@@Painticus no problem I like your taste in video games I'll be honest i rhought you where gonna reply with some social justice bs lmao Im glad you where joking And subscribed

[@michamaciej9563]

completely disagree about bloodborne, seems like you havent researched the lore enough. same with dark souls

[@Painticus]

Bloodborne definitely has Lovecraftian elements, but the reason I don't consider it to be a pure Lovecraftian game is because of how it balances human themes with cosmic themes. If I had to connect an author to Bloodborne it would be Robert Louis Stevenson. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde has basically the exact same setup, even down to the pseudo-gothic setting. Both Bloodborne and Dark Souls have nihilistic elements, especially connected to religion, but they are used to criticise the human perception if gods rather than the position of religion within a progressing society. Examples of this can be seen with Gwyn - a god who is worshipped all over the place, and who is definitely powerful - but when you find him he's basically just a guy with a sword, and there are several small hints towards Miyazaki's thoughts on gods in the boss fight (e.g. he's the only boss you can parry, showing he's basically an equal to you). The Moon Presence is another example of this, it's an outer god that you can kill, which is directly opposing Lovecraftian ideals. Yes, you have to ascend to godhood yourself to do It, but that implies that humans are strong enough to do so, whereas the very sight of Lovecrafts Gods can drive people to madness. The Moon Presence is also thought to be a stand in for Nyarlathotep, but Nyarlathotep could likely annihilate all of existence in a matter of seconds. These small distinctions may seem insignificant but the overall messages they convey are often contradictory. If you consider bloodborne to be the best, that's all good, I'm glad the video has provoked some discussion. Thanks for watching!

[@feniza1]

@@Painticus Just a small correction regarding the lore. It's implied that you can't actually kill the Great Ones, just vanquish one of their physical manifestations. The Great Ones you see in the game are relatively minor ones, save for maybe the Moon Presence (Rom isn't even a Great One, she's a Kin of the Cosmos). Even the Amygdalas you find scattered through the city are referred in some official guides as "false gods", more akin to pets of the true Great Ones, or maybe the multiple bodies of a single giant organism. Oedon, on the other hand, is a true Great One, and a force so great that he affects the world without the need of a physical presence. The other major Great One would be Kos, and her physical form was already dead in the game. Mind you, it's established she's not actually gone, just passed on to another reality, as she can't truly die in the way a human can. Kos has also been established as the one to basically cause the downfall of Yharnam (perhaps the entire world) without so much as breaking a sweat, so her power is most likely near limitless. Anyway, great video!

[@KrzysztofT00]

"amnesia isn't lovecraftian" bro it's literally "the case of charles dexter ward" with a few MINOR adjustments

[@capnjackgallows3204]

Not a single one of these games is lovecraftian in any sense except those that are obviously lovecraftian because they are lovecraftian