The Dreamcast's "Resident Evil 2 At Home" - Seven Mansions Ghastly Smile

sure i'll talk about a horror game but it has to be something incredibly weird
Patreon - / punchystream
Stream Archive Channel - / @punchystream
Twitch - / punchy
Twitter - / succinct_punchy

[@PunchyYT]

When I say at the very start "Resident Evil coined the genre survival horror", I mean it invented the term "survival horror". because it did. that term was not in common parlance until the original JP release of Resi 1, it was invented for and used in that game. It coined the term. please stop leaving comments pointing out earlier survival horror games, I know, the video actually cites one later, even.

[@ScumSookar]

You forgot about Haunted House on the Atari2600.

[@SIDDqlo]

you forgot resident evil is a remake itself so it's not original in any way. Sweet Home also has much more gameplay

[@j.goggels9115]

Is it related to Yumemi Mystery Mansion aka Mansion of Hidden Souls with the familiar Resident Evil staircase and doors opening ?

[@SIDDqlo]

@@j.goggels9115 not sure if your reply is for me but... not that I know. Yumemi got released years later for the sega cd while Sweet Home is a NES game. RE started asa SweetHome remake but then they noticed they couldn't fit all the game as a ps1 quality game so they started cutting content and mechanics. The door/stairs animation, the limited inventory, characters with a different innate item, different endings...that comes straight from Sweet Home.

[@LaPollaAtomica]

I can't tell how bad it is that at least two videos need stickied comments for people trying to "um, actually" you but at least this one isn't in response to cousin bumping.

[@fluidwolf]

So one secret ending has the girl falling in love with the main villain. The other has the same girl having a complete meltdown that the other main fell in love with the other villain. Amazing.

[@lovetrain2455]

Women , amirite audience?

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

I haven’t finished the video so now I’m just imagining the male protag passionately making out with the bald guy

[@KopperNeoman]

​@@lovetrain2455Hello Leon. 😂

[@k96man]

With her Uncle looking incredibly uncomfortable about the situation

[@Simp-Bizkit]

Ex Gf Simulator

[@MissBuyNLarge]

"he maxed out his Bravery stat and made it everyone else's problem" is a description I aspire to reach one day

[@musicobsessive123]

literally need that line on a shirt or something its so perfect

[@redvelvetdoll]

The "waiting 18 hours ending" totally reminds me of the Witch's House, where if you start the game and don't move for like a full hour you skip the entire game and can just leave

[@djoshawott2850]

It's like if you have to wait too many real life days to get the Game Over by failing to save the guy in MGS The Phantom Pain.

[@fireflocs]

Far Cry 4 and 5 famously did that too. The one in 4 is arguably the best ending for your character.

[@BaconheartStuff]

@@fireflocs The 5 one is hilarious though because the waiting point is when you're told to cuff the bad guy. And instead you just stand there staring at him with his wrists out waiting until your partner decides "Ok, we're not arresting you today, bye"

[@napoleonfeanor]

Wario Land 2 had the same but much shorter but sent you to secret levels. Far Cry 4 had you wait like 15 minutes for a secret ending when you first meet dictator bro and he asks you to wait.

[@M_reapr]

​@@fireflocsyeah in 4 you repair your relationship with you father and can both grieve your mother and then proceed to host a dual tyranny over the nation state hahaha This could never happen in 2024

[@ravikanodia]

I feel like the "Ernest dies" ending started out with a much shorter time limit, but then they decided they didn't want to put it in the game at all, but it was easier to simply increase the time limit to a ridiculously high number than change the code and risk a last-minute bug

[@TsunogaiDanshaku]

Pardon me for being a colossal weeb in knowing this, but Dr. Schnider's voice is pretty unmistakable - I'm almost positive that's the late Daisuke Gori, the actor whose roles included Heihachi Mijima, Mr. Satan and Dozle Zabi. This game must've had a pretty decent voice acting budget to include such a big name in their cast. EDIT: Yup, that's him. Thanks for including the cast roll as part of the video so I could confirm that, Punchy!

[@ultrayoshi100]

Hearing that this game has split screen co op in a game where both characters have separate objects and scenarios is insane. And on the Dreamcast of all things!

[@Daniel-Rain-YT]

Yep, ikr.

[@ann3923]

She dates the hero, she dates the villain, she does nothing for 18 hours straight and she runs away into the sunset crying. As a girlie myself i wish i was half as cool as Reina 😔

[@diamondhamster4320]

Average indecisive teen girl moment.

[@Fractal_blip]

Yikes pretty normal

[@abominationdesolation8322]

@@diamondhamster4320 Why would you want to date the villain? At the very least don't expect heroes to date you after. -_-

[@jakisfly]

Reina for the streets

[@ann3923]

@@abominationdesolation8322 1. He's hot 2. I can fix him.

[@lowpolyzoe]

Leon is strutting on that RE2 Dreamcast boxart, damn

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Mega Man 1 still looks more fake but that was done in a few hours allegedly.

[@wightmamba8085]

That made me think Leon was strutting to "staying alive"

[@KasumiRINA]

It has WiP poser placeholder art vibes, kinda like Iron Maiden's Dance of Death cover.

[@inplane9970]

When does Leon NOT slay every moment he's in. Strutting in a zombie apocalypse is just another Thursday evening for him.

[@forestcampbell8962]

Claire just off to the side gassing leon up. "You walk it out leon,work it!"

[@Toshinegawa]

I had no idea Ryo Hazuki also went on a Resident Evil adventure while looking for his father's killer

[@RobertoFornaro]

Lan Di escaped from here as well

[@RadJordy]

The love endings are so confusing because Kei just kinda stands there while Reina confesses her love to a guy she just met, meanwhile she loses her mind when Kei does the same thing. But then in the normal ending, they kiss? This is why you communicate with the person you decide to bring on your co-op survival horror adventure. Or maybe this is just the result of "talking" to someone for like 4 years and never actually deciding what the relationship is going to be. Maybe its a result of tank-control-itis. Who knows? Anyway, great video! First saw your runs at GDQ and ran across your Loop8 video (thanks to the algorithm) so its cool to see you cover all sorts of weird games like this. Perfectly up my alley in terms of content.

[@qrefrain3695]

I'm laughing so hard at the end, honestly the english subtitle of "That ghastly smile..!" sounds way better than the Japanese title said outloud, it's so clunky oh god. And I'm also so shocked at the fact at that really strong VA lineup I see in the credits.

[@feitclub]

wow Schneider's voice actor is Daisuke Gori, an anime regular who played a ton of macho characters over the years, including Mr. Satan, a bunch of tough guys on Fist of the North Star, and the actual dragon in Dragonball. A legend.

[@alexsantos3100]

He voice Heihachi Mishima and that Hulk Hogan guy from Dead Or Alive

[@james68908]

@@alexsantos3100and moss in ginga nagareboshi gin.

[@Altamyr]

Kei, please. Reina needs her emotional support candy

[@planescaped]

There's kawaii and there's why? Reina is the latter.

[@lootwick6017]

The "Runs crying into the Sunset Ending" is hilarious, oh my lord. Yet another great Video o7

[@DGneoseeker1]

OK the Christie snogging, Reina crying ending is amazing.

[@Tacowavable]

Gonna have to be real with you - I am not drinking that meta-water, buddy. However, the existence of Alan's blue healing-laser explains why there are discarded first-aid kits everywhere!

[@novelezra]

This game has one of the best co op campaigns I have ever seen in a videogame. Seriously, really ahead of its time.

[@raccooncitycinema]

Lol thought I might see you here! Still haven't had the chance to play this coop yet 😅

[@novelezra]

@@raccooncitycinema Haha! Hello you~ And yes, I just felt this primal reaction to defend this aspect of the game, because once a game gets labelled as 'bad', less people play it and less people get to see the ideas that games have done right.

[@noahboat580]

​@@novelezrai mean it is made by Koei, they looked at final fantasy tactics then did pokemon conquest on the ds

[@raccooncitycinema]

@@novelezra that's a noble cause, because I definitely want more people to experience this game (it's one I surely won't forget!).

[@novelezra]

@@raccooncitycinema I still recommend it people when they ask for a 'weird' game because the story is just so bonkers it's beautiful.

[@dmeep]

Paint me like one of your french seven mansions

[@foxfox1422]

"I wonder if this is exploitable in any way" If only there was some kind of fast run of this game I could watch and see that in action

[@blueblur1984]

This is the origin of the "birds aren’t real" conspiracy theory. Wild stuff.

[@chaoticdance]

Here's my algorithm encouraging comment! This video has been so neat and I love learning about niche kusoge that I've never heard about. Your scripted content has honestly been great and I enjoy listening to them while working on stuff

[@idontrlyhaveanamebutihavec9918]

Yoink

[@RetroPixelLizard]

You're a mad-man for doing the co-op scenario solo, and I respect that. Looking forward to The Saturn's "Resident Evil" at home.

[@MrJimmyTide]

Mansion of Hidden Souls?

[@brunovance8101]

I keep downloading newly translated Japanese games expecting to find gems when in reality I'm just like "ok so they didn't bother with good reason"

[@Variusak]

This once again proves the Dreamcast was well ahead of the time with the insane ability of that hardware. I also like how well it has stood up to the test of time considering the people who ported Grandia back to PC jokingly loaded up their old Dreamcast data and found it works just fine porting that over too. What an amazing piece of hardware.

[@pokettoboi]

Japanese horror games where they think that villains really have no problem willingly and irreversibly turning into big monsters.

[@pixellatedpixie215]

as a computer science major, I can confirm that there is nothing more terrifying than using the command line

[@coreydopson2030]

As a drop out Compsci major, its not that bad. I wouldnt choose to use it over a GUI but its really not that bad.

[@pixellatedpixie215]

@@coreydopson2030 yeah, I'm just going with the joke. apologies, should have put a /j in there

[@Estorium]

As a 24 year career software engineer... yeah, I am so over command line 😁 Unfortunately it is still a necessary evil.

[@BlownMacTruck]

This is a weird thread. I know it’s a joke, but I don’t know any software devs or tech folks (outside Windows IT admins) who do not love CLIs, especially when toolchains are involved.

[@questionsfrog1918]

We all know what Terry Davis had to say about the command line

[@wbl_unlimited]

35:53 NTR on a Punchy stream oh dear

[@rickwong9049]

The most popular genre in Japan ladies and gentlemen!

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

秘館 doesn't really mean mansion though... It's more like "secret building" or something.

[@luyandolove]

I’ve been loving the weird JP only games you’ve been playing (Uno DX, Loop8, Ghastly Smile)! Hopefully we get a whole video covering Germs!

[@SilentHellVG]

There is also bonus lore accessible via the computers when searching on the computer, unlocking data behind passwords, and repairing corrupt files. It should say that in the guide.

[@Kreece4]

Omg thank you for this. I used to play a port of this back in the early 2000s. I love that they translated it. The sequel was so interesting bc you could play 2 player split screen.

[@specterette]

it's awesome to see you become more comfortable with scripted content, thank you as always for making videos about obscure and strange games super entertaining!!

[@fionathegayesttiefling9867]

I really like these deep dives into weird jank, both general views of lesser known games an in depth mechanics of well known games

[@micahfoley9572]

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it probably wasn't bad games that turned people against tank controls. my impression, having been alive at the time, is that direct, screen relative controls remove one barrier to immersion that tank controls reinforce. tank controls feel like controlling a figurine on screen. which is fine if that's your design goal, or if you just like that kinda thing, but in the same way that having a camera control setup that feels like an extension of your neck adds to immersion when compared to a setup that feels like controlling the camera as it follows your character, direct controls that mimic your the propulsion of your feet inherently bring you closer to the game world than tank controls can. all preferences aside, of course. ie: i personally prefer an inverse y axis, because pulling back on the stick feels like pulling my head back with muscles in my neck, whereas a normal y axis feels like controlling a cursor on the screen. but i can absolutely understand how that feeling could be reversed if you equate the stick with your eyes instead of your neck. up bring up, and down being down. i suspect that the same could be true for tank controls for some people, tho i admit i struggle to think of a physical analog for "forward" being the same direction no matter which way your body is facing.

[@snailthelostcow63]

I feel like the antagonist's motive is based on someone's awful experience of drinking undrinkable tap water when they went abroad

[@CasualGamer4K]

“A sleep powered Gundam is going to destroy the world as abstract revenge because a child drank toilet water.” That is the greatest summation for a video game that I’ve ever heard.

[@kabob0077]

13:33 Oh Capcom could have TOTALLY sued somebody... That's just a Licker!

[@glidershower]

It's a Snaeker, lolz

[@EerieDreary]

I have a lot of love in my heart for flawed games of all stripes, and I appreciate you bringing them to light like this. Your videos documenting them are wonderful, in their humour and, like...genuine appreciation for the works covered. I'm excited to see what you'll find in future.

[@Ocarina654]

This game seems absolutely wonderful. Totally wild and off the wall, pure Japanese goodness. Thanks for sharing it with us! Also jesus christ dude playing co-op solo with two controllers is hilarious. Great stuff.

[@KatlikeRider]

31:49 I can't believe this game beat Drakengard to having a random rhythm game as the final boss...

[@MaxLebled]

"before becoming a sony vegas wave effect" got me good

[@taifunbrowser]

The seven mansions are the friends we made along the way.

[@slimchelmi6940]

okay, I'm hooked, speedrun when? on a more serious note: thank you so much for making videos about stuff like this and the Uno games and what have you, I love listening to your commentary and your stuff is always so well researched you're a good egg, punchy

[@rossgraham4073]

Punchy has the Kei any% console WR lol

[@lamiaprincess6371]

Ohhh yeah its time for Dreamcast gaming babyyyyyy. I have a particular fondness for this game from watching you stream it over just how silly and kind of batshit it is while feeling remarkably earnest? The Dreamcast and to a lesser extent the Saturn (Deep Fear my beloved) really did seem to attract a lot of the weirder developers and their eclectic design choices. I find it interesting that even happened, I don't know if I enough as to why. Also I think its very funny SnowyAria also helped out on the Fate/Extra CCC translation, so I am in retrospect defining that as a survival horror game as well.

[@SnowyAria]

There's several parts of CCC that go a strong horror direction, so honestly tracks

[@flatwhitecanvas1658]

32:59 it’s a… it’s a… normal looking pendant

[@freezehorn]

now THIS is some grade-A retro horror jank. reina actually having a romantic ending with alan made me laugh because when you originally revealed his "normal" ending state is having regressed to a childlike state, i thought "oh good, reina has someone on her level to play with now" ... little did i know how right i was

[@BBHood217]

This isn't the first time a sequel had a distinct lack of the titular thing; see: House of the Dead 2.

[@Pipkiablo]

You attempting to play co-op by yourself reminds me of the time back in high school when I was so bored that I attempted to play ObsCure on co-op by using my feet.

[@MissBeeBonnet]

It feels a bit strange to me that a game that’s all about two characters working together, with at least a few of the different endings seemingly heavily rooted in their relationship to one another, doesn’t just not develop either of them much Individually, but also doesn’t really do much to establish any meaningful chemistry or dynamic BETWEEN them, romantic OR platonic??? Like, goofy plot beats and technical difficulties aside, I feel like this could have REALLY been the start of something interesting if they had gotten a better handle on establishing a good rapport and chemistry between their two protagonists that made it feel more natural to play them alongside each other. 🤔 For instance, I especially agree with you about disliking Reina’s writing, but in particular I find her awkward characterization more BAFFLING than anything? After all, making Reina come across as not terribly bright is just… such a *weird* move, considering that her gameplay is supposed to be more “puzzle-oriented” and very specifically has her doing a lot of fairly complicated tasks that imply she has some knowledge of subjects like Cryptography and Computer Science? You’d think they’d at least try and go with making her more of a “physically frail but highly academic” type, as that would help explain why SHE’S the one doing these things and why she’s not nearly as effective in direct combat. I almost feel like she and Kei’s backstories would make more sense Switched Around? 🤔 In fact, I feel like writing her more that way could have made both her as an individual character AND her dynamic with Kei a lot more likable and interesting, all without even having to change too many of her actual *interactions* much? For instance, the game could initially show her being fairly calm and level-headed, which makes her panicking so badly she basically shuts down completely at seeing something seemingly impossible like that first monster a) more understandable and easy for the player to sympathize with, and b) an obvious departure from her usual personality - even if we’ve only known this character for a short time, both the shift in her behavior and maybe even a small potential reaction from Kei (who does at least seem to KIND of know her beforehand, though to what extent is unclear) could clue us in to the fact that her just utterly collapsing into terror and paralysis like this is *unusual*? It tells us something about how much of a shock this was for her/how much it affected her without actually having to SAY all that much, which also helps us set the tone for what kinds of scares the devs presumably want us to be anxious and on pins and needles for? Heck, it actually makes what I assume they were going for with the candy thing WORK a lot better! It not only comes across as a lot less infantilizing when it’s more clearly established as an attempt to comfort and ground someone dealing with UNPRECEDENTED distress, but it could even be used to indirectly tell us more about both of these characters as people, and signal something about their relationship. If either the manual write-up or something in the game implies that they didn’t know each other that well before now, for instance, then it shows that underneath the tough exterior suggested by his cheese-wheel shoulders, Kei is kind and concerned about the wellbeing of others, and his actions here while she’s REALLY in a bad place might give Reina a better impression of him than she might initially have had, and a much better reason to trust him and follow him into risky situations! On the other hand, if it’s been established somehow that they know each other well beforehand and might even be Close, then this gives you an idea of how close their bond might be, almost like an inside joke or something these two already had that they’re leaning on for moral support in a scary situation - that might have been the implication that the writers were actually Going For here, as I can’t imagine why else they’d take this tack, but it doesn’t really LAND because it feels so random and disconnected from anything. Heck, you could even KEEP her being a bit of a Screaming Weenie about combating the monsters, and a bit awkward at holding and using her weapons - we’ve established with that first encounter that this is WELL outside her comfort zone, and writing her to be a bit more confident and sure of herself in other parts of the gameplay (such as commenting on her interactions with the elements of puzzles, or certain dialogue sequences/cutscenes interacting with others) would actually make these things into a genuinely *endearing* part of her character, as it takes her from being a limp noodle with an inexplicably powerful gun she doesn’t have the sense to be more careful with to an otherwise competent person who is understandably Scared and Out of Her Depth, but still willing to face those fears and try her best in order to help everyone else out of a jam. She goes, with just that ONE bit of context, from a wet piece of tissue paper to one of the bravest characters in the game? Like… idk, it’s just kind of a shame that they actually had a REALLY fun opportunity here with this unique co-op setup, and it feels like neglecting parts of the writing that would strengthen and compliment that really well kinda killed any potential it might have had to be iterated and improved on in the future, and I think that’s a shame. 😔

[@agnastthrower5212]

A similar pause mechanic works in Resident Evil 1, where you can reset the knife swing animation by pausing the game. When you unpause, you're free to move or attack again instantly instead of waiting for the knife to be ready to swing again. This makes the knife especially handy for downing zombies.

[@edweird0]

I for one like Ghastly's Seventh Mansion Smile 💖

[@velvetbutterfly]

I'll never tire of watching you explore bizarre horror games.

[@syllvia1]

Thanks for the vid, i've had this one in the back of my head for years but never really followed through to see what it was. Great stuff!

[@chrisrhaye8222]

I am very much enjoying these dives into obscure, mostly JP-only games, punchy! Thanks for doing these, they're really interesting and you're doing a great job.

[@WanderlustZero]

Not gonna lie, looks much more fun and with a better story than Code Veronica

[@onewomanarmy6451]

Not quite sure why this popped up next to a vod of Dave the diver, but I'm so glad it did. Love learning about weird oldish games so I'm excited to watch through the other videos on the channel, since this one was really well-made and fun.

[@AccelDie]

Your videos always bring up intriguing pieces of videogame history that I will forever enjoy from start to end and I thank you for bringing out there. Seeing you list the history of Co-Op survival horrors in the middle of the video remund me that I was watching the video of a real one™

[@SjefDriscoll]

Thanks as always for a new video! Love your videos so much, and watching livestreams always makes me ?nervous for some reason? so I appreciate this edited content a lot :)

[@ShinjiSixteen]

Love these videos. Perfect balance of review, summary and snark. Bravo!

[@NucleaRaptor]

Normally, I instantly perk up when I hear "JP-exclusive survival horror", but holy shit does this thing look drab and soulless, which is especially egregious considering the comfy and appealing Sega-Blue-Skies aesthetic that even the jankiest DC games used to have. It's exhausting just to look at it. Also, subscribed I guess.

[@dorkbot5000]

I had to try it before watching this and hoo boy, them hallways are bland. The more involved sets are fun to wander and strangely detailed (the Mcpherson mansion especially stands out) but the rest of it really clarifies how right SH and RE got it in comparison.

[@shamra1245]

This game looks incredible. I'm already a Dreamcast connoisseur but this whole vibe and jank really makes me appreciate Dreamcast games more and I really want to play this co-op with somebody now!!!! Also the pop song from the secret ending reminds me a ton of one of the openings to Cardcaptor Sakura???? I guess it would've been around the same time?

[@LinkSlayer64]

What an absolute joy of a game and video. Always fun to learn about new weird games!

[@raccooncitycinema]

What an amazing video!! I loved playing this game so much I bought the guidebook too, but haven't had time to go through it, so thanks for sharing those endings! They definitely didnt disappoint 😂

[@munchmongoose]

Omg I remember your spots on SGDQ- I knew I recognized your voice! Your runs were amazing for how well you explained the game/your strategy/joking WHILE doing the run

[@DGneoseeker1]

Thanks for covering this. I've been curious about this one for years.

[@HimmelFlugzeug]

This is magnificent. Thanks for playing through the game so many times so I don't have to, and for your awesome as hell commentary on it.

[@planescaped]

30:19 So 6 years ago Christy drank some really gross water and now she's, like, a cursed god or some shit. Super weird.

[@justiniadonisi9290]

Aaaaaaaand I will be playing this later today. Thank you for putting it on our radar! I didn’t finish the video because I don’t want the game spoiled, but I promise I’ll come back and finish it!

[@slamphibian6736]

The co-op campaign in this game is awesome and im sad there isnt much like it. I would still recommend anyone to get a buddy and play the co-op mode its great

[@taiyorenai7690]

1:07 That really does look like when game stores print box art for a game, and it’s just whatever pops up on Google first and not the actual box art

[@Trisaaru]

Great video, Punchy. Idk how you find these whack videogames, but I'm glad you do.

[@neoqwerty]

I feel like they find him. They just appear in his peripheral sight one day and stalk him until he plays them.

[@Trisaaru]

@@neoqwerty Man. Life...is beautiful

[@MoonlitWood]

1:23 Foreshadowing is a literary device.

[@Minusoh]

Wait, so at 31:36 are you supposed to click Yes or No to back out and not launch the missile? Is it Yes for "let's counter with a missile" or Yes for "this is a bad idea"? I feel like I'd actually fuck this up because I don't know what the game is asking me anymore.

[@PunchyYT]

you click "no" to back out and fwiw this is also confusing in japanese

[@0E1M1]

This game heavily reminds me of Blue Stinger and Illbleed, you should check out one of these if you're ever interested, both have hilarious dialog and are pretty clanky and weird to play.

[@mauricioalvarezpino1818]

This guy speedruns Illbleed, just so you know that this comment made me chuckle.

[@0E1M1]

​@@mauricioalvarezpino1818didn't knew lol, i'm not really surprised haha.

[@underlockv]

thanks for making this video, i am so glad to know about this game now.

[@lukabrasi001]

the co-op but on separate paths idea is so cool, if i'm developing a game i'm 100% incorporating that because it's just such a good idea if executed properly

[@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist]

Anything new happen with that game bud?

[@lukabrasi001]

@@DefinitelyNotAMachineCultist actually yeah, i'm working on a second devlog video, but will delist the first because i've completely restarted the project with all the stuff i've learned so far

[@villain5873]

So the message from this game is a Sixx A.M. song?

[@vibri_]

Cold Fear on the Xbox is "we have resident evil 4 at home"

[@jeonghutamilim2259]

So... That limeter guy just happened to have boss monster under his table when player barged in?

[@bunnybreaker]

How had I never heard of this beautiful mess?! Thank you for introducing me to this glorious work of art.

[@KuroCartoonist]

27:50 *Wow, they came out with the sneaky surprise attack at the start of the round!*

[@dc8836]

I came for the speedruns and Punchy's entertaining diatribes about Harry Mason's movement physics. I stick around for Punchy investigating oddball JP-only games.

[@Maggerama]

Enjoyed your speedruns immensely, but only found this "normal" channel now. Gonna binge the hell out of it, I love your cunning delivery.

[@MelioUmbraBelmont]

Kei love ending is like: Kei: "FF 7 battle won Fanfare" Reina: " I've tried so hard and get so far...." And "Can you feel my heart"

[@yansmut]

Nice old game. As a child, I played on my Dreamcast without translation and managed to get to the station and the video surveillance room just by bumping into all the walls.

[@jellyskink]

When you asked about what the worst way to end a co op horror game would be, I thought DDR, and LO AND FUCKING BEHOLD

[@dorkbot5000]

Okay, I played a bit o' this before watching the video and I think your coverage is awesome. However, I also wanna point out some specific and baffling character choices I'm guessing you didn't have time for. SPOILERS INBOUND (just watch the damn video first) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ Alan is the main villain and hates humanity, but also helps the character more than anyone in the entire game. He heals Kei's leg at the start, and gives Reina the best weapon. Why? What the fuck? Two hours later, he's tryna kill everyone. What could he stand to gain by helping the two characters who have the capacity to stop him? As we see, he crushes on Reina, so that could vaguely explain him giving her the means to defend herself, but I cannot conceive of a justification for him helping Kei. And the meta water reference seems pointless and never comes up again. Was meta water actually the toilet water? Did he suggest Kei drink it in hopes he would get sick? Was the meta water gonna turn Kei into one of the monsters or somesuch? I don't know. Did the writers have any clear intention with this? I will never know. We also got Tanya! One thing not mentioned in the video is that Tanya has a shattered portrait of Schneider in her room. When Kei looks at it, he comments something like "guess she's not a fan of him." But she still wants to make Reina into a Sublimiter-i.e. superperson. Why would she ever, when Schneider is clearly the leader of the Sublimiters (as shown in a video earlier in the game?) And where are the rest of said Sublimiters? It looked like there were a couple dozen of them at least. Were they supposed to be the bullshit fleshmen that you basically have to pause spam to kill?? Maybe they were saving stuff for a hypothetical sequel, but it is stunning how underexplained and logic free this game is. Like, when Silent Hill is poorly explained, it's usually done choicefully or for the sake of keeping things scary. Ghastly Smile seems distinct in how utterly slapped together it is. Nothing about it feels coherent, and nothing about the story makes it seem like any sincere effort was put into the writing. It's so beautiful

[@GannJerrod]

This is a fascinating video, I love seeing all these weird games that I’ve never heard of!

[@tovarischkrasnyjeshi]

The lollipop thing seems like it could be unironically funny and not just dumb if the game could actually pull off the tone I'm thinking it was going for. Like if an actually intense scene was followed by Kei giving (especially a less infantilized, emotionally competent) Reina the sucker and then way later after another intense scene some rando who couldn't have possibly known she had food asked for it and she gave it it would work as non-sequitur brick joke relief. also no you're not alone in weird feelings about bringing things up

[@napoleonfeanor]

Wasn't she supposed to be a teen?

[@tovarischkrasnyjeshi]

What does that have to do with anything? @@napoleonfeanor

[@OvercookedOctopusFeet]

How on earth this video stumbled its way into my suggestions feed i've no idea, but it was fun.. new sub.

[@mothcub]

omg I love that weird baby face so much

[@DanceswithBlades5]

You should do more of these videos, I like this format your voice is delightful

[@cheapshot777]

This game was an absolute blast to play co-op. Jankiness aside it's incredibly ambitious and all the absurdity is great fun with a few beers.

[@CelBaccage]

kinda weird how you show off the pause exploit early in the vid, but then later in the video point out how hesitant you are to reveal the trick when you've already shown it off earlier

[@SilentHellVG]

BTW, the guardian is weak to one of the colored capsule bullets and can be killed very easily with it. You can figure out the color needed with trial and error or searching "S Bullet" on the computer word search.

[@23Scadu]

24:43 when the person who was in the bathroom before you didn't use the air freshener.

[@juicebiscuit4922]

It's definitely no shenmue but that Dreamcast level of detail is still there. game looks absolutely gorgeous too bad it sucks

[@KopperNeoman]

"Reina has less health than Kei for no reason" Might be because her story is more puzzle-oriented... also more realistically, she's a woman.

[@Nemo2342]

I am glad I work from home, because I laughed so hard at the love endings that my coworkers would have asked me to quiet down.