The Power of Skyboxes in Tears of the Kingdom

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[@selectivires]

Ahh an AnyAustin video, where I do not have to fear spoilers of any kind. Because the subjects are based in a different realm of reality

[@raymondjack]

Spoiled it for me! I only play games based on the believability of the weather!

[@CurlyChop]

Completely spoiled, no one told me Link was in the game...

[@mariowario5945]

Spoilers? This game has no story to spoil, lol😂

[@puffles5535]

@@CurlyChopikr. Freaking spoilers. I thought banjo and kazooie were the main characters.

[@zoniotdd992]

​@@mariowario5945spoilers can be for anything. Some people including me for games like this don't want to even see what the inside of shrines look like before experiencing for myself

[@florence.5088]

"Assuming you're not listening to a podcast while eating cereal and teleporting from shrine to shrine" wow you didn't have to expose me like this 💀

[@any_austin]

Listen you gotta make it through your day however you can there’s no shame in it

[@tyler-xo3rb]

@@any_austinthere is absolutely shame in it

[@maruwapofilms815]

he said "if you don't stop and watch the sunsets you're a monster" lmao my kid self grinded botw n didn't look up once

[@AzuriaSky]

Composer/game designer here - your points are all valid! I am actually pleasantly surprised that you notice and appreciate these teeny tiny quality-of-life design choices that game developers spend an insane amount of time tuning to make the gaming experience immersive. I can tell you 100% that the little piano phrases that get played during sunrise/sunset/moonrise are intentionally tweaked to give you that feeling of being part of a greater story. I actually never noticed that the obfuscation of sky islands was a subtle way to direct focus during gameplay, I am impressed that you mentioned this.

[@user-un3us8hp8n]

For me, the sky was a very gentle reminder to take the game in calmly: Every time I'd get caught up in chasing quests or routing my way to an important spot, I'd catch a sunset or an open field view and it would just instantly dissipate any need to rush things or be methodical. It had an insanely soothing effect.

[@princesspiranha]

I never thought about it like that, but you're absolutely right! It does have a soothing effect. I understand even better now why I like BotW and TotK so much, thank you! :)

[@Levacque]

I do that in Skyrim once in a while. They do Aurora sometimes and I'll stop playing and aim my POV up for a bit.

[@InternetPitstop]

Every series this man makes are bangers!

[@sierranicholes6712]

yo it's internet pitstop !!!!!!! my other fave non-standard game analysis youtuber!!!

[@sentientmeat96]

Every vid u make is a banger, too

[@Stammitti90]

very game for this twist on the usual structure where you do a standard Any Austin theme but then in practice it's kind of just you pacing back and forth coming up with it on the fly and changing the name of the video three or four times within the first 24 hours of it dropping. I say let's keep that train rolling.

[@Fawriel]

It depends on how much you are in the moment and following your whims while playing the game. If you’re focused on some clear goal and not terribly sensitive to your own emotions, you probably aren’t noticeably affected by the sky. I can 100% see you being guided by it, though. That absolutely checks out.

[@crunchysalmons]

when i first got Botw i took it to a birthday party, i had gotten to about the dueling peaks stable. at the party my friend started a new file eventually we fell asleep. i woke up at 6 am and my one friend had been playing all night and he was in Hateno Village, somewhere i had never even seen but unknowingly was actually my destination. me and my friend coincidentally ended up on the exact same route because of the shape of the mountains and paths and how some areas were designed to encourage approach

[@elijahneidlinger9932]

Hopefully he created a new profile on your switch, because otherwise he would have deleted your save file

[@hadesKIU]

Challenge: Every time Austin changes the title or thumbnail, take a shot. I think we're up to 3 now.

[@danielhuelsman76]

I feel like when it comes to Nintendo and its use of graphics their philosophy is "it's not how much you have, it's what you can do with it". Nintendo is the full-fledged artist who draws with crayons who can draw the most amazing murals and portraits and landscapes and all this stylistic versatility out of a standard box of Crayola, but people still make fun them for being an adult playing with kids' stuff.

[@drygnfyre]

Also, the neat thing about the Depths "sky" is that it gradually reveals itself. You have to turn on the lightroots for it to gradually appear. So it's something you don't notice at first, until you go back to an area that has been lit up and you see it.

[@jeffshannon3627]

Yes I think there's intention in the experience a user has while playing zelda. It's entirely plausible and likely that there are measures and triggers that occur while the player goes over a sweeping vista that cue a piece of music or a change in the sky box to favor the possibility of a momentary pause of the action towards appreciation of the artwork the game play affords

[@fablecouvrette5334]

In hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy there's a planet that has a perfectly boring sky so no one there ever looked up, and when they accidentally invented space travel, pierced the cloud layer and discovered stars, they immediately decide they can't tolerate the rest of the universe existing and start the deadliest war ever

[@TheBreadPirate]

I remember that part! I love the absurdity of Hitchhikers Guide.

[@Candy-8448]

Ive been meaning to read that series for ages

[@JohnnyKelly]

They were from Cricket. They wanted to destroy everything else because it was: "Just not Cricket!"

[@inkdheart]

I agree with Austin. Nintendo has gone on record about the game design on botw and how they had to use the environment to guide the player while also encouraging free exploration. Pretty sure the weather effects and the sky are part of that, and meant to do the same in totk

[@Levacque]

​@@Candy-8448please do! It's really one of the greats for the sci-fi genre. The humour makes the story flow so quickly that you finish one book before you know it - that's why the collected edition with all five novels in one book is quite nice.

[@henlex6424]

Also my favorite thing is that the rainbows follow actual science where if you look away from the sun while its sunny and rainung ,theres a high probability of a rainbow

[@ollie_acorn]

The sheer variation in the sky makes me never get tired of looking at the game.

[@pivotguydc1149]

I had no idea these games had dynamic puddles. That is INSANE.

[@RyanHaney55]

I don't think the graphics of TotK are bad or ugly. I do think the environment subconsciously guides the player. And, I do stop and look at the sunset and sunrise.

[@coolguychecker7329]

If that was the intent, it didn't really guide me. Since towers are established as your ticket to the sky from pretty early on, how close a tower was, was pretty much the only factor if I would explore sky next or not. I felt that the guidance in Tears of the Kingdom was much louder than in Breath of the Wild. Like stables have smoke coming from them, same with the great fairies, the towers are all lit up, etc... The effect of the sky you're describing, at least for me, was drowned out by these louder, mechanically simpler, and more instantaneously recognizable cues.

[@ZeldaMcFly]

Ever notice how bright the sky still is even when it's supposed to be nighttime? Link still has a shadow even if the moon isn't out, whereas dark shrines like Kikakin are closer to IRL nighttime with external light sources necessary and integral to the gameplay. Maybe it's so bright out to contrast more with the depths? I don't really have a point to make here, just something I've observed

[@TriforceWisdom64]

Caves are also brightly lit inside, even at night. It's just for fun.

[@tristanneal9552]

Yeah I think it's just a functional thing. The game design (sightlines, weenies, etc.) would fall apart if your vision was limited that much

[@zgiffish]

YESSSS MORE skyboxes 🩷🩷❤️❤️❤️

[@superpiff0000]

I've watched 20-30 of your videos, and the first half of this where you discuss the way that weather influences your decision as a player makes this a top 3 video for me! I was shocked that after 50 or so hours in this game, I never thought about the weather once. I just loved hearing you talk about this thing you appreciate

[@iamalittler]

Another perfect example of two of Nintendo's most powerful features: relative perception, and time; if weather acted more realistically, you wouldn't notice. And then there is the fact that the world that Hyrule is on is presumably tiny compared to Earth, so the weather would act much differently.

[@MrPotatoPoo]

The “tucked in shirt and a black belt” look is a brave one, my son.

[@rareosts5752]

This is my favorite series of yours and it's great to see the Tears of the Kingdom edition. Skybox appreciation is back, boy-o

[@heirapparent8217]

I appreciate that through the medium of sky boxes you too have decided, like so many of our ancestors, that the sun and moon are our big sky parents.

[@choiie]

Your videos bring me a special kind of calm. It’s like when you’d get out of middle school early and hang out in your friend’s basement and don’t have much to do but it’s just such a vibe

[@NoAvailableSpace]

Love your videos man! Brings a smile to my face whenever I see you posted a video.

[@nicolasgorszczyk9291]

I believe you are 100 percent correct with your assessment to how the sky boxes where intently designed to influence the experience of the player. When it comes to open world, there is this rule of having content every X seconds available to the player to make it an enjoyable experience (Witcher 3/TOTK is something around each 45 seconds, whereas RDR2 is more like 2-3 minutes but it still stands true) There are several ways to achieve that, first thing that comes to mind is influencing level design and lign of sights (Nintendo had a super good talk at GDC about how they shaped the mountains and the silhouettes of their points of interests to peak the player's curiosity, super cool stuff highly recommend it) But you can also work on the art direction right, it can come to composition with 3d meshes, color palette, having stuff contrasting against one another, repetition of elements, the depth of a Vista (like the example with the overcast clouds VS the deep) It's completely intentional and I am sure it took them lots and lots of iterations to get the feelings and experiences right, but boy how much they are right 😄

[@BonesBonesBonesBones1]

Man, this is the best shit. I could look at skyboxes for hours. Not joking, this just hits different

[@Tromus]

Thanks as always for your content, I believed you. I liked a lot when you talked about sound design... How about "Sound design Appreciation" videos??? I will love to hear that from you.

[@hollynicoleroberts]

i love your skybox appreciation videos!! they're my favorite :)

[@cinthiaMP]

seeing a rainbow in totk was an awesome feeling

[@billybrown9185]

Id love to see you go through the original Spyro trilogy. Even if it was just an overview of the Skyboxes in the ehole series instead of each game. They are beautiful and were the first game i ever really appreciated having them.

[@fios4528]

Please never change (in any way that isn't true to yourself). I love your style and perspective when it comes to game analysis

[@yosefu5009]

Gotta say I miss the post-outro bloopers

[@AngryBob4213]

I think you're right and I enjoyed this video!!

[@SpikeSpoogle]

starfox 64 might be a good idea for this series. They aren't boxes I don't think, but they are all beautiful

[@relrel310]

Okay, even though I don't think the skybox is built to influence our will and direction in the game, I feel that it does a great job simulating a relationship with the environment beyond that usual observer or being observe dichotomy. Like, we're not playing the weather as an enemy or boss, but it's not playing us either. Yes, it's an exaggeration of the weather and environment that falls apart like the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, but it also feels like a consequence of the actual world beyond that illusion because we can refer to it from our own experiences with the weather and sky (assuming people have gone outside once in their life). But I guess the more important question: what makes a player (or any person) want to assume that there is a pull of influence at all? What part of us wants our idea of 'play' to be controlled like that?

[@relrel310]

I've been reading about the Dasein, it's been messing with my head.

[@canucklehead2772]

When it came to ToTK I chose to be much more militant in my gameplay goals and not to jump on every immediate urge. I fall into the 'over-thinking' category so it was to maintain my own sanity. But I often stopped to bask in any beautiful moment that I could. A standout with a feeling I can't quite explain was at the 'New Serenne Stable'

[@palyername]

i agree that the increased/reduced visibility as a function of the weather is a deliberate choice and i think it works in tandem with the weather mechanics that already existed in breath of the wild, e.g. when it's raining you are forced slow down consider everything at your level rather than to climb higher or look for islands/other objectives in the sky or in the distance. i will say that i don't think that design decision is an objectively positive thing; they guide the player to take certain actions or pay attention to different things, but with the exception of a few cases, the weather is random, so it's hard for me to appreciate being guided when there's no deliberate intention behind it other than "hang on, every so often we should make you consider whether what you currently want to do is incorrect, actually." which is very in character for my parents so maybe you're on to something there

[@simondelisle9310]

I have a theory about the raining sky showing more the sky islands. What if it was on purpose so people decides to explore the sky more when it rains on the surface, because, in the sky, it never rains. So what if it's the game telling you "Hey ! The rain suck eh ? How about you go up there now, where it's all shiny and cool and not wet"

[@MrMister5555]

I believe you, I haven't played TOTK, but you definitely made it seem beautiful to me.

[@skyxis8861]

It's a good day when there's a new anyaustin video

[@jonathanwilson7949]

A work of art

[@broskimoski9775]

You should check out the sky box in a game called Sky: Children of light. Made by the same team that made journey, flower, and abzu

[@kstreet7438]

2nd time watching this. Love the skybox series

[@matts9871]

speaking of Jacob Geller, i need to go watch the VOD of the Sword Stream! i wasn't around watching when you were a guest 😭 another banger video, anyhow. i'm glad i found you, it's nice to have someone thinking about the same stuff i have thought about games before (especially WRT Red Dead Redemption, a game a played a lot as a kid. thought a lot about the sky and stuff)

[@reesegreiner6338]

though i think employment levels and unremarkable places are important, it is my firm belief that your contributions to the skybox discourse is your most crucial work. thank you for repeatedly shining a light on this most vital of subjects. godspeed

[@GenMars]

realism is more likely to numb rather than immerse, imo

[@projectrenaissanceman5035]

Dude you rock thank you man

[@CT--oc8pm]

This man needs to make something about rdr2 because it's a perfect game for him

[@Demonstray]

Beyond Good & Evil skyboxes next!

[@heirapparent8217]

Oh, yeah, I absolutely believe the sky is being used to influence the player, though perhaps not with much intent. The rain for example is to designed in the hopes it might, at the right moment, force the player not to do whatever they were gonna do, but it ends up being a mild inconvenience to be waited out or bullishly pushed through. Likewise the hiding and revealing of sky islands should incentivise different activities, but as we always know they’re there via the towers and the map they grant us, we blast off to them even if they’re obscured. I don’t think it was quite used to it’s full potential, though maybe that’s just how it goes with most things.

[@Shift_Salt]

Many title and thumbnail changes later

[@ExpiredPancreas]

15:21 I believe you, Austin 😚

[@TheoPhysics495]

I think ur right

[@junderdo]

Song at the end bumps

[@nicholaszacharewicz693]

This is exactly the kind of video I'm here for -- both because of your thesis and how you develop it and the skyboxes themselves. Please keep making videos like this!

[@blakemorris1300]

Seeing the islands from below and knowing you can get yourself up there was amazing! A shame they were so sparse and lacking in variety :( Ah well.

[@dantonarlotto]

Your argument definitely makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to design BotW/TotK's weather to be a gameplay element, thus forsaking absolute realism in favor of a more dynamic, varied, and interesting gameplay loop. One definitely plays the game differently when it's raining for many reasons, including traversal, stealth, collecting materials, etc.

[@dougawesomecities]

I one hundred percent believe you

[@MrSparkle404]

I've never seen this rainbow you showed us after 1500 hours between the 2 games. Is it also in Breath of the Wild? Maybe a video comparing their skyboxes?

[@harveyweinstein349]

9:44 you choked up!

[@Sonnycholas201]

Please cover the ones from Conker's Bad Fur Day! 🙏

[@raging_ryano8948]

why do you keep changing the title lol great video btw

[@apriletmanski]

Can I request a video on Yoshi’s Island skyboxes? Or just any SNES platformer honestly

[@iamafanofmanythings3973]

heyyy you should do a skybox appreciation video for halo

[@Alex-hp2rs]

Title changed more times than the channel name

[@nelson-haha89]

I think you're right.

[@blapblappigan8595]

MOAR TEARS OF THE KINGDOM (please 🥺)

[@Suoly_]

great video ^~^

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

I honestly think it's just contrast. Most games have very poor contrast, making everything look "grey" despite having over-saturated colors. Like, if you play these new Zelda games in black&white, the design and graphics still work. Everything is communicated and clear. Try that with almost any other game and they become cluttered messes with bunch of messy darks and light close and far.

[@gentlemeninparis5280]

Good video I enjoy 👍

[@MelloCookies]

Love the videos. I do have a suggestion for a skybox appreciation. Super Mario galaxy 2 has these little bonus star areas where you play mini games. They have weird skyboxes and I’d recommend checking them out.

[@PaulGaither]

Why does he have a bunch of metal hair clips in his hair?

[@Half_Finis]

i kinda dislike the grasshopper or cicada sounds

[@satellachannel6423]

Nice

[@barryherbers6090]

8:52 "While the nighttime, y'know, sun is doing what it's doing, or the moon or whatever is the one that's at night." Flawless

[@Hohloch]

i love it im gonna use 'night time sun' to refer to the moon from now on

[@makinganegg-tempt1986]

@@Hohloch dark sun gwyndolin

[@lewisroach8723]

I feel it worth mentioning that I save these videos for nights when I'm having trouble sleeping and they genuinely do help a bit.

[@RidigiRemiin]

Same! These videos are strangely soothing and interesting a perfect combination of this appreciation of detail and (carefreeness? always an achievement to make hard work feel that way). Somehow everything feels very human and unique ^^

[@daryx.langdale]

Now that you mention it, there’s something similar with how Austin talks about skyboxes and how Joe Pera talks about video games in his podcast Drifting Off with Joe Pera, which is literally designed to fall asleep to. He kinda gets equally deep about video games in a way where you’re at the same time aware of the absurdity of over thinking video games, finding that amusing, but also finding what he’s saying convincing. Which is all together calming. I strongly recommend if you haven’t listened to that episode to do so (“Video Games with Dan Deacon and Roger Clark).

[@makhnoboi1996]

Can you do a video on grass textures? I mean games have a lot of differently shaped and colored grass, some even have ferns! Grass in the foreground creates a much different feeling from grass in the background, and in a lot of games (ie Kingdom (the one with the horse and the beautiful pixel art)) you create the grass and it has large gameplay effects

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

BotW: "What the heck is that over there?" TotK: "What the heck is that up there?"

[@lenlordofknowledge]

One of my favorite things to do in both TotK and BotW is take pictures of the sunrises and sunsets and just vistas in general. By the end of the game, my album is just filled with pictures across the entire map of snapshots of my adventure, and as corny as it sounds, it makes it more special to me lol

[@oldershikari828]

Completely agree. The game is SOOOO beautiful!

[@SilvrRazorFeather]

I try to incorporate the sunrise and sunset lighting in my compendium pics, it's so satisfying to get the perfect shot in such gorgeous light.

[@IIITrunks]

That parents analogy went so hard. that was wild.

[@NickMartin604]

Not me tearing up at the thought of my parents being like that 🥲

[@HyruleGamer]

An appreciation of Austin's video 💜

[@Levacque]

6:34 what you're describing is theatricality. True artists DO think about how they can guide the thoughts, feelings, and actions of their audience and I do think that Zelda producers focus on it waaaay more than other video game artists. That is, in many ways, the goal of artistry.

[@Titan.Tantrum]

I really enjoyed this format of video where you discuss the design, implementation and intent behind the skyboxes. I know you have a reputation for skyboxes and the like, but if you had ideas for other artistic/gameplay things for videos in this format I'd love to see them!

[@badfoodfeet]

i loooove that the sky islands arent always clearly visible. even after hundreds of hours, i still have a little moment of awe whenever i see them up there. it's a shame theyre so empty lol

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

please start making video game essays on games you've never played. you would conquer that niche i'm certain

[@zgiffish]

i know right it’s such a good idea it makes me want to do it myself but i don’t think i could take the heat from people who don’t get the joke 😭

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

never let fear stop you from doing anything!!!!! i believe in you zgiffish @@zgiffish

[@Horsethe666]

​@@zgiffishI should make a 4 hour critique of red dead redemption 2, repeatedly calling it a GTAV knockoff 🤷

[@pocoxiaomi5182]

Yeah, some games just aren't meant to be played (Starfield), but watching reviews on them is fun

[@lelanddyke8386]

I think you're right about it being subtle handholding. I like that you noticed it

[@5MadMovieMakers]

I suppose why they might not've made rain clouds visible from above while diving is because they wanted you to see where you were going to land. I know for Wind Waker the devs talked about realism vs reality, where they wanted the ocean to "feel" real even if it didn't look realistic. Similarly, they might've wanted the feel of skydiving to take priority and having the entire screen blocked out by clouds when looking downward might've taken away from that.

[@jimaroonie]

Yeah, I reckon you could be on to something here. Inviting the player to do things not forcing them to do it, is rad. Scanning the landscape as you fall is a central mechanic that complete cloud cover would eliminate.

[@amyOMNOMNOM]

I’m a little disappointed you didn’t touch on the visual effects of the blood moon, spotting that crimson moon before the atmosphere sets in is so jarring

[@mrs.vasquezz]

It's too repetitive

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

this guy's gonna have millions of followers one day. hes got the it factor

[@Plant..]

He’s got rizz

[@andrewprice8079]

I will literally watch any video he makes

[@preliminarypetrichor]

I've been thinking that for the better part of a decade and at yet here we are, still well below what he deserves. There has been quite a bit of growth lately.

[@duppy404]

Dude he was at 40k subs for like 10 years

[@preliminarypetrichor]

@@duppy404 Seriously. It's nice to see growth but he's still no where near where he deserves to be.

[@TheBreadPirate]

I absolutely agree with your conclusion. It must have been intentional for the sky islands to disappear so that you can focus on the stuff right in front of you.

[@johnleecooper8520]

i think you dont need to worry about intention really. whether or not the dev team specifically cooked up the sky mechanic influencing ur behaviour doesnt change the fact that it happens to you when you play.

[@IL-tx3ul]

you didnt have to go so hard with the college parent metaphor and make me weepy man :,)

[@RDR911]

Idk if you’re right but you’re sure passionate about it and I love a good passionate appreciation.

[@rareosts5752]

I believe you, because getting distracted is such a problem in the game as it is. I can't imagine that during play testing it wasn't an even bigger problem. Using the sky in that way is actually pretty smart and it does make sense

[@kstan5112]

The Skybox that dissolves in when the Gloom Hands come after you is also nice, lol. Too bad it's hard to find a nice place to look at it when you're focused on running away.

[@carolynr570]

These videos are kinda poetic idk

[@puffles5535]

Austin definitely could make videos of games he’s never played. He could still appreciate the beauty of the different sceneries. Seems very possible and interesting to me.