The Case of Rachel Foster

[@GabSmolders]

Just a fair warning that this game is actually called "The Suicide of Rachel Foster," so you can imagine it has some heavy themes in its story. I had to go with "case" in the title because KZbin for obvious reasons will limit my video if it has the word suicide in the title. It can be pretty depressing for some people, so if you don't feel up for this and want something more cheerful, how about some Luigi's Mansion or Link's Awakening? I also personally like Animal Crossing. :)

[@annepfaff9369]

You are such a wonderful and considerate person!

[@andreaforsgren3095]

Luigis mansion :D also thanks for uploading this! I popped into the stream but couldn't stay but the game looked really interesting and turns out it really is! I have watched 2 hours so far I am eager to see the conclusion! Thank you, and take care :)

[@alexandera.j963]

I like the way you playing..... 😘

[@mattjasek6905]

the game was hella creepy

[@mbell367]

So comforting to know you’re a SPN fan too 😂

[@supahmariostyle]

Gab is the Bob Ross of gaming. We don't scream, just happy little gasps.

[@bridledandbare9135]

I love this comment

[@solanumtuberosa]

So basically the opposite of her boyfriend lol

[@elusivegamergirl]

lol perfectly balanced relationship. Sean's the loud, bombastic one that's literally exploding with energy; Gab is quieter, calmer, more reserved and is pleasantly surprised or pleased by most things. She is his dutch queen, and he is her short king. Long may they reign. ^__^ 👑👑

[@rizkiramadhan9266]

@@elusivegamergirl "TOP OF THE MORNING TO YA!" - Sean

[@elusivegamergirl]

@@rizkiramadhan9266 lol I approve. ^__^

[@LovelyKyoru]

When you realize Irving wasn't just being cute the first time he called her Nicky, but instead was using her childhood nickname to manipulate her into uncovering more memories :(

[@ace_of_cups4096]

Oh dam

[@TheCornDavis]

I’m 40 minutes in and the comments including this one! Ah!!! I liked hiiiim!! But knowing what I know now… I love this so much more! Such a cool twist!

[@Queerventurers]

Didn't trust him from the beginning

[@jotarokujo2027]

@@Queerventurers didn't ask

[@brilynne7213]

@@jotarokujo2027they didn’t reply to you, so no shit.

[@pb7199]

this game was disturbing, right down to its portrayal of love. rachel was a 16 year old child who was mistreated by her peers. leonard was not just any adult, but her speech therapist- her doctor. perhaps after being discriminated against and bullied it would be easy for a young girl to develop feelings for a man who didn't tease or belittle her, someone who was kind and friendly with her- but that was leonard's *job*, to build trust with her and be someone she could be comfortable working with. as the adult he should have been firm and stayed only as a mentor figure- instead he predated on a girl his daughter's age. the town called it an affair but that makes it sound like rachel was also an adult, she was a child, still in school, still wearing a retainer, still decorating her room like a young girl. leonard is a predator and a p*d*ph***, his love may have been "simple and pure" but it doesn't change the fact that he used his position as her therapist to pursue a romantic relationship and sleep with a child 24 years younger than him. and in the end the girl was the one who paid for his abuse of trust.

[@Powered1Buttercup]

Really doesn't help that the game tried to portray Rachel as "mature" for her age and then have her shrine be a room for a little kid, it's so gross

[@tarao666]

Actually, I think the game precisely puts her age at 16 to create a very interesting grey area, since that's exactly the age of consent for most of the civilized world. And they point at the possible abuse but also at the true love between them. That's what makes this game great, it doesn't deal with the subject in black and white, and plays with a grey area that I think will make most people think and debate.

[@WhoamI-yz9nx]

And then he convinced her baby brother that it was totally "pure and true looove" and he should abandon his life to find out what happened to Rachel. Leonard is the villain here, he ruined lives of three children, including his own. But honestly, I hate every character in this game, except Rachel.

[@WhoamI-yz9nx]

@@tarao666 It's not "true love" when a middle aged man gets with a teenager he was supposed to give therapy to. 16 yo is still a child who doesn't know what they're doing. Let's not even start with Leonard getting Rachel *pregnant* at 16.

[@RowleyFan2]

@@WhoamI-yz9nx 100% yeah, Leonard was the disgusting ped+philiac villain through and through, he took advantage of an underage girl who he had a lot of mental/emotional power on (as his doctor), brainwashed Irving for years into believing it was the mother and daughter the ones at fault, then even after he's gone he had Irving psychologically torture his daughter to the point of suicide and making her believe she was partly at fault. Nowhere in this game the writers address any of that or make it obvious that all of this was wrong. Even with all the excuses of "unreliable narrators" the writers still seem to glorify ped+philia and blame the women in Leonard's life. He's the one who abused, r+ped and impregnated an underage girl his daughter's age.

[@MeowImMad]

'Your mother, June 24th 1991.' Strange name, but okay.

[@rizkiramadhan9266]

"What kind of stupid name is that?" "It's my stupid name!"

[@loganbeedie5757]

😂😂 didn't think of that

[@berrystein9197]

I was thinking the same thing

[@rannielaayumi2445]

Fact: There's a real person whose name is "Sincerely yours '91" yes with the apostrophe

[@katrabbit]

Fact: there's someone with the legal name Bringda Pain. I don't know what she does for a living but I imagine she's good at it.

[@Vanyel_K]

Love that he slipped up with the piano. 'Seriously you're going to play the piano' that's when I knew he was watching her.

[@cosplayconjure910]

I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THAT YOO

[@kero.shroom1503]

Also, Nicole never told him she found the screwdriver and when ahe got in the room he asked her if she found anything

[@HH-pl4cv]

ya i thought i caught that but was overthinking it

[@lem0ncrunch]

That’s what I thought toooo ö

[@liamnehren1054]

hmmm no supposedly she didn't hang up. her first cell phone lol maybe she thought putting it down was enough.

[@sweepingtime]

Couldn't stop watching this after it started. I think Irving was stalking Nicole around the hotel. You keep hearing these electronic noises while walking around the corridors, which could probably be Irving's phone. He had to keep an eye on her to keep her safe until she solved the case, and saved her from freezing to death in the walk-in fridge. But what did the ghost hunters see that spooked them? And the blackboard with the writing and the doors slamming shut. Was there really a ghost that never really manifested?

[@sammbarnes8000]

I think it is Rachel's actual ghost that is in the hotel doing the actual "unexplainable" shit. I didn't think about that static thing till you brought it up, good point!! I also found it really creepy how Nicole never acknowledged the static on the walkie talkie. Also why the wind chimes?? That was weird.

[@sweepingtime]

@@sammbarnes8000 It's fun trying to find explanations and theories about the strange things that Nicole sees or hears. Do you recall the part where Irving says goodbye and merry Christmas to his 'colleague'? When I heard it I thought it was Irving mimicking a woman's voice and thought that it was the devs not having the voice talent for a throwaway character so I didn't think much about it until the reveal at the end. But now this makes me question who was on the landline asking Nicole not to sell the hotel. Was it Irving again? But it sounded like an older man. Was it a recording of Leonard's voice? At the time, my guess was that it was the reverend speaking, and thought that he would show up later to exact his revenge or something. I'm really happy for this game, it keeps me thinking about it long after it's over.

[@sammbarnes8000]

Yeah thats what i thought with the “colleague” thing too! This game was better than i thought it would be. I really dislike the “tru luv” idea they did with a 16 yo child though, obviously it was part of the story but man that was gross.

[@hiro1001]

@@sammbarnes8000 I don't think you're supposed to see it as "true love," but from Irving's perspective Leonard was the only person to love Rachel, because his own dad was abusive, Nicole hated her, and the other kids bullied her for her reading disability. To Irving, it finally seemed like she was happy.

[@sammbarnes8000]

Corey yeah that makes sense. That could also be caused by him being so young when it happened so he didnt know or understand what rape or molestation was, he just thought she was happy. I still find it horrible, but psychologically it makes sense for this game.

[@alexandramitchell9140]

Fun fact: Timberline Lodge in Oregon was where they filmed the shining

[@nifftbatuff676]

Zigano!

[@nicolasestrada9038]

They only filmed the outside helicopter shots. Everything after that was outside was their own set. Timberline lodge looks the exact same outside but not inside.

[@nurwanasulaiman7618]

Wasnt it The Stanley Hotel?

[@BrianNay34]

@@nurwanasulaiman7618 If I'm not mistaken, Stephen King was staying at the Stanley when he started writing the book.

[@alexandramitchell9140]

Nurwana Sulaiman that’s the hotel that inspired the shining

[@albynoman]

As a high school English teacher who's taught many differently-abled students and is a dyslexic myself, I feel like I need to briefly weigh in on something you said about an hour and 19 minutes into the video. Firstly, it was touching how it upset you to see how badly misunderstood those with dyslexia were back then. I felt like an absolute idiot and worthless right up until the late 90's because of those attitudes. And you're right when you say there are 'different kinds' of dyslexia because it is a spectrum learning disorder: people with it have different problems and to varying degrees. Mixing up letters is something I certainly had trouble with; I basically couldn't distinguish between a 'd' and a 'b' until I was about 10 years old. But it affects so many other things, like your hand-eye co-ordination, your short-term memory, your mood management, your concentration, your ability to organise or perceive social cues and visual information, your IQ, or just plain learning new information. It's perfectly possible that subject-verb agreement is just too grammatically abstract for it to stick and she has to basically guess whether it's 'he have helped me' or 'he has helped me' like so many people still have to guess at they're/their/there and your/you're. Tl;dr: you can make grammar mistakes whilst getting your letters correct and still be dyslexic. Loved the playthrough, I hope you never stop uploading :)

[@GabSmolders]

Thank you!

[@DogMechanic]

Nice comment, man. I have dyslexia, too, and I've struggle dto tell a 'd' and 'b' apart my whole life; mostly I can read them fine contextually (based on the letters that are around it), but trying to figure out which way it goes when I'm writing something is a mess. I also can't understand maps (like, road maps).

[@morrigancarroll7115]

Sooo, you mean to tell me that I give my daughter a hard time (not mean, mind you) over her b and d confusion... and she has most of what you've described... so I've been potentially missing out on getting her treated for an issue?

[@albynoman]

DogMechanic Thanks mate, I’m always glad to meet someone else with the same issue, it makes me feel less weird. And more importantly, I hope you’ve been able to grow in confidence and make a great life for yourself in spite of it... and I really hope you aren’t a park ranger or pilot because that would be frustrating as hell 😅❤️

[@albynoman]

Morrigan Carroll as a fellow parent, I’m also guilty of doing similar stuff to my own three kids. It’s hard to know when it’s just their own normal development going at a different rate from what you’d expect and what is something that needs intervention and extra help. Just because she has one or more symptoms doesn’t mean she definitely has it. Don’t give yourself a hard time, what’s important is that you recognise she might need help and it might be a good idea to book an appointment with an educational psychologist. That way, you can know for sure and they can give you and her teacher some assistance with differentiated instruction and your daughter can know herself better too. Also, lots of people just end up growing out of their problems- I could barely read until my early 20’s and now I’m an English teacher who’s written two and a half fantasy novels (they are almost as long as my KZbin comments!) My brother was even worse and he has a degree in biopharmacology. Please let us know what happens: Not only would I love to know but I’m sure Gab would love to see that she has promoted this discussion in a way that has indirectly helped your daughter in some way! Xx

[@hannahzaner7062]

I know this story takes place in a different time, yet it still rubs me the wrong way that the issue wasn't that a man in his 40s was in love romantically with a 16 year old and even got her pregnant. Rachel, the victim, was literally seen as the bad guy by Claire and Nicole. The real bad guy was the father. His messed up emotions toward a child got her murdered. Nicole hated her for no reason and I honestly didn't expect her to end her own story like that. On other notes, I want to know what really happened with those ghost hunters. I wonder if Irving scared them off in his plot to get Nicole to uncover the whole story.

[@Stella-ej7he]

In my opinion, from the view of a 16 yr old (im not anymore but looking at it from that perspective) nicole has every reason to hate rachel, she was constantly compared to rachel in everything she did and was asked things like “why cant you do things the way rachel does?” And then on top of that she finds out her beloved father was not only having an affair but with this girl whos the same age as her and was constantly though of as better than nicole in some way in the eyes of her parent or parents? I would hate rachel too if I were in her shoes. The father was certainly an abusive p3do who ruined the lives of his family and rachels family, and then on top of that he sits for years with her younger brother perpetuating his disgusting fantasies about rachel and manipulating her ,by extension through irving, even further to the point that irving comits as well. The mother is also the bad guy here because of what she did but then also how she did it and riding with her child in a car that has rachel in the back seat as if her daughter didnt just see what her mother had done. There was no reason for any one to commit here and the way the whole game and its preferred ending is framed is just generally disgusting. Irving was just a child too but he was manipulated into thinking that he and nicole did anything wrong. Excellent story telling but in the worst way possible if you ask me

[@tarao666]

@@Stella-ej7he I agree with that. Nicole's hate for Rachel is plenty justified, but being the woman that helped your father cheat your mother would be enough in most cases. And the OP seems to have missed that she and her mother left the father and hated his guts too till the day he dies, so it's not like they are blaming just Rachel.

[@DeeFightingDreamer]

I definitely agree with you, but as the other comments pointed out, Nicole's hatred came from always being compared to Rachel, and from seeing her father pay more attention to her. Even in her dream, when she's talking to him, he says "I love you, Rachel." instead of Nicole's name. It seemed to me that Nicole didn't hate Rachel for the affair, she hated her for being caught up in the affair (I think she saw Rachel as a victim as well) which caused their family to fall apart. Nicole definitely saw her father as the bad guy, she refused to call him "dad" and at the start she made her aversion to the place (and to their family past) very clear. I agree that I didn't expect that ending either, I guess the guilt of just being there when it was all going down was enough. Or maybe the shock of what truly happened, she didn't want to live in a family with that dark past. I would also like to know what's the deal with the ghost hunters...

[@Jedzelex]

That's not exactly true. The father was blasted in-game by the media of the time (see the paper clippings) and was being constantly harassed by anonymous avengers. There are letters calling him a pedophile around the master suite. And inside the men's bathroom you find that someone wrote PIG on the wall. The mother of Nicole wasn't being painted in a good light by the game either. She was devastated by what had happened. And she was postrayed as someone that was trying to come up with f*cked up excuses for what she did to Rachel. At the end of the game, Nicole had a nervous breakdown when she realizes all the sh*tty things her parents did to both Rachel and her brother. Just like in real life, people are complicated. This game is just a reminder of that fact.

[@ElChuntyCabra]

Thank you! Everyone is saying the game glorifies grooming but i really don't see it lol it's almost driving me crazy! The father is Not NOT portrayed in a good light, what is everyone smoking???

[@smaugkat]

I wish the protagonist stayed as strong as she was in the beginning. Very interesting to watch. Super uncomfortable moments that make you dislike Nicole like when a shrine for a dead person is somehow worse than her dad being a ebebophile who took advantage of his friendship with the girl's father and her otheredness.

[@alanmatkovic3221]

Strong? You mean a “I don’t need no men to tell me what to do” cartoon character?

[@smaugkat]

@@alanmatkovic3221 nah, that ain't what I meant.

[@Bittersea2015]

There's a word for that?!?!!? Bro we've been using the pedo word for ANYONE under 18. How knowledgeable

[@likeabumblebee]

@@alanmatkovic3221 the fuck

[@JwanCortez]

@@alanmatkovic3221 Wow... Incel much?

[@ryanburke3702]

Notice how the names of the ghost hunters are Wendy, as in Wendy Torrance, Danny, as in Danny Torrance, and Stan, as in the Stanley Hotel, otherwise known as the place Stephen King came up with the Shining.

[@aubreygant9212]

Also the dying rose was in the mailbox thing for room 217, the room said to be haunted in The Shining. Hotel Timberline is a reference to the Timberline Lodge where the external views of the Overlook Hotel were shot. The lodge actually requested room 217 be changed to room 237 in the movie since room 217 was their most popular room and didn’t want people to think it was haunted.

[@bluebyyoufu]

The first thing that make me think of the Stephen King's novel was the name 'Overlook' for the room with the wall of windows.

[@Regu269]

Yo. I was thinking Danny Phantom

[@oregongirl7137]

Timberline Lodge outside of Portland, Oregon is a ski resort that The Shining was filmed at.

[@danem2215]

This game is pretty derivative of The Shining, Firewatch, and Gone Home

[@suus-arido393]

Gab: Do we know where the dad died of? Me: Yeah he died of mur ... Me: murDER

[@daniellehoward5692]

Judith...no!

[@shaynet2651]

How {p jo233

[@shaynet2651]

333

[@mandisamoonz]

judas!

[@WickedIntuition]

Murray comming over and pahhhtying too much. His damn brain fell out

[@goats_19]

It bothers me that Leonard was so obsessed with this 16 year old girl that he plotted this whole thing with Irving to make his daughter suffer just so the truth could come out. He had zero remorse for destroying his family and he literally led his daughter to kill herself self.

[@luciacuevas611]

I know right? It pissed me off how he put all the weight on his daughter who’s only mistake was to block witnessing the murder, meanwhile they kept praising how genius and kind Leonard was like he wasn’t a freaking ped*phile who put this 16yo kid into an awful situation.

[@keyray8467]

Does that mean Irving was talking to himself when he said "Merry Christmas, Miss Flattery!" ?? He.. pretended to be another character.. bruh

[@ktsonofwill]

Yeah I thought that immediately when I heard it and when I listened to it again it definitely is just his voice pitched higher.

[@keyray8467]

@@ktsonofwill damn that's fked

[@Hardyb0y51]

@@keyray8467 I thought that was meant to be a cheesy joke towards Nicole.. cause he was flattering her lol

[@jickboi308]

@@Hardyb0y51 honestly I thought the same thing when I heard it.

[@beccaf262]

The letter from Nicole’s mother in the beginning is so haunting knowing how the game ends. Telling her to sell the hotel and give the money to Rachael’s family clearly her wanting the evidence gone and her guilt wanting her family to be compensated. Such a tragic story.

[@SamuelBlack84]

I often feel like the plot is too often talked about while ignoring the genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout The isolation, the paranoia and the constant sense of being watched really help to create a very enjoyable ghost story

[@HameltheKamel]

SPOILERS! I love the subtle hints of Irving's presence. Him unlocking the freezer door, the piano scene in the church, his distractions when she was close to finding him and overall him knowing the hotel/families really well. One of my favorite moments in hindsight was 1:43:25 where he faked the co-worker to convince her (and us) that he was in an office. Such brilliant deception.

[@SamuelBlack84]

But, there's the scene where he walks out into the snow, then you hear someone shushing the protagonist and walking towards her

[@pmangano]

I'm a year late for this comment but only found the video now so... At some point early on Irvin says "your place is here". It went by super fast and no one comments on that but it raised me 500 red flags, at that point i almost screamed OH GOD IRVIN IS AT THE HOTEL.

[@cookieinhaler]

I can't get enough of the voice actors in this game. They did a REALLY great job 👏

[@thessdiarrhea]

some of Nicole's lines felt forced during some banter where her playfulness felt out of place imo though i'll pin that on the writing

[@cakeart1227]

yeah, they're amazing!

[@cateatinrat78]

they sound so slow and annoying most of the time

[@TheOscarFrancois]

Yep.

[@melissa2816]

@@cateatinrat78 I agree. I thought the voice acting was the weakest aspect of the game 😕

[@EggyEggtoast]

This initially gave me the impression of an indoor Firewatch.

[@icecreamy02]

isnt this game creator also the same one with firewatch?

[@41tinman41]

Right? Really highlights the skills of a voice over artist and how they're underrated.

[@Dragontongue18]

Giving me Twin Peaks Edith Finch and Firewatch vibes

[@ghostly.creature]

also thought about Firewatch and Edith Finch, checked though - not the same developer for any of them

[@pie1o1morris46]

Same

[@missmadmoxxi4411]

I think the reason that Irving was genuinely concerned when she joked about seeing a man was because he thought she might of saw him

[@HalfToothReplica]

Very sad story, two young souls pay for their parents’ mistakes,

[@tyffanii1]

Half Tooth Replica correction, 3 young innocent lives have suffered because of the adults mistakes, because it wasn't just ivring and Nicole, Rachel was just an impressionable child and just wanted love and all she got was hatred and death.

[@HalfToothReplica]

Disiree Stephenson i agree

[@user-ls2bu3vn2z]

second watch through and I'm listening super intently to all of Nicole and Irvings interactions... he slips up a lot more than i noticed initially. super cool and definitely a good second watch.

[@RoyG.BivDevoe]

Wooooow. I can't believe I pieced this story together so quickly, I instantly didn't trust Irving the moment she got that weird phone call, I know the creators tried to distort his voice but you can tell that it was him. I also found it *too* unusual that he would know every inch of that hotel *despite* being a regular visitor as a little boy, so Nicole's initial instincts of him were spot on. But a really big question does arise from all this, where did Claire kill Rachel and where did she find the time or even the place to do it? Because in the mezzanine it seems to imply that she was killed there but it was obviously a setup that Irving made for Nicole, because when she was a kid she was in the mezzanine trying to find her hockey stick. And remember Nicole mentioned that they were having a huge mass at that time for the poor, so there were ppl already there, I can see why her mother convinced her husband to help the reverend with the preparations--to keep them preoccupied while she went to find Rachel and kill her. But where and when did she do it, how did she lure Rachel into her doom?? I came to the conclusion when it came to Leonard's and Rachel's relationship, that Claire (despite seemingly being preoccupied with the parties and events that were going on in that hotel) figured out that there was something going on between her husband and Rachel. That's also a big question too, when did she find out and when did she find out that she was pregnant, or maybe she didn't know she was pregnant at that time. There are holes here and there, putting that aside how full of hate must you be, to get that *morbid* that you used you own daughters beloved hobby as a means to murder someone and then allow your daughter to play with that hobby you used as a murder weapon, and then smile to her face!? *JESUS!* I also don't like how Irving used emotional manipulation against Nicole when she was being flooded with the truth about that tragedy. Saying that they didn't do anything as a matter of fact when indeed they couldn't do anything about it cause they were kids was cruel on his part! What could they do? He even stated that he couldn't piece things together because he was a kid, so why would he say that to her!? Anyway that's my thoughts on the matter.

[@SpookiCooki]

It happened in the garage. Nicole said it.

[@RoyG.BivDevoe]

@@SpookiCooki How? There was no blood anywhere when she approached her mother, and it seemed more like Nicole stumbled on her mother just now putting Rachel into the trunk of the car.

[@chelsearoberts3667]

I think the mother found out through hearing the affair through the vent in the replica of Rachel's bedroom because the vent connected that room and Leonard's attic study where he gave rachel speech therapy. Nicole said when she found the room that her mother used it for storing decorations and was constantly going in and out of there to grab supplies for the church, so she probably heard them sleeping together or talking about their relationship as Nicole was able to hear the grandfather clock through the same vent.

[@RoyG.BivDevoe]

@@chelsearoberts3667 Ooooh that makes sense, but you'd think that Leonard would be cautious about discussing their relationship in a room that has a vent that connects to a room his wife frequents! *Very* careless and foolhardy on his part.

[@chelsearoberts3667]

@@RoyG.BivDevoe I know right, youd think he'd be a bit more covert and not have an affair in his own home

[@CaramellPeach]

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE COMMENT LURKERS* At the beginning of the game, it tells you that clues and hints are everywhere you look. A hint of foreshadowing I noticed was in the big wolf painting in the hallway by 117 and the master suite. If you hover over to it, the painting is called 'Murderous Eyes'. When I saw the painting and the name, I immediately figured out that Rachel was murdered (along with the newspaper rumors and the 'push' for the truth), with Claire representing the mother wolf. Along with this, the painting is often passed by each day, which may have been strategically placed for Nicole in the hotel. I know I'm reading really deep into this and it may just be a wolf painting, but I thought that was interesting 🤔

[@chelsearoberts3667]

That makes sense seeing as when Nicole told Irving that she walked into the garage and her mother had a look in her eyes she'd never seen before and at the time she didnt realise she'd just murdered Rachel....murderous eyes

[@guilhermesantos8728]

Kind of late here, but the painting changes subtly at first between Days 6-8; the wolf starts showing a snarl and then in Day 9 the painting is replaced with a forest

[@SamuelBlack84]

I love the inclusion of the light shining on the picture which I assume was Rachel

[@crazym1me]

My uncle used to work at the hotel that is the inspiration of the Shining, the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. To this day he still tells us stories about all the crazy things that happened to him when he would shut down the kitchen at night and prepping for breakfast.

[@SamuelBlack84]

I would love to go there myself

[@derekhandson351]

What are some stories?

[@sloaneday78]

(SPOILERS) I legit thought Nicole and Irving were gonna end up together. It's insane how such a deep relationship could develop without the two individuals ever meeting each other face to face, only for the story to crush that potential to dust. That ending is bleak and brutal and now I'm sad at 2 am. They didn't have to suffer for the sins of their families 😭😭😭

[@myaalvarado3096]

Me too. He was so sweet. But he had to end up being a creep in th attic.

[@LinChaiVleymore]

I got this same feeling in the game Fire Watch. It's bittersweet. :

[@Firebird234]

Agreed

[@owaowa_frogg488]

I know right, they seemed so good together...

[@nl9444]

Nah, I had a hunch from the start that there must’ve been more to Irving. No gov agent would keep calling a stranger this many times and ask creepy questions (“how does it make you feel...” etc). It seemed kinda obvious that this guy had an ulterior motive to deliberately lead her on to find things in the hotel. Or maybe I was just extra cautious cos I’m not comfortable with the game calling my name (Nicole) so many times haha 😂

[@haleyscore8477]

I think this is probaly the most detailed and realistic (layout wise) hotel I've seen depicted in a game. It feels like it was made to scale.

[@GameGeekRob]

Fun fact: The carpeting on the second floor is the same carpeting from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. It's a common easteregg in horror films and games.

[@coffeegirl18]

I was right too. I was wondering if someone else noticed it.

[@britnicox3929]

^Spoilers in case you see the comments first* I dont know how people see Irving’s ramblings about Rachel and Leonard’s relationship as romanticizing it? He sounds insane talking about them, one step from a full mental breakdown - that’s not romanticizing it at all imo Also: it’s kind of an evil mastermind move; to kill someone, clean the weapon and then have someone use it for a hockey game - where it would be contaminated by sweat and other fingerprints enough to cause reasonable doubt if you were caught, and then to use the fight with her husband as an excuse so people don’t look at you too closely when you left? Damn

[@xariotatriox6284]

Irvine was the one romanticizing it, the game isn't. Yeah, he was clearly mentally gone, but that doesn't mean HE wasn't romanticizing their relationship. He spent a lot of time with Leonard helping him try to figure out what happened to Rachel. It sounds like they became friends over it, that's pretty messed up. Despite everything Irvine describes Leonard's and Rachel's relationship as a strong love. So yeah Irvine's comments are definitely romanticizing the relationship - because that's how he saw it, that doesn't mean anyone else needs to agree with him, he's really messed up. To be honest by the end of the game I was pretty disappointed in that final car scene.

[@alanmatkovic3221]

1) It was fully legal. 2) the only thing Rachel was actually happy about. I don’t see why are you more triggered by it than her mother leading her to suicide

[@amara6889]

*SPOILERS PLEASE READ AFTER YOU'VE WATCHED TILL THE END* So the mom killed Rachel with Nicole's hockey stick and then dumped her body in the lake, right? Then why would the coroner rule Rachel's death as a suicide? Surely, it would be prevalent that Rachel had died from some kind of blunt trauma instead of drowning. Even with a (fake) suicide note, that still seems pretty sus... just something I thought about idk

[@haleynicole163]

a bit late, but maybe the coroner just assumed rachel hit her head when she fell?

[@math_plant]

@@haleynicole163 I thought so too, if she fell from a cliff she probably hit her head/body

[@CandaceDreamer]

To be honest, with the letter from the mom in the beginning, I was already thinking that she had killed Rachel. Because she seemed very hateful toward her, which is understandable because her husband cheated with her, but then she was like, give money to her family after selling the hotel. I instantly thought that was weird and was like 'guilt?' Then nothing deterred me from that theory and I ended up right. I think the letter was a nice heads up and give away but you had to kind of think about it.

[@kosmickoala]

You shouldn't hate a 16 yr old girl. Hate the 49 yr old husband who groomed her.

[@-myharlequinnsapphicarch-]

@@kosmickoala they also stood against abortion so bro i dont expect them to respect other women much 😬😬😬😬 these cases (unfortunately especially with extreme radicalist christians ive noticed) tend to blame the child and not their grown ass husbands, bc the child was "enticing him" and "being a seductress and pushing themselves onto them" and its never the other way around in their eyes bc they dont want to accept thag the person they married is like that so they'd blame the kid who got groomed. this happen outside of radical christian families too but ive mainly seen this reaction from said radical christians and never really that much with others.

[@IsThisUsernameAvailable]

It's not really understandable, he didn't "cheat", he r4p3d a minor

[@jakthesac5175]

I don’t think the hate she felt towards her was understandable. Nothing that happened was Rachel’s fault. If she’s mad at anyone. It should be her husband for being a pedo and tearing both families apart.

[@viepng]

@@kosmickoala yes obviously but this was also the 80s where young girls were often accused of "seducing" their older male abusers.

[@samlibs1325]

I like when games make you think something supernatural is going on and then work back to explain how it was done naturally. Obviously not everything can be explained by Irving's presence which raises the question of whether or not Rachel's ghost was in the hotel, but for once I didn't mind not getting a definitive answer. Also at the beginning I got major gone home vibes which brought back some good memories.

[@snowflakedice]

I am dyslexic myself. My mother, who is also dyslexic, recognized it in my as a very young child, and helped me learn to overcome it mostly. When I am writing fast, or stressed, I will still flip letters around or numbers if doing math. While I read fine, it takes me longer than some since I tend to re read sections several times. Spelling was a challenge. But oddly enough, an up side is I can now read almost equally as well when text is backwards or upside down or when spelling is jumbled.

[@math_plant]

I'm slightly dislexic as well and when someone writes a typo I read straight through it, its pretty funny, but also I spell stuff wrong and don't realise

[@creispy_chu]

i'm seriously sad that Irving had the mindset that Nicole was part of the reason his sister died. tis why it's a good game though, because the characters felt real and had a realistic mentality. Irving was young(and surrounded by wrong minded adults), so of course he wouldn't know better, just like how he thought that what Rachel and Nicole's dad had was "true love". it may be something uncomfortable for others but it's logical that the devs did it. just kinda lackluster on the ending part...

[@devanelle1889]

I don't know, you'd think once he was an adult he'd resent the predatory old man that got his sister killed. I think that would be much more realistic

[@omegaaura3082]

@@devanelle1889 Seems pretty clear to me that he had a warped mind from his upbringing and the loss of his sister. He idolized her, like Booper said if Rachel saw Leonard as good and was truly "in love" with him, it makes sense Irving would also see Leonard as a good man who was going to save his sister from her pain.

[@Squeak9614]

@@devanelle1889 It sounds like he ended up spending a lot of time with Leonard... My take is that similarly to his sister he was groomed into thinking the relationship between his sister and Leonard was something pure and not toxic.

[@Jedzelex]

I never got the impression that Irving believed that Nicole was responsible in any way with what her parents did to Rachel. If anything, he only believed that she hated his sister. And Nicole admits that she was jealous for all the attention she got. Including from her own father. But at the end, both agree that they were very young when it all happened. And they couldn't be blamed for anything.

[@JimmieHammel]

I've seen people turn the car on then turn it off again, and I've seen people turn on the car and leave it on, but I've never seen anyone get the LIFE ending by running out the timer and never turning the car on. I'm glad that was an option.

[@SamuelBlack84]

Nicole speaking to her parents and friends who are all long dead is so unnerving Almost as though they're in the car with her...

[@BeaKesch]

*SPOILER* Headcanon: If you don't turn on the engine, Nicole survives, calls back the attorney, and asks for help for Irving, they send a rescue team, find him in a cave with hypothermia, but alive. They (Nicole and Irving) go to therapy and heal from the horrible things that happened to them. The End.

[@serenalove4601]

I’m glad u put this bc I didnt like the thought of him dying and leaving her, so with him still alive and her end up finding him, that makes that bittersweet ending get some closure and a bit more happier. They can also get that drink after all that therapy lmao

[@KingAlone516]

i understand the game is suppose to be disturbing but this ending should have been an option too. or at least have her pick up irving from wherever he ran off to and they finally make plans for that much needed drink.

[@TrashBunnysChannel]

was going to comment "Alternative universe where this happens" but i'm way more glad that i'm not the only that thought that

[@BooperDooper123]

I really wanted to see what irving looked like and what nicole lookex like

[@amanhasni3783]

thank you, i really needed this TnT

[@nolankuffner3573]

For a story about a teacher grooming his student before she's legally able to have sex, at all, getting her pregnant due to an extra marital affair and the girl 'killing herself' (watch until the end if you have to), I would have liked ANY suggestion that not every single person was ok with the overarching relationship. It was abuse. And saying it was love is the most useless part of a game whose aesthetic is it's only remotely worthwhile quality.

[@wildboar67]

I believe the game itself knows the people playing it will see this relationship and know it's wrong. The 'it was love' comment was coming from someone who was a child at the time. And shouldn't be taken at face-value; he was critiquing his own childish thought-process. He thought it was true love. He didn't know any better. And he later on does what he does because, as an adult, he now knows it /wasnt/ true love. And that he could have done something, but he didn't, and he's guilty. Also, please take into account the time period. In the mid-90s, unfortunately, men going after children was common. And a lot of people (their wives included) were afraid to speak out against it. Which is disgusting, awful, every bad word under the sun. But it's how it was, and this game is utilizing that. Not enough people are really thinking this through enough. This game is a realistic horror.

[@jodibee]

I hate that this is a thing, but age of consent is actually 16 in Montana😬 that's pretty common in the midwest

[@duasabah784]

Ye but who knows maybe Irvin didn’t know better or just didn’t want to believe she suffered from all that before getting killed like it’s pretty traumatic

[@greywalker505]

@@jodibee Thing is, he and Rachel’s dad were apparently friends. How much time did he spend around Rachel before she turned 16, I wonder?

[@SamuelBlack84]

Does every story have to have a morale written into it? For once, I'd like any story to just be that without any underlying themes to pick apart and learn from

[@kateschmid2889]

32:56 That carpet is definitely inspired by The Shining! 38:29 Also that red bathroom

[@louwilson6332]

This hotel (well the irl version) is where they shot the shining

[@SamuelBlack84]

I love the red tiles in the bathroom

[@washdolly1]

This has a huuuuuuge 'firewatch' feel to it. The mystery, radio talking where you never meet the other person, the music in the background, even the radio icon that appears when you click on things is similar. BUT. I loved firewatch and I loved this.

[@SamuelBlack84]

I would love to write a similar story with the same themes I would reveal at the end that the voice on the other end was just a product of the protagonists isolation and paranoia and they created a fake person to deal with it

[@pluto2283]

i think the ending is not just about atoning for her parents' sins, but also not being able to live with the truth. like that was a TON of trauma she just relived.

[@awcxtube]

{For anyone who didn't read the description} The game is called "The suicide of Rachel Foster" but of course KZbin won't allow that in a title so Evelien had to put "The case..."

[@rizkiramadhan9266]

Wow, good to know, thanks

[@awcxtube]

@@rizkiramadhan9266 your welcome

[@AllenTax]

Well should be known that KZbin as a corporation is a bunch of oversensitive,foolish people.With a few other things.

[@azadalamiq]

@@AllenTax over sensitive people who are ok with child abuse if it seen as as joke/prank.

[@lusverma2136]

Guys, if you think this game is supporting Leonard and Rachel's relationship, remember that those 'lovey-dovey' dialogue came from Leonard himself. Remember that the other characters reacted negatively for a reason. His wife reacted with disgust and left him, his daughter hated it and tried leaving its memories for years, and the public reacted with shock as the newspapers stated.

[@BlessedHen]

I want to say something here. The people never really reacted negatively to the age differences, and Claire killing Rachel sort of proves that. I know we follow characters who aren't well, but the game doesn't do a good job of condemning that relationship. Because we follow twisted characters, yes, the game did romanticize it (both the relationship and suicide). Another key point is that we never heard from Rachel's point of view.

[@lusverma2136]

@@BlessedHenThe scene when MC reads the newspapers say otherwise. Though I do agree that the game didn't punish the criminal enough for players' catharsis and sense of justice, the world can be cruel in that so many people who committed terrible acts like in the game get away scot-free. This game isn't so much about morals that tells you what's right or wrong to the face as much as it is seeing through different characters' perspectives, albeit clouded and warped. The ending says it too with the suicide in the car despite her not being involved in the tragedy at all as an oblivious young girl.

[@lusverma2136]

@remi nii I did say warped perspectives, didn't I? And it's a horror game about terrible people, not a story about teaching morals.

[@kittaamon]

Using "horror" game as an excuse for poor story lining isn't enough. The game glorifies suicide and romanticized pedophilia. The game paints her dad as this misunderstood lover when he was actually a pedophile groomer. When they suicide at the end, it's to show that they regret judging the dad's relationship. The moral of the game is clearly not to judge "love" when clearly it was a predator who took advantage of a young girl and his wife murdered the child victim. The game makes is veeerrry clear what their stance is on pedophilic love. We get absolutely no perspective from the true victim, Rachel. All we hear is the racist mom with her "fair skinned" daughter, the predatory dad, and the cuckoo brother or whatever that regrets judging the predatory dad.

[@lusverma2136]

@@kittaamonI already stated my points that the game isn't about morals as it is about terrible people. It's not meant to portray what's right and wrong and throw it on your face. You're not taking the story as it is. Instead, you try to glean a moralistic stance on an art form meant to portray bad people. And guess what? Not all bad people get the karma that they deserve in real life. Forcing a view on a very character-driven story is going to disappoint many people because, hey, some of those people happen to be villains, antagonists, and plenty have their own biased view on what happened.

[@lukeWSF]

Oh my goodness! This game was amazing. I was absolutely floored by it. So many twists, and turns that were complimented by some top notch voice acting. I loved the spooky vibe, and that it didn't go all out with cheap jump scares like you expect in most indie horror games. I appreciated that the game gave a unique ending, too and not out rightfully answering questions, like is the hotel really haunted? This game is gonna stay with me for a while, I can tell. I caught this video in my recommendations, I didn't think I'd watch it all but I was hooked. The story is fantastic. Thanks for the thorough playthrough, too. It made for a better experience in that I could take in all the details of the games layout. Great job.

[@Insig385]

really loving your play through of this game, i normally dislike watching commentary playthroughs but you have such a chillaxed soothing voice, and your reactions n commentaries were not over the top either XD. Thank you for playing this (only halfway through the vid), its so good!

[@Nimyra11]

I was hooked on this one!! But agree have some problems with the ending :/ I also wanted to say the sound design was really good. I listened thru my headphones and several times had to turn around because I was convinced something was behind me!! 😱 lol. Thank you for the vid Gab ✨

[@juliajenks4116]

I was getting so attached to Irving, then he went bad😭 Anyways such an amazing game and the story was amazing

[@NoirMariaa]

Ahhhh no you was the top comment and it spoiled it for me😩

[@idkanymore2.014]

Ikr, cause he was calling her Nicky and talking about afterwards of like going to get a drink, and I was like "Aww, they're gonna end up together, or at least as really close friends cause he would know her trauma and shit and be understanding." Then he went bad😕

[@amaliaaguilar4686]

oh no SPOILER

[@stew347]

He didn't end up "bad", yes he manipulated Nicole to come back to the hotel and figure out what happened because he was unable to himself due to trauma. He kept her safe throughout the entire game from both Rachel and physical situations like the walk in freezer locking, warning of structural failure, etc. He was mentally ill just like Nicole due to this trauma that both had repressed for years. This game features the butterfly effect and another commentor mentions the option where Nicole doesn't kill herself by starting her engine and calls the state agent to get a rescue team to find Irving, to which they do and the pair go to therapy and heal together. So other than manipulating Nicole into doing something he was legitimately unable to do but was necessary for both of them to heal, means *imo* he was never a bad guy. Mentally ill people are not bad people, they have the option to do bad things just like anyone else but having a mental illness(s) does not make them inherently bad.

[@Isirian]

I find it weird that so many people are upset with the way Irving sees Rachel's and Leonard's relationship. The game itself doesn't say that it was ok, it just gives us Irving's POV, which makes sense. From the story it seems that Mr Forster was a cold person, possibly verbally abusive to his kids, so Irving latched on to his older sister, who was actually kind and loving to him. He idolized her, because she was a light in his cold world. He saw the way people treated her, so when Leonard and she started the affair, for Irving it was great love, because finally somebody saw how amazing his sister was. His POV is skewed. And the game doesn't normalize it, it presents a fucked up scenario full of fucked up people (abusive Mr Foster, Nicole's parents, Irving who can't let go of the past etc.) and it shows the tragedy that came from it.

[@TsumeAri]

This game is about really selfish people, and Nicole is a casualty of it just as is Rachel.

[@ghostewriter]

THANK YOU, SOMEONE ELSE WHO GETS IT--!

[@IkarosTypeAlpha]

yeah I don't get it. Some of these comments lack critical thinking. The game clearly wasn't portraying the relationship in a good light, just the perspective of the characters.

[@jamesparker7932]

Agreed, Irving and Nicole were victims of their parents just like Rachel

[@Peachu_n_Goma_Home]

Everyone becomes a villain.

[@sydneymerryman8804]

I knew Irving was going to 'betray' you in some way/be a creep but I still loved him through the whole thing. I was either focused on that or how much the hotel gave off The Overlook vibes. Also: I agree that they should have made the fact that Leonard was in the wrong more clear. It is interesting to see the narrative be skewed but to such an extent where they seem like the situation was fine? Not great.

[@Subterranean_sebastian]

Exactly! The game itself didn’t romanticize or make light of what Leonard did but showing how shit like that can affect the minds of people who go through it and their loved ones, morphing their mind into believing it’s ok

[@ffa2dramachick]

Forgive me if you pick it up later... But the butterfly image is actually a dental retainer.

[@RoZaSims]

Wow, what a good game this was! It seemed a little slow for a while, but it was really just building up tension/atmosphere and it did it so well as the story slowly unfolded itself. This comment will be quite long, so to anyone who sees it: Don't read it if you don't want to, of course :) * I feel so bad for Nicole, for Irving and for Rachel. A 16-year-old and a 49-year-old can NEVER be on equal terms. That was not a relationship. Leonard took advantage. Irving feels like Leonard was the only light in Rachel's life, as she was bullied in school and their dad was harsh on them both, but no. Leonard was a grown man who had romantic feelings for and sexual relations with a KID. Disgusting. Irving was a child himself and he probably just saw that Rachel seemed happier after meeting Leonard. He probably stuck to that mindset and didn't realise even as an adult how wrong it truly was. Leonard was with a CHILD. * And Claire, learning about this affair, KILLED THAT CHILD. Rachel made mistakes, of course, but she was a young girl whose life was hard and she found comfort with someone. That someone happened to be a grown man. He would always be in control, whether he meant to or not. Rachel cannot be blamed either. It was all Leonard, and then, also Claire. * Nicole, Rachel and Irving were all kids in the early 1980s when all this happened. It was the grown-ups who did all the crap. And in the end, the kids are the ones who suffered for it, for years, even when they're grown-ups themselves. That is absolutely heartbreaking. * Nicole truly lost everything. She didn't really have a close relationship with her mother as a kid, but of course loved her. She WAS close with her dad though, and he betrayed not only Claire, but his daughter too. He completely shattered her image of him and broke her trust. He didn't die in 1983, but who he was to her died. And then as an adult she realises her mum, the only one she had left after that, was the one who killed Rachel. And so who her mum was to her is gone too. And then Irving, to whom she's developed a bond over the past 9 days, kills himself. Nicole truly lost everything. * I'm glad you chose for her not to kill herself. I think "I'll stay here, we'll build it back up" means she'll take on the hotel and work hard to restore it and make it a good place again, in honour of everyone who lost something or someone 10 years ago in 1983. * I also don't think Rachel's spirit was harmful in any way. I think she just wanted everyone to get closure: Nicole, the daughter of Leonard and Claire; Irving, her brother; and herself, whose murder was never known. And Irving didn't mean any harm towards Nicole either. He just needed her to learn the full story. Rachel's spirit may very well have known that Nicole had the last piece of the puzzle, only Nicole had suppressed everything and didn't realise it herself. Irving was a child whose world shattered 10 years ago too, and he just wanted to know what happened. * Anyway. Great story and for Nicole and Irving, great voice actors! Loved this!

[@disturbingbliss1973]

Yeah

[@mysterelunchmeat]

For those commenting saying that the affair was portrayed as pure. Remember, it wasn't. His wife found out, exposed them, and left. Even his daughter was angry and upset. The community found out and reacted aghast. The periodicals about it pointedly made note of her being a teenager, not an adult. Its when you get into the personal bits. That it may feel like its excusing child abuse. Its not. Its showing the skewed perspective of those involved, because to them it IS true love, they truly believe that in spite of reality.

[@amberpye4752]

I've been trying to figure out how to phrase this. The relationship when discovered is condemned by absolutely everyone EXCEPT THE CHILD WHO IDOLISED HIS SISTER. He didn't want to believe that anything negative between her and Leonard led to her death, just that she was killed because someone envied her "love". You don't necessarily grow out of a trauma like that. The fact that he continued to live with the predator as an adult (we don't know for how long) definitely pressed the issue. It's very likely Leonard was gaslighting the fuck out of Irving the entire time they worked/lived together. There's no way he never checked his ex-wife's abandoned car. This isn't glorifying child abuse. I do think Nicole needed more "what the fuck Irving this was a terrible thing" towards the end, but she was also terrified and very clearly experiencing an extreme stress/trauma response because she followed up with her own suicide. No one directly involved in this story was in their right mind for the duration of the story.

[@pidgy4304]

She wasn't 16 she was 19. At 1:19:50 the clipping says that the man was 30 years older than the teenager. He was 49 at the time. Do the math. Though i agree that the behavior is still predatory.

[@kiwistrawberry6422]

@@pidgy4304 1:17:27 bottom right states her age as 16. She lived from 1965-1981. There was a 33 year age gap which can be rounded to 30.

[@waste_of_grace]

But Nicole blames Rachel and hates on her throughout the entire game...she was a victim too. I think that’s where the problem lies.

[@Gcat-ln6ok]

It wasn't an "affair". It was molestation. You calling it an affair, just as everyone in the game did, is part of the problem.

[@JODA93]

Feels like What remains of Edith Finch.

[@kaitlinmeldrum6952]

Oooooo yes!

[@unslaadkrosis9435]

That game is in my first three bests

[@reyiscoolest]

Such a great game, I cried so hard

[@anxiouspeaches]

I've looked up a few reviews of this game and honestly, I'm kind of baffled by the negative press this game has gotten. A lot of people seem to think this game glorifies pedophilia and suicide, which I don't really know how anyone could jump to that conclusion? Just because a character thinks it was "love" doesn't mean that it was a good thing. Does the writing really need to be so hamfisted? Does it really need to blatantly explain that yes, banging a teenager when you're 50 is a bad thing??? I feel like people should automatically understand that without being handheld by the writer of the story lmao. Anyway sorry for the rant, I just want to say I enjoyed this game and it was a fun playthrough to watch. I hope the makers of this game don't get too much hate for this because they honestly did a great job.

[@ghostewriter]

Yeah I was confused by that too??? Like....very clearly the person saying it was mentally unstable and his view of things was twisted thanks to his upbringing which they mentioned.

[@MiddayLady]

I mean... it does. Not suicide, that I have no idea where it came from. But pedophilia - yes, absolutely. It was said a couple of times in the game - that it was LOVE, that only he really saw/recognized her for how amazing she was (especially that part rang like it was saying that the relationship was so good for her), that there's love in the walls but it was denied etc. So the pedophilic relationship was totally glorified imo bc let's not kid ourselves she was 16 and he was over 40, he was not 'in love' with her and 'saw her' blabla, he coerced her, it was totally sexual assault, due to her age. That's NOT how the game portrays it. The father is very much a Good Character that Loved and Saw her... with his dick of course! Both the brother and the main heroine in the story both use words and phrases that very much glorify this relationship, especially at later stages/at the end of the game. It's true that a chara thinking it was love does not mean it was good - but in general, in a story, you can feel what the narrative is trying to sell. If it's loweky saying it was Good or Bad, on which 'side' the story is, if you will. And here I feel it was absolutely suggested it was a Good thing and that's what the narrative was selling. It's just how the story reads to me, personally, so I see why ppl also interpret it that way.

[@hurts2hatelo]

I don’t think it glorifies suicide, but it absolutely glorified pedophilia. NONE of the characters seem to have an issue with the relationship between a 50 year old and a 16 year old. They call it love, yet you never get to hear rachel’s side of the story. It’s pretty jarring, especially considering how creepy Leonard seemed to be. He held a place of power over rachel, there was no way to consent. She was 16, meaning she was barely legal. It’s disgusting. The voice actors are excellent and the story had potential but the glorification of pedophilia made the game feel like a Lolita-esque story where we just listened to Irving and Leonard justify pedophilia.

[@anxiouspeaches]

@@hurts2hatelo its not glorifying pedophilia lmao. Do you seriously need a story to hold your hand and tell you that this relationship dynamic is CLEARLY bad? OF COURSE its disgusting, but tbh Irving's and Leonard's view point is a very common one. People sometimes look at relationships like this and think its okay. Think about how Irving basically grew up idolizing Leonard because of the things his sister said. Irving is already deep into denial and grief. He's not going to want to think about his sister being abused. He wants to think Rachael had at least one good thing in her life, so he's going to latch onto the person she supposedly "loved". Leonard himself is really messed up and doesn't see anything wrong with what he did. He genuinely thought what he and Rachael shared was "love". He was obsessed with her! Most of the game, it feels like he cared more about Rachael than his own daughter! That's part of what makes all of this so creepy and horrifying to me. Rachael didn't have anyone on her side, she was alone, preyed upon, and murdered. And even after her death, she was still treated like some kind of.... myth or magical thing by the men in her life. idk about you all, but I don't need to hear all the characters repeatedly tell me over and over again that the relationship is fucked up. I'd rather the writing explore the messed up situation and how people can come to screwed up conclusions when things like this happen.

[@serakayle7903]

​@@hurts2hatelo First off, no need for insults, the person that you're responding to was not being condescending. This is from a neutral POV, obviously do as you wish, but your insult was uncalled for, you're just being overly sensitive. Just pointing the obvious. Secondly, the idea of the game is to show you how jarring it is for someone to have a twisted POV in a fucked up situation. The mother and daughter in the beginning are clearly traumatized and disgusted by this character's actions. Two people were inadvertently ruined by a man's infidelity with a teenager. How does that sound to you? If that sounds romanticizing pedophilia then please do not continue reading, you'll be wasting your time. Let's try something. Let's compare the game with reality. So, in the game .. Every single character in this game is fucked up in one way or another. The mother, giving the thumbs up to Rachel's suicide as a consequence to what she did with her ex-husband is just completely mental. We all understand and know why. Nicole will forever look for the father figure that will never be there, meanwhile her father was screwing around with a girl her age and years later she's still having nightmares about her father loving Rachel over her, like .. just sad. Leonard is an obsessive pedo. That is enough. Irving (Irvine? Irv- Idk how to spell his name, okay?) is also a traumatized person that is grasping at straws to have the memories of his sister not seem so tarnished by justifying a pedo's actions towards his sister. Disturbing, to say the least. Overall .. shit's fucked up. Now in reality, however .. It is definitely a possibility that people would have the same idea. That a 50-year-old man dating a 16-year-old girl is completely acceptable if it's mutual "love". I literally live in a country where the age of consent is 16. A lot of men marry girls half their age cause it takes literal decades to get yourself a decent house and a decent sum of currency to get a family going, and it's better to marry younger girls cause the chances of them getting pregnant is higher. Does me living in this community mean I'll idolize their behavior and approve of girls marrying middle-aged men? Fuck no. Does me being so against the fact that girls shouldn't get married just because they're fertile going to stop my community from doing it? Also no. Does it mean that they're right and I'm wrong or maybe the other way around? Debatable. Does that mean humanity in its entirety is romanticizing pedophilia? The answer is simply no. Apply the same principle to this small game, that takes place in a small town, where you only hear the POVs of a pedophile adult and his obsessive behavior, a broken man who's still grieving the loss of his sister and add to it the main heroine who's trying to get over her childhood trauma. A small group of fucked up characters approving something that is also fucked up does not mean the creators/authors approve of it. The game is shedding light on how fucked up and twisted people can get, and that is the horror aspect of it. Psychological disorders and traumas are methods of eliciting .. well .. horror. The mere idea of this game to get this kind of reaction from the players/viewers is proof enough that it has succeeded in delivering its core message. Horror. Congratulations, you got yourself a successful horror game. Now please chillax and try to take criticism or simple communication in general slightly better than assuming the person is being a condescending bitch. Have a good day o/ *edit: fixed some shit in there*

[@dorkangel1076]

I was under the impression Irving went to the void where Rachels body was found and jumped in. Not sure how far away from the hotel that was though.

[@ZombieGameZ]

Why have i never heard of this? Seems like such a well made game, the mystery, the back story, the uncomfortable feeling the hotel gives you and the "wth is going on" feeling of the story 😃 great pick!

[@NinUchiha]

Theres also the part when he pretended to say merry christmas to someone in the background, unless he was just joking, but if he wasn't he pretended to be the other person saying merry Christmas back.

[@PetalPrint]

oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! I did think the lady's voice sounded kind of weird but at the time i didn't even consider he was putting on an old lady voice!

[@djungelskog7714]

1:43:26

[@rimshaahmed757]

I like how gab plays rare games like some of the games she plays are very interesting but we rarely find them on other channels.

[@digitalqueen5139]

I have dyslexia and when I was in school (the early 2000s) they put all dyslexics into the "Special Education" class. They wrote us off and the bullying was relentless. The stigma around dyslexia is really sad.

[@madammarie2420]

It struck me how the woman wrote about being a good Christian and a pro-lifer in the letter then said it was good for the "other" woman to kill herself for sleeping with her husband. I also have dyslexic myself and forced myself to figure out how to check myself. I still sometimes turn my words around and write things backwards (numbers get me turned around alot) it was touching that you care enough to say something. I hide my issues pretty well but it's nice to see someone care.

[@BearrieBanana]

its 12am, probably shouldn't be watching this but it had my heart racing the entire time. loved seeing you play a game i've wanted to play but didn't know if i should. definitely gonna play now!

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Hey Gab, I've been enjoying your videos, you're really chill

[@Monsterbaane]

Damn you really are everywhere

[@ImaraRavenfire]

Gotta giggle about the "Room 217" thing. That's a straight up Shining reference!

[@geck000]

I’ve never watched your streams or youtube videos before but this popped up in my recommendations! You’re just the right amount of entertaining while not being overwhelming. Thank you so much for the content you create!! New subscriber here!✨💕

[@1000Puhtaters]

Darn, and here I thought Irving is just a lovable dork

[@Meow_meow3000]

Lovable dorks are my type lol. I don't like tough guys

[@leilanyx]

i'm only just under an hour into the video so far, but this reminds me of a mix of 'what remains of edith finch', 'firewatch' (the walkie-talkie vibe, the story being told through these two people who don't really know each other just talking to each other, etc.) and 'gone home' but with a much creepier vibe.

[@tetewhyelle]

So I have to say I love this game...besides the ending. I wish the ending wasn’t quite so depressing. But that being said I have a thought. Those random static notices that scared Gab (like the one around 45:50 mark)...could those be interference with the phones because Irving is somewhere close by? Nicole never reacts to it so it’s tough to gauge.

[@RivkahSong]

When Irving was directing Nicole through the crawlspace he told her to only follow the cables because he didn't want her to wander into anything in the dark. He told her it ran the entire length of the hotel and through all 3 floors. He was in the crawlspace the whole time, watching her. The interference was both their phones being so close as he stalked her through the building. That's why he reacted when she played the organ. She didn't forget to hang up, he was just there with her. You get a hint when Nicole walks next to the microphone with the parabolic mic. Their proximity caused feedback, just like with the phones.

[@tetewhyelle]

Rivkah Song good eye. I hadn’t noticed all that. I love how much attention to detail the devs put into this. I still wish it had a happier ending but I still really enjoyed the game.

[@SamuelBlack84]

Stories often have very sad endings They can't all end with happily ever after

[@GalaxyPrincessK]

When she said I don't want a grown ass mans voice in my ear I thought Sean was going to come up behind her and say something in her ear

[@SysVerse]

I am a human of finer things in life, and I must say, I hate when my sleeping beans get in my pills. Damn sleeping beans. (Btw really loving this game! I love just about everything you put out Gab! Hope whoever reads this has a great morning/noon/night!

[@Mangasia1]

Omg this game was great! I got so much into the story! The relationship on the phone was so cute during the whole game I wasn't expecting such a dark turn.. Such a sad story.. Thanks for making us discover the game ~

[@Jennymayg13]

I enjoyed the stream, but watching it again, I hate this game. I hate how they justify child abuse. Saying “they were in love”. She was 16. He was her teacher. It was abuse.

[@ramdom_assortment]

16 being a child is debatable. I wouldn't be with anyone under 18, but something like 95% of the world, the legal age is 16 and in other countries students dating teachers is not taboo.

[@legalizehomicide7262]

@@ramdom_assortment it may be legal but it definently isn't right

[@legalizehomicide7262]

@@ramdom_assortment oh so you think it's ok to go after the underage?

[@ramdom_assortment]

@@legalizehomicide7262 Again, 16 is not underage. Even the courts side with this argument, though states have their own legality with this issue. Every time it has been brought up in the courts they state 16 is OKAY a majority of the time. We are talking 9 out of 10 cases. That stated, I myself would not; however calling a 16 year old a kid is not accurate. The maturity difference between 16 and 18 is marginal at best.

[@legalizehomicide7262]

@@ramdom_assortment well I don't have to agree with a courts ruling. Someone in a position of power like a teacher should not be allowed to date or sleep with a student. I don't care if the student is 16 or 17. It's wrong.

[@MsJinx92]

SUPER happy you put the full game on KZbin! I caught you playing this game on Twitch but I had missed so much.

[@theforgetfulnugget8971]

This gives me "What Remains Of Edith Finch." And "fire Watch." Vibes

[@charley3994]

Same. I felt that it was a mash-up of the two and it had the same sort of creepy vibes that Firewatch had.

[@SamuelBlack84]

Also, the novel Dark Matter by Michelle Paver A ghost story set in the Arctic with strong creepy and isolation themes

[@witheredrose8897]

so, rewatching this; there is lore that needs to be talked about is, 7:43 "Mr. McGrath, hi it's Paulie from Century Telephone Company. I'm sorry to bother you but.. as I told you last time, the company requires cutting off the telephone service to delinquent customers. I...I'm really sorry Leonard...but my hands are tied." Assuming that this is true even after all these years, how would Irving call Nicole anywhere besides inside the house? Then again, this is also true about the attorney. Later on in the game, I can't remember the exact time or the exact words, but Irving said that he and Nicole's father had been trying to bring Nicole inside of the hotel again in order to understand fully what happened because she is the only one who could figure it out. That makes me wonder if the mom even wrote the letter at the start of the game in the first place, because why would she want her daughter to sell the hotel otherwise? One could say the other grew a conscience and wanted her daughter to know what she did, but if that was the case: why didn't she say anything before she died?

[@RivkahSong]

She didn't want her to know. She says in the letter to not even go there, just sell it and use the money to pay off her student loans and donate the rest to Rachel's family. She even told the lawyer not to give her the letter until after Nicole's father was dead so HE couldn't ask or insinuate anything about that night. She wanted her daughter to never know what she did but she felt guilty so she wanted to leave them money. She didn't know state law required the inheritor to inspect the property before selling it and she didn't know Irving had moved in with the dad due to their both being obsessed with finding out what happened that night.

[@DragonLiili]

This game had me so on edge towards the end that this small high pitched noise that kept happening freaked me out. I thought it was from the game. Turns out my cat snoring scared me.

[@doctordolldesigns4009]

I watched this from start to finish. Thank you for this let's play! I loved how unsettling it was in such a realistic way

[@Kamecula]

The voice acting in this was absolutely amazing, though! Talk about an awesome game.

[@Imnttu]

OoooooooooooOooof I'm not gonna lie the subtext in this game of framing a straightup predatory relationship between a 49yr old man and a 16 yr old as loving and right made me incredibly uncomfortable.

[@ladygrey4113]

Yeah that’s really gross. The whole “relationship” felt like it was grooming by the father and taking advantage of a fracking kid.

[@kateschmid2889]

I feel like the developers aren't trying to make the player think it's loving. I think that is how Irving is supposed to have seen it because he was too young to understand and he idolised his sister.

[@Imnttu]

@@kateschmid2889 I get that, but they kind of fail to clarify that, that's a warped mindset to have, instead choosing to reinforce it, at various turns throughout the game's narrative. At no point is this really directly faced other than, the threat letters we see, and the spray painted male bathroom. And even worse it is as if the main character is only reliving this loving vestige of her father overtop of this disturbing reality that he was ostensibly obsessed with a teenage girl, but is continuously glorified through her own memories of him and through Irving's recounting of him. It's just, disappointing that they chose to frame a predator that way. It's uncomfortable that her brother would not only associate with the direct cause of his sister's death (this is never explained, like what were him and her father pals?) but siding with the sexual exploitation of his sister (also really unclear motive) for an unclear amount of time. Sure he was a kid then, but he isn't a kid within the game's narrative. Either way you cut it, the way this particular element of the narrative was handled was... upsetting. OMG, sorry that was really long winded

[@kateschmid2889]

@@Imnttu You make some really good points. They could maybe have given Nicole lines of dialogue more directly expressing a clearer stance against her father's behaviour. I do think it's weird that she seemed to forgive him a bit as the game went on. Also I was thinking that Irving's unresolved issues with his sister's death lead him to fixate on her and in a sense he is "stuck" in his childhood way of thinking.

[@pidgy4304]

She wasn't 16 she was 19. At 1:19:50 the clipping says that the man was 30 years older than the teenager. He was 49 at the time. Do the math.

[@serenehavencrafts]

I watched this on twitch while she was streaming, ohh my god it was super suspenseful

[@oknothing43]

"Yes my dad raped a 16 year old but he would NEVER build a SHRINE?!?!?!"

[@anabellarodriguez7347]

I just needed a video to go with my breakfast! Thanks for making my mornings happier ♥

[@thenixx996]

wow. thank you for playing this, this was a really good game. I wasn't expecting it at all and it was really well done.

[@littlecherry2666]

Hello gab, I want you to know that I’ve come to really enjoy watching you and having your company on the TV while I play stardew valley or whatever on my couch. You’re a good person and I feel like we’re friends so thank you

[@brynnexsmile]

currently watching this during a thunderstorm and a huge crack of lightning hit during the time of the microphone listening a bit. turned an already tense moment into an absolutely terrifying one haha

[@flimsyfun4960]

The streams were great, this is such an interesting game *I still wanted to see a body*

[@frankieroutledge2022]

I'm only an hour and a half in but it really reminds me of Firewatch and I love that game so much. The idea of isolation in a beautiful place with the only company available being someone on the other end of a line that you never meet. It's awesome :)

[@Sinnymonbunz]

Gab, I am so glad that I found your channel. I genuinely enjoy watching your playthroughs and choice of games. You're so calm, collected, witty and funny! Glad to finally find a streamer that I can watch and just ~relax~ to :) Hope you and Sean are doing well!

[@intelli-gent9863]

Man this game was a trip. It felt really slow at first and kind of dragged on a bit but I'm glad it did that because I was not expecting all the twists and turns and thrilling moments that built up to the climax of the game. I would say the voice acting was pretty good, especially during the emotional parts. I almost nearly teared up during the ending and I really felt a lot of the emotions the voice actors were conveying. It is an amazing game and I loved the entire journey.

[@nicksuperheroart]

oh my God what a trip! That revelation drained me , and I'm with you on that ending, choose life, everytime. These are not the type of game I would play myself but love seeing people playthrough it, so thank you Gab !

[@netocapistrano1602]

Hey Gab, I've noticed you're having some throat issues lately, just wanted you to know that "cleaning your throat" the way you're doing it may be hurting your vocal cords and making the situation a little bit worse... On vocal classes we are told that doing it makes things worse so I wanted to let you know that

[@ingepost3390]

Almost every speech therapist in this world would agree with you, Neto. So do I. Good advice! @Gab. It would not hurt to talk to a speech therapist about this if you are not already doing it. That can never hurt when you have a job where you have to use your voice a lot. Think of teachers, call center workers, etc. My mother also scraped her throat a lot and found it difficult not to do it. I helped her with it. I was studying to become a speech therapist so she was my practice dummy. It did work. Sucking on licorice (I know...a super Dutch thing to say), taking a sip of water, etc. help you whenever you feel like scraping. We care and would love to keep that reassuring voice of yours around!

[@Gloria-Lopez]

Hey, I study dramatic arts and my vocal techniques teacher taught me a remedy: Make a chamomile infusion (no sugar, just chamomile and water, since the chamomil is an anti-inflammatory and sugar can actually dry your mucous), and when it's warm soak a gauze into it and wrap it on your nose, covering your nostrils. Make sure the gauze is not too thick so you can breathe easily. This is better if you do it walking slowly but in an active position. Start making your lowest note and hold it for like two seconds (this is so the vocal cords are spread and the infusion hydrates almost every surface). Inspire and exhale three times, and repeat five times or so. Make sure to soak the gauze again every two or three repetitions. Then, repeat the same steps but instead of making a low note, make a "glissando" from your lowest to your highest note (this is to hydrate your vocal cords in all ranges of elasticity). Then take some deep breaths and youre done! Hope it helps 💜

[@BBaaaaa]

@@Gloria-Lopez thank you! This is great advice! (also about everyone who commented here, thanks ^^)

[@roaaba9512]

@@Gloria-Lopez I love this. It’s very useful

[@NoobGamer-hn5rs]

ive heard Honey is good for your vocals.... it sooths the throat.... thats what i heard... is it wrong?

[@jesalynfish691]

This game reminds me of the story of Edith finch

[@jamiehollister3488]

YESSSS

[@mariamgomaa1242]

Mind explaining (I love true crime stories and murder mysteries)

[@anniee_bee]

@@mariamgomaa1242 It's a kinda similar game but with (for me at least) a bit less heavy story. It's still sad tho. Gabs playthrough for it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jobXfX98osebfck 😊

[@arck2n]

Sadly this one is way worse.

[@anniee_bee]

@@arck2n I fully agree. As much as I liked it first, the ending was terrible.

[@disgusting_roach]

I'm holding my breath Everytime Gab walks around anywhere! 😂😂😂

[@samantha7045]

Kind of crazy to think the unborn baby was Nicole's half-sister.

[@jasonlu2150]

the things people can do and justifying themselves for doing so(no matter young or old)...

[@reyiscoolest]

@Booper Dooper how could she not tell though? She was nine months no? I think pro life people are just anti abortion not actually pro life. Claire was a crazy person.

[@reyiscoolest]

@Booper Dooper I thought she was nine months pregnant. you can see a baby at nine months. if she was was for nine weeks i can see as to why claire wouldn't have seen the bump.

[@reyiscoolest]

@Booper Dooper I thought I saw it on an article in game but I could’ve been wrong.

[@theviz9792]

@@reyiscoolest nine weeks. Wouldn’t show by then. Rachel probably just found out right before she was murdered, if she even knew at all.

[@RoyG.BivDevoe]

Evelien is making the same expression in her thumbnail that I do when I see chocolate frosted brownies.

[@esins]

Its a nitpick, but I don't like how the game framed Leonard and Rachel's relationship like it was a 100% pure and good thing. From what I gather, Rachel had a hard life, her father expected a lot from her and because she had dyslexia she got shit from him and her classmates. so yeah, the first time someone sees you for the real you and you become close, its not wild that she would develop a crush on Leonard, but that doesn't make it right or even remotely ok for the adult in the situation to act the way leonard acted. as Gab said, it doesn't matter how mature a minor is, they cannot consent to sex with someone who is too much older than them. there are so many people out there who legitimately believe its ok for a 30+ man to be with, marry, and have children with 14-18 year old girls. so I don't like cutting hairs and being ambiguous about whether a 46 year old's relationship with a 16 year old is ok also fuck ""pro-life"" assholes. there are only 2 kinds of people who are pro life. those who want to punish people for having sex out of wedlock and are coming up with bullshit excuses that aren't backed up by science, or those who are listening to the bullshit and letting empathy for "the unborn" cloud out any nuance of the situation or empathy for those who would be and are being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Not gonna debate about this.

[@rizkiramadhan9266]

No, pro-life is the way to go. Murder is wrong.

[@KittyScythe]

Seraph Sebastien not a nitpick. It’s 100% disgusting and awful. We never see how Rachel felt; her voice is completely left out of the narrative. This is a 3 hour tribute to Hubert Hubert.

[@hardfugoo1]

Seraph Sebastien while I don’t even disagree with you nothing irks me more than ending something with “not gonna debate about this.” It’s a maturity thing.

[@jamiehollister3488]

I AGREE!!! and if your going to be pro-life, you shouldnt murder people! If your pro life you should be vegan, anti military, and pro funding adoption and reforming the foster care system.

[@rizkiramadhan9266]

@@jamiehollister3488 that's just weird, beef and chicken are halal, so are defensive wars

[@Caliowan]

Oh my GOD the atmosphere and pacing of this game are both perfect! Awesome choice, Gabs!

[@indhira6433]

For the most of all, I love this story. In a perfectly PC world, this game should've been a lot of things, like: condemning child abuse, underage sex abuse, cheating, murder, and painting all of that in rose-colored paint. I know people tend to steer away from "icky" subject like this. I am one of those people, but the game pulls me in to actually sit down through it because it made me curious enough to sit through it. I hate the topic, but I love how this game executes it. Even the ending. I might not like this topic, but it's a real world problem and the people in it is not perfect people. Some people don't get justice. Some people don't get the good ending of things. That's what happened with Nicole and Irving (in my opinion). From my understanding, Irving and Nicole get shadowed by Rachel, this "perfect being" that everyone looked up to or entranced by. Rachel got jealous by her, Irving was entranced along. I believe Irving's choice, though it might be wrong, but I imagine his parents didn't pay much attention to him when Rachel is there, and it didn't change when Rachel is gone. He was a kid, and lost his sister that he loves and left to deal with that grief alone. When he's older (now), he didn't know what else to do with his grief and loss, so he figured he needed the truth. Nicole was so shocked by what happenned that she practically erase it from her memory. Irving making her remember makes her grief and shock explodes after being buried for so long. Irving leaving Nicole with that grief and shock didn't help either. Suddenly, Nicole doesn't have anyone to deal with her shock and horror, being surrounded with the ghost of memories and death, her decision is believable, though wrong. Irving thinking that Rachel recieving "true love" from Leonard is the same reason why Rachel erase that memory of her mom (in my opinion). He was a kid, and he didn't know what else to think. He grows up without knowing what else to think (if I imagine his parents isn't too invovled in his life because they think Rachel hung the moon). Not to mention that it seems that Irving talks to Leonard and only gets to hear from Leonard's pov of things. tldr: this game's topic is icky, but it's believable and entirely human in all it's characters conflicts and imperfection, and that's why I love it. Plus cool graphics and totally natural voice over! Like goddamn that's some realistic voice acting with some raw believable emotions!

[@mctwisp7175]

This is well said!

[@themightyme2330]

I could fall asleep listening to your voice, its so calming.

[@Arrrthritis]

I have never seen a game flop so hard because of such a bad ending. Everything up until Irving's antagonistic reveal was so good, and then they just had to shit the bed.

[@louwilson6332]

There are multiple endings I think

[@Arrrthritis]

is there an ending that doesn't try to justify a teacher sexually abusing a girl his daughter's age

[@SamuelBlack84]

I do like the sudden terror Nicole feels when Irvin walks into the snow and she realises she's completely alone Then, you hear a womans voice and approaching footsteps...

[@greywalker505]

This game is disturbing for all the wrong reasons. It wants us to think this is some kind of tragic, forbidden love story, but in reality, it’s a story about a man grooming a young girl (who he was in a position of authority over and isolated with, no less), the mother killing the girl because of her husband's infidelity, and then the protagonist keeps saying stuff to rationalize her father’s behavior to a ridiculous degree. Worse still, though, is the fact that we never get to know the truth from Rachel’s side, since she’s, y’know, dead. She was the one who suffered the most in this story. If this game hid the grooming aspects and then showed Nicole slowly unraveling just how much of a monster her dad was, it would have had a better impact. Instead, it shows evidence of the grooming right there and expects you to sympathize with the victimizer. I’m not sure what the devs were smoking, but I don't think I want any.

[@crunchyslime2011]

I’m excited to watch something you’ve put a whole 3 solid hours into! Must have been a fun play