The Creative Inspirations Behind THE FINALS

THE FINALS Season 2 sees a new map, SYS$HORIZON, added to the game alongside a new 5v5 game mode (Power Shift), new weapons, new gadgets and in-game functionality, like Private Matches. Following a Season 2 pre-launch event I attended, in this video I look at the creative influences on the game, both for gameplay and, perhaps more importantly, the game's lore and story, which may see the game define a completely new sub-genre of shooter games.
00:00 Intro To Season 2 Of THE FINALS
0:57 Let's Talk About The Big Picture
1:26 The Lore Of THE FINALS Season 2
2:50 Intro To The Creative Influences On THE FINALS
4:01 The Two Types Of Creative Influences
4:42 SPOILER WARNING!
5:05 Creative Influences On THE FINALS Gameplay Elements
5:12 Sabata (Movie)
6:29 Ready Player One (Movie)
7:08 The Running Man (Movie)
8:56 Smash TV (Game)
9:35 American Gladiators (TV Show)
9:54 Tron (1982 Movie)
10:26 Tron: Legacy (2010 Movie)
10:42 Squid Game (Series)
11:18 The Hunger Games (Movies)
12:57 Formula 1 (Motorsport)
13:51 Nods To Creative Pieces, People and Games
14:15 Jan Matejko (Artist)
14:30 The Battlefield 1 Chicken
14:50 Creative Influences On THE FINALS Story And Lore
15:35 Stories That Stay Inside The Narrative Walls
16:10 Example: Oppenheimer (Movie)
16:34 Example: Battlefield 1 (Game)
17:04 Stories That Break The Narrative Walls
17:32 CNS Show Us The Narrative Walls Were False
17:44 THE FINALS Is Defining A New Sub-Genre Of Shooter
18:10 THE FINALS Virtual World vs The Meatspace
19:04 Where Can This Take THE FINALS?
19:30 What This Means For The Future Of THE FINALS
21:00 The Matrix (Movie)
22:14 Overview Of LOST (Series) and Westworld (Series)
23:13 LOST Details
23:37 LOST vs MYST (Game)
24:13 Comparing LOST And MYST To THE FINALS
24:42 Westworld (Series)
25:16 Squid Game (Series)
25:55 Summary Of The Creative Influences On THE FINALS Story And Lore
26:23 What Might The Meatspace Look Like?
27:01 Outro
Thanks to Spear ( / @spearheadpr ) and Serpenger for helping me record gameplay footage.
Download and Play THE FINALS here: store.steampowered.com/app/20...
Invite to The Finals Official Discord: / discord
Visit and contribute to THE FINALS Wiki here: www.thefinals.wiki/wiki/Main_...
Invite to the Duhtopia Discord (run by Duhmeister and where I hang out): / discord
The Finals website: www.reachthefinals.com/
The Finals Twitter account: / reachthefinals
The Finals KZbin account: / @reachthefinals
Embark Studios website: www.embark-studios.com/
Embark Studios Twitter account: / embarkstudios
Embark Studios' other game in development:
ARC Raiders website: arcraiders.com/
ARC Raiders Twitter account: / arcraidersgame
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#TheFinals #season2 #lore

[@RockhoundBlack]

Hi all 👋 this video was demonetized by KZbin as the copyright owners of The Matrix and Ready Player One made a claim against the use of the short pieces of footage from those movies, despite the use of those works almost certainly falling under the definition of “fair use” as I intended. So, I don’t earn a cent from KZbin for views on this video, despite the days of work that went into the research and writing the script, editing and so on. If you enjoy this video, please consider supporting the channel in alternative ways such as liking the video and subscribing to my channel. Thanks for taking the time to watch my video! RHB. ❤

[@Solcres_Joa]

Damn, very sad to hear that. Great vid/content thus far, subscribed and liked ✊️😎

[@thetrueinferno7993]

Maybe the real narrative walls were the friends we made along the way.

[@joshy1279]

Surrogates (2009) starring Bruce Willis is where my mind always goes when I think of the Meatspace and everyone sat in VR headsets either competing in, or spectating, The Finals.

[@iknowyounot88]

It's the passion project that they never got the green light for with Mirror's Edge. Glad we get to experience it!

[@starbi]

The red green room with the two boxes at 15:05 is actually a nod to the "Cornell box" which is a 3D scene to test the accuracy of lighting in computer graphics.

[@fatcatisrollin3850]

You, Spear and THiiXY, really are the perfect trio when it comes to understanding the game mechanics, its lore and its influences. When you guys post a vid, I’m grabbing a snack and pressing play immediately. That’s the kind of quality you guys are producing

[@icekirbyixi]

This game has me locked in. I haven't been into a competitive FPS as much as this since original OW release and this is even more so. Every match feels different and the gameplay and aesthetics are amazing! Great video btw.

[@THiiXY]

What a beautiful video, I really like how you have the black bars, makes me feel like I'm in a cinema watching your vids. The lore breakdown, exploring the map, your opinions on the future, explaining the inspiration. Just all perfect. Much love RHB!

[@RockhoundBlack]

Thanks! The letterbox thing comes with having a widescreen monitor haha. I agree though.

[@amountless0]

Bro really went big brain mode with this one

[@Dairkun]

Heh...that clip of Black Hat at the start was all you needed to get me to commit to the video. 😆 RIP Westworld.

[@SPEARHEADPR]

I'm glad you picked up these many influences of the game - not only from a narrative standpoint but also the team's history. I very much agree with how the story will progress later on. I think it will be an evolving process, very directional, not linear, and unpredictable. Very cool video, RHB!

[@finnbacon]

This game is unbelievable. Innovating and stunning us. Embark is hopefully inspiring future devs.

[@_ac39]

My only concern so far with this is if they're too on the nose with CNS. anyone with even a cursory knowledge of human biology instantly thinks "Central Nervous System".

[@RockhoundBlack]

And that path has been partially confirmed by Rob Runesson. So we have some figuring out to do about exactly who and what they are.

[@clydefalken9413]

when i saw the ks23M and the 93R i like giggled bro, both of my favorite guns in my favorite game

[@charleshawk6668]

Mirrors Edge…

[@RockhoundBlack]

Yes! One I should have included!

[@nathanstarnz5468]

@@RockhoundBlack destiny 2 vex network looks quite similar to this new map also. considering its also fragmented data its not surprising.

[@nick_0]

The ex-DICE devs really loved that game it seems :) and deservedly so!! the art style of mirror's edge probably one the most unique ones in gaming

[@helperb0t4]

If no one else cares about this, I CARE about this There's so many times I've seen things in The Finals that I've wondered where they got the idea. Love the video!

[@nickrafacz6313]

Fantastic analysis! I have a feeling this vid is gonna age well. With all of the lore inclanations I wonder if they'll ever do one-off single player missions, possibly small campaign episodes in the future for the sake of world building. Like a player that takes off their headset to find they are a prisoner of sponsors and must break out. Or a hacker that needs to break into a sponsors building to access the mainframe. My mind is buzzing with ideas of what they could come up with next.

[@o4366]

Cant wait to watch this with dinner xox

[@RobRunesson]

We are scratching scratching the surface, open your eyes and follow the... Great video as always.!

[@TheBloodthirsty]

A deep lore analysis we would like to see more often, great job!

[@silverskall1432]

wow great video, thanks for the deep dive into the themes of the finals. the lore of this game is very intriguing.

[@MagnificentMaimonides9797]

Tf2 in imo….. light is sniper spy scout. Medium is engineer and medic. Heavy is solider heavy pyro and demoman

[@Playam]

Pawltry nod, lol, I liked that one.

[@L3tsFUN]

Are you saw tall library room from a first teaser? We are wrong?

[@RockhoundBlack]

It's the green room at the start of the video (0:11; maybe with a few tables moved etc) - in the tease it was stretched out to make it look much taller.

[@maymayman0]

This video was really amazing, thank you

[@JayronimoFilms]

Great video! I thought I'd for sure see Scott Pilgrim somewhere on this list, as there's a part in the film where people get dematerialized into coins when they die, and it looks super close to how it goes in THE FINALS. I imagine that's where they got their inspiration from as well as Ready Player One

[@Wezla]

Excellent video man, def gotta checkout some of these influences now (Running man, in particular)

[@jacobotoral6050]

Was waiting for this !!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@kraberzii]

Great vid mate! While im not a part of the generation that grew up with stuff like The matrix and Tron, Ready player one will still remain one of my favorite movies to date. After this i kinda wanna check out The running man as well though! Amazing storytelling! 👏

[@totallynotretro9967]

It would be very interesting if the "Meat Space" and the "see beyond the wall" stuff ends up being connected to Arc Raiders

[@thatplasticbag6953]

maybe when arc raiders drops thats when the finals goes to the meat space

[@novatim1]

Great video!

[@hughglenwright]

The finals is beautiful 😫🙏

[@Runawaydave2]

I think this game has such great potential, if their premise is a simulated game world then the sky really is the limit, I saw a KZbinr host a private match with two teams of 4 where the goal was the score points by placing the cash box in the designated goal, melee weapons only , sounds like something that can be easily integrated in the game, I could definitely play that if it was properly done!!

[@THEEJONESY]

love this

[@dogalolo]

Hyper Scape! I've been saying this since I saw the first trailer for The Finals and understood its premise, even before I finally got the chance to play the Open Beta on my Series X. Hyper Scape was set in a virtual world and revolved around the mode "Crown Rush," a battle royale where contestants--who were mostly just normal people, judging by the descriptions on their skins--fought to be the last one standing, or to hold a Crown until the clock ran out at the end of the match. We get brief glimpses of the real world in trailers for the game, but it's more than clear that most peoples' time is spent in the virtual world. Finally, Hyper Scape also followed some of the creative influences you outlined here: the map had an aesthetic that blended European architectural styles (a la Monaco in The Finals, though much more reminiscent of Ubisoft's previous work in modeling Paris for AC: Unity) with sleek, futuristic cityscapes, and digitally inspired lobbies. However, and Sys$Horizon reminded me of this, rather than pushing contestants closer together with a storm or circle, the game would digitally deconstruct sections of the map: the effect reminds me a lot of the voxel-inspired aesthetic that Horizon is based in. Though Hyper Scape isn't around anymore, I can't help but imagine at least a few of the senior devs at Embark were fans of the game. Oh, and one last thing, there were jump pads built into the streets in a very similar way to what we see on Skyway Stadium and other maps.

[@embruh_]

Honestly, mad respect for using your early access and embargo time to write about the game as art instead of producing the same content every other creator was going for. Seriously really cool. Personal note, feel free to ignore: if I can offer something constructive on the writing, I think some amount of the first half (influences on gameplay section) ended up being a bit redundant and over-reliant on a lot of examples being listed off for a bit too long, since the thesis and the most interesting points were in the latter half when talking about influences on story/lore and your discussion of narrative boundaries with your theory of where Embark will take things. That said, it was an enjoyable watch and I'm glad you went this direction with your preview instead of the gameplay commentary content everyone else is doing.

[@RockhoundBlack]

Thanks for the kind words and the constructive feedback, much appreciated!

[@colonelfrogs]

Game is beautiful and fun af

[@anxmoia]

I havent watched the full video yet but one very obvious inspiration is vghs

[@RockhoundBlack]

I'd never actually heard of this - maybe it didn't make streaming services here in New Zealand for some reason. I'll see if I can watch it somewhere.

[@TheOneZoot]

The Finals 2 better be an actual VR game someday

[@iReima]

I hope the hosts struggle for power and we get a pattern of official map releases on top of the nuanced glitched cns versions

[@tact1calshot989]

The finals is making gaming fun again, you can be sweaty or take a sledgehammer and smash both objectives and buildings down while everyone fights for cash box, only to show up to the deposit box like wtf just happend lmfao, I am obsessed ith season 2 and the iver all feel of the game.

[@Chenguin]

The usual KZbin business

[@FusionGamerElite]

Will you JOIN CNS or will you OPPOSE them? IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE!

[@TheMortemGaming]

Amazing work! I think the all the revenue you get should go towards a better microphone!

[@RockhoundBlack]

Thanks! The mic is actually good, but my office has concrete walls (which I try to cover up a bit), but it does echo quite a bit, so needs a proper audio treatment done at some point.

[@spriteacola9818]

3:00 What did you just say?

[@trnnto808]

Anyone wants a sabatta skin now?😂

[@Crusty1yt]

This video slaps bro, channels like this help motivate me sm, seeing that the grind pays off, on my second channel now trying something new, any tips on growth?

[@RockhoundBlack]

Hey, thanks for the kind words. My advice is to strive for a niche that provides something different for your audience - something that they can’t get anywhere else. And try to make the videos as polished as you can given whatever resources you have (especially making audio nice and clear). Lastly, make your thumbnails and title tell the audience exactly what they’re getting and waste as little time at the beginning of the video reaffirming that to them.

[@Crusty1yt]

@@RockhoundBlack appreciate it man, really do, if you have some time soon would love to pick your brains a little bit about thumbnails and so on if you have the time?

[@RockhoundBlack]

@Crusty1yt yeah, sure thing. Are you part of THE FINALS Discord? You should be able to find me on there to tee up a catch up. 👍

[@Crusty1yt]

@@RockhoundBlack no worries can do, what’s the best way to find you on the discord

[@RockhoundBlack]

@@Crusty1yt search for RockhoundBlack then flick me a DM

[@DonaldPrizwan]

ummmm.... who told you thats what Lost was about lol?????? chatgpt right? there is a scary monster on the island. and some people want to leave the island but... thats like a, time travel sci fi.

[@RockhoundBlack]

I never use chatgpt. I didn’t mention the time travel to keep the description simpler, but it actually aligns LOST with MYST more, not less. Myst is also sci fi and has the player travel to different Ages which are at a minimum a different place in the universe/s and probably time. The discussions of comparisons between LOST and Myst are widespread. And both can be further linked to inspirations from Jules Verne’s book ‘Mysterious Island.’

[@KillerLettuce]

The Las Vegas GP intro "show" is straight cringe.

[@Hamiltron_]

Hate to be that guy, but the cash out vault sound from the Vegas map is pulled directly from slot machine in Las Vegas IRL. Not inspired by Squid Games. I’ve heard it numerous times throughout the course of my life. Sorry, mate.

[@RockhoundBlack]

No worries, that’s a great observation and there are always going to be things in the game where one person says “it’s quite like this” and another says “it does, but it’s actually exactly like this instead.”

[@Hamiltron_]

@@RockhoundBlack You’re right. Sorry if that came off “well actually” :)

[@de-ment]

18:00 I mean you've been building this up all vid but like.. didn't apex legends literally do this (and continue to do so)? and most other modern games that prefer to tease updates with lore bits? Hell, Team Fortress did this over a decade ago with their Mann vs Machine ARG prior to the gamemode and the expanded lore with it ever getting added. Live-Service video games adding lore to their progression is not a mind breaking concept. I like your content however you always speak as if you just discovered what computer games were a month ago and as if embark invented them. I don't need to be pointed out to tron and atari and for some useless reason tron's sequel also to understand the fact that sys$horizon has a very, very, very, very, very obvious "80's retro" artstyle, it's so popular it doesn't need an introduction. I'm trying to be as constructive as I can but like 90% of the first 18 minutes just feel like complete filler, I guess I just don't get whose the target audience here. You don't need to explain the concept of non-fictional media by explaining both oppenheimer and battlefield 1 I didn't forget what you JUST explained 5 seconds ago. You're a new-ish youtuber and I'm just giving you criticism from having seen way too many people completely fumble the idea of long-form but when you execute it this way it feels ALOT more like you're abusing it rather than fumbling it, it's just a heartfelt request and "reasons why" for you to fix it. This video does not deserve to be as long as it is, and not JUST this upload, your past uploads also, especially the "CNS glitches" video, you don't need to point out where an easter egg is in audio as if reading a script from a legal document of an exact description of it's coordinates to the centimeter when you have a VIDEO at hand. If an image is a thousand words, a video should be worth millions, I see you make use of that idea however you stretch it out SO MUCH. There's a very loose line between short form and long form and it feels as though anyone who doesn't make their "videssay" 25+ minutes for no apparent reason, doesn't consider it a "videssay", you could pack everything you said in this video to a 10 minute form factor and still have given every detail you thought up, and if anything you'd motivate your viewers to do research like yourself. If you spent time visualizing [let's say] the "Sabata" Light/Heavy/Medium inspiration to a 2 second visual of just that line-up scene comparing to the game characters it would convey the exact same thought and emotion instead of playing the entire film clip, explaining the entire film clip and having it lead up to a very minute point. I.E. When english teachers tell you to write a 500 word essay in highschool but you get your points erased cause you wrote up 750, it wasn't because the teacher was lazy, it was because you didn't have the skill to convey your thoughts in an appropriate manner.

[@Yunglemmy]

Pretty Ironic how long and drawn out this comment is 😂

[@de-ment]

@@Yunglemmy last time i checked i didnt upload a video and sent a text instead, perhaps the meaning of "an image as a thousand words" is completely lost on you. Not to mention, this is constructive criticism for the video maker, not a smartguy fanboy who thinks they've the right to talk in place of their role model