THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT SAMMY PAK - YIIK Analysis Part 1

[@alexyiikintherealworld]

the truths that the people need to hear

[@josheaster1547]

i came here from your suggestion. Lets see if this really is as good as you claim.

[@livvy94]

tl;dr: Alex be thinkin he's so slick and wishing his life was a cool Murakami book

[@calebdesjardin5635]

Seriously happy to see something with this tone about YIIK. I really hope this picks up in views

[@wekashipo7507]

The idea of Alex as an unreliable narrator is genuinely eye-opening. I remember thinking that Alex really wasn't that much of an asshole when he got mad at Rory because they did almost die, and that the golden alpaca scene was really out of place. But if you consider the possibility that there never was a golden alpaca and Alex was just embellishing the story to make it seem like Rory put them in more danger than they were in, the scene makes way more sense.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

Or that this was the point in the story where Alex's actions were fully indefensible, so he effectively points his finger and goes "What's that over there!" to avoid the player sympathising with anyone but him. I like the idea of Alex trying to manipulate the player into taking his side and showing himself in the best light possible, but if that's what they were going for he's hysterically incompetent at doing so, which is a valid character choice but it's easy to miss and just attribute it to the writer and not the character.

[@MHF013]

Now that it's all over, this video opening with "Hello again" is just cinema.

[@ringkunmori]

It's videos like these which begins a new era of people liking something ironically turns unironic

[@CasualCosta]

Unlikely. Alex as an unreliable narrator has been called out years prior. Check a video called "Playing: YIIK Made Me Think" by Tehsnakerer. YIIK's fatal flaw is how tiring the systems in the game are, specially the combat. I couldn't finish the mountain climb dungeon because of how much of a chore it felt to actually play the game and I already knew it was boring before picking the game up AND after the update that was meant to improve the combat experience. Maybe the new update will make it more bearable, but until then, general audiences won't enjoy it.

[@That_One_Xatu]

YIIK analysis, but Alex is not only correctly Identified as an unreliable narrator (not just pretentious, though he's also that) and the video doesn't just take everything that happens at face value?? LESSGOOOO!!!

[@i_barely_hee-know_her]

It's jarring hearing the title of the game being pronounced correctly

[@eggo76]

fucking brilliant analysis. can't wait for the next parts. it's very nice to finally have a video which actually explains all of the minute details which are often written off as pretentious or as plot holes. keep it up.

[@Tinker-13]

Here because of Planet Clue!

[@buddyfriendpalio]

I feel like yiik doesn't get anywhere near enough credit for it's foreshadowing and themes, and oddly it's subtlety. stuff like vella's story of being ditched for a newer younger girl actually mirrors what happens with essentia and alex later on in the story. I also see people saying that despite being annoying, alex isn't that bad of a person, but if you look between the lines and the whole game really with the knowledge of alex being an unreliable narrator, you start to paint a picture of a genuine sociopath that manipulates and lies to get what he wants. i also want to point out the golden alpaca scene, because if you look at it with the knowledge that alex is an unreliable narrator, you realise that this was just an excuse made up by alex as to why he blew up at rory.

[@hellkrai]

I feel like He's more sad than he is bad. Like if you compare his actions to other people who do shitty things but are likable in video games. He's in the company of people that are literal murderers, or treat people way worse than him. So I think it's a lot easier to forgive him but even with that, he's just a little cringe really.

[@buddyfriendpalio]

@@hellkrai good point. I still think alex is deep down a bit of a psycho and I hope i.v leans into that more

[@treerat7284]

Just something to add to this, the factory hotel has been confirmed by the devs to be Alex's mind dungeon. This is further proved by the hp up door added in I.V. This can also help explain why panda's room is identical to Alex's dorm room in the I.V opening. This might explain why there's an entity in the Sammy abduction, it's Alex. This explains a lot of Sammy's weirdness, and why "the Sammy from the news" is different from "his Sammy"

[@hellkrai]

Oh yes, it's something I plan on coming back to when we get to Essentia's Mind Dungeon. I feel like at that point it makes it borderline BLATANT when you actually look at whats being shown.

[@Access7]

I’ve started playing YIIK finally, inspired by some of the more aggressive reviews actually, so far I’ve found it really enjoyable. I’m glad I found some more story analytical videos. Hope the rest of your videos are as good as this one :)

[@VVraeth]

So like, Dali's just a stray that Alex arbitrarily decided to take in and later make up that he/she was Sammy's cat?

[@miiwii]

None of the other characters in the game mention Dali's existence. Whenever Alex uses Dali, you can see his mouth open as if he's making the cat noise. Alex probably doesn't actually have the cat Dali.

[@Milkthrow]

​@@miiwiiThat's kinda creepy to think about... That Alex is so engrossed in his own egotistical, self indulgent perception of reality that he would randomly meow while imagining himself solving puzzles with an imaginary cat and no one around him knows what the hell he's doing.

[@crowiltiziodeltreno4177]

Well Time to like YIIK unironically it seems.

[@vellayiikintherealworld]

This analysis is great just wanted to say

[@smugalice6206]

When I first listened to Yiik analysis videos, I assumed that the Semi Pak incident was something that happened in the past (rather than the present) for a few reasons: 1) Semi didn’t know what an elevator was 2) There are ghosts and supernatural stuff happening all around the hotel. 3) There’s still power in the abandoned building. 4) The fact that it’s a factory hotel is odd. Given Semi’s inspiration, I imagined that the building was originally a hotel that got demolished after the incident, rebuilt into a factory, and then abandoned by the time Alex went there.

[@hellkrai]

I think too many people put a lot of value on "Semi's inspiration" Not entirely understanding what she was inspired by. She was inspired by how people made up a person and an entire story around them when they obsessed over these missing person cases. And I think what I explain here really follows that line of thinking and shows how intentional and direct that inspiration really is. A lot of details about Sammy are inconsistent, And it gets to be extremely fun and it's something I believe I'll talk about in the future. I'm not too sure how well I'll get into it but I hope that I explain it effectively there.

[@smugalice6206]

@@hellkrai I don’t have strong feelings about Elisa Lam being used as inspiration here. I was just sharing this interpretation of Yiik I had when I just began getting into hearing about the game. I’ve seen part 2, and I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to more!

[@surile379]

Ok I'm hooked, already excited for the next episodes

[@Harmonica821]

I bow to your teachings master of Yiik

[@chippedgoat]

Great video, fan of the art assets used in the video, and damn, its great hearing someone pronounce YIIK properly

[@koboldengineering7687]

eh I still prefer yeek tbh

[@chippedgoat]

@@koboldengineering7687 I am more of a Yick fan myself, YEEK sounds like GEEK

[@SuperMarioSwagger]

This video is THE BOMB

[@StarBlue42]

So is the proto-woman like the proto Alex? She's the highest form of the Essentia? Also I get the feeling Alex has mommy issues.

[@hellkrai]

Super fun comment! Stay tuned!!!

[@N3rv3d4m4g3]

Did she even ask him to call her Sammy ? Or is it a detail he made up to explain saying her name wrong?

[@ilikegoblo4665]

Sammy to me seems more like Alex westernising Semis name to something that’s more familiar, it’s also a detail that helps show how Alex has “his Sammy” being the idealised woman for him and the actual Semi Pak the woman he viewed on onism and caught his attention utilising her likeness for his ideal partner

[@robin.8868]

Awesome job man!

[@honestkyn718]

I think the main problem I'd a lack of something to showcase the actual reality. Without a way for the player to notice what reality is objectively you have to take things at face value

[@hellkrai]

That's kind of the whole point of "Post-Modernism". To confuse the real and unreal and to present that to the audience because what is "confusing" about it says something about the characters within.

[@honestkyn718]

@@hellkrai and Y2k doesn't do a good job of it as it is so muddled it is real2ith the hints just barely being there

[@hellkrai]

@@honestkyn718 No it does a fine job of it, you're just reading it like it's a "Modern" work and not a "Post-Modern" one.

[@hellkrai]

Like I was able to discern these things when I first played it. And I barely graduated highschool, so I'm sure many people smarter than me can figure this out, it REALLY isn't that hard.

[@honestkyn718]

@@hellkrai it isn't the problem is there's nothing of substance other than something we already know; that Alex is not a good person. It's kinda obvious. Look man I think Yiik has interesting ideas bad execution. Edit; I do like these videos don’t get me wrong. It's interesting because it is a close look at the lore of it... but ultimately yiikbis also a video game and has to take into account its demographic and.. well... It’s issues are often still there

[@DoctorDovey]

I'm really excited for the next parts :)

[@alpha_c.]

so real yiiker

[@masonasaro2118]

i legit NEEDED these vids, you’re a life saver

[@rpghero46]

let the yiik gospel continue

[@chippedgoat]

I have a question, if you dont mind me asking, how did you find out about YIIK a post modern Rpg?

[@hellkrai]

I found out about it I want to say around 2017-2018 from a random game article talking about Indie games inspired by earthbound. (This might be a bit much but I'll give a short little aside about my experience with the game) 2019 was a WILD year for me was jobless and practically homeless for the first half of and didn't get to playing it until December that year. I actively do not look at basically anything about games I'm interested in, so I went in with fresh eyes. Joined the fan discord in early 2020 when I saw stuff about how the third ending hadn't been discovered, and had been having discussions about story details like these videos since then. (Turns out most people don't read ONISM)

[@mistergrool3941]

I think this is an interesting theory, but I would push back on it somewhat. I feel like we're jumping to conclusions too fast based on comments that can easily be construed in multiple ways. For example, when Alex says "I couldn't get the video out of my head," he could easily be saying that because the video looked so similar to the actual experience that he had, not that he made up the experience based on the video. And unfortunately, given some of the other dialogue throughout YIIK isn't quite up to snuff, I'm less inclined to believe that this unreliable narrator theory was intended by the developers without more proof. With that said, this video was still a great watch, and I'll definitely be looking forward to future parts and, hopefully, being proven wrong!

[@linguisticspaceship]

I.V adds mind dungeon doors to the factory hotel and andrew says its because "it's alex's mind dungeon" (source is the altrive I.V stream). the new monologue system reflects alex's headspace, and sammy also "invades" it and talks during it which gives more basis that shes imaginary. i also made a video about this topic which has a lot more examples of evidence. notably alex literally saying "i can admit now that some pieces were pure fabrication on my part" kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGamnJWFZ56bZsU

[@sneeze4100]

you can't push back on what's not a theory. literally play the game, this video series is a straight retelling of the events of the game.

[@pantslesswrock]

1) It's not a video on Onism. It's a gif. Early clue that the game takes place in the present day, before the game explicitly tells you the game is taking place in "The Present Day" 2) It's not a theory that Alex is an unreliable narrator. He admits it out loud shortly before the "The Present Day" reveal. And this video is about the beginning of the game - the part most likely to have the most polish and attention to detail. Occam's Razor (I am too high to remember if I'm using this term correctly forgive me): The developers of an independent passion project that took many years forgot or didn't notice and accidentally left in text that directly contradicts very recent events in the game, and have never patched this despite patching many many other things.... Or that visuals contradicting text immediately after a big text dump of actual post-modern literature in a game so concerned with you viewing it with a Post-Modern lens it *put "Post-Modern" in the title* is a clue that there may be some Post-Modernism happening in the narrative, and we should not be taking everything at face value?

[@littletimmy3221]

Thank you for your service good sir

[@chicagobigchungusbobungus8842]

I think this actually illustrates an issue better then I could explain it. There was absolutely no transition between the surrealist dream mindscape of Y2K’s first dungeon and Frankton. A cat with a Dali moustache isn’t going to cut it for most people: I think this is a problem that Earthbound addresses, it starts in Onett and as the game progresses get progressively more post modern and surreal. About a third of the game in, you hit Moonside, which is such a weird concept that by that point, is really easy for the player to digest and analyze on their terms rather than be thrown to sharks of complex artistic statements immediately. This is because games are not like novels or short stories, we are not as comfortable with the surreal storytelling without a basic goal in mind first. This where Y2K’s poor pacing in my opinion is worse than I actually realized. In a book or comic, I think this opening might actually intrigue me, because visual are more comfortable with complicated visual storytelling. But games absolutely need a goal to keep a player invested, Y2K’s main goal was always finding Semi. So having a rug pull this early in the script is gonna shoot whatever momentum it had in the foot. If players can’t understand what happened in the first freaking dungeon of the game; is it really their fault that they didn’t replay this 70 hour game to figure it out? Or- is Y2K’s storytelling just not very well conveyed in this medium? Look I really understand if you want to explore post modern themes in a games main plot, but no matter what you need an anchor so that people can understand and engage with those themes and feel included. Games require so much more engagement than other art forms, you can reread a story really quickly, if you have trouble understanding something it’s gonna be gone in seconds. There’s no rewind or rereading text after it’s gone. A lot of this evidence is compelling, but in the first hour of gameplay most players aren’t going to notice the 3 lines of dialogue that points in this direction, they are going to be distracted by the massive walls of text Alex says after taking every step.

[@hellkrai]

Dear, Chicago Big Chungus Bo Bungus. No transition? I'm not sure that's a fair assessment, but assuming a transition is needed is a bit odd. The "Factory Hotel" Sequence is less of a literal retelling of events, as I describe it in the video it is more a representation, a metaphor for what Alex, the Narrator, the Storyteller, felt while browsing Onism. The game is not 70 hours it's actually 25 hours so your assessment of pacing seems to be in bad faith. "Y2K’s main goal was always finding Semi." I feel you haven't paid attention to the story and I kindly urge you to watch the rest of the series as I make it. I promise it'll make sense for you in the end. " most players aren’t going to notice the 3 lines of dialogue that points in this direction" Look by this I can tell you aren't familiar with post-modern narratives, nearly all post-modern narratives (and games) do this. Look at MGSV, MGS2, Bioshock Infinite, The Beginner's Guide to name a few examples. The worst part of all this is that you assume this game is "trying to be earthbound" when it isn't, they've made it clear throughout development and in advertising that it is "Murakami inspired" (A post-modern author) and hey Post-Modern is even in the title. Cheers, Hellkrai

[@dummythickrodriguez]

Finally, someone that doesn't take the game at face value and shit all over it. Thanks for the vids!

[@DerkNilos]

yass!! queen slay it!

[@smugalice6206]

IT’S HAPPENING!!

[@chrispychicken1783]

This is genius

[@Queggletank]

Why do I watch this? Why do I care about this bad game so much? This game is objectively bad but has managed to pull me deeper than any 'decent' game ever did. Ah its because I have seen just the reviews and theory videos, I have never experienced it myself and so I see the bad parts as a part of an comedy and the worst parts as endearing.

[@linguisticspaceship]

Objectively bad? I think the game is objectively based ;)

[@snazzzzy]

yes !

[@RedGoner]

Cool video

[@westform22]

maybe the game just needed to nudge me a bit to notice this

[@harley5707]

The

[@TheRealFrambo]

After watching your videos about YIIK I've been thinking about the different things that caused many people to misinterpret Alex as a self-insert, as well as other things like not realising that he was an unreliable narrator and the overall tone of the game. One thing I’ve seen brought up surprisingly rarely, but which I feel definitely had an influence of people’s perception of the game, is the way that the developers’ previous game, Two Brothers, is referenced in YIIK. I know that it received quite a bit of criticism when it came out, and this is a fairly well-known fact among most people who are familiar with YIIK. So, the fact that Alex, the main character, is a fan of the game, praises it, and wears its merch (combined with the other references to it throughout the game) made a lot of people think that this was just an attempt by the devs to promote their previous, less successful game. However, with the context of Alex being written as a horrible person on purpose, while also being a fan of Two Brothers, it could be seen as the developers doing a sort of self-burn, like admitting that the game wasn’t that great and cheekily referencing that fact by making an annoying and pretentious person like Alex a fan of it. You seem to have spoken to some of the devs before, would you say that the latter interpretation is correct or am I reading too much into it? Thanks for taking the time to read this! :}

[@linguisticspaceship]

There's quite a few self-burns in the game. The first two brothers mention in text is making fun of it being called two brothers ("Sounds like a diner or a pizza place. Those guys really should work on their naming conventions.") It's also poking fun at their next game being named YIIK which is also a silly name lol. There's also a line where Roy from Two Brothers talks to Alex at the end of the game which is commonly misinterpreted. "I doubt I'll ever get my chance to fight again, because some people have worked really hard to prevent me from finishing my quest... but you still have a chance." People think the "some people" are the people who gave it bad reviews or something, but its quite clear to me its about the developers not yet finishing their Two Brothers remake called Chromophore (which is also referenced with the "Lazy Alex" bossfight, text on the screen says "Finish Chromophore?") The devs are quite active on the yiikcord so feel free to join. the invite code is "yiik"

[@TheRealFrambo]

@@linguisticspaceship Ooh I definitley remember people mentioning up the idea that Roy was calling out the people who disliked Two Brothers, glad you brought that up! Honestly, it seems to me like there was just a bunch of misunderstandings surrouding this game for a while now, a lot of rumors spread giving it a bad name, some of which weren't necessarily started in bad faith, just based on misinterpretations of things in the game or said by the developers. Thanks for letting me know about the discord, I might check it out :}

[@hellkrai]

"So, the fact that Alex, the main character, is a fan of the game, praises it..." I don't believe Alex finished playing Two Brothers, because what he thinks of it seems to not really be what that game is. I think it's a front, it's "huge Earthbound fan excited to play it for the first time"... But aside from that so many other game studios do the same thing, Ludocity, Kojima, Valve, InnerSloth, Gearbox, Sega, even Nintendo themselves. Seems silly to judge a studio off of being self-referential

[@TheRealFrambo]

@@hellkrai Wow, Alex being a fake fan of a game does seem like something that would really fit his personality lol I didn't really mean that people judged them purely because of being self-referential, more that having Alex a fan of their previous game contributed to making people think that he was supposed to a 'self-insert' or ar least a more positive character. Like those claiming that Alex wasn't supposed to be completely unlikable used it as evidence like "why would the devs make an unlikable character be a fan of their other game?", I definitley heard arguments similar to this when the game was getting a lot fo attention.

[@hellkrai]

@@TheRealFrambo yeah I think it's best if you look at Two Brother's and Roy as a allegory for FF7, Earthbound, or even Link from Zelda. This is all something I'll get into in one of the later videos but would've been seen as much ruder had they tried to make that reference than if they instead poked fun at themselves.

[@snubcube]

erm... this is literally just a reuploaded uricksaladbar video. next

[@ReonGhost]

😗👍

[@guillermo4730]

YIIK is the videogame version of High Guardian Spice: both are not just bad, they're fascinally bad.

[@linguisticspaceship]

none of that is true lol

[@Takimeko]

Nah

[@Nyrkvennasogur]

9th comment, also YiiK