The Power of Skyboxes in Tears of the Kingdom

[@selectivires]

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

[@raymondjack]

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

[@CurlyChop]

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

[@mariowario5945]

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

[@puffles5535]

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

[@zoniotdd992]

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

[@barryherbers6090]

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

[@Hohloch]

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

[@makinganegg-tempt1986]

@@Hohloch dark sun gwyndolin

[@SnakebitSTI]

How many games have visible moons during the day?

[@user-un3us8hp8n]

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

[@princesspiranha]

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

[@Levacque]

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

[@lewisroach8723]

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

[@RidigiRemiin]

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

[@daryx.langdale]

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

[@AzuriaSky]

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

[@florence.5088]

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

[@any_austin]

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

[@tyler-xo3rb]

@@any_austinthere is absolutely shame in it

[@maruwapofilms815]

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

[@makhnoboi1996]

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

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

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

[@IIITrunks]

That parents analogy went so hard. that was wild.

[@NickMartin604]

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

[@lenlordofknowledge]

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

[@oldershikari828]

Completely agree. The game is SOOOO beautiful!

[@SilvrRazorFeather]

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

[@aequinoctiale]

When I started running out of space in my camera in BOTW, I found myself going through the gallery and simply thinking "which of these photos do I want Zelda to see?". Boring photos got deleted, and silly photos got screenshotted before being deleted as well. I kept moments of quiet beauty that I thought Zelda would enjoy seeing after being kept away from that peace for so long.

[@Levacque]

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

[@RDR911]

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

[@InternetPitstop]

Every series this man makes are bangers!

[@sierranicholes6712]

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

[@sympathy_for_strays]

Every vid u make is a banger, too

[@wrenbear]

my two fave video game essayists in one place, amazing

[@HyruleGamer]

An appreciation of Austin's video 💜

[@Titan.Tantrum]

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

[@dunsonmovies]

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

[@lelanddyke8386]

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

[@marissabulso6439]

The sky did influence my gameplay. It shifted how quickly I moved, how often I stopped to look around and contemplate life, and where my focus lingered. I really loved it because it felt engaging, but not pushy.

[@5MadMovieMakers]

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

[@jimaroonie]

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

[@CaptainOblivion]

As someone who adores a rainy day, I'd never really thought about it in the way that a sunset forces you to ponder the distance or the grander world while an overcast day brings you into a smaller more intimate space. Really interesting framing!

[@kstan5112]

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

[@drygnfyre]

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

[@rareosts5752]

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

[@RbtKttn]

I’ve been writing about games for a while, and specifically about how beauty and movement are often more powerful/memorable than whatever *narrative* a game is trying to dish up-and then the algorithm served me these Any Austin videos and I’m so happy. I love books that give me a world to explore and move through and marvel at, and I love games that do that too. Thanks for these.

[@puffles5535]

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

[@dinostorion]

"the night time sun.. uh the moon or whatever that's up there"

[@crunchysalmons]

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

[@elijahneidlinger9932]

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

[@Thierce]

pretty sure the main quest literally tells you to go there

[@OurCrimson]

I recently stumbled down this absolute banger of a rabbit hole and have been binging your videos ever since. Please do make more of this and any other unremarkable things.

[@danielhuelsman76]

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

[@Fawriel]

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

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

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

[@zgiffish]

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

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

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

[@Horsethe666]

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

[@pocoxiaomi5182]

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

[@glitchsister]

its going to be so hard to look up the title of the video in five years

[@RipVanFish09]

KZbin is smart. It can figure things out with help from the description, comments, and captions

[@TheBreadPirate]

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

[@Sephiroth1204]

The skybox is art and just like all art, it gives everyone a personal interpretation and feeling. I love all the little touches and how the horizon draws you to explore

[@daniebello]

Studio Ghibli often employees similar tactics in their films. scenes of quiet where nothing is particularly happening, but it is a moment for reflection that is exceptionally moving, emotional or nostalgic

[@TF2PNub]

"The nighttime sun" is now entering my lexicon, thank you for this

[@jeffshannon3627]

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

[@PhinntheJuman]

So glad to see another installment of skybox appreciation! Those were the videos that first drew me to your channel. And yes, you're right - I'm convinced that whether it's intentional design or not, players are influenced by the skybox (maybe consciously, maybe unconsciously) 💯

[@sun_parasites]

When I play this game I just feel like a bit of flotsam constantly being pulled in different directions, because the things that are interesting were designed to be interesting, so I don't feel like it was entirely my decision to move towards them. The sky, and how it changes, definitely contributes to that. So yeah I agree, I think

[@skyevlyn]

Thank you for pointing out the paraglider rain sound detail and how there's a good ol void area in the game! I just love getting to appreciate new aspects of something that totally went over my head! It's like finding fries at the bottom of the bag like oh there's more :D and yes I believe you that the sky is designed to gently guide you because they did really focus on designing the sky as in, made it its own area of the game and all, so yeah checks out! Also where can I get the skybox shirt

[@mack6511]

why is it so true that the sky feels like your melancholy parents reminiscing on years passed as you clumsily flop your way through life

[@EliteAgent51]

Wish you went over the Blood Moon skybox a bit. Also the later Blood Moon Skybox from the endgame.

[@grubbinvgm]

My favorite FAVORITE shrine in this game is the Kurakat shrine. The puzzle requires you to wait for the sunrise to cast a specific shadow. One [non]problem: if you wait by a campfire until morning, 'sunrise' doesn't occur for another hour in-game (a couple minutes irl). The shrine is located in the perfect place to see this beautiful beautiful sunrise flanked by Zora Domain on the left and Lanaryu Mountain on the right, and you are for once forced to just sit there and wait and soak it all in. Perfect.

[@hadesKIU]

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

[@xxcorrinxx6299]

joined the mile high club, dude wanted to appreciate my skybox

[@MK.5198]

I think you're right. Even if they didn't fully intend for the clouds and weather to affect where you're focusing and what you're doing, I think the effect you describe is real.

[@IL-tx3ul]

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

[@drygnfyre]

Speaking of the weather patterns, one of the best things to do in the game is visit the Thunderhead Isles/Dragonhead Island earlier than the story sends you there. It's low to the ground, but being completely enveloped in heavy rain and fog while the somber themes play in the background is just beautiful. I spent about 30 minutes just walking around the latter island, even though I didn't actually want to progress the quest yet. Since you can't see or hear anything else, you're just completely cut off from the rest of the world. You find that one building on Dragonhead Island and it's like being in a small cabin during a heavy snowstorm, where you're in the one safe spot. And yet right below you is a tropical area that probably has perfectly blue skies (there's actually a good reason for this, but I won't spoil it). Easily one of the best things I did in the game.

[@DKarkarov]

The sky in this game absolutely influences how you play. You see a cool sky island during a sunset, you want to go see it. You see a rain storm etc.... you do not want to climb anything and you want to look for stuff on the ground. You go to the depths it kinda makes you want to explore higher and see what is going on up there. This game is a great vibe and an absolute classic.

[@dadjokeness]

One of my favorite parts of the skybox in the depths is the way it looks like pollution. The depths are full of ancient and new mines, with the monsters and the yiga creating a lot of smoke. Not to mention the pollution from the gloom that's infesting the depths, mixing with the humidity. I do like to watch the sky a lot in TOTK so I have noticed how different islands render into view to draw your eye. (I spend a lot of time sitting on the dragons, their pathing is fun and you get to see so many places. The light dragon in particular, if you ride her whole circuit, is 3 hours, so you get almost 2 weeks of sunrises and sunsets.) The dragons also give an illuminating view of the ground. It's interesting to watch how when you're on a dragon or island, or even paragliding, how different things on the ground combine with the weather to draw your eye and pull you back to the ground when you're up. It's very uniquely designed to keep you going from place to place in any direction you look, you could close your eyes and spin around with both sticks to face a random direction, start walking straight, and find something (even a spot to watch the sun rise, an interesting bit of architecture, or a pile of gravel with no real purpose) within a few minutes. No matter what type of gamer you are: from Korok hunter to Quest Completionist to Austin finding spots with delightfully nothing at all.

[@johnleecooper8520]

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

[@amyOMNOMNOM]

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

[@mrs.vasquezz]

It's too repetitive

[@armakeen3576]

I love the skyboxes in Super Mario Galaxy 2. There is a different skybox everytime you reach a new World, and this is the detail of the game that left the biggest mark on me for some reason.

[@scotty2dadout]

Broooo, I had a Jacob Geller video recommended to me on my family's start TV while I was visiting recently and I loved his videos but couldn't find him when I came home. So glad you mentioned him.

[@dohndabe3472]

I just finished totk and because i didnt want any spoilers im just now coming to videos like this! And you know what i planned to watch after? Jacob gellers video lol. So happy to see good creators shouting each other out :D

[@Jlewismedia]

The sky thing with the island and clouds at the start is a technical 'quirk' of how transparent objects are drawn, known as depth sorting. Often affected by fog which can be drawn in different render passes. You'll see a fair bit of that with a keen eye on games targeting older consoles or low end devices.

[@Etakon.]

I wonder if Austin has put thought into a video over games time cycles and there speeds in openworld games. I think there'd be a lot to talk about on how the game feels purely on how long a day/night cycle lasts

[@Levacque]

If you were to compare only Ocarina and Majora's Mask, you could really dig into how those differences affect perception. Just because the games are so similar, the comparison of the change to day-night lengths would be pretty useful. The days in Ocarina are fairly short in comparison, and I'd say just off the top of my head that the longer days in the sequel made the passage of time feel much more tangible and realistic.

[@superpiff0000]

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

[@KadeKalka]

Xenoblade (Wii) skybox appreciation would be pretty sick tbh

[@bloomphases]

Talking about the rainbow, i even got a double rainbow once while i was fighting a lynel, which turned into a pretty chaotic moment as soon as i spotted it

[@kimberleestiens]

I think you are right! I love considering how games guide you to what to do next without you realizing it. It reminds me of Jenny Nicholson talking about how the best theme parks carefully control sight-lines, so when you're in one section of a Disney park that's all you see - you don't see other bits of the park peeking out over the horizon. It's neat! It's cool that there are people who spend their professional lives thinking about those things

[@choiie]

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

[@ollie_acorn]

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

[@heirapparent8217]

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

[@pivotguydc1149]

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

[@bearserk4151]

Game idea for Skybox appreciation: i remember the original Deus Ex having a few interesting skyboxes. Also, Elden Ring skies have a similar effect on me, where the art direction surpasses its technical limitations. Love the videos keep it up

[@beanmathews3256]

love austin's dad outfit with the tucked in tee shirt and the belted blue jeans

[@gwillymusic]

I just want you to know from one content creator to another, I see that the Skybox Appreciation videos are not appreciated enough and I very much appreciate you making these and I love them. I really wish more people would appreciate them too.

[@nicolasgorszczyk9291]

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

[@khiralshimmer]

4:10 I’m here for Austin’s Hollow Essays 💜

[@khiralshimmer]

13:15 Also the comedic storytelling here is blinding

[@not_decaf]

Nintendos been watching ur skybox series and decided to knock ur socks off in this edition of loz

[@fios4528]

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

[@rareosts5752]

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

[@markusdied5569]

i really hope the NakeyJakey cosign is paying off!! Austin deserves it!!!!

[@Ogr3s]

More of this content! Love Skybox Appreciation.

[@canucklehead2772]

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

[@starwars9133]

I didn't know you tucked your shirt into your jeans until this video. I like this. Love the vids even more. Keep it up.

[@brandonconner7319]

the two second clip of the Unreal Tournament level at 14:19 hit me in the nostalgies

[@FortisMaximus]

This series is my jam. I love skyboxes so much, I've wanted to make an online archive of them for years but I don't have the technical know-how for extracting them from games :( At any rate, thank you for this video.

[@seraphshade]

I don't know exactly why... but you know that little jingle that plays @ 12:16 after you skydive and land ground level? I f*king LOVE it...

[@JoeEmber776]

I would love to see some skybox appreciation for the gamecube era sonic games (adventure 1, 2, shadow, heroes,) wario world, mario kart double dash, & kirby air ride. Huge nostalgia for gamecube era JPGs

[@GeorgiaChronicles]

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

[@Plant..]

He’s got rizz

[@andrewprice8079]

I will literally watch any video he makes

[@preliminarypetrichor]

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

[@duppy404]

Dude he was at 40k subs for like 10 years

[@preliminarypetrichor]

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

[@papadelta9485]

i like how this guy wears the clips in his hair for fashion like doc ellis with his curlers or people with do rags

[@MrPotatoPoo]

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

[@NichtBenni]

I love your videos so much! Never noticed the difference in visability

[@Wotvr]

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my time, so I watched an Any Austin video on skyboxes.

[@NoAvailableSpace]

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

[@BonesBonesBonesBones1]

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

[@Atmatan]

I love that your observations can actually regularly blow my mind. Barely a minute in "no wait, those are actually clouds 🫨"

[@jonathanvelasco7332]

12:15 yeah, also the rain sound is modified depending on where you're placing the camera. If you look up to the sky while paragliding you will hear what Link's hearing, you feel you're under it. If you have the normal view looking down, you hear it differently. Same with fire, depending on where link is placed, you'll hear it either on your left or right side. Try panning the camera slowly while near a fireplace it's so coolm Works better with earbuds.

[@IanFraser420]

Jacob Geller and AnyAustin are my two favorite game analysts.

[@chrisoutland6170]

Love the channel, the content, it’s all mint. Would love to see some skybox appreciation for any of the sly cooper games. Lots of bangers in there.

[@ChristopherFerguson]

I believe you. I beat Tears of the Kingdom, finally, yesterday... Now I can go watch all the videos about it I've been putting off to avoid spoilers.

[@henlex6424]

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

[@JeffreyGreeb]

Hell yeah brother, fair critiques and beautiful skyboxes

[@Tromus]

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

[@MyDancingShoes]

I just beat TOTK two days ago and was craving another video from you about it! :D I feel the same way about the sunset skybox - there's something really melancholy and wistful about it. I spent a lot of time on the sky islands staring at it and feeling both lonely and comforted, like being acknowledged by something and acknowledging it in return. I liked the comparison to a parent watching over their child.

[@zgiffish]

YESSSS MORE skyboxes 🩷🩷❤️❤️❤️

[@Teybort]

13:55 WHAT?!! i have 200+ hours and havent seen a single rainbow no way. Anyways love your content dude, didn't know a single thing about skyboxes until you, thank you for elevating my appreciation for this media.

[@yosefu5009]

Gotta say I miss the post-outro bloopers