The Valiant History of Mouse Guard

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you blend together Redwall, Beserk, and Attack on Titan?. In this video, we unravel the origins and evolution of Mouse Guard the beloved graphic novel series, exploring its intricate world-building, unforgettable characters, and the gritty, yet beautiful, battles for survival. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the series, we;re delving deep into the lore and legacy of Mouse Guard-a universe where bravery knows no bounds.
Patreon: / endingsexplained
Tails of Iron video on my other channel: • Tails of Iron | In-Dep...
Music:
Hard Boiled, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Rising Tide, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Celtic Impulse, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Vibing Over Venus, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sources:
archive.org/de...
• David Petersen: Mouse ...
www.gamesradar...
www.mouseguard...
• Mouse Guard Returns: D...
• Mouse Guard Returns: D...
goodcomicsfork...

[@DellBlackberry22]

Had me a Redwall meets Beserk

[@exitsexamined]

A combination of words I never thought I'd say again haha. But it is a pretty awesome mix

[@leitmotif7268]

@@exitsexaminedit’s more than a fair comparison! Redwall is such a huge fixture in my childhood and Berzerk of my adulthood, after watching this I’m definitely checking out Mouse Guard!

[@SkimoStories]

@@exitsexaminedhonestly you totally butt-throttled the algorithm with this title. You nailed it. I wouldn’t have clicked otherwise, I am sorry to say.

[@John_The_Fourth]

I feel like this, to me at least, is a reminder that there is more kinds of content that you like and might even love even more, you just have to look for it. I had no idea this existed until this video and it’s world is almost perfect for me

[@furiouskaiser9914]

Yuuuup. Saw the thumbnail, immediately clicked. Love both series.

[@sethleoric2598]

Medieval fantasy with small animals is probably one of the best genres.

[@exitsexamined]

Is that genre called like Redwall esqe? I'm just wondering what it is haha

[@sethleoric2598]

@@exitsexamined haha maybe, i don't really know if there's a name for it.

[@thedappermagician6905]

Redwall-core? Jacques-core?

[@Alkemisti]

@@exitsexamined Mousepunk?

[@-ISTYXI-]

A Mouse Guard souls like game would be so hype not gonna lie

[@exitsexamined]

Honestly would kind of fit with the lore of the Black Ax as well

[@Rodclutcher]

Dude that would be so dope

[@joelolsiii1511]

Closest one is Tails of Iron, its 2d metroidvania with souls like elements and difficulty

[@OYME13]

TALES OF IRON, as someone else mentioned. It's was very obviously inspired by Mouse Guard

[@icycoatl3185]

Thirding Tails of Iron, very much that vibe.

[@BrendynRobertson]

Thanks for mentioning my fanfic stories. I very much appreciate that.

[@exitsexamined]

Wait wait, are you one of the authors legends or do you mean you wrote the mainline series?

[@BrendynRobertson]

@@exitsexamined No, I'm talking about the fanfic with the crossover between Mouse Guard and Redwall. I wrote that.

[@seththesupernaut5503]

Hell yeah dude, that's sick 💪🤘🤘

[@BrendynRobertson]

@@seththesupernaut5503 Thanks.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

@@BrendynRobertson OOOOOO

[@nicholasczech6973]

Mouse Guard is rather unique, if given the proper looking. It may one day come back to deserving enjoyment. Next to RedWall, it is another under rated classic.

[@exitsexamined]

Totally agree, it deserves more recognition, but at least as it is it enjoys a pretty decent size following!

[@UltimateDrDoom]

Who is underrating Redwall?

[@SoMuchFacepalm]

Sound like the same genre as “Welkin Weasels”. Have to check them out.

[@andrewdiaz3529]

Ever since Nimona managed to come out, I've held out hope that the Mouse Guard movie could escape cancelation too

[@exitsexamined]

Oh I hadn't heard of Nimona, how does it compare to Mouse Guard? Hopefully we'll get the movie one day

[@MadSpaceWolfDiary]

Netflix has it bow. Nimona is a shape-shifting creature that befriends a fugitive and leans on being a bit homicidal / mischievous muchbto her new friends horror. It's pretty wholesome. Has Nothing to do with anthromorphic animals per say. Sci fi ​@exitsexamined

[@RocketSlacker]

@@MadSpaceWolfDiary It's less about similar genres and more about escaping cancellation and development hell

[@herratr9168]

When im was in my school's library during my elementary school, i've found one of these. I was like 9yo. The artstyle and violence got me like a mix of fascination and fear. I left that school like 12 years ago and never found it again, i didnt even knew the name. So i just have to say, Thank you

[@canadadoesnotexist]

Never thought that I'd get to see a Mouse Guard video pop up on my KZbin. It's a sign that I have to reread it.

[@exitsexamined]

Honestly it's my pleasure, and that's awesome this inspired you to reread them!

[@feragosmyxixarashtra7948]

18:57 There actually is an Indie Game on Steam called "Tails of Iron" where You play a Mouse Prince that has to fight a Frog Invasion into His Kingdom in a 2-D Style. Obviously not related to Mouse Guard or Redwall, but still in a Similar Niche.

[@exitsexamined]

I actually covered tails of iron in depth on another channel called JadedInu, and yep the devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard

[@feragosmyxixarashtra7948]

@@exitsexamined Ah Cool to know! I really adore the Artstyle and Soundscape of that Game even though I am not very good at playing it (I hate You Mozi Queen) Hahaha.

[@jacobislucas]

There’s another called Small Saga which is literally inspired by redwall and berserk. It’s on steam as well.

[@MacEwanMouse]

​@@jacobislucasI feel like it was much more inspired by current politics than anything else lol.

[@prince_dogboy]

I LOVE Tails of Iron!

[@TypewriterChimp]

I love Mouse Guard! I have a copy of Swords and Strongholds and it's a ton of fun, plus the pieces are little "carved" plastic mice and very cute. Very excited for the Weasel Wars, they've been referenced so many times throughout the series.

[@exitsexamined]

Oh that's so cool you have Swords and Strongholds! I would have loved to play or get my hands on it, sadly I couldn't even find it on their site anymore. How do you like playing it? Excited for Weasel Wars too!

[@jordanbusch6588]

My buddy and I played Swords and Strongholds a good chunk, we eventually hit a point where we had found moves that were basically auto-wins to the point where he absolutely hated it. I almost won a copy in a silent auction but I totally blanked and forgot to check my bid and it went to someone else

[@Eshkanama]

Okay, this is incredible. I’m reading asap. I grew up reading Redwall (Taggerung, Marlfox, Martin The Warrior, etc) this seems even more gritty.

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah I think if you liked the more gritty and nuanced Redwall books like Taggerung and Martin the Warrior you'd 100% be into the Mouse Guard series! Were those your favorite redwall books?

[@Slicey1]

i found bloomburrow the other day and fell in love with the set and then watched this video fell in love with mouse guard then my mouth dropped when the connection was made

[@exitsexamined]

haha no way! How do you like bloomburrow? I fell off Magic but it made me curious to try!

[@tpot3679]

@@exitsexaminedit’s been their best set in a long, long time. Can highly recommend.

[@pacificnorthwet]

​​@@exitsexamined Bloomburrow is honestly fantastic. It's oozing with character and the cross tribal mechanics are extremely flavorful. I've been pretty disappointed with MtG for a few years now, but Bloomburrow is definitely a surprisingly high point.

[@bigfootoncomputer357]

David Petersen being asked to do Bloomburrow art was how I knew the set was gonna be a hit

[@Slicey1]

@@exitsexamined actually i love it i stopped playing and i just collect sets i like it a lot it’s very mouse guard-esc especially in the white creatures

[@alexpskywalker]

Please do a video on "Bone". Really solid graphic novel series kind of like The Hobbit meets an old Disney cartoon.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey after this I was actually looking for more graphic novels to cover, I'll check it out! How do you think it compares to mouse Guard?

[@2shadesofgray752]

​@@exitsexamined I think it has more of the childlike whimsy while going into less of the gritty realism. But another thing it does differently is it goes more into obscure metaphysics with a bit of cosmic horror. With mousguard the main characters are all citizens of the world who are intimately familiar with it and how it works whereas in bone the main characters are outsiders to the world of the valley and are learning of the events that took place before their time and during. I would highly suggest bone it has many memorable characters and events as well as some things that truly unsettled me as a kid.

[@Backstabmacro]

I second this, Bone is to this day one of the greatest comic series I’ve ever enjoyed. The ultimate villain is terrifying, the characters are lovable and go through their own growth and journeys, and you WILL NOT predict exactly how the end turns out.

[@NatFreeman666]

third this, Bone is amazing. i loved the rat creatures and the dragon so much as a kid.

[@Ezlo01221]

BONE!!! OMG yess

[@Bread-nx9fo]

I loved Redwall and The Tale of Despereaux as a kid, so this looks super cool

[@exitsexamined]

Oh what's the tales of despereaux? I haven't heard of it yet but I'll add it to the list!

[@nicholasbarton3184]

Yes been waiting for you to cover this! This series is criminally underrated

[@pink_parade2900]

Holy shit Mouseguard content!!! I had the Tales from the Mouseguard book as a kid and didn’t know till now that there’s a whole damn series!!! I got some shopping to do!

[@OldGreyGryphon]

Redwall was my childhood! I own most of the books to this day and will introduce them to my children as they grow. I read the first two volumes of this series and now I will have to track down the rest.

[@exitsexamined]

Oh same with Redwall! Pretty soon I'll cover that series more in depth too, so awesome you're introducing them to your children

[@fistfullofsalt6311]

Mouse Guard is so freaking good! I ended up picking it up all because of Danny from GameGrumps after he mentioned it in one of their playthroughs.

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

That’s so cool! Do you remember which playthrough?

[@Crushanator1]

I grew up reading Redwall and i LOVE Mouse Guard. Its so evocative. The tabletop RPG is also INCREDIBLE The neat thing about the scale is the potential to make EVERY story a kaiju story, a your Mice are suddenly Cloverfielding around a Moose or something

[@exitsexamined]

If you like Redwall stay tuned to the channel, i'm going to be doing a deep dive on it in the upcoming weeks!

[@matheusbatista603]

Do a series on The Mists of Avalon please. The book series is amazing and deserves so much more praise, I think it's some type of "lost to time" series due to the author's actions (crimes actually)

[@exitsexamined]

You know I don't think that's the first time someone's mentioned that, how would you compare the series itself to Mouse Guard? I'll check it out and i added it to the list!

[@MagWizz]

Haha, I'm one of those who got himself had with Redwall meets Berserk. Thank you very much for featuring this series. I just ordered first volume and can't wait to get it!

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa super cool you ordered it after watching the video! I hope you like it, let me know what you think!

[@zhebais]

This is very surreal to see pop up right after I decided to pick up the first book on a whim. I hope it all picks up again soon, it’s such a cool world that I can’t wait to learn more about

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa cool! Did you end up reading the other ones? I think they only get better and better!

[@zhebais]

@@exitsexamined i haven’t yet, but I hope to soon, it’s a great series that I can’t wait to experience more of

[@SirHugsalot13th]

Ah, perfect timing, this series crossed my mind a few days ago. You have given me much-needed hope. Oh, and the little board game is good fun, a simple yet wonderful addition to any board game collection.

[@edmonddantes1203]

I want a classic style cartoon/drawn animation not a cgi movie. Treasure Planet style. I cant understand why the studios dont produce cartoons in that style anymore.

[@exitsexamined]

Actually now you mention it I do think that would probably be a better match for this series compared to CGI

[@JordonWithAnO]

I've had my eye on this series for awhile now, and I have wondered if it's a good series to pick up. So i am so glad you're covering it

[@VampyKitsune]

Glad I found your channel. Its cool to see someone covering so many books and stories from my childhood.

[@exitsexamined]

Thanks so much for checking out my channel, honestly just so cool to find other people into the same series I loved growing up too!

[@Leethesynn]

I think a Darkest Dungeon 1 style game would be perfect for this setting. You would get all of the beautiful artwork and have a custom squad of mouse guards.

[@exitsexamined]

You know that actually would be a great fit now you mention it, although slightly less difficult would be great haha.

[@alabasterindigo]

When I was around 8 I stumbled across Fall 1152 at my local library and was immediately captivated. I checked it out and read it over and over, I couldn’t believe no one else I knew had heard of it before omg. Even today there’s not a lot of folk outside of Peterson’s community who know of it. It eventually led me to find Redwall, Secret of Nimh, and other similar media as a kid. Amazing series. The creator David Peterson is known to stream on Twitch from time to time so please go and say hello!! Really cool bloke. Oh also everyone should check out the Mouse Guard tabletop so that I finally have some folk to play with lol 🧡

[@webs4447]

I grew up on Mouse Guard and had never heard of Redwall until recently! This series is my absolute favorite thing ever, I hope more people go read it and join the fandom after watching your video

[@exitsexamined]

Hey thanks so much! Did you read Redwall? What did you think?

[@webs4447]

@@exitsexamined not yet, but I might pick it up after my current read as it seems right up my alley! Thanks for bringing the series to my attention again with the comparison :)

[@F4R207]

Mouse Guard, such a great comic book, I also drifted away from it so thank you for the update all these years later. Also remember Mouse Templar (?) around the same time as Mouser Guard dropped got published.

[@spencore]

totally forgot about this series!! thank you!

[@caseyashe3570]

IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG!!! I read this series at my local library when I was a kid! I’m going to reread the entire thing now lol

[@IronShepherd5771]

Great overview. Have the TTRPG and almost all of the comics. The only one i am missing is one that came out in 2021 called "The Owlhen Caregiver & Other Tales." It looks great and need to find a way to get it in print. RPG is amazimg for world building. So much thought was put into the history and setting it definitely gave me LOTR vibes. Im converting everything into EZD6 rules but atill use all of the RPG box set stuff as an awesome reference. The game Swords & Strongholds is great. We collect board games and it is very well designed. Tons of fun. There is another card game referenced in the comic too - wondering if we will ever see that game sometime. Overall you can just tell this man loves this world. You hit it spot on that while the setting is cool, it's the characters that make it so great.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey super cool you got your hands on swords and strongholds! I really wanted to play it for this video but on the official site I couldn't find it listed anymore. How did you like playing it? Does it hold up after awhile?

[@wakjagner]

I'm mildly curious why you'd want to convert a mechanically simple and well designed game, into another rules system that both functionally operate in very similar ways? Did you try playing it RAW?

[@kilowhiskyforge4337]

huh, I saw this guy promote his books in a library in michigan over 10 years ago it feels like, glad I get an update on the guy

[@samuelrodriguez9801]

The genre you're referring to at the beginning is called Xenofiction.

[@exitsexamined]

Interesting! I guess that's a broad category too encompassing basically anything not human, dragons, aliens, not medieval animals! Good to know!

[@danielramsey6141]

So Bloomborrow is being made with Mouseguard Staff. That is really Cool to know. Had no idea 😊 Still, I don’t play MTG. But that is nice.

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah by Petersen hmself! I don't play it either but it's definitely got me interested to play eventually

[@thereluctanthireling]

One of my favorite series, great video.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey my pleasure, this series deserves more love!

[@WTFisTingispingis]

I am in love with the idea of mice riding hares like horsies.

[@exitsexamined]

It's pretty awesome! They also ride other animals in the series as well but I think the hares are by far the most sass.y of the bunch

[@hyperionsama8114]

I’ve never heard of this series. But growing up, I loved bones, along with fantasy books like the last apprentice and rangers apprentice. I’m def gonna read mouse guard to some tavern music haha

[@commanderslap6656]

Really loving this video. It might be the thing that makes me start collecting books again. I was wondering if you have done or could do a deep dive into "The Dragon Lance" series, my dad has a few of the old books and I never got deep into reading it.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey thanks so much for checking it out! I'm happy to say I have already done a video on Dragonlance, it's on the channel!

[@jacobgilbertson416]

Listening to you talk about this fantasy graphic novel reminded me of the fantasy graphic novel from years ago, Bone. I haven't thought about it in years but definitely will revisit it now haha Thanks!

[@exitsexamined]

Oh you know you aren't the first person to talk about Bone, maybe I'll check it out! How do you think it compares to Mouse Guard?

[@alejandromolina7270]

Check out Beast of Burden. It's comic series consisting of five dogs and one cat battling the occult. Hellboy makes a guest appearance in one of the issues.

[@exitsexamined]

Actually this was the first real graphic novel series I finished and now I'm super interested to try more, how does Beast of Burden compare you think?

[@alejandromolina7270]

@@exitsexamined This is the first time I've heard of Mouse Guard so I can't tell you. Beast of Burden is basically everything why I love Hellboy, pulpy, Lovecraftian horror, and just imaginative.

[@adamlslap8040]

Spent ages trying to finish out my Hellboy collection with all those early crossover oneshots. Tough to find singles, especially first printings. But that Beasts of Burden comic was so worth it. Big Red settin' 'round a campfire in the woods with talking dogs and cats is just such a charming image.

[@citan108]

Great video! Definitely gonna check out Mouse Guard. For a future video, I grew up reading the Dark is Rising series. A video on that would be cool!

[@exitsexamined]

Dark Rising is 100% on the list, hopefully going to get to it over the winter!

[@KingOfMilfgaard]

Discovered this channel about a week ago, subscribed, binged all your videos, then forgot about it and was just reminded of you again with this video in my recommended, thank you youtube 🙏 also redwall goes so hard

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa thanks so much! I hope you didn't binge watch them all the way to the first ones haha. But glad KZbin brought you back and hopefully this series seemed interesting to you? Had you heard of Mouse Guard before?

[@KingOfMilfgaard]

@@exitsexamined I hadnt, but I love watching your breakdowns of these series since I am pretty much always interested in them, and I love Redwall and Berserk so I was sure I'd enjoy the vid. I think the Eragon vid was the first one I had recommended to me and I just went down the line watching all of them lol

[@YamiSpyroX]

Redwall Meets Berserk: That's basically the Art-style of the Official Red-wall Graphic novel! It also felt a tad darker too. (I wish we had more of that.) 18:57 Actually there is a Video game that looks like this Series. Its called Tails of Iron, and this thing really is Red-Wall if it was styled like Berserk's tone. It's GRIM!!

[@exitsexamined]

I actually covered Tails of Iron in another channel I have! The devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard, they mentioned it a few times in interviews! That's interesting the redwall graphic novel was dark, do you have a copy? I'd love to see some images for a video I'm doing on it!

[@kengillespie7797]

I can't believe I never picked this up until just now. I was an avid reader of the Redwall books throughout my preteen years and early teens, but by the time this first came out I was about 17 and too cool for talking animal stories. I was such an idiot! Glad I'm mature enough to enjoy talking animals again 😅

[@connorcoutts9481]

I remeber my aunt got me the first of these when I was like 11 or something. I looked at the front thinking oh okay some generic adventure book for kids with some stylish art. I didn't plan on reading it at first but got bored one day while on a long road trip and just so happened to have this in the car. I picked up and finished it twice. It was so good I thought to myself there must be dozens of these maybe hundreds this must be either a really large series or going to be one. I was dissapionted to learn there was only two at the time and picked up the second one. For ten long years now I probably haven't thought of this series but now I need to go find the other books.

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah it is a short and sweet series, but the side books and standalone comics are well worth the reads if you can find them! Also the black ax is excellent and I think don't quote me, feels longer than the rest

[@feildpres]

Great video!

[@prince_dogboy]

I picked up mouse guard issue #1 at a comic shop when it first came out. I liked it, but I love mice, they are such intersting, complex and adorable little creatures.

[@exitsexamined]

Oh nice did you ever check out the other issues or did you stop at #1?

[@brunokill3]

what an amazing video, thanks for showing me this incredible serie, it's really interesting to see the contrast between such lovely creatures and this fantasy-dark world.

[@exitsexamined]

Hey it's my pleasure! So you never heard of it before? Do you usually read graphic novels?

[@retroinspect]

Petersen's a nice guy. Signed my first edition of the RPG and chatted about his interests in medieval artistry. If I ever meet him IRL again and have time for a drink I want to ask him about how he feels the first story is about a black mouse who professes change in the rigid caste structure of the mouse world is immediately met with hostility. Mouse Guard as a world has a very conservative angle in the traditional meaning of the word in that the mice value tradition and small communities because they are the very bottom of the food chain. I think it would be interesting revisiting the Midnight story where a mouse successfully uproots the old guard and they enter a sort of revolutionist era.

[@inotaarto8719]

Beautiful artstyle

[@alderinjan]

The boardgame Root and Bloomburrow are bolstering our numbers

[@exitsexamined]

Actually while making this video it was the first time I heard of Bloomburrow, kind of fell off the magic train awhile back! How is it?

[@edubs9828]

A long time ago I was at at thrift store and I picked up my first graphic novel called "The Autumnlands". I've been meaning to check out for about 6 years. The art looked cool. No idea what it's about.

[@TheDoomed]

😢 I can’t believe we’re never gonna get a show or movie for this

[@exitsexamined]

Well maybe one day!

[@fujitafunk]

Never heard of this! Just bought the Fall 1152 hardcover and I look forward to reading this during the fall, in bed, after dinner!

[@exitsexamined]

Let me know what you think! That sounds super cozy though!

[@johnp5250]

Not disappointed Might become a fan just on the theme

[@exitsexamined]

Would highly recommend checking it out!

[@OYME13]

Thank you for introducing me to this

[@exitsexamined]

Hey it's my pleasure! Did you get one of the books? Hope you like it!

[@OYME13]

@@exitsexamined Reading it now actually. Loving it so far. Thanks again

[@SiderealMessage]

Please take a look at the Mistmantle series next!

[@exitsexamined]

Hey thanks so much for the suggestion! How would you compare Mistmantle to Mouse Guard? Similar vibe or totally different? I added it to the list!

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

@@exitsexaminedSimilar and different. You have sword fighting animals, a dedicated royal guard serving the people, and the first book also has this feeling of creeping darkness all through out it. However, the series does have a touch of magic involved and the tone can vary from book to book. It’s also kind of like Redwall where the size of the animals is not made entirely clear and it lacks the harsh survival theme of Mouse Guard.

[@ironwolf1799]

I’m so happy to have seen this. I pulled this from the library of my new school in the 3rd grade. I’m 22 now and never forgot that memory

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa super cool your library had this, wish mine did!

[@victorvicentec.araujo3302]

I had a book from the first volume in the "library" at my elementary school, I would read it every month, I suddenly remembered that it exists and I reread it again last year, now I found out that there are more than two volumes

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa interesting your elementary school carried it!

[@caveofskarzs1544]

Im listening to all the Redwall audiobooks right now, been a fan for a couple decades at this point, and for some reason I never opened a Mouseguard book. I feel like I missed out.

[@exitsexamined]

Well you don't have to feel like you missed out! Just read the mouse guard books and you'll be in the loop!

[@Ultrox007]

Burning wheel (the engine the game uses) has some pretty bad heads, here's hoping the Mouse Guard writers didn't have their works too terribly corrupted by them.

[@exitsexamined]

Oh interesting! What do you mean by bad heads? Sorry if that's a TTRPG term I might not be familiar with

[@bradleykoperski7198]

I remember seeing the tabletop game for Mouseguard at a winery in Michigane in a stack with basic games like checkers.

[@wifflewaffle6954]

Met Petersen last month at an event at one of my LGSs. Super cool guy to talk to and really down to earth.

[@exitsexamined]

I watched as many interviews as I could with him and yeah he seemed great, especially with younger fans

[@dantewilliams2757]

I remember this man good times back in the day

[@exitsexamined]

Good times now too!

[@guillermopena8412]

Dude, Mouse Guard would fit an RPG videogame so well, I'm amazed it hasn't been done yet. As for the movie. While sad that's in development hell, I'm kinda glad that they haven't done it with that CGI 3D animation style that they seem to have been going for judging by the test footage. Mouse Guard fits 2D animation or more likely CGI 3D that mimics 2D animation. Without it, it just looks like a knock-off of Guardians of Ga'hoole instead of something more reminiscent of Mouse Guard.

[@exitsexamined]

Totally agree about the game hopefully one day we get something in that vein! And yeah I think I agree, the test footage didn't like great, animation might have been a better fit

[@Ozgarthefighter]

Redwall was mentioned, buying the series now.

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa super cool you ordered it after watching the video! I hope you like it, let me know what you think!

[@corvifred]

If you cant figure out how to play the Mouse Guard RPG, you can always try the Mausritter RPG. Same sort of vibe!

[@benmalatin5237]

I think I had some weird papercraft stuff for the mouse guard TTRPG when I was a small child.

[@lyria8469]

Wow! Thanks! I want to read this.

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

I remember getting a free comicbook day issue and it definitely caught my eye

[@natalyakeane]

implying watership down isnt grown up or nuanced is kinda hilarious

[@exitsexamined]

Hey! I'm wondering which part of my video made you think I implied that because that was not my intention at all haha

[@kenga_9700]

​@@exitsexamined not the original commentor but I had the same thought you introduced the anthropomorphic animals concept using several examples including Watership down then in your pivot towards the main concept of the video you say something to the effect of "now on to something a little more mature and nuanced" definitely not intended but could be taken to imply the series you'd already mentioned were less mature.

[@Claire.sterling]

19:00 for everyone wishing there was a video game set in this universe, A VERY close contender that I think will very much scratch that itch is ‘Tails of Iron’ and it’s actually narrated by Doug Cockle, the the voice of Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher games. Maybe this comment will get a pin so everyone can see and give that indie gem a shot 🫶🏻 great video!!

[@Claire.sterling]

If I scrolled further down I found someone else brought it up too haha!

[@exitsexamined]

Honestly I should have just mentioned it in the video! But thank you so much!

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

Mouse Guard is great. I discovered the first couple volumes at a Half-price Books probably in 2007ish? Peterson has had a bit of a rough go of it over the last decade and a half, lots of life events throwing themselves in the way. The Weasel Wars should be a really cool story arc as well when they finally get published.

[@exitsexamined]

Yeah was really sad reading about what he's been going through because he seems like such a nice guy. But yeah can't wait for weasel wars though!

[@Lovecraftdany]

Talking about "talking animals", a video about the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series would be great.

[@exitsexamined]

It is on my list and scheduled for later this fall! Have to read them all first! Would there be anything in particular you'd want covered when I go through it?

[@Lovecraftdany]

@@exitsexamined Thanks a lot, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the saga

[@Gangsta625]

Love mouse guard, I got all the books and can’t wait for the next one

[@TheSutanian]

Art reminds me of Akihiko Yoshida, of Final Fantasy Tactics and Bravely Default fame. I like it a lot.

[@exitsexamined]

That's an interesting connection and now you mention it I can see it!

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

I think I would love Mouse Guard much better then Redwall, if only for the fact that they portray the carnivore animals with nuance instead of making them 100% evil. That has always bugged me, and it's not just fantasy that's guilty of this, look at how many vintage cartoons portray carnivores as villains, especially cats! The book series I am still working on [still have to change some details and make adjustments to characters, not to mention actually work on the first book's drafts] focuses on a fox prince who has to be in hiding due to his parents' evil advisor, who is also a fox, and he must learn to be a battler, a mediator, and most importantly, a king. He's raised by a hound dog, and his friends are a female fox [who is going to be playful, spunky, and energetic, and actually be able to fight while at the same time having her own inner doubts], a lion [who is going to be similar to Elidyr from Prydain but more sympathetic and not as much of a jerk], a Jackalope, and a mouse. Dragons will be similar to horses but with powers. And there will also be fairies, who are wolves and are mostly good. Notably, herbivore animals will not always be good guys while carnivores will not always be bad guys. Another thing is that my book series, while having sad and dark moments, will still be more optimistic than most, and unlike other fantasies, WILL NOT END WITH THE MAGIC GOING AWAY. The trope was okay in Lord Of The Rings, but then other series [especially Prydain] started to do the same thing to the point where it became super tired and more cynical. Honestly, as much as I love fantasy books, I also have my fair share of issues with them, ESPECIALLY Prydain. Don't get me wrong, I love Prydain, but it can get pretty mean-spirited [especially to Taran, sometimes he deserves it, but other times I feel the books go too far] at times, Elidyr was such a jerk that I felt no sympathy for him, and Eilonwy got screwed over in later books [Lyr should've been her book and she should've at least been able to keep some magic], and the ending is more than a little similar to LOTR. Kind of unfair that Eragon and Dragonheart get bashed on for being similar to other fantasy books but when Prydain does it, it's okay. Again, I do love the Prydain books, but I do have to criticize them at times.

[@zephyrmelnyk]

I ain’t reading all dat. Context matters, literally everything can kill a mouse, why would they pause to tell the mouse their tragic backstory before eating them?

[@nateygamble5662]

I love stories like these, reminds me a bit of the game iron tails, perhaps the developers took inspiration from mouse guard.

[@exitsexamined]

Do you mean Tails of Iron? I actually covered that game in another channel I have! The devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard, they mentioned it a few times in interviews!

[@joelolsiii1511]

Had me at berserk!!! Also if you want a game as close as this try - Tails of Iron, looks like this mixed with metroidvania / darksouls.

[@exitsexamined]

I actually covered tails of iron in depth on another channel called JadedInu, and yep the devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2qXYZh8nZWjpNU

[@jacobislucas]

There is a game that is literally redwall meets berserk on steam called Small Saga. It wears its inspiration on its shoulder and makes it pretty obvious. Look it up sometimes if you want to play as a mouse Guts.

[@exitsexamined]

Oh cool! Have you played tails of iron? How would you think they compare?

[@jacobislucas]

@@exitsexamined I have not yet. I’ll check it out today though once I get home.

[@jacobislucas]

@@exitsexamined one of the differences I can tell you just from observation is that small saga is an RPG while tails of iron looks more like an action game.

[@Lynxan]

A resent game I have played that feels a bit along Mouseguard, Moss. Clearly not the same world, but the influence is clearly there.

[@zaddyzeeseburgnutz]

The Mistmantle Chronicles is a very good series in this style. Very mature for YA books as well.

[@exitsexamined]

Other people have brought that up as well, I'll make a note to check it sooner and cover it. How does it compare to Mouse Guard you think?

[@NomadicDave2032]

My teen daughter might enjoy this, she grew up on Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, Dark Crystal and more. 👍🏻

[@exitsexamined]

Oh Dark Crystal, how is that? I've had some people suggest it on the channel and I might cover it in depth soon!

[@das_hans]

Animals with human features is called a Fable. It’s one of the oldest type of story much older then the novel.

[@exitsexamined]

I think to more specific the genre I mean is animals in medieval setting. My favorite idea is to called it redwall-core

[@BrayGoesTV]

Redwall is my shit! "I am Mathias" still gives me chills.

[@exitsexamined]

I'm covering Redwall in depth pretty soon on this channel!

[@dominicsmith7216]

The title had me Immediately go to audible to get it

[@exitsexamined]

Oh does audible do visuals? You need to have a real copy or at least an electronic version to see the art!

[@dominicsmith7216]

@@exitsexamined yeah you’re right :/ I’ll be looking into that or just physical copies then!

[@justsomewitcherwithalongsw4233]

Reminds me of Tails of Iron a bit. Which might be where the game got some inspiration from.

[@exitsexamined]

I actually covered tails of iron in depth on another channel called JadedInu, and yep the devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2qXYZh8nZWjpNU

[@justicebinder6544]

Red wall reference ? Hell yes

[@exitsexamined]

Stay tuned to the channel for more redwall in the next few weeks!

[@julianlai3032]

I love this series

[@noremac387]

This reminds me of the game Tales of Iron. Although this is more "mature" than tales of iron. This would be a sick video game

[@alexhoughton3305]

The most popular series at my scholastic book fairs

[@exitsexamined]

Whoa that's kind of crazy it's in scholastic book fairs because it is a bit violent, but I guess I also didn't realize they had graphic novels in them!

[@the_epipan]

I would have chosen for the thumbnail of this video the illustration in which Lieam is with his back to the observer facing a huge snake that stands in front of him. Because that battle is from the first chapter of volume 1 of the comics and it is a quite graphic/raw one: a character dies right away there, they find him inside the snake when they open it, and Lieam almost kills himself by piercing the snake's brain through the palate. That is really Berserk-like! With the balls that Lieam showed there, he doesn't need to show them anymore for the rest of the story, but he does it again XD I think you posted the owl miniature before, that would be fine too. This fox miniature isn't as good or epic moment as the other two, and the guy there is using the thorny vines... Lieam didn't get any help in those two fights.

[@exitsexamined]

That's fair! Honestly there are so many great scenes in the series it's hard to pick!

[@the_epipan]

@@exitsexamined One of the few complaints I have about Mouse Guard is that, as mature as the story is, the characters are made to walk around naked... that's a Donald Duck-esque childishness. I would have liked to have at least put loincloths on them, since at first glance that encourages the world not to be taken very seriously... a shame, given the attention to detail that is put into other things (I have seen that the author later seems to want to correct himself on this and starts to put more clothes on... but he foolishly does it with the females (there are males who have clothes put on their torsos and heads but leave the crotch bare, ridiculous, a pity), precisely being the females the ones that would make more sense to be able to walk around naked since nothing would be seen of them, but the males, and especially those of that size and rodents, should have those natural body parts clearly seen). Another issue is how highly doubtful bows and arrows are effective for beings of that size, more plausible would be mini crossbows for them (particularly metal ones) but a wooden bow and arrow... they could hardly hurt more than very superficially and the distance that those arrows would travel would be less than 50 cm, not to mention if there is wind. Another ridiculous thing, but more forgivable than nudity. On the other hand, the TTRPG has a great character creation system and a skill leveling and learning system... but other than that... it's too simple. The system seems to be made towards childs/kids, because it doesn't apply what you see in the comics, which are the scars and loss of limbs, you can't even die... you don't feel how hard and difficult the world is, which kills the feeling of an epic and challenging world that you breathe in the comics. And the combat system is terrible and limiting. I've been a big fan of Mouse Guard, quite obsessed I'd say, but these things are disappointing and don't allow people to go deeper and take it more seriously. They make me prefer to abandon Mouse Guard (which I have mostly done) and create my own, much more realistic, world. But is very hard create something from zero.

[@Ja_Ta]

Nice one, thank you

[@exitsexamined]

Hey my pleasure! Are you a fan of Mouse Guard or is this your first time hearing about it?

[@pattybatters2816]

ok I was flabbergasted at Disney cancelling it until I saw the hideous test footage. It's like Cats2019 tier

[@exitsexamined]

Honestly fair, but I do wonder how much of that was test footage and the final product might have looked - but I do think animation would be a better fit

[@walter1383]

The art at 3:21 has the Millenium Falcon hidden in the bone pile in the lower left corner.

[@exitsexamined]

I saw that on the reddit, such a fun detail! I think there are some more references throughout the series

[@sethleoric2598]

Personally, if you want a Mouse Guard game then i'd probably go for Tails Of Iron, it's a bit rough around the edges and imo it's world is way.. way darker and more fantastical than Mouse Guard or Redwall, but it's still neat

[@exitsexamined]

I actually covered that game in another channel: JadedInu! The devs were 100% inspired by Mouse Guard, they mentioned it a few times in interviews!

[@Rodclutcher]

This is badass

[@nobertosanchez647]

I wonder if there will ever be a re-release of the whole series in black and white. (But that’s just me btw)

[@exitsexamined]

I haven't heard of it but honestly Petersen seems super involved in the series, maybe if you reach out to him and ask it'll happen!