This Game Taught Me to Reframe My Depression | ZX Spectrum

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

I realise that these are largely UK based, if you'd like to add to this list of potential support for other countries, be sure to add to the comment below for those who need to see it. MIND: www.mind.org.uk/ Samaritans: www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ Andy's Man Club: andysmanclub.co.uk/

[@Bodcut]

In the UK dial 111 then select option 2 for mental health support

[@nickbrown5719]

Your words in this really spoke to me. I too am struggling with depression, and I have been for 30 years. I also have a dragon, and that dragon is often an impenetrable bastard. I often look at it, worried and confused. Often it feels like I can’t get past it. But one day, with the help of those close to me, I hope I will. Until then, I’m trying to do better. Much love.

[@slacknhash]

The cat's doing excellent depression co-pilot work there. "If you're resigned to being the lowliest creature ever to blight the earth with your presence and everything being a horrific waste of time, at least make a fuss of me. I'm much more important!"

[@Ben_C01]

The puzzles are like 321 on steroids

[@tarnetskygge]

1:17 is amusing to me because I recently spent quite a bit of time searching google and youtube for a game I remembered on the c64, all I remembered about it was a dragon flying over water trying to reach a castle... I eventually found it, it's Thanatos and I just find it funny that it popped up so easily as one of your top search results here 😂

[@Knux84]

"Coat of arms" is actually a really clever play on words and fun puzzle solution IF there wasn't already a real actual coat in the game, sod that.

[@thematicschematic]

'Heater' is also the name for that shape of shield.

[@RetroSegaDev]

I've been missing something on KZbin and I realised it was your videos. I'm so glad you're back!

[@Steve_UK77]

Your videos definitely cheer me right up. So that's something. Right.

[@al3k]

I do love your tropes and references, hah. :) So glad someone is still alive who knows these things too.. I do wonder sometimes how many viewers would get even half of them. Rock on, broski!

[@Ashley6100]

WHOA. So I've seen many videos that talk about old games and I'm like "Oh yeah, I remember that". But I had utterly and completely forgotten this and you've awakened memories. I don't even mean this in a ironic "it was so bad I've repressed it" kind of way. Just, wow. Hearing you say the title, I felt something in my brain. Then seeing that box art, the spider, the dragon! It's all come back to me. My experience was identical to yours: wander around, die a lot, sit on that dragon screen and just think about what might be. Except I had no idea what TCP was so never even got close to solving a single puzzle. But back then I think it was all about the exploration, and taking in the really weird atmosphere. It was incredibly rare to ever finish anything so I never really cared about not getting anywhere. Definitely no way I'd be able to go back to it now!

[@user-is4jf8yr4z]

I never knew about those spectrum games in the 1980s. (I Only had Playmobil - lucky me). All I can say is just WOW. Another game, another acid trip.

[@yopparaemon]

You ARE the dragon, breathing KZbin fire.

[@rootyrootyson2175]

The absolute most baffling part of this whole sorry saga is how you honest-to-god knew I was standing up to watch this video.

[@frishnit]

The reflection on losing childish wonder hit quite hard. I wasn't expectig existential considerations in a daft video about crappy old games, but it absolutely had merit. I appreciated that! Also, yes, those puzzles are bobbins.

[@PeterUnoldDenmark]

That crazy pocket system was clearly thought up by one major lazy developer - and I write that as a lazy developer. Great video as always

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Riddles for the solutions, riddles for the UI... This guy just LOVES riddles.

[@tarnetskygge]

The description of the rules for the different pockets reminds me, of all things, of the Sylladex from Homestuck (and its various ridiculous "fetch modi") which was meant to be a parody of adventure game inventory systems.

[@taxalot]

Another game I wasn't aware existed, and a framing that is personal, which is ultimately how it should be for all games and, really, any kind of media. We all experience them from a place, and move to other places. This is fine.

[@radioguy75]

Can we have more of the cat please.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

He arrives like the wind, as and when he pleases

[@uttridge]

That dragon screen is awesome though. I had to stop and check this was a spectrum game! Also, nice message - enjoy the dragon. :)

[@bajinaji]

I really enjoy your videos, and metaphors aside I hope the days look bright. As an Australian possibly from English criminal stock (who knows!) I have to say "good on ya mate". Seriously though, I enjoy the introspective perspective you bring to my childhood.

[@al3k]

It really is all about the journey, not the destination.. There's no more journey after you reach the destination. Some endings are probably never meant to be reached, and that's why they remain so wonderful. :)

[@al3k]

The guy who developed the gargoyle/TCP scenario will be going straight to hell... there's a special place there for these guys. 😉

[@bvseediermedia6]

Riddler’s Den is a hugely overlooked and something of a forgotten game. Great to see it get some focus.

[@nonprophyt]

I remember reading somewhere that the solution to the river puzzle is because banks used to close at 3:30pm. River banks, geddit? No wonder I never got anywhere. I had exactly the same problem with the gargoyle, too. Understood the puzzle but never in a million years thought to drop the TCP far, far away from the thing that wanted it. I believe my words on watching it solved in a walkthrough were, "oh, fuck off".

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Oh my god, that "banks" thing just made me audibly sigh, hahaha

[@billybollockhead5628]

I assumed it meant you had to put the coin in the river bank

[@RaposaCadela]

I could feel your words man, I needed to hear that thanks

[@The-Man-On-The-Mountain]

Finally, a video that encapsulates all my frustration as an 8 years old kid with this game. I remember loading it from time to time and then rage quitting and loading another one. As an adult, is even worse. Much much worse. Ashens recently did a talk about stupid puzzles in video games. I don't know why this whole game wasn't even mentioned, because it's absolutely ridiculous.

[@NobletheSavage]

Please take care sir. Hopefully you're giving yourself some time. Edit. Sorry, I've only just got to the end. I really love your conclusion. Not sure if it's heartwarming or heartbreaking but such a lovely analogy.

[@AlekseiTepljakov]

My favorite Speccy game review of yours. If I had this game back in the day, I would have loved it, most likely for the same reasons you brought up :)

[@retrobitstv]

I am, in fact, standing as I watch this, and I cannot be stopped!

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Sit yo ass down

[@DaveVelociraptor]

I really like what this game hoped to be. It's a 48K specky game made by someone who wasn't a coding genius but tried their best. But it tried to go beyond the limits of the specky by having the clues in a poem, and you'd solve it with the patience of a text adventure and feel super rewarded when you worked it out. I've talked about this before but there's a thing the "imagination gap" and that's what the dragon is doing with you. That dragon lit up your mind and you then created stuff in your imagination, going beyond what was in the game. If the hit boxes were better, if the graphics were better done, if the puzzles made a bit more sense and they were implemented right this could have been a great little game. I'm glad to hear you at the end coming to a similar conclusion. Also nice to see Rebel!

[@mattfantastic9969]

This was a good video. I have nothing to add I'm just commenting for engagements scores

[@tonyp3824]

Great to see you back mate, love the video.

[@ctrlaltrees]

This video cured my depression

[@rick12373]

Keep making videos my friend! They are very entertaining and well done. I remember this game as well. Never got anywhere in it of course.

[@ghostoflazlo]

Babar ❤

[@mikeynma]

You had me at Barbar...

[@mattsmith4536]

Always joyful. Keep it up. Your gym workouts are clearly working, you beardy chad.

[@blatherskite3009]

I recall the game's artwork, and being intrigued by it, but I was put off by the "manelephant" - not because he's running around a dungeon all pink and starkers (although that _is_ a bit weird) but because he reminded me of the Pi-Man from Pimania ... which was probably the worst game I'd ever played at that point, being totally obtuse and fun-free in a way I didn't know games could be. But, yeah, you touched on something there - the way that games seemed magical when you were a kid, and you could imagine that there were whole worlds hidden away in there. I remember playing Atari Adventure and thinking that if I put the magic bridge in just the right place then I'd find a way into a whole other kingdom. But then, as you get older, you realise that the entire game's only a few kilobytes in size so there was never any way that there could have been vast hidden areas, and what _was_ there was miracle enough considering the limitations. I'm glad I didn't understand that when I played the game, because it would have precluded the daydreaming about what might be in there. There's probably some important observation there about how the more you understand about how stuff works - games, life, whatever - the less room there seems to be for magic. And, in a way, that probably dovetails with the depression thing - concentrating on the can't-do limitations instead of imagining the can-do possibilities. But if 8-bit games taught us anything, it should be that it is possible to get a heck of a lot of fun out of not a lot, and while there's fun to be had, life is good. Well, bits of it anyway 😄

[@johneccles4701]

Stay strong bud 💪

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

I'm sorry, I didn't make enough of a confused face during the river part. I was too busy jamming to that sweet music edited in - listen to it at 1.5x speed. That is a jam! Anyway, yeah that is some bullsh&t, lol. Sorry you play through stuff like this to entertain us all. Thanks for inspiring us near the end though, with that uncharacteristically heartfelt black-and-white segment. Glad you got _something_ out of this. Hey man - hope you feel better. I know that doesn't ultimately help; when people get depressed, just give 'em space and time. I know that. But _you should know_ that you do brighten people's days with these videos, and that counts for a lot, man. Don't kill yourself to put 'em out or anything, but whenever a RoseTintedSpectrum vid drop, it always is a highlight of the day. You're fantastic, man.

[@CommanderAscorbius]

Great video. I never saw this game before either. It would have driven me up the wall.. cool dragon though.

[@RetroKrazy]

Your videos are always a great watch and love the humour! While that dragon is indeed awesome on the speccy, I'm surprised other alarm bells weren't going off in your left brain (while it was trying to beat the snot out of your right brain for those overwhelming nostalic feelings it was giving you) 😮

[@bryngunn]

Brilliant again but the mention of the Broken Arrow goat puzzle has brought back some repressed memories 😳

[@letsdiscussitoversometea8479]

That playback did make me laugh! 🤣 Particularly when he was just stood there waiting for the river to become passable. There's a brilliance in not knowing what to do in some of these games - they definitely hold your attention, and keep you coming back for more. The TCP (were they sponsored by them or something??) bottle for the gargoyle was a right laugh, too.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mucy2807]

Lol loving these vids with the gash games. We all had a mum who treated us to a bargain-bin £1.00 budget game. And as I’d just played Manic Miner I was expecting quality 😅

[@gk73man51]

The game wants smashing with a lump hammer but the spider and dragon are quite special bits of pixel art for the time. Go well, Mr Rose 👍

[@vidarlystadjohansen9829]

wow that dragon is amazing, never seen this before

[@greenhowie]

"The Poisoned Parrot" isn't a game but a concept that has been helping me through anxiety and depression. Worth looking up for anyone who is affected by these issues. Also this game is a fucking nightmare. Never understood it.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Aha! That's similar to my own description previously, which was the "internal ghost", like you're consistently haunted by an absolute bellend.

[@greenhowie]

@@RoseTintedSpectrum We all have bellend ghosts to ignore, some people just have more obnoxious ones than others I guess lol

[@CanisRex84]

I absolutley love your vids mate, this is my new account on YT, on my old one Ive watached all of them. Geniunley sorry to hear you strugglle with the big D (that cant mean anything else right?). I also have my own struggle, but having a couple of beers and putting a new video of yours one takes me away for the time being. Thanks for your work, looking forward to the next one.

[@RoulDukeGonzo]

There's something about the nostalgia, the weird emotions that childhood games evoke. An enveloping other worldliness. A strange embrace like a comforting portal to another world. I can't imagine. Lost, perhaps forever. ... How about that game with robots eh?

[@Rhyas9]

Welcome back.

[@vinnythemackem]

Fuck this shite, there's a cat!

[@MT-cd7cs]

I need to know when the extended mix of ‘It’s a Childhood Favourite’ is available on Spotify .. cause that’s going to be stuck in my head all night 🎶 tune.

[@MT-cd7cs]

Also really enjoyed the video - as always - and the underlying message.

[@AndyPlayedGuitar]

Ah balls, I WAS standing up

[@WojciechPietrzok]

Appreciate the dragon! We all need to appreciate the dragon more

[@davebright2918]

What's the opening piece of music (not Grange Hill, the little slither of classical before that)? I'm sure I recognise it but I can't quite place it.

[@philrob1978]

I put off watching this one for a while, was a bit too raw of a title, but hey, here I am now having watched it. You really are special, in the best way possible. Much love to you. The game is shit though. Nonsensical puzzles are the worst.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

I apologise profusely for watching this video while standing. As do I most videos. Soz.

[@GenerationPixel]

This video meant a lot to me. Thanks buddy. But, yeah, I'm not going to play that!

[@Justin-TPG]

Me when I saw the gargoyle solution: OK, maybe that’s where it fell from and it also wants to go home. Me when I saw the spider solution: What? I was standing up to watch this because I was making lunch. I’m now sitting on the kitchen floor and can’t reach my food or see the video. Please help.

[@McShufts]

Uses standing desk while watching youtube...

[@AndyHewco]

I was feeling a little down this morning, but wow, that dragon is magnificent. All I can think is how much of the Spectrums memory is that taking up? (answer, less than 6k)

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

That spider riddle would work in a text adventure, which is all about wordplay and that. Not in this sort of thing. And the ball of death for trying to work things out? Nah mate. That river makes no god-damned sense. I went back and looked at the poem.... nope. Not a clue. Loved Rosie's final message! Good luck, sir.

[@KingSidJames]

Honestly I dunno where you get these games from as I had thousands of the bastards and most of the ones you play I've never heard of!

[@billybollockhead5628]

The poem made me think that you had to drop the coin in the river bank….

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

So someone else in the comments pointed out that the solution is, apparently: Banks used to close at 15:30... And the river bank is exposed at 15:30. That could also tie into the coin thing? Basically just wildly out of tune puzzling, haha

[@tolindaniel]

I was standing up while working on terminating LAN cables while I was watching shut up you're weird

[@marcgoesblindgaming2076]

I also have a faint recollection of playing this as a kid And having no idea what I was doing, Great video it was really nice to finally see what this game is all about, It's still a big pile of poop though 😂😂😂

[@nonprophyt]

By the way, there was a semi-sequel to this called Toadrunner. Somehow it's packed with even more bullshit!

[@cthulhuhasrisen1009]

I'm sorry to inform you that I was standing in my garage as I watched this video. I beg your forgiveness.

[@AntonSlavik]

What a strange way to convey German Idealism lol

[@RoulDukeGonzo]

Can I buy you a dragon?

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

God I hope so

[@MrYossarianuk]

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