Valle Verde: A Lost PS1 Game Analog Tale

[@rushink]

As a Spanish speaker, the scariest thing about this is that a game made in 97 had such a good translation

[@Danku]

Hahahaha. now that I think about it, translations were shitty most of the time back then. I remember my favourite racing game (rollcage stage II) translated lap "time" as "hora"

[@RyutaShinohara]

A good *latino* translation. They used to horribly translate the games to European Spanish and that was it.

[@Danku]

@@RyutaShinohara should I feel better EU only got the shitty translations then? What was the point of this comment

[@rushink]

@@RyutaShinohara They still do that most of the time, just recently some games started having 2 Spanish translations. Nintendo games still only have the one, for example. But that's not what we're talking about. Also, the European still wasn't too good back in the day.

[@RyutaShinohara]

@@rushink They are good, just not for you even though they pretend you are the target audience for speaking the same language.

[@roughentumble9145]

honestly, i actually liked how quick it jumped into the horror, just because it's meant to be a test from someone who knows what they're looking for, you know? it's a compilation of various product error tests, so the person playing would know exactly where to go to produce the errors. i'm not sure if other series could pull it off, but it manages a different feel from the rest of the found horror genre and it feels justified to me personally

[@MizunoKetsuban]

Exactly. If you found debugging tapes of games without knowing the games beforehand, you would probably think they were completely unplayable disasters since the entire point of the tapes was to focus on the errors. This captures that pretty well I think.

[@potatoboy6094]

I think maybe it jumped so quick into the horror because it has quite a lot of spooky shit, the sudden change in tone is like a warning for those who were still under the impression that this is a real game and not a spooky series, which is pretty fair considering the amount of work they have done to make this all seem genuine. And to be honest that first jumpscare really has nothing on the rest, they certainly get their time to build tension

[@MaxKrovenOfficial]

I took the fast text to mean that the person (test05) has played the game before and knows what the texts say already. and he/she just wants to quickly (probably asap) get to the part where they can actually talk to Matias.

[@oneghost1257]

Agreed. It's become way too common in these analogue horror projects for them to pace it the same exact way. "Here's a selection of items set to peaceful music. Now the music stops. 👀. Music resumes. Part one of five complete, thank you for 15 minutes of your time.

[@HyperfixationPres]

It's also not a fresh "haunted game." There are at least 5 spirits in the game already. It makes sense that it would start doing spooks pretty fast with that many unhappy souls already in play.

[@MrFrankcap]

As someone from Argentina, I'm so proud of this guy for starting this series. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

[@SpringDavid]

boludo? 🤨

[@leoniresquim541]

boludo? 🤨

[@PurplesttCoffee]

Perderam pra Arábia Saudita kkksksksksk

[@l4vr0v]

Same thing here! Como alguien que, además de también ser argentina, lleva un tiempo pensando en hacer un ARG por su cuenta me alegra saber que alguien de mi pais tenga reconocimiento por su trabajo en esta area :))

[@maidenlessbastard]

Omg hola

[@MrSadisticLlama]

A fun detail you didn't mention was that in front of Kazuya's house, the Japanese player, two shoes a simply taking the spot of where the character would be standing to give there greeting. In Japan, people who commit suicide take off there shoes before throwing themselves off into death, implying that Kazuya ended her own life on her own terms within the game.

[@greenlyyy]

thanks i didnt wanna sleep anyway

[@Troublethecat]

I don't know if the "her" is a typo or not, but Kazuya is a boy's name.

[@Qwerty-wk3jy]

could it be all the kids were driven to take their lives by the smiling one? and Matias either hasn't yet or won't because religion?

[@Krakachan]

The timestamp is at 7:59 if anyone is curious.

[@Kaylakaze]

Japanese always take off their shoes though, especially in their home.

[@mika4098]

On March 22 1997 the Hale-Bopp comet was closest to Earth. Related to that fact, it was also the day when Heaven's Gate began it's mass suicide. Could be related to the game's religious theme somehow.

[@BixbyTheMartian]

I came here to add this, but I'll just upvote you since you got here first. (Someone else mentioned the comet, but you're the first one I saw to mention Heaven's Gate.) The website for the group is actually still being maintained by surviving members, which is just WILD.

[@mika4098]

@@BixbyTheMartian Oh I missed the earlier mention on the comet, should have probably replied to that myself ^^; Oh well. Assuming if it's the devil giving the instruction, why is he interested in the player starting the console on that specific day? Can't figure out any connections yet myself, maybe future episodes give more clues 'w' Could be a coincidence with the Heaven's Gate thing, but I think there might be something there

[@ruslanadayev589]

I also came here to comment this. I think I commented about it under the original video but I can't find my comment anymore. Probably I mentioned something about HG that was automoderated by youtube. Also don't think that's a coincidence. There's nothing else notable that happened on that day (at least nothing worthy of a Wikipedia entry), plus all the religious overtones... The main thing against it for me is that HG was in USA and the tape was found in Argentina

[@BixbyTheMartian]

@@ruslanadayev589 yeah, I tried to see if there was anything of national significance to Argentina on that date and turned up nothing useful. maybe if I searched Argentinian news articles, but my Spanish isn't good enough, I don't think. It was the only thing worth anything I could find, and the HG cult does have some 'separation of mind and body' stuff going on that might be relevant to the game, though IDK if it will come up.

[@Natnander]

There’s another interesting connection to Heaven’s Gate. The psychic that was mentioned died in 1974. Guess what year Heaven’s Gate was founded.

[@dejavuman22]

I really like how the test is actually presented. I am a game tester, and you will inevitably power through the parts you've seen over and over again. To me, it's set up as if the tester has seen the first part with the foxxo interactions many times, and is powering through it to get to the "random anomoly" parts to try and document the issues. This would be why there is a lot less build up to the horror and weirdness. I think it's a surprisingly realistic touch, and I greatly appreciate it.

[@cyanified]

is it tiring to be a game tester? i've heard it is a few times, good to know from someone who knows

[@dejavuman22]

@@cyanified Some days, yes. Absolutely exhausting. Especially when you end up doing the same things over and over again for months on end. For the game I'm working on, I have been in the same part of the game on the same map for at least 2 months (maybe 3, I can't remember), looking for bugs and making sure features continue to work with each new update. Before that, I was on a different game, doing essentially the same thing for I think 8 months. If you cannot handle repetitive work, DO NOT go into game testing.

[@culwin]

@@dejavuman22 Same with any kind of testing really, not just games. But I imagine games are at least slightly more fun than financial software.

[@dejavuman22]

@@culwin Depends on the game. Lol

[@Kiss_My_Aspergers]

@@dejavuman22 I guess games like _Death and Taxes_ or _Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion_ count as both.

[@jojogang13]

Nick Nocturne... The true hero to all us scaredy cats who can't sit through horror movies without a panic attack but love creepy stories 😸

[@HeyItsAJOmega]

Right? Appreciate it so much ^_^

[@Jay_one]

Yeeeeeeeees!!!

[@sourgreendolly7685]

meow~ lol

[@darkmoon137]

So true

[@slaughterosie]

he’s the scary cat for all us scaredy-cats!

[@ieatatsonic]

Honestly, I find it refreshing to have a series that's not a slow burn. I like how quickly this gets into it - even if it never continued, I feel like this episode would have enough weight. Tiny missed things: - Before the player is struck down by the Cherubim outside the garden, you can see a flaming sword swung at the player. This is something that the angels guarding the garden were said to have. - There's some model flickering behind the priest in the church. It kinda resembles the statue of mary found outside the tape.

[@dedosdeceniza]

like, do people serioulsy think investigation tapes are allowed to have like a million years of footage on them or something? this tapes seem more believable. the people investigating only left the days where something actually happened.

[@nuclearstuff9442]

player seriously encountered scp 001

[@SocktheWorm]

(I haven't finished yet) but it bothers me that he keeps calling the (formerly golden) idol in the middle of town a "goat statue with long horns" while talking about the early Bible and its most famous stories. Like the golden calf idol? jlksdfsh

[@beatrizlopezsales6867]

This appeared as a recommendation in my KZbin account 1 month ago, and I want to add some things, because I ended a little obsessed with the story: - Argentina had a dictatorship, where persecuted and detained pregnant girls were forced to labor and their children given to families of high rank captains and generals. Something to think about the ab*rtion/labor scene. - The Foxxo statue changing to 4 legs can be also an allusion to the golden calf, about false idols. - 28:44 in the video, the last text line is written in Enochian alphabet, called The Language of Angels. EDIT: I forgot, "Carnabaal" is a misspelled version of "Carnaval" (Carnival). Baal is a demon associated with the god Moloch, whose cult included the sacrifice of children. EDIT2: Also, I've been thinking about the comments on 22 March 1997, Halle-Boop and Heaven's Gate... Parravicini had apocalyptic visions also, and the Oppenheimer "I've Become Death" discourse. End of the World scenario? Was Valle Verde going to be an humanity arc project and then everything went out of control?

[@paranormeow]

yahh Foxxo did make me think of dictators, and all the heavy Christian imagery mixed with that made me think of colonialism

[@vincentjonesvr]

It was driving me insane that Nick didn't mention the last line at all either time it was shown on screen.

[@paranormeow]

@@vincentjonesvr what does it say?

[@vincentjonesvr]

@@paranormeow See the last bullet in the parent comment. It's still the same as the others, AFAIK, but it's something worth noting.

[@paranormeow]

@@vincentjonesvr alrighty

[@KonroMan]

The player character looks like Ness, Lucas, and Villager all in one and if the character reminds me of some pretty notable characters then you know that the creator did a great job designing it.

[@Yakkymania]

the first thing i thought of was the cancelled N64 version of MOTHER 3 when i saw the player

[@whawhawhawhaaaa]

I actually think he's more reminiscent of Ninten than Lucas

[@IFREAKINGLOVEFINALFANTASY]

I agree lol

[@AlienDude51]

I liked the quick buildup tbh, it's nice to have a bite-sized story in a sea of 45-hour epics that are 68% a dude running around the woods or reading text off an LCD

[@ankokunokayoubi]

Would be more interesting if it's a quick buildup then as the story progresses, some thick plot twist come through,

[@mkarg5012]

Na dawg you did Paul dirty

[@sunsetpotion]

petscop moment

[@lautaroespora4920]

I liked how the scenery changed with the different flags of the children that disappeared. The last one being the Argentinian, having a very typical background of the rural parts of the country. It's weird to see this kind of content coming from Argentina, we don't really have much of that here.

[@crackerjack0349]

It’s better than generic houses and flag. It’s houses from that country

[@lupita_Arsi]

La verdad es que, debe haber una cantidad inmensa de argentinos con esta creatividad listos para demostrarla, yo encantada con el arte y la historia de un ARG que se puso automáticamente al nivel de Petscop y Catastrophe Crow 64, y empezar como que a ganarles en calidad y todo. ❤️

[@lupita_Arsi]

Hace falta apoyar estos proyectos a full, demostrarles cariño y hacerlos virales :D

[@trazodeltiempo1466]

@@lupita_Arsi el ARG era por Argentina (?

[@ssatva]

Honestly I am okay with this project putting so much out that was so clear so quickly, as I'm getting a bit burned out on 'well it's weird and doesn't make much sense' as a reason to keep involved. So by giving us enough that was obvious to work with, but making sure that it just raises questions while doing so, I feel like this work has more of a chance of digging deeper into it's subject matter, or providing later and more significant twists, as we have more we think we know. This feels like an evolution of lost games, tackling ideas beyond just the general idea of 'something technocryptic and/or occult has gone wrong usually with someone dead involved'. We shall of course see! Thanks for introducing us to this!

[@caseypatterson7030]

Very agreed. So many similar series have come before this that I don't need an hour of buildup anymore. Show me the spooks and then show me what sets you apart.

[@carlbrien]

I agree. As a change of pace compared to other analog horror I appreciated that things went off the rails right away and we are getting some answers right away. And if the creator does keep this short (one or two more 20 - 30 minute videos) then I think the pace will play out fine. While I agree with Nick that there is value in slowly showing your hand, I think there is room for a story that lays out most of the setting at the very beginning and then the rest of the story will be what comes later. Such as: Who is the investigator/play tester? Are they freaked out by what they are seeing, do they believe that minds/souls are trapped in the game? Or will they proceed with thinking these are all just glitches that they need to troubleshoot and report on? How did this corruption occur? And of course how will it end? Will Smiley be defeated? Will our POV investigator/playtester also become trapped? Will the other trapped children be freed? The creator could have drawn out the suspense of what is happening like many others, but it looks like instead they want us to focus more on, "How will this end?".

[@amymalski]

I agree. Not every project has to follow the same script.

[@stellezen]

On my first viewing I found myself pleasantly surprised that the spooky stuff started happening so early. The brevity of things actually caught me off guard, because I was expecting the typical "ooh here's 75% of the video being normal gameplay with tiny out of place details" that's become formulaic at this point, but Valle Verde just straight up slapped me in the face and said "nope, we're doing this Right Now" and I actually think it was more effective because of it. While I still appreciate the slow burn approach that other series have, putting things right out of the gate like this with such clarity (especially involving a country's history I know nothing about, so I have to dig into some interesting research) makes it that much more accessible to a wider audience. It's super neat!

[@MegaDudeman21]

it was too fast. took all the tension out. neither of the jump scares got me either. but i am kind of immune to jump scares. i play a lot of horror games

[@SwaggyG_2102]

The fact that the opening intro of Green Valley alone is animated like an actual cutscene from a PS1 game really goes to show that the people behind this ARG really know their stuff and are capable of accurately replicating a game from the late 90s.

[@DiamondWorldYoutube]

Bro I see you everywhere

[@WereScrib]

The gameplay/game doesn't look close to 90s though. It doesn't have PSX texture filtering, sound capabilities, resolution, the portraits look 2010, and the style feels like an awkward merger of about 15 years of game styles into a complete retro package. It's super cute, and the opening definitely shows influence from those like, DBZ games of the late PSX/early PS2 though.

[@Dolguldur93]

looks like harvest moon from ps2 , ps1 has way more pixelated graphics

[@WereScrib]

@@Dolguldur93 yeah, 100%, its just styled like a 2010 thing instead of a 2002 thing with the art style.

[@AbrahamLure]

It's not accurate or true to PS1 at all. The FPS is too high, not enough loading times, anti alias dithering is off, graphics resolution way too high. Biggest issue for me is how on the nose all the NINTENDO references are. Not sure why they went for PS1 theme horror when all the content in it nods to attempted 90s Nintendo aesthetic

[@AshKetchumRawkz]

The entire first cutscene and naming your character screens immediately sold me on this alone, it's such a delight to see an analog horror game series from a point further along in development, but also it really makes me wish whoever the team might be on this might make an actual game at some point because I know it would be beautiful and fun.

[@Pandachu123]

I made a comment on this exact thing! It looks so good as a regular, non-horror game! I would've loved to play it. 🤩

[@Bobthepetferret]

There's another weird anomaly involving France that isn't super obvious, especially if you weren't playing PS1 games in Europe. The language selection screen is the kind you'd see in a European PAL release at the time (the UK flag representing English is a big giveaway), but from my experience playing games from that era, there's usually five languages available - the four we see in the video...and French. Which is missing. And combining that with Matias specifically mentioning the French girl Chloe and the French motto showing up as a portal, that definitely feels intentional (possibly as foreshadowing?)

[@cyanified]

france isn't real

[@tkdbug1121]

The liberty, equality, fraternity isn’t a reference to France. If you look there are 2 brazen pillars with globes on them between the square residing in the East. This is all very symbolic and is the same of how a Masonic lodge is decorated. The fact that the characters of the town go into the alley alludes to the fact that Masons meet in secret. The motto of Freemasonry is Liberty, Equality, Fraternity; France adopted this motto because many of the revolutionaries against the Catholic political power were Freemasons. Catholics have opposed Freemasonry for as long as it has existed, and sometimes spread falsehoods about the fraternity. The game is essentially saying we hate Jesus and secretly worship the devil (which is false entirely), but that is how many Catholics view us. Source: I am a 3rd degree Freemason posting this through my wife’s account.

[@mrlaz9011]

This could be an aspect of matias manifesting inside the game. Considering how religious he seems to be, it wouldn't be surprising if was taught to demonize freemasonry to such an extent.

[@Emma88178]

@@tkdbug1121 Is your wife part of the group as well? (I read there is a more recent separate group of freemasonry for women only).

[@jmiquelmb]

I had the exact same theory when watching a the nightmare masterclass analysis. It's so common to translate English, German, French, Italian and Spanish that it's commonly referred as MULTI5. Including both Spanish and Italian but omitting France seems like a rather weird choice.

[@user-jl7cz2pe6d]

Something to note: Each flag on each child's house is lowered EXCEPT FOR Mattias'. And conversely, Mattias is the only one that is still in the game that DOESN'T have a glitched portrait. Are the other ones "gone"? (Also unrelated but apparently one of the scenes with the angel statues have Morse code playing in the background?? And also also you can apparently faintly see a figure flickering in and out of existence behind the preacher during his "sermon". But I haven't been able to.)

[@vnkfrancis1328]

Well others being corrupted/gone could be related for face collecting quest for shopper.

[@canariawing]

the figure is less flickering and more fading in and out. it's a golden spire with a pyramid shape as a base. i'm bad at explaining things but you can see it behind the priest the entire time the player is talking to him, it's opaque but visible

[@eskeline]

i don't know if you noticed but the part where "test05" is sent to the corrupted area, you can see a sort of blade of flame being swung out from the angel and hitting test05 (which causes him to writhe in pain like a cochroach flipped on hits back), which further implys the whole being kicked out of the garden of eden part of the bible also idk if it was intentional but it was SO funny when the mayor guy just bolted right to him to put him into immense debt

[@vi0let831]

Lmao same I died 💀

[@compassrose1466]

The mayor being a dang Tom nook LMFAO

[@e.l.puppington978]

Couple of things I noticed: -The flight minigame sure seemed like a bombing run. I think the in-game instructions said not to let any of them [i.e. bombs] land in the water. Then the Statue of Liberty appears. So war and bombing is connected to the US? -This also links with the Oppenheimer monologue, since he's talking about the devastation of seeing the first nuclear bomb test... the sister bomb of which would be dropped out of an airplane onto an island (Japan). -Regarding March 22, 1997... if the connection is to Holy Week and the day before Palm Sunday, then at least according to the Gospel of John, immediately before the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus is at the home of Lazarus (who he raised from the dead in the previous chapter) where he is anointed by Mary. Not sure if that fits in anywhere, but it tracks with the religious themes and the ideas of sin/corruption versus faith/holiness. -The fox statue turning into a statue of a horned creature makes me think of the Golden Calf in Exodus - signaling idolatry. -The wolves around the lamb might reflect Chloe, but Jesus is also frequently described as the "Lamb of God" (who takes away the sin of the world, incidentally).

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

Gonna add to this by saying that the “biblically accurate angel” Nick mentions might be God, considering the pyramidal structure that composes their body (AKA a common representation of the Trinity)

[@Krakorin]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 I think the angel is actually Uriel, a seraphim who is depicted as the one who protects the gates of Eden with a flame sword.

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

@@Krakorin oh yeah it probably is

[@gabrielsantosbastos5257]

Man, i wonder if US bombing beaches and Oppenheimer has something to do with Japan

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

The detail that hits me is the drop shadows in front of the houses. The drop shadow is an old tool for making 3d platformers. Back when real time rendering of shadows was unrealistic, devs used a circle of black that always existed directly below a character to help ground them in the world and help the player understand where they are in the 3d space. All characters in Valle Verde have a drop shadow, including the inhabitants of the houses. We can't see them, but they ARE there. They've been rendered invisible, but they haven't ceased to be. SO FREAKIN COOL AND CREEPY I CAN'T EVEN

[@JetSetDman]

the scene of the kid writhing on the ground with his face going dark after the angel swipes at him... fuck man, that's gonna stick in my head for _weeks._

[@thevelvetcarpet3179]

When’s that at?

[@twindrill2852]

@@thevelvetcarpet3179 Near the end, after the player eats the fruit off the ground.

[@amberhernandez]

@@thevelvetcarpet3179 20:55, if I'm not mistaken

[@deanjensen8]

it looks so ŕ̶̛̰̱̈́̀́̑̿̾͛͂̈́͗̓̈́̒͘͝️ẹ̷͓̺̰̽̍͛̉̐̔͋̓̚͜â̸̙͐͑̌̿͛̽l̷̢̨̨̫̼͙̞͉̗͉̖̲̖̞̿̉i̵̢̢̡͚̩̞̥͕̜̻̫̩̐̈͘͜️ş̵̛̳̍̃̏͆̏̂̎͌͘͝͝͝͝t̵̏͛̃̍́̈̚͜͝i̵̢̢̡͚̩̞̥͕̜̻̫̩̐̈͘͜️c̸̛͕̯͂̐̓͗͊͛͝

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

Things were primed though, the scares themselves are serving a narrative purpose and introduce us to the characters but also more importantly priming viewers for jump scares in the future. Not to mention it fits into the greater narration. An important part of story writing is you can't adhere to A -> B -> C because it becomes purely predictable and pointless. Staring closer to B helps establish events have been going on. Some games these days start you in the action and it works. It also helps with later information as it makes sense if the entity was a demon it wouldn't be able to hide with a holy/faithful presence around. It works perfectly when you consider that holy vs dark was/is happening in real time. Given the later information of COLLECTING FACES then those children we saw have had their faces collected. We think it is those kids we see there but what if we are seeing the entity wearing them... this means as a story telling device it worked on you. It function perfectly. Never ever stick to the same A -> B -> C structure or else it becomes Call of Duty. It is a guideline for the total information of the story.

[@fluckter_600]

great comment, but i'm confised on how A to B to C is related to call of duty?

[@vnkfrancis1328]

@@fluckter_600 Maybe user was meaning how formulaic ARG's have become as CoD.

[@danielyoungblood3931]

I do agree with you for the most part, but to be fair, there are COD games that jump straight into the conflict, starting at B like you put it. Black Ops for example, starts with Alex Mason being interrogated by government enforcers from the get go, and it makes the player curious as to what happened to Mason to require this interrogation. Not all COD are great, but there's certainly gems within the series.

[@RonTheAnarchist]

So there's a minor thing worth noting, I think. Nick has to read all the text after picking up the fruit (at 19:31) because it goes by so fast. Does it go by fast on purpose? Or does it go by so fast because the person is doing the brain interface equivalent of button mashing? And if they're button mashing, does that mean the person playing was expecting that? What does it mean if they were expecting it? From a storytelling perspective it means the fall is unavoidable, but the really cool thing about video games is that story isn't just words. It's mechanics and things you can do in game. Something worth considering is all.

[@punkuke]

That's a really good point! I never considered that, I thought it was just one of those classic "text goes by super fast so you have to play/pause or slow the video speed" moments. That kind of text _would_ be something you'd wanna mash through as fast as possible.

[@Ads-C]

Eternal damnation any% speedrun?

[@magnatcleo2043]

Considering the text advanced while he was walking towards the tree, I think the text in that particular anomaly was on autopilot

[@potatoboy6094]

Idk, I feel like if the implication was that he was just skipping through it we would get more context, like if he was button mashing the entire time, here the text in the red box seems to be a metaphor or something, the quick contradicting words being all the characters thoughts and emotions quickly flashing through his brain all at once as he gains the capacity for not only knowledge but sin

[@royalhydra9790]

The shovel spin at 1:45 was clean as hell

[@briankam569]

Anime protagonist right there

[@GrayderFox]

Funnily enough, I don't mind the things your critiqued. I know there's gonna be creepy things, and I found the sudden introduction actually fairly interesting. Like, oh, we're just diving right in, huh? It was actually less expected on my part, than a more "standard" build, I think. And, honestly? Straightforward themes and ideas doesn't necessarily bother me. This is impressive enough of a creation that I just wanna see what the rest of it *does*. Any surprises will be a welcome bonus. Edit: Also I really don't mind the immediate veer into horror if it makes sense in the context of the story. I actually found it quite chilling - haunted ghost kid, haunted ghost kid...oh...that one's normal. What's gonna happen to THAT poor kid?

[@keegs3432]

i'm with you. getting right into it surprised me more than i'd thought it would.

[@gagejohnathan9641]

It also does make sense if you consider that this is supposed to be a recording of a investigation into Valle Verde, of course the investigators would trim any unnecessary footage so their superiors would have a clear image of what's going on.

[@mfmiinka8026]

I agree with you. Most ARG games feel so chlichee, the way this one was completely over the top made me so happy

[@TRexila]

Yeah, re: the haunted ghost kids, the distortion and stuff sets you up for 'oh that's a dead kid', since - I mean, we've all seen haunted video game stories, we KNOW there's going to be haunted ghost kids in there - but then after getting used to the pattern of distorted portraits and empty houses, you get to the last one that has a character model seemingly trying to leave, a clear portrait, and a lack of noise, and it's horrifyingly clear that this kid is still in the game and aware that he's trapped, and his fate is ultimately unknown to us. The horror is less 'oh shit! ghosts!' and more 'oh god how bad is it going to get for that surviving kid?' ... at least that's how it hit for me lol

[@GooseEnthused]

With analogue horror I feel like so often it stays at the same pace. Normal thing, normal thing, spooky thing, trying to cover up spooky thing, then big spook and then the video is over. Being able to have some more variety in horror pacing is always refreshing

[@Tordek]

Two things I didn't see you mention: - He doesn't say carnival, he says carnibaal. Carnival to Baal. - The "turn on the console on..." message has text in Enochian at the bottom.

[@compassrose1466]

I didn’t pick up on that omg

[@spyrothelegendarypurpledra8786]

I have a theory: The children depicted in this video are not actually trapped. At least, not physically. In fact, I think the children in the real world are fine and dandy. But the characters in the game are exact copies of the children that played the game. What do i mean? Well i was reminded of an episode in a sci-fi show called black mirror titled "white christmas." In the i think first half of the episode, they introduce a piece of technology called a "cookie". What it is: its something that's surgically implanted in your brain and over a period of time, it learns and copies everything about you. your personality, your memories, how you act, etc. Then this cookie is surgically removed from your brain when it has gathered enough data and it becomes "you". What i mean is, it becomes completely sentient but it acts, thinks, and talks exactly like you do. Then the cookie is put into a small device and forced to cooperate to do things for you like: make your toast exactly how you like it, schedule reminders for you, set the temperature of your house exactly the way you like it, etc. Basically alexa without having to use voice commands. It just knows because it is you. Getting back to the point, I think the THBrain copies the children's personalities, memories, etc, imprints them on NPCs, and traps them within the game. The physical children are fine, but their copied digital consciousnesses are the ones trapped within the game and not knowing what the hell is going on. Now of course, none of this is fact. It's just my take on what the "trapped children" really are and you can take this as you will. EDIT: So, i noticed people pointing out how pointlessly cruel this would be. Think of it like this: The devs of this game (within this ARG universe ofc) likely were not originally actively going out of their way to trap human souls in this game. I theorize that the THBrain is supposed to be an experimental piece of technology that makes the NPC's in the game seem much more realistic, smarter, and "alive" by using digitized human consciousness as their base. But seeing as the game was never finished and is filled with "anomalies" something likely went wrong with the THBrain as well as the game itself. Also consider this: There would be much less suspicion drawn if nothing happened/happens to the real children. While of course, it is easy to frame anything that happens to the real children as freak accidents, there would still be more suspicion drawn to the game than if nothing happened to the real children at all. This would allow for whatever entity or AI within the game to continue what its doing virtually unhindered, no pun intended. Truth be told, i have this take because in a bizarre way (to me at least), some twisted satanic AI entity torturing digitized human consciousness (which you can even consider souls in this context), is a tad bit more believable/original than the commonly used "The game is haunted by mystical spirits and has killed/kidnapped people." trope. And yes i am aware of how weird that sounds when i say its "more believable."

[@notNyxiann]

nice

[@Josuh]

that seems pointlessly sadist, but it's also kinda like how copying and digitizing one's consciousness works in SOMA

[@vi0let831]

@@Josuh OH MY GOD I THOUGHT THE SAME THING

[@phantomliger89]

But then what's the point. It's not exactly dangerous and they're only copies of people. I guess you could make the argument that they matter, but you could easily also say they don't since the real people are fine. A more interesting idea with the religious angle is their souls have been removed and are trapped in the game, but their bodies in the real world are soulless husks now.

[@Bell.-]

@@phantomliger89 Yes cause the kid does mention he can't move. I think the bodies are just husks now.

[@updownstranger564]

the Divine Mercy interaction unexpectedly brought me to tears. that image of christ is so recognizable to anyone from a catholic house - it immediately made me feel like a child again, looking at that image for comfort within a turbulent and abusive home. i really hope this protective force won’t be revealed to be corrupt later in the story - i think it’s a really poignant character insight for a “good little catholic boy” like night mind said trapped in a threatening and terrifying landscape.

[@whendaybreaks8836]

Yeah, as cool as this series is I really hope the religious and Catholic imagery is used positively or at least neutrally as a detail for symbolism and storytelling. I can't speak for everyone but often times in fiction religious imagery is used to crap on religion. I know religious trauma is a real problem and I'm not saying an artist shouldn't express themselves nor am I trying to invalidate people's experiences and issues, but it seems to happen more often than it should. As someone who holds their faith close, negative portrayals induce an eye role at best and are straight up demoralizing at worst especially when my faith has helped me get through tough times in my life.

[@royallynick]

Theres nothing more soothing than a cold autumn day and hearing "welcome back to night mind, friends."

[@TiroDvD]

We definetly need more spooky stuff in autumn. The whole season is for this stuff, not just Halloween. Also it used to be customary to tell ghost stories on Xmas Eve.

[@noahanimations6475]

I love how a split second before the jumpscare he goes to his normal voice and says “jumpscare”

[@RatticusG]

Kinda wanna play the non-demonic version of Valle Verde, it's cute as fuck.

[@melissahourihan2344]

Then play Animal Crossing lol

[@RatticusG]

@@melissahourihan2344 Doesn't have that cute intro animation.

[@Pandachu123]

Me, too! It looks so cute!

[@Robzeke]

@@melissahourihan2344 Just because it has Animal Crossing vibes doesn't mean it'd be the same game lol

[@snototter5955]

if you're into the animations i'd definitely urge you to check out the professor layton series!! it was what my mind jumped to first upon seeing the character designs

[@DrawtoonzStudio]

One thing I love about the art direction is the character designs themselves; how accurately they reflect the look a game of this type would have. They don't look like traditional anime characters, but the cartoonish look of them, especially in the faces, carry a distinctly Japanese vibe. The blush/cheek marks, Roddie's spiral glasses, the smile on the plane-flying cat, the Animal Crossing look of Foxxo...If I saw a clip or a screencap of this out of context, I would 100% believe it was from a Japanese PS1 game.

[@kalezuki9231]

The fake game made me think more Gregory Horror Show / other thing with similar look - ( sorry can't remember the name of the other thing ) - but mixed with AC , Earth Bound / Mother and typical scp ( and / or ) or creepy pasta things ( more Gregory Horror Show and Eathbound / Mother than AC )

[@DrawtoonzStudio]

@@kalezuki9231 I can definitely see that. "Other thing with similar look" Would that be Pecola you're thinking of?

[@alchemistofsteel8099]

It reminds me of megaman legends

[@couchalmark675]

Like others have said, I like that Valle Verde doesn't waste time getting to the scares. The very first shot lays out the basic score we all know in a very efficient manner: there's a video game with a brain-reading interface and an evil AI. Those elements aren't surprising anymore, so there's no reason to play coy about them. The viewer here is the playtester: we've seen this kind of thing before, so just power through the setup and get to what we're really here for, show us what's going to make your story stand out from the crowd.

[@blobofdespair]

Anyone else notice the national flags at half mast for the first few testers? Only Mattias's flag was at full mast. And thanks for the jump scare warning, Nick. Much appreciated. ❤

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that a symbol of mourning? Are they implying Matias is the only one still alive?

[@flaetsbnort]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 I picked that up as well, and I think that's the reason. That's also why Matias is the only one present.

[@aziebites]

i honestly don't mind not having to dig to get the themes/lore/etc. I usually don't have the time to dig through stuff like that myself, and often if it's too dense i find myself getting disinterested (that's what happened with petscop for me). all that being said, thanks for introducing me to this project, i'm so excited to see where it goes!

[@KlutzyNinjaKitty]

Plus, with things like Ben Drowned, Petscop, and Crow 64 we all know what to expect when faced with another game-focused analog horror project. Sometimes it’s just better to get to the point than waffle about with the whole “oh boy, I sure hope this game I found on the ground isn’t haunted!” shtick.

[@feedergoldfish]

I was confused by the flag of Georgia, since their flag has five crosses on it. I discovered that the one shown is an older version, used from 1990-2004. Since the game was supposedly released in 1997, that makes perfect sense.

[@hatman3445]

Crosses, not stars.

[@feedergoldfish]

@@hatman3445 You are correct. I have edited my comment. Thanks!

[@CrystalFier]

I didn't know I needed a haunted version of Animal Crossing, but, now I do!

[@sourgreendolly7685]

For some reason the overlap between AC players and horror lovers is quite common. Just one more reason I love Animal Crossing lol

[@Ather_sys]

@@sourgreendolly7685 I blame Aika village

[@McBean1331]

LOLLLLL.

[@xiaokodama]

@@sourgreendolly7685 😊

[@nifftbatuff676]

Which one is the haunted?

[@pinkpixels4499]

I love the small details. Every flag in front of the houses is lowered, implying someone died, but Matias' is up because he's still alive

[@Myriad-Truths]

The fruit part is genuinely cool due to the fruit not being specified. So no matter what fruit the player picks, they still inact the verse so to so to speak. Very cool detail :)

[@Database1990]

Its nice to see the forces of light infiltrating the game's code for a change at the end of the first part, its a breath of fresh air from all the times the monsters use the media format without any resistance besides the human victims.

[@Idk-ct5ky]

There's a possibility though that both the Smiling One and....Jesus (lol) are both the same being or both were generared by Valle Verde's ai using the knowledge from its players (i.e little kids and an unknown source of learning data).

[@Electrolux219]

@@Idk-ct5ky that’s exactly what I was thinking! We know for sure that Matthias is Catholic, The kid from Georgia has a good chance of also being Christian since 88% of Georgians follow Christianity. The kid from Ireland was also likely religious or at least really aware of religion due to the decades long conflict between denominations there, *especially* in the 90s. France has a history of Catholicism but religion doesn’t play as large a part in French society. It does have lots of religious imagery left over in its art & architecture. About half of its population are Christian so the French girl could have been religious, but even if she wasn’t there’s likely lots of religious imagery in her brain for the program to draw from. The Japanese kid is a standout, I think it’s pretty unlikely they were Christian at all, Christianity just does not have much of a following in Japan outside of some cults. Maybe he was *in* one of those cults but we can’t be sure. If he was then he’s probably *really* strongly convicted. Still, 3 out of 5 were almost certainly religious, & the other 2 being maybes.

[@bluemagician9724]

Kind of like the aliens in the SMILE tapes

[@TedMackey]

This is an excellent video as always, but I was screaming at the screen that Chloe is pronounced “Klo-eh” in French (klo-ee in English) and not “klo”😅

[@melissahourihan2344]

I commented the same thing lol omg it bugged me so bad xD

[@FlightyAphrod1te]

This is bugging me so bad. I’m like nooooo Nick how can you not know how to pronounce a common name 😭

[@punkuke]

@@FlightyAphrod1te Oh, well that has a super easy answer! Most people don't possess all the same exact knowledge that you do. Hope that helps :)

[@nejishadow]

@@punkuke that's simply impossible, everyone must. I decree it so

[@Deimos142]

Is it pronounced Klo anywhere?

[@vamperilous749]

You know what this reminds me of? Animal Crossing horror towns--where people would make their towns communicate a horror story via the layout and visuals. I know the allusions to Animal Crossing were pretty clear on their own. However, the act of going between multiple areas made me think of this, specifically. Wandering from room to room, piecing together the story as you went... I doubt it was intentional, but its kind of a fun connection anyway lol

[@HeyItsAJOmega]

Ooh what great timing!! An analogue horror retro videogame story, from the most nostalgic era of videogames for me. This should be fun 😊 EDIT: Thanks for the jumpscare warning at 17:40, Nick. Appreciate that.

[@gabby3036]

And here I am, so easily startled that just him saying "jumpscare" was a jumpscare. Then another jumpscare from the actual jumpscare - cause I was still recovering from the first jumpscare lawl.

[@HeyItsAJOmega]

@@gabby3036 hahahha! Tbh I did get a bit of this the first time I watched, like 'oh shit jumpsc-OH HECK THERE IT IS' 😅

[@NemesisTWarlock]

Just enough warning to quickly brace for it. Perfect timing, Nick! XD

[@HeyItsAJOmega]

@@NemesisTWarlock Right?! Just as he said 'and then...' I was like, tensing because it felt like the stinger for a jumpscare coming up, only for him to literally say 'jumpscare' just in time for me to go 'okay yep brace yourse-AND THERE IT IS' xD

[@mrraow7491]

Oh wow this has to be the best depiction of lust I've seen as a seven deadly sin. Rather than showing a depiction of lust (which isn't really that much of a sin compared to the other things) it shows one of the most common consequences of lust. I think gluttony, envy and pride could've used that treatment too but yknow small steps. And anger was also spot on 👌

[@superskh]

That intro gave me such "old anime" vibes I was instantly hooked. It's got a little bit of Ghibli inspiration, and obvious Animal Crossing inspiration. Definitely agree the horror was a bit too quick, but at the same time I wasn't expecting it so soon so it *did* end up catching me off guard in that way. Not necessarily the best way to do it, but it worked! I'm a little nervous the religious allegories might be too heavy handed, but I have to see where the project goes. I'm so excited to see what happens as they develop the project and how these kids were experimented on/made a part of the game.

[@dynamon911nz]

To me is very inspire form very far from Animal crossing like but took form an Game that actualy exist that pushed the hardware to its limit, i dunno if there any other games like this but If you have looked on the gigaleak gameboy lotcheck there an game That is basicaly like this arg game but unfortunetly totaly japanese. (dont worry doesnt jumpscare you).

[@187xen]

That’s your opinion on it being too quick, saw a lot of comments who enjoyed that there was less of a build-up, same as others saying they dislike it, it’s preference based and I don’t quite understand why you would base part of your opinion on it, but sure.

[@187xen]

(That being said I agree with the religious part, guess time will tell.)

[@doesthisIookinfected]

On the religious note, I find Christianity and it's imagery very creepy (paintings, statues, biblically accurate angels) so that just added another layer of spooks for me.

[@zisaletter4602]

thank you so so much for the jumpscare warnings and for understanding some of us love horror as a genre but can't handle being startled

[@stitchwitch70]

This is amazing - the details and general sense of WTF make it riveting, and far more unsettling than the more common "oh, look, a scary glitch" video content. During the introduction to "other players" the country flags are near the bottom of their flagpoles, except for Mathias' -- and he's the only other character who seems to still be "alive" in the game. I missed it the first time through because I was distracted by the glitching -- it's great that this series seems to reward those who go back and watch again.

[@freakishuproar1168]

I'm so glad I took your advice and just watched the original video first! It's been a while since I've indulged in an ARG and this _Valle Verde_ scratched the brain itch that _Catastrophe Crow_ and _Petscop_ did before - and dare I say this one might be better even than those :3 I really hope there are more VV videos in the future. I am hugely grateful for you though Night Mind for bringing it to my attention, and for allowing me to slow down and appreciate _Valle Verde_ more than I could have after an initial viewing. I had wondered why the testers were rushing through the dialogue in so many scenes, but now knowing some of the context behind TEST05 and some of the NPC "subjects" it actually makes sense - someone who is familiar with the game is interacting with the game in a deathly serious manner. It's a smart little touch from Alluvium :D Oh, and I also like the jump-scare moments in this. They don't feel frivolous or cheap, instead they feel like something actively baiting TEST05 via the instincts any gamer develops to unearth easter eggs to try to activate stuff in the world. They are monsters predating a player, and I love how they seem to be a different order of CGI creature entirely, something that nobody intentionally modelled or animated but instead arose "organically" in whatever virtual hellscape this game is housing

[@krysidian]

This is definetely a case where I wish the game was actually real and playable, with and without the devilish entities, it just feels so charming. And what can I say, I'm a sucker for cute retro RPG games with terrifying horror elements and lost media VHS tapes, can't get enough of it! Really really glad I found it a few weeks back by pure chance and I'll be sticking to it to the end. Really looking forward to the next part of that tape

[@Guts240]

I need someone other than myself combing through this frame by frame. There is so much MORE here.

[@henrystokes375]

I'm so glad you made a video about this! I saw it about a month ago and was so sad that no one had seen it!

[@hanabanana8127]

One of the things I love most about your channel is how much you encourage your viewers to check out the source material first, and give the original creator/s the credit!

[@chitheidiot8299]

Im REALLY excited for this, especially since the creator is from argentina (where im from). I screamed at all the references. Thank you for introducing me to his channel, and for alluvium for creating this arg. ORGULLO, PAPU 🇦🇷

[@GeneralGrievous-1138]

I know I'm super late to this one, but "the accuser" is the literal meaning of the name Satan. It's also translated as "the enemy" or "the adversary," but in the context of the stories in which it's used, "the accuser" is generally the best translation, as those stories depict Satan as a doubting or challenging figure, a naysayer instead of a meddling influence.

[@_fable_]

i decided to be brave and take a watch for myself this time around, and i adore the style of this so much already. it reminds me a lot of animal crossing, but like, yknow, spooky and haunted lmao. the path to the church was so unsettling, and probably one of my favorite parts of the whole video. also there’s some themes of human experiments from what i could gather? saw some stuff that might imply that (or maybe the usual supernatural forces in analog horror )w the scene in the delivery building but i can’t be sure. love me some good scifi horror if that’s the case. it’s an absolutely banger series so far i love it so much. apparently even the creator of petscop shouted it out, according to some comments on the original video! can’t wait to see more of this incredible series :>

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

I like the level jumps and the immediate distortion. The dude is a tester. Of course they will go right to the issue to note them down for their job. Its what I would do

[@mr.snitters5281]

I'm currently airfrying a grilled cheese sandwich. As if my day couldn't get any better, Nick uploads. Now I know what I'll watch when I eat this thing in like 2 minutes

[@Leon-oo4ei]

What a coinky dink, I'm reheating french fries in an airfryer rn

[@billblaski9523]

How do u airfry a grilled cheese?

[@mushroom4466]

@@billblaski9523 make a cheese sandwich and then put it in an airfrier. Technically it would be called a Airfried Cheese but like that doesn't sound as good y'know

[@mushroom4466]

Man airfried grilled cheeses are so good.

[@billblaski9523]

@@mushroom4466 so just put cheese between two bread and put it in air fryer? How long and what temp is best?

[@Kalitayy]

OMG the amount of effort put into this series. It's so well-made and I'm excited for more. Hopefully the people behind this would provide some way for us to donate when the whole project is done.

[@bananatron6930]

The weird correlation between the Garden of Eden and a "test island" designed for beta testing is... a very interesting metaphor, and not one I've personally seen before, but I definitely like it.

[@ashy_washylmfao]

the fact that he actually WAITS in the video for the viewer to get a snack. i love his videos sm 😭

[@samwill7259]

It has been a strange and wonderful thing to watch 8 bit 80s nostalgia turn into 16 bit 90s nostalgia turn into early 3d 2000s nostalgia right before ym very eyes, we're getting into early Xbox-esque era nostalgia at this point!

[@Don__Keedik]

I personally enjoy how fast the video gets creepy, like you're entering a world that is already very far gone. In Silent Hill 2 you're not in the game for very long before you see the first creature in the fog. I agree the story so far is easy to follow but I'm going to chalk it up to first episode world building. Poor Matias lol. Definitely excited for part 2!

[@MidnightMisadventures]

It's not much, but I wanted to make sure I did something for you. You're an incredible content creator and I absolutely love your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@NightMind]

Thank you so much, Tyler! I really appreciate it!

[@MidnightMisadventures]

@@NightMind you are so very welcome! You're one of my favorite KZbinrs and definitely deserve all the support 🏳️‍🌈

[@thegamingcuber6262]

I’m so glad you said “jumpscare” in that part with the wolf circle. I hate jump scares but love horror.

[@DemarcusCousins_III]

Puss

[@AkumuVids]

It's always a good day when Nick Uploads. Edit: I also want to point out that in a lot of cultures, foxes are considered evil creatures, especially in the region this project originates from. The town mayor being a fox who is corrupt and immediately throws the player into debt as soon as their back is turned seems rather fitting. If memory calls, I believe in some cultures foxes are considered demonic as well.

[@akiraeatsguitarpicks491]

I’d like to also point out his armband... I know it’s not red but knowing the game is Japanese it’s definitely not a good sign

[@AkumuVids]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 Hmm, perhaps.

[@mrlaz9011]

that armband definitely screamed faschy to me.

[@Kirbita22]

@@akiraeatsguitarpicks491 the armbands are a pretty normal symbol of authority in japanese culture i think to this day like way more than in other places... but yeah combined with all the Other Stuff in the game youre right it has CONNOTATIONS.

[@fuzzyfishdorito]

I noticed something that wasn’t brought up in the video! On that ‘March 22’ screen, where it gives the message in multiple languages, at first I thought the last one was kanji, but looking at it closer it’s actually Enochian! So more ties into the whole Angel thing!

[@sandrafaith]

The detail on this, the technical know-how to put together the 'game'... so impressive. Well done! Thank you for sharing this on your channel.

[@CrossbredManiac]

You should start segments like the pause to grab snacks to increase engagement and immersion and if you do it like a steward, telling us how to buckle up before we take off. It feels more real. This is absolutely awesome, though. Definitely reminds me of Harvest Moon and Crow 64! Thank you for talking about this! I'm probably going to forget the finer details and fill myself in with the full experience later :)

[@melissahourihan2344]

It’s actually based off of Animal Crossing

[@Bell.-]

I always thought those kind of intros were overused and uninspired :/

[@megankean1370]

1. The amount of work in this game is stunning, and while the themes are slightly heavy-handed, its beautiful. 2. Thank uoi for the jumpscare warnings 🥺

[@tsunaida]

There seem to be a lot of PlayStation-era media allusions in this as well! The main character is essentially a recolored version of Ness from Earthbound. The town sequences are reminiscent of Animal Crossing. The church looked, to me, a lot like Peach’s castle from Mario 64, and the opening 2D animation was very Ghibli-esque-particularly Porco Rosso with the red plane.

[@meaninglessmeep]

The main character of Valle Verde looks strikingly like Ness from Earthbound/Mother

[@fluoxetoon]

I've been looking to see if someone else had mentioned that, I was a little surprised Nick didn't address it in the video.

[@The_Gabe]

Yes

[@theactualfunnylord5307]

Yeah. Ironically, even though this was on the Playstation, his model and the way he looks almost made me think he was inspired by the characters and design of Earthbound 64, or, the third Mother game, made for the N64DD, which would eventually become Mother 3.

[@Homodemon]

@@meaninglessmeep Toby didn't work ON Earthbound, but did some romhacks as a fan, get it right.

[@joaqik]

I'm so sad this has more views than the original content, but I like that big channels are helping out smaller ones. Saludos desde el hermano pequeño de Argentina, Uruguay.

[@feenie5567]

I actually thought the fruits under the tree were organs and bones, and the player was straight-up engaging in cannibalism. Probably not really in tune with the religious themes, but still unsettling.

[@tsunaida]

That’s what I thought as well!

[@KlutzyNinjaKitty]

I totally thought that’s what they were, too!

[@seanwilson5753]

I'm baffled he managed to mispronounce the name Chloe

[@Al-aholic]

Every time man, and somehow no one can spell it either 😭

[@joey199412]

The title of the tape also says grinbare which means "smile's reveal/uncovering". It's a tape about exposing the smile leader.

[@amoroughil8874]

That map of the Falklands (or Islas Malvinas if you prefer) hanging in Matias' room is interesting. It's very prominent.

[@Dupes1721]

My favorite touch is that -a lot- of the SFX seem to be pulled from Digimon World. I'd recognize those generic bird noises and delayed text box sounds anywhere.

[@HistoryRogue95]

That tracks. The eye on the biblically accurate angel reminded me of yugioh lol

[@frostare]

Ohhh, that was scary! You know, when it was time for your Digimon to suddenly... pass away, you would see the animation transition circle close on your Digimon, the first part of the theme of File City would play for some reason and then... you watched your friend fall to pieces and its soul being turned into a Digitama.

[@Emma_The_H0ppin_H00ligan]

Not to mention the sound that plays when the player eats the fruit sounds a LOT like the one that plays whenever something appears in omori

[@frostare]

I wonder if there'0s a modern Digimon game that revisits File City

[@beefgravystudios]

I enjoyed that the story moved forward faster than most. Also, the symbolism gets to point instead of being obscure just to confuse. Overall, there is no padding on either front. Excellent.

[@crispx19]

Heyyy nighty mind nice to see again. A little note on the "valle verde" pronuncietion, nicely done; Bueno ver cosas de latam llegar a este canal! 😙

[@crystalwolfx]

Just, thank you, so much, for jumpscare prep. I really really love horror, but shocking stuff can bother me a long time after, so that was really appreciated

[@Solinaru]

Watched this a month ago and it's been so good to see peeps finally covering it!

[@rider0915]

what is that emoji what the hell

[@sourgreendolly7685]

@@rider0915 It's a person with their arms open for a hug and a beating heat behind them you good fam? need a hug?

[@CatClone1]

So much love is getting poured into this project, that even if the story ends up goofy I'll be happy watching it!

[@aeriszona]

You cannot understand how excited I was when I found out this arg was from Argentina, as an argentinean myself, I am so proud of this project and hope it has a bright future. Thank you for covering it

[@mimisaur5000]

unrelated but i love ur pfp so much omg darling dance is such a good song

[@aeriszona]

@@mimisaur5000 Thank you so much!!! It's such a good song fr

[@Squeakybird]

One thing that stood out to me is that in Mattieus’s room, there are two figures on the dresser that are the Japanese sweets mascot Kyorochan. Dunno if it’s just a nod to being “developed” by a Japanese studio but my eyes went straight to it.

[@zigotonlover]

Kyorochan was also the mascot of a chocolate ball snack, it even had an anime

[@armaggedon390]

I like that the series gets to the scares quickly; it's a good change of pace from other similar series. I also like that most of it is very clear and easy to understand. Better than something like The Monument Mythos where I had no idea what was going on. A video like yours is always a treat but it shouldn't be *necessary* to enjoy the series.

[@MetroAndroid]

I actually almost wish he would just make an Animal Crossing-like game, no horror needed. The art style makes me want to spend a lot of time in the world. The intro is so Mega Man Legends in the best possible way.

[@birchwwolf]

Good kitty! Found this one via Petscop's creator, it's already got a fantastic start!

[@kali_kali_kali_]

Good kitty huh?

[@birchwwolf]

@@kali_kali_kali_ Mr. Nocturne is a good kitty, yes. Would give pats if i could.

[@etps4444]

Perfect thing to watch during lunch. Lovely as always!!

[@NightMind]

Check out the first part of Valle Verde here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4PFmn2bZ9uAf9k

[@natedor7739]

pin this

[@piotrwojcik6277]

Pin your comment

[@Emma88178]

Rewatching this wonderful analysis since I've seen that Alluvium has uploaded a newish vid. But I'm baffled at how you mispronounce Chloe. lol

[@blueboygenesis1178]

notice how when they where showing the kids, their shadows where still there. Even more is kazuya's shadow has his shoes there, implying that he committed barefoot suicide as to not track dirt into the afterlife

[@bukachell]

The reveal with the golden statue was the first time I felt true dread in one of these series

[@moodysshuffle]

honestly i kinda dug that it got started quickly. after petscop and catastrophe crow, you can't pretend that this is anything but horror anymore, especially if you're not going to give it a wrapper story like catastrophe crow did with its 'typical youtube deep dive' angle. plus, revealing the neighborhood kids didn't immediately give way into a cavalcade of horror, it was just the precipitation, a quick confirm that, yeah, this is a horror story. the fact it gave it away that early actually i think made the high intensity of the baby scare make more sense. petscop was heavy on atmosphere and story but light on scares. catastrophe crow kinda tried to middle ground those elements but it ended up slacking on story and scares and didn't have enough atmosphere to carry it. this looks like it's going all-in on scares, focusing its atmospheric muscles on the "real video game" parts that both petscop and catastrophe crow slacked on. it's a very unique take! i'm excited to see where it goes

[@Tomato.toothpaste]

This has such an interesting story so far. Hope there are more episodes breaking it down in the future when the time comes.

[@TheCutethulhu]

I wanna argue that the reason the religious angle was laid out so clearly and thick is going to play out more into the following episodes' build up and ending. On top of that, I can't help but think that the THBrain isn't so much a VR-like device, it's an actual brain put into a device, which is why things are moving so quickly in both terms of story and the game breaking apart, it's because the brain is running through everything that it knows and its changing the game, which is why level generation, presence of codes, full-on corruption and addition of things being made. I dunno, I'm not a writer. Lol. Excellent coverage of the video Nick, keep it up and thank you for all the work you do!

[@AbyssalBleak]

oh hell i just noticed - during the sequence where it's introducing all the play-tester kids you can see a circular shadow (like the one's the player and mayor have wherever they move) on each of the kids' doorsteps as if the kids are still there when they're introduced, just not visible plus when Kazuya is introduced (girl from Japan) there's only two white shoes in place of her, which sorta implies she committed suicide but is somehow still in the game, given that the shadow is also still there

[@unduloid]

"あなたの心を私たちの手に" could also mean: Your _spirit_ is in our hands. Like ... yeah.

[@AnimalPuff]

I watched these vids and came back to this. Honestly, I kinda like it. I did notice it was quick to go for the spooks and scares, but I didn't mind it so much because it immediately got me hooked, combined with the amazing presentation. I guess the only thing I want to add is that, on the "March 22, 1997" screen, the language at the bottom is Enochian, supposed language of the angels. I was kinda surprised that I recognized it, let alone that it was it used.

[@megaralph12345]

I small thing that got stuck in my head. When Mattias asked for the game dev and the tester responds with "He's not with un anymore"; in Spanish it reads "He does not work with us anymore". But the English translation is more ambiguous. There was a more direct translation from Eng to Spa that would have been as ambiguous, but it was a more direct "not work here" "ya no trabaja". I know the translation is part of the work in English. IDK, when I read it in Spanish it gave me a feel of "this character is still out there". Where as the English wording felt more like we were talking about another victim and not a potential antagonist that left before the investigation began. Turned it from a SAO type horror story to a paranormal one. I leggit find that amazing or im hyper analyzing things...

[@Dale_something]

Nick Nocturne I hope you know we all appreciate you and all the work you do for this if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been introduced to most of my favorite series. And I don't think I would have gotten back into the whole spooky stuff if it wasn't for your Channel

[@gamesmasher7120]

1:41 Good to know that the whole ARG starts so stylishly.