What Makes DEEMO Work?

[@dknighteli]

Also 33:00 fun fact m2u and Nicode married irl so those 2 albums are basically a marriage collab

[@gmastersecret5566]

What about v.k ???

[@_freezingfrost_6515]

@@user-lk5cq4lo6l Whoaa, really? Can you give me the explanation, or at least the link to the information mentioning it?

[@alisande_]

i've been a deemo fan since 2015 and even made irl friends due to this game, so i was really happy to see that you did a video essay on the topic. i'll never forget when i got the 2.0 ending in the car on the way to some social event and i just had to sit through the party and pretend like my heart hadn't just been ripped out by a video game lmao

[@king_ian_yt]

i cant unlock the falling girl memory

[@shazwansith4604]

This....this is beautiful. Good job.

[@dknighteli]

19:24 seeing that blue and red glow in the vine piano room feels so... Daunting. The red glow makes it look like a danger zone where as in the original it looks sad, and decrypt.

[@shrimpyshrimp2243]

deemo has been my absolute favorite rhythm game since 2016, ive played so many rhythm games since i started deemo, and none of then have come even close. this game has shaped me and my music tastes, and i honestly wouldnt have it any other way

[@xstreampunk7662]

This game introduced me to Mili, which later i found out that they also did the opening of Goblin Slayer Well anyway, the story and song selection was so good that even the best one i played got outclassed (o2jam), i never even thought about the songs or artwork being connected to the story but it's still got me. Especially the ending and knowing what the story is actually about, even more so about the final song. I almost cried.

[@hummingvoid7824]

Deemo is probably the most impactful game I've ever played. It reintroduces to eastern rhythm games and reminds me of how much I love them. I probably wouldn't be playing other rhythm games if it weren't for Deemo. I love the game. The soundtrack, the story, the foreshadowing (and Reborn just add a TON more of it), and Fluquor. Oh man, Fluquour. That song along with the ending gave a scar in my heart that will never heal. It's such a beatiful game.

[@orbitalpotato9940]

When you realize that Celia is Alice spelt backwards but then you realize you've been trippin and its only an anagram

[@Jono997]

@Jesse Quarnstrom r/whoooosh

[@ArtistiCarnage]

Randomly remembered the rhythm game I played as a kid that’s story and end had such an impact on me. It completely changed my view on video game storytelling. Can’t thank devs enough. Love the video, thanks for bringing the spotlight to such an underrated masterpiece.

[@albertand2484]

Also, for the people just buying the game on Switch - DON'T CLICK ON THE TOY-CON PIANO COLLECTION The very first song has an illustration that contains MASSIVE spoilers. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA

[@muufle]

The same people who thought Cytus II's market was a good idea

[@eemeli7093]

Whats there?

[@filedeletefelix]

@@eemeli7093 Post-Script - which literally is a song in Hans' perspective

[@eemeli7093]

@@filedeletefelix ah yea

[@bankaisage34]

Fluquor and sandglass always bring me to tears and in the new version aitai sends me into a straight crying fit I love deemo so much but damn it hits the feels to hard

[@sapphireshineauthor]

Hello JOEZCafe :) I love the video, I love how you did the analysis and pointed out both strong points and weak points. I discovered Deemo after playing through Cytus, and I got Cytus for the first time after they reached their 1million goal. I have been an avid fan of their works for a few years now. I love the story for Deemo and after I got the switch edition and played through the story, I still cried. I watched this video after watching both your videos regarding Cytus Alpha and Cytus 2. I was lucky to get Cytus 2 for free during a sale so it is sitting in the my Android family library until I decide to play it. Concerning the DLC, I do agree with a lot of what you said throughout this video and the other two regarding DLC. I only bought two packs for Deemo, being the first Mili collection (for Past the Stargazing) and another collection for Paper Planes. I just saw the other songs as additions, I liked the other songs, but not as much as I did the two songs I bought the packs for. On how you analyzed Dream, I honestly forgot about the song and went back to play through both normal and hard modes of it. It wasn't a particular favorite of mine until I watched this video. I stumbled upon your videos by chance while listening to Nightcore music, oddly. However, I loved on how you analyzed both the games and the company. I didn't know Voez was on switch until you told me, and I do agree that it has by far one of the best and visually appealing game mechanics. I downloaded the game and showed it to my family solely for that reason. I bought a few songs, not because the tracks are awesome (they are) but because they also have some of the most visually appealing track maps I've seen on the game. It gives it another level of immersion as your actions cause the tracks to slide across the screen. It's just satisfying to say the least. I honestly didn't notice how much DLC there were for the games, nor did I realize how much it costs. I loved all of those videos and pretty much watched them straight, your 30min reviews and analysis of Cytus Alpha and Cytus 2, and then hopping over to this 40min review regarding one of my favorite Piano games ever. I am currently on my second playthrough of the game and trying all the songs made available through the Switch edition (I got it on sale for $15 woo!). I didn't know of the history behind Magnolia or Mytosis before this video and it's just interesting. I found these games around 2015 to 2016 I think. I am a younger sister myself with an older brother by three years. I'm not sure if it's just subconscious, but it just hits a little closer to home for me. Neither of us are like Alice and Hans besides the sibling age. Why did I bring this up? I think it just may be reasoning on why the ending still makes me cry every single time besides the beautiful soundtrack playing during the cutscene. Either way, I am really happy to have found these videos and gives me a new appreciation for the game. I do hope the company figures outs their problems regarding DLC content, and I do agree that Sandglass should be part of one of the bonus update packs, like in shattered memories or something, similar to Post-Script (I don't remember if it was an SM song or Samsara song). You showing the lyrics with the song just made me cry all over again. Anywho, thank you for the videos, I love watching them, you just earned a new subscriber an I wish you a late Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year. See ya. Sincerely, Deemo fan as of 2015.

[@fkkkkkenig]

Okay fine, have my subscription. I just finished this game an hour ago and I was still bawling when I turned this video on. Paused the video and played Myosotis when it showed up and yeah it hits like a truck. Top 3 favorites for how it tells its story through its music and gameplay and is able to get the player invested in a way most other gaming genres cannot. This game tapped a potential that no developer in the rhythm genre previously even thought of. Also I ignored your Switch recommendation and bought it on all platforms. This thing is a milestone in rhythm game history, maybe even gaming history.

[@MG-mh8xp]

I gotta say there's one small thing a lot of people miss in the attic. if you keep tapping on the window to see what the character thinks or whatever, then eventually she'll say something along the lines of "I think I see angels in the distance..." which is FUCKING TERRIFYING the first time you hear that from her. another terrifying moment was in her living room after the game, where I went back to the room to do the sandglass again, and she was right in front of the camera staring into my fucking soul, which was equally terrifying. whenever games like this, where they have several set places that the character can inhabit that's randomly chosen, decide to have ONE of the options be staring right back at you, it really really scares the shit out of me.

[@CommanderWof]

Fuck me, the amount of times a cried during this video is ridiculous! The emotional impact this game has on you is HEAVY! Wonderful video! To add in some stuff that Joe didn't mention, if it wasn't obvious, the artwork for Magnolia and Myosotis are actually connected, while the artwork for the third song, Marigold, is designed in the same way, with the only difference being that it's separate from the first two. Since Marigold is only unlocked after the final loop of the Forgotten Hourglass DLC, this separation of the artwork can be seen as symbolizing Alice no longer lingering on the past and moving on with her life. To add further to that, all three songs are named after flowers, each with their own meanings. Magnolias have a lot of meanings, but I'm leaning more towards endurance, purity, and long life. Myosotis, also known as the forget-me-not flower (adds another little connection to Sandglass there) means exactly what the name implies, holding onto memories of the past. Marigolds also have various meanings based on culture, but considering the games story and the lyrics of the song, the meaning that makes the most sense here is remembering and celebrating the dead, which is also why they're popular flowers for memorials. Something else that I want to talk about are two other Moments from the Forgotten Hourglass DLC. In the game, one of my favorite pieces is Wings of Piano, to the point where it serves as the poster song for the game for me personally. The second Moment you unlock is Hans sitting at a piano in the same way as Wings of Piano, but what really got to me was the final moment before the credits, where we see Alice at the same piano, in the same position, with Deemo's feathers from the original art around her. Having an artwork that called back to a piece that meant so much to me serving as the capstone to the Deemo story, as well as the Moment showing that Alice is carrying on both her life and Hans's dream, is such a perfect ending in my eyes! A nice happy ending to finish it off. One last thing that I'll mention is that "Kimi ga nokoshita Sekai de" and "Guardian" by SxPlay are two incredibly emotional pieces that illustrate Alice's struggle over Hans's death before coming to accept it that, at least for me, serve as a beautiful conclusion for Alice's perspective on the story, similar to how Sandglass reflects Hans's perspective at the end. There are so many ways that Rayark concludes the story of the game both in the story content and in the music that it has forever left a massive impact on my life.

[@magnoliap9555]

24:47 I think the reason why the "it was all a dream" ending trope is usually awful is cause it's a cop-out and deflates any build up and subsequent reward by saying that all the progress and development you made never mattered actually, all of it was fake. It works in deemo because the dream / coma aspect is an integral part of the story and fulfilling the story doesn't throw away all the progress you made. everything you did up until that point still mattered because waking up from the dream was the whole point side note: this is one of my favorite games of all time and Im so happy to see someone make a whole video about it. its been so long since I heard these songs, I was tearing up the whole time

[@dimitriramoslima9704]

Millennium mother is not that bad, I prefer the others and like you said miracle milk is the best album, but I think mili is experiment with new ways to transmit her ideas and feelings through music, have you heard her new releases? . About the video itself, you translate everything I feel about deemo, it's the best rhythm game I ever played, the fact that the story was so well placed together makes my gameplay so immersive and so different from other games that sometimes I don't even realize that I'm playing a rhythm game and just felling the music and how they contribute with the environment of the story and game. And despite the rayark dlc politics, the game is excellent, well executed, with a beautiful story that I will always be thrilled at the end no matter how many times I play, and a memorable soundtrack who allowed me to discover many great artists I still hear today. In short, Deemo is a game with a good match storytelling and gameplay that will be hard for another game to repeat

[@Felixor]

Dang it Joe, you made me your bitch because of this... It's always been gut wrenching to watch the ending EVERY SINGLE TIME I remembered the times when that 2.0 update released, I didn't have any expectations at all until my friend told me about "The End", and that moment was the first time ever a mobile rhythm game made me cry.. Thank you for this wonderful video, Joe ❤❤

[@kt_throwaway9994]

He’s basically got this spot on. Deemo has got to be one of the best games that they have ever made, story wise, aesthetically, and personally, it is what inspires me to go for music and illustration. However, the brilliance that this game has also makes me worry a bit for the sequel. Cytus I had no story consistency, which is why we have such a wild and complex story in Cytus II (yeah, I honestly find the second one better). Deemo has a complete story, and it might be hard to tack on a new piece like what was done with Cytus II, because what can really be developed? The boy in the teaser LOOKS like Hans, but if it’s not him, then it will be a lot more confusing than when Cytus II has completely original characters in that series’ second game.

[@albertand2484]

I played this at school all of the time on my IPad years ago, this might the game, that holds the most nostalgia for me. Even just the start of the M2U songs and Floquer give me goosebumps, those songs hold so much sentimental value for me. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON SANDGLASS I WILL CRY

[@albertand2484]

@Jesse Quarnstrom I love the 2.0 ending song - I just love this game man 😭

[@muufle]

@@albertand2484 Turns out deemo reborn is absolutely amazing.

[@muufle]

@@albertand2484 Only in VR tho.

[@dknighteli]

18:10 NOT TO MENTION, IN THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK, SHE'S SITTING ON HER GRAVESTONE

[@v01dmc92]

God deemo is like my childhood because i found my brother playing ot and decided to play it as well and holy shit i do not regret it. Most of the pieces there are so fucking good and i loved how you emphasized magnolia and myosotis bc their my favorite ost and im replaying them TO THIS DAY. Probably the best rhythm game i ever played

[@doodlehobbo8697]

It's funny that this reminds me of Omori an RPG game where our protagonist named "Omori" is inside of a imagination place called "Headspace". It's basically like this, the more you progress the game, the more you'll learn the truth about his older sister's death, speaking of his sister her name is Mari and she also plays the piano.

[@wildice1858]

God damn, you mentioning that it was a vsauce recommendation hit me with memories I was not expecting. Now I remember where I found this masterpiece

[@Jono997]

This is amazing. I always thought that deemo was great, but you've just shown me the light. Deemo is one of, if not the best rhythm game regardless of what draws you to the genre.

[@QJ89]

One more reason to keep a Switch.

[@Tan_vis]

you sir, did a very great job in describing a masterpiece. im sincerely grateful for that.

[@TheUndyingSoul]

23:41 Woa, didn't know about this one... This title from Rayark is just Amazing, thanks to it I bought a piano 4 years ago and step by step I learned to play it myself... Deemo is really something special, near and dear to me.

[@Cal_Nightfall]

Anyone want to talk about how Post-Script is literally there to just make you cry more? That, unironically, is probably my favorite song of the game. It's so heartbreaking, but I can't help but to love it

[@pidgy8927]

Ah yes, I was turned away from the Mobile version when I saw all of those song packs. I'll buy the switch version later, actually.

[@_iamsam]

im SO glad i played deemo because it really opened my eyes to another world of music. plus i have never cried that hard because of a VIDEO GAME before

[@AlexanderAllen1]

Ahhh - takes me back to the days sat at the back of class playing it...

[@wesleybucher944]

Thank you for creating such a thorough and well worded review of one of the most niche games I've personally played, and yet one of the most impactful ones to me. I couldn't have explained why that was, but you verbalized that which I could not have.

[@Dyzinel]

When I clicked this 40:00 minutes video, I wasn't really expecting to watch the whole thing, but the more time I spent watching it, the less I intended to leave without finishing. When the video ended, I didn't even felt fatigued in any way by the length of the video, for it was wholly enjoyable. Thank you for giving us this analyses of Deemo.

[@Imaevenld]

Couldn't of said it better myself New sub bro. I'm crying and shaking right now.

[@cruisindownthestreetinmy6490]

Wait this is a video essay on my favourite under appreciated rhythm game

[@Lee-fw5bd]

Fun fact for my on/off 4 or 5 years of playing Deemo, I only just learned that there were key sounds. I always just did the initial calibration above 5 so they were never activated. My most recent install around a month ago was the first I ever heard about it. I 100% agree with you. Some songs are way wayy better with them and some... I just felt off. In fact, that's why I looked up what was up with my install and found out about the keystroke

[@Lee-fw5bd]

Holy shit I didn't realize Magnolia and Myositis were connected. That just made the endings way better

[@SakuraSamael]

Man, that background music at the top of tower gets me every time, especially when you know what's coming. I'm surprised you didn't mention the Full Combo Easter Egg where the artwork after some songs changes from Deemo/Alice to Hans/Alice. First time I ever got that was on Yubikiri Genman and I about broke down, so I started trying to get FCs on everything just to see what changed. I think that's why I liked the Forgotten Hourglass update, because those pictures you unlock with each playthrough not only show Alice going through life, but it also shows the siblings re-enacting a lot of the scenes from the artwork. I like to think that the art was actually a representation of Alice's imagination from when they would play together, which makes it even more meaningful. As for Reborn, now that I've played it... I liked some elements but overall wasn't impressed. The visual style was kind of clunky and did a terrible job at conveying emotion, which was where I thought the 3D graphics would shine compared to using stills. However, I loved the addition of the puzzles and the interactions with Mirai. Reborn was a lot less subtle about revealing the story, maybe because they assumed people playing a fairly niche game probably already knew the original (but that's just conjecture on my part). The weakest part was the actual gameplay, though. The UI in the original was so intuitive. Tonal notes and percussive beats were colored differently, the use of the touch screen meant that they could vary the size of the notes for both tone (high or low) and impact (loud or quiet), not to mention the ghost notes playing along the judgement line to show the rest of the song. All of those things helped convey context for how your notes fit into the track, so even if I was playing a chart for the first time, I rarely felt overwhelmed. Reborn, though? It was all so mechanical, lifeless, just a speedy assembly line of notes flying at me, and I often found even on easier songs that I had a hard time following the charts. Currently working my way through Deemo II, and while it's not as good as the original, and it could definitely stop throwing microtransaction junk at me every two seconds, I am actually enjoying it. Now if it would just stop crashing multiple times per session we'd be golden.

[@thetophatguyandroid5959]

I am so glad someone is talking about the game I downloaded it back in 2014 had a cry had some rage moments downloaded masterpieces like jumpy star and then gone and today after YEARS I found out that they remade it like a ps2 game and that deemo 2 is out (I downloaded it it's just ok but I like where the lore is going until now)

[@beterybunny234]

I would like to add my two cents of the type of player I am: I played DEEMO ages ago and it is my favorite rhythm game period. I didn't even KNOW about the play-station reboot of the game. I came here to listen to someone talk about my favorite rhythm game and I wasn't disappointed!

[@GearGrinder480]

My favorite song is "post script" a song from Alice's brother but on a personal level reminds me my childhood with my sister being her older brother.

[@moltenboyo2163]

Gues I'm not paying attention in class today

[@lmc_0125]

This is masterpiece...

[@heianalien132]

deemo is basicly playable art

[@zhandr304]

3 drops of tears dropped while watching this video.

[@mattecrystal6403]

I'm always replaying the first song again an again. Hard to progress when I feel like I'm only playing one song.

[@Flightnight1000]

Goddamn I really gotta finish this game to watch the second half of this vid. Ight brb in a month I gotta go through this game.

[@Phamfy89]

Wow....... for once I'm actually listening to the "hey! The spoilers are REAL here. You should really go play the game yourself if you want the real, raw experience!" I never listen to those and idk what's different but I'm gonna go do that. I'm gonna buy the switch version (obvs) and come back when I'm done.

[@Snoodle829]

I didn't pay attention to any fine detail or mood in this game, because I don't really play games like that, but the ending still hit like a fucking truck (pun intended). After having been playing this game for the past year-ish straight, I mostly enjoy it for it's gameplay loop and music.

[@ferro1398]

C2 currently has a promo in unlocking all the available characters plus the additional 2 incoming new characters.

[@ainred9844]

I want to fucking smack you. And hug and say "love you" afterwards. God damnit this is the best review ever and the most honestly hurtful, I'm really grateful.

[@Marik4295]

Joe: throws shade at C2 Me: i still enjoy it and its characters

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

If I wasn't into Deemo then, it might be now. I am very convinced to get this game. Though I might have spoiled myself, I'll forget about it in due time.

[@O-san4]

I never played the game but I was interested in playing it

[@picori4847]

You should definitely play it. It's such a lovely game. Love the Dramaturgy pfp btw.

[@jelol1786]

Why are you here then? Play it before you spoil yourself

[@jelol1786]

Trust me you don't want to be spoiled

[@berutata15682]

Great video! Now I wish we get to hear your opinion about Deemo II too

[@joezcafe]

Right here! backloggd.com/u/JOEZCafe/review/1436058/

[@berutata15682]

@@joezcafe oh my god, you’re so fast ✨ Thank you for your thoughts! 🙏

[@Rukimoonfang]

Im so glad I found this

[@AshenChedツ]

I just notice this is an 40:00 video

[@mugikaoven1475]

Thanks for the video I start searching the lyrics from songs after watching. I didn't know how many meaning in music for the plot this game. Sorry for my English .. I'm from Russian community .

[@overdeadzephyr]

29:37 (I know I'm sorta late) the only thing I can think of from this is both magnolia and masquerade

[@Blooatom12]

I felt the same when you said that you started playing Deemo as a Vsauce recommendation

[@Sal-ip4kr]

So I didn’t play this game and I’m tearing up from this video alone

[@dknighteli]

Also dude have you listened to Extension Of You?!?!?! THAT SONG IS A BOMB

[@diethylmalonate]

16:55 YES the Ender Lilies OST is straight up better than anything they wrote after miracle milk

[@Rei_hakase]

But maaaybeee the anime will show their parents

[@calamaria9221]

Spoiler but the book revealed that they're orphans (their parents died when Alice was 2).

[@jonahmiller988]

Just gonna get this out of my chest. When i first watch your cytus 2 video i thought you name yourself after the Joe (joez) the bartender of the game lol

[@waddledeeart6019]

Excellent analysis of Deemo. I'm new to the channel and I'll probably stick around but... I actually like cytus 2 despite its flaws?? XD The sudden bashing of cytus caught me off guard, but you do make a good point about the gameplay and story progression not matching in cytus. Interesting points!

[@dknighteli]

Uhhh does the mobile version have the keysounds?! Cuz I'm not sure if it did back when I played it cuz I never noticed a "fail' piano sound.

[@pora5000]

There is, and the piano sample doesnt play if “failed” in any version

[@dknighteli]

@@pora5000 I'm sorry I meant miss but you prolly meant that too... Or not

[@pora5000]

yea, the sample doesnt play when you miss the note

[@pora5000]

Back when i still have the game i always turned it off because my offset sucks anyway.

[@superluigizero]

I'm sure you've heard about Rayark's newest sequel by now. I'm not entirely sure how you'd feel about it, but I figured it couldn't hurt *me* too much to ask. :P So yeah, Deemo 2. Do you think this is just Rayark trying to milk a cash cow or a legit attempt to make a dece sequel?

[@joezcafe]

Gonna go in way more detail about it in my next video, but let’s just say a teaser can only do so much ;3

[@MelonTartVA]

So now that Deemo Reborn is out, what do you think of it?

[@rumifernandez2550]

I found this game through Mili and mili through lor. The project moon pipeline is real

[@pora5000]

Btw I recommend you playing an another rhythm game, called Nishan Shaman, that also has the stages connected to the story. The game is quite simple and very short, only 5 long-duration songs, but it’s really enjoyable. Even til this day no one knows why Sandglass is in an optional collection lmao

[@mzab6923]

16:54 dont worry, it's ok to be wrong sometimes.

[@halobeat2994]

Marigold not covered?

[@joezcafe]

Ultimately, nothing can really be said about Marigold that isn’t already communicated by other parts of the game so I’d just be repeating myself. Marigold is an insanely good song, but as an element of the game is just like the 3.0 update in general, great, but unnecessary and adds nothing substantial to the game and only serves to dampen the uncertain “finality” of 2.0 and Myosotis.

[@halobeat2994]

@@joezcafe fair point

[@guyguylazy]

@@joezcafe surprised you never mentioned the absolute monster of fingers of a level 12 this fucking glorious that is about acceptance, very fair points though

[@syrexio]

Recently downloaded this game. Only had it for 2 days and got my first FC on utopiosphere.

[@cruisindownthestreetinmy6490]

God job!

[@Shayma98]

Happened to get the game for free on iOS (just happened to be free). I’m glad that I finally get to play it and will get the Switch game when I get a Switch! And I now have all Rayark games on my phone (only one I paid for is Cytus). (Edit: I got a Switch a couple months ago, and I have the Switch ports of Deemo and Voez with plan to get Cytus Alpha later!) (Edit 2: And I got Cytus Alpha a couple days ago!)

[@Bryce-3D]

*sees that there will be spoilers* Ok I shall come back for this in a few months then cause I don’t play Deemo as much Edit: cool this was posted 3 hrs ago and I still got the 9th comment

[@nguyennhatkhanh4408]

Deemo anime coming boizz

[@MelonTartVA]

Planning on getting the switch version. (Played the demo and loved it)

[@m.c.a.2699]

omg i want the vsauce link

[@luisangelblancascruz8549]

Love Deemo You need to see a Series of Anime Watch Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso Please watch it, tell us about it, you see something good i can not spoil, and you'll get why I'm telling you to see it, based on this wonderful game

[@SnoopingTurtle]

K I N O

[@bryceevangelista721]

Soooo..... Are you gonna talk about the cytus 2 update?

[@joezcafe]

Considering I quit the game as early as 1.4, providing actual coverage outside of the odd jab would be futile.

[@flariadracomorpher]

Guys i suck so bad at rhythm games how am i supposed to get anywhere in this game?! (Still getting the switch version if the pc version sucks.)

[@UnlikeRelic]

Ya story is cool and all. But have you played myosotis with hot dogs yet?

[@lethallawnmower5301]

lol my first rhythm game and I’m struggling to unlock tracks, I don’t care I’ll finish the video

[@lethallawnmower5301]

Actually, does anyone have any advice

[@joezcafe]

Investigate the tower and grind on the songs you already have, that’s literally it.

[@lethallawnmower5301]

JOEZCafe Thanks for the advice I really do like the music that I have so far, only four tracks but yeah

[@lethallawnmower5301]

JOEZCafe that actually worked, just unlocked my first cut scene

[@joshuataylor7443]

All though I like video but I can't agree in the sense in lore is not important because lore can work or not depending on the story in the case of deemo yes it doesn't need it but lore is not a bad thing.

[@joezcafe]

Lore works as supplementary material that enriches the characters and themes, the two meaty chunks that make a good story. It's when lore becomes your main priority, making random locations, characters and events that don't fuel those two chunks that things go wrong. It is most definitely important depending on the work but is tertiary in the very nature of good storytelling.

[@joshuataylor7443]

I agree.

[@hiraamayu4201]

So... You're "veterans" like me huh? 😏

[@teddyderps6854]

Holly

[@teddyderps6854]

Also yes ring fit or the win

[@kingloucifur8086]

A question to anyone still in the comments...why does this game feel so off for me on android? I searched this video out because I'd like to get into it more, but I the gameplay just feels off for me, delayed or something. Anyone else experienced this and know what to do?

[@joezcafe]

That means the game is out of sync, it’s a common quirk of rhythm games due to how different phones are when rendering games. Deemo has a calibration menu in the settings to fix it, the first screen is for syncing the audio and video, while the second screen is for syncing input lag.

[@mr.lightbulb7478]

Better without the key sounds dont @ me.

[@arkivist1365]

Rayark is yet to make a rhythm game that isn’t fundamentally flawed. C2 has great and intuitive gameplay and much more story detail, but everything is executed without much soul and the game never seems to be unique at all. Meanwhile, Deemo, as my second rhythm game after Rhythm Heaven DS, definitely holds nostalgic value for me. It has a brilliant aesthetic and mood and tons of songs which I hold close to my heart now. It’s also one of the few games I was able to share with my sister a while ago. However, with more experience of rg’s now, I know that it’s clear that you’re excusing too many of Deemo’s faults. Deemo’s. Gameplay. Is. Absolutely. Awful. Anyone who actually plays rhythm games to a high standard, who appreciates the “instrumental” flow that gameplay can contribute to the music, should know this. You might not want to admit it, but a game like this needs to have good gameplay. You can’t really enjoy the songs this game has to offer without it. Notesounds are very jarring and the drags ruin basically everything. This also renders basically all of the DLC (which has accumulated at such a crazy rate, that C2’s actually looks vaguely reasonable) unappealing. There are other factors that’ve put me off Deemo as well. The fact that Rayark laughably raised the maximum difficulty not once, but twice, and then added the ex charts. The fact that Forgotten Hourglass (pretty much the only DLC worth your time) basically just involves monotonous grinding. The fact that the story is sweet, but just too short and simple. If only it had C2’s level of detail, considering the amount of emotion it puts into its story. I wish I could love Deemo now, but I don’t. Still, the nostalgia is strong. Also, I really appreciate your analysis of the artworks and songs. It really resonated with me. It’s perhaps worth asking: do you care just about soul, or do you really want a holistic rhythm game? It’s a shame that such a work of art can only be enjoyed in such a dull way as Deemo’s fundamentals provide.

[@arkivist1365]

-also, only you can unite the british rhythm gamers pls-

[@joezcafe]

Hey, you're talking to the guy who when ranking every rhythm game he played, put Deemo and VOEZ in S tier for super subjective and personal reasons so I dunno what to tell you 🤷‍♂️ Fact of the matter is that everything in my video was written in complete honesty with the exclusion of some negligible points that would have added nothing to my critique, nothing was downplayed or sugar coated and everything was given a critical spotlight respective to how important it was for making my experience with the game. Deemo's gameplay is IMMENSELY flawed and as a result, the game can be an acquired taste, but everything I found to be a flaw was discussed in this video, nothing more, nothing less and instances like the jarring keysounds only ruin a small selection of tracks and for the most part unintentionally contribute to what I love about the game. Does that mean I find the game perfect and would want it to stay as is in an ideal world? Not at all, but the gameplay begins and ends at being passable rather than outright bad, especially considering it's so traditional and functional that what most rhythm games do better is at best, marginal and insignificant and at worst, don't compare to what Deemo was able to accomplish outside of its core mechanics with regards to presentation and structure, even in a rhythm game, the gameplay is just one piece of the puzzle and a rhythm game with superior gameplay to Deemo can have sterile and boring "everything-else". I'd also like to brush aside your points about C2's DLC and the Forgotten Hourglass by saying that I agree, the only thing that I'd really say makes Deemo's DLC better than C2's is just that you only really buy it for the songs and nothing more and Deemo's way less predatory about it, the difficulty however I do disagree with, not only were the two difficulty hikes (initially) only done for two songs as a story setpiece rather than a mechanical function to take literally (Myosotis is definitely NOT a Level 11 but making it one just makes the storytelling more effective) but the Extra charts are just that, Extra, they give no promise of being Extreme difficulty charts and shouldn't be evaluated as such ie: The Level V chart for Run Lads Run, it isn't harder, but it's just a fun inclusion based on the VOEZ chart that doesn't fit into the box of difficulty settings, this point is basically a non-criticism as it literally doesn't matter in the bigger picture of what Deemo is as a game, it's not competitive, it's not community focused and very little of its core experience derives from this. I am curious about what you mean with relation to the game's story being sweet, but too short and simple, because what on earth could possibly be added to an interpersonal story such as this? I've already ragged on C2 enough saying that its world building and attention to detail (at least of what I played which is pre-2.0 before dipping out) is straight up not needed, it has nothing to say and only exists because Rayark want to impress you and think the story's more deep than it actually is. This is actually why I'm not having that great of a time with Deemo Reborn and why I think the movie is going to be dreadful, it's just too much and obfuscates what the original wanted to accomplish and Rayark forget all the time that less is more. So yeah, Rayark are awful designers and each game has its own fair share of issues, but don't come here telling me I'm excusing a game of theirs I like on purpose because of nostalgia or wanting to make the game look better than it actually is, my main point at the end of the video after all is that Deemo isn't perfect, it isn't outstanding, it's just that it bothered and I barely find any other rhythm games that try to do the same things it gets right without falling into tired old stagnant principles, like thinking a story mode is just shoving cutscenes in between random songs like P4 Dancing or throwing meaningless world building at you in the most sterile way possible like Cytus II. It accomplished as much of what it wanted to do and I'm content because it actually DID something with my favourite genre that's become so stagnant.

[@cinnamoncat8950]

@@joezcafe hell yea! About the difficulty stuff, the 11 and 12 hyped me up a ton when they were first added, its like an "oh shit" moment when i see that its supposed to be harder than anything before, especially since i always play the hard songs. The extra difficulties were interesting but ended up disappointing me at first, but once i learned what ones i like and dont like i managed to find some great ones, like the altale extra which i love. since i use my thumbs, doing that three way slider should be impossible for me, but i do it anyway by sliding my thumbs back and forth really fast and i end up getting charming on them anyway, which makes me feel like an absolute badass. Also the crazy amount of new songs theyve been adding i wasnt really into at first but after i got back into the game more i came to appreciate them more.

[@chinikery2590]

Lols🤣 I just hacked demo and have all the dlc free (sorry bro)

[@joezcafe]

Do you want a medal, nerd.

[@doodlehobbo8697]

Too bad masterpiece or just good mobile games in general are rarely found, especially nowadays since it's all pile up with weird terrible ads and shitty effortless try hard trendy mobile games.

[@kay-kay6483]

I... kinda really liked the character development and lore... :/

[@joezcafe]

And that’s fine, but the story didn’t need any of those additional elements for it to be effective. Deemo is a story that works by only telling the player the most necessary of story details, making any additional “lore” pointless, which is what made 3.0’s postgame as well as the novel and potentially the film kinda weak.