Why Night in the Woods is a Masterpiece

[@andersg.8504]

New video in a similar style if you liked this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5fdZWyLeqabjbM Also yes, the couch isnt floating. The gamma on my monitor I used to play and edit made certain shades of orange and red hard to differentiate. JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW TRULY FLAWLESS THE GAME REALLY IS!!

[@darkninjafirefox]

One thing I think is often missed is a bit of dialog at the beginning of the game, at the first party, where Mae talks about how her dad had a drinking problem and was a danger to her and her mom. I think it makes Mae's breakdowns make sense and gives her more depth than I think a lot of people are willing to give her. Growing up with a violent alcoholic is traumatic and the town's healthcare system is shoddy at best with 1 main doctor for everything. The bar is a major point of socialization for the rest of the town, there's the two guys outside of Miller's (go smelters!), Germ and Angus' dads knew him from their days at the bar (and work). The town is poisoned

[@rusty-l8t]

Yes! I too was a child of an alcoholic father and i’ve always thought it very odd how when discussing Maes parents and home life it is not brought up. Mae has an okay to great relationship with her parents in the present but you can put the pieces together through some dialog that there has been some major history with them (i think she also had a period where she and mom were not talking to each other at all?). Seriously, having an alcoholic parent in itself can be a huge trauma and apparently it became so acute that Mae wiewed him being ”a threat” to herself and her mother.

[@darkninjafirefox]

@@rusty-l8t absolute! And its very deliberate phrasing too, "a threat to one's self or others" is very clinical and official, like what would be used on medical/legal documents. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that it got so bad that an outside force might have had to intervene in some way.

[@aazhie]

My uncle nearly got in a drunk driving accident with his two children in the back seat. That scared him into sobriety permanently. He still did dirtbag things later by cheating and other stuff bit is interesting that that is not brought up. It's something that my parents have talked to me about. But I never talk with my cousins about. Thanks for bringing up this point because it has been something that I've been puzzling over with Mae's break with what feels real to her! It's not that you need a clear explanation. Why but it definitely adds some heaviness to her back story

[@Rowieismellow]

Night in the woods will forever be something I’ll carry with me. Mei’s speech about wanting it to hurt when she dies weirdly spoke to me. Like her I’ve delt with dissociation and emotional pain in some way makes me feel happy because for so long I couldn’t FEEL ANYTHING. It was nice to see that feeling depicted in a game, because (quoting Mei here) if it hurts then it means it “meant something”.

[@1800xoxo]

Ahhh I love this game

[@benjaminketchup8710]

hot tip: the couch isnt floating its just the legs of the couch blend into the wallpaper a bit because theyre both brown! nitw is my favourite game and has 0 flaws and you cant say otherwise

[@volkova6209]

the only flaw is that it's short and i have a mental breakdown everytime i play it again and it ends lol

[@bigbadgammagnome]

Yeah it's not floating, while the legs are brown but I'm surprised they were missed, thats how couches tend to work. they be having legs. I've never seen anyone think the couch was floating before lmao

[@caramelcandys]

Played this game a few weeks ago and i can safely say that this was one of the most influential games i have ever played and will remain one of the most important games to me as a person. Wow, if i had a nickel for every personally important indie game with a small but dedicated fanbase starring a cat themed protagonist with adorable side characters released in the mid 2010’s with a killer soundtrack that makes me want to cry i’d have 2 nickels which isn’t a lot but it is weird it happened twice

[@istg-.]

​@@caramelcandyswait whats the other one, i just played nitw and i need more games like that😭

[@caramelcandys]

@@istg-. oneshot, its absolutely fantastic

[@Gowly_]

I think the game’s epilogue could’ve ended with Mae playing in one last band practice minigame as the credits scroll by. It’s also true - though - that one of the game’s strongest messages is that something doesn’t have to end well in order to have meaning: [SPOILERS] Casey died in a horrible way, but that doesn’t mean his life was meaningless, and that the good memories his friends have of him have to be ruined; Adina too probably died in a hole deep below ground, but that doesn’t invalidate her connection with the stars; Mae’s grandfather died in a haunting way, but that doesn’t erase the love and calm he shared with Mae and her family. The same way, the game doesn’t have to end with another climax for it to be meaningful and convey its themes well.

[@EmpathicPerson]

Thank you for your alive writing

[@lucmik7859]

i literally have like 300 hours in the game and have played it maybe 20 times its my favorite piece of media to ever exist

[@azukar8]

Plays when Gregg. Gregg. GREGG. G R E G G. (Gregg rulz ok)

[@rome2sa]

I love the way this game addresses mental health and how each character is so fleshed out (including Possum Springs, which feels like a character itself). They all have their unique challenges and while they all have their issues, they're still likeable and easy to sympathise with. Mae's "just shapes" conversation on the couch had me in tears the first time I played through. The game feels like an experience, thats the best way I can describe it. Finishing it is like saying goodbye to friends. PS This video deserves so many more views than it has -- Great editing and delivery!

[@o-donnell]

This was probably the most relatable game I've ever played. I grew up in the midwest, and even have a band, with my drummer being exactly like Gregg.

[@bacolotl9234]

this game literally has been living rent free in my brain for like 5 years its crazy

[@Cataclops]

DUDE RDR2 AND NITW MENTIONED RAHH MY TEO FAVORITE GAMES OF ALL TIME AGHHH RAHHHHHHH

[@aazhie]

The sleeper agent activation is super accurate omfg. I played it a year or so after it came out and I'm still haunted

[@christianskjod3440]

NITW just changed me. I never appreciated the little things in life until I played NITW, and honestly what makes good media is the change it instills in the person who consumes it. This game put me right in front of my deepest anxieties and made me face them, and I loved it.

[@gl3718]

Hiya. Small broken rustbelt town in Pennsylvania guy here. We sometimes have festivals when the weather gets slightly colder in mid to late September, kind of generically celebrating fall. It's usually called a Harvest festival, because this is the time of year where crop harvests happen. Sometimes people from in/out of town will come down to set their food and craft stands full of mostly junk but sometimes kitchy treasures. Usually takes place in the streets that have been blockaded off somehow. Or in a park. It's not really a Halloween thing, but, Halloween finds a way in anyway. :)

[@andersg.8504]

Yeah I'm familiar with what harvest festevals are but it was kinda unclear to me if it was another replacement holiday thing. Like how Longest Night is a cover-all for religious holidays in the winter.

[@cricket_gaming_hd9439]

Watching to help cope with no revenant hill

[@TheSrawsome]

NITW is the only game I've ever started replaying literally the minute I finished my first playthrough. Mostly cause I wanted to see Gregg's ending, but also just cause I wasn't ready to leave these characters yet. Also, on my first playthrough I thought with all the posters and talk about Casey that he was for sure going to end up being one of the train transients we meet at some point, so when I got to the end and found out they murdered him it hit me like a freight train. I just started sobbing. Then on that immediate second playthrough, on one of Gregg's hangouts I hadn't seen the first time, he talks about Casey a lot and hearing that, knowing what happened to him, I just started crying some more. Fuck I love this game.

[@crispycornflakes7850]

It is illegal that you only have 50 subs, It's so well edited, long and doesn't get boring at all. Nitw is also my fav game. You deserve way more subs bro.

[@CamDaCrusaderr]

93 now homie

[@tnc7399]

I think it is because his other vids aren't in this same style

[@Theromeman]

500

[@Sir_Pringles_a_lot]

Um uh.. He has 451 now. (When this comment was made)

[@miloda_bess]

I honestly didn’t even realize that at first. Just subbed as well because this is insane quality

[@felispolyglottos]

7:23 - goes to the game soundtrack and asks if the music that plays at the pierogi place is crunchy or wet - "it's a good sewer tune, sir" - its wet

[@ishouldgetalif3]

God, i remember when this game came out. And can only say, flunk school and then move back home to a dying hometown is something i can relate to. Wish we had a cult tho 😶

[@TheLastHylianTitan]

The real cult was the friends you made along the way

[@edensday]

Angus is just the best guy ever to me. He's so incredibly relatable and his scene in the mountain kills me every single time. AUGH. I fucking love this game.

[@jessicawwu]

I love the music you included in this video. very midwest emo core.

[@LilBigJosiah]

I also really love how you can eavesdrop onto other characters conversations. Shows the attention to detail

[@snflwrcty]

I just finished Night in the Woods a few days ago and have been feverishly consuming all the content I can since because I can't get enough of it, it's so damn good - and your video is by far the b e s t review and representation of the game I've seen. Also in general it's a really good video! You've earned a fan - excellent job, I can't wait to see more!

[@snflwrcty]

I forgot to say, adding midwest emo as background music to a review about a game set in the midwest: genius. Love your taste in music, man

[@andersg.8504]

Finally someone recognizes my genius music choices!

[@JenovaCetra]

You know to be honest I never really appreciated Night in the Woods, and I think it's because I couldn't relate/appreciate Mae. I never asked or relied on my parents to get me through education (they had other things to worry about and I didn't want to burden them). I stayed in touch with my childhood friends, and we still hang out from time to time, but we also all succeeded in our career and family goals, even those who had disadvantages. I grew up in the suburbs of a prominent city that's still doing relatively well for itself, but even then I still left that city and found success outside the states. But I think more relevant was that I couldn't put myself in Mae's headspace. Which is why I gravitated towards Bea, who's contempt towards Mae was very relatable. Or Angus who sees Mae as being a bad influence on Gregg. I sympathize with her dissociative disorder, but she still felt annoying and immature, the type of person I wouldn't hang out with in real life, so playing as her for an entire game where you mostly "hang out" wasn't super appealing. That's not to say every game protagonist needs to be likable, I love Brad Armstrong, but I really couldn't latch onto Mae specifically. So watching this, and stepping back. I think I've learned to appreciate the game more as a whole and I think I'm willing to give it a revisit. TLDR; I subscribed

[@Fourger14]

I think Mae has so many unlikeable qualities as a result of her traumas, and I can relate to bad experiences making me a worse person, not knowing how to fix myself after it. Mae didn't ask for financial help from her parents. Her mother was distant and her father was an abusive alcoholic, and when her parents became better people, especially her father who totally cleaned up his act, the benevolence of them paying for her higher education is thrown into a new light. They aren't just good and supportive parents. They're guilt-ridden, especially her father, and she was pushed into college by them when she didn't want to go and wasn't ready for it, all so her parents could feel better about themselves, as if pushing her away to college compensated for the abuse just because it was expensive.

[@ayana9490]

yeah I feel the same way. She was just so immature and annoying ESPECIALLY during Bea's party scene and her not understanding beas feelings. I really didn't like when she started trying to act like what they were going through was the same thing. I watched a streamer play the game and he picked the "best" dialogue options but I just cant stand her omg.

[@Skeletoonz]

Upstate New York. Some places are armed with the exact same weapon this one uses to stab you right in the nostalgia

[@Mr.Beanyuwu]

Dad worked retail for a month, got the paycheck and screamed "this shit like bojack we need an anarchosyndicalist intervention asap"

[@ermmwhattheglorp]

night in the woods in my opinion is one of the best story games out there and nitws takes place in my home state! (also some midwest emo/mathrock in the beginning is based af)

[@dizzydotdingus]

I loved night in the woods ever since it came out and I relate to it all too much entering my 20s, i love revisiting it every fall.

[@rainbospud4316]

I like that this game makes me so happy I physically cannot explain it in any way that makes sense. I played it when I was at an all time low mentally. It saved my life honestly.

[@GreggRulzok]

Oh Im so happy to see more content is being made about nitw, nobody is really talking about the game nowadays which is lame, so seeing a nice long video praising it is so nice, thank you!

[@InkyGhoul]

The Black Goat isn't Satan, it's a pretty blatant Lovecraft reference

[@ellw7830]

i loved this video! i've been rewatching hbomb's video essays for the past few weeks and i think you did a great job doing something with a similar format. nitw is also one of my favorite games of all time, i'm happy to find someone's analysis and breakdown of the game

[@Idkanymorebro_]

This is seriously one of the best videos I’ve seen on NITW. You deserve more subs man!!!!

[@roarey]

this was a super interesting watch! well formatted and entertaining all the way through!! I gotta play through nitw again now !

[@pouncelygrin6699]

man, thanks for this I get to relive this game through your video essay and well it feels really refreshing, while I may never get to play it for the first time again I do get to feel it for the first time everytime someone talks about it

[@Spectrik]

This was really unexpected on my recommended I loved the art style but never had the chance to go deeper into this game thank you

[@boogiebong420]

Rewatched this video and fell in love with it and the game all over again I LOVE your editing the music is very very nice

[@sapphic_bones]

Thank you so much for making this !! I love night in the woods and really enjoyed this video!! Keep up the good work♡

[@srisarvanichills5616]

The gregg notes being gregg gregg is so real

[@joseybryant7577]

In my top three of all-time list. Such a special game to me. I'm glad others have found something special in it.

[@Julia-rx1dq]

Excellent video!! You explained what makes this game so special so well. I love how real the dialog is, the game just sticks with me. Subscribed!

[@annyshkilionok2680]

"Dad" - Becomes a communist.? passed out from laughing too much, I fucking forgot about this entirely

[@OstaniorRent]

played this game some years ago, i love it. and also its relateable, so that felt even deeper

[@SnakeManH155]

Wow, I myself have trouble listening to longer videos, but this one, for some reason, kept me hooked practically the whole time. Dunno how much it helps, but you’re getting a sub from me man.

[@kafeimewtwo2410]

For some reason as soon as you said “Midwest” and I heard the song used for the opening it reminded me of those Midwest emo mixtapes that are all over KZbin, really great way to set the vibe 👍

[@NormDeMoss]

Lovely work. You have the takes, jokes, and production sensibilities of a much bigger channel. Subbed.

[@Trizek]

i dont know why, but this video made me cry over 5 times watching it for the first time now thank you

[@volcanic9120]

Comment for the algorithm because this video doesn't have as much attention as it deserves and neither does Night in the Woods.

[@kayteweeks9706]

This video is soooo goood!! CRIMINAL that it only has 263 upvotes; I absolutely loved Night in the Woods and your analysis even more! Thank you for making this video. It is incredibly well done; I hope the game devs see this.

[@artemisarrow179]

Few games blow me away. Fewer still surpass. I'm not embellishing when I say Night In The Woods changed my life.

[@twixeroni]

This game has been so important to me ever since it came out, its in my mind most of the time and ever since I found it I knew I'd want to keep it on me forever. I'm planning on getting a tattoo of the quote on the album covers and some astrology stuff around it. I wish this game has more attention on it

[@Polwad]

One of the best games I've ever played, I hope more people can experience it.

[@SerpongeDash]

I didn't expect the gd bit, always funny whenever I see gd popup in unrelated medias, I always forget the reach it has. Anyway night in the wood is crazy, the nostalgia is so deeply relatable and that makes me both sad and happy

[@andersg.8504]

Holy shit Serponge Geometry Dash

[@Anxmaly666]

Thought i was the only one that noticed that lmao

[@LittleAnnoyngThing]

Yeah yeah yeah, the pipeline of pandemic to dropping out of college to playing NITW to getting mae tattooed, we all know it. (Jk), amazing essay. Well structured! Everything that makes the game good and I didn’t have words to express

[@edgyusername4191]

Small correction, The Black Goat isn't Satan, it's a reference to a creature from the Cthulhu mythos called Shub Niggurath that is often called The Black Goat with a Thousand Young.

[@andersg.8504]

Interesting, while I knew it had lovecraftian ties I didnt know it was this direct, pretty cool. Also, how like lovecraft to almost include the n word in one of his creations. Classic H. P.

[@Anxmaly666]

Night in the Woods has to be one of the best games to ever exist PERIOD. The way everything just works together to create an amazing experience for the player is just incredible.

[@hunnyb33_]

rdr2 and night in the woods are literally my fav games so im so glad u mentioned it at the end

[@teirusureynard9279]

21:00 - I liked Greggy the most, but after the first argument, I felt compelled to play Bea's path because I felt obligated to patch up with Bea after the fight.

[@johnmalock6517]

Incredible video, I’m glad you brought some new perspectives to one of my favorite games, very good job balancing the audio and editing the clips together, I’m excited to see what you do next!

[@EmpathicPerson]

You are so sweet 🐱

[@pugcarter780]

Using Midwest emo rock as the background music for a lot of this video was perfect. The real life possum springs soundtrack.

[@Snow146]

Great video! NiTW is my favourite game of all time. also I was really not expecting the good kid music good choice

[@green93]

It's crazy to me that we had the exact same experience with NITW, playing it during the pandemic and thinking it was good but nothing crazy. Only to later have a crazy urge to play through it again and end up loving it.

[@mainegameboy5670]

Found you from the reddit post, big fan of the editing and pacing

[@jodiepama1418]

Thanks for this video. Going through a rough time and this game is something I always come back to.

[@EmpathicPerson]

*Hug you*🤲♥️

[@pihlajafox]

10:10 "Logitech G-502 hero moment"

[@p1nkPallas]

Night In The Woods will forever be my favourite game.

[@Andyhoffman98]

You deserve mores subs and view my friend

[@nex8939]

I remember playing this game when I was 15, even though I was so young then it really stuck with me and now looking back at it as an adult I appreciate it even more. It really captures what its like to be a young, and 'weird' growing up in a place you don't really like. I also really loved Greg back then and now years later I have finally been able to admit the fact I am gay, I feel like he as a character kind of helped towards that with how it was portrayed so casually whereas other media before that I had watched gay characters always were always stereotyped and feminine which is something I never related to. Really great video, was awesome hearing someone else experience with this game and it was written and presented so well. I really hope your channel gets more traction cause its well deserved :)

[@lesbianetherea]

HUGE RESPECT for the worthikids song in the vid

[@bellzatanium8698]

I found this game while in high school and it was exactly the lessons and conversations I needed to have with myself at that time. It helped me face big questions and not feel so afraid of living. It will always have a special place in my heart ❤ Happy to see more content about it ! I really enjoyed the video :))

[@Lewmzi]

I backed this game in 2013 and played it at launch in 2017 and absolutely loved it, but I was also obsessed to find all the secrets and was involved with first guide for the achievements. The game was rather buggy back then tho and after multiple playthrus I put it down to wait 'til it was fixed. And picked it up this week, like 5 years later lmao. Good news, it had been fixed since then and also I got new content to explore with the Weird Autumn update, and while I was cleaning up the last straggling achievements, I watched lot of KZbin related to this game, and stumbled on your video. I'm rewatching it now that I have after 10 years and idk 85+ hours seen all there is to it to this game and yeah dude, I resonate with this video. I'm not from flat midwest, but from sticks in northern europe and lot of the game's subtext and messaging resonsted with me. I don't think I ever forget this game, and I'm glad this video got to be part of my experience with it. Good stuff 👍

[@Forgotten_scenegirl]

As a person who has played night in the woods many many times and gotten different endings I approve this message

[@info_dash313]

Nothing else to say. I love the video. And I love your choice in music.

[@Seecada]

This is a good video, I'm glad this game is bringing new people meaningful experiences.

[@dingoflowers]

harfest is like a fall festival in a small town i think which is usually so close to halloween it’s themed that way

[@Dorelaxen]

A friend of mine recommended this game to me back in 2018. At first, I didn't think it was for me. I'm WAY older than the target audience, more than twice as old. It looks like a kid's storybook. To quote Linkara, "I AM A MAN!", and grew up on action games and RPGs. But he showed me the scene in the library where Mae and Bea are looking through the microfiche. I liked the quirky music, so I grabbed it. It quickly became one of my favorites. I realized quickly that I, too had gone through all the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, long ago as that might have been, and while the specifics of those experiences might have been different, it's still a universal thing that we ALL go through in some way. You're 100 percent right about the soundtrack. It's AMAZING. The use of leitmotif and appoggiatura to evoke emotion makes you nostalgic for something you've never even experienced. That's incredible. I won't comment on what happened with Alec, except to say that there were no winners with what happened. Everybody lost. I grew up in a tiny Southern town (not so different from rust belt towns in most ways) with less than 2000 people in it, so that part of the game really resonated with me. Had a shitty childhood, so I empathized with Angus. The characters actually TALK realistically, too. It really IS a masterpiece. Don't know what else to say. It's a real shame that we'll never see any more of these characters, though.

[@andersg.8504]

Indie games and the leitmotif is such an iconic combo. Also I agree, I really do think the way the characters talk, how real people would, really ampliefies how fantasitc this game is.

[@sagaevan9641]

the biggest thing i dislike about the game, as it goes with most things you love, is that eventually it feels so small. i desperately want more of it, nothing feels quite the same.

[@rainbospud4316]

Please continue making more videos, I know you don't have many subscribers but you deserve so many, I loved this, keep it up

[@lkm630y79]

You deserve way more recognition dude !!

[@oliviaborst9281]

This is amazing, NITW is probably my favorite game of all time

[@lymphliar]

First Night in The Woods video essay I actually enjoyed because you seem to understand the game really well. I am going to subscribe in hopes that you will continue making content whatever it may be.

[@mitchellbarton7915]

"Sounds wet somehow" I think the use of the reverb did that. However I'm no music expert by any means. 😅 Edit: LOVED the Gregg descriptions. Edit edit: Gregg

[@twizzlers7274]

"Plays when gregg" XD thats pretty funny if you ask me

[@TheBigCheez3]

This deserved a sub

[@Alex_0Z]

only 563 subs what the heck?!?! the quality of this vid is outstanding! hope you blow up

[@Drivestort]

The couch has feet, you can see them right there, it's very smol but it's there.

[@Lambda_Ovine]

Very good video, Anderps Night in the Woods is also my most favorite game ever. I don't know if it's objectively the best video game ever made, that's irrelevant. It's the game that resonated with me the hardest in so many levels. - Lamb (λ)

[@moosesues8887]

Mario maker 2 sweeps

[@SALAAAAAMIII]

A VIDEO ESSAY ABOUT THE BEST GAME VER???? DON'T MIND IF I DO

[@veselinivanov9475]

I go play the game now. I'll be back to finish watching the video after I finish the game

[@bug_boy]

My bf is trying to get me into night in the woods and wanted me to watch this video because it does a good job explaining it and has some laughs. I'm happy to share another similar taste in games with him and it makes me feel awesome that I get to explore a new game but not feel like I'm going in blind. Also cool video

[@brendenhickman4198]

HULLO FELLOW MN FRIEND! Be safe on the roads they're shitty :/

[@soirema]

Im at 5:07 and I really appreciate your historical-geographicall comment on the location of the game! Im european so sentences like " university in X" or "I move to Y" (in America) which were clearly made to invoke a reaction, means nothing for me, so thank you so much!

[@andersg.8504]

Thanks, I'm currently going to college with a history minor so I just couldn't help but flex my knowledge. Something to understand though is that none of the places named in game are real places, but they are suppose to be stand-ins for real places. Ex: "Bright Harbor", the place Gregg and Angus want to move is suppose to represent a warm coastal city with a high cost of living (LA, San Diego, San Fransisco, Miami). "Mulvay", a town talked about as a dangerous place is likely a stand in for an urban blight city, such as Camden, New Jersey or Gary, Indiana, both of which are massive centers of crime near large cities. Really interesting stuff if you want to look into it.

[@islawinley4676]

i loved this video a-lot. night in the woods is my favourite game of all time for all reasons pointed out in the video, so cool man love it

[@felispolyglottos]

(in actuality though this video FUCKED at background noise and I really enjoy how you go through it all :} )

[@clutteryguy9747]

I agree with everything. Also amazing video!!!!!!

[@ironyslab]

i was actually thinking of doing this video, its great someone else did it. best game ever.

[@sleeping_sarah8693]

I only just played Nitw for the first time during the summer and right then and there it was my favorite game. It really sucked thought because the games fanbase is almost completely gone and no one really talks or even plays it. And now like 7 months later I find this masterpiece of a video Ty

[@goblinwafer]

ive played this game too many times to count and with almost every achievement im glad someone could explain how fucking amazing this game is. definitely a life changer

[@moogleydoot]

i cant believe you didn't play astral alley when you talked about the music. that song is a freaking masterpiece

[@andersg.8504]

Yeah I agree I was just trying to display songs that perfectly fit the scene, for instance how the Ol Pickax perfectly fits the theme of a home depot or ace hardware.

[@beckthewhettah6464]

Great video! unfair you got so little subscribers ya definetly deserve so much more! also w opinion (that french people don't exist) and this game is a masterpiece

[@andersg.8504]

The masses will soon know of the French Conspiracy

[@theapexsurvivor9538]

As someone with British heritage, I *Wish* the French didn't exist.

[@crispycornflakes7850]

40:10 but the couch has 2 wooden legs holding it up it's not floating...

[@andersg.8504]

Oh my god i see them now. Video ruined. I cant recover from this.

[@boopedysnoot9093]

oh someone else saw this? il just get rid of my comment then lol