Why The Bard From Wandersong is a Great Character

[@frogmouth2]

I feel like the game did a really good job of making me hate Audrey. By the time I got to rulle, I dreaded asking her for help as much as the bard did and when she smacked #BestGirl with lightning, me seeing her only as the villain was cemented. I really like how they ended Audrey’s character. It’s a little subtle but throughout the whole game, she never does anything without her sword, the object that makes her the hero. The most she would do is jump on a rock. That is until the final moments of the game where after losing her sword when the Bard is caught up in their speech, she slashes him with her scarf. The only things we hear after this is that she was the one who cursed the troll’s boyfriend and a villager in Rulle saying she has decided to take a humble life now. This line of dialogue about her having a less extravagant life and her slashing the bard with her scarf is all evidence that points to deep down, the Bard did get through to her. I think these hints work much better then some sort of redemption or scene of her apologizing because she never truly earned any sort of scene like that.

[@CommRio]

Very true

[@Spoonicks]

Great video! (Spoilers ahead) My personal favorite act was Act 4 because I think it was an excellent "parody" of the Bard themself. How their happy and positive outlook was simply just for the sake of the people around them and not really for themself. Happy Kid in that act I like to think was the personification of the Bard, and Chistmest was the inner turmoil they had a nasty habit of bottling up. And while we don't know a whole lot about their mom, based on her insistence of him smiling, I wonder if it was a learned behavior. Finally, it wasn't the Bard that was the one dishing out joy. Instead, it was the people around them that slowly brought hope back, which is something I think they needed. Thanks for making this analysis, I love the Bard and I love opening up discussions and conversations surrounding this game.

[@CommRio]

Another thing I love about the game, so many scenes and moments tie into the themes of the game and advance important character arcs. It's impressive how much they fit into such a short game.

[@ViolosD2I]

@@CommRio Indeed the moment he admitted to being joyful because others need him to be while bottling up his darker feelings reminded me of a certain character from Doki Doki Literature Club.

[@Mediator2]

I wonder if Happy Kid was modeled to look like the bard, since his father is the one that runs the factory. It would make sense since the slogan is that “Happy Kid is the only thing you’ll ever need” and “Happy Kid brings joy to everyone” if those are how the bards father feels about him

[@ParkourCutieSpicy]

Ooh! Little secret: if you talk to Penny repeatedly while in Delphi, you can order 25,000 beans. Do it if you don't believe me.

[@CommRio]

I am aware of that one although I’ve never done it myself

[@yurihime9739]

I got all the way up to 510,000.... I'm never getting those beans

[@Ranch_doritos]

I got to 31000 beans before I stopped. Penny remembers it and keeps referring to it. It's kinda sweet.

[@Lumberjack_king]

I'm glad that they made it more nuanced than "silly bard saves the world by singing" and the bard isn't always optimistic they have points where they doubt themselves and fall into depression 19:19 Audrey, the bard and mereim all deal with this in the story

[@CommissarMitch]

I want to butt in and say that, though I may be wrong, that the Bard's name is Kiwi.

[@CommRio]

I saw that Greg Lobanov later said canon name was either Kiwi or Bard, but I didn't want to pick between them

[@MrYFM2]

This game is so criminally underrated and it deserves WAY more praise! It's the game everybody, especially in these hard times with the bug and its variant rolling around the world taking lives, needs to play, if not, see. I cannot put into words how thankful and lucky I am to have come across such a powerful game that really tries to speak to its audience.

[@isamekailmahmud9302]

you could say the bard is wander-ful

[@ReisskIaue]

Sorry for answering so late, but I think there is a little irony you might have mentioned about Audrey and the bard: On Steam - that's where I bought Wandersong - you get several achievements. And all of them are gathered by Audrey (using her sword, killing the Dream King and others). Yes those were Achievements nobody should take serious, but I love how this concept still tries to nudge you to thing Audrey is the hero - wenn she is, bus she is a total jerk as well... and in Wandersong - to say it with Tina Turner's words: We don't need another Hero.

[@CommRio]

I played on Steam as well so I had the same experience with that and even the momentary disappointment I hadn't gotten all the achievements before realizing what that meant. A clever bit of storytelling in the achievements

[@ReisskIaue]

@@CommRio Well, Wandersong is the only game where I could get all achievements. But it wasn't that hard compared to other games.

[@theythemdani]

Thank you for talking about Wandersong!! A very good analysis of the Bard's role in the story. They are a very 3-dimensional character, not just a blank player character. They are their own person with their own emotions & morals and it's neat to see a video analysing them! They _aren't_ "the Hero" and that is such an interesting premise to explore! And thank you for mentioning how the Bard's & Audrey's motivations are what sets them apart. I didn't really think of that! (also random thing, your mic quality is very good)

[@CommRio]

Glad you enjoyed the video, and I'm glad the mic quality was good. It's something I've been working on.

[@kingvideogames]

I'm loving all this underground love Wandersong is getting!

[@-Commit-arson-]

I like how everyone doesn’t expect the bard to do very much to save the world But they are literally the only person capable of doing so This isn’t a very surprising when you look at the lore I mean the god of their world is literally a singer who creates reality with her music Of course someone who is good at music will be able to save a world made of music

[@taylorminter1844]

Fun fact! The bard is commonly referred to as Kiwi by the fandom!

[@fredecarlslund5407]

Fun Fact! Its actually the official name for them

[@ericonion3561]

I really liked this game, I played it years ago right before my mom passed away. I also suffer from the bard's toxic positivity in the way that I am always happy and cheerful around everybody even if I feel pretty bad, maybe my version of act 4 is coming sometime. Very nice game

[@MRShryack]

I'm happy I came across this video, Wandersong deserve more attention on it, thank you for making this video.

[@CommRio]

You're welcome, I'm happy you came across the video too!

[@starrdionne2342]

I'm very late to this video but because Miriam wasn't around I wanted to explore a bit...I didn't go inside to meet the spiritual groups when they said 'come inside...' before going to the snowy mountains and I went too far to turn back....but I heard about the bad ending if everyone in the world wasn't in harmony the bard would fail. SO I AM SO GLAD THAT IT WASN'T RELEVANT AND THE WORLD WAS SAVED BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE CRIED. Edit: Oh AND I wish we could get to know more about the bard's father (the factory owner). I also want to know more about the dream king's emotions and the queen of order and the king of hearts! I WANT MORE 😭😭 but sadly...no wandersong 2....never I think

[@CommRio]

Until your comment I didn’t even know there was a bad ending. Yeah Wandersong 2 seems unlikely but we never know.

[@starrdionne2342]

Ooh! You'll find it interesting to look at the bad ending on yt! It's so so sooo sad. It basically happens when you skip side quests (meeting other characters and helping them) and then just sing the song straight away to see that overseers, and if you do this all the way until the end that means that not all the characters will be in harmony which means that it will be the end of the world because they didn't sing the Harmony song with Bard. But I've always wondered if I skipped one side quest or perhaps two but did all the others, I wonder if the world would still end.

[@ninjapotatolorf6237]

If my information is right, you can only get the bad ending on repeat playthroughs by already knowing what the solutions to certain puzzles are, thus skipping huge chunks of the game.

[@CygnusDoesThings]

honestly.. the best character was my little dugon whale flying guy. i miss him and i named him.

[@MimicToMetamorphosis]

What did you name them?

[@CygnusDoesThings]

@@MimicToMetamorphosis lemme check hold on I live-blogged this game to a friend

[@CygnusDoesThings]

@@MimicToMetamorphosis I named him Bloof

[@thelobsterlover9449]

Great video! The editing is high quality and this video probably deserves more attention because your analysis was very in-depth. Though I am a bit sad you didn't talk about the scene in the Crater Theatre as I feel it's one of the more important character moments between the Bard and Miram. It reveals that the Bard chooses to deal with their negative emotions by ignoring them and pushing them away because they would be more helpful if they stay positive. It certainly isn't healthy, but it made them feel more like a real person and I started to sympathize with them a lot. This is game is amazing and I'm really glad you did an analysis video on it

[@CommRio]

As always with these videos some scenes can't make it if I want it to remain a reasonable length, but I agree thinking back on it the Crater Theatre scene should have been included. It adds further proof to my point about Imposter Syndrome for the Bard and Miriam, and mirrors the later scene between Audrey and the Bard. Glad you enjoyed the analysis, and thank you for the comment!

[@Chu_4DaRob0t]

I LOVE how you put the chismest ost while you doing that whole positivity speech you wouldn’t think it would really fit but is does so well💙

[@CommRio]

I'm glad you appreciate it, I do try to get the music to work with the visuals

[@Mcflyeon]

I've recently played and finished Wandersong myself and enjoyed it. I liked the analysis on The Bard (along with Miriam and Audrey) throughout who I find a likeable character throughout with their optimism, kindness, full of hope and even when they hit a low point, they were able to move forward which is the kind of character that we need and how we can be inspired to be just like them.

[@ririlub]

i like how the red leaf(?) on his hat never stops being red

[@lkok9264]

Here is a little description of the board he’s a happy little guy who just save the world and he’s like nothing special about me I’m just bard!

[@jade_life7562]

Nice bro

[@shadythepenguin]

This was an awesome video and really helped to fill in the gaps in why I thought The Bard was such an iconic character. I played Wandersong a bit after it released, and I was going through a real low slump in my life during University; not knowing my place in the world and what the point of it all was. I think The Bard's positive attitude and disposition really influenced me back then and still today, and they remind me why I should keep going on and to spread happiness and positivity to those around me. Thanks to all of that, I'm in a much better place and I've found myself surrounded by people who I was able to connect with because of these lessons. Hearing how the Bard really sets themselves apart from most characters in media really helps to put things into perspective, and I want to thank you for taking the time to make this!

[@CommRio]

You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!

[@KatTsai-pi7ix]

I really wish I could’ve actually done more in this game. It’s was so nice yet sad. It’s my favorite game, we need more like wandersong!!

[@maxwelldavidson4157]

Wonderful analisys! It's a crime less people are talking about wandersong. I enjoyed all 24 minutes I spent listening to this

[@ParkourCutieSpicy]

Penny I'd like more beans

[@andrewendres4421]

Oh I have a chance to that guy: “Well actually the developers said that Kiwi is the bard’s name 🤓”

[@CommRio]

twitter.com/Wandersong_game/status/1045474918031286272 Developer said Kiwi or Bard, but either one is fine

[@andrewendres4421]

@@CommRio I know just trolling 😏

[@awesomedk1]

Great video essay

[@CommRio]

Thank you

[@chlozentimes]

I love wandersong, thank you for making this video

[@CommRio]

You're welcome! Happy to have made it

[@ЕвсейОлесь]

Great video! I didn’t know that the bard is non-binary before you’ve mentioned it. And I always thought about them as him, but it may be because it’s easier for me relate to them this way. And I also like the fact that them and Miriam didn’t end up a couple at the end, cause it’s also relatable to me

[@aggable]

ive loved this game for years im so happy i found this video thank you this game is genuinely so special to me, its one i keep coming back too and i never get over how the characters are portrayed. gah!!! i love this game so much!

[@FlameEliwood]

Hey man I just came across your video recently and I just wanted to say that this is an amazing video! I believe that Wandersong is a game the deserves more attention than it has been given

[@CommRio]

Thank you! I agree I’ve tried to get my friends to play Wandersong but it’s an ongoing process

[@FlameEliwood]

@@CommRio I just opted to buy it for a bunch of people when it was on Sale. I mean I didn't do it BECAUSE of the sale necessarily. I got sold on the game in the first few minutes of playing! But your video analyzing the character was extremely on point. I'm not super good at describing how great things are, or noting specific points I suppose, but your stuff is seriously high quality. I hope you get many subscribers in the future!

[@CommRio]

@@FlameEliwood thank you, I am happy that the channel has had steady growth

[@mothergoon]

You were on my recommended and I'm super glad! Love your vid 💖

[@keplers452b]

This is an Amazing analysis video and I really wish more people saw it and knew of Wandersong and it's beauty. It's shocking how this video is so unknown.

[@CommRio]

Wandersong is certainly an underappreciated game

[@SuperKitten176]

I love Wandersong so much

[@dryice5315]

mask boy: no dance eyala: no sing mask boy/eyala: no worthy to stay this home,go to everhood and suffer pain and death in your loop life,awake the nightmare of night...red doll and cat audrey:cat? cat.G: meow meow suffer in my playroom,life doesn't matter and suffer with another buddies*poof* done red doll: ....

[@thatquietasianguy9582]

This game is pretty silly I love it and I wish I could be as funny as the bard

[@AnthonySmith-t9s]

I wonder why I don't have any knowledge of a fan-made story wherein you play as the hero, and it follows the exact path as the bard from the hero's perspective. It would be really cool.

[@joshuasell9607]

Wait is this why link is the legendary hero? Because he has the legendary sword and is chosen by the goddess but he also saves people and the world through music.

[@ilovepengins]

the funny thing is that audrey was never ever EVER was meant to be a hero even by eyas perspective the role of "god chosen hero" is simply a tool for universal destruction eyas chose her not because she can save everyone but because audrey is a perfect person for doing dirty jobs for eya audrey is strong enough AND is attention starved enough to close her eyes on the fact that she helped destroy her own world audrey may think shes a hero that shes a knight but in reality she was a pawn in the form of knight but in the end both are controlled by the one who plays the game eyas used audrey as a pawn telling shes a knight to set one last final checkmate to the world she created god i just hope greg one day makes a dlc id like to know more about their world im not ready to say goodbye yet

[@yeetlejuice7181]

absolutely amazing video i love the fact that you talked about all of the similarities between the bard, miriam, and audrey, because i feel like that's a crucial part of what makes them work so well their similarities end up highlighting the ways they're different in turn, while still letting each of their personalities and feelings tie into the game's themes incredibly well

[@CommRio]

I always enjoy talking about how the main characters and supporting characters are woven together to support the theme and highlight differences and similarities in their personalities and Wandersong does it so well.

[@spokonokadg6951]

I love Wandersong TwT

[@pyroonbusinesschannel118]

wow i love bard

[@Lumberjack_king]

1:09 nice lol

[@kiayatwixxer4736]

I named The Bard "Kiwi" since it's the canon name and I've been using the pronouns: him, his, he since they look and sound more boyish. And I've only grown up around only male and female so don't bully me because I used to think that non-binaries didn't exist

[@CommRio]

That's all fine, as the developer said any pronouns are good for Kiwi or Bard. As for non binary people yeah it took a while for me to learn about the possibility and now I can count several non binary people among my friends, everything is a process.

[@kiayatwixxer4736]

@@CommRio my sister is nonbinary now so XD

[@CommRio]

@@kiayatwixxer4736 congrats to them!

[@kiayatwixxer4736]

@@CommRio ^^

[@chazmitchell5696]

what about the dream fairy

[@kaistorms1323]

His real name is kiwi

[@CommRio]

So the official Twitter suggested either Kiwi or Bard. twitter.com/Wandersong_game/status/1045474918031286272

[@seigyert5245]

@@CommRio The dot in the grandmas house also says his name is kiwi

[@ViolosD2I]

But his real personality is Elan.

[@CygnusDoesThings]

Also! Holy? When did dev say pronouns? that’s so cool. I thought I felt some fruity undertones :}

[@AngryNerdBird]

One of the things that makes the bard interesting is that they ARE ultimately the hero of the story, but they're not *supposed* to be. They're not the chosen one. They're a total nobody who, through sheer goodwill and determination, ends up becoming the *real* hero in a universe that wants them to die. In a way, it's a lot like being LGBTQ+.

[@yupyeah1959]

can you make a video about gris?

[@PureFoxCube234]

Please! Where should I get this game?

[@CommRio]

I wouldn't say there's a definitive place to get the game. Wherever you want between PC and Switch

[@PureFoxCube234]

@@CommRio cool

[@inamecomeunico8935]

[@kingroberto4776]

Wonderful video but I’m going to have to stop watching a replay the entire game

[@CommRio]

I cannot blame you, enjoy!

[@smt4090]

E

[@st4r444]

Do a vid on why Fe is a better game than ori

[@CommRio]

Fe?

[@st4r444]

@@CommRio look it up

[@heatxsoul841]

u name the little bard "bard" pff my is better... i called him "bleb" xD