Examining 'Athena' - SNK's PS1 Survival Game
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- Athena Asamiya is one of the most recognizable SNK characters, and she's known for appearing in games like Psycho Soldier and The King of Fighters.
Back in the '90s, however, SNK commissioned a survival game starring Asamiya for the PS1 titled 'Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life'.
Taking heavy inspiration from the gameplay of titles such as Resident Evil and Clock Tower, this Japanese-exclusive title tells a science-fiction story about human nature and the bonds we form.
As I'm a sucker for obscure titles, I knew that I had to try this one out (even though I can't read Japanese!) - Hry
Interesting game to say the least, also... funny thing, the Dino area was a stage in KOF '99.
This and King of Fighters: Kyo need a english translation so badly. These are such interesting and really cool games, that I wished SNK could make more of. It really does do well to expand and flesh out these characters more. SNK is all about story and characters anyway, so I'd like for more unique looking games like this to show up in the future.
Spinoffs of fighting games is an interesting subject. The 3 MK spinoffs, Death by Degrees, Soul Calibur Legends, Guilty Gear Judgement. & Virtua Quest to name a few
With Athena having three (to my knowledge) different re-imaginings as it were and such a long lasting legacy, I've always considered her the SNK mascot. She has a ton of variety to her appearances yet maintains an iconic look, despite differing hair and costumes.
0:56 - Survival Horror had become popular at the time and her psychic powers lend themselves surprisingly well to the genre. Certainly does appear to be SNK's attempt to make a more console oriented game, one that wouldn't work within their arcade background.
2:31 - What do you know; they are actually prepared for the inevitable breakout of their horrific experiments.
4:34 - That is a very disorienting cue that there is something to find. Nice to have a visual method of indication but gosh my eyes.
7:00 - I assume they meant to zoom in on her pockets, but instead it seems like Athena ate her ringing phone.
12:57 - Given Athena seems to be learning a new power every few seconds, this makes so much sense. Her psychic power development is rapid-fire.
18:54 - I wonder if, had this game been translated, whether they would have kept this puzzle as is. I recall the first Project Zero having a puzzle that was untranslated, and a lot of people get stopped on it because they assume it's a clock involved in the puzzle (not realising that the top number of the circle reads "zero" rather than "twelve."
23:11 - An thus Psycho Ball makes an appearance... strangely shot out of Athena's chest.
25:57 - What is rather interesting is that it's not merely creating an ultimate lifeform, but bringing one back. It does raise questions of how Tantalus existed before and how it died out in the first place given the powers it's resurrected self has.
29:14 - I was able to get that pacing issue purely from how long it took for you to get to your first fight in the game. Quite surprising the amount of time it takes for Athena, a regular fighting game character, to get into a fight.
31:40 - Given the age of the game, the clear faces and expressions of the characters is certainly praise worthy. There's a good flow of animation in this highlighted scene as well (and plenty of funny janky ones as well if that early running scene is any indication).
@@grinbrothers Thanks for another comment, Grin Brothers! I always love reading them and it means the world to me that you're out there watching my stuff and leaving such detailed comments!
@@khanage1344 An thanks for the Athena content; any plans to delve into her other adventures?
Given SNK has been giving it's non-KOF & SamSho IPs attention as of late (from what we've seen with Garou COW), maybe Athena's own series can get a resurgence in the future.
Since that damn "Dragon Spirit" plotline had been stalled since 2001 and _clearly_ won't be resolved in KOF proper.
Love your work, and this is another great vid. However, the music a tad bit too loud. Haha!
Can hear you loud and clear, but the music gets a bit annoying. 😅
Nothing deal breaker though. Keep up these vids, mate. 👍
Thanks for watching! I wanted to experiment with having in-game audio act as the background music for the first time, and I'll remember your comment for the next time I do it :)
@@khanage1344 of course, mate. And sorry, if I came across rude. 😅
Khanage vs GuileWinQuote in a speedrun competition of this game
I hope this gets a translation someday.
I’m subbed but got no notification. Have you done something with your channel or settings?
@@theycallmejpj Nope, I haven't changed any settings regarding channel notifications! I think CZcams has had too much to drink