THE SPACE BETWEEN - Creepy, Cryptic Surreal Horror Game
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2019
- The Space Between: chrstphfr.itch.io/the-space-b...
The Space Between is a strange one. It's a horror game that requires some... dissecting.
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the video is quite long but i guess it's mostly because of the space between each subtitles.
That is correct.
Everyone's favorite neighbourhood nazi that took me like 5 mins to read. Type faster
@@Mr_Fancypants That's true
. . .
I didn't notice the length befor now
This lack of names with text was pretty confusing. I get the devs probably wanted to avoid it being immersion breaking, but something like colored text for each character could have worked.
How does writing a names breaks the immersion? super long tension is what breaks the immersion in most of these new so called horror games horror games should be dedicated to the best game with best atmosphere possible because NOT the point of horror in itself it not about just tense for few minutes and forcing to walk for hours until you become numb and super board horror must focus on the experience rather solely being a salve of element and praising it while ignoring everything else and for whine so much a about jumpscares not every jumpscare is terrible and most of game don't display jumpscares that much anyways people just hate them because they don't like horror scares jumpscares and enemies are necessary in horror because they represent actually and the scary moments that we fear or image that they would in a horror situation if you don't like them just don't play horror games you already they are to happen anyways
That's what I was going to say. Makes it much less confusing.
othman tayach .... What lmao
@David Watson It didn't even end either, since there's no period. Rumor has it hes still working on the next addition.
@@othmantayach9449 bruh pls use some punctuation at least
According to the developer. Not knowing who is talking is part of the experience. He explained it's all supposed to be very deliberate and static in how the game progresses. So I guess alot of it is done to push the player into a thinking space about what is going on.
Lol what a pretentious twat.
Abyss Walker lmao. Nice
Eeeh, I also do find it pretentious. The overall experience already felt like a pretentious scribble, but after knowing this regarding the dialogues, lol...no thanks.
But hey, I'm sure some people like those type of "games", it's just not my thing
Personally I didn't find it pretentious. The game didn't seem to try to impress or act like it's more than what it is. It's legit being what it's supposed to be. Nothing more or less.
@sREUDIAN fLIP from what I can tell it's to portray a dream like experience. I think not knowing who is talking makes sense in that context. And a story in a dream is also just as static or bizarre. That's what I took from the game personally. It may not be a "fun" game, but I did find it interesting.
The Space Between but its a game about personal space.
REEEEe I will always find you
I can't get the Dave Matthews Band song out of my head though.
Seems like Call Me Kevin title
dude seriously same
just went through ur wtf playlist, ty lol
Thank you for playing my game!
Hey man! Can you explain the story? Please I have to know what it means 😢
For me, too! I'm confused
Hey I love your game! I think I understand most of it, but what exactly am I looking at at 36:15? Is it a corpse...?
Please keep making more! They're really interesting (and creepy)!
This is amazing! I believe I understood the concept behind the game, everything was cryptic, yet clear at the same time. Honestly a masterpiece.
Going to take a crack at this...
Lets start with the idea that Martin did love Daniel in more than a friendly way but perhaps he didn't know how to express his love or Daniel didn't reciprocate. I lean towards Martin just never telling Daniel he loves him as it builds an idea of a "wall" between them, a wall created of Martin's inability to tell Daniel how he feels. The only way they can be physically close is to touch each other with the curtain game, but again a wall exists between them because they'll never be lovers. Obviously at some point Daniel dies and Martin goes on to design his theater and meet Clara. I think you were spot on with why Clara and Martin liked each other, they both enjoy this idea of being close but separate. However, Martin still loves Daniel, and I think that's what leads him and Clara to break up. He can only be physically close with Clara when the curtain is there with the two holes and he can imagine Daniel, which Clara I would assume at some point has had enough of and can no longer continue the relationship that way. I think once Clara leaves Martin sort of loses it. He sees the ghost of Daniel behind the curtain where Clara once was. The bathroom scene at the end I think is meant to represent Martin taking his own life. And the two chairs in Clara's window is meant to represent Daniel and Martin meeting again in death, while Clara looks on in life.
That's the best I've got, hopefully it makes a little sense haha.
I like this theory. Makes sense to me.
I agree. Bravo. I like this theroy a lot
After watching the game again I have some tweaks and timestamps to add, but I think the theory holds up for the most part. Also it's much easier on a second go to figure out who is talking when, and at some points it really doesn't even matter who is saying what. It's definitely all part of the experience.
2:12 Daniel to Martin: "Don't you want to come out?" Could be Daniel asking Martin if he wants to "come out of the closet." Overall I think the conversation leads you to a place of love between the two, and makes me wonder if maybe Daniel did know Martin loved him, but they were both hiding their love.
7:35 Clara to Martin: "A builder of walls?" Martin is so good at building walls, physically as an architect and metaphorically between himself and Daniel, or between his true nature as a gay man and the world
8:52 Martin to Clara: "And it is hard to let go" Just another point where Martin seems to be longing for something he can't have
9:00 Martin to Clara: "I can live inside my work" This was one part of my theory that I didn't touch on - why was Martin found buried inside the walls of the theater? I think the discussion Clara and Martin have about his narcissism and ego towards his work sort of hints at this. Martin loves his works so much he lives in them, it would make sense that he would also want to be buried in them.
10:43 through 18:18 (theater discussion between Martin and Clara) In this discussion I think they make the point that Martin is the "actor" while Clara is the "audience." Martin is acting out a role as a straight man interested in Clara, while Clara is characteristically observing Martin, not only through her window but also as an audience to his fake self. It all comes back down to them being close yet separate, having a space between them.
21:26 Martin to Clara: "They called it hell" (phone ringing, door scene) This I think is such an interesting moment, and one tweak in my theory I wanted to add. I think the phone ringing is Daniel's death, as I think up until this point he had maybe been alive but had been forgotten or suppressed in Martin's memories. And I think the image of the door (which we later see is the door leading into the bathroom that I believe is the scene inferring Martin has killed himself) is all just foreshadowing for what's to come. All this happening while Martin discusses the under stage being termed "hell" I think all accumulates in this idea that Martin is ashamed of himself and his love for Daniel. That he lives in "hell" because he's created these walls around his true self, by distancing himself from Daniel, by dating Clara and so on. This is followed by Daniel's funeral which brings it all to the forefront for Martin and is in a sense the beginning of the end.
23:46 Martin to Daniel "I love you" Martin finally admits his love for Daniel. After this funeral scene he is back in the theater with Clara where he plays the curtain game with the holes cut out. I think this is a desperate attempt for Martin to be close to Daniel again, and I believe it's what drives Clara away.
41:48 Martin to Daniel "Please don't go, Daniel" This is right after Martin sees Daniel's ghost, and from here I believe he finds a way to finally be close to Daniel by killing himself.
You could say I really enjoyed this one haha. This is less of a game and more of a story, almost a playable theater (funny!). I would say if you're confused by the story, give it another watch. It all seems to make a little more sense on the second go, and I think my theory on everything is pretty sound, but who knows I could be waaaay off base! That's the fun thing about stories like this, the interpretation is up to you. Thanks for playing, John!
I love your theory! 😍
I laughed so hard when you started doing her voice like it was across the room. Good show
it's funny, but respectful of the game and of the audience. no need for screaming or excessively off-colour humour. amen, john
@@TR-qf2gt He's a gift to the community
good show old chap
this game's title is about how long the damn pauses are between subtitles
"Buried inside it's walls" "Cannot rule out that he was murdered" Well i sure hope people buried in walls isn't a common accidental/natural death
he did not killed her she either never existed or she broked up with him since he never left the isolation factor behind him he always was too focused on making walls around him
either she died of something cus the sheet fort was him playing with Daniel whom either died too or just grow up ... and the casket scenes are related to Clara being in the casket and him mourning her buriyng him self in more walls
Suicide by wall is a new one to me.
Really love seeing you engage so earnestly in what many would dismiss as too artsy/pretentious. Piecing together the narrative, reading into themes, drawing parallels through the repeated symbolism. Honestly, seeing you get so into it encouraged me to give it more critical review, too. Your willingness to really spend thought and emotion on the creeping horror of this story (especially after how easy it must be to become jaded at titles like these) and your open-mindedness towards its bizarre and intentionally vague plot are just more examples of why you've established yourself as worth watching among a sea of LPers. Excellent video.
Whose dialogue is whose may not be too dependent on the bigger picture's core. Martin and Clara's relationship, and the reason the game exists, is their shared fascination with estranged intimacy. They're mostly alike, and their dialogue is usually interchangable until towards the end, where they begin to drift apart. My interpretation is that people like Martin and Clara have issues in their lives they need sorting out before forming relationships. Martin especially when he's mourning and supposedly using Clara's love as a misguided coping mechanism. Them getting close might've been too overwhelming for the other, initiating a break up, and a vague resolution for Clara. I agree with John that the wall of death is a thing, and want to take that a step further just by saying the walls have multiple implications that all have to do with emotional vulnerability and the isolation that may cause. Daniel probably plays a bigger role in Martin's mentality behind this than revealed as the probable causation for it, why or how I'm unsure. Daniel's inclusion may likely serve as an example for how these things can happen to a person. My interpretation isn't comprehensive or perfect, and I'd really like to hear other people's thoughts.
I agree with your interpretation for the most part. Honestly what I interpreted was that Martin is gay, and had loved Daniel. The whole "walls don't have to be matter" thing could be society's barriers, and the fact that they felt they couldn't be together, or maybe they just never tried to cross it (friends to something more). Regarding the under stage being hell, the under stage is where no one is, where the audience cannot see you. This could refer to Martin's inner self, what he struggles with and hides from everybody. If he is extremely closeted or in denial, it would feel like living in a personal hell. He let's Clara into his ego room because she already knows about him being gay (maybe she deduced it by observing him and then confronted him? idk), and she also shares issues with being close to others. Longing for intimacy and someone who shares these issues, they become intimate, but can only do it with the curtain between them. I'm still unsure as to why Clara killed Martin (if that's what even happened), along with a bunch of other loose ends. I'll have to watch the video again. It may be a far fetched theory, but it's what I took from it.
Here's my theory: protagonist doesn't feel comfortable opening himself up to people/expressing himself without "walls" being up between himself and other people. The only people he does open himself up to are his male friend and Clara. He genuinely loves both of them but he still is uncomfortable expressing intimacy to them without a wall (in his case, a curtain) between them. He only tells male friend he loves him when the curtain separates them, and he only has sex with Clara when the curtain separates them. However, he loses both people he loves, the male friend when he dies and Clara when she breaks up with him. With the loss of the only 2 people he loves, the protagonist is only able to express himself/feel close to his architecture; his architecture is all he has left, so he kills himself within the walls of one of his buildings.
This interpretation makes a lot of sense I feel. Especially the last part about his own building. Very sad and powerful
I did notice something interesting: You could draw parallels between a theatre stage and the curtain game. When he asks for Clara to cut two holes in the sheet, I'm not certain it was a sexual thing like we are to believe at first. The hole at the top would be like an open curtain during a performance and an open hole at the bottom would be like being able to see under the stage: into hell. Hell could be seen as Martin's ego since it's where his "ego room" resided.
What's really bothering me is, what was the danger of being behind the curtain with two holes at the end? Perhaps even more interesting to think about, why did Martin change the curtain game with Clara?
I think you are right that the wall not being made of matter has more to do with death than it does emotional distance, but I think it could be both too to some extent.
I think what I will settle on for now is that Martin had a friend named Daniel. They played the curtain game. Years later Martin meets Clara who likes to watch others through her window and forms a connection through that experience. Daniel dies and Martin tries to play the curtain game one last time with the coffin, but doesn't feel anything from Daniel because of the wall of death. Clara tries to comfort Martin and convinces him to play the curtain game with her. He asks her to cut holes in the sheet so she can look through the "window" and see him while he holds his hand to hers against the sheet. This at least explains the top hole because now they are both able to connect with eachother in their own way. Unfortunately, something doesn't work out between them. The emotional wall between them causes a break up between the two and the final horror sequences are Martin's mind spiraling into depression over the wall because he views it as the same wall as the one that separated him and Daniel: the wall of death. In his mind, Clara is essentially dead.
Your comment is more entertaining than the game and it took me less than a min to read. 👍🏻
@@Peachu_n_Goma_Home No, you need 40 minutes of padding because MUH ART
Oh what the fuck ever, if you’re not going to use your brain the fuck off. If you don’t like it fine, but this is art.
Very insightful
There are some really interesting interpretations in the comments, but yours is by far my favorite
I think the holes in the sheets are definitely related to some homosexual relationship Martin had with Daniel when they were younger. Probably to conceal the "shame" involved in what they did. Clara was just a surrogate for Daniel.
oculartremors ^^I was thinking about this and I think maybe John thought about it too but just didn’t say it...?
@@keons2738 Well of course he did. He clarified that when he first mentioned. Ya know, 'love love' 😉
thats what i was thinking too. especially taking into consideration how androgynous clara's design seems. im too dumb for this kind of thing lmao, but i actually enjoyed it quite a bit, but i dont think id enjoy playing it myself as much as i did watching someone else play it.
part of me wonders if the chairs on the stage was a reference to "the artist is present", too. I remember a big thing people remembered about the performance was when the artist's ex showed up as one of the people sitting across from her.
I can agree.... He didn't want to really do it with Clara lol.... But still it seems way more deeper than that.
@@WittyKittyRitzy i wonder if its meant to be taken multiple ways at this point, the more i think about it? cos i can relate a lot of the imagery and concepts to experiences and feelings i had growing up gay and trans. but on the other hand, i can also seethe "walls" being walls between life and death. I also thought for a minute that maybe martin stole daniel's body before the coffin was put in to be cremated, and maybe Clara found it?? idk, theres just, A Lot
tl;dr: I think Martin killed himself to be with Daniel but still wanted to be with Clara. But most of the story is metaphorical trying to find a "space between" that doesn't exist.
The curtain scene is twofold: "Even if were separated I'm still here with you, beyond the wall that separates us. But if you build walls you'll never be able to feel the person behind them without also feeling the wall separating you."
"The space between" is wanting both sides of the wall. To be alive but also be with those you've lost (Daniel). To have the safety of emotional walls but the closeness that lies beyond them (Clara). "The space between" a wall, not on the opposite side of a wall, but not on the same side with someone, either.
Daniel's scenes are about how, when someone dies, it can feel so much like they're still HERE, so close you can still feel them. But that you cant feel them without feeling their death.
Speculation: Martin watched Daniel through the circular window during his cremation, and decided the only way to be with Daniel was to kill himself.
John is right Clara and Martin were drawn together by their need for walls. They were able to cut through their walls first by talking, then by having sex. But I think Clara wanted no walls, while Martin wanted the space between. So when Martin killed himself, the final scene represents his wish to be in the space between where he is dead but can still be with Clara (the holes in the curtain).
My interpretation goes back and forth a lot because I dont know which scenes were literal.
I love psychological horror games no jump scares just disturbing events and atmospheres
True, the atmosphere really creeped me out until i cover my eyes just in case anything pops up lol :P
Mr hooman Gaming channel the music is so good too
The two games by these guys look like videos you'd find in the trash. Real Creepy. They've perfected the found footage look.
That music at 17:00 is fucken awesome. Does anyone know if it from somewhere or original?
They come out as pure pretentious cock suckery to me
The atmosphere is great, but my main issue comes with the way the story is told and the gameplay ... Or lack there of.
The creator could've really cut back on the confusing vagueness (and pretention) of the dialogue while still allowing the player to make their own conclusions without spending so long piecing the story together.
Speaking of that... Good grief is this a slow game. A walking sim can still have some engagement if theirs a good amount of visual and story-based stuff going on, but not only is the walking speed and dialogue extremely slow, there's a lot of places in the game that drag on and on...
In other words, yes they nailed the look, but they've got a lot to work on in most other areas. At least, imo.
@@jorgeloredo100 I see where you're coming from but it looks so creepy. Its like Im gonna see a guy commit suicide with a potato gun because he's in love with Bjork or something.
They definitely belong in the trash...
what this game reminds me of is how sometimes there can be an experience that sticks with you, that motivates you. Martin's experience was the curtain game, the question of being separated but close. it becomes an element in his designs, in the theater, in David's crypt (and I assume other designs he made), and consumes his views towards connections with other people. I would have liked it to end with him sealing the curtain over himself in the room at the end, sealing himself in (for the death indicated in the intro) in an attempt to reach Daniel across the veil of death.
I feel like the veiled impression of the body in the darkest room down the stairs was a representation of who taught the curtain game. I feel like it was a trusted figure, perhaps neither Michael nor Daniel.
I love this explanation a lot.. to reach Daniel across the veil of death..
In the US, bodies being cremated must be in a container. That can be a simple wooden coffin or a cardboard box. While the box is more economical, people tend to have emotional reservations to putting their loved ones in a box. Japan has very simple, thin walled coffins as well; 99% of their dead are also cremated.
Here in the UK, it's the same way. The funeral itself might have an open casket, but once it is then fully sealed, the coffin and all contents are cremated together.
Well obviously, Japan is way to small to bury every body that dies.
I used to work at a factory that produced all manner of boxes and can confirm that yes there are cardboard boxes that are used for cremation. The bottom part is just a large rectangular box. The lid is the creepy part. One end is labeled "HEAD" and the other has a square box with lines to write the deceased's info on for identification purposes.
i suppose its also about.... leaving an imprint on the world. the curtain is the world and the hand is the impression
polikings well said! I think to add onto that, it’s about the outside world’s impression on you and your impression on the outside world even when you try to disconnect yourself from it. (?) definitely puzzling but interesting nonetheless.
@@tebelel7150 Very true. It's full of cryptic symbolism and that adds a true air of creepiness. A lot more enjoyable than some pointless jump scare riddled game that relies solely on the monsters themselves- this one focuses on atmosphere. I feel like the slow pace of the game adds to the creepiness, but is also telling of the message the game is trying to convey. There is definitely more to it, but one thing that stood out to me was the simple showing of how twisted society is, and how the evil, narcissistic, strange realness of society is hidden under a stuck up, pretentious mask that is convincing to a skimming eye, but easily seen through when examined a bit harder.
I don't understand but I think the last part where you see 2 chairs is supposed to be Martin and Daniel on either side on stage, performing while Clara watches them as the audience. Martin trusted Clara and brought her into his 'hell'. He doesn't know anything about her while Martin tells her everything about himself. Don't know wat the holes are about lol
_Who keeps leaving the magnets next to my cool VHS filter?_
5:30 that Episodes call back tho. 🍕⌚
Princess Grouchy honestly I need another episode video from John, those are some of the funniest things I’ve watched
I don't know why, but I felt a kind of dread at 36:10 that I haven't feel in quite quite a while. I would've love a clear conclusion, but it's really great tho
I also felt intense dread, it sent chills through me.
When exactly, when you see the human or when descending the stairs?
@@lappodamy5826 the whole part until he gets out of the bathroom. Also the whole experience feels uncomfortable
I agree. Haven’t felt that in a long time... that sent mega chills down my spine. Really well done sequence. :)
This game's title reminds me of the paper bag speech from PT: "The gap in the door... it's separate reality. The only me is me, are you sure the only you is you?" I can't be the only one who thought of it when i read the title.
I laugh at paper bag but when it speaks i contemplate a little
From the synopsis on the game page: "The architect Martin Melanson, commissioned to build a theater, meets a woman named Clara, outside of his apartment complex at night. Attracted to each other, they visit the theater's building site." This leads me to interpret it that the player is Martin and the character you're looking at is Clara, and makes me think it's Martin watching her through his window initially. In the comments the dev seems to want the whole thing to be ambiguous for the sake of surreal experience, but it feels more like an incoherent mess to me. I ended up more annoyed than intrigued.
A lot of people in the funeral industry will try to sell you an expensive coffin just to burn it, but you can ask for more accesible ones made of wood or cardboard.
Lifeprotip
“There ain’t enough room for two first comments...”
Weird, the first bits are giving me a real throwback vibe for 'The Sixth Sense'.... probably from the tent and clotheslines.
I understand the space between theme, and I did quite like how it held the theme throughout the game, but I'm not sure I completely understood all of the story, or maybe it's supposed to be very vague and open-ended? Not completely sure, but it definitely got pretty creepy at the end there
Also, the moment you understood what the holes were for was hilarious XD XD 34:00 that was such a perfect reaction, hahaha
Best horror CZcamsr on CZcams!
Totally agree!
Man this game has big Pathologic/The Void vibes. I’m into it, though I’ll agree and say the text speed and lack of understanding who’s talking, while probably intentional, strangles the pace and adds a layer of confusion that maybe doesn’t need to be there to communicate the point
I found this to be deeply disturbing but I can’t place exactly why
Because it went on for 40 minutes longer than it should have and you can't comprehend why you watched the entire thing.
"I think I'm gonna call my Uber" lmao! 😂
This game is so...unsettling and the pace of the dialogue makes it more so
Put them in raw - John Wolfe 2019
I liked that you left the in game music in the end, instead of your regular outro music.
I come back to this every now and then when I'm feeling like having an existential crisis.
It's so fun that every fictional character I come across with the name Clara is clinically insane, an arsonist, or a serial killer.
How about one who gets mutated into a bizarre vaguely human aberration?
@@DracoHandsome Well this one's new to me, I have to admit xD
What's up John? Greetings from Germany, your content and humor rocks, dude👍🏻✨
Hi.
Good ol' family reunion in this thread
Deutschland Uber Alles!
Danke shoon
@Honudes Gai
AGAIN?! OH NO-
I found this game very interesting. Near the end when the eerie music plays it reminded me of the shining. Very unnerving
I saw Neco the Sergal play this a while back and I'm glad this stuck with me, especially the soundtrack. It's oddly comforting but very creepy. The devs really do well with their style of games.
Weird sobel edge effect. Sort of reminds me of some old classic games.
It's also what you get when you sharpen an image too much.
@@Demokaze Ahh wow, didn't know that. Thanks!
I was actually trying to figure out how to do it lol
John you know Im fiending for another Childhood Cringe. And I dont wanna wait years for another episode so I gotta bother you about it. Would love to hear a lengthy one with an ending. Werewolf woods? I believe you said was the title of one. Or the Graveyard Hotel. I listen to things while I drive for my job and love the childhood cringe lol. I've listened to the same 3 a few times over.
I SECOND THIS. WE BEEN WAITING, WOLFE 👏👏👏👏
Aye on both.
Is he holding out on us?
Yet again, John's holding out on us
I think that Clara is not an actual person- I believe that she is a manifestation of Martin's turmoil and feelings over Daniel that haunted him so viciously they became this force that both destroyed him and comforted him. I do think that Clara killed Martin, in the sense that his emotions (manifested into a figure AKA Clara) tore him apart from the inside out, in turn driving him to commit suicide whilst hiding away in the only place he ever felt content or proud- the walls of his creations, the tangible, visible form of what he longed for the most- separation and yet profound closeness, which could be explained in the two different ways that John touched on in the end. They could be walls of emotional distance due to the happenstances of Daniel's death, and also the wall/veil of life and death that is separating Daniel and Martin. Daniel could have been killed or been taken by natural causes or disease, or he could have commited suicide that he had been hinting at doing to Martin, and Martin feels guilty for not picking up on the hints or simply ignoring them, so he wants to make it up to Daniel for not helping him by staying emotionally distant from others to show that he cares only for Daniel. He could also just not want to get close to anyone again because he does not want to lose them and be hurt. However, if Clara is the manifestation of Martin's emotions, it would either make absolutely no sense why he would avoid contact or perfect sense depending on your stance on the game. Clara could be haunting him and reminding him of all he didn't do to help Daniel, therefore causing him to want to stay as far away from her as possible, or he could not want to risk hurting Daniel again through the manifestation he is (sort of) through Clara. I have more things I want to say but no way to say them, so I will stop there. Overall great game, very symbolic, meaningful, and pitifully relatable in a sense. Wonderful video, as well John, and thank you for your insight. Many gaming CZcamsrs would play this game and make fun of it for not making any sense and ridicule it due to lack of understanding, or simply present a laughable view entirely unrelated to the actual game, but you at least try to make sense of it, so thank you.
This could be interpreted in a lot of ways which is cool.
I do think that the two chairs at the end were the same ones from the beginning, except now they are uncovered.
"My name is Pizza Time." 😂😂😂 I got that without you having to explain it.
I got the vibe of Daniel's ghost getting pissed at Martin for moving on, Martin went after the ghost and got caught in the walls. Clara would have been the one to find him there dead. "Martin? Where are you? Maybe he's in his room? No. Back here? ...oh shite!"
I haven't seen anyone else mention this yet so I thought I'd chip in: I thought it was fairly obvious at least one of the metaphorical walls being discussed was the 4th wall, especially because the whole thing is set in a theatre. I don't have any big theories or anything, but I thought it was worth mentioning
definitely confusing at times, but the message there intrigues me and i really like what the game is trying to say.
"sometimes walls don't have to be out of matter" is brilliant.
Hey john, I love your content, and am a big fan. You actually make horror bearable for me, with that dark humor. So thank you for that, and keep up the great work!
now i can't forget this game... the music and the atmosphere itself are so awesome... wow... effected on my mind so much... thanks for playing it
This game was absolutely garbage and boring stop lying to yourself
If the space between us is in outerspace the space would be endless and who knows how long that is
This is a pretty deep game.
I love John's "stroking beard because perplexed" face
I always liked how you always talk about the last game the developer makes. Love the video!
Some people complain about the lack of "gameplay" in this, well you know what a game can also be an experience. The dev have put effort into creating a believable story and environment with great ambiance and for me, that is enough to call a game.
I know it's not much, and is probably to be expected in this kind of game, but it's just so funny watching how they walk down stairs.
Dude, my wife and I have been watching you for years. You are our favorite youtuber. Thanks for all the content you bring!
The ambience of this game was incredible. Its been a while since I've felt this uneasy and on edge while watching one of these. I wish I knew what the full story really meant though. Besides the very long pauses between sentences, I enjoyed it.
Yes! Been missing ya John. CZcams’s been boring without you. Take your time though!
Martin is found dead in the walls at the beginning of the game.
Wow, didn't expect this. Very thought-provoking, I've got like three separate theories already and I don't really want to pick one "true" version! I feel like it's this game's greatest strength, it leaves you puzzled and you can rethink it over and over. Good one.
John is one of the besssst youtubers. I dont have to spend needless money on games that suck,because i can just watch most of his vids to help me choose a quality one
new otp martin and the curtain
I really enjoy profound, cryptic, creepy, thinker type horrors - games and movies alike. I especially enjoy usage of repetition, as was used in this game. It's personally one of my own favorite methods in writing and creation as it can be a powerful tool that digs deep. Both of the characters, in my mind (haha ironically), seemed to be the types to be in their own heads. While they walked through the world, they lived a reality entirely their own, and within their own minds. Whether each was real, or real to the other, is debatable - and I love that kind of nonsense lol. I agree with you on the sort of summaries of each - how they cherished distant closeness vs close separation dynamic, and how each expressed or utilized such. It is difficult to tell if Martin killed Clara, if Clara killed Martin, or if Clara killed herself. I imagine if this were in a movie format, and therefore more drawn out and just a touch more overt, then there would be more to work with in regards to that debate. But even then, I would dare say that you could not definitively tell. In my mind, it seemed to be something that spiraled - but that the outcome is indeterminate.
Great job with narrating and keeping it interesting. Damn son, you a philosopher!
Quite interesting. Thank you for the video John, keep up the good work!
Falling asleep trying to watch this
Protip: watching this on 1.5x speed makes this a lot more bearable to get through.
I think this game will be really beautifull with added VA (or at least a way to tell who is saying what)
Thanks for the video, "horror" games like these are really cool
Definitely nailed the whole making the lady sound like she is talking from afar. 😂😂 10 out of 10 for sure John! 👌🏻👌🏻😂
Weird, open ended game, but I feel like there's a good potential meaning in however many ways you interpret it.
This game would be about 5 minutes long if the subtitles went at a normal speed.
Definitely Martin and Daniel were sharing a deep relationship. So I'm guessing that after Daniel had passed away, anyone behind the curtain was him to Martin. So essentially the curtain game with Clara was a way for Martin to reconnect with Daniel.
Your dialogue really helped make the speed and suspension a bit more bearable. 😫
36:13 - 38:08 Omg. Ew. He didn't burn Daniel's body? 😭 Is he still..."servicing" Daniel's corpse behind his girl's back? 💀 Wow. And after that, I think that dialogue is him talking to Daniel. He's done pretending he can move on.
I respect the creativity of the devs..but I actually thought it was really slowpaced and I fell in sleep
Well that was.............something
The best part of the vid is always your take on the game after it's over. It's a pity they're always so short.
It's finding one of these games that makes it worth while to watch John Wolfe.
Is this a game... or is this... a play??? An... act? A role? THE SEXUAL TENSION
Given how much of a sort of surreal psychological experience this is, I feel like the lack of speaker identification in the subtitles is probably an intentional choice. it adds to the odd dream/nightmare quality of the piece. It's not so much a game in the traditional sense as it is an interactive art piece.
"Under the stage" = "A &#@% In A Box!" *game drops exposition about under stage being Hell* Wait, no, it's actually where Satan lives. It's where Jeff the Killer gets his hair done.
I definitely agree that there should be some way to differentiate who’s speaking but overall I loved the whole aesthetic of the game. There’s just something so inherently creepy about the retro/VHS style to me and the music was so good too like it made things feel really eerie and unsettling. I love developers who are experimenting with this style and it was great to see you play this!
This kinda looks like a puppet combo game, I love it!
Hey John I love all your videos 😁
26:00 minutes in and and the cremation happens....all I can think of is the scene in "Diamonds are Forever" when 007 has that exact thing happen him.
It scared me senseless as a kid, the claustrophobia of it, and the notion of being burned alive in a such a tight space. Terrified me growing up.
In terms of being a Horror Game™, I don't think it holds up too well. On the other hand, as an Art Game™ I think it's pretty good. Dunno if it's just my experience as an art school student but this would totally fit right in with the mixed media/digital arts medium projects we had for our fine arts classes. :D That said, I totally understand why people would find this pretentious or a failure as a game, given the gameplay (or lack thereof lol) and how incredibly slow/confusing the dialogue was. I guess this game wasn't made for that kind of audience in mind, and that's fine. :)
God not knowing who's talking and the long pause between the dialogue is agonizing.
and intentional
TAR JET just because it may be intentional doesn’t make it any less agonizing and boring.
I guess I just have a god-like attention span and considering I’m ADD as fuck, I find that hard to believe. Maybe because I just like “pretentious” things? Maybe because I hate the attitudes garnered towards games like this? The creator himself said it was an intimate experience making it and was not made with entertainment and ease of access being a defining feature. It’s just sad too see people shitting on it because it’s “slow” or “pretentious”.
The coffin, the body, and anything the body is wearing will be cremated together.
Hope this answers your question! :)
If you ask me, the dev perfectly nailed the Italian Gialio Horror Theme atmosphere , that many Italian horrors at that time used ...like "Opera" or 'Deep Red" from the time when Dario Argento made good movies... and if a game can achieve that , it is a solid game in my book
I’m so glad to see more and more games with puppet combo like graphics. (Not that puppet combo started it, but he was what got me hooked on the style, like 90s PlayStation games’ graphics?)
There’s something about them being realistic enough to still resonate with the viewer, but not so realistic that they can fall into the uncanny valley and break immersion. Also this style is just creepier and grittier, IMO.
Hyper realistic horror games can be amazing if well polished, but that takes a lot of money and time, and many horror indie developers don’t have those two things as available to them.
Usually I'm fine with games that take their time to say their piece but with this one, I got rather bored waiting for the conversation to progress. Too many instances of taking a second to read what's on screen, then waiting what feels like an age for the conversation to continue. It really didn't help that there was little to no on screen movement when these conversations were taking place.
John's narration only heightened the weirdness of how long the dialogue dragged on (I love when he reads the subtitles on unvoiced games, don't get me wrong). Imagine asking someone a question, waiting 10 seconds for them to say "Yes", then waiting another 10 seconds to respond. Super weird, super immersion breaking.
How did it break your immersion? By just waiting? Sounds like a “you” problem.
TAR JET you really love defending this game don’t you, I’ve seen you respond to almost every comment that’s critical of it. It’s ok if some people dislike the game, move on.
@@tarjet3867 Think critically, reread my comment, and try again.
I'm watching this a second time now and I just feel like surreal horror (if you can even call this surreal, it's mostly just a series of vaguely connected sequences) doesn't work that well when it drags so much like in this game. The other game by this guy, Exposure, was short, neat and it had that "oh I get it" moment at the end
Disconnected had a good “oh I get it” moment too. So did this game. Not everyone can “get it” in what’s supposed to be a “I get it” moment. If you want an analysis, the creator “chrstphr” (I think?) linked a three-part is explanation in this comment section.
I swear one of these days John is gonna break his chair from leaning back
This entire game felt like a David Lynch film to me. From the oppressive atmosphere, to the long and awkward pauses between each line of dialogue. The whole time trying to decide if any given thing is supposed to be taken literally or as some sort of metaphor. And then it just goes off the rails near the end with the creepiness. Just like a David Lynch film, I won't pretend to understand it, but I can say for sure I enjoyed watching it. Especially with you at the helm, John!
Great, just finished ur previous video and i can watch this one too before i go to sleep, just the way i like it :D btw, you have funs from hungary!!!
i love the slowpace in the game. perfect pace in my opinion. i love really slow stuff!. great gameplay!
An hour long John video just as I finished all my adult chores? Yes, please and thank you!!
What about your child chores?
I've watched this on Risk's channel if I remember correctly, and back then this game was really scary for me, not the looks or anything but the whole idea of what a couple could be capable of. It's hard to explain but it really made me scared of this game how they tried to feel close, but separated at the same time, and trying different things. I felt overwhelmed when these parts were discovered. Even the end, though it could be open for interpretation, many think it's one of the lovers who's in the coffin. It just gives me chills, geez