WEBVTT 1 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:39.039 Hello everybody, and welcome to a special bonus episode of 2 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:41.679 after Dark, where we're going to be doing a spoiler 3 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:46.320 cast slash in depth discussion on The Medium, the latest 4 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.719 triple A horror game from Bluebird Team, which is my 5 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.840 favorite studio name I think I've heard in a while. 6 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.119 It is a Xbox exclusive available on Game Pass, just 7 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:01.159 came out a week ago, and we're going to talk 8 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.599 about it because it's a very story heavy game and 9 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.280 I think there's a lot to discuss in terms of 10 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:09.239 what we liked and what we didn't like. If you 11 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:11.879 haven't had a chance to play the game yourself, don't worry. 12 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:13.959 We're going to keep it relatively spoiler free for the 13 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:16.560 first part so that you can just kind of get 14 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:18.640 our initial impressions of the game, and then we'll make 15 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:20.840 a clear distinction when we're. 16 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:21.760 Going into spoilers. 17 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.439 I am John Wick Psyche, and I am joined by 18 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:29.879 Jordan remain Associated, who reviewed the Medium for Game Spot. 19 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:31.280 You gave it a nine out of ten. 20 00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:33.599 I have to say I was a little bit worried 21 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:35.120 about that at first. I'm like, what if I like 22 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:36.239 this game way more. 23 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:41.760 Than I guess you'll find out, And then I am 24 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:45.799 joined by Ptil Hornshaw, who is an editor and played 25 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:46.200 the game. 26 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:47.599 Played it. 27 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:51.280 So yeah, I mean, let's just get right into it 28 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:53.599 with our initial thoughts. Jordan, as you kind of said 29 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:57.560 you were a little worried it is a divisive game. 30 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.879 I would say, not just based on kind of what 31 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.280 it is. It's a horror game. It's a It feels 32 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.599 very much like a throwback to like older horror games. 33 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:09.759 You know, I think a lot of people making comparisons 34 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:14.120 to Silent Hill or Resident Evil. You look at the 35 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:19.680 Blueber Team's previous games, like Layers of Fear, they did, 36 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:23.680 the Observer, that Blair Witch game that came out a 37 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:25.840 couple of years ago. All of those games, I would say, 38 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.000 are kind of mixed where I either hear people being 39 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:31.479 like didn't like it, or people like swear by them, 40 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:34.719 like all this game is great. So I mean, yeah, 41 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:36.400 why don't we just go right into it? Jordan? But 42 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:38.520 what was your overall takeaway with the game? 43 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:43.000 I really enjoyed it. Bluebird Team has for the longest 44 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:48.159 time kind of existed. As you said before, the reviews 45 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:52.360 for their games have been very polarizing. People either really 46 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:56.240 enjoy their games or they're just not that big a 47 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.199 fan of them, and I think for most of their games, 48 00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:02.840 I've kind of existed in the Yeah, I can kind 49 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.800 of see what they're going for, but this isn't exactly 50 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:08.400 for me. The Medium is the first game for them 51 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:13.439 that's been able to resonate for me specifically. I'm not 52 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:17.280 quite sure if it's just the way that they dove 53 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.639 into the notion of trauma, if it was just the 54 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:24.439 Stellar soundtrack, if it was the just awesome voice acting 55 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:28.960 of the two stars Kelly Burke and Troy Baker just 56 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:35.039 doing fabulous work, Troy being just the creepiest, creepiest monster 57 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:36.120 voice that I think. 58 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:41.199 I have no idea, but you don't think of him. 59 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:43.360 It's so funny. People think of him as like, ah, 60 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.960 it's you know, it's Troy Baker. He does kind of 61 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:48.680 like the wise, cracking type character. He does like a 62 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:52.560 Joel but like he that dude's got some range, you know, 63 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:56.639 like he can do really like the Maw is terrifying. 64 00:03:57.159 --> 00:03:59.520 I said, just just listening to him, Like when I 65 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.680 was writing the review, Steve, one of his comments that 66 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:04.919 he left was, you know, you say how good Troy 67 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:07.680 Baker's performance is, you should really describe what the mos 68 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:11.560 sounds like. I'm like, I have no idea to describe 69 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.199 what this thing sounds like. I have no idea what 70 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:20.079 well of deprave creativity he like found, But half of 71 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:22.040 me hopes he never finds it again because that was 72 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:23.759 the creepiest voice I think for a months. 73 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.439 So I ever, it's the way it constantly like pitches 74 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.959 and changes tones, and he's going back and forth from 75 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:34.480 like sounding really sweet to being like super aggressive. Like 76 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.720 it's it's so off putting in how he talks. 77 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:18.319 Yood special special, what are you from me? 78 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:22.240 Let me draw you raw? 79 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:31.920 The Maw is definitely, at least for me, I thought 80 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:34.279 was a really stand out. He's kind of like the 81 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:35.240 only enemy in the. 82 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:36.720 Game pretty much. 83 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:38.399 I mean, that's something I liked about the game was 84 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:42.079 that there is no It's not like a traditional like 85 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:45.120 combat heavy game or even like Silent Hill, which I 86 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.600 would say is is like the earlier Silent Hills. Combat 87 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:49.319 is not really the point. There's still a lot of 88 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:51.879 enemies in that game, and this is like, it's just 89 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:56.560 the Maw really and well, I guess there's a couple 90 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.560 extra little things in the the like flashback. 91 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:03.680 But the is like the main bad Guy. Like every 92 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.519 horror game has like that one enemy that kind of 93 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:09.480 follows you around for a majority of the game, and 94 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:11.759 the MA is the one for the medium. 95 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:14.160 Philip, how did you feel about the game overall? 96 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:14.639 Good? 97 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:17.680 I liked it as well. I'm a big fan of 98 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.839 the old Silent Hill Resident Evil formula, you know, like 99 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:26.560 that nineteen ninety eight tank controls third person view kind 100 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.920 of horror game, and this really nails what I liked 101 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:33.519 about those games when I was young. It's it's definitely 102 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:36.000 like an homage to Old Silent Hill. 103 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.639 I really loved the look in the field of the game. 104 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:43.759 It's really cinematic the way that game it's all, you know, 105 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:46.680 fixed camera. You don't have any control over it, like 106 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.639 old Residable, Old Silent Hill. When they were doing that, 107 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:54.120 when Resident Evil was doing it was because they didn't 108 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.439 want to deal with rendering out three D environments. 109 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.399 So Silent Hill did some really cool stuff. 110 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:03.160 It was you know, altogether muddier, but that allowed them 111 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:05.240 to move the camera and sort of really cool ways, 112 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:08.480 really interesting stuff. For like the PlayStation one era that 113 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:13.160 still holds up, still looks great. So it's definitely obvious 114 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:15.319 that like Blueber Team was into that stuff, and they're 115 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:19.160 doing a lot of those cool camera moves throughout. 116 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:19.680 This game and that sort of thing. 117 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.319 So I like it got to me in that sort 118 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.040 of like, oh man, I remember loving this kind of way, 119 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:30.160 you know, so I really enjoyed that about it, And yeah, 120 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.639 I like it. It hits those elements really well, and 121 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.000 it does the things that I like about what blueber 122 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.240 Team does pretty well too, which is these like really 123 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:43.680 story heavy one are around like uncover a mystery kind 124 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.040 of things. I'm a big fan of Layers of Fear. 125 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:48.279 I think that game does some really interesting things with 126 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:53.360 like space and twisting perspective and that sort of things 127 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:56.040 that only video games can do in a lot of ways, 128 00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:57.439 and they. 129 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.639 Picked that up here too. I like it. The sort 130 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.560 of like dual world idea kind of gets in that direction. 131 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:05.800 Maybe not quite as much as I wish it did, 132 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:09.040 but it's, you know, it's all kind of moving in 133 00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:13.040 those ways that I like about these games and. 134 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:17.800 This sort of section of the genre in general. 135 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:20.879 I really like what you mentioned about the fixed camera 136 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:24.000 and how it's like evoking the spirit of resid evil 137 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:26.600 but with modern tech so they can just I mean, 138 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:30.959 the game looks beautiful, especially the background details. There's a 139 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.679 couple shots in the later half of the game where 140 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:36.320 you go to like a forest and just the sheer, 141 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:40.159 like the density of the forest and the light coming 142 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:43.679 through the trees like that is maybe some of the 143 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.120 most like beautiful looking environments I've seen in a game, 144 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:47.799 and they can get away with it because of that 145 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.799 fixed camera, so they really just have to like make 146 00:08:50.919 --> 00:08:55.320 that specific angle look as good as possible, which maybe 147 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.559 speaks to the fact that it is a really small team. Yeah, 148 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.840 like despite being a Triple A. I would say this. 149 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.480 I don't know the exact sides of the team. 150 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.519 But they're they're Polish, They're very small, and I think 151 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:12.919 that should be commended. How how amazing this game is 152 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.120 just from like a production standpoint. 153 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:17.399 Yeah, this is absolutely like the most budget they've ever 154 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:20.679 had and and it works. They put it, They put 155 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.919 it to work in some really cool ways, and I 156 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:28.840 think that's like understanding what they're good at and and 157 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:32.840 what their limitations are and then using everything they have 158 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.559 specifically in that frame to do something really cool. 159 00:09:36.759 --> 00:09:37.159 Totally. 160 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.440 Yeah, there are moments where I don't know about how 161 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:42.399 you guys felt about it, but I did think the 162 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:45.320 the character animation was a little stiff at times. Maybe 163 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:46.759 that's like the one part of the game where you 164 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.600 look at it and you're like, oh, like the the 165 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:54.840 facial animation how everybody runs is a little trot. 166 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.240 It was pretty funny considering mary Anne's like one of 167 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:00.720 the few, like there's not many characters this game, Like 168 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:03.960 Marianne is pretty much the only person that you're looking 169 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:07.840 at for the entirety of this game, and I just 170 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.519 all the time whenever I would see like her running animation, 171 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.399 I'm like, I feel I want just a little bit 172 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:16.759 more here, Like She's the only one I'm looking at 173 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:22.159 for hours on end, and I don't know anyone who runs. 174 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.519 Yeah, they should achieved them. They should have worn animation. 175 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:27.919 That's very it's very dainty. There's something about it. It's 176 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:30.480 just it makes me laugh and it does take me 177 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:34.440 out of what should be a really spooky, spooky environment. 178 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.600 So I guess let's talk about the story a little bit. 179 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:42.120 What I really like about this game is how polish 180 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.799 it is. The developers are Polish, and they they wanted 181 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:47.879 to tell like a what feels like a very polish 182 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:50.559 story by it actually taking place, and I think it's 183 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:55.320 like nineteen ninety nine Poland. It feels like it's grabbing 184 00:10:55.320 --> 00:10:57.360 out a lot of Polish history, to the point where 185 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:00.200 I would love to talk to somebody from Poland about it, 186 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:02.399 because I feel like I'm not that I'm like not 187 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:05.240 enjoying it, but like I would have more enjoyment if 188 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:11.000 I had like a certain a cultural appreciation for the 189 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:13.519 events and the history that they're talking about. 190 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:16.519 Totally get that. The entire time I was playing, I'm like, man, 191 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:19.440 this is awesome and fascinating, and I'm probably going to 192 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:22.000 like read a whole bunch of Wikipedia articles when I'm 193 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.360 done with this game. I would love if I had 194 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:29.120 all of the cultural contexts for everything that's happening right 195 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:32.399 now that I'm learning about while I'm actually playing this game. 196 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:35.639 Jake Decker actually had a good idea because the one 197 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:38.720 thing I didn't care for in the game, or one 198 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.080 of the things I didn't care for, was you mentioned 199 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:43.840 Marian's voice acting. The voice acting is great. The writing 200 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.360 and some of her narration I found a little irritating 201 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:47.679 where it. 202 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.799 Like it was yep, yep. 203 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:52.159 I was trying to think of how to describe it. 204 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:58.399 It's like it's written like the way somebody would write 205 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.440 a book, not in the way somebody actually thinks in 206 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.240 their head. And it leads to this thing where it's 207 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.600 a lot of like telling me things that you don't 208 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.519 need to, where it's like you're showing me this already. 209 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:14.720 I don't need to know that Marianne is terrified. I 210 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:18.000 can see it in her facial expression and the voice acting. 211 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.399 I don't need to then have a narration. It's like 212 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.120 the Blade Runner, like original cut. 213 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:28.240 Yeah, I think the game is a little bad about 214 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:32.360 knowing what to deploy narration on, and like, yeah, that's 215 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:35.480 definitely we don't need a run down of the scene 216 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:37.120 we just watched facically. 217 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:43.240 Yeah, I woke up with icy water in my veins. 218 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:47.120 I wanted nothing but to get out of there, to 219 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:50.039 just get up and run until my legs give out, 220 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.159 until my lungs collapse. 221 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:59.879 But I know I couldn't. It wouldn't have sold anything 222 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.960 besides sadness needed my help. 223 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:10.720 I would say a good point Tam, who like does 224 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:13.480 this for pretty much every review I write, like he 225 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:17.919 did point out like the one like true positive to 226 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.039 the narration, because the narration was like the one big 227 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:23.240 negative that I talked about in my review, but Tam 228 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:28.519 pointed outs like you, in a way, her heavy narration 229 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:33.440 allows someone who's playing the game, or who's sitting watching 230 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:36.080 someone else play the game, who maybe can't pick up 231 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:39.080 all the auditory and visual cues, they can actually understand 232 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:42.039 what's happening because her narration is so heavy in detail. 233 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.639 It's like, Wow, you're just repeating things that I definitely 234 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:48.279 just witnessed or inferred from the tone of your voice. 235 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:52.320 So it's cool in like an accessibility standpoint, But like 236 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:55.440 to both of your points, I think it's just implemented 237 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:59.840 in a very inelegant way. I think that if they 238 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:01.960 wanted to go for something like that, I have no 239 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:06.559 idea why the developers chose to add that narration, but 240 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:09.919 if they were adding it for accessibility reasons, I think 241 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:11.600 there could have been a more elegant way that they 242 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:13.360 could have incorporated something like that. 243 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.000 There are definitely times when I like being in mary 244 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:19.399 Anne's head, or like knowing what she's feeling about a 245 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.559 thing she just went through, or the greatest significance of 246 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:27.480 that thing. Sometimes, like occasionally it widens out the story 247 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:30.200 in you know, the kind of way you'd expect from 248 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:33.159 a novel. But it also Yeah, sometimes it's just it 249 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:36.840 feels repetitive and in a weird way, like it I 250 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:40.600 don't know that she's narrating it for anybody's benefit. It's 251 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.639 just like they had her in the room almost so. 252 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.559 Well, it's funny because like it technically ties into the 253 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:52.320 story itself, because about ninety five percent of the game 254 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:56.919 is her recounting all of these events to someone else. 255 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.000 We don't find out until the very end of the game. 256 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:02.240 But it's like this weird thing where it's like, oh, 257 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:04.600 I can now understand why she's adding all of these 258 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:07.320 details because she's explaining it to someone else. And I'm like, 259 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:09.840 but we're experiencing this for the first time. We don't 260 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:12.559 need these details. We're watching it happen. 261 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:16.360 I like it when she's got extra context, like everything 262 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.120 related to her family life and stuff. 263 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:22.360 Some of the history things are useful. Yeah, it's just 264 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:26.200 she just doesn't have to throw it in every single time. 265 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:29.320 I don't know, it's hard to describe. 266 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:33.519 Yeah, what I was gonna say originally was I was 267 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:36.279 talking about that with like Jake Decker, video producer and 268 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:41.159 host of the Normal after Dark podcast, and that you 269 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.120 probably all I assume watch because it's on the same feed, 270 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:48.200 but he was like, oh man, yeah, I kind of 271 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.600 want to play the game in Polish. Maybe that would 272 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.120 just like make the narration kind of work better, because 273 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:56.919 I think there's something to be said about, Like, I 274 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.000 think part of the reason people always like subs versus 275 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.720 dubs with like anime is because it's like, I don't 276 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:04.080 know when it's in another language, you don't notice like 277 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.960 awkward voice acting or like weird written lines as much. 278 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.159 So like maybe, and also because it is so heavily Polish, 279 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.360 you could like actually like envelop yourself more, but unfortunately 280 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:17.159 you can't actually do that in this game. If you 281 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:20.039 said it to Polish, it switches everything to Polish. So 282 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:24.559 oh no, I would love for them to add an option. Yeah, 283 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:27.039 this is me telling asking like if you could add 284 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.120 an update where I could listen to the game in 285 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:32.120 Polish but still have everything in English, that would be 286 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:33.879 really cool because I I'd maybe play it again. 287 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:36.759 It does feel like maybe a little bit of this 288 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:43.120 as localization and cultural I think you're probably right, so like, yeah, 289 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:45.240 I would be interested in that as well. 290 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:47.320 Well. I think the other big thing to talk about 291 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:51.279 is the main gimmick of the game itself, which is 292 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:55.519 the switching between the real world and the spirit world. 293 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:57.679 That's the whole reason why this game is Like next 294 00:16:57.720 --> 00:16:59.799 Gen is like the developer said that, like they've had 295 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:02.000 this idea in their head for years, but they couldn't 296 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.680 capitalize on it until next gen hardware like made it 297 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:10.960 a reality. It's a pretty cool trick. Like it's really neat, 298 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:17.440 Like the game will periodically like switch between these We'll 299 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:19.279 have these moments where the game like goes full split 300 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:22.880 screen and you're controlling and seeing Mary Anne in both 301 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:27.079 the regular world in the spirit world. I cannot remember 302 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:29.160 the name. I know the spirit world is inspired by 303 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:33.680 the like surrealist paintings of this famous Polish artist. I 304 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:36.319 don't have the name offhand, and if I did, I 305 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:40.839 probably wouldn't be able to pronounce it. But I love 306 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.680 that stuff. That stuff looks fantastic, and I think they 307 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:50.000 they do some really cool like not too complicated, like 308 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.079 pretty basic, but like engaging puzzle work with that stuff 309 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:53.680 that I liked. 310 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.400 The fact that this game can render two separate experiences 311 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:00.759 to the point that it can and then separate the 312 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:02.920 experiences when you have an out of body experience and 313 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:05.880 you're controlling only one half, and it's like, oh, I'm 314 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:07.920 done doing the thing that I want to do on 315 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.119 the Spirit World half. I want to put these experiences 316 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.440 backside by side again. You just press a button and 317 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:17.519 like it loads within a second a second and a half. 318 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:21.599 I'm like, this is straight witchcraft what they've managed to 319 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:24.319 pull off, And like, I can totally see why they 320 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:25.720 were like, oh, yeah, we can't do this on the 321 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:28.319 three sixty. We can't even do this on the Xbox One. 322 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:31.400 It's only now with the Series X and Series S 323 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.680 is there a console actually strong enough to pull off 324 00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:37.480 a trick like this. It's just so cool. I don't 325 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.720 know how they do it. Like, I'm not a tech person, 326 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:43.640 so I can't explain adequately what they're doing behind the scenes. 327 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:45.400 But it's just one of those things that the first 328 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.799 time I saw it playing and I'm like, this feels 329 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.519 like a very new gen thing for Xbox, even though 330 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:55.119 it's in a very small game. This I can see 331 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.920 how they're using the hardware of the Series X to 332 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.440 do something really cool with this game. 333 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.240 And in that regards it, it feels like the first 334 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:10.079 truly next gen game of this generation. Because it's like, well, 335 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:12.240 you know, we have had a couple launch games. We 336 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:14.880 had Spider Man, we had Demon Souls, and those look great. 337 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.079 Demon Souls looks very good in fact, but I would 338 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:18.519 say it like a lot of it is still very 339 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.039 much like you could accomplish that on PlayStation. Maybe it 340 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.319 wouldn't look as good, maybe the fidelity wouldn't be quite there, 341 00:19:24.359 --> 00:19:27.279 but most of the tricks you could still pull off, 342 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.680 with the exception of maybe ratracing. This is like, oh, 343 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:35.000 there's absolutely no way, Like this feels next gen in 344 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:37.119 like that way that just like gets you excited about 345 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:39.839 new constens where you're like, wow, like I love when 346 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:46.039 developers really like use hardware to do creative things with it. 347 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:47.799 Well, what's cool with it two is that it's not 348 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.640 just a graphical gimmick. It's not just like better textures 349 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.920 or better lighting. It doesn't just look better. It's actively 350 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:56.400 running two versions of the game world at the same time. 351 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.599 Like it feels like it's a gameplay mechanic that's only 352 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.880 possible in the new hardware, which is really nice to 353 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.640 have something like that. And it's actually, oh yeah, I 354 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:09.519 bought this machine and it can do a different thing 355 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:13.000 than my other machine could actually do. So I appreciate 356 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:17.720 that quite a bit, that it's it's just not doesn't 357 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:21.720 feel possible before I kind of I my whole I 358 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.079 think my biggest drawback with this whole game is that 359 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:25.920 I feel I wish it had. 360 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:29.880 Gone a little further. And that's ultimately my. 361 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:33.359 Big complaint with this idea too, is that it is 362 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:36.359 a touch gimmicky, and it's just like, Okay, it's two 363 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:38.119 versions of the same room, and and one you can 364 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.160 pick up a thing, and then another you can pick 365 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:43.880 up a different thing, and that's really kind of as 366 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:47.000 far as it goes. But it is cool to navigate. 367 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:50.079 It's fun to try to split your brain into these 368 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:52.839 two different directions because sometimes one one version of the 369 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:55.119 world has like a wall or a staircase that you 370 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.720 can't climb and you have to like, oh shit, turn 371 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:00.759 your head look at the other side of the screen, 372 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:02.599 like you get lost in it a little bit, which 373 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:05.000 is a cool feeling to try to navigate both those 374 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.799 spaces at the same time, and it kind of puts 375 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:09.279 you in the character in a different way. Because Marianne 376 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.359 is like you get the impression that a lot of 377 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.960 her life she lives in these two spaces at the 378 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.160 same time, and that is weird, and she can do 379 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:19.000 it better than you can, and so like you kind 380 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:23.559 of have to adjust to what her experience is like 381 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:24.319 in a different way. 382 00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:26.519 I was trying to think about, like how does that 383 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:29.480 actually work for her? Where like how is she seeing 384 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.440 it from a first person? Is it like one eyeball 385 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.519 seeing the real world and one eyeball seeing the spirit world? 386 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:39.079 Like I can't my brain can't even process like how 387 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:40.079 you would navigate. 388 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:42.440 That's so weird because like you see those cut scenes, 389 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.880 like when she's talking with Sadness, and like Sadness runs 390 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:48.319 up to her and she's hugging her, and like in 391 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.440 one side of the screen, it's like she's kind of 392 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:53.839 freaking out that spirit touching her. On the other side 393 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.920 of the screen, she's freaking out, but there's nothing there, 394 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:59.359 And I'm like, so what is she seeing right now? 395 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:04.279 She only seeing the Sadness, She's like the spirit world, 396 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:06.640 or is she's seeing half in half and in half? 397 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:09.000 She's realizing if anyone saw me right now, they just 398 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.039 see that I'm kind of freaking out over nothing. 399 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:12.279 It's super weird. 400 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:15.039 Yeah, She's like leaning into a hug in the spirit world, 401 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:17.720