That last area is so good. It really captures the childhood idea of games being endless if only you could get out of those boundaries

@kordellcabe6

Жыл бұрын

I remember spending hours up there just walking around, charging the barrier, chasing the thief and looking for a secret door to get into the castle. Lol

@gunstar420

Жыл бұрын

I didn't recognize it till they turned around and vgWHAM insta nostalgia

@LeviathanRX

Жыл бұрын

I love areas like that, and even better when you manage to clip out there into the vast beyond. I've breached the invisible walls a few times in Oblivion (on 360) and also in DB Xenoverse 2 early in it's release

@wolfrayne8355

Жыл бұрын

I spent way too much time there, definitely. I found some gems and sheep and suddenly it was like "oh ok, this IS allowed" but I still felt confused XD

@arishiasol

Жыл бұрын

This video unblocked a childhood memory right there with the last place in Stone Hill. And pretty much described my exact thoughts on it, similar to these comments as well. It's just one of those things nobody really talks about, never found a reason to talk about it (and this was also pre-Internet). It's just a very specific experience, it's kinda surreal to find a video about it now, and you people describing similar feelings.

Mario Odyssey has areas where it kind of feels like you're somewhere you weren't meant to be. Oftentimes, Nintendo would put a pile of coins there just as a wink and a nod, letting the player know that those locations weren't an oversight. A lot of that is due to how versatile the Cappy mechanics are in that game. It makes me think that might be a good choice for an Odd and Unremarkable episode.

@ethanking8556

Жыл бұрын

Was about to recommend odyssey, but I see that job is done.

@MeatSnax

Жыл бұрын

I was kind of bummed that there were always coins in the stupid places I would spend 10 minutes trying to get to. It's like "nice try sucker, we knew you were coming!". Then they made an entire game mode about that exact interaction.

@jonathanwilson7949

Жыл бұрын

Yea, I always loved how it felt like the devs were enticing the player to put their skills to the test and rewarding them for it.

@condor64_

Жыл бұрын

Came here to say exactly that! Getting on top of the building where the ring sits in sand kingdom was maybe my favorite moment playing that whole game.

@bones3349

Жыл бұрын

I second or third of fourth this or whatever

I only had the demo version of this game, and that itself gives some weird vibes... You can complete all of the first homeworld, but the balloonist will never take you to the next world, and says you must wait. But the demo lets you keep playing, so you explore for hours in that first homeworld. Nasty Gnorc will never be stopped, but it's not so bad with the beach and nice green paradise to explore.

@elijahlupe

11 ай бұрын

I spent SO much time as a kid in that demo just trying to figure out how to get the balloon man to let my fly to the next level

@deoxysandmew2162

6 ай бұрын

Did the Demo feature Toasty level?! If yes, then I guess some versions of the Demo are shorter than others. One demo has level Toasty stripped away completely from the game's code and is blocked off. HOWEVER, the portal STILL REMAINS there and you CAN access it. You can go out of bounds where Town Square is and get on top of the hill and glide across out of bounds area BEHIND the jaw of Toasty and enter the portal backwards. Since this level's code was stripped down in that demo, you essentially enter the level that DOES NOT EXIST. Turning Spyro into a texture colored mess and being stuck in an endless loop of loading the level that aint there. All you can do is reset.

@dyinnmih

3 ай бұрын

"I'll take you there in September" I tried everything, including setting my system to September. It was a really strong memory

@HalfDuck

3 ай бұрын

@@dyinnmih In my version, he just says he'll take you there when the game is finished. If I had the September version, I would've had the same thought haha

@JesterHavoc96

3 ай бұрын

*Gnasty

You have described a feeling I thought I'd never be able to feel again. I had the exact same feeling about the upper level of Stone Hill when I was a kid. I always wanted to break through the barriers and explore the vast hilly plains beyond. Thanks for the brief trip back to my childhood

@Joe02TheCuBOYd

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely.

You awakened a core memory in me, I was obsessed with the out of bounds area of Stone Hill as a kid. It was such a strange feeling, I did genuinely believe the level went on and on beyond the barriers. I wanted nothing more than to break through and just run around those huge green hills, it really captured my imagination. At one point I even thought to myself that if I were ever dying, I'd use my Make A Wish to implore the developers to remove the barrier so I could run on those hills like I'd always wanted to. It's silly now but I've never forgotten the feeling I had when I looked out at that skybox.

@rockhound3.14

7 күн бұрын

Turok Evolution had a similar place on one the missions where you infiltrate a Dino base to free human prisoners. Behind a waterfall there's a boulder with a black hole or a missing piece of the level and as a kid I used to always find a way to boundary break and get behind that rock to go through whatever that black hole was. 😂❤❤ 😅 Fun times. The simple times of being young ❤❤❤😅

I remember finding the beach in Stone Hill when I was a little kid and losing my mind. Finding that made me determined to 100% the game, something I rarely did at that age. I couldn’t get past Wild Flight and Tree Tops and I couldn’t save my game due to a lack of a memory card.

@rustyfisher2081

Жыл бұрын

The classic lack of a memory card moment

@Peach27219

Жыл бұрын

I wonder how many childhood games would have been complete with just a memory card

@anonmouse15

Жыл бұрын

Don't feel too bad, I only pulled it off in my 20s, having first played the game when I was 8.

@ElronHumpperdink

Жыл бұрын

I remember if even in the demo. And that level on top of Town Square and the jumping from stairs to outer ring.

@EffeminateCowardlyVillain

Ай бұрын

Not having a memory card but wanting to complete Kong (yk, the really good King Kong game on ps2 that looked like some kind of next gen game on ps4 and still holds up to modern graphics) without a memory card was probably the beginning of my infatuation with video game masochism and achievement-hunting/completionism.

EVERY level in Spyro the Dragon is a weird space once you've cleared it of enemies. They're so empty.

I don't imagine you'll ever see this, but on the level "Misty Bog" on the outskirts of the level map, there is a little shack with collision on an island surrounded by purple death water that you can only reach with full health and three perfect glides. If you haven't been there already, you would love relaxing there for some time.

My personal theory re: Mario 64, all of the levels feel a lot more compact causing them to never feel particularly empty except for maybe Wet Dry World. Spyro lets you see vast expanses and landscapes that feel a lot larger than anything in M64. Hence the different vibe

@JrIcify

Жыл бұрын

@@8Kazuja8 "Places after you've killed everyone" could be it's own anyaustin series

@kmgyening

Жыл бұрын

@@8Kazuja8 What's the red switch palace? Having trouble remembering that.

this was MY odd places game growing up, so many little corners and misc areas

@michaelroberts4435

Жыл бұрын

Mine was Mario 64's starting area outside the castle. Once I noticed that there wasn't a way to leave I really started to feel trapped and isolated.

I also spent hours in stone hill trying to find a gap in that barrier. HOURS I TELL YOU. My favourite spot in Spyro 1 is in the High Caves level. You cross the moving wizard pillars to get to a room which once you clear of treasure, is just like a room to chill in. You can go through the window to get back to the main area with the fairy trio and the other side just gives a view of the sky and mountains. I used to imagine it was like a throne room or like... Spyros apartment carved into a mountainside. Speaking of rooms. I'm reminded of Spyro 2 aswell. In Summer forest there's an orb behind two doors and you have to use the windows to get to it. Well once you get the orb it's literally just a room with a platform inside. Nothing going on at all. Again I imagined it was Spyros secret room, hidden in this palace only accessed via an underwater door. It was all just so intriguing for my child brain.

"When you're a kid you're dumb" absolutely describes my friend and I playing all of these games. We would spend way too much time trying to achieve things in spyro and lego starwars that, in hindsight, are so obviously not possible. But that was FUN, and I miss it.

The feelings concerning that last area are very relatable to me. Considering Spyro was one of, if not the first 3D adventure platformer game like it that I played, it introduced many gaming concepts to me. Such as the concepts of "out of bounds" areas, level limits, invisible walls, developers knowingly creating "secret" areas, etc. Like, it simultaneously introduced concepts, then immediately introduced futher concepts that contradicted them. Finding an area that you "weren't supposed to be in" that then suggested a seemingly infinite area of rolling hills, only to find an intentionally placed barrier stopping you from proceeding, was baffling to me. It would be like somehow discovering an ancient tomb in the woods behind your house, but the hallway past the first room is blocked by a toll gate. Surely there was more? But there wasn't. Felt like coming across an impassible barrier in a dream, you'd expect to be able to get past it somehow, but no matter what you do, you just... can't. It felt so strange, so novel. I miss the novelty of childhood.

I always talk about the stone henge upper level as an example of great level design. Kids aren't dumb for trying to get past the barrier - quite the opposite. Even if it seems quite clear it is an illusion, only by testing can we ascertain the devs did not hide anything there. As for Mario, I think getting atop the shine gate in Mario Sunshine counts as a place that feels like "cheating"

@lucyferos205

Жыл бұрын

In Spyro 2 you can glitch out of the barrier in the top of the aquatic towers level just by ramming against it

@HeavyRaiden

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's not really being dumb, kids are very curious

Reminds me of flying around back when I had a demo disc with this and Medievil.

@Schadenfreude47

Ай бұрын

I had that exact same demo disc with those games on it. "Winter Releases '98." Spyro, MediEvil, Treasures of the Deep, Ghost in the Shell... It also had a good long demo for Tombi (aka Tomba) that's the most you can play the game without remortgaging a house to afford an old copy.

@pinkpugginz

4 күн бұрын

Ah Medieval was so fun. My brother and I played that for hours

@Schadenfreude47

4 күн бұрын

@@pinkpugginz Replying to this comment thread inspired me to order MediEvil, as I had only played the demo. Just finished it last night. Great game, holds up surprisingly really well. I can't help but feel it inspired Demon's Souls to some degree.

That last little section about just getting past the barriers makes me wonder if that's a large part of the appeal of Minecraft - you can just see something off in the distance and know "Hey, that's real. I can go explore that if I want to. Hang out there. See what it would be like." It answers a childhood wish of "What's that?" with "Come find out" and I think that's pretty neat

@Rad-Dude63andathird

16 күн бұрын

100%!

It just dawned on me that I think one of the reasons these unremarkable and odd places are so intriguing is because they are... authentic. In the real world and in the videogame industry, everyone is concerned with polishing off rough edges. Making everything crisp and clean. But nature isn't like that at all. And when humanity's creations contain some of that natural arbitrariness and chaos, the result is magical! And it's real! And it's art! And this fully clicked in my mind due to your videos, Any Austin. So, thank you!

@Micolash_is_behind_you

Жыл бұрын

I heavily get that feeling at that whole stone wall area in Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field

@pwnedd11

Жыл бұрын

@@Micolash_is_behind_you Yeah! Definitely!!!!

@spaceisalie5451

Жыл бұрын

i really really enjoyed this comment

@jonathanwilson7949

Жыл бұрын

:)

@pwnedd11

Жыл бұрын

@@spaceisalie5451 Hooray!

It would be cool if someday this series got big enough that you invited devs to comment on these unremarkable locations

Yes! I loved the feeling of feeling like I "escaped" the level in Stone Hill and was in a secret place up in the hills.

I recently played Half-Life 2 and found a lot of unremarkable places. There was one in the end of the Sand Traps chapter, right before entering Nova Prospekt. It was one of those little turret bases, which stood out a lot to me because of just how square it was, just a grey concrete texture and 90 degree edges when it was not pointed towards the coast. Another interesting place could be found in Highway 17, where a lot of mountain rocks are actually revealed to be floating when you approach them.

@ShadowGaro

Жыл бұрын

The whole coast area has strange vibes to it, very open and exposed with those bug things walking around freely, and then small shacks and houses where you can take shelter for a moment before continuing on

@onemoreconjecture

Жыл бұрын

I was also gonna say Half-Life 2, so many deserted areas! Empty houses and blocks you just wander around, stories of whole lives strangely absent.

With all the talk of water I was expecting you to mention the area in one of the dream weavers levels where theres no collision on a single pool of water allowing you to walk on it

I can't tell you how alone I felt I was in my feelings about the top of Stone Hill for years. I wasn't sure if anyone felt the same way as I did, but the way you articulated my feelings about it was positively perfect. The moment you said "I can't tell you how many hours I spent running around here trying to break out of the sides... I figured there MUST be some way... when you're a kid, you're very dumb, so you assume that there IS stuff out there, even though there's not," I instantly connected with that. I, myself, wanted so badly to break into that damn infinite expanse of rolling, green hills, never knowing that that was all there was. Being an adult really kills a lot of that mystery, unfortunately!

Spyro’s skybox tech is pretty unique. It appears they use vertex coloring instead of bitmap textures to convey forms on the horizon and in the sky. It’s really effective. It gives it that smooth almost n64 vibe since there’s no nearest neighbor, and there’s a lot of artistry in crafting these since you’re not simply drawing a picture on a bitmap or whatever. I want to go meet the technical artists that worked on Spyro and commend them for making something for the PS1 that actually looks great so many years later.

I love this series. One of my favorite things about YT is the fact that people deep dive into things that nobody else would bother to waste their time on otherwise. Good stuff

Love the feeling of "breaking the rules" and getting out of bounds. I like to find that feeling in real life also. Would love to see a video of "places that feel like you weren't supposed to see them," or something along those lines, for other games you enjoy.

The landscape in Spyro has always been inspiring for me, and this video highlights some of my favorite things about it.

The Jacques level as a whole always felt strange to me because the enemies are largely humanoid and don't seem violent at first. The ones in dresses in particular seemed that way, given how they held flowers and walked delicately. It's only once you approach that they seem hostile, like they have a nice little society there and you're invading. Also, it took me years to figure this out, but he's called Jacques because he's a jack-in-the-box. Jacques-in-a-box.

I just wanna express my continued support of these kinds of videos. I quite enjoy your content as a whole but these videos in particular are 👌

The Stone Hill plains are so special. It’s like you’ve “broken out” of the level, letting you view the different pieces of the level from the outside and even glimpse the secret area. And since it’s the first level in the series it sets the tones of exploration, vastness, and thinking outside of the box.

You mentioned in an early video that you talk about weird places in video games as opposed to real life because more people have the game experience in common, as opposed to the bench in your local park. But would you consider doing a video about your real life spots anyway? Might be cool to see why they make you feel weird personally, even if you have to tell a story about them!

I'd be interested to see you revisit these areas in the reignited trilogy and see how they compare.

@lucyferos205

Жыл бұрын

Reignited changed the art style drastically in a way that I'm personally not a fan of. The original Spyro had a much cleaner fairy tale style and felt less like a modern fantasy toy line.

@mayflowwy

11 ай бұрын

am ganna be honest i dont think they compare very well because the playstation 1 graphics and especially the vibrant skyboxes just have a feeling much different to the incredibly detailed areas and skyboxes n stuff

Finding that last area as a kid felt so magic and surreal. I could never forget it. Great video!

Second half of cliff town- where you glide to from the top of the fort. That whole area feels like you aren’t supposed to be there. The secret area at the end of the ice caves level, the hidden left path at the beginning of wizards peak, and the well in beast makers home world that has the bonus level in it all kind of give this vibe as well.

Killing all of the enemies in the Magic Crafters hubworld gets really weird because it is usually super active and noisy with all the enemies chanting manipulating the terrain. Then suddenly it just becomes quiet with normal ground that doesn`t move so it feels so incredibly different.

This will forever be my favorite game. That last area on Stone Hill is great. I did the same thing as a kid. I wanted to explore those Hills. Another good place is in Dark Passage. After you reach the Home portal, you aren't done, you have to go to a side area and there is a spot on top where you overlook a long jump over an abyss. Once you clear the enemies and realized you forgot a jewel somewhere so you run back through the whole level. When you get back to that long jump, staying at the top and looking down and seeing that swirling pink and purple abyss was terrifying as a child. It made me contemplate life and death a bit more fiercely.

Seeing those empty rolling green hills look like a backrooms level, with nothing but those odd sub-columns separating you and them, that is probably my favorite area I've seen on the channel yet. Fantastic showcase!

This guy is that one friend... And I'm here for it

Water kills you instantly but lava will give you several chances to survive

Your videos have the most comforting vibes ('scuze the overused word but it's accurate). Watching these genuinely feels like being transported to a childhood sleepover and gives me the magical feelings of curiosity and marvel that video games used to spark. Super stoked for my 'i appreciate skyboxes' t-shirt to arrive.

When I was a kid, sometimes when I was alone I used to jump into the multiplayer of GoldenEye. In the Temple level, there is a large open area where you can look up and see the sky. I used to position my character to look straight up and move towards the wall to make it look like it was the floor instead and that I was facing a tall doorway to the sky. I just remember leaving my character positioned there for maybe ten minutes and kind of getting mesmerized. I also remember experiencing an earthquake effect that spooked me when I was doing this (happened a couple of times). But I bet I was just messing with explosives (like timed mines) and forgot about them. Also go check out that island on the Dam level.

The cat show thing is so true. It does sound like those people that really deeply describe those cats

The amount of times "vibe" has been said in this show is such a vibe.

Aside from trying to get past that pesky barrier in Stone Hill, I always remember trying to glide to the purple mountains in Town Square at the place where you chase the egg thief.

I know that feeling, trying to break out of bounds and explore the wide open plains. Even as an adult and knowing that it ends fairly quickly, I still have that urge. One of my favorite things to do in a game is go to places the developers never intended me to. But seeing these odd and mostly unremarkable places within the levels themselves give me a taste of that 'vibe'. That's why this is my favorite series you do. I relish each and every upload.

8:25 YES! I knew you were going to talk about the edge of the wall where the egg thief is and you’re staring at what feels like an infinite Windows desktop background

The unpolished natural openness of Spyro makes it seem like there is more to see and explore than what is inside the box of the level. It is the reason I keep coming back to these games again and again. Some areas that exude this atmosphere of unpolished natural openness to me are; the egg thieve side area in Icy Peaks, the ocean area of Aquaria Towers, the beach in Agent 9's Lab, Anywhere in the super bonus round in Spyro 3, and the distance sky in Dino Mines.

Any Austin and Boundary Break should team up to find unremarkable and odd places out of bounds.

This has probably been my favourite video of yours so far! The last area had me nostalgic for the time I was really young and only had the demo for spyro 1 and the first time I caught the egg thief in that area, I ran outside to tell my mum I’d caught the thief but the demo had timed out by the time we returned, but I felt so accomplished for finding that area

i was obsessed with that barrier area in stone hill as a kid! getting up there (and the little beach in the same level too) always made me feel like i had done something i shouldn't have but like, not in a bad way. i loved how the vibes felt and i was a big fan of the sound effect that plays when you hit the barrier, and i definitely spent hours trying to see if i could find a way behind the barrier. if i remember right there's an area similar to it that evoke the same vibes for me in a desert themed level later, i can't for the life of me remember which level it was but the unreachable desert beyond the pillar barrier had an incredible vibe to me

7:55 YEEEEEESSSSSS I would spend so much time around these portions of the levels especially the one you showcased. Another favorite were the invisible walls on the desert level with the cauldron soup ladies. The horizon truly felt endless. Thank you for showcasing these. Unrelated to the invisible walls, my favorite level to experience that odd stillness was the level in Magic Crafter's homeworld with the giant bugs you needed the power up to defeat. It felt huge and empty in my childhood and was a great spot to just sit and enjoy the music and look around for what felt like hours.

Thanks for making this video! I very much anticipated your take on Spyro. That last area you covered in Stone Hill was an area I hung out in a lot as a kid, as well as that desert hill in Cliff Town.

10:20 It's interesting because in Ratchet & Clank 1 and 2, both made by Insomniac just like Spyro, this feeling also pops up sometimes. And I actually love it. From 3 onwards this feeling kinda goes away since later games are so full of life and dialogue and marks and lights and items and npcs haha

Not only do I love this kind of content, I love any video game content that truly strives to bring out something new or esoteric. Great video, always excited to see this cross my feed.

I think that boundary area is great and something it's crazy more games haven't copied over the years. Like, it sits on the edge of being a diagetic border that makes sense in the setting of the game and just being an invisible wall that is obviously there because the devs can't let you explore an entire planet. It very clearly communicates "this is the edge of the play space" without having much impact on your immersion. I suppose part of why it works is that Spyro is both a magical setting and a game that isn't trying to convey a strong sense of realism, so it gets away with being playful about this kind of thing, but even in games lacking those qualities all you would really need is something that communicates to the player, in the way those pillars do, that the developers put a border here, without necessarily being something that would communicate that kind of thing to the in-world characters.

I have been waiting for this video for a while now. I know this game so well and it's one of the few games from my childhood that I'd sit and just soak it all in. I really like the stillness of it, because it's that sense of accomplishment that there is just NOTHING left. Every level feels fully complete.

@leaslame

Жыл бұрын

yes i completely agree. the emptiness of a completed spyro level is so satisfying because you know for a fact that there is nothing left to do.

I also spent so much time as a kid trying to get past those invisible walls. The vibes in all the levels in the Artisan world are so nostalgic and comforting to me. Cliff Town has another area similar to Stone Hill! I spent a lot of time trying to break through those walls too haha

Spyro's facial expressions look like they're in a state of liminal flux. There needs to be a mod that exaggerates Spyro's facial twitches by like 300%.

I love how both this vid and your Eggbusters EX vid on Spyro from over half a decade ago are labeled here on KZread with Ripto's Rage instead of Spyro 1. That's the kind of continuity and deep lore that other channels can only aspire to

In the original Fable, outside of Knothole Glade is a Demon Door. I can't remember what is inside originally, but after you collect your treasure there is nothing but some exploding mushrooms. I used to walk in that demon door, pop an arrow at the exploding shrooms, and just walk through the sizzling spores falling around me. On the original Xbox version the frame rate would plummet, making the moment feel even more magical. Just a nice place to relax. This video made me remember it.

I don't think I've ever stumbled upon something that so thoroughly encapsulates such a small and esoteric but fondly remembered part of my childhood like this. For me it was the little underground area in the dark hollow level in Spyro 1. I was pretty young when I played it so I wasn't such a thorough explorer, but I liked to replay levels a lot and just look around them. I had somehow missed that little side area in dark hollow despite playing the level a bunch, so when I finally found it I was totally mesmerized. I would boot up the game just to go down and chill in that last little underground room with the purple pool in it, and I would call it my secret spot lmao.

A neat concept (I think) for videos would would be a reflection/exploration of different boss arenas from classic and modern games during and post fight. Maybe even a comparison of similar boss fights i.e. the fire dragon from Ocarina of Time vs the Dragon from Ark. Getting good footage would probably be a pain though what with the boss trying to kill you and whatnot.

@any_austin

Жыл бұрын

I had the same thought! I’ve written down a bunch of games I’d like to do that for, and hopefully I get to it eventually 🥸

@AdamTheGameBoy

Жыл бұрын

@@any_austin Zelda games, 3D Mario games, many Kirby games, DK64, the Banjo games, Fire Emblem (when you have to capture a tile), some Sonic games and many Metroidvanias are some games that come to mind for not booting you automatically

I love the ending of this video. The grainy dying slow motion Spyro taking up only half of the screen, and the patreon link bridging into the dark half of the screen. Feels like an unremarkable odd place you aren’t supposed to find.

the last area in this game eas the first area i thought of when i first saw one of your unremarkable and odd videos. glad it features prominently in this video! I spent so much time as a kid in this area and it fostered my own love for finding places that fit this odd feeling in any game i play now

Love the content!!! The first area reminded me of a nostalgic feeling/memory of driving along diddy kong racing. One of the cove levels before you get to the big pirate ship? If you're familiar with Diddy Kong racing, that might be a good game to do next :)

I had that exact experience with the upper level in that last world! As a kid I totally felt like I had gotten somewhere special! In Mario Sunshine I had head cannon about the invisible barriers at the edge of the world. That wasnt a video game thing, that was because Mario was committed to cleaning up Isle Delfino and his internal moral compass wouldn't let him leave. I called it "the passion of a Mario" and I got decent milage out of that explanation lol

I'm so glad I found this channel, I thought I was the only one who obsessed over these random areas filled with nothing

I remember the tony hawk games always had a bunch of these kinds of places. In Underground 2 there’s a THPS3 level (LA) where u can trigger an earthquake, set a respawn point on a building near the broken freeway, restart the session and then use the respawn point to get on to the fixed freeway and skate out of bounds

I'm so grateful I found your channel, you're really describing all of my childhood feelings when I was playing some video games, especially that first Spyro. I feel the same vibe in some other places throughout the whole game and I totally love it. It makes me really glad that I'm not the only one!

Notable too is this wooden shack in misty bog, beyond the giant tree. The only way to get there is to trudge through the mud and completely exhaust a full-health sparx. But you can get there. Nothing much is over there but the remoteness is its own reward.

i've thought about spyro throughout this whole series because there are so many of these places in those games, for whatever reason, and i feel like they are a big part of the overall vibe of spyro.

Hello. I liked this video. Wet Dry World in Mario 64 and the defeated boss rooms in Majora's Mask give me those weird vibes. Oh, the grassy moon with one tree in Majora's Mask, too.

REALLY enjoyed this, very relatable content. the edge of the desert on the cliff town level on top of that plateu with the fence and the barrier made me feel the same way, but I remember that barrier actually being escapable. one of my fave experiences as a kid was finally making it out after watching a video

I think GTA3 has some good locations for this series, the front garden area of Salvatore's mansion is pretty large and if you go off the road towards the cliff edge it feels quite isolated. The other area that struck me is the area you have your garage in Staunton Island, it goes back a lot further than the garage you use and no pedestrians will ever appear there. Even the police won't enter the area if you have a wanted level. Even moreso in Liberty City Stories because you don't even get a garage there so it's simply a large unused space.

This is the kinda content I didn't know I needed in my life

Always loved Spyro 1. I think you really get a feel for how empty the levels can get if you happen it miss a single gem and have to backtrack through everything all over again. Happened pretty often to me both as a kid and as an adult.

Yes please make more content like this. All of these places i spent so many hours in as a kid. Never knew anyone else felt the same. Great video. Love the vibes lol

They need to put some No Man’s Sky tech into a game and just not tell anybody so that if you manage to escape a level there’s an entire universe.

@any_austin

Жыл бұрын

Omg

Funny you mention the thing about levels feeling dead without enemies. Mario 64 always made me feel lonely when I played it, especially certain levels like Wet Dry World, where it feels like something should be there but it's just not, you just have some water bugs and the things that throw you. Spyro levels feel very lived-in, and they are full of colorful and fun enemies with a lot of character corresponding to the level theme, and it does feel really empty and lonely after you kill all of them. Like imagine Clock Town in Zelda with no NPCs. I think Spyro kinda avoids some of the empty lonely feeling of early 3D games because of Sparx too, wherever you are(if you have full health at least) Sparx is always there with you, kinda like Navi or Tatl, Mario has nobody with him in 64

If you like the water in Spyro, I highly recommend checking out the 'Dragonfly Falls' realm from Spyro: A Hero's Tail. That entire area is tropical, secluded & beautiful. It was so cosy and when I was a kid I would play pretend as a dragon living in a cave with a pool. Go out hunting for the piranhas.

I had very similar feelings in Banjo Kazooie to the last segment. B&K also has a drifting horizon linevthat fades into the background, especially in Mumbo's Mountain. I really *really* wanted to get over those walls and see what was in that gradient

I definitely feel the same way about that last one. Getting up there just felt so special and exciting!

this is such an awesome concept for a video, these are all areas i've noticed and liked for these reasons but i never really knew how to articulate it. it's cool to see such a thoughtful look into these areas like this!

I love this video!! Stony Hill always felt so special and sneaky! My fav level (or one of them, at least) was always High Caves. The fairy-assisted flying felt so strange and good, and the spider cave was like a secret lair. Such a good game.

I love all these Odd & Unremarkable places videos. I would love to see more odd places and unremarkable places in the future. I also love all your music. It has been delightful.

That random Breaking Bad "Ahhh... wire!" reference caught me completely off guard. I now have tea in my nose, thanks.

Can't really explain why, but the final area really reminds me of the atmosphere found in Death Stranding (specifically the grassy areas). Maybe Death Stranding could be the subject of one of these videos? If we were ever going to do a newer game I think it would lend itself nicely to a video that looked at Vibes lol

A modern day game that I love in a similar way to this is Slime Rancher and its sequel. You’re rewarded for successfully going to places it doesn’t feel like you’re really supposed to with rare items. It’s a great feeling - true adventure!! I recommend it a lot!

Its funny you mention the beach area in the first level. its my favorite area in the entire game and the first one that awed me as a child. The last time i played spyro the dragon, when i beat the game, i put Spyro & sparx to chill out over there, in case i never get to return to the game.

That feeling of breaking the rules was quite intentional on the part of the developers, especially consultant Mark Cerny and engine programmer Brian Hastings. Spyro was the first game of its type to use level-of-detail technology to allow levels to be big and sprawling without exceeding the limited processing power of consoles at the time. Spyro was the first time that players could actually access the far-off places in the distance that would just be set dressing for any other game, and before it pioneered level of detail, 3D platformers would have to either take place only in closed-off areas (like Croc) or in areas that seem to float in empty space (like Mario 64, especially levels like Lethal Lava Land and Thwomp's Fortress).

Watched two videos back-to-back. I heard that really helps. I like these, please make more.

Please keep making these!! They are a joy to watch and listen to when I get baked, especially the skybox appreciation vids

Really great video! Thank you for sharing the vibes, also congrats on almost 69k subs

There's so many odd places in Spyro 1 I couldn't even begin to list them all. Fewer in 2 and 3 since the levels are so much less abstract/more specifically themed, though a few that come to mind from 2 are: - Getting to the very top of the Autumn Plains castle. Obviously a developer-intended secret, but one of the most breathtaking secrets for me as a kid. - In Zephyr, the beanstalk and cow quest areas always had a weird feeling to me. Probably because they're entirely optional areas that are physically larger than the actual main level. - Getting on top of the walls in Colossus and making your way along them almost back to the starting area. Also, another commenter already mentioned this but a video/series about how levels feel after you've cleared out all the enemies & collectibles would be interesting.

I cannot tell you how many times in my adulthood these Spyro locations have popped up in mind apropos of nothing. Thanks for the video!

that second ocean makes me thirsty for blue kool aid or something

You bring a point that I never thought I would revisit since I played these Spyro games back when I was younger. Indeed, often after clearing a level from its spoils and adversaries, did I stop and contemplate on the vast emptiness the areas now exhibit. As if taking a forest full of insteresting flora and fauna, demolishing it all and gathering all its resources and leaving nothing but an empty husk of former things that were. It definitely tells about how well a level looks even without all the shiny things to distract you with. Then again with the limits of the Playstation I will give it a pass. Thanks for that!

The wierdest thing that happens in this game, besides the odd places, happened in the last one in this video, where if you let the level music play out a few times, a different song that doesn't play elsewhere plays. When that happens, especially combined with how empty the levels feel when you get everything, it all but emphasizes that "breaking the rules" feeling you talked about.

When I was a kid, these areas def gave me weird vibes. I felt so alone and isolated when I killed all the enemies and was in one of those areas. Lots of liminal spaces.

I really love these videos! I feel like there are a lot of very odd and uncanny areas in Donkey Kong 64 that feel really empty, and I'd love to see a video on that game!

4:04 “I feel like one of those judges at a cat show where they just talk really in depth about one specific cat.” Me infodumping to my friends about moral dilemmas regarding my favorite characters from media they’ve never even seen before.