_Jade Cocoon_ wants you to merge so much, it merged its monster capture game with an existential dread game.

@ashrog82

11 ай бұрын

Speaking as an SMT fan, this sounds like high praise.

@oliverlea7482

11 ай бұрын

😊😊😊😊😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@peen2804

8 ай бұрын

wtf is this nonsense comment and why is it a top comment lol

@james970027

7 ай бұрын

BUT NEVER ARPATRON!!!! The dragon baby must be protected 🐲 🌊😂

Hi, one of the editors of the Jade Cocoon Wikia here. If you want an example of *how* powerful that Dragoncrest sword you got is; Any% (No Minions) uses it to entirely skip the first elemental boss of the late game (and if you get a 50% drop from that guy, the second one too) with an item that only costs 200 money. It makes your attack so strong during damage calculation, it's as if you were a creature at level 36. It's a 1% drop from a minion that was added to the story forests from the endless post-game to give more options in non-Japanese copies of the game, and those only spawn 50% of the time. So yeah; pretty rare! :)

@Slvrwlf

11 ай бұрын

No wonder I was wondering what the hell is that sword.. I'd spend hours grinding the Eternal to go for Icicle and here Josh just lucks into an even stronger weapon super early.. A very low drop chance from a rarer spawn does explain it..

@Lexichuu_

11 ай бұрын

@@Slvrwlf Yeah, for Icicle you're best off just capturing 12 Lv.20 minions in the first couple of rooms in the Eternal Corridor ~90 times, spinning them and selling them. It's boring, but reliable. And it's not strictly speaking *stronger*; Icicle is base 100% accuracy on "Reduce to 1HP" effect (and has far better stat bonuses), but Dragoncrest does win out in terms of raw damage. Depends if you want to capture a high level monster, or turn it into fine paste on the ground. :P

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@prinnywizzard9608

11 ай бұрын

*Hang on a second!* I first came across Jade Cocoon on a demo disc as well (but I'm pretty certain it didn't have FFVIII on there?), and Skawasp, Terrfrayd etc didn't exist. There was just one elemental type of every monster, rather than two. When I finally got the full game I was really confused when I came across them. Are you saying that was the case for the entirety of the Japanese version, and all the extras (like Skawasp) came from the Endless Corridor? 😮

@Lexichuu_

11 ай бұрын

@@prinnywizzard9608 I am indeed! (also, nice Prinny name. I'm playing Disgaea 3 right now. :) )

18:16 Minor correction/elaboration: Creatures do get generally larger as they level up - but this is done by making each body part scale in a way that broadly mimics how aging changes a body in the real world. Basically, low level creatures have disproportionately large heads, because in the real world babies and young children of most species have large heads. And as they level up ('get older'), the limbs and torso become proportionately larger - in addition to the creature becoming larger overall. Limbs and necks also tend to be proportionately thicker in higher level creatures. I always thought that was a really nice touch of the system.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@Vscustomprinting

11 ай бұрын

Yeah

@Broockle

11 ай бұрын

@@zoa1-99....... copy pasta 😄

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

@@Broockle I have the Netherworld OSTs, course I'm gonna.

@enrymion9681

10 ай бұрын

@@zoa1-99....... Which pokemon game implemented body proportions changing according to creature's age?

The first time I played I made my merged creatures early on and stuck with them, refusing to change them. If I wanted new powers I would make something new. I was hugely attached to every single one, they were my freaky little harlequin babies and nobody else had anything like them. The aesthetics and mythology have since inspired me to create a D&D setting with a similar essence, and led me to the discovery and love of the Ainu culture that contributed some of the real-world inspiration. This game was very special to me as a kid, and I replayed as a teenager and understood it more. When I did it out again in the future (and if my PS2 still works) I will play it again.

@deathtoll2001

8 ай бұрын

Oh damn, a tabletop RPG in this setting would be super weird and fun!

I love how you put research into the technical part of game. This adds so much to a normal game review.

@turbo8628

11 ай бұрын

Actually explaining mechanics and how they feel is another reason these reviews are so great. You really feel like you understood the game regardless of playing it or not.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

Ocarina is the absolute perfect instrument to use as a flute in a game that tries to look old and mystical. The instrument is believed to be about 12 000 years old, possibly far older. Many of the ancient ones were made to look like animals, I've got couple that look like birds myself,but I have to say, the plainer ones usually feel better to play. I think the reason why this instrument has was somewhat common to see in games back in the 90s is because in the 1950s quite a lot of schools started using plastic ones at music class and in 1960s a mathematician named John Taylor designed a 4 hole ocarina that can play up to 13 different notes. So it's possible that a lot of people in the development team had grown with this instrument in mind, and wanted to look into it's history when making games. Also during world war 2 American military started using Ocarina as an instrument to bolster morale of the troops. These ''wartime ocarinas'' were made out of stern stuff like metal or bakelite, neither of which would make as good of a sound as one made with pottery. edit: fixed couple of typos.

@richmcgee434

11 ай бұрын

Man knows his history. One of my grandfathers had a bakelite ocarina from his wartime service. I've never heard a pottery one played, so I can't speak to the relative quality of the sound it produced.

@etinarcadiaego7424

11 ай бұрын

Neat, though I still prefer the sound of my Aztec death whistle.

@Faude18

11 ай бұрын

I think it's more likely that the US military brought ocarinas to japan and that's why it's used in quite a few games there. Not because english speaking countries used it at school. I think that wasn't common knowledge over there or do you mean that japanese schools used ocarinas in music class?

@BarokaiRein

11 ай бұрын

@@etinarcadiaego7424 Yeah those are great when you want to lull someone to sleep.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

While a lot of plot is presented in an _incredibly_ difficult to parse way, the gist of it is: A Divine Beast (anthropomorphic animal nature spirit - like Kikinak) and a Beast of Knowledge (human) fell in love in the ancient times, and this made Elrhim (God) _so mad_ that he invented a bunch of new forms of suffering, and a bunch of rules that if you break them, you get those forms of suffering. And this is why only women can purify cocoons (if a man tries, the cocoon turns evil and the man goes insane), why women who purify cocoons get cursed brandings, and generally why the forest and civilization have to be enemies. Levant's father, Riketz tried to defy all this by abandoning his rigidly-defined role as cocoon master, and trying to find a way to purify cocoons without consequence. Your role is to prevent Elrhim from throwing another tantrum (the onibubu attacking and everybody turning to stone is essentially the beginnings of said tantrum) by defeating Riketz and bringing him back into line. It's basically 'God is an emotionally-unstable jerk and his rules are arbitrary, but we have to obey and keep him pacified because he's too powerful to fight or overthrow', but said with grandiose metaphors and elaborate terminology. It's like how the ancient Greeks saw their gods, but explained in dense, super-Shakespearean language.

@grieveromega6060

11 ай бұрын

May I kindly ask you to also add an explanation of the role and intention of Mahbu and Garai? Because what I understood misses some parts of the roles, intention and power of Ni and therefore my theories are inconsistent.

@kalinda619

9 ай бұрын

Whew- I did not expect to read such an erudite comment under such a video. Quite the apt comparison to the Greeks!

@VideoGuy232

9 ай бұрын

This story isn’t representative of Greek views of God, it’s very much directly inspired by Judeo Christian views, and (thanks to your well written summary) it’s clear the whole thing is an homage to The Garden of Eden. Even the imagery speaks for itself. In the Garden of Eden, the humans sample from the tree of knowledge, and are cast out of the garden, something almost word for word described in the game’s opening. The imagery of trees and foliage speaks for itself, we explore literal gardens filled with trees. Women were specifically punished for Eve’s disobedience by experiencing pain in childbirth, not unlike how the women of this world experience pain when they create monsters. They are also tasked with ensuring the monsters turn out good and pure, which seems to be another metaphor for child rearing. One of the antagonists, the political woman, opposes the ‘natural order’ in her bid for power, which angers the forest spirits. This would suggest women in this universe are supposed to take specifically passive roles or face cosmic retribution, something the protagonist’s female counterpart wants to rebel against. In a weird way, this game seems to be entirely about reinforcing traditional gender roles, and warning us, the audience, about what happens if we disobey. Which is kind of fascinating for a monster collecting game coming out of Japan of all places. Make no mistake though, the God of the Old Testament was very much a vindictive being to be feared. It was only after all the Jesus stuff that people started thinking of him as cuddly, sweet and merciful.

@VASM160689

9 ай бұрын

I'm a bit miffed that the game didn't explore the dark purification part and the dark cocoons, from a gameplay perspective. Would be cool to see that as another way of getting certain creatures, albeit at some kind of disadvantage.

@MatthewC1128

9 ай бұрын

⁠@@VideoGuy232Good explanation of Judeo-Christian themes but I just want to add this (full context I am a believer in that Jesus stuff!): This game’s depiction of “Elrhim” Elohim are more Gnostic than Judeo-Christian. The often discussed “god of the Old Testament” being vindictive actually aligns more closely with Gnosticism, and you’ll constantly see this “mad tyrant god” depicted in most of our popular media: Tron: Legacy, The Truman Show, The Lego Movie, The Matrix trilogy, Elden Ring/Dark Souls, etc. If we really give the Bible a fair chance, we can find that God himself “repents” at least 36 times and changes his mind (often choosing to not punish wicked people, and extending His grace instead). Sure there are many extreme cases of violence, such as Noah’s Flood. But again, if we study the nuance of WHY God decided to kill every living creature at that time, it starts to become more clear in our limited understanding: The book of Genesis states that all flesh had become corrupt and among other things giants walked among the earth. We are also told that Noah was the only faithful person left and wasn’t part of this corrupted bloodline. Even the animals on earth had been altered in some way from God’s original intention for them. We can see from this that a “reset” in so many words, was needed. Hope this helps! Thanks!

I've just remembered growing up I never used Mahbu's ability outside the demo because I didn't want to hurt her.

@BjorkensteinvanJurgenheim

11 ай бұрын

I always felt so guilty using the ability :(

@Jimknopf-1960

10 ай бұрын

wtf u are the most honorable man :D!

OH MY GOD!!! You have no Idea what a rush of nostalgia you just gave me! I loved this game as a kid. I never finished it, because I hadno clue what was going on, but the fusion mechanic was so unique and intresting. I'm really looking forward to this video.

@ian10064

11 ай бұрын

Ah Nostalgia, delicate but potent.

@yesked1337

11 ай бұрын

100% of what I thought when I saw the upload. I completely forgot about this game and nostalgia just kicked in reading the title. Cant wait to watch it Laterne tonight 😱

@purplefood1

11 ай бұрын

Yeah same, was just thinking about this recently as well

@sarahgreen9063

11 ай бұрын

I had no clue either when I first played it as a kid 😅 but I never forgot about this game !

@aceofcats

11 ай бұрын

Same!! My uncle got me this game when I was young, and it was cool and weird. I loved it, but I could never get very far.

YESSSS! This was one of my childhood's "most wanted games"! I used to have this on a demo disc which I played hours and hours, trying to combine the few demo monsters it had to create something new and cool! Some 20 years later I finally got myself the full version and the game was almost as much fun now as it was back then! The story of the game hits differently as an adult and definitely feels much more darker now. EDIT: Seems like many people share the same experience of playing and liking the demo alot, but not owning the full game until much later in life (if at all).

@Dan_Gilpin

11 ай бұрын

I had the exact same experience as a kid, played that demo disc on repeat! Although then I forgot all about it... time to look up where to buy now!

@Synplicity

11 ай бұрын

Yep, me too. Played that demo so many times

@gehrmanfirsthunter8646

11 ай бұрын

I had the demo disc, too! I played it a bunch of times but didn't end up buying the full game because of the price

@X862go

11 ай бұрын

same this and golden sun!

@Fluxikator

11 ай бұрын

Jep. Had the same experience. Had the Demofor a while. played it quite a lot. And years latr i got the full game. XD

Mahbu's voice actress also voiced Yukari from Persona 3. Thanks Josh for covering this one. Brought tears to my eyes to see a dearly held childhood game finally get the recognition it deserves

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@IHeart16Bit

11 ай бұрын

I believe in Ruff supremacy.

@Tee3001

10 ай бұрын

Don't forget she also voices the best teacher in Persona 5 also.

@oliver6969

6 ай бұрын

she really likes voicing games with fusion mechanics and confronting one's inner demons@@Tee3001

I knew somebody would find this gem eventually. That monster combining system was ridiculously innovative for its time and that music during the opening fights? Iconic.

I loved this game as a child. The voice of the man you fight in a dream at the beggining terrified me (at least in the french dub). Even my little sister who was in pre school remembers him. I should try to play it to the end one day.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

Picked this bad boy up in the preowned bin of electronics boutique and never looked back, truly a hidden gem

After playing this game on and off for 20+ years by this point, I've discovered a way to merge Arpatron in such a way that he has routinely become my ultimate minion in terms of versatility and power to the point that even Earth types are no match for him. So, this is my way of merging Arpatron into what I consider to be the ultimate water minion of the game. to start: *(Long read ahead)* The aim is to merge Arpatron to the point where he has all possible water magic spells, and all 5 Special attack slots filled. Horn is pretty much always "water" and Foot is all enemies, but Fang, Claw and Tail can be up to you to decide on what they are. For me, Arpatron's Specials look like this; Horn - Water Attack Fang - Sleep - +Accuracy Claw - Poison Tail - Critical (as in the 1hp critical attack) - +Accuracy Foot - All Enemies Here's the merging process I use, first you'll want a few Arpatrons, I normally get all 12. Here's the glitch to get them. 1) Initiate "Capture" when you meet Koris for the first time. 2) Weaken and capture the Arpatron you encounter. 3) Return to the gates, save your game and then load it. 4) Go back to the Beetle Forest, and press X where Koris once stood, (he'll be invisible), and you will activate his training menu. Repeat for as many Arpatron as you want, up to the max of 12. From there, throughout the story you'll want to capture the following minions, merging each into the various weaker Arpatrons you'll captured, (their stats can vary slightly): Mukhambu (water hopper in Beetle Forest) for the Medina spell (healing). Skwoot (air snake in Beetle Forest) for the poison claw. Ohma (water tortoise in Dragonfly Forest) for the Foot special. Ojiae (water flat bug... thing in Dragonfly Forest) for Fang +Accuracy and Vahlis, as base Arpatron only has Vahli. Maskhira (air white bird in Dragonfly Forest) for sleep fang. Doglchu (water troll in Spider Forest) for Selahm/ailment cure. (Note, you don't want to overwrite poison claw with Doglchu's Claw - Critical). Patakuga (fire troll in Spider Forest) for Tail - Critical. Radgore (water dragon, very similar to Arpatron in Spider Forest) for the shape of the body. Note: You'll be needing a lot of these guys, but only if you're like me and want to retain Arpatron's original shape. Embla (water tree in Spider Forest) for Deva Vali. Note: Deva Vali can only be merged into another minion when that minion is 100% water, same for the other elemental Deva spells. It simply won't appear otherwise. This is the second reason you'll want lots of Radgores and more than one Arpatron, to merge out the other elements and make the finished product pure 100% water minion. Make sure you level up the first two Arpatrons you got as they remain unmerged. This is to maximise their stats and stat growth once finally merged as a level 1 Arpatron won't have as high a stat base as an Arpatron that is a level higher than the secondary sample you'll use to merge into Arpatron. it's okay to periodically merge an already merged Arpatron into another spare to free up room and sort of renew the base. (You want your strongest Arpatron as the base, remember this). If all goes well, you'll have 3 remaining Arpatrons, one you've left unmerged and levelled up to be the base, the second you've likewise levelled up to be the merging petri dish which should have all the abilities and the right body shape thanks to the Radgores as well as the skin of Arpatron from another instance. Finally, a third Arpatron, no matter the level, to be the skin given to the final piece to complete the minion in the Eternal Corridor. That way, the 1st Arpatron, when finally merged, will have all the abilities, the body shape and the skin of the original Arpatron, without losing his stats. There are a couple of other minions you need to get from the Moth Forest onwards to "complete" him, but at this point, you've got a water dragon that can (if levelled enough) solo the Fire, Earth and Final bosses' minions. (The Air Boss's minion has proven too challenging due to Arpatron's lack of resistance to sleep). The last few minions are: Radtodon (big water troll in Moth Forest) for Tail - +Accuracy and Medina if you somehow didn't get that yet. And finally either Srikarta (water three-headed flyer in Beetle Forest Netherworld) or Amasag (water ball bird in Dragonfly Forest Netherworld) for the magic spell Vahlia. Personally, I prefer Amasag as Srikarta gives +accuracy to claw and increases the mana needed to use poison, and my fighting style usually revolves around conserving mana through fights, but you may use whichever you prefer to suit your style. From there, a few more Radgores found in the Eternal Corridor, (might take a while with how utterly random the place can be) and, if you've still got that 3rd Arpatron, merge them in the right sequence and ta-da, a completed Arpatron that should be able to take on most other minions, Fire, Air or Earth. (Keep in mind, Status effects are his primary weakness other than Earth attacks). Sorry if this is too word-y, tried to make this as detailed as possible without writing a novel. If any questions are had, please ask. There is a Jade Cocoon wiki that has the stats, abilities and other information about all minions in the game, it's helped me a lot in perfecting this process, as well as helping me make ultimate minions of other elements as well. I hope at least someone finds this useful if they still play this game to this day like I do on occasion. (Again, 20 plus years of playing this game on and off have given me plenty of time to refine this method).

@marcussherlock6318

8 ай бұрын

There was a glitch where saving the game with unpurified fireflies and resetting the console caused the minions within, when purified, to have no abilities at all. I used this to alter the appearances of my minions without risking overwriting their powers.

@darkarpatron

8 ай бұрын

@@marcussherlock6318I have since learned that if you have two saves, Save A and Save B, you capture but do not yet purify minions in Save A, say for example a minion with Deva Agni, save that file then load up Save B where you've captured but purified a fire minion, purifying that minion in Save B will give you the abilities of the minion you captured in Save A. Hope this makes sense, it's something I've only found out about after 20+ years of this game being out, so I'm still not completely sure about it.

@marcussherlock6318

8 ай бұрын

@@darkarpatron Oh yeah, I think I read that on a wiki a few years ago and forgot about it. I never messed with multiple saves, so I only actually used this for drip. After my dismay of going out to test my newly merged minions and discovering them to be quite powerless.

@darkarpatron

8 ай бұрын

@@marcussherlock6318 sadly, the power of your minions largely depends on levelling them up from a low level. A minion you've raised from level 1 to 20 say, will always have greater stats then capturing a minion at 20. That's what I've noticed. This is largely why Arpatron can become one of the strongest minions in the game along with any other minion you catch in the Beetle Forest.

A correction on the Ocarina that Kikinak gives you. It's not meant to improve your capture but rather summon Kikinak so you can fight him again, in the same area of course. This is a great way to increase Levant's HP as he frequently drops great walnuts. He also gives you MASSIVE lore dumps and basically confesses that he SCREWED OVER EVERYONE in the game because he got horny. I love how the other divine spirits talk to him, calling him a pervert and stuff because it's HIS fault they're all like this and why god hung up the phone on them. Yeah Elrim doesn't like your species a whole lot, most of it coming from you're a constant reminder of the promise that was broken.

@Jimknopf-1960

10 ай бұрын

yehh !!! :D

@sethreign8103

10 ай бұрын

almost literally screwed everyone lol

@jerithil

10 ай бұрын

Yeah if you want to push the eternal dungeon it really helps fighting Kikinak a lot to get like 200hp so you don't get killed to fast in the eternal dungeon.

@Jimknopf-1960

10 ай бұрын

@@jerithil u are patient

@maskedbadass6802

10 ай бұрын

If this game was more popular it sounds like there would've been doge bonking/horny jail memes made out of it.

Love to death this game, gave it to a friend to play one weekend when we where teens and he managed to get to the earth boss in the dark forest using only Levant, english wasnt our native tongue and he really didnt study it, so when i saw him again the first thing i did was ask him sbout which cool monster he had made, his eyes bulged out from his face so hard, we still laugh about this game to this day and his achievement of makingn it that far in hard mode

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

I played this game as kid and absolutely loved it. The world and it's atmosphere was so strange and yet so beautiful. I think I never finished it, but I remember the story was kind of creepy? In my twenties there was a time, in which I thought I had made this game up in my head, because no one seemed to have heard of it and I couldn't remember the name :D thank you for covering this game and catapulting me back in my childhood.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@st.haborym

11 ай бұрын

There's probably a name for that phenomenon.

This game was massively important to me and my friends as a kid. Thank you for covering it.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

@MagicManAleister

11 ай бұрын

@@zoa1-99....... DOING GODS WORK MY FRIEND

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

@@MagicManAleister Thanks man, May Jesus come by and pick us up soon for the Rapture, that TIME OF GATHERING Ni spoke of.

This and Azure Dreams were some of my favorite games growing up, but only because I loved catching monsters so much. The music was also GOAT in jade cocoon.

@aaronclay4665

6 ай бұрын

Both games were fuckingn goat status lol Playstation was the goat system

@Paddydukes89

4 ай бұрын

Azure Dreams was so goddamn good

This game is like trying to remember a weird dream you had.

@Ike_of_pyke

9 ай бұрын

For me it's comfort food

2:45 I grew up with Jade Cocoon 2, having never played the original until MUCH later. For those who want to know a bit about it: It takes place roughly 100 years after the original, with the main character of the first game acting as a mentor for the new main character. You yourself don't fight, and instead have multiple divine beasts fighting for you at once (up to eight arranged in a circle around you so that up to three can be active at a time). As a result, combat is very different, but also very unique and I personally really liked it. The world is split into the hub zone and the four elemental forests that you teleport to. Forest designs are rather uninspired, palette-swapped mazes but get the job done. There's not much of an overall story to the game (The main plot is that you need to collect some things to un-curse yourself), but the world still feels alive as the various NPCs have goals and lives of their own that move forward as you progress through the game. Creature merging is kinda still a thing, but not to the same extent. You have your beast and you can merge it with the essence of another beast to gain its moves/abilities and raise your level cap, but nothing changes visually (Though the evolutions that can happen mid-fight are cool) and your beast gets reset to level 1 each time. The cutscenes are now all 3d renders, which looked really good at the time but unlike the 2D anime style of the first game, they have aged. Every NPC in the game is voiced though, no matter how minor, so that's cool.

One of the first RPGs I played as a child and ignited my passion for JRPGs. I remember listening to the town music for hours. Nostalgia overload

@EnraiChannel

3 ай бұрын

A bit shame he didn't mention much about the OST of this game. It is very atmospheric, and the last non-darkness map hits hard with melancholy.

Dammit, right after Future Cop LAPD now you cover this hidden gem too? You’re really giving so much validation to my entire childhood, thank you! Fun fact: one of the first area songs of Final Fantasy 16 is almost identical to the forest music in this game!

@Evanz111

11 ай бұрын

Oops and Silent Bomber! Those are like a trio of my favourite PS1 games. Now I just need to watch you make a video on Galerians!

My favorite franchise back then! So underrated.

Had you told me Josh was working on a "was it any good?" For a story focused creature collector in which you must fuse monsters to make them stronger I'd have assumed a "Was it any good? Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series"

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

I feel like this game could benefit from a remake which would refine a lot of the convoluted aspects of the game and simplify them greatly. I love the Studio Ghibli art style, too.

@LarixusSnydes

8 ай бұрын

Especially rework the game so the introduction becomes much shorter and for goodness sake: make it skippable. Many JRPG's suffer from lots of unskippable conversations, having to wait until the text is slowly forming while the character is ¨speaking" in beeps that somehow have to mimic speech. Many will also require you to tap the action button after every sentence, giving you RSI in no time.

The scene at 4:08 looks exactly like Cloud and Tifa's talk in the Nibelheim flashback in FF7. Seems the team had more than one famous game on their minds. Great video!

AHHHH JADE COCCOON! This was my JAM when I was a kid! I remember WAY into my playthrough when I was in the endless Corridors I ended up really liking the design of those two legged fighting goat lookin Monsters. so I made a goal for myself that I wanted to get ALL the elements and make "super" versions of them that had like all the special attack options AND looked like the Originals.... I think each Element took me weeks... if not months to complete... because I had to first gather monsters to get all the special attack options... then I had to capture ENOUGH of the battle goats to re-merge it back to its original form... they were very meh in magic but BOI they could throw a punch.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

I had so many battles against my best friend with the fused custom monsters. It was the pre internet era so experimenting to find stronger fusions and challenge friends in multiplayer was so much fun

@shivur5073

11 ай бұрын

I can't think of a couch co op game that wasn't fun pre internet days. I really wish internet didn't ruin couch co op. Everything is forced to be online now and you barely have a need for multiple controllers for 1 console anymore

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

One of my favourite games to this day, really hoped for a remake or even a film/tv show but one can only dream. Such a great game.

@shanescott3166

5 ай бұрын

Ghibli should do a film of this, what with the art already.

As a big Studio Ghibli fan I couldn't help but think, "Hey, you got your Princess Mononoke in my Nausicaa!" "Well you got your Nausicaa in my Princess Mononoke!" Just for that, I'm intrigued.

@benlarson4887

11 ай бұрын

I mean, those are practically the same movie to begin with.

wow Jade cocoon's environment visual is amazing

@AlyssaMcNeil

11 ай бұрын

True, I still remember to this day, despite the pixelated super low resolution graphics of the PS1, just how nice were the backgrounds, especially of that forest at night

Dude I’ve watched all of your content but never commented. However, this is the video I’ve been hoping for and waiting for you to do. I’ve searched your channels every now and then, in hopes of you covering Jade Cocoon. I’m about to watch this one, but I was too hyped up when I saw the upload, and wanted to comment first. You, sir, are a legend. So many fond memories of this game. I wish a modern game would use some of these creature catching/merging systems.

@turbo8628

11 ай бұрын

Always leave a comment - it helps the channel grow 👍

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

Looking forward to you covering Jade Cocoon 2! I really enjoyed both games when I was younger, but definitely preferred the presentation and mechanics of the sequel.

Jade Cocoon was my JAM!!! I remember my grandparents took me to some no name store that had a small N64/PS1 section and told me to pick out one game. I grabbed Jade Cocoon and ended up being one of the best gaming decisions I ever made.

Hell yeah! I’ve only recently discovered these videos, but I’ll tell you I DEVOURED them when I did. Something about the way you break down games and critique them is very satisfying, even if, like this game, it’s a game I’ve never played.

This was one of my favorite games as a kid and I go back every few years to replay it. Fusing monsters was such a cool idea.

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

I just found your videos and the nostalgia and pure AWESOMENESS is unmatched! The fact I've played and not beaten most of these games in my childhood just adds to the joy. Thank you sir for this fantastic KZread channel!

Seeing you play this cult RPG gives me hope that you'll someday review my favorite PS1 RPG some day. Legend of Legaia. Great video for such a little known game.

I hope you do Turok was it any good soon!

@Cutdown69

11 ай бұрын

1, 2 and 3 please Cx

The merging makes me think of the demon fusion from the Shin Megami Tensei games. But, as you mentioned in the video, their appearences are static and recognisable in those games.

Another video from one of my favourite channels! Thanks Josh. These videos are such an awesome de-stresser for me! 😄

This game made me think of Jade Empire from back in the day. In my opinion one of the best at the time martial arts game. I wouldn't mind seeing you do a break down of that game, though newer as it is compared to what I have seen you do on here.

What a throwback. I loved this game as kid. I remember not understanding that the area after the actual game was infinite and being confused AF. Shame you didnt mention the music at all, i still have the villages theme stuck in my head from time to time. Great video as always !

This game defined my childhood and I largely credit it for making me who I am today. It sculpted my taste towards JRPGs, monster collectors, and deep plots meshed in heavy metaphor. Thank you so much for reviewing it and giving it an honest shot.

This is a game I always wanted to play as a kid but didn't have a console to do it on. So thank you for covering this

Hi, i follow this channel from a long time ago and I do watch and re watch some of the videos. You have helped me a lot in some dark days and I am very grateful for this. Even if you don't realice it immediately, you bring a lot of good humor and smiles to so many people's lives. Thank you Josh Strife

This right there ladies and gentlemen is my childhood... thank you so much for that nostalgia trip Josh!

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

This game is such a gem. It's still on my list of unfinished games that I loved but didn't finish for on reason or another (loss of my memory card in this case)

@zoa1-99.......

11 ай бұрын

It's so good that Pokémon has implemented elements from this and the ps2 game in their latest games. If you want to hear Beetle Forest of the NETHERWORLD OST, I have it uploaded.

Thanks for covering this game. A large part of my childhood and it was absolutely amazing to play (Along with Jade Cocoon 2). I appreciate the exposure to these more obscure games, good or bad.

For what it's worth, the best weapons in the game aren't the ones with high attack but the ones with high speed so you don't get attacked before summoning a creature (seems to have happened to you a lot) Also a bit disappointed you didn't mention the pvp mode, it was pretty cool (for 20 minutes until you got bored of the commentary lol)

This game reminded me of Eternal Eyes! Another PS1 creature merging game, but with a tactical rpg flavor. Might be a nice one to review on this channel!!

This is my favorite childhood game and you made this video three weeks ago without me knowing. Decided to randomly search for the game and found this, wow!

i feel like ive seen many of this game's scenes in my dreams, its beautiful

First Silent Bomber and now this. Holy crap what a nostalgia rush. Loved Jade Cocoon!

This is one of those games in the PS1 days that I regret not trying out. Also if I can make a suggestion for your next game, might I suggest Azure Dreams for the PS1. It's one of those games that I picked up, have no idea on how it goes, get my ass kicked, get annoyed, stop playing for a while, then try again. Then after really learning the system I found myself really enjoying the game, so much so that I actually finished the game.

As a Genki racing game enthusiast I was really curious about this title. Thanks for covering it, I love how it has all of the characteristics of their racing games even despite being in completely different ballpark of genres. Lots and lots of background plot with mature themes, but completely disconnected from the actual gameplay? Check Insane amounts of waiting due to poor foresight and/or questionable design? Check Very complicated, obtuse system for what is basically just a fluff (Creature appearance and B.A.D. names)? Check Great soundtrack and cutscenes? Check It's a great shame that this studio died, they were making proper bangers, even if they were way too niche.

Thank you so much for making a video on this game, it was one of the first games I've played on Playstation and I got a warm wave of nostalgia seeing it in my feed.

I loved this game as a kid, despite not really understanding anything about it. Loved it so much I actually have it emulated on my tablet so I can play it whenever I am out of the house. That and Legend of Legaia.

Josh should start a series called 6 degrees of The Bouncer.

Eu adoro essas análises! Continue firme, amigo!

It is CRAZY this renaissance of Jade Cocoon, Star Ocean 2nd Story, Dragonseed and Monsterseed with you Josh and other creators making content - these were 2nd party games in the bottom rack at Kmart new (34.99 to 40) and no one at school for 15 years knew what I was talking about it ever had played them too. Awesome!

I found this game as a kid and it ended up getting passed around between my friends for years. It's one of my favorites of the era.

You might be right about the fact that Jade Cocoon didn't have a mascot to use, but not being invested in your creatures? I still to this day remember the Arpatron that you get at the beginning of the game. I got so attached to that guy, I flat out refused to ever merge him.

@barbequesauce7167

8 ай бұрын

I renamed my basic Azure Whelpling in WoW to Arpatron. Unfortunately, FFXIV doesn't have anything with that same blue-and-white colouring and you can't rename pets anyway.

Thanks for this. I've always been curious about Jade Cocoon, but was never going to have time to play it. This is just what I needed.

very eager to see your jc2 in depth reveiw , great work sir.

Super excited for this! I’m pretty sure most of my life I was the only person who knew about this gem!

This was my pokemon as a kid and I loved it. The monster merging was the best part. Am excited to see what Josh created in this video.

Man I'm soooooooo excited!!! I came across your Chrono trigger video 2 weeks ago for the first time and have listened to it 3 times since then because I just love hearing the story and how you put it all together... I commenting praising the work and asked for Jade Cacoon and legend of legaia!!! I can't wait to watch this video.

Oh man, I absolutely loved this game as a kid! I could never understand what was actually happening in the merging system, but I loved playing with it and creating crazy creatures that did all sorts of fun things. I grinded in the endless corridor for a while until it eventually got boring at the power levels. I personally think you lost a chunk of the joy and uniqueness of the game by a) min-maxing stats instead of mashing for fun (and doing some grinding along the way so progression wasn't painful RNG bosses) and b) Finding that insane sword so early that really threw off the loop. But it is what it is and your review was, as always, super fair and full of excellent points. I've always wanted to try Jade Cacoon 2, but could never find it... Thanks for the nostalgia trip! For more crazy merging action and more hard-to-follow plot, this time in a medival setting from Squaresoft, review Vagrant Story next!

I remember getting legit sad when the village froze way more than aerith dying in ff7. I liked talking to the villagers and hearing the stories it was the best voice acting since Blood Omen

Isn't the infinite corridor that thing San Germaine was obsessed with in the Netflix Castlevania show?

The level of research is.. awestriking! Quite the feat, and I commend it highly

This game has the greatest OST from a game I've ever heard, truly transcendental

Wonderful exploration of Jade Cocoon it got me thinking on how Jade Cocoon could have used game mechanics to support the story and vice a verca. The story deals if the feelings of being stuck to tradition, relationship and expectation. Yet the mechanics strain this, if one is attached to a creature (physical form) one will not be able to improve and advance as that would drastically change the form of the creature. So the only options are: have a creature friend or progress the game/story. I think this could used to reflect on the story with, listen to someone struggle with being bound to attachment then struggle to progress until you merge your favorite creature with another creature loosing the form you where attached to. Id like to think that the devs will find a way to make the game mechanics and story support each other, capitalizing on the unique traits of gaming and fulfilling the dream (if this is it). Do you think it could be pulled off?

I have to point out that 26:33 was not the first Key you found! It was the first you picked up. However at 23:55 you had a key on the screen, but instead of picking it up you just left back out to heal forgetting all about the Key. Also to the right of Koris's hut there is a screen with a teleporter and a keystone for it. There is also a level 3 monster who protects it who is either air or earth depending on the respawns. I am glad to say that yes I do in fact love the series and it was a shame Disney got the hand on the IP and wrecked the series.

Played this over 23 years ago. All I really remember was a boss had the same voice actor of Cosmo from The Fairly Oddparents.

I watch all your videos working graveyard and you really help get me through Josh thanks for making these longer videos

The plot(twist) of Yamu giving back the ring (of your love) that you actually sacrificed with a broken heart and a bad conscience is touching. Not so much because Yamu doesn't like that it doesn't shine when he has it, but on a grander meta-scale: You are giving away the one important present of your (childhood)wife who constantly suffers physically and emotionally due to your actions, but then it's like a higher force (aka the devs ^^) decides that you should keep that precious token in respect for her loyalty.

Thank you for your videos Josh. My father recently died and im bingin all your videos nonstop, because it is the only thing that gives me peace. Your work is greatly apreciated and i will soon work out a way to donate to your patreon. Much love and many thanks.

I keep talking about this a few times a year and usually all I get is shrugs and blank stares - thank you Josh!!! ❤

Loving the video as, back in the day, this was on of the first PS games I bought with my own saved up pocket money. I find you comment about emotional attachment really interesting because I remember getting super attached to this little blue dragon(think you got it as part of a tutorial of something) I kept it unmerged for the entire game, and it never left my party. No idea if it had good stats or anything, I just thought it looked cute and didn't have the heart to merge it.

Brought back so many child hood memories seeing this. Loved this game. You should also cover 'Monster Rancher'. Most unique system where you get creatures from your CD collection.

Just have to point out, Ghibli is pronounced with a soft G. It is written 'ji bu ri' in japanese, as in the logo 'スタジオジブリ.' Just a pet peeve.

Nice find. Never heard of this so fun to see the detailed retro review.

Just want to thank you again Josh for letting me vicariously relive one of my childhood loves that with time I've forgotten till now.

So basically crimes against Charles Darwin... the game

Totally forgot about this game! I think it was my first JRPG ever. Brings back memories.

That was a great video, I've been bingeing this series, I'd love to see your take on legend of legia. That was my favorite ps1 game

This was my childhood game. I'm more addict to this than pokémon at the time.

That levelling taking 42 years is exactly the kind of thing i want to see my immortals/vampires be all about. Someone give me a manga about a gamer vamp and her mummy pal grinding this game while the world crumbles around them please. Awesome stuff as usual Doctor Strife.

Loved this game, too bad they discarded the merging in the sequel and tried a more pokemonesque attempt. I think you missed one important thing with the capturing. The capturing Musik you play, gets more complicated the higher your capture rank is, i really liked that detail. Also the Level of your Creatures dont just make them bigger, their features gets more distinct, it really felt as if they are growing to adults

I never played this. But I know it's gonna be a treat. Always look forward to and appreciate your work sir

That silly running animation is the most memorable part of this game for me

The PS1 era was such an interesting one. There were a lot of variety and diversity of games, companies were trying to make something new and different. It was an era of experimental. I miss these, I really do. Nowadays, it's generic as generic can be. Thank God for Indie developers, those make some of the most unique and amazing games I've ever seen. They love what they do, unlike big triple A companies that only want the green paper. Oh well... Anyways, good vídeo, Josh. This one was a blast from the past. Jade Cocoon was such a great game, I love the enviroments and places to get to explore. And the opening scene is fantastic, I'm such a Studio Ghibi fan. Hope to see more. Also, I've got a question: are you going to make vídeos on Sega games consoles (Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast...)?

That guy just gave me my childhood back, thanks Josh!

I had no idea that the merging programming was so complicated! Thank you for the info! Now I want to play Jade Cocoon again!

crazy coincidence with how I randomly stumbled upon this game last night and now you post a video the next day.

Absolutely LOVE this game, always have since a kid... THAT SOUNDTRACK! The only thing i really dislike is how I cannot go down the path of darkness, wish someone could mod that in. I hope Jade Cocoon returns one day, I really do.