Expedition 33 is a game that, more than anything else, reminds of why I love video games. The story this game tells just doesn't hit anywhere near as hard as it would if you were to only watch it in a movie, or read it in a book. That interactivity, that moment where you HAVE to pull the final trigger in the endings. It wouldn't be as emotional and impactful if it was just a cutscene. On top of that, the actual mechanical gimmicks of the add DLC super bosses that are clearly designed not to be cheesed really shows that Sandfall knows how to make an easy 10/10 rpg. This is a fantastic analysis of my second favorite game of all time. And I am excited to see what comes next.

I think I would be most excited for the analysis of Nine Sols, but Furi is also a fantastic analysis to see. Though, with Nier Automata being mentioned several times, does that maybe hint at an analysis of that game sometime in the future? You, good sir, deserve all the support for this channel.

Honestly this game has a really good tragedy setup, where you understand the only options left are the two endings even if you hate that there are the only choices left.

The family was so utterly consumed by grief that it alienated them to all possible routes of connection with Verso, to the point that the creation which resembles him sees no other solution. Through his art, Verso is in a way pleading for his family to stop, to move on and continue living the lives he died to preserve, and to remember him through his art. But none of them actually looked around at the artwork because they were so utterly distracted by their own grief that any sort of bridge of connection that could be a joyful way to connect beyond the grave instead became a source of self destructive indulgence.

My dad died when I was a teenager, and he has works of writing, art, and amateur spoof films just left scattered around. When I find or hear about them, it is like finding a still living piece of his soul. The idea that Verso's soul lives in the painting is a very literal translation of that idea... But the family is so caught in indulgence that there is no connection. All Verso can think of is to end the suffering of those he loves by destroying this beautiful world he made and likely loved dearly, so there is no other choice but to move on. All methods of reaching out through the painting have failed, so he must destroy it by force. This, at least, the painted Verso agrees on.

Man, I just found your channel and I can't believe how great your analysis is. Hours and hours of critique on such a core piece of video game design. Thank you for all the work you do. My morning commutes have been so much nicer for it.

Edit: Also, while I'm not in any place to make demands, Hades 1 and 2 have a combined boss total of 14-26 bosses depending if you count the nightmare versions.

Figure Sirene's low health is a reflection of how Renoir sees Aline's current physical state. She's weak, she's trapped, and she's dying.

And Noco isn't Monoco's son, not really. He was Monoco's older mentor who was resurrected into the young form you see first.

Monoco has already seen his beloved mentor lose himself, and knows that he can't ever really connect the same way again because he's already done it once.

My favorite piece of analysis from this game comes from asking about the extent to which the people in the canvas are truly humans, as its their grief we are first introduced to. Someone made the point that, we might question whether these characters are real as they exist only in a creation, however we as players know this also to be true of the Dessendres, who were obviously made to exist for the game and its story, and how this brings in to question how the idea of "being created," something many believe to be true of humans, may either validate or invalidate the humanity of these characters

I love how much you focused on where the boss fit into the narrative. It was so well thought out and so high quality. This is my favorite game of all time and you did it justice, especially with analyzing the symbolism and philosophy behind them and the game as a whole.

Having already watched this through the premiere and shared my thoughts there, I’ll just say that I may not love this game as deeply as many others do, but it is such an absolutely stunning and emotional game with my favorite story in any game.
And also just happy to finally see this video release, as your videos just scratch such a unique itch for me, and I think it’s just your ability to think about developers and game design go into every fight. Excited for whatever may come after!

I have unfortunately not played Expedition 33 so I'll not be watching this until I eventually decide to do it. However, I can already guess that this is a great video going by your track record, so I hope everyone else enjoyed the premier and future watchers enjoy your ramblings :3

I'VE BEEN ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO EVER SINCE I DISCOVERED YOUR CHANNEL WITH LIES OF P, IM SO HAPPY YOU HAVE NO IDEA DAWG!

1:27:58 My favorite detail about this boss is that, being a representation of Renoir, it inflicts a literal countdown to death status effect on the party

Been waiting for this ever since your silksong vid, your commentary is fantastic and just sums it up perfectly and your comment at the end of that video was what got me to play E33 which was an absolute masterpiece and drove me to tears. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

I've been waiting for this. This game quickly became my favorite of all time after i finished it a little over a month ago, and it's so good. This makes me want to go through and play it a second time.

As someone who accidentally spoiled themselves when first playing this game, 1. Your video is phenomenal.
2. I’m absolutely checking out whatever else you’ve got on your channel this is magnificent stuff

Had to comment again. I don't like to throw this word around, but this video is GENIUS. Ive literally never heard a games themes, visuals, mechanics, sound and characters/enemies etc. analyzed with a style this comprehensive and authoritative. You single handedly made me love this game even more than I thought possible.

Only a third of the way through this video, but it's easily the best analysis of e33 I've seen. Incredible work. This will be my go to rec for people who have played the game and are looking for a deep dive.

Loving you taking the time to add interpretations of Clea and verso added for the boss analysis.

One interesting thing is that Sciel's final bond event, in which she tells you about her suicide attempt and her lost child, is possible after she gets brought back by Maelle. It's therefore implied that they're not exactly complete painted facsimiles as Maelle would have no way of knowing this before she died. It seems to me, and I read it as, the game hinting that the people she brings back are, for all intents and purposes, those very people. If they aren't, I think Verso's ending just becomes the clear "correct" answer, which I think is significantly weaker as a narrative.

This is my first exposure to your channel and what a way to be introduced

Regarding your question at the end of what over-analysis we would like to see next: personally, I want to see Nine Sols. I love the bosses of that game (except Kh*ngui), and they each have great mechanics, massive amounts of story and lore, and cool nods to Chinese/Taiwanese mythology. I may be biased though because Eigong is one of my favorite bosses of all time, and I was there when you streamed the beginning of Nine Sols.

What are we? Some kind of… Expedition 33?