The End is Nigh and Completion
MML's Commentaries
11,329 views
The spiritual sequel to Super Meat Boy is much more than just an improvement. The End is Nigh is a brilliantly-designed title that makes completing a game fun for everyone.
We also discuss evaluation-focused design, player-established completion metrics, and some other fun game design stuff.
tl;dr: I love this game and you should too :)
Timestamps:
0:00 - Prelude
5:42 - Mvmt I: Andante
13:24 - Mvmt II: Fugue
24:07 - Mvmt III: Rondo
36: 21 - DC al Fine
This video is completely spoiler-free up through Mvmt I.
(10)
***
Points of disclosure...
-I'm playing this game on a MacBook Pro, and it doesn't always handle games particularly well. Any frame skips which may appear in this video aren't representative of how the game will run on your computer.
-A few clips in this video may appear slightly discolored. This is due to a recording error and is not representative of the product itself.
I'm expecting to get this question, so here's my answer...
Q: Hey Matt, why do you use the words "execution" and "evaluation" when you could just use words like "skill" and "strategy"?
A: My first draft of this script actually used those terms, but I chose to find better words which (hopefully) made the argument easier to digest. I'd argue that evaluation is a sort of skill and that the terms "skill" and "execution" don't exactly refer to the same ideas. Hopefully this explains why I used these terms.
***
Donate to the show on Ko-fi, if you wish:
https://ko-fi.com/mmlscommentaries
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Special Thanks:
@remsorpax8727: http://tinyurl.com/remsorpax
@LiamTriforce: liamtriforce
@WhatsWithGames: whatswithgames
@KingKlonoa: kingdomklannad
@GeekCritique: tgcritique
@hatwearinggamer: hatwearinggamer
Shifter - http://tinyurl.com/shifterprod
Cult of the Void: https://voltaicvoidcult.bandcamp.com/
Follow the creators of this fantastic game!
Edmund: Twitter: edmundmcmillen
Tyler: Twitter: TylerGlaiel
***
Subscribe for more: mmlscommentaries
Tweeter: Twitter: MattMLucas
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Personal Channel: mml1two9
#theendisnigh #videogames #videoessay
20 Comments
Also I love the contrast between Ruin/Acceptance and Nevermore. Throughout the entire game we've been hearing the tracks As Above and So Below hinting at and ascension and descending by the NPCs. The track in Ruin is a remix of, So Below, where in the Acceptance ending Ash ascends by dying. While in Nevermore, Ash descends with mother, (as other NPCs where saying) and the music that plays is, As Above. I think it's literally meant to represent that Ash is as above as he is below. Making the player question if one path is better than the other, or if they're both futile. Like he either dies happily or lives in depression. Both paths are bad and good.
This game has surprised me and still does in so many ways. It has become do much more than a simple platformer for me.
PS: Also props for drawing such imaginative parallels with music. As a pianist with a 10 year skill, I always appreciate some love towards the nerdy terminology and timeless pieces.
I thought this was a project out of spite made in a way that victory will be for naught (i interpreted the ending of acceptance as ash dying)
But this essay gave me a whole different viewpoint on the game and motivated me to play it again.
Thank you so much for making :)
And The End is Nigh is a fantastic game, one of the best of its kind.
The End is Nigh and Completion
MML's Commentaries
11,329 views
The spiritual sequel to Super Meat Boy is much more than just an improvement. The End is Nigh is a brilliantly-designed title that makes completing a game fun for everyone.
We also discuss evaluation-focused design, player-established completion metrics, and some other fun game design stuff.
tl;dr: I love this game and you should too :)
Timestamps:
0:00 - Prelude
5:42 - Mvmt I: Andante
13:24 - Mvmt II: Fugue
24:07 - Mvmt III: Rondo
36: 21 - DC al Fine
This video is completely spoiler-free up through Mvmt I.
(10)
***
Points of disclosure...
-I'm playing this game on a MacBook Pro, and it doesn't always handle games particularly well. Any frame skips which may appear in this video aren't representative of how the game will run on your computer.
-A few clips in this video may appear slightly discolored. This is due to a recording error and is not representative of the product itself.
I'm expecting to get this question, so here's my answer...
Q: Hey Matt, why do you use the words "execution" and "evaluation" when you could just use words like "skill" and "strategy"?
A: My first draft of this script actually used those terms, but I chose to find better words which (hopefully) made the argument easier to digest. I'd argue that evaluation is a sort of skill and that the terms "skill" and "execution" don't exactly refer to the same ideas. Hopefully this explains why I used these terms.
***
Donate to the show on Ko-fi, if you wish:
https://ko-fi.com/mmlscommentaries
***
Special Thanks:
@remsorpax8727: http://tinyurl.com/remsorpax
@LiamTriforce: liamtriforce
@WhatsWithGames: whatswithgames
@KingKlonoa: kingdomklannad
@GeekCritique: tgcritique
@hatwearinggamer: hatwearinggamer
Shifter - http://tinyurl.com/shifterprod
Cult of the Void: https://voltaicvoidcult.bandcamp.com/
Follow the creators of this fantastic game!
Edmund: Twitter: edmundmcmillen
Tyler: Twitter: TylerGlaiel
***
Subscribe for more: mmlscommentaries
Tweeter: Twitter: MattMLucas
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mmlscommentaries
Personal Channel: mml1two9
#theendisnigh #videogames #videoessay
As a Game Design student who is working on a 2D-Platformer right now this is highly informative!
Keep up the good content! You earned a new notification subscriber.