Every time your avatar pops up with Aya behind, it looks like your avatar is wearing her bow

5:28 fun fact: the pile of dolls in the hallway used to be a pile of undulating flesh in the og version of the game. I'm not really sure why the dev decided to change it but it feels like this version of the game has a lot less gore in it.

4:00 you’d be surprised how normal it is for someone to only be good at drawing one ‘gender’

Correction: The version of Mad Father played here is actually the 2020 Remake of the game which was also released for the Nintendo Switch, not the 2016 version that was originally released on steam

All the murder could have been avoided if Father just bought a camera.

People saying the original ending of Aya becoming just like her father clearly didn’t pay attention to the game. Aya throughout her entire childhood and throughout the game made it clear she didn’t give a damn about the subjects or their suffering. Anytime she seemly “sympathized” with them was simply a means to an end to get her father back and she even says as such when a doll asks her why she was trying to save him. If it wasn’t for him killing her mother and trying to turn her into a doll she would have continued to not care and she would’ve became even worse. Her mother was grooming her into becoming a monster. Although the original game didn’t tell us this information it was just assumed her inherited her father’s issues that’s still the case. Even with the changed ending she’s not a good person, she’s euthanizing people without their consent so it’s really not that much better. With her upbringing I would never consider Aya to be a good person, but in her own twisted way MAYBE she means well with euthanizing people but…. Ew

14:58 I love the small detail of Maria's room having a dart board to practice her knife throwing skills.

Are you going to play “Misao”? It’s in the same universe as mad father and has some references to Mad Father in it. Be warned; it deals with some HEAVY topics like SA, self deletion, bullying, and some other hard topics.

The reason why Aya eats the apple in Blood is because she wants to die, this is implied in details like the fact that after incinerating the doll the sprite of Aya's hanged aunt turns into a hanged Aya, she feels she can't do this because she is scared of leaving Maria alone.

The reason why "if" has Aya fainting is because that was the original secret mode in the original version pf the game, in that version Aya faints after the chase. Blood mode was added in the remake to explain more of the story so before that the information in If felt less redundant.

2:29 "Now now I get that your insane and kill people for fun but i hope you didn't cheat on your wife."

6:16 that scream scared me more than the image did

"Aya is no longer allowed to use Tumblr." As a Tumblr girlie, this joke slayed me. I think I pulled a muscle from laughing. 😂

For your thoughts on the fate of the father in the ending. they added that because of the game’s connections to Misao, the developer’s other game which shares a canon with mad father.

Makes me wonder if "Ogre" is a common mistranslation of "Oni" which usually means Ogre, but generally can be handwaved into just meaning "monster" or "monstrous", which would fit with his like weird, enemy-like involvment and his vampiric or generally slightly-non-human looks

I originally wasn't a big fan of Mad Father. Until they updated the game and added New Game+, where you play through the same story, but now as an adult. Things that used to be scary are now just sad. It was such a great addition that more horror games need.

A small nitpick is that it is implied that father only wanted to turn Aya into a doll after he noticed her becoming like him. Also, Robin/Dio was never brought back to life, as he never died. Monika saved him and kept him from dying, as this wasn't long after her death. Now what he was eating the whole time and how he kept hidden for nearly a year until everything happened, who knows. He also isn't the one setting the house on fire, Monika is, as far as I remember reading. When it comes to the portraits, some of them were remnants of the older version of the game. There are some changes I'm honestly sad about, since for the steam release they toned down the gore of the series. Although I'm wiling to chalk it up to them needing to replace the old freebie assets they used and said "fuck it" and decided to remake everything in a new style.

My theory for this game is the doll Aya had in her room was made with parts from her mother, cuz her father says that her mother is always watching over her. And that the dolls have the eyes of the victims in them cuz most the ghosts had no eyes

I am sure someone else has mentioned it already, but the dimension-hopping aspect tied to Ogre is because he is from a different game in Misao. Partly explains why he has a different artstyle too. The pile of dolls originally was a pile of bodies. Much as with Paranoiac, the rereleases of some RPG Maker classics have cut down on the explicit imagery in some cases, sometimes losing a bit of impact along the way. Also I might misremember, but I believe in the original version of the ending, after Maria comments on Aya being like her Father, you do get to hear the chainsaw revving, but I might be wrong.

First off if you check Aya drawers eventually you will find a non alive cat in it. Secondly Ogre is a reoccurring character from Misao and the creators other works

His scream and the jump scare actually made me flinch, now I’m really interested in the video.

Oooo, it's time for another one of the Big Three! This is a win for all RPGMaker horror-heads everywhere. EDIT: There's actually a pretty good reason for that post-credits with Ogre: it ties into _Misao,_ the previous game made by Sen. Ogre, the Mad Father, and Clone Aya all show up in the game in fairly prominent roles.

A few things: 1. Maybe because it’s been a decade, so my memory isn’t the best, but the QTE is fairly new and wasn’t in the OG version. 2. Those piles of dolls were actually like this pile of gross living flesh zombies glued together. I definitely prefer the OG in this case though. 3. Love they got Blood Mode. 5. Ogre (and Aya’s father) feature in Sen’s previous game, Misao.

Mad Father is kind of a prequel to the creator's first game, Misao, which does feature some of its characters! (If you're gonna check out Misao, please know that the gender option for the protagonist is not just cosmetic.) Also, Mad Father (as well as all of Uri's games, if I'm not mistaken) was actually not made in RPG Maker! It was made in Wolf RPG Editor, which is very similar but completely free to use and has some features that default RPG Maker doesn't have (such as 8-directional movement)!

"Why do they own a child-sized chainsaw in the first place?!" man better don't google what the reason was for the invention of the chainsaw........ xD

Mad Father has had a cult following since it was released in 2012. I feel like "If" was pure fanservice for those who played the original version (like me!) Personally, I really really like it since I've been obsessed with this game and the characters for more than a decade now

being bad at drawing adult men is so real. just like me fr fr

My very first cosplay was of the "Doctor" from Mad Father with my gf of the time going as the assistant (I am writing this before the video for the algorhytm, so I can't remember names). The toy chainsaw broke on the way, so I was forced to just go looking as a typical Mad Doctor. ... I also made the error of applying blood to the labcoat while it was on the floor. Not only I poured most of the blood on the back of coat (and realized after), I also stained the floor. Oh well, it was definitely an experience.

6:16 the scream was way more effective jumpscare than the portrait 😂

14:02 I'll actually vouch for him on this one, smaller chainsaws tend to be cheaper and easier to wield. Usually they're used for smaller burning logs, which seeing all the fireplaces is very likely.

Ahhh man, Mad Father was THE rpgmaker horror game from back in the days. That, and Misao are between the big ones, like The Witch's House, Mogeko Castle and Ib. Just pure nostalgia. Amazing vid, thx 🙏❤

I am just basing thing on what you explain: -Ogre is the deamon -He revive people and corpses for his interest. -Once father died he claim his soul, so he now is his servant, his mad scientists. -The boy is the same. Going from generic revival by curse to a deamon's emisary. But most likly is set to be a secuel bait. And that show that the author knew its characters as each has its own agenda and interest and arent just plot tools. Maria ignoring the Bow sticking out is another example.

The reason for "if" feeling shoe-horned was because the game went through multiple updates throughout the years. "if" mode was the very first update added in 2016 along with minor changes to the original 2013 graphics, and then 2020 did a whole graphics overhaul that added blood mode. The first time extra information was given on the Drevis family was in "if" mode, and it's called "if" BECAUSE Aya didn't faint in the original ending, it's a "what IF" scenario. (sorry for the extensive explanation, been a fan of the games since I was 10. had to share the reason for the more odd choices and I'm usually fascinated by development histories of media in general...) also, the qte part with father that you hated was changed from the original because the original was MUCH WORSE. You had to reach the bottom, TURN RIGHT AROUND WITH FATHER STILL CHASING YOU, IN THE SAME SMALL CORRIDORE, and pull a lever near the door you both entered and run back down! Most of the deaths that people got in the first version were in that part alone! I assure you, this is better. Play the original version! I think it's still free to play! ALSO also, other fans have probably told you this but I think it's important I say this too. The ending with father is actually foreshadowing for Sen's other game, same with Ogre. If you play Misao you'll see, I'll just say that the other aya isn't as doomed as you think she is (。・ω ^ 。). I know Ogre's little creepypasta moment is cringy but I remember fans were really excited at the time because, at that point in time, Mad Father and Misao had been out for a few years with Ogre being present in both. There was endless speculation online about WHAT THE HELL HE WAS. This was a major confirmation of suspicions people had and it hints at the confirmation of another mystery of another character I won't spoil for you!

there isnt enough snowball in the game release the clones until the manor is completely full of them

Hey! I just thought I’d let you know: The reason Ogre is so weird, and has such weird and unexplainable abilities, is this isn’t the only game he appears in! He’s a recurring character in several different games, and is heavily implied to be either The Devil, or at least a powerful malevolent spirit, that exists beyond the bonds of different realities. He is a character in the game “Misao”, and is implied to be the “Red eyed stranger” mentioned in several in-game books in both Mad Father, and Misao. He also seems to have been based on the personality and design of “Judge Holden” from the novel “Blood Meridian”, which has… very uncomfortable implications, if you’ve ever read that book 😅

While I know it's been done to death, I'd love to see a modern Corpse Party retrospective. It used to be THE RPGmaker horror game

It's been a while since I've seen a Mad Father related video. The original version didn't have an intro if I remember correctly so not being able to read the stuff at the beginning is fine, I think. The other modes of the game (with adult Aya and the one with Robin/blonde boy) are new additions for the commercial version and the old version didn't have anything similar to it and Robin didn't even have a backstory reveal if I remember correctly. This game is connected to the creator's other game "Misao". The original version of the game (the free one) it's just kind of hinted at but the newer paid version has some extra stuff and adds a bit more Mad Father references to connect the two.

There are a few things that will make more sense if you play the game’s sister series “Misao.” Granted, not all of them, but certainly a few. Also, Misao is… a bit heavier in a lot of ways than Mad Father, so just a heads up.

why did my brain see the thumbnail, read the title read the words on the thumbnail and still go SENATOR ARMSTRONG!!! cant to start watching this vid im wo excited

The thing about the ending with ogre and father is that it hints about the other game made by the same creator if I remember correctly. In Misao there's a girl in the library that looks exactly like Aya. Ogre is clearly a demon that can jump worlds and took father with him as a source of entertainment.

RPG-maker horror games made up a sizable amount of my childhood

IB is another really great game and i wish these kinds of games were more prevalent in the gaming scene

i'm like 99% sure ogre's portrait ( as well as the doctor's in the original release ) are based on some old tool made for rpg maker to cobble together characters from community-contributed assets, because they look _exactly_ like something from that blown up to a greater resolution and redrawn to not be a pixelated mess. hell, ogre's map sprite _looks_ like it's still modified from a map sprite from that same resource due to the distinct shape of the head, and the very same base appears _directly in the game itself_ as those featureless bodies stuck in those big ol' preservation tubes! ( at around 12:36 ) bit odd that these links to some very distinct assets remain in the remake published on a _modern nintendo console,_ but then i'm pretty sure a lot of the tilesets and stuff are also stuff not make specifically for this game, so it's all just part of the rpg maker game vibe i suppose

I was reading the post saying “new video tomorrow” at the exact same time as I got the notification

maybe the blonde boy's fire thing is related to the girl that controlled fire that Aya read about?

There is actually another game made by the same developer called Misao. I recommend you play it as well.

As someone who is very familiar with this game I knew about the scene that got you but your scream caught ME off guard and made me jump. Not the jumpscare from the game, but YOU. Good job keeping me on my toes I guess lmao. I never played the newer version of this game and I'm kinda shocked by how much was changed. Nothing that ruins the game by any means and all pretty harmless changes but it really makes me eyeball the other games that got remakes/remasters like Ib. (which, you should totally take a look at if you haven't already!) just to see what is different. Great video overall! Always looking forward to the next upload!

The dimension-hopping bit you didn't like in the first true ending was actually a tie to another game the same dev made called Misao, which features the same Ogre character and a girl who is heeeavily implied to be the artificial Aya Father is growing.

6:16 the scream scared me more than the freaky woman

6:16 That's the first time in a long time a jumpscare has actually gotten me to jump. I was genuinely not expecting it, but the sound mix with the image and your scream got me. Great job on that lol

Finished the vid, fantastic!! (going off my memory so feel free to point out any incorrect statements; potential spoilers for the OG game and the vid) I will say that its very interesting how the changes were implemented in this remake; a lot of it is more flowery and slightly more colorful, despite the very dark nature. A lot of background scenes with the victims weren't really developed on in the original (especially with the blond boy, that was a new scene). Even the monsters weren't as well designed in the original, being more monsterous and less 'doll-like' if that makes sense (someone else already said that the pile of dolls used to be a giant pile of flesh). Everything in the OG was more dark and less 'life-like' (not a critique but just a difference I noticed with them) The ending of the og only focused on that twist at the end with the "It does run in the family" moment from Maria, so its interesting how its developed here with getting an answer, even if I feel they're trying to cram it in with all the other outside content stuff

Seeing you talk about Mad Father, The witch's house and Off reminded me of other RPG Maker games that I watched as a teenager, like Ib, Mogeko castle, Wadanohara and the great blue sea, The gray garden, To the moon and Corpse party. I can't help but feel nostalgic 😆 For those who miss games like this, I recommend the mobile games "Hide and Seek - Story of Dorothy" and "Hide and Seek - Story of Demian".

Honestly my least favorite part of Mad Father is the fact that Aya becomes just like her father in the future, being a murder. You'd think after all of this she'd be a nice doctor.

oh hell yeah, mad father is one of the classics of rpg maker horror games. if i could, i would recommend doing ib at some point! that's another classic and a very influential game though it remains very unique in its concept, plus there's been a remake of the game released fairly recently

I think you would like the "hello Charlotte" series, it's pretty interesting since part of the game play in the first game is jumping realities by going into tvs, and by switching the channels can result in different timelines, and that just within the first half, it gets so much darker from there.

Ok, hear me out, Ben Again NEEDS to check out the Fear and Hunger series

Love the video! People discussing the niche histories and games of RPG maker horror are my favourite. The original version of Mad Father is the more superior version, in my opinion. There is actually a lot of cut content (probably not enough to make another video on though). For example, the pile of dolls that Aya can’t pass in the basement is actually a pile of contorted body parts in the original that attacks her if she tries to pass. It’s much darker in its storytelling, but the newer one has the better graphics and better game mechanics.

I don’t *think* Aya euthanizes her patients? I think Jeanne is a case where Aya really tried everything to save her… but couldn’t. In wondering if providing this medical care free of charge is truly worth all the stress and heartache. If she *did* have to euthanize people, I’m sure it was as an absolute last resort.

I really hope you'll make a Zero Escape series video i loved those games and sometimes i can hear their music in the background of your videos Absolutely adore your style of videos!

Is it bad that when I saw Ogre, all I could think was: "Good Morning 47."

I really enjoy how the updated steam version completely enhanced the games graphics. The entire time, I couldn't help thinking just how nice Aya's sprite was, or how detailed the environments are. Honestly, I think this video is going to compel me to finally buy the game on steam once I get the money

thank you for keeping me sane during the worst most lonely week of my life.

Ur scream got me bad, The video went silent for a second which I didn't pay attention why since I was playing a game and the video played in the background. it suddenly screamed into my headphones the moment my game transitioned into another scene removing most sounds and amplifying my surprise, not to mention it was at night and was a management game where I was entirely focused.

Seeing a video about Mad Father in 2024 was not something I expected, but it's very much welcome. I kinda miss this game and it fills me with nostalgia as I loved the original version.

Always love your content i put them on in the background while i do stuff

I think the reason, why is Father living in such high standards is because the no-no party (reason why the story is happening in Germany) found his research interesting. Maybe hes just predecessor of Mengele or something. He could be even part of Ahnenerbe, which would explain the portal. Also there a wehrmacht uniform in the doll room, that shows up after you return from the different world.

man, robin looks like the young ver. of dio brando, and ogre looks like a bald sebastian michaelis 😭..

I hope you check out Misao because it takes place in the same universe of Mad Father.

You should totally take a look at Misao! it delves into some heavy topics but its related to the mad father universe i think its really cool

I’ve always hated the ending where Aya takes after her father, she had seen the horrors her father left behind, knew the pain he had caused, and sympathized with the victims. Yet she still follows his lead. It’s stupid I don’t like that ending :(

Great but you slightly missed that she too is making dolls, just "remembers" them by asking for their names

443 views in 5 minutes? that's GOOD NUMBERS! KEEP IT UP BEN AGAIN! NO FALL OFF!!

Love your videos man, thank you for making them.

instant click, I love this game

6:15 ...god damn it Ben

Always makes my day when I see Ben has uploaded. And the video is german-coded so thats another plus.^^

God I'm so glad I subscribed, loving every video so far. Keep up the good work!

Mad Father! The way you dive into games is always so enjoyable to me, and this is a game i looked forward to seeing your perspective on. Thanks for making this stuff, your videos always make my days a little easier to getting through

This game is one of my all-time favorites! So glad you're covering it

Omg you did Mad Father! I'm really glad since I found the plot of the game extremely interesting when I played it, I hope you hd fun making a video about the game.

Never heard of mad father but I am mad and have a father so should be good

Still remember this game from Markiplier playing it years ago, always loved its tone and how genuinely unhinged it could get at times.

Could not have timed this better, hell yeah

Pretty sure the IF mode is indeed an exposition, that long-time fans demanded 😅 the blonde boy (dubbed Dio by the fans before he was officially named) is just quite popular, even fanworks of him are almost surpassing fanart of Aya or other mad father characters on pixiv at one point. So it probably was added just to entertain the fans who liked Dio so much.

Only one word was in my brain during this video - A crazy "Aya" from father himself. I can't remember his laugh, but his dauther calling just stuck with me

Phenomenal Game and a Phenomenal Video, keep up the good work Ben!

Omg yes!!!! I'm so glad you reviewed this one I was waiting for so long!!!

6:15 Your scream actually scared me lol

I’m so happy you found Mad Father!!! More ppl need to talk about this game!!!

The coincidence of JUST rewatching an old Mad Father gameplay and then seeing the thumbnail for your video is really funny to me. Not one I revisit often, but still one of the big ones! While the og remains my favourite (thanks nostalgia) I love how the remake deepens the characters' stories and motives. It also feels like a good moment to say a big thank you for making horror rpg content, I love them so much :)

Glad to see you finally cover this game, now you should try Misao next 😁

I’ve been waiting for this. Let’s go!

Fun fact! Maria was FIFTEEN when father picked her up

I"ve been WAITING for this one. I always loved Mad Father.

Hell yeah! I love mad father it's a great game, it's what got me into these old rpg maker horror games It's always weird to see the newer version in my opinion though

Ben the scenes with ogre are Lore from the creators universe with misao

Love this review! Great work as always. Fun fact about Ogre: He shows up in the other works by this creator, kind of making it a connected universe? Or maybe alternate universes he jumps around into in order to 'observe deranged humans'. Feels like it's setting up something, but I haven't checked in on these games in a while so I'm not sure if it went anywhere.

___--** TIMESTAMPS **--____ 00:00 Introduction 0:50 Overview 25:03 Bad End 1 27:24 Bad End 2 32:24 True Ending 36:22 Blood Mode 39:03 IF Mode 41:24 Closing Thoughts ___--** OG comment **--____ Everything being IF mode lol Edit 1:y’know what, he’s prob already doing it, and someone also already did it also, but I’ll get the time stamps while I watch the video I’ll just save my first, brb 3:12 Edit2: overview Edit3: bad end 1 Edit 4: bad end 2 Edit6: true End Edit5: blood mode Edit 7: IF mode Edit 8: organized all time stamps, fixed their capitalization and put them all in the begging instead of here So if you’re reading this, yea they were previously all after this Edit9: Added a separator of the og comment, before all the edits Edit10: just closing it off with 10 edits because 10 gud number

A new Ben Again video? YIPPEE!!!!

This video came out on my birthday :3