Traumatized

*I’m very healing story*

Alive after death

Sadly i was killed....... But i lived!

red.

And also because the original squirrel "fulfilled it" with some help which makes some squirrels think that they can do it by themselves too

This is a good point, I didn't think of it that way but it makes a lot of sense...

This is a profound observation

Oh...I thought it had something to do with depression.

@@snakymocha7778 That could still be the case, perhaps a depression caused by pursuing the wrong dream to such an extreme; or perhaps depression blinded them to their own dreams.

the gator idk what to really expect or do with a dream im just chilling

Hurting other "people" will hurt back, no matter what.

This really hurt me too. I legit cried.

@@lopsidedeyes2964 same

@@a.k8185 Meh, not really.

Kind of like having a dream, working real hard towards it and the path there being the whole reward, but also the pointless copying of success. I really like that attention to detail, makes the thing both a bit depressing and also inspiring imo.

This whole game was extremely depressing 10/10

10/10 theory love it

10/10 depressingly good maybe that squirrel did found hope after all...

I also think the squirrels that were just hanging around were the same squirrel, just variations of the same one after receiving "Help"

Guess Im not moving then

XD

@@ronn6771 lol

Now that's scary!

The bridge pays itself

Also Crocodiles!

And I found GOD

Bro those squirrels are strong

Like no pain man

@@godlylion6857 for them pain is gain but literal

Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who thought of that game when manly brought up killing squirrels in the intro

Yeah because these types of squirrels wings are only for *Gliding* not flying but they didn't know that and was very much obsessed with the idea and dream of flying instead

Well, the thing is they technically could have flown the whole time, but then they sacrificed the only way they had for a different, less natural way of flying

I am more perplexed by the fact that a mantis that can fly needs to build a bridge

​@@jamiejenkinson7029like seriously😭

And moth being parasitical insects spiriting squirrels far away into “Reality” land

I love how you described this

@@TheSoCalledZoner1 wdym? whats "wrong" with the people that made this game? genuinely curious cuz i dont understand

@@TheSoCalledZoner1 Can you be upset about one of the billions of other real issues in the world, not just a random creepy game... come on now...

@@TheSoCalledZoner1 Without seeming mentally unstable? I don't understand how you typed that out and didn't realize how entirely subjective that is. No piece of media is under obligation to be sanitized until you find that it was made by someone sane enough. And even if the person who made this is deeply disturbed, they're clearly conveying something that they find profound and meaningful. They do not need to be institutionalized or quarantined from society because of this. What's more disturbing to me is that you think they should be. You don't know this developer, and you don't know that they're a danger to anyone. You just got disturbed by the presentation and decided to make some crazy leaps of logic to justify why you were so shook. Maybe you should consider that the presentation simply isn't for you, and you may be more easily disturbed by one or several elements in this game than most. It's just not your cup of tea, and that's that. It's the same way that some people enjoy horror media, but that doesn't mean they want to be brutally murdered.

Thank you for making the truth darker than it needed to be, I’m not sleeping tonight

I just hate how the moral of the story must be represented in squirrel mutilation.

I’m dying soon

That was really provoking and made me some what emotional (temporarily). Thanks for sharing this

nah that's loser talk, just have better dreams, 4head.

When was the first one my good sir?

@@lukemonte1044 Squirrel Stapler! It didn't work though.

@@jaaaayco5256 thank you

That's exactly what I was thinking about

It… that… what…

Those big sugar glider eyes

I disagree.

@@user-gu9yq5sj7c nerd

@@letsreadtextbook1687 They reminded me of Japanese dwarf flying squirrels the most. Small, round, gray and ridiculously cute.

Maybe I'm an alligator 🐊

@@Nyax50Lopez Lmfao I had the same thought

I-

Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.

@@goncalocarneiro3043 but some knowledge also have consequences, one day a knowledge might not be a power, but suffering

The squirrel look so heartbroken, it made me shed a tear...

Broke

Same, just the way he kept trying to get the mantis to stop broke my heart

We all did. This game is deppressing. Welp. Thats the genre of the game *gorey deppression* :)

I cried 😭

They're all trying to be insects, but not everyone in the world is meant to be an insect, some are made to be squirrels.

Samurai jack fan of culture detected

No. Fall with style.

Niceeeee

Reality is often disappointing: The Game

Reality vs expectations: the body horror game

Nice pfp

The squirrels were depressed if they couldn't attain their dreams.

@@CrystalRose1111 I thought this game was about stressing or sacrificing too much for dreams. And how some people tear down others' dreams, like the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine.

that was legit rough

It's partly cause people relate or knowing that dreams can be people's life work or purpose. And without purpose, some people feel nihilistic and what's the point? Dreams and purpose are important.

Well, he meant they're ORGANic Like, same as "bridge", kinda meaty

Tree nuts be tasting kinda funky

@@khromyakvsevolod3664 its a pun on organ

@@doth2471 As someone who had a lucid dream last 3 months ago I also undergo somewhat similar too. It's more like I'm stuck in a nightmare video same vibe with the game that we're watching. I somewhat remember what I dream but it's kinda random because first I'm in a dream but I also wake up in the dream and I was on my bed (it's really weird like because it feels real when I wake up but I wasn't in the real world I'm really stuck in my dream) and saw a baby on another bed and its head is huge and kept smiling at me the baby has only one eye and it's skin is completely pale but I didn't feel anything. The baby isn't really bad though it's just pretty disturbing to look at because the baby has no body but still alive, I had my old friends with me, also my crush too. After that there was a cutscenes like in the game where monsters outside are approaching, the monsters look very disoriented they also look like silent hill monsters. we then fight the monsters using the weapons we got in the house, my weapon is a baseball bat with spikes at the end and I felt it while holding it. Same thing with you that I didnt feel anything like panicking, fear, etc but more like I'm excited to fight and rush to the monster and killing it (there's more though but this is somewhat I can remember)

@@NICSU667 this reminds me of my one lucid dream I had as a kid, it was me and my babysitter inside a small metal room with a giant werewolf, I kept trying to beat it off but it would always win and kill my babysitter, it never killed me but it would always kill my babysitter. The feeling of utter despair due to not being able to do anything was horrifying

Holy shit you guys have some wierd lucid dreams, i also want to have one even if its a nightmare

You mean vivid? I'm pretty sure it's impossible to have a "lucid" nightmare. At least not without some serious mental illness that causes you to constantly want to cause self-harm.

@@ewg5511 Lucid means you’re aware that you’re dreaming in the dream, not that you have complete control over how the dream behaves. Just so you know.

Thanks for caring about artists. Tho getting stressed or too sacrificial for dreams can happen with any or most careers.

And moths also die to achieve flight, because some moth species don't even have mouths as adults.

@@rowanheart8122 Luna moth

It might just be rather that some moths can't eat. Moths don't actually like flying around lights. Before mankind had lights, moths and other insects navigated solely by the light of the moon at night. This depended on the moon being a mostly stationary and reliable light source. Now, we have lights outside everywhere, and a moth that thinks it's flying straight according to the "light of the moon" is actually in a death circle around a streetlight.

Maybe it’s based off of the developer Dream?

Maybe the Dev had some...LSD..? eh? eh?

@@chilomine839 Nice reference

Yeah, maybe based it off a dream and later added more depth and meaning. I could certainly do that with my dreams/nightmares lol. I got some game/novel worthy ones.

I do understand this game. It's about being stressed about or sacrificing too much for dreams.

Why do you think it's more heartwrenching?

@@forixiom7410 i think because there is no happy resolution; in the movie we KNOW there will be a happy resolution by the end. but in this game we know we arent getting that happiness or relief things will resolve, we dont get a happy resolution. the squirrel is so desperate to save his dream only to get struck and the pieces thrown away into a river as he desperately scrambles to fix whats left of it only to realize theres nothing left for him; his final resort is suicide rather than just running away. I think the squirrel also has more innocence? He just wants to build a machine to fly and inspire others, but thats all. He helps the mantis with his dream and asks nothing out of the mantis. he's our friend and we destroy his dream cruelly when we know he doesnt deserve something like that. (plus the squirrel's design is just realistically adorable and harm to crying animals might strike a cord to some like me)

"You really ARE a bad guy..."

But this time, no medal...

Yes! When ralph was destroying her candy cart!!

Agree! It's why I've been a loyal viewer for many years. And I'll add great commentary with depth, wit, & good puns. Welcome to the community... join us on Twitch too if you can where he plays much different content with a friendly chat! :)

I kept seeing his playthroughs being recommended to me even though i wasn't watching him. I originally saw him as boring and wasn't that interested in watching hours of someone so relaxed playing a game like it was a 'no commentary'.. But after listen/watching him play "Ann" and "There swings a skull" i've realized how much i was in a needed change of gameplay pace. His stuff is perfect to draw to and i even find myself watching those long hours because the games he plays are just so interesting.. Like this very one!

I like his ending monologues tho. They add a touch of closure.

You could say he's truly manly

Yep

Pretty realistic I say

I thought u gonna rick rolled me for a sec there...

This whole experience is one big big head Miyuki mode.

Speak for yourself, I find this unsettling.

I'd say it's not that scary!its way too normal for me lol

And so dreams for a reason never comes true

Begs the question whether, sometimes, it's better if a dream doesn't come true

ideologies happen for a reason

Oscar might just have bene referring to the *unholy* gods that, you know, the Abrahamic God was saying to *not* worship.

​@@101Volts Nope, has nothing to do with the quote, nor would Oscar Wilde refer to anything like that. It's not meant to be taken literally, but is like "be careful what you wish for". The quote is merely an epigram from a witty play about scandal, love, and marriage called An Ideal Husband.

MantisBugassHero

@@vanillanightrail5002 lol

@@vanillanightrail5002 #MantisBugassHero

Not wrong tho

Is "X: Also X:" the only type of comment you're capable of making?

I disagreed with the gator there. The gator doesn't chase dreams so what does it really know about it?

Probably mantis is the friend, loved one or therapist that tries to help them, and the crocodile is the person from outside that doesn't really understand anything about the problem and possibly even has it himself but doesn't realize? The part with not-his-dream makes me think that he has kinda similar problem but the attachment of someone else's solution solves almost nothing and doesn't make him happy in the end

I feel that the crocodile had two roles - one that he took as his true 'character' and the other - a catalyst for a solution. The crocodile is different from the other characters not only in form or species, but also in action. The mantis repairs. The squirrels dream and mutilate themselves for their said dreams. The crocodile wishes for a dream, but does nothing to find one of his own. He never moves from his spot until the end - his development is fully determined by what the mantis does. Even the dreams he gets are not his own, and when he does receive them (such as the dream of the first flying squirrel), he simply does not know what to do with it (again, until the end). However, the crocodile is the only other character (besides the Mantis) who is not mutilated between realities, simply because there was no action to affect him in the first place. The first squirrel works tirelessly on his machine and later sees hanging himself as 'flight'. The second squirrel jumps constantly, maybe getting a little higher each time, so that one day he can fly. In the end, both squirrels are changed. The crocodile isn't. His second role is that of a catalyst. He appears at the end of the game to offer you a solution, and none of the two solutions are good. To kill the dream of the first squirrel is to doom that squirrel to a hopeless existence and to leave the others with a mundane life. Much like him, they would never get hurt, and much like him, they would never actually need change or be able to achieve it. The second solution - to destroy the bridge, is also useless. One cannot simply divide dreams and reality. It is a folly, and one, as the cycles show, that does not last. Reality without dreaming is bleak. Dreams without reality are just that - dreams. No achievement and no progress can come from unfilled dreams. Only a burning passion that one day it may be completed, and a growing sense of dread and emptiness the more it is incomplete (the squirrels do mention a 'feeling of void' in their stomachs). The crocodile is unharmed, but is that really better? To live a life where all dreams you have are but the whimsy of others, and all change you see (however horrible or liberating) is in others? The mantis was better described by someone else - they are the partner. The psychologist. The bridge, really. Not everyone can distinguish dreams from reality and not everyone can traverse the gap so easily. The mantis is also the one that leads to change within the others. So, my question is though, to those that managed to dig further and maybe notice something I haven't - what was the mantis' dream? Because if it was to repair a bridge, then why do they help others? Or is that the dream? To help and assist? It's a curious metaphor. And it's good that this game exists.

Seeing as flying squirrels ARE a thing, I doubt the squirrels are sugar gliders. They're just flying squirrels

@@BooksandBuns Oh my god, I got so lost in the theorizing and analyzing that I forgot flying squirrels are an actual thing lol.

self destructive negative thoughts the praying mantis represents

Indeed, I thought nothing could beat God Opens The Door, but apparently I was mistaken (recommend checking Manly's gameplay of it, it's a very well written game)

No

Honestly yeah Basically the endings of this game: A. You succeed your dream but wind up miserable anyways B. You don’t succeed and kys C. You blow up the world so there’s no more suffering

As someone who has dealt with depression for over ten years, relatable

Watch witches house mX

The mantis has no fingers though. How did it even pick up the key 😳

@@Solanin0803 It was a dexterous bug, okay? XD

Your dreams have an actual story? Cool. I wish my brain could do that.

@@kimmy1325 Only sometimes. Usually it jumps between several small scenarios.

That sounds like an interesting dream

And/or also once achieved, having the lack of foresight or idea on what to do afterward.

@@vanillanightrail5002 like children having the goal to grow up?

@@Cornball676 yes

I feel like it's the opposite. The squirrels became unhappy because their goals were achievable. The only squirrel who was happy was the first one before it could fly. The other squirrels were unhappy because they knew their dream was achievable, making them feel inadequate for being anything less than equal to the first flying squirrel, and those in reality were all upset because they no longer had anything to motivate them.

I think this is about being depressed if someone can't attain their dreams or if others tear it down like the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine. You said some dreams are unachievable but also say once achieved a person feels lost of self worth. Well if dreams are that big then there's always something to do. There's always something to do. Like how artistic creativity and inventing, expanding, and helping others is endless.

It was a wonderfully creative and emotionally deep game. Thank you for creating it!

@@NaturalFlirtGamer Thanks, it was a pleasure!

Dude this was a great game. Very well done.

@@Vyansya Thanks!

What Manly said was pretty good, but I disagree with only adults getting stressed about their dreams. Some kids are trying achieve great things, do competitions, or have jobs too. Such as performance or athletics. There are kid performers at the Olympics. Some of them say they get stressed or cry if they lose too.

@Michael Pitou I suppose the whole chasing your dreams, then being miserable when you achieve it. Much like the story of the blue bird of happiness, it's the search for happiness where you really are happy, but when you achieve it, it escapes from your grasp, like how the squirrels try to fulfil their dream, only for the dreams to be taken from them once they're accomplished.

@@Rogeryoo For me, the squirrels getting their skins (dreams) taken and then not recognizing them when they were returned: you can outgrow your dreams to the point where you don’t recognize them anymore. The dreams of your old self. They thought chasing an old dream would fulfill them, but it wasn’t the dream itself they were after. It was the passion of having one

ah yes feeding the bridge squirrel meat is relatable to me as well

@@Celtorian lol

@@CrystalRose1111 I think the squirrels want their dreams and are depress if they can't attain it. I don't think they squirrels would be this depressed of their dreams failing unless they liked their dreams. I think most people want their dreams and have dreams, instead of just the passion of having one. I don't think most people can stick to dreams or careers for long if they didn't really like it or would feel sad throughout it. If it wasn't about getting depressed over failing dreams then why did some comments here say they felt bad for the squirrel when the mantis destroyed its machine? Even then, I don't see what's wrong with wanting purpose. Just because some people aren't passionate about dreams doesn't mean others aren't. Just cause people stress about their dreams sometimes doesn't mean dreams are bad or corrupting. If some people don't really like their dreams, then they probably were pressured into it.

Your comment was metaphoric, not literal. Those two are opposites. Literal mean someone physically getting mutilated like the squirrel. I think the lesson is not to stress or over sacrifice for dreams, or tear down others', like the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine.

Why just mother? And not father, society, or someone else? The squirrel requested the mantis to mutilate it so sounds like a toxic enabler.

Same😞

I think it's meant to be vague enough so that both lines of thinking can be taken as "Right" it's more to invoke an inward gaze and self realization and growth. Hope, Dreams, Innocence, Life, all are pretty valid when considering this world where squirrels dismember themselves to fly as purely metaphorical.

I think the dream is about purpose and when the squirels lose their dreams, they lose their will to live

I have a pretty simple interpretation, other Comments said something simular but while the adult angle is part of it, I feel the main symbolism is the litteral of how people sacrifice so much for their dreams based on others yet are disappointed.

@@whoisheiforgothisname2103 Yeah. I also thought the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine is about getting depressed if someone loses their life's work. Like some people getting suicidal is their business failed. Actor Jonthan Brandis suicided when he was struggling to get acting jobs. Beauty pageant winner, Cheslie Kryst suicided cause she said she thought she was running out of time to make a impact on the world.

@@bittercharmer1591 I thought the squirrel was stressed and overly sacrificial for its own dream or not being able to attain its dreams too. And others tearing down people's dreams. Like the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine. The mantis mutilating the squirrel on its request also made me think it's a toxic enabler.

A pit of endless apathy wallowing in brain goop

I'm not sad if I achieve dreams. It's the opposite. I dislike not achieving dreams. There's always much to do.

But also have smalls in between a big dream so those goals can help you achieve those dreams :)

I think one dream cannot have endless activity too. Such as artistic creation, inventing, expanding and sharing it with as much as you can, helping people, and enjoying what one build. Also, relaxing, doing hobbies, and learning too. Not just working all the time.

@☆Xiao same tbh

Maybe the squirrels are not just satisfied with gliding but want to fly. I didn't see how the gator was ostracized. Some comments here said they think the gator is to contrast with the squirrel in that he's chill and not stressed over a dream. I don't really think the Mantis is consciousness, and a separate being cause he destroyed the squirrel's machine. It more reminds me of people who tear down others' dreams. The mantis mutilating the squirrel on its request also made me think it's a toxic enabler.

​​@@user-gu9yq5sj7c The squirrels being able to glide but wanting to fly, so much so that they destroy themselves and become miserable as a result, while the mantis finds purpose in trying to help them is actually a great metaphor for why contentment is good and looking to positively affect other people as an aspiration while having principles you aren't willing to compromise on is more sustainable and fulfilling in the long term.

He's probably levitating because of the moth in his gut

Or use something else to build a bridge. Like trees.

Mutilating is not helping. That's a toxic enabler to the squirrel overly sacrificing itself. The mantis also destroyed the squirrel's machine and caused it to be depress. Some comments said they felt bad for the squirrel there.

What do you mean dreamers want nothing? They want their dreams. Some so much so that, like in this game, the squirrel overly sacrificed for it or was suicidal if failing. Sounds like you're trying to sound pseudo deep, but it's doesn't make sense. Most people don't want everything. If they did, there wouldn't be people forcing, pressuring, or shaming people into doing something, interests, hobbies, career choices, or even what foods to eat. Or people bullying and belittling things, hobbies, and careers. There also wouldn't be niche or dying hobbies or careers. People also don't know what about everything to even like it.

i was looking for this comment

Who knows

I always thought games were art. I guess some people hop onto trends cause they're worried about their work being liked or making money.

Kemonos are cute af and what country are you in?

Sounds like you need some *[[Hyperlink Blocked]]*

Now don't get Your "Dream" ripped out by a Pack of Moths

Yeah, even in all the gore and pain, the squirrels never showed suffering as much as the one who watched the dreams be crushed. They can really get through even the most excruciating pain for the sake of their dreams

You sure..it should enrich the experience.

@@chilomine839 ... Okay just because you're correct that doesn't make you right 😆

Squirrels die when they are killed.

@@chilomine839 Hold up did you edit your comment from "Squirrels Dream when they are skinned" Or did KZfaq have a seizure-? Either way that's a very comforting thought before bed, thank you 🥲

@@henryhyde8939 I edited it. Wanted to stay true to the original quote.

They call her "She" a lot

Huh but the mantis could fly here

@@Benutzername474 jump good

@@absolutemaniac7368 Zebruh...

@@rev1999 zebruh 😔

I don't get how the squirrel stealing the moth's wings means forcing itself to grow up prematurely. I don't think age matters here. Wasn't the squirrel glad to have wings? I think this game is about depression overly not attaining one's dreams, overly sacrificing for dreams, and others tearing down people's dreams like the mantis destroying the squirrel's machine. Kids strive for dreams and careers too. There's child performers and kids in the Olympics. Kids get stressed and cry about it too.

Like you said, the squirrels can't really fly, only glide. They want to fly, not just glide. Like how some people want to achieve more. I don't think that's bad. It's just that these squirrels were overly sacrificial.

"Spiritual"? What does that mean? You said this was also the worst game. What can be done to improve this game?

I saw a comment that pointed out how they’re always taking from others to achieve their dreams, like stealing the moth’s wings! It makes me think, they didn’t only steal wings, they also stole the dreams. The dream of flying was never theirs to begin with, it belonged to the first squirrel with the machine. So, maybe the game is saying that to be happy, you need to follow your own dreams, and remember that you have your own abilities to achieve them, without having to sacrifice or steal from others

can’t flying squirrels only glide? just saying

Gliding is not flying. They wanted to fly, not just glide.

@@axuwu6939 The squirrels overly sacrificed themselves too. Didn't moths in this game attacked the squirrels too?

@@user-gu9yq5sj7c Yeah, I think I was talking about that one squirrel who tore the wings off a moth? I don’t remember what I was thinking when I wrote it, I probably just didn’t word it very well

same, only this and The Beginner’s Guide have made me feel like crying

Do your dreams but don't stress over it?