If the game link in the description isnt working, heres an alternative: archive.org/details/irisu-syndrome

Man I hate it when a demon beyond my comprehension comes to my house and sprays me with a can of RAID.

Before doki doki there was another visual novel meta horror game called “you and me and her” and cool part is if you pick a certain route you wouldn’t even see any of the scary things.

Fun Fact: That "Random" Jump Scare happened because you tabbed out of your game. Iris does not like to be ignored.

So many "meta" horror games owe their roots to this game. It's unreal.

Ok so here’s a fun detail that was in one of the notes I found in my playthrough (at least I remember finding it) in the note she says whenever she has dark thoughts she often imagines floating colorful shapes to try and distract herself from her impulses. This basically implies that the game itself is her trying to stay sane long enough to not kill everyone, and when we fail, she doesn’t manage to distract herself long enough and that’s why we get the bad ending.

"But not a single one of you will beat my Metsu Mode high score" ⚠ *You have alerted the horde*

Haven't even watched the video yet but immediately clicked as soon as I saw the thumbnail. Irisu Syndrome was just one of the coolest games I ever experienced and something more people need to know about.

Meta horror is so good when done subtly.

I'm typing this out of my memory and could be wrong, but this is the gist of "Lately I've Been Taking Cough Medicine Without Restraint", spoilers below. - Irisu was yandere for Uuji because of his cat drawing and thought him as a fellow cat hater. - The game is essentially Irisu meditating. Irisu fades into the screen when you lose because she broke her trance. If you can't get good enough score before 5th day end, Irisu cried because she actually killed the boys. If you gets into good ending route, Irisu thought it through, realized the murder plan is stupid, and went with the birthday party surprise. - As seen on text file title, Irisu is hooked on powered cough medicine. - As seen on the party CG, the nail bat is just a harmless prop. Her real weapon is her sock stuffed with rocks, which she is holding on the title screen.

Remember kids, If you're trash at the game, Irisu will slowly turn into SERIAL KILLER

i remember playing this game i was so confused because i didnt get the plot but after a few times playing it i saw this exaclty image 7:21 in my computer (i dont remember if the music stops at this part) i was so scared that i instantly closed the game and never played again

The thing I loved the most about this game is that the better you get at it, the more you discover about the story, and people with various levels of skill can reach a proper "ending" to the story (since there's no way for them to know there's still more to the story until they unlock it), which is cool af. With that said, the truly skilled Irisu Syndrome players are those who unlocked enough of the story to realize Uuji was 10 times more fucked up in the head than Irisu ever was. Awesome video, my guy!

I was always too scared to play this game when I found out about it as a teen, but I've always wanted to figure out how to code 4th wall breaking stuff like it. Stuff like that is just so cool to see.

when he mentioned it inspired DDLC, for some reason i thought this video would be about YOU and ME and HER. still, im glad you covered this game! ive never heard of it before, and it genuinely looks like fun :]

The bunny girl slowly entering the game through the desktop is really creative.

The cute suicidal kitties thing is a reference to The Book of Bunny Suicides, a collection of comic strips depicting bunnies in deadly situations. The book was a bit of a splash for a bit--it's irreverent cartoon art, nothing technically graphic, and is in fact up there for dark humor fans--and spawned a few sequels. Thanks for this review, holy shit this is cool

"(Irisu's crying) about my low score" later *explained that images depends on the score and higher you have she isn't "sad" anymore* This is so good foreshadowing oh my god. It deserves more attention.

Irish Syndrome, now that’s a game I haven’t heard in ages. I’m surprised you didn’t talk about the other game the creator made first that had to do with a girl and her boyfriend but the boy slowly reveals himself to actually be a reaper or something… it’s been a hot minute.

OH MY GOD THIS THUMBNAIL JUMPSCARED ME, I WAS THE BIGGEST IRISU FAN CIRCA 2013.... Thank you so much for telling people about Irisu Syndrome!! This game shaped my horror experience and general art style as well, it's so charming. Always wanted to make a game like it and ended up adoring meta/internet horror. Nothing has put me more in fear than see me accidentally get 50k points in freeplay trying to get 100k, knowing the demon that's about to greet me at the end of the round. Was so on edge I ran out of the room and hoped Irisu's demonic ass would be gone (she was not) Thanks again for -subjecting us to the trauma- making this video, love to see Irisu appreciation. All my homies love Irisu. I got legitimately duped by their April Fools joke for a sequel (the Irisu Kai thing, with Uuji promo art on the official page) and I am so sad the artist doesn't seemingly have any updated social media at all since around when Irisu came out...hope the devs have comfortable pillows for the rest of their lives for paving such a way with meta-horror

Awesome video! Meta horror is my favorite genre of gaming because it fascinates me every time how developers pull you into the story, I wish more people would talk about it. Please keep doing more meta horror game videos!!

That demonic photo looking thing? Yeah thats Irisu's dead rabbit. This is presumbly after the good ending where Irisu finds Uuji's rabbit drawing. (You can only unlock it after getting it). There are 2 explanations for it. Either it was Irisu who scribbled it on after finding Uugi's drawings of dead rabbits or it Uugi himself who drew it because of his nightmares (presumbly the rabbit is haunting him). I'm leaning toward the second option. It wouldn't make sense for Irisu to draw it since she doesn't see rabbits as these horrifying nightmarish creatures she sees cats in that way. Even if she has gone mad the one thing she still loves are rabbits. Why would she be the one to draw a demonic ass looking rabbit? It would make more sense if it was the glowing red eyes that Uugi sees in his nightmares. Also there is one thing about the good ending. The only way to not get the good ending is losing round 4 and not getting the creepy face. If you lose every round except round 4 you will get the good ending. Or you can fail EVERY round with the jumpscare and guess what? Good ending. If you beat every round except round 4? Bad ending. Also it is impossible to trigger her jumpscare face after round 4. So if you try on round 5 yeah its not happening. Bad ending for you. So. Whats so special about round 4? Well thats when Irisu meets Uugi. Should you win he lives. Should you lose he dies and Irisu cries from killing the boy she had a crush on. So why does the jumpscare face also trigger a good ending? Its because Uugi doesn't have the guts to let her see the rabbit notebook after seeing his nightmare as Irisu. In Metsu mode you're not playing as Irisu, you're playing as Uugi. Thats why shes facing away from the screen because Uugi is looking at her from a distance. There's another KZfaqr who goes more in depth about it and the things he says makes sense. Go check him out his name is RiskRim. Im basically just repeating what he said

Fun fact that man chasing you in imscared is apparently a woman I remember finding this game when I was a kid, weirdly I recall it being called "Iris Syndrome" instead of "Irisu Syndrome" for some reason. I could have sworn someone said Irisu was possessed by her rabbit too.

Bad ending: everyone dies... Good ending: Happy birthday!

I remember seeing RiskRim playing it several years ago, and even though the "mini-games" aren't really my thing, the story is really cool, and Irisu's chara design is just super slick. The jump scare really got me, and it's got a Jeff the killer vibe. It's a shame the game isn't more well-known, and a sequel would be really cool! Otherwise, superb video, and thank you for reminding me of this game!

I'd like to see you cover this horror detective game called Kimi ga shine (your turn to die) some day. It's like Ace Attorney but with escape room aspects and it also has a great OST.

Wow, an irisu syndrome video in this year? Such an classic with a very good soundtrack.

she has two socks silly shes holding the other one (probably for rock bludgeoning potential lets be real) anyway, i played this kid. even drew fanart for it! its cool to see it again after all this time~

Irisu syndrome. Such a classic with amazing music

What a blast from the past, Irisu walking across your screen blew my mind as a kid. I still listen to the soundtrack occasionally, didn't know it was copyrighted though.

Man, takes me back to when azurite reactions was active, he was basically known for finding weird games like this and was probably the first KZfaq channel to talk about this game. I miss the old obscure weird games edge of KZfaq.

i love irisu syndrome so much and more people need to know about it. thank you for making this video 💜

after you said that this game was a meta horror which is also inspired ddlc i immediately thought about you and me and her: a love story, but to my surprise it turned out to be a completely different game haha. i never heard of this game and i really enjoyed your coverage on it. great job man! (p.s. it would be so cool if u do a deep dive or just a simple coverage video on "you and me and her: a love story". it's a good game with an amazing art and a pretty interesting plot. there are also a lot of meta stuff, horror and 4th wall brakes.) once again great video, keep it up! 🌸

It's so cool to see this game get some time in the spotlight! It's such an underrated gem, with a super good OST, and it's responsible for setting the stage for pretty much all meta games these days. Seeing Irisu float onto my screen from outside my desktop is one of the most memorable moments in my experience playing games, ever.

Oh boy, the fond memories I have from my horror rpgmaker era. This game stood out for all the reasons you listed and I feel ashamed I forgot about it. If it got released nowadays it could maybe have a bigger spot than it did back in the days. I hope some letsplayer grabs it and sparks the shine again from it!

SO GLAD SOMEONE MENTIONED THIS GAME! I found it on a whim while on my "Horror RPG maker mascot" games and was interested but was too scared to play it. Mix Ore is another game you should check out, it introduced me to the genre.

Omg finallyyyy someone talking about irisu syndrome!! I've loved this game for a few years now and rarely hear anyone talking about it, but it's so nice to see coverage on it

SPOILERS . . . . . . . . . . . . The demon rabbit picture you mentioned requires reaching level 100+~ in the base mode before ever switching to metsu mode but after getting the good ending. Likewise there's a level 100+~ secret for metsu mode after unlocking all the notes on the bottom. It appears in the game folder and details how Uuji had found the rabbit dead from sickness and then purposely chopped up its body in a twisted way get her classmates to comfort and make friends with her. He then purposefully put the Rabbit's body in the cage to make Irisu think rabid dogs ate the rabbit. The issue in his plan however was that the cat broke free the following morning. Causing her class to freak out and neglect Irisu until she went to the rabbit cage, to find the cat playing with the rabbit's dead body, making Irisu believe the cat killed the rabbit thus feeding her hatred towards cats, and losing potential friends in the process. Next the leading fan theory is that the drawing we see of the demon rabbit is because Irisu was possessed by it, leading to her obessesion over Uuji in a twisted feeling of revenge as well as why Irisu has a split killer personality. Finally, the most important part of the cough medicine text is that is canonizes the game we play as a mental game she does to keep herself sane and in check. So doing poorly in it drastically destroys her mental stability. While doing well in it staves off and keeps her unstable side in check. Hence why on the last day scoring low has her sane side crying, while scoring high has her unstable side glaring at us. It's also why the glare happens when you tab out of the game, since your quite literally neglecting her. As a sendoff good luck to anyone who tries, since the last secrets of each mode require about 1hr+ of straight playing on a perfect run twice, let alone the farming to get said perfect run.

aaaa i'm so happy someone finally made a video about irisu syndrome!! i was obsessed with it in 2021 but barely anyone knew about it :/ i hope it finally gets the popularity it deserves now!! amazing video :D

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO TALK ABOUT THIS GAME FOR SUCH A LONG TIME!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH

Half way through the video I had a winter soldier moment and remembered everything about this game from years ago, great video!

i love this subgenre and you are the only youtuber I've seen that really dives into it edit: nice brian bling btw

I remember this game but had no idea about the extended metsu mode stuff.

YOOO Irisu Syndrome, I was obsessed with horror games as a teen I wrote a whole list of them to watch gameplay of. This was one of the ones that surprised me bc I had never seen 4th wall breaks before in games. But it there was never much vids on this game at the time. Thanks for making this video! ❤

God I love this game so much! I played through all the stages you can unlock and I still play it for the shape bouncing game cause it's just so relaxing. saved me in my finals week! This is just too underrated

I was dying for someone to make a new video about this game. I installed a while ago and spent a good time making theories and researching the story of the game and the lore ,i really like it ❤

Great vid! I knew absolutely nothing about the topic going into this, but I truly learned a lot.

I was literally just thinking about this game again yesterday, after having imscared pop back up again recently. It's great seeing more about this game again, it's a masterpiece in meta storytelling and breaking expectations. It's been living rent free in my brain for well over a decade now.

Got about a minute in before I decided I needed to play this for myself. Thanks for bringing this to more people's attention! Will come back and finish watching it once I play it!

I remember finding gameplay if irisu when I was a kid ages ago. I was so genuinely scared watching it!! It's crazy to see it again pop up again and I'm glad that it's getting recognition!

It was so amusing seeing this video in my recommended since funnily enough, I was reminiscing about this game a few days ago and how it deserved more attention because it was probably one of the og wall breaking games, before that was even established as a genre. It's so nice to see people bring attention to niche things like this. I absolutely loved the soundtrack as well, glad you brought attention to it. Really nice video overall you're a funny funny man

Commenting for the algorithm... I really hope Irisu Syndrome has a resurgence soon. The fact that Doki Doki Literature became so popular without people looking into the direct inspiration for the creator is criminal. To add insult to injury,, this video has DDLC as the game in the description lol

i just noticed that around 6:56 the song in the background is "Niko and the World Machine" from OneShot sorry i've just been obsessed with the game lately and discovered this game through a link in a OneShot fanfic that lead to the Irisu Syndrome song "About 10 hours of staring at the ceiling" or something like that

Irisu Sundrome: a great story with THE MOST perfect OST. Seriously, I listen to those songs to this day. Usagi Note is such an enchanting melody, especially when the synthesizer compliments the violin. Irisu has been my favourite horror game for years. It was a bit before the golden era of rpghorror (different genre but similar themes) but it was the best precursor for the amazing games that came. Remember the excitement when vgperson posted a new horror game?

It was definitely a surprise when my favorite parappa song started playing at 20:49. Toadbup is very cultured.

Yay! New Toadbup video! I'm loving this video so far. :D

im so glad irisu syndrome is getting more recognition, it really is a masterpiece

I was just sitting around bored a little while ago and randomly my memory of this game came flooding back to me. Glad you strongly recommended the soundtrack as that is what I remembered the most besides the part where Irisu “kills” Ageha of course!

welp, you got me absolutely hooked on this game, wish i knew about it earlier, but that’s okay, and you were not kidding, that ost is SO GOOD

Played this years ago and completely forgot about it. This was a great video!

BRO, I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS GAME QUITE A WHILE, THANK YOU SO MUCH

I love Irisu syndrome! So glad to see new content on such an old game. I've been practicing about 10 hours staring at the ceiling on piano for a little while now. I played the game blind for the first time back in may and I don't regret it. Seeing her go across my screen was one of the coolest things I've experienced

not putting undertale as one of the popular 4th wall breaking games is a crime

So glad to see someone finally talk about this game!!! It was my introduction to meta horror back back when I was a teenager, and it stuck with me ever since. Also idk if someone already told you this by now, but on the bad ending route Irisu starts to cry when you get locked into the bad ending. And concerning the jumpscare, I know there is a way to toggle it so that it is permanently present while playing the game until you get a game over but I don't remember the buttons you need to press- it can be pretty freaky if you do it by accident lol. I remember reading theories around that image about Irisu being possessed by the spirit of the dead bunny Utarou but I don't know much truth there is to that.

i remember seeing something about irisu syndrome on tvtropes, but it's great to see a video about it!

Irisu isn't present in this cutscenes >proceeds to show one with her in the background

I was already down to watch this video based on the premise and the beginning, then I saw you had a copy of No Control in the background and my respect immediately went up. Great album, Bad Religion rules! And great vid too!

This vid made me look for a copy I downloaded ages ago in one of my externals. Thanks

I so glad someone finally is talking about Irisu. I remember when it first came out back when i was in middle school, and saw Azurite's playthrough of it. Absolutely terrified preteen me Lol. I downloaded the entire soundtrack and still have it on my ipod somewhere

Thanks. I had been wondering what that falling block game was. You're right, the soundtrack was nice. The bat scene gave me chills too

This was a very good video essay. Definitely earned my sub. The presentation was so funny well and I learned of a new game. 😂

This was one of the first meta horror games I've played. I thought I was looking at a years-old video since I was getting some very old recommendations in my feed. Surprised to see one just over a week old. I can still hear the piano notes in my head.

I was thinking about this game earlier! I just forgot its name so I couldn’t find it. Awesome video!

Yo i watched the soundtrack playlist on youtube and it perfectly synced with your video, im sure that wasnt planned but well done

This is a cool example of a Horror Game that has Scary parts but also has a very wholesome and happy ending. Its a nice touch

The oneshot ost being used for first segment is 🔥 also, ONESHOT MENTIONED 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

oh god I remember that cute looking puzzle game with the bunny girl, I remember downloading it out of curiosity but decided not to play it because I get too scared 😂 since then I tried remembering it to look it up but completely forgot what its name was and suddenly now many many years later it comes back to haunt me here Edit: Had no idea watson was the one who did the music in the game, I really love the music he makes and a lot of the stuff he does as well is free royalty stuff, but a lot of it is nice to just lounge about in too I even remember when I went to Japan once, I was in a supermarket and there were promos on tv/radio for certain stuff and I clearly remembered hearing his "Viento del sol" as well ahahahhaha

FINALLY OMGG IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO TALK ABOUT THIS GAME! I've been referencing it to my friends but they told me they've never heard of it before and i couldnt remember the name so ive thought for YEARS that i just had some wildly vivid dream😭😭

I've been listening to the soundtrack since I was a kid but I've never actually checked the game out, great video 👍

I was just thinking about this game. Thanks for the nostalgia

Always loved irisu syndrome. Really awesome to see some coverage of it in 2023!

irisu syndrome is incredible!! thanks for making this

Well this is a pleasant surprise. I remember playing "Irisu Syndrome" like a decade ago back when I was in a doujin game phase. There's a ton of these smaller bite-sized experiences that are just really fun and well made. Heck, many have even been returning with proper console and PC/Steam releases funnily. But yeah, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just found the simple puzzle mechanics pretty fun and just kept playing until I bumbled my way into the ending. Which did honestly surprise me since I was so hyper-focused on the game window, I didn't notice Irisu until she was halfway across my screen. Probably also helps that, as is the point of this video, this was such a rarity to see back then that I didn't even know that sort of thing was possible. That said, I am surprised to hear that "DDLC" was apparently influenced by "Irisu Syndrome". In hindsight, I suppose I can see that. It's just that given its obscurity, you wouldn't really expect it.

I saw a clip of this game in a video earlier and desperately wanted to know what it was from. Thank you so much for making this video, I’m absolutely going to play this

I remember seeing the ost of this game in a relaxing music ost playlist and it felt so genuinely pleasant and nice. Then I saw this game after a friend recommended it to me next to Power Drill Massacre and Your Boyfriend. I had no idea it was that old, the art looks lovely and the music is just as nice.

wow, my first video i've watched from you and 3 minutes in and im already subscribed

It's so fricking sad that there's so little, not even horror, 4th wall breaking based games, the ones that exist are SO good.

Your channel is like this game, amazing and Underated

MANNN HER SLIDING FROM UR SCREEN INTO TEH SCENE IS SOO SICK

it's pretty nice seeing an old gem recognized again, i grew up on a bunch of indie jp horror games, irisu being one of my earliest ones love this bludgeoning sock rabbit witch girl

A clever game with beautiful music and a sad and interesting story. Simply gorgeous. Glad to see more people talk about this. Adding in after watching the video. The random ass jumpscare is probably the most interesting fourth wall break. As one person said many years ago, the game hates it when you click on something else while leaving it paused. Some have had a similar experience when they would turn the game on, go get their screen recording setup, then go back into the game to be greeted by that face. Another interesting fact is that if you get a high enough score on day 3 or 4, I forget, that face also shows up. A popular theory at the time is that the dead rabbit mentioned in Metsu possessed her. Some have noted how the red under Irisu's chin during the jumpscare matched with the red eyes to resemble a smile. The rabbit possession is more theory than fact, but it's another curious thing to mention of those who played it at the time. One more thing, unless I'm mistaken, the creator of Irisu Syndrome did another puzzle game. It's more conventional. Starts with sweets being broken, but the sweets eventually get swapped for pills and other medicine. Doesn't get the goosebumps going like Irisu Syndrome, but it's another one to look for, if you haven't already. Now I'm nostalgic of the youtube horror gaming scene before Pewdiepie came in. Those were the wildest indie horror games I've seen. There is one other game from that time, but I can,t recall the title. Basically, a hand comes out from the background of your wallpaper if you turn off the game wrong or something. It's been years.

FINALLY, IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR SO LONG

cool vid! the hair and face hair choices giving me super early caddy vibes. I hope you don't look back on these times in the same ire as caddy does to his lol

Funnily enough you mentioning that Red Baron interactive flight game brings back a forgotten memory of mine. I think my dad played it a bit and showed me how to play it. That would be before me and my family all ended up forgetting about it.

The weirdest way I was introduced to a game was breakcore

Dude seeing this game again after all these years is so nostalgic. :)

I actually remember seeing a KZfaqr play this a couple years back but since no one talked about it the game just sat in the back of my brain

Hey! I just wanted to say I've been looking for "a weird puzzle game with cats dying" that I remembered playing for YEARS at this point and really didnt get many leads. I'm sooooo glad i clicked this video because this was it!!!

Hell yeaaaaa! Watching this while sewing is such a vibe

Holy shit! This video made me remember watching a gameplay of this game back in like 2012 or 2013, a memory i wouldnt have unlocked otherwise.