STASIS: BONE TOTEM Review 

UPDATE - A NEW BUILD WAS PUSHED AND THE MEANINGLESS AI CLUES HAVE BEEN OBLITERATED. They've apparently had this build "a while" but test thoroughly hence the sudden release. BONE TOTEM on GOG - gog.la/rattlemebones THE LIST - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo

The “hello, my name is Moses, what is your name?” Over the radio followed by a “oh god, he’s found another corpse” is both deeply unsettling and excellent storytelling

Hey Mandalore - thanks for an amazing deep dive into the game! You'll be happy to know that any AI art has already been removed and replaced with our bespoke pieces. :D Keep up the good work! - Chris

"Grief is the final, most painful and purest expression of love." I was not expecting to find solace here of all places, that line hits really hard as of now, but, in a good way, thanks.

Dear god the captains surname being Boynya (Бойня) literraly slaughterhouse or butchery is so on the nose, but especially considering that the parasites other name "Veles" is the name of the slavic god of livestock. Also the name of the soviet sub being "Big Special" is just so funny.

"Heaven is real and it's also Amazon prime" I'm not sure I was ready for that statement despite it being a stasis video

The Balenciaga bit fucking killed me. So true.

Honestly, Mac going from describing Calaban as "It's a Numen, it's sacred, we shouldn't even be talking to it", to telling Calaban to shut up, he's talking to Charlie, is just wonderful representation of people under stress.

31:15 "Mac is right. My fault. I am... not a good bear" Goddamn, the fact that that line is so heartrending is a testament to this game's writing and acting.

Mandy is taking this spooky season very seriously. 2 horror game reviews in 2 weeks and it's not even October.

"Leyland-Toyota" was such an understated reference to Alien's production design and the name the concept artists were brainstorming for "The Company". Kudos for slipping it in.

the writer for all of the environmental green circle descriptions, Olga Moskvina, also worked a ton on Disco Elysium, which may be interesting to know

27:17 Aaand Calaban is a fallen angel, having been dumped into the sea to literally fall deep into the depths. That's a clever bit of symbolism, these devs never cease to impress.

That Walmart line hit harder than I thought it would, that dance was soul killing

I'm glad somebody else acknowledges that ReviewBrah will thrive in an apocalyptic/dystopian setting.

The callout about the visual elements as a statement of author intent immediately followed by the direct quote from the art book had me in stitches.

95% accuracy prediction that you are a weary brave bear if u finish this game

Calaban reminds me in a way of Sovereign from ME1. Inscrutable intelligence that views itself as so beyond humanity but still full of those so familiar emotions, and the voice is so damn close.

“Bone Totem is about how far they’ll be pushed for hope” is a chilling line after finishing the video

The ocean in Morrowind unsettled me too. Mostly because i used those scrolls of icarian flight, overshot it and landed way out at sea. With the draw distance of that game, and it being middle of the night, both in and out of game, it really felt like being lost in the middle of the ocean.

3 uploads in 4 weeks gotta be the most consistent Mandalore has been in 11 years

Mandy couldn't have worded it better the relationship of the bear and Faram. "Two broken beings helping each other"

I played Bone Totem in preparation for this review after the Stasis one. What was merely curiosity turned into one of my favorite horror games of the past decade. The game has an emotional core that your review could never do justice, so it's great that you left it to the game itself. If you're reading this and on the fence after watching Mandy's video, his review barely shows 5% of the context and scope. Please go play this game.

I swear, almost every piece of dialogue Mandalore showed with that bear was either funny, or genuinely completely top shelf emotional writing. And I mean that on a standard of all media.

Will you cover Beautiful Desolation? It bridges the gap between Stasis and Bone Totem in terms of writing and technical achievements, and you can really feel how one led to the other. Stasis stumbled so Beautiful Desolation could walk so Bone Totem could sprint and trip on AI art.

That yearly goosbumps theme always gets me pumped for Mandy's Halloween Editions.

How have I never heard of these games before....this looks like a masterpiece of a horror series

For anyone interested in more sci-fi that deals with “digital afterlife”, check out “Surface Detail” by Iain M. Banks, and “Echopraxia” by Peter Watts (and to a lesser extent “Blindsight,” also by Watts, which is a companion to Echopraxia)

Was that review brah in one of those computer terminals at 11:30? That's effing hilarious. God I love Mandalores editing gags they've been getting better and better as the years go on.

IT IS TIME FOR MY MOSES

The Gachimuchi sounds being in every single review is causing me psychic damage. Please never stop.

13:58 for anyone curious the "cayne school for kids who can't read good" is a Zoolander reference! Zoolander wants to build "The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too" Also, Zoolander being presented the model of the school is the origin of the "what is this, a school for ants?" meme.

I thank the fact Mandalore publishes on a Friday (in my timezone) because it's the best way to start a weekend.

Literally just finished watching the first Stasis video damn this is a blessing

"He will never understand that grief is the final, most painful and purest expression of love." 32:23 Goddamn, Mandalore. Hit me with the poignant gut punch out of nowhere.

I am too much of a coward for these kind of games, but the concept of Moses really fascinates me. An Ai feeling guilt and grief while not being equipped at all to understand and handle those emotions, while also being in a working relationship with one person who hates it and one who is emotionally hurt by what he's a memento of. Such amazing complexity of characters. Almost makes me want to brave the game for the story, but I have already tried and failed to do this with SOMA.

While it ismore limiting, having item interactions relegated to interact screens is great for a point and click adventure game! It takes away to fear of missing something, pixle hunting or just trying everything on everything.

It was so distressing to see Moses scared and running for his life from the hand-spider thing, especially after him having human feelings like guilt and fear it made me feel uncomfortable in a way I haven't before

Very interesting that there's a husband and wife duo. You almost never see that in games

Watching the scene at 1:55 while knowing Charlie knows Hope has been cloned gives it so much more depth. "Is it wrong to wish I could stop missing her?" "No... I think that... it isn't wrong at all" she's having to reaffirm/justify her actions. I wonder how many other scenes have new meaning on replay.

I just watched your review of Genesis and Stasis last night before passing out and as soon as I wake up, I get this gem. You reviewing all these old esoteric games that I slightly remember or never heard of is amazing and I don’t see anyone else doing it. Thanks for the hard work of playing through these games that I know must be a bitch to trudge through. I know I couldn’t make it.

Your channel and your reviews truly are a mad fever dreams' treasure island. I found myself invested in games I never played and would never play either, while still enticed to come back for more. Great job, Mandalore. Heh, never thought I would think that while not seeing Canderous Ordo on a killing spree...

I mean, that guy is right, as someone who sailed with the military off and on for 7 years it is excruciatingly painful to try and find something in the ocean. Even if it's the size of a rig, they may look big in port but out there they become very small. (unless it is massive but that rig was mobile and we have those even today) Once again he's correct. A storm royally fucks with sensors and the like, you're probably not going to get lost but they are piloting a pretty small vessel with equipment that would probably be absolute garbage.

Moses, despite his flaws, is the best bear. Also, the idea of a corporate-run heaven really adds a horrific twist to the idea of a virtual afterlife. Even more-so if said afterlife merely uploads the contents of the brain, and doesn't migrate stream-of-consciousness to a more durable medium, since if you don't migrate your soc, it won't be YOU that lives beyond the death of the flesh; it'll be someone else that thinks that they're you.

2 reviews so close to each other, can't wait to watch!

Given the biblical references, "Faran" might mean "pharaoh". I'm only assuming based on my home country's language where Pharaoh is referred to as "Firaun". Moses and Pharaoh. Quite apt.

Considering the development team size, the stasis games are way better than they have any right to be. Absolute atmospheric masterpieces. Any chance of a Signalis review?

Hey Mandalore. This review was one of your best and I really enjoyed it. The passion you felt for it shined through and the discussion of hope and sub plots was enjoyable. Looking forward to the next one as always.

So this AI art thing got me curious to see if there was anyone else discussing the issue. I follow a lot of authors and artists who are understandably upset about the prospect of being replaced by AI. Weirdly the first thing I found was a twitter thread by an account claiming to be a developer of Stasis: Bone Totem declaring that AI art is soulless and will never replace real human creativity. The next was a steam review by some guy ranting about how shitty it is that Bone Totem uses so much AI generated art, and how the devs are deleting any threads that mention their use of AI art. What is going on here?

On one hand, I love listening to you talking about a game for over an hour, on the other hand, this style means more uploads for all of us. You´re an inspiration - long may the age of MANdalore continue

Me personally I could never get into these type of games but I do find some of their stories interesting and to have an unbiased and respectable review keeps me looking forward to each new video

I already played it and think it's a huge improvement to the first game. World building, story and characters are super interesting and I love Moses, his AI has problems to process the horrific stuff that happens around him and that leads to hilarious moments. Like at 10:53, where he introduces himself to a corpse and wants to have some smalltalk with them.

When you finished up the first statis review saying you'd be covering the second next i was so excited and you've delivered with outstanding quality as always! Thank you!

“People jerky,” becoming a recurrent joke is ‘macabre’ and hilarious.

I have become keenly aware of the month of October more so than any other month purely because of how much I am looking forward to a new adventure game review from you. I swear it feels like the Super Bowl for me. This year I may legitimately make some special food and get a baby sitter. Thank you so much for what you do.

Your videos are incredible, I was genuinely checking my subscriptions daily for this upload when you teased it at the end of the first STASIS video. Thanks for all that you do Mando!

You really are a truly interesting and intelligent creator man. I love your content. Considering becoming a member for the first time for any RU-vidr I've watched.

I think the thing that gets me with ai art is that like no one even seems to check it before putting it out there? Like did no one see the glasses thing and even wanna redo it? Amazon doing that shit isnt surprising but its sad to see with a smaller passion product

Mandalore, I can't express how much I appreciate you taking the time to explain the themes present in some of these more narrative-heavy games. Media literacy is really poor these days and seeing reviewers only tackle the most surface-level themes present in games breaks my heart.

It’s a little early but I’m always SO excited for your Halloween episodes. They’re a huge highlight of the month usually and my favorite of yours for the year.

1:44 Holy shit you're just gonna casually hit us with this? Ok this game is a special one.

Keep on loving this channel, Great job sir!

Bought the game before the story spoilers part of the video and finished it in a single sitting. It can not be understated how good the dialogues are, Faran and Moses for me prop up the game, that disembodied (ahah) voice might not have the physique but he certainly has the soul of a gigachad.

This video is like the perfect balance of everything I enjoy about Mando- jokes, horror, a dissertation on the game design challenges of AI art and a brief aside on the relationship between love and grief. Brother over here is the most interesting man in world and he runs a game review channel.

While I always loved your reviews, the last twelve months were just excellent. This one, along Myth, Arcanum and Ring are all top 5 IMO.

Wakes up. Opens youtube to start my day foff with my coffee. "Mandalore posted 53 seconds ago". Yeah its gonna be a good day.

Thank you so much for this video, Mandalore. I loved Stasis when I played it... some years ago, and I never would have known there was a sequel out if not for you biting into the games. You're the best, dude.

Rough day but these videos make me happy. You somehow manage to immerse me in a video game and it’s world within 30 min. You give enough info to enjoy the overall scope, art and story of a game. You leave enough out to enjoy it if you don’t care for spoilers and still play the game. Thank you

Played Stasis and Stasis: Bone Totem back-to-back after your last video and was pretty baffled on just how much of an improvement it was in every category. Despite some glaring flaws that stick out like a sore thumb. Moses/10.

Man, you always sell me on the best games. All of these interesting, eclectic games that I otherwise would have never heard of I've tried because of your reviews. I'm so excited to try the Stasis games.

I have discovered some of my favourite games thanks to your channel. Recently Northern Journey and now these two Stasis games. Keep up the awesome work Mandalore!

Mandelore's videos are a gateway to perspective. It widens my horizon, which was narrowed through life. Thank you for sharing your particulair but incredibly interesting observations! They make me want go out there and explore

Been waiting for this since the last Stasis review.

I know they're not exactly spooky, but I would love to see you cover the Zeno Clash games at some point. They're so utterly bizarre and I think they'd be a great fit for this channel.

i agree with you continuing to be the editor, you have your unique style. Getting a pro to do it will feel off putting, plus i'm sure you enjoy editing just like i do with my videos. I'm very basic with my editing but it's the journey of playing a game, then typing up a script, record, and start putting clips together and add sound effects, then watch the whole thing to catch any mistakes and any last minute ideas. keep it up

My favourite time of year has come, Halloween time! Thank you for this video Mandalore, it was certainly a hidden gem for me (:

Cold Fear was a surprising mention. I didn't think many would even remember its existence, although back in 2005, before RE4 was ported to PC, it seemed like its own thing to someone with only a PC and no internet and not like a somewhat shameless clone at least in terms of general gameplay and what its enemies were conceptually. Mid-oughts was a weird era of lots of interesting games that are very obscure nowadays, like Cold War (that one stealth game about an American journalist in 80's USSR jury-rigging slingshot projectiles of different degrees of ridiculousness), Sudeki (a western take on JRPGs with actually quite good combat), or Fall: Last Days of Gaia (a Fallout spiritual successor from the developers of Soldiers of Anarchy (really good) and Gorasul (really mediocre, though the setting is neat), which had vehicles, a surprisingly complex character system, and party-based RTwP combat). I am sure many have their own examples.

I was expecting you to talk more about the changes in the demo, especially Moses since he did sound like a cute friendly toy that's unaware of the whole situation before they hired a different studio to do the voices

This is like my third year watching your Halloween videos. Always find some real gem games for the season watching these, thanks for another good year

Dropped a suggestion and question to the email in your description! Keep up the great work!

This game was absolutely phenomenal when I played it. I was lucky enough to play this game and then the System Shock remake and boy was I happy that week.

"Mac and Charlie face unspeakable horrors"

Two great spooky reviews already. A blessing of the droods

You know you're in for a good(?) time when a mandalore video is 38 minutes and 20 are for story (spoilers). It's the kind of game that gives me a nauseating existential dread, but is also so fascinating it's hard to look away.

Fastest click of my life, wasn't motivated to go to work today, but I was reinvigorated by the adventures of John Stasis

Not really a horror fan but that love the bit of the writing where two different AI's, Calaban and Moses, are really different in strengths, weaknesses and personality.

The Ghost Master music at the end completely took me out. :D Such strong nostalgia. Great video

Before seeing the rest of the video, the intro tune makes me as officially as hyped for these Halloween videos as I ever was for the show. 🧡🖤

Ah, QR codes. I have never seen them implemented well and they always suck me right out of the game. The most egregious game I can think of is the Alan Wake Remaster. That game struggled enough with immersion and engaging gameplay, the added QR codes certainly did not help.

Caliban is an integral character from The Tempest by William Shakespeare. It even has the alternate title, "Caliban's Dream", insinuating that all of the other characters are figments of his imagination.

Mandalore video 1 of actively waiting patiently for the Paraworld review. Great work as always Mandalore, I hope I'll one day overcome my deep fear of horror games and actually play this one.

love your videos my guy keep up the good job

Thank you very munch for your in-depth reviews. I'd never play this game myself but I'm glad I can somewhat experience it.

When I was a kid the underwater parts of duke nukem 3d freaked me out. Octobrains were freaky enough as it was, but it was worse because in DN3D you couldn't see through the surface of the water, so you literally couldn't tell what was in there until you jumped in and swam down...I think I literally skipped levels because of this.

13:57 the last thing I was expecting from this game was a Zoolander reference, but I am happy to be surprised.

1:49 This, is a very very well done exchange. "Sticky fun! Hope would love to play with this [Chimera mass]!" Good lord lmao

The disturbing setting of this game reminds me Sanatorium, I felt so despair and uneasy while playing this one. The extended universe is not explained in Bone Totem but I guess the world could be that if Jeff Bezos rules the world.

Bear and Faran relantionship had me tearing up

Awesome video as always!!

another video so fast, it must be Christmas!