The Witcher 3, The Last of Us, and the "Daddening" of Video Games 

A ‘dad’ story allows you to take a fully developed character that shouldn’t be able to develop further, and throw them into a scenario where they must alter their nature not to be their best self, but to be their best self ‘for’ someone they love.

The big moment for me in the Witcher 3 was realizing that the story isn't about you. You're playing a part in someone else's story. And what kind of monster wouldn't have a freakin snowball fight with Ciri?

The average age of a gamer is 31 now? I just learned something new, that actually blew my mind.

Ciri having been sheltered all her life? I mean, her early years, maybe. But once she got like.. 15? her life essentially became the oppisite of sheltered.

One of my favorite parts of Witcher three is that if you beat heart of stone before the main game one of the “rewards” from the man of glass is essentially directions on how to get the “best” ending. Brilliant piece of narrative design.

My only real problem is Ellie was never told she would die for the surgery. Remember she is unconcious and is immediately taken in for surgery. The Fireflys were just going to do it without her consent. Now would she have given it, maybe. However if she didn't get a choice without knowing the consequences how is that okay?

dog why you cut Geralt’s hair like that? 😂

You misread the last of us and forget two major facts. Ellie is still a child, guardians have to make choices for their children all the time. It's not inherently toxic, especially if it's in the child's best interest. Ciri is a grown up that makes her own choices. Being a good parent to an adult requires a radically different approach than being the same to a teenage girl. The second major issue is also that of a choice. Ciri makes a choice to potentially sacrifice her life knowing the danger and what's at stake. Ellie isn't given a choice to give her life, she is forced to do it by the scientists while unconscious. Joel isn't overturning her choice by killing those people since she didn't make it to begin with.

I think something not taken into account in this review is age. Eli is a tweenager into teenager while Ciri is a twenty-something. They are depicting two different aspects of fatherhood, the protecting portion and the nurturing to independence. Some might not see that as an excuse for the controlling aspect in the ending of the Last of Us, but I think that it makes sense. Let's bring in another video game that has good Dad vibes, the Walking Dead. In that, Clementine is much younger, the 8-11 year range. Now imagine having the decision of Witcher and the Last of Us endings. It would be horrifying if Lee let Clementine choose to possibly sacrifice herself for "the greater good". And I think that's the lane that the Last of Us is straddling. At what point should Eli get to make that decision. Personally, I would never let a 12-14 year old make a decision to sacrifice themselves even if it could save the world. And that would include both boys and girls. It would feel more like I was sacrificing them, then they were making a sacrifice themselves. Maturity is needed to make such a monumental decision.

The Witcher audiobooks are fantastic. Geralt in the Sword of Destiny actually singing to a mermaid in their musical language is freakin' hilarious.

i really liked the lee cleminte relationship in tell tale walking dead season 1.

please talk about more video game stories. video game writing is such a complicated art(and different than other mediums), I'd love to hear your two cents on more of them.

I agree with everything you said except for your characterization of Joel's choice at the end of TLOU. There was no way Joel could know that the procedure would result in a cure for certain.

As far as “the sexualization” of women in the witcher, Geralt is just as sexualized as anyone else. The women in the game are ultra-powerful witches who are self-actualized, independent, and way more important than Geralt in every way. In fact, if you try to wrangle a 3 way between Triss and Yen, you get a cutscene where they tease you, tie you up, and leave you there for being a pig.

Hey, this was a really cool video! Gave me lots to think about as I consider The Last of Us and the Witcher 3 to be among my favorite video games. I actually did a video on The Witcher 3 not too long ago that came to a similar conclusion, although mine focused more on game design and the role of player agency and narrative freedom. The Last of Us of course has a linear narrative that you as the player don’t get to influence, which I imagine changes the way the story is experienced to some degree. But putting that aside, I think there are some other differences in the story as well that are worth considering and might add some nuances to the conclusions you make about The Last of Us. For starters, Ellie is a minor, one who hasn’t had much real world experience (granted; the Left Behind DLC fleshed this out a little), which is unlike Ciri who is already an adult and has been adventuring on her own for quite some time at the beginning of The Witcher 3. So while I would agree that it was important that the relation between Geralt and Ciri was an equal one for it to be commendable, I would argue that it’s a bit more complicated with Joel and Ellie because Ellie hasn’t fully exited childhood and therefore the power dynamic in their relation is naturally a bit more skewed (as it is with any child-parent relation in the early phase where the parent carries responsibility over the child, especially when it comes to life-altering decisions). I think it’s also worth questioning how much agency Ellie really has at the end. The Fireflies are known as a ‘sacrifice for the greater good’ type group and have been shown to resort to violence when deemed necessary. Side-stepping the content of their ideology, the value of their goal of re-establishing top-down societal organization in a post-societal world, and the assumed guarantee that Ellie’s sacrifice would have led to a meaningful outcome… let’s say Ellie backed down and refused to undergo surgery, would they really have respected her decision? Would they not have assumed dominion over her in the same way that Joel did at the end? Also, what does Ellie really want? Is sacrificing herself truly the best possible fulfillment of her desires? Yes, she has lost her only friend, and I think you can argue that this is what motivated her to help create a cure. But looking at it more closely, who would this cure be for? Her friend is gone, and, as far as she knows, the rest of the world is either unknown or dangerous. If all you’ve encountered is lost souls, bandits and cannibals, would you really be driven to sacrifice yourself for a Hail Mary to save them? I think that, like Joel, what Ellie really wanted is what she had lost, someone to connect to. From the very beginning, Ellie is treated as precious cargo, as a living McGuffin. It’s only in Left Behind where we see her in a relation that is unburdened by the knowledge of her immunity, one that is pure and honest. The way I saw it, the ending to The Last of Us can be interpreted in 3 ways, 1; Ellie doesn’t know Joel is lying, 2; Ellie knows Joel is lying and vilifies him for it (making it the most tragic/toxic outcome), and, my favorite, 3; Ellie knows Joel is lying, but accepts his lie nonetheless as deep down, all she really wanted was someone to love and care for her. Again, I don’t mean to negate the points you make about Joel’s selfish behavior, but I also think the story is much more interesting when framed in this context of a fallen world where no one gets what they want and instead, everyone is trying to make the best of what they’re given. Joel wanted his daughter, but instead is given Ellie; a sweet girl, but not Sarah. Ellie wanted to be loved, but instead is given Joel; a man who cares for her, though that care is rooted in patriarchal control. Is it an inspiring tale about fatherhood? Not exactly. But a complicated story about the human condition? Definitely a yes for me.

The mechanics of CKII incentivized me to have three of my own illegitimate children murdered so I could inherit England. So... did the game push me to play the ultimate anti-dad?

This is really fascinating, but I disagree in calling Joel "psycotically obsessed", that makes him sound TOO Evil in my opinion!!

I'm a big fan of the "daddening" of games. I feel a lot more emotionally engaged. Same goes if its a mom. Using the parent figure is such a great way for video games to go.

I hate to tell you this, but a fourteen year old is not mentally developed enough to understand the full ramifications of their actions, hence why their parents are legally obligated to make decisions for them. So whether or not Joel is psychotic given what one must do to survive in the world of Last of Us, Joel is no more possessive than any parent would be for their fourteen year old child. Ciri however is twenty one and should be mentally developed enough to understand the full ramifications of her actions, and thus Geralt lets his adult adopted daughter make her own decisions, while balancing his role as a father and a Witcher.

"The Daddening" is a very apt title.

Thought I heard “milfgard” around 15:39. Either girlfriendreviews has ruined me or I was already ruined.

Joel is an adult with experience about the dangers of this new world, that isn't a place where kids like Ellie easily survive. So, what you are calling possessive, even toxic, is none else than perfectly reasonable behavior for a parent given the circumstances. Ciri, on the other hand, is an adult that can look after herself and has made her own decisions for quite some time. The situations are quite different.

Witcher is based on books from 90s where Geralt is already stepfather so they really don't follow some daddy trend...

I was so amused by the amount of people who screwed up their ending to the Witcher and got Ciri killed lol. Good video, my favourite aspect of the Witcher was how it conveyed how many layers of grey there are to people and why they choose to do what they do.

The two are not comparable on the level you think. The two daughter figures differ in age and thus Joël takes responsibility and saves Elly, especially seen in the light of a document you can find in the hospital detailing that other subjects were operated on and did not survive. Joel is acting out or responsibility at least as much as selfishness. He’s not taking away the power to act from Elly as in a functioning dad-daughter relationship it’s understood that a adolescent cannot give consent to die in search of a possible cure.

I don't agree with your point about Joel at all. Psychotically possessive and entirely ego driven?? Lmao what?? Ellie knew Joel was lying in the final scene. She knew. She didn't want to die, really. Even for the greater good. Am I really expected to believe this girl who has gone through all the struggles she has is naive enough to believe that? The whole game is about show casing how shit humanity has become and how shit the world is, whilst juxtaposing a growing bond between these two characters. Neither of them want to sacrifice what they have to save the world they live in. It's not worth it for either of them. Sure, it's a selfish decision, but it's a decision they definitely both make, and a completely human one. I doubt most people would give up the only person they love to save a post-apocalyptic world. Joel was never psychotically possessive. That's an incredible overstatement. Sure he was possessive, but never more than a normal father would be. And I don't see how someone who derives their whole meaning in life from taking care of others is ego driven. Is being a father ego driven? Or wanting to be a father?

The main issue I have here is that Ellie, though she might have agreed to do the procedure, explicitly is not given the choice by the Fireflys, and Joel knows this. She nearly drowns and is taken immediately into surgery. She has no idea she has to die to save humanity and the Fireflys weren't going to give her the chance to say no (why they don't want Joel to even see her). This complicates Joel's decision quite a bit. does it mean he's not acting out of pain and need for her? No, but it's not quite as cut and dry. Ciri knows her options in advance of the ending. Ellie doesn't. Likewise, I wasn't convinced the Fireflys could do what they said for certain. And why would Joel be? The world constantly reinforces that plans go wrong, and if Ellie is the one shot they have, there's no *for sure* to a vaccine. Especially when the notion is introduced at the 11th hour right before they kill her.

The Last of Us' ending is my absolute favorite angle of the whole story. Not enough games have a morally questionable main protagonist, you're either a good guy or a random soldier devoid of all ambiguous thinking and emotions. But not in TLoU, you *don't* make the good guy decision at the end. Your journey, wrought with so much death and misery, all the sacrifice that was given by Ellie, Joel, and other characters amount to nothing... Simply because a tired, violent, old man who loathes the world and himself; Couldn't let go of his grief and move on with his life.

If you havent yet, you should read the Witcher books, they are insanely good, and probably much more subtle than you'd expect. :)

That Witcher analysis bit literally brought me to tears. I knew this game had a very nuanced story and narrative progression, but never thought this relationship would be such that. Then again, I never got to finish the game - I was only able to spent some 40 hrs in the Witcher 3 world.

I think you jumped to some conclusion in The Last of Us. Also, the plot gave Geralt an option. If Ciri was uncounsious about to be sacrificed to save the world, what do you think geralt would do ?

While I think that both the Witcher and the Last of Us are great stories. I think they are very different stories and you’re not cutting Joel enough slack. TLOU is about people and it is tragically real. The ending may not send the most inspiring message but it shows how real of a person Joel is with some tragic faults. Whereas Geralt is perfect. Great fighter and father. So Joel having a tragic fault only adds to the whole story

I don’t know where it’s coming from. But as a woman without a father; seeing that stuff actually helped and made me dream of having a good husband and a family. A father and daughter relationship is unique; a daughter can can dwelve in her emotions under her father’s protection and unique care. With a father a woman learns their worth and that she can face the world. A woman learns wisdom, dignity, and how to listen to her emotions and instincts from her mother.I wish I had this with my father..maybe could’ve been different for me. But it only added dreams for me to have. I’m glad the father/son relationship was experienced in God of war. Seeing a Father and son duo is just as magical. And needed; many guys don’t have a father figure, many fathers aren’t good. Good video

You missed the best game dad of all... Kazuma Kiryu

I have to respectfully disagree with your interpretation of Joel's choice at the end. The fireflies had been shown themselves to be careless in their research, and Joel likely believes that they won't be able to produce a cure. Even if there is a chance, the risk isn't worth it. Ellie's sacrifice could all be for nothing, so Joel does what he thinks is right. But where the first game is mainly about Joel's choices, the next one will focus on Ellie's, so I guess we'll have to wait until then to see if that game will frame Joel's decision as noble or selfish. Or both.

"Joel reveals himself to be psychotically possessive and entirely ego-driven." That's what you got from the ending?? Wow. What I, and everyone I've ever talked to about it, got from the ending was a meditation on the agonisingly impossible choices we are subjected to in our lives, and the effects of trauma on the choices we make. Joel is a broken man, 20 years in mourning for his daughter who was murdered by a group not much different than the Fireflies. When he meets Elly, he finally is able to become whole again and provide both of them with something they have been yearning for: a family. When they finally reach the Fireflies, they purposely ignore the wishes of Joel to wake up Elly and tell her the risks and instead keep her in a coma, denying her the choice of making that sacrifice or not of her own volition, forcibly taking away her agency as a person. No, Joel isn't the good guy at the end in doing what he does, but he does so for reasons that any parent can understand and would likely do themselves. Like holy shit, how did you fuck it up THAT bad?

i feel like the way you cut to Kratos serveral times as being an example of a character who is a brutal cliche who changed after becoming a father isnt accurate due to him having always been a struggling/remorseful father in his first three games. his wife and daughter were arguably the crux of his character and those brief cuts gave me the impression that you may not have actally played the games? Great video though, TW3 really does deserve the praise!

I was literally about to start the final mission of the Witcher 3 when I saw this video ( I was on RU-vid looking up xp grinds so that I could get to level 34 and wear the Mastercrafted Wolven Armor cause I want to look cool for cutscenes) and I’m just blown away by how they left those subtle clues on how to treat Ciri through the other fathers. Brilliantly done.

Regarding The Last of Us, I think you miss some of Ellie's perspective. Joel, regardless of whether the Fireflies could successfully develop and distribute a cure, would kill everyone in the hospital. Similarly, Ellie would give her life in either circumstance. In isolation, is the choice that SHE is making really one a parent or guardian SHOULD leave to her? Ellie has a deep guilt for all the suffering that she couldn't do anything to stop (from Riley to Sam). She spends the entire game asking WHY nobody else could step up and make the noble sacrifice for humanity - even as each and every chapter reveals that no one action can save the world. Joel and Ellie make character accurate choices, but I don't think Joel is out of bounds for annihilating everyone at the hospital. Joel only becomes everything you describe when he lies to her INSTEAD of talking to her about the choices they'd both made. That manipulation leaves Ellie unreconciled and truly alone, and it leaves Joel in control but disconnected from her.

I just don’t see why the new God of War isn’t talked about more in it’s powerful rejection of Kratos’s past actions, redefining a god of war into a true man, and the incredibly meaningful assertion that we must be better than those who came before us. Honestly one of the most meaningful and inspiring stories I’ve ever seen, a truly unforgettable experience.

Your talking about the death of a little girl maybe saving lives, and treating him like a monster for his choices... Which I guess is valid, bit that's some ussr lever 'for the greater good' bro...

How does such brilliant analysis and comparison not have more recognition? Adore your content bro. Keep it up

Amazing video. Haven;t seen a video essay as analytic as this for quite some time. Great job!

I feel like you massivley misinterpreted the statements made on fatherhood, morality, cynicism and idealism in The Last of Us.

Great video as always but I just noticed one thing about the whole Joel Last of Us ending. I do agree that he did act selfish and that he didn't let her make her own choice, but the thing I realized is that almost every single person who played that game -- if they had a choice in that ending --would still probably choose the ending that happened. I mean, the lead character doesn't have to act toward the objectively right choice in order for the game/story to be impactful. I kinda prefer that there are flaws in the characters in the end. Obviously, the right choice is to let her make her own choice but the beauty of the game is that it makes you question this fact, what you know to be objectively right, and it makes you want to instead be "selfish" and to keep her alive. That's because the game succeeded in making you care for Ellie, so much so that you stand by his decision by the end. He isn't a perfect character, and it isn't a perfect ending, but it doesn't need to be. That one ending can be equally impactful as a multiple-choice ending, like in The Witcher.

There are a lot of "Dads" as video game protagonists and - perhaps predictably - so few representations of "Moms". I think one of the most interesting examples of it is the Telltale Walking Dead games. Lee is an early example of the player being put in the role of a father figure. Then it comes full circle in the Final Season of the series with Clementine becoming a mother to AJ. Motherhood is a topic in video games that go completely ignored for the most part, but I found it was such a different experience for me playing Clementine trying to raise a kid compared to playing Lee. Lee was focused on protecting Clementine and teaching her to harden herself against the harsh world. Meanwhile Clementine was focused on trying to teach AJ empathy and prevent him from becoming just another monster.

The choices with Geralt and Ciri were sometimes not so obvious. I would argue "You don't have to be good at everything" is actually not bad advice. A child constantly putting everything on a pedestal as something that must be achieved at the highest level is both exhausting and unrealistic. But i guessed it is framed in that Ciri wants or needs to be good at controlling her powers. Sometimes being a parent is difficult and you don't know what is the right thing to do or say.

Thank you so much for making this video. It’s on the topic that affected me the most playing these games.

''sheltered all her life'' lol

Was Joel selfish? His newfound purpose in life was to protect Ellie. That's exactly what he did.

I need an entire video just about the witcher, this is amazing and every now and then I came back to watch it. Great work!

Really liked how you show that that each person they meet is a foil in specific way. This is sophisticated writing that games are rarely good at. Would love more videos on other games that have great writing (or that blow it)

you're obviously not a father. The instinct to keep your kid alive even if it means destroying the world around you is a real thing, and it's hard to control at times.

I really have a big using the words " the exact same ending" when from the get go the are some crucial diference. There is a certainty on Ciri being able to stop the white frost and an uncertainty in wether she would die. Meanwhile with Ellie is the oposite, there is a certainty that Ellie will die but an uncertainty about if her death will save the world. Because even if the vaccine is succesful....is still just a vaccine, not a cure. You woulf still have to deal with a world taken over by fungus monsters that are still pretty deadly and with colapse society where people are at each others throats. Then there is also also the diference of age and mental state. Ciri is a young adult that seemingly has though her the decission. Meanwhile Ellie is a teen age thay has experienced on traumatic event after another and is trying find meaning out of it.

Wow! Thank you so much for this. Great work and great channel...now to dive into all the content.

Great video. Enjoyed this a lot

Huh? In the ending where Ciri becomes a Witcher they also show her branching off on her own later.

Kratos was already a dad in god of war 1-3

One of my favourite video essays, on my top two favorite video games. Good job man 👍

This one. This was the video that made me subscribe. Well done.

I loved this vidio but i kinda disagree, ellie never had a choice she was unconscious and never had a choice to make the fireflies were going to kill her no matter what she chose so joel didnt make take away her decision, he made a decision for her and joel being joel he chose to not let them kill her and i dont honesty think the fireflies were responsible enough to to do this procedure because they immediately want to kill her and not wake her up and run any test, not to mention the fact that when we saw the fireflies shortly before, ellie's was unconscious about to drown and they knock out Joel even though he wasn't a threat, FUCK THE FIREFLIES

Just want to share my agreement the TLOU's ending is deeper than just a twist that toxifys the growth Joel has had through the game. Lost of factors at play, the most important being that Ellie is still only 14. TLOU 2 having an adult Ellie I'm sure will explore the differences in a more equal relationship.

Amazing video, great analysis have several playthroughs on the witcher 3 under my belt and still never noticed that Geralt through the story is surround by fathers to

Peter Kenny is absolutely amazing narrating the audio books! He brings so much life and personality to each character, and I love how he can do different accents for different races.

I thought, in the end of Last of Us, there was only 10% chance the operation will work or actually, if it even works. They mentioned doing it on other immune ppl and it didnt work either. Atleast, Ellie should have all the information and if they got her consent, then proceed, though i think after everything Joel did for her, he just could not let it happen. You can call it selfish, i call it being human.

Did you say the emperor of MILFgard

Great video. Loved the breakdown of the teachable paternal moments in Witcher

Awesome review, i will keep tuned for the next.

3:19 Difference is Ellie is a kid, and other selfish people want to decide themselves what to do with her (and Joel rightfully won't allow it), whereas Ciri is a grown selfless badass who makes her own decision to save the world.

Good video, but one minor nitpick is that you keep showing Kratos beating up Zeus in GoW 3 whenever you talk about an over masculine sort of dude, but, in reality, Kratos has always been a super tragic dad figure. I mean, yeah, he's extremely violent, and even starts to go too far with the third game, but as shown at the end of the first game and in spinoffs, he did care about his family and tried to be a father before they died to his own errors And of course, Dad of Boi, or God of War 4, expands upon that by giving an older Kratos a second chance in an entirely new world

This was a really interesting video, thanks. :)

I have just completed a master's thesis on this topic and I think your video nails a lot of points well

I never viewed Joel as "psychotically possessive", how ON EARTH did you reach THAT conclusion? He was a guy who got attached to a child after losing another child. He was a normal person. The main difference between him and Geralt - and mostly between CIRI AND ELLIE, is that Ciri was an adult making an adult, conscious decision to go and fight to the death if necessary. Ellie was a child that got lied to by adults that she'd undergo a medical procedure but the adults actually planned to kill her during that procedure. Ciri had the agency of an adult making her own decisions, Ellie was a child and had little agency, so Joel, THE ADULT, made the decision for her.

First! Ah! Love your channel man!

I can't stop thinking how cool that transition is at 0:10 .

Love your essays.

Another game that's similar to the Last of Us is Lisa the painful, another great game that makes you question your Main characters action.

I think there is an important distinction to be made though: the ages of the daughters. In the Witcher the daughter is an adult and thus is capable of making more informed decisions regardless of maturity. In The Last of Us the daughter is too young to be making her own decisions and should be under the care of her parent/guardian. Just because she is mature and capable, doesn't mean she can make good decisions outside of survivalistic ones. I find this extremely important to pay attention to because it changes the dynamic of what fatherhood in in those different contexts. Good video :]

Fantastic essay!

Great video!!!

Ellie is a child. Joel accepts the roll of her father. It’s not “psychotically possessive” for an adult caregiver to keep a child from being killed “for the greater good.” Or more specifically, for a chance that *maybe* her death will result in a cure. Instead, he chooses to save her AND shoulder the weight of guilt and responsibility her life cost. I don’t agree with him about lying to her, but it shows he loved her more than he loved himself and his own integrity. I wouldn’t go so far as calling someone who supports killing the people they love for the “greater good” a monster… but I wouldn’t want to be know them and doubt very much that they understand what it means to love.

Telltale did a phenomenal job with TWD Season 1. I felt that the relationship with Lee and Clementine was very well written. Some of the best writing I've seen in a video game.

Fantastic essay, you get a sub man!

The interactivity distinct to videogames can open up so many artistic possibilities when you use it to challenge players instead of giving into their power fantasies. (Although The Last of Us, interestingly, does the inverse: interactivity is taken away from you at the end, sealing Joel's fate.)

I'd love a second/sequel video on those gender roles, btw. I like how you break down everything here, and would be interesting to see you expand on the ideas you discuss at the very end. :)

I really appreciate your analysis of The Last of Us's structure, especially in regards to how the various episodes contextualize Joel's ultimate decision. I had never considered that even though, when framed in such a way, it's totally obvious: each character is one perspective on that choice between selfishness and selflessness, and Joel has to reckon with those options. I do disagree somewhat with the label of Joel as "psychotic." I am not sure how much he is actually cognizant of his reasons for saving Ellie (perhaps they are entirely self-absorbed), but, in doing so, he defends Ellie's right to life. Ellie's decision to sacrifice herself is not out of altruism; she suffers from survivor's guilt and feels that her death is the only way to balance out the deaths of the people she knew. In robbing Ellie of this choice, Joel gives her the opportunity to rediscover (or just plain discover) a reason to live. Joel's single-minded survival drive ("No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for") overpowers Ellie's death drive. Now, this does not necessarily excuse Joel for what he does, either lying or controlling. But I do feel that perhaps Druckmann is critical of her reasons for the choice she would have made. Joel's compromised character in some ways may allow Ellie's character to be restored--which I think will culminate in a true schism in the sequel since Ellie could very well reject Joel. But that's speculation at this point, lol.

Very interesting analysis, thanks for sharing.

Love the video! Beautifull work u.u

Both brilliantly portrayed "dad" moments, but The Last of Us struck a much stronger chord with me, mostly I believe because the situation and its conclusion, together with the lack of options in it, allowed us to see Joel as a character and his choice as the epitome of it. I loved the witcher 3, but The Last of Us gave us a seriously flawed protagonist, and it showed masculinity's perceived strengths as ultimately a path that could lead to disaster, both for society at large and to their closer relationships, which is exactly why the ending ends with such a somber tone.

You’re wrong to imply that Ellie doesn’t have agency at he end of TLoU. She plainly does. She realises that Joel is lying to her but chooses to stay anyway.

loved that cutt in the beginning!

I love this video. Thanks man.

After listening to this guy's analysis, I genuinely question if he's played either game

And here I go again playing the witcher one more time.

I recently learned about a really influential manga turned movie franchise from the 70s called Lone Wolf and Cub. It’s about a gruff shogun that’s really good at killing who travels Japan with his son. I feel like the title “Lone Wolf and Cub” would be a great name for this sub genre of stories since it says everything you need to know in the title. Also, while I mostly see these stories in video games, I do occasionally see them in movies. Logan, Blood Father, and Leon the Professional are a few that come to mind.

Wonderful video!

I want to start framing my opinions with "As a cannibal."

Just that small portion of dialogue at 17:14 makes me tear up again. Shows how strongly an impact Witcher 3 had on me. Such a fantastic game, with great characters and a compelling story. It's a masterpiece, imo.

Man, now I wanna replay both TLoU and Witcher 3. Great essay, and thank you for reminding me of what (in part) made me love these games!

Great video dude! Two of the best games ever and great dad breakdown!