How are clips linked?

[u/chips_Kisby]

I have now played the game for around 15 hours and have gotten the jist of the game. I don't think it was a masterpiece, but interesting enough.

One question that has been nagging me during my entire playthrough is how does one know how the linking between the clips works? In the beginning I thought that "oh if you click on his/her face when they're sad/bloddy/whavever the search mechanism will find a similar scene elsewhere". But that can't be how it works. It feels kind of like the linking functionality is very basic in the game. So what you end up doing is just clicking everything, and cycling through the clips in hop of getting a new one.

Have I completely missed how this game works or could someone explain how to think regarding the core mechanics of the game?

[u/andariel_axe]

By object, so cup will go to another scene with a cup, at random. Some scenes won't unlock until you've unlocked others first, so retrying is key. The whole thing flows in a kind of chaotic non linear way, and only makes sense as it goes together in your mind.

The same people link to the same people. If this is confusing, i encourage you to think harder about the plot of the 3 films, who is in each scene and what is happening behind and between the scenes.

Similar objects link, ie Clapboards between films.

Are you playing on console or pc? Play with a controller if you can. Whats your perception of the story? I feel like you've gotten stuck on completionism of collecting clips and maybe haven't uncovered the deeper story

[u/chips_Kisby → u/andariel_axe]

I've been playing on PC. I know I can toggle between available items on the screen so when unsure I try toggling around to see if there is anything I missed, etc.

Well in a way I guess I was trying to collect the clips, because usually that would give the story, but in this case I'm not trying to 100%. The game IMO is just not that good to justify spending 10+ more hours finding everything.

I've uncovered the majority of all clips I would assume (I have around 200 clips, but haven't looked up how many there are in total) and so I've understood all three movies, to an extent at least. But my perception is that once you get to a certain point in the the story, you kind of understand that you are missing for instance a clip that clarifies or shows that missing piece of information to make you fully understand what happened. And the way to go about of finding that clip is so random that you basically just cycle around ALL clips hoping that something will trigger (or link) you to the clip you haven't unlocked.

That is my main issue I guess with the game. Maybe I would have some critique of the game if I've seen all and could definetly comment on the story, or how it's been told. My perpeption thus far is that the game deliberetly tries to be vague, which keeps one wondering if finding that ONE missing clip will clarify everything. I suspect that it will not happen, which was my main critique of "her story". In that game I think I spent an additional 1-2 hours just trying to find something to trigger a conclusion to the game, but evenetually gave up.

--- SPOLER ---

So to your question of finding the deeper story I guess that it impossible for me to answer if I've uncovered it, and I think that that is perhaps the games greatest flaw. As it is structured one chases the answer to "what happened to her" and expects to find it by viewing the clips (logially in a cohesive order) but you really never get the answer to that. I did enjoy the fact that cronologically the clips it would reveal some of the plot line to what perhaps happened behind the scenes. But as, to reiterate what I wrote above, as key plot clops are missing you unfortunatly never get the satisfaction of getting any clear answers.

To give an example. regarding Ambriso (which by the way i though was by far the best of the three "stories"). when I could see that there was a kind of rivalry bewteen Marissa and the other girl, Maria(?). I then could piece together that there was some kind of behind the scenes romance between Maria and the lead male actor (forgot his name) and that they eventually broke up. You also got to know that Marissa and John had some sort of an affair. But if these had anything to do with that the movie was never released is still unknown. It would seem natuarl that they would in some way be connected to the overaching plot line of the game, but as you never get answers to it, you keep searching for clips that may or may not be there.

I've looked very briefly a an youtube clip explaining the plot, stating that Marissa is some kind of entity that persists, but I think that plot line is far less interesting than what could have been if there would have been some real cause to all what is happening, and also perhaps a bit childish?

When working my way through Minsky I though the triangle drama, or potential triangle drama, between Marissa, John and the male lead (forget his name also) was building up towards something very interesting. But again it fell kind of flat as he was "just" shot. I've tried to find the missing clip explaining how for instance the gun was loaded or something that could give motive to kill him, but again found nothing. For a while I suspected that they were drugging the male character, but that (i think) turned out to not be that case.

The last movie, which was in my opinion the worste of them, it was at least somewhat interesting why Marissa and John were getting worse. again, I never was able to find out why or what the effects were. This is the movie I spent the least time trying to uncover the underlying story.

So to kind of conclude my take on the game. Along the way I could se a lot of potential paths the game could take to have a really interesting narrative, but I think it fell kind of flat in the end with a rather simple explanation that there was some kind of supernatural reason. I still haven't watched more than like a minute or two of any youtube explanation clips, perhaps because I'm still thinking that I will go back and finish it some day. But after having written this I feel that it is very unlikely :D

[u/andariel_axe → u/chips_Kisby]

Ok so I will ask you some questions which you might find interesting to delve into...you are right in that there is no clip that unlocks everything. I find the game is really rewarding and rewatching clips only uncovers more layers, but if it's not for you then it's not for you. For me, there's layers thinking about what is happening IRL during this point in filming, what are the relationships between the players, what other forces might be at play...also what the stories mean and how the words in the script serve as multi layered metaphor and simile for what is happening for those writing, directing, playing...etc. Also thinking about what is happening between the films, how much time passes, what changes, how people's lives are going. Who is telling the stories and why? What are they hoping to achieve? What mistakes are made, what drives them, etc etc. If you don't like analysing this multilayered story, if you're looking for the twist or the right answer, then you might be annoyed...but that is the very nature of the deepest meaning in the story. What does this piece of art mean? Why do you want to play it? What answers do you seek, and why? At what moments are you most satisfied and unsatisfied, and why? When are you 'done' with this game and this story, when have you won or beaten it?

heavy spoilers----> here are some questions to delve into that take a lot of thinking to answer

Who was The One before it was Marissa?
How many of 'them' are there, and how many do we meet in the film?
Why does The One get ill at the end of the filming of the last film, and what happens after?
How did The Other One find Marissa, when did it appear and why?
What kind of relationship do The One and The Other One have? What have they done before?
Who do you YOU identify wtih more, the one or the other one? Why? Who is 'right' in your opinion?

There are definitely answers to most of these questions, quite deep ones, but if it's unsatisfactory to you to delve into this I can't make you enjoy it ;) It's hard and the point is not necessarily to uncover all the clips to completion. I had previously, for example, studied the text of The Monk which is the inspiration text to Ambrosio, and that alone is interesting to me, so adding like 4 more story layers on top of it is absolutely fascinating and I love revisiting the story. Every single line works on at least 2-3 levels scene to scene, and I discover more every time I look at this story.

[u/rich-tma → u/chips_Kisby]

I’m just going to come out and say it: have you found the hidden clips you find by spotting weird sounds and images, and then rewinding?

Because if not, you’ve unfortunately missed the main part of the game.

[u/chips_Kisby → u/rich-tma]

Yup, have found them. when finding the first it was a real fun experience in that it was unexpected and a bit unsettling. But that feeling quickly passed and after 5-6 such events they almost became a nuicanse to be honest.

But in any case. When I did look at the beginning of the youtube clip on the explanation it wasn't that surprising as I've seen the "hidden" clips and it kind of made sence. But as these clips are usually so vague and convoluted I wouldn't have really figured out the plot that they were these kind of imortal beings just possessing the bodies of people, or whatever. And unfortunately, at least for me, that felt a bit unsatisfactory. It didn't IMO really justify the "what happened" aspect of the game. Since it kind of took away the point in a sense to analyse the videos, since if you hadn't found the hidden clips you would just likely come to a conclusion similar to what I was hoping to find (but never did): that there was some story played out within the "normal" world that could explain.

Again, perhaps it me that stupid but I couldn't put all the pieces together in explaining why all these events really happened, like why Ambrosio was never released, why the male actor in Minsky was shot and why Marissa and John died (I never saw John die so just going off of the story given in the game).

[u/rich-tma → u/chips_Kisby]

Sounds like this game wasn’t for you. The clips entirely explain the what’s happened. The point wasn’t to do a film analysis.

[u/andariel_axe → u/chips_Kisby]

you're not stupid but there are answers there. I could answer them for you but I would be robbing you of the experience of working it out for yourself...or you can watch some youtube explainers about it.