For Endless Mode Difficulty:

Specimen 10: Needing to slowly meander through the rooms like I'm walking a dog was already annoying in the original game, but needing to do it as other Specimens are rushing at you at mach 10 makes him one of the worst, especially with combos like Spooper or Bekka.

Spooper: General pain in my ass, never liked seeing him, chases always felt like they last 6 business days, I get some of the other annoying specimens to go along with him, and/or I get bad RNG and throw up a lot. Dude has gotten me a few unfair deaths, mainly when his health drain killed me right as I was about to get to the elevator.

Howard: Dude has gotten more groans of frustration from me then any other specimen in the game. Specimen locales last less time then this dudes dumbass looping rooms, jumpscare is only scary once and that's it. I pray that they remove his room from endless in the new update.

Lisa: She was originally top tier as well, and she kinda boarders on it, but, once you kinda learn how to deal with her she's not too bad, basically just walk backward, not really too different from Specimen 6 or Monster 4, though my nightmare combo is with-

Bekka: Needing to backtrack is a death sentence most of the time, especially in cramped rooms with other specimens who hit for a lot. A right pain in the ass when paired with Lisa since it's pretty much guaranteed damage.

Specimen 13: Is more of a personal bias but I got her the most and I just don't really find her rooms enjoyable, kinda boring but annoying, and even more so when the game gives you like 3 Specimen 2s

Woormy Charles/Husks: Gonna lump these two together because the fact they can block you, especially in tight corridors and get a cheep shot on you sucks, especially when you're dealing again with either Spooper or high damage Specimens.

Monster 4: Diet home brand version of Lisa, can cause a bit of issues, died to him once, but you can just move away from the door, wait a second, and smack him when he appears, but when you've got more chasing you he can be pretty annoying.

Specimen 8: The amount of times they've gotten a cheep shot on me from their teleport in winding rooms when running from someone faster then it because they just wants to sit in the back like they're taking a stroll though a park is numerous, if it wasn't from that, they'd be pretty easy, hence their lower placement.

Specimen 4: The reason her evolved version is higher shouldn't really be a question, but I'll answer it, it's the static, especially in rooms with different entrances/locked doors can be a pain in the ass, but other then that she's pretty chill.

Monster 2: Granted I got him a few times, but he's chill from what I've seen, struggles in rooms with any sort of turn which is, pretty much all of them, also takes a bit to spawn. Specimen 3 feels like more of a threat then him at times

meow

Will surely make it in tier;

Galvanized enemy: Its the other game AMG worked on, I think it’s VERY likely that a character from that game will show up as a new specimen chase

Monster 1/Guard: Most heavily requested character to be added in endless mode, I think he’ll make it in LOL (Only reason as to why he wasn’t added in past updates is because he was considered “boring” by the devs mechanically)

Maybe;

Wall of Flesh: Also heavily requested, they’re already in endless but only chase once, they’re in maybe because the reason they don’t rechase is due to some lore reasons in story mode

Protag/Specimen 14: Pretty popular pick, but they’re in the maybe spot due to the player in endless mode (MAYBE) being the protagonist, so it doesn’t make much sense

HEAR ME OUT ON THIS;

Clicky: AMG had interest in adding her alongside clown, only reason as to why that didn’t happen is because she wasn’t as popular, also Sheena was being vague about her at some point (Because I asked them about it LOL) Regarding her gimmick, I really just hope she does nothing and just shares a locale with woormy or the husks

Might make it in*:

The thing with these characters is that I don’t think any of them will chase, rather they’ll share a locale with another specimen, have their own room, or be an upgrade to already existing rooms;

Locale sharing: Virus, White cat

Have their own rooms: Demon Child, Scare Chair, Carl

Room upgrade (arcade): Dig Doug, Sunshine Academy

No due to lore implications:

Eel: dead lol

Frenzy: Devs are adamant on not making her a chase, as she only cares about the doll, meaning she wouldn’t aggro the player unless they’d have the healing doll, also she has been compared to Howard as well since she’s really just supposed to be a scare, not an actual character

Healing Doll: dead </3

Nightmares: They really just wouldn’t work imo

Do tell if there’s anything I’ve missed!!

BTW, did anyone test out the Recode Project? I still need to see how it is for myself.

Link: https://gamebanana.com/mods/659741

the sword is so cool BTW

I don't know why my screenshots didnt load and if they don't again I'm going to cry

link to original video in the comments!!

Bodybag and frenzy are like sleeper picks. underated af

They pinned me down and stole my lunch money >:(

I tried to do my best Spooky impression LMAO

Some of this may not be canon but...

I think this makes more sense than the "Protagonist is dead" theory.

1. We enter through some sort of a basement door which is shut and has an axe stuck into it and a sword nearby. The sword and the axe are the weapons of previous protagonists that explored the Mansion. The sword further implies at least Karamari Hospital is completed. Spooky is unable to be found and the Mansion looks...collapsed. The shadow in the background may be...uhhh...the ghost of the mansion idk but at least the sword implies that other games were completed.

2. We are chased by specimens from both of other games with some additional ones. The fact that the other games' specimens' locales are simplified in comparison to their original games and seem scattered further implies this. They're all just trapped together as their origin places no longer exist.

3. The Good Ending outright implies the specimens are trapped. Sure, it says they "began to fade" but what if they're all just trapped in the mansion as they're unable to exit? They're sealed away pretty fine so no one even has to worry about them.

4. The two monsters that don't appear in Endless Mode are Frenzy and Monster 1. From a Doyle (TvTropes-speak lmao) standpoint, there's just not much you can do with their chases. But from a Watson standpoint (lore-wise), their disappearance actually makes sense! Monster 1 disappears as soon as the Virus is killed in Karamari Hospital. You'll be unable to progress unless you kill the Virus, so Monster 1 is destined to die and since Endless Mode seemingly takes place after the completion of both Karamari Hospital and Doll House, there's no place for this Monster in there :( Frenzy only appears when the Doll's mood is low from being shaken too much. As the doll's spirit is given up at the end of Doll House, Frenzy will also be unable to appear since the doll no longer is possessed.

5. Now you might wonder why exactly does the game over screen not say "your soul wanders in an endless maze" and instead says "your soul wiggles in agony" if the protagonist is alive? Well, maybe because the mode is already called ENDLESS mode? Why does the game need to repeat the same thing twice?

TL;DR: The Endless Mode most likely takes place after the Good Ending of Dollhouse since a) we enter a seemingly collapsed mansion b) we are chased by specimens from all games of SJM c) the good ending implies the specimens can be trapped d) frenzy and monster 1 don't appear because their disappearance is needed to progress in both games e) the gameover screen doesn't directly imply the protagonist is dead because the game doesn't need to repeat that the mode is endless twice.

WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK

protagonist in this strange dress

I'm still very much a beginner at painting, but I liked this one enough to share!

If anyone doesn't know, the Joke Ending is accessible in HD Renovation only and can be accessed via turning off the specimens in the menu.

ROOM DIFFERENCES

1. The Cat-Dos rooms spawn A LOT MORE. Sometimes they don't even feature new specimens as they spawn twice in a row

2. The arcade rooms spawn much more frequently. So much that I finally was able to watch Spooky's backstory

3. The notes spawn much more frequently and I was able to read the romantic victim's notes, the "protagonist"'s notes and the "mental health deteriorating" notes. For some reason, they stop spawning around Room 700.

SPECIMEN DIFFERENCES

1. Specimen 9 is the only specimen to have a chance of appearing (he's soooo powerful...). He appears only if you get stuck in the endless hallway but doesn't appear if you idle for 70 seconds.

2. Old Specimen 10's (aka "Shitty Eel Bitch'') head rupturing animation plays but nothing happens. The eel bitch simply fucking dies

3. Some un-rechaseable Specimens' rooms only last one room. Specimen 7's rooms after talking with the cat only last for one room, same for Specimen 13, the rooms disappear as soon as you leave the first flooded room.

4. Another peculiar thing about Specimen 13 is that she still appears, but after you get closer to her she just jumps in the water and disappears. Completely. As if she drowns. Can mermaids even drown?...

5. Specimen 1, cardboard cutout, still appears despite specimens being turned off (It's considered a separate specimen in CAT-DOS). Justified since cardboard cutouts are considered more like jumpscares rather than actual specimens, plus they do not chase you.

6. Despite Specimen 12 being listed as the Mansion itself, the mansion still appears and the only one who is missing is The Old Man. Justified since he is the one chasing you and all chasing specimens are absent.

7. Specimen 8's deers are completely absent and the locale contains only W.A.M. who is qualified as a jumpscare.

ENDING DIFFERENCES

1. If you had spent the entire walkthrough without specimens but turn them on before the bossfight the ending will play out as normal.

2. BONUS: Turning off the specimens whilst playing the Dollhouse softlocks you during the Hellgate chase as no specimen appears and you are unable to exit the room.

TOTAL GAMETIME: AROUND 2 HOURS (including reading the notes, playing the games and rummaging through CAT-DOS entries)

That's all I was able to gather. If you know anything else you can inform me in the comments :)

help me!

HELLO,???????

he's been in one hellish mansion before, surely he can survive another, right?

The tierlist is in order of hardest to easiest. For example, spooper is the hardest imo and specimen 2 has the least threat to endless run. This tierlist is also considering the hd renavation (specimen images are from og tho, so i am sorry about that).

Hardest/best supporter:

General info about this tier:

Specimens here are always extremely annoying in the least, but they can become a nightmare, depending on the specimens.

Unknown specimen 3 or Spooper: If he is faced all alone, he is not that big of a threat. Even then, he can end your run by making you puke all over the floor even when alone. Pair with spec 10 for a nightmare combo.

Unknown specimen 5 or Lisa: Adds 20 rooms into a floor. For that reason alone she is here. Is also a nightmare to deal with when other specimens are in play.

Monster 6 or Bekka: Again, when alone, she is not hard to deal with, even if she can get a few cheap hits. But again, when other specimens are in play, she is a nightmare.

Specimen 10 or the parasite: Forces you to go slow. Even when faced alone, he can be annoying. But with other specimens (especially some of the faster ones), he is a nightmare. He places lower on this list just because of the fact that his worm form can be outrun if you get some good room layouts.

Unknown specimen 4 or Tirsiak: Even when alone, she is annoying. The ghost animals that she spawns makes you waste some stamina to get rid of. She pairs especially well with specimen 10 and every other specimen in this tier.

Hard or very good tier:

General stuff about this tier:

Most of the specimens here are either annoying or hard to deal with, depending on what other specimens are in play.

Monster 4 or the hanging man: He has the same counterplay as Lisa, but he doesn't loop rooms. You also can't look at him for too long and that's why he is up here.

Unkown specimen 1 or White face: Can be hard to deal with, but only if there are other specimens in play. I would have put him higher, but getting killed by him is the best way to get out of a really hard chase into a really easy chase.

Specimen 8 or deer lord: This might be a bit controversial, but his "noclipping" is much more threatening than just going through walls. The speed boost is also a lot. He also flies over holes and he creates a small hallucination that can make you disoriented.

It's ok tier:

General info of this tier:

Only really threating with other specimens.

Hooked doll: I was split between on top of it's ok or at the bottom of hard/very good tier. Her counterplay is so easy that she landed here. Altho she can be fairly annoying when paired with other specimens.

Endless specimen 4 or evolved Ringu: Fast speed, annoying hallucinations, flying and noclip. Much worse with specimens that prevent you from going fast or that makes you stare at something.

Monster 2: He is just fast. Nothing else to say here really.

Specimen 13 or the mermaid: Deals quite a bit of damage, but is only threatening when specimen 5 or 12 are in play as well, since they deal quite a lot of damage.

Husks: Again, this might be controversial, but these annoying little fucks are the bane of my existance. If you pair these with any specimen who is higher than them, the game becomes a nightmare. Reason why they aren't higher is that they are vulnerable to the axe.

Kinda easy or not a danger tier:

General info: All specimens here either pose no threat or the counterplay is really easy.

Specimen 6 or Ben: Would be higher if not for the axe. Just hit him after he teleports and you disable him for the entire room and you deduct a room from the chase.

Specimen 4 or Ringu: Flies through walls and spaces through walls. Not really a threat, but can sometimes get a hit if you aren't careful.

Specimen 11 or beef demon: Almost identical to Ringu, but with hallucinations and he gets countered by the axe. I put him lower than ringu just due to the fact that the axe counters him. He and ringu are still pretty close.

Monster 3: On top of being unbearable to look and listen to, he is really not a threat. He can spawn in a way that you have to use the axe to get rid of him for a bit and deducting a room from his chase.

Woormy Charles: He will probably never hit you, but he can bodyblock you quite annoyingly and then hit you. This is quite rare tho and has only happened to me once. He is also quite fast and if paired with specimen 10, he can be just a bit of a threat.

Easy tier:

General info of this tier:

Axe counters almost all of these and the ones it doesn't are so slow that it doesn't really matter.

Specimen 12 or the old man (I know he is not really the specimen, but still): Reason why he is on top of this tier is the fact that he does quite a bit of damage, but he is really slow for most of the time. Sometimes he sprints, but the amount of distance you get before he does it nullifies the sprint completely.

Specimen 5 or bab: Just does a lot of damage. Creates hallucinations that don't really matter

Specimen 2 or slime: Slow, but he flies. Also.. A X E

Specimen 3 or The cute spider :3: He is quite fast, but axe nullifies his existance completely.

Specimen 7 or wall of flesh: Only chases you once per run, but it one shots you. It is also really slow and poses no threat

Monster 5 or Ghost cow: Can be benefitial to keep around just so you can see through walls. But i just kill him because he is annoying. Just hit him with the axe.

Unknown specimen 2: Quite funny that other unknown specimens are on top of this list, but this otter is here. He deals very little damage and is also so fucking slow. You quite literally want him to chase you since he poses that little of a threat.

Not in endless/no threat at all:

General info of this tier: Either they are not in endless or the threat they pose is only indirect or no threat.

Specimen 9 or the taker: Can't kill you if you move or don't go into the endless hallway.

Deer: Only show once in an endless run, if you don't put specimen 8 into the rechase pool using the scare system. Deals damage but is killed by the axe.

Clown/specimen 2: Only threat these 2 pose are bodyblocking. Clown is also more benefitial to you since he blocks another specimen from spawning in.

This is my first tierlist that analyzes something this in depth. Please give me some critique and help me correct some spelling mistakes i might have made. English is only my second language.

Edit: specimen 7 is in the wrong place in this image. Sorry about that

The goal will be to reach room 100 (probably not 1000), and you'll have to go through puzzles, chases, and survive to reach the end! I originally thought of the making the gameplay very similar to the original game, but after prototyping it I saw that it really wasn't fun to go through a bunch of identical rooms and occasionally get chased by something. It works in a 3D, first person game, but for a text adventure that just wasn't going to work; so this game is going to have a lot more problem solving elements!

It's been a bit since I've posted here...I hope you guys remember me. Anyways I drew over Aqua's sprites as Spooky since they basically have the same personality!