The Death of Realism - A Star Stable Online Documentary

Hello everyone, it's Kitti! thank you for watching my first documentary! :) I am planning to release more in the future, all with varying topics in regards to Star Stable.

I hope this documentary will start a conversation, I am interested in hearing everyone's opinion and as well things I might have missed. ♡

all credit to the owners of the original videos used!! :)

thank you all for watching and listening, until next time... ☆ 、

[lilliegould]

I miss the mystery and the dark undertones, it used to feel like it had a direction but now they seem to change the plot regularly

[maxc.]

Star Stable's graphics were so eerie! The acidic grass, the snowy mountaintops, the hazy tint, the fog... It left me like, "What's behind that door? What's in that cave? What's behind the Icengate? Where will this adventure take me next?"

[unremittens]

This is so well made! I’m sick of most players saying, “the only reason you miss old sso is because of nostalgia.” This is completely false. I love SSO’s old style of graphics and all the fun interactive parts of the game. I miss the challenge, and the story dream aspect that they have now completely ruined.

[firebirdscvuk]

As a player since 2013, this really gave me so much comfort. There was something about SSO then which made every tedious reputation quest or challenge passable because I invested in the game immensely and loved it. Even little things like fixing the bridge to the harvest counties or making it into golden hills. It felt magical and it definitely upsets me to see the game lose its spark in my opinion. Thank you so much for making this video! 🤍🥰

[mtta]

man i remember friday and saturday nights as a kid spending hours in the disco dancing with different players, it felt like i was at an actual party and as bedtime was closing in me and my friends went on a calming ride away from the disco along the shore to say goodnight and plan our next day… <3

[OhhItzKitty]

I started playing star stable when I was 9 and I was OBSESSED, I remember begging my mom everyday to let me play it at my grandma's house. I'm 18 now and I can't explain how much I miss it. Yes, it is nostalgic but I also miss the graphics, the small things like Loretta having a crush on Justin, even when raptor used to perform at the mall every Thursday afternoon.
Especially the main quests and the lore?! It used to be so interesting! I adored it to the point where I played all the previous games (the spring/summer/autumn/winter rider, star academy & starshine legacy), it was quite dark for a horse game. But it breaks my heart that sso changed it, it's almost like a whole new game for me.
Another thing that kind of annoys me is how fast you play through the game, like i started a new account and after just 12 days i was at level 16?? When i played on my first account it literally took me at least 1.5 years to reach that level.
To be completely honest this is one of the best video I've ever seen in a long while and I'm glad I watched it<3

[annabellestover]

As someone who has played sso for a loooong time i have never stopped carrying my important items, my bus pass, treehouse key, fishing rod, pickaxe, circus ticket, that weird vacuum thing, the piece of aideen’s light. I just can’t let go of them, i miss how star stable felt back then :(

[lilyfrosthearts]

I miss it so much. I remember spamming the barn doors to try and get on the game.. the game actually had its scary moments, the easter events, the Halloween ghost haunt, the pacman game lol. No matter what people will say sso became a money hungry company who mass produces expensive horses and tack and adapted the game for little kids, leaving behind its original community. Yes every game needs upgrades and yes every company needs money but there’s so many things they left behind, the graphics were amazing for its time and now it just looks like a mediocre game.. there’s nothing special about it anymore. Before I wanted to spend money on the game I’d beg and beg my parents but now I’d rather spend on other games

[Pog.anonymous]

This is amazing and so underrated, as an OG it's changed so much that it just doesn't feel the same. I could go on for hours about this topic.

[hexinhour]

A big part for me personally is the soundtrack. Sometimes I just put the og soundtracks to play from spotify and often it gets me and a few of my friends teary-eyed.

[skiddy]

THE BUS omg i really miss it i made so many friends waiting for it and i used to chase it now it just feels empty

[kiwiofoof]

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been playing this game since 2014ish, and I feel like I’ve just been watching the game become more and more decrepit, especially in the past couple of years. I’m just sitting here, watching SSO remove all the realism and novelties that make the game itself, and replace it with some watered-down version for ease of comfort. I mean, now how am I going to explain why I spam the W key when racing, since our horses apparently have endless energy! It’s sad, since the more they remove, the more I myself feel removed, and it’s a whole different gaming experience now than it was 5 years ago. I feel like SSO has been doing some things right, like adding snow back, but at the same time, that’s equivalent to a drop of water in the ocean.
But yea, don’t mind me ranting, really good point, and very well said, definitely glad I stumbled upon your channel :)

[snickerdoodle]

One thing I don't think a lot of people pay mind to is the art style. I'm not talking about the upgraded graphics here -- but rather the colors chosen when upgrading said graphics.

If you look at older videos, you'll see the grass and nature around you was much more yellowish in tint compared to now. This mimicked the idyllic Swedish summer landscape (which Jorvik was largely based of off), a moment of endless summer and fun. It also provided that realism you are speaking off. Colors -- and in extension: sounds -- do so much to provide the player with a feeling. Looking at these old clips, I truly realize just how much I miss that bright green grass. It brought happiness and "easygoingness" whereas the new blue-tinted grass brings mystery... which I suppose is on brand for what Starstable is focusing on more these days.

Funny isn't it? How Starstable's journey from a challenging, realistic, comforting game to a mystical, magical, dreamy sort of deal can be summarized by just looking at the color of the grass.

Here's hoping Astride will bring me back to that endless summer of our childhood.

[AuroraSilverwater]

You nailed this. Star stable has completely erased the challenge. I recently played the game again on a new account and it’s safe to say you can finish the main quests within 3 months. (That’s if you do every quest every day).
Areas unlock almost instantly and they’ve removed some of the “wait a day” blockers but haven’t changed the quest dialogue. So sometimes an npc will ask you to come back tomorrow, but you can immediately continue the questline.
Making the game accessible for kids is one thing, but most of these features weren’t THAT difficult. At the end of the day, they’re were simple enough for us to understand as kids. By removing the challenge, they lose their quirks and selling points as a game and of course, players feel less satisfied because they didn’t have to work hard for a reward.

[queenperrytheplatypus]

I miss the old SSO so much. I loved how everything looked. Now all the trees, buildings, etc, are all so cartoonish (perhaps a bit too cartoonish) and.. ah.. it just looked better before. I wish SSO could let some of us have an option or button to see the old graphics over the new ones so everyone could enjoy both worlds

[granattowanna]

This really made me feel that I'm finally not alone. You usually see the "big starstable" youtubers speaking about how the old game was ugly and horses were janky in comparison to the new sso etc. For me, this new graphical change is for the worst as the environments became bland, boring and forgettable. I vividly remember recording the older ghv one day before the update. Next day when I saw modern ghv, I didn't really feel anything. I wasn't woven, just disappointed. Now I can't even recall how the modern ghv looks, the memorable parts are only the old untouched ones. Also the mayor problem with these new horses is the lack of any creator's stamp. Like they are just realistic, nothing about these newer breeds makes them rememberable or iconic. (exception being jorvik wilds and pre-new Friesian horses). Quests also got boring. (Not to mention that they rewrote the whole story removing a good chunk of it.) Rather than being invested in the story I just laugh about how stupid some lines are. The problem is also modern sso takes a lot of inspiration from Harry Potter and it shows in their never quests. I remember how old star stable used to portray mystery and players theorizing and speculating about its lore or objects. I also fondly remember this gossip where if you've reached level 11 and got a quest all the clues where you had to place the items or who to talk to would disappear, making it rewarding to actually listen to the dialogue. Alas, modern sso is a poor excuse for a fun, mesmerizing game. It got very easy to play and not remotely rewarding to do any quest. Many features of old star stable (such as the logbook where you could read the quest again or retake it if failed) got removed, others that didn't suffer the same fate got terribly barebone.
In the end its very refreshing to see people share my perspective!

[Imhungry-ugke]

I agree with you. I would die to log in the old crusty sso again. I wish they would listen to the sso community

[rulerzreachfn]

I remember spamming the w key so my horse wouldn’t slow down 😂

[VeinInthings]

The progress bar is the exact same as the smilies. They just removed it for aesthetics. Dino was removed so players wouldn’t have to buy a certain breed to go fast there. I miss old Dino :(

[mariiie]

The Star Stable Company needs to see this video to understand us older players!!