Shipwrecked 64: The Terrifying Lost Game ARG You Can Really Play [Guide, Lore & Review]

This video is in two parts: a playguide, and a typical Night Mind dive on the lore and critical examination of the work. Please use the chapter system here on YouTube to come and go as needed.

Squeaks D'Corgeh YouTube:

Squeaks D'Corgeh Twitter:

00:00:00 – Intro
00:09:09 – Layer 0 (Playguide Start, Version 2023)
00:20:25 – Layer 1 (Version 1997 Begin)
00:24:10 -- Fail to Success
00:24:36 -- Walter's Minigame
00:27:00 -- Make Your Choice 1
00:27:43 -- Olive's Minigame
00:32:13 -- Giovanni's Minigame
00:34:58 -- Wulf & Stumbler's Minigames
00:38:15 -- Layer 2 (Doors Unlocked on Layer 1)
00:38:28 -- Make Your Choice 2
00:38:51 -- Walter's Waterway
00:45:04 -- Olivia's Pool
00:48:10 -- Giovanni's Diner, Gallery, Museum
00:53:27 -- Layer 3 (Land of Darkness)
00:54:27 -- Make Your Choice 3
00:55:14 -- A Helping Nub (Stumbler's Guide)
01:01:23 -- Left Gate Control (Olivia Drawing Spot)
01:04:45 -- Right Gate Control (Maze-like Area)
01:07:26 -- Forward Gate Control (Offices)
01:10:28 -- Through Main Gate
01:10:47 -- Make Your Choice 4 (A Warning)
01:12:07 -- The Plaza Survival Guide
01:14:42 -- Crystals Video Source
01:15:05 -- Mini Gallery (Leftover Picasso Numbers)
01:15:30 -- Workstation Code
01:16:20 -- Unlock the Extension (Crystals Puzzle 1)
01:18:03 -- Unlock the Workstation Run (Crystals Puzzle 2)
01:19:14 -- The Workstation Run (There is a Strategy)
01:20:38 -- Battery Collecting
01:21:21 -- The Folder (Plaza Survived)
01:22:04 -- Go Get the Folder, You Earned It
01:22:15 -- The Exit
01:24:05 -- Layer 4
01:25:10 -- Make Your Choice 5 (Elevator Has Two Floors Down)
01:25:52 -- Floor -1 (Blue & White)
01:26:50 -- Floor -2 (Sewers)
01:27:40 -- St. Mark
01:27:42 -- The Sewers Guide
01:29:51 -- wink wink nudge nudge hint hint
01:31:36 -- The Sewer Switches
01:32:25 -- Control Room Open
01:32:55 -- Codebreaker Download
01:34:31 -- Using Codebreaker to Progress
01:37:23 -- The 'HOW MANY' Puzzle
01:39:40 -- Floor -1 Gate Unlocked
01:41:00 -- Fish Video (The Last Puzzle)
01:42:03 -- The Tunnel
01:45:00 -- Hide & Seek
01:54:00 -- Layer 6 (Secrets & Mysteries)
01:54:31 -- Cogware & Broadside: A History
01:58:54 -- Layer 2... Why and How?
02:01:41 -- The Broadside Drive
02:11:50 -- Connor's Reaction
02:13:24 -- Shipwrecked 64
02:15:56 -- Connor & Mark: A Secret History
02:24:47 -- Exploring the Folder
02:29:50 -- Connor's Signature
02:32:24 -- What About Harry?
02:32:54 -- The Other Minigame Secrets
02:39:16 -- Menu Waiting Secret
02:40:34 -- Walter Minigame Controls
02:40:51 -- The Confused Ending
02:41:51 -- Tilt
02:42:02 -- Rustling Sound
02:42:40 -- Bucky Won't Look
02:43:24 -- Layer 4 Invisible Keypad
02:44:06 -- Dweller Bucky's Browser Surprise
02:44:39 -- Bucky Takes the Cap Off
02:45:42 -- The Dwellers
02:47:48 -- The Gate Control Videos (Three Pieces)
02:48:52 -- Gate Control Graffiti
02:50:03 -- It's Time to Talk About Vandal
02:52:58 -- Wait... Who is the Bear?
02:53:16 -- Back to Vandal
02:53:55 -- Layer 7 (A Walk on the Beach)
02:59:02 -- Starlings: Gate Control Videos Complete
03:14:03 -- Blot as Starling... Look Deeper
03:14:46 -- The Origin of the Husk
03:16:56 -- Where's the Other Half?
03:19:00 -- Lost Horror Game Design, or: How Shipwrecked 64 Turned Out This Great
03:26:05 -- Interlude: Puzzles, Codes & ARG (The Good, the Bad, and the Starling-Level Ugly)
03:32:56 -- Back to Horror Game Design: Audio Brilliance & Scares Worth Screaming
03:40:15 -- The Best Inspiration Over Imitation in the Entire Post-FNAF Game Scene
03:41:20 -- Layer 8 (Bodies in the Sand)... a section for every aspiring creator
03:57:10 -- Much gratitude to everyone who helped make this game!
03:57:53 -- That's All for Tonight
03:58:49 -- Patron Slates

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[NightMind]

This video is in two parts: a playguide, and a typical Night Mind dive on the lore and critical examination of the work. Please use the chapter system here on YouTube to come and go as needed. Please expand this comment for a few elements I didn't manage to fit into the video (SPOILER WARNING):

+

[Bucky & the Mirror]

The mirror that shows up at random is not random--this is definitely a theme piece that I feel portrays Brandon's disgust at himself while succumbing to infection from the organic material on the island. When you see the mirror, it's some kind of clue that Brandon felt a connection to whatever was occurring in that location in the game (it shows up twice in relation to Olivia, who he tormented before fully turning). The mirror showing up in the tunnel, reflecting the heart, seems like a touch to symbolize how much the organic matter's influence had simply overtaken him in a way he was conscious of. What we really have to ask about the mirror is why is shows up in that blue room in Walter's waterway... again, there's something about that wolf on the bed that's being shared with us.

[The Heart]

This is a simple one--it's a sign of the life existing in the cave system of the island. Now, is it literally a giant heart inside the island belonging to one continuous organic mass? Possibly! I think, whether literal or not, it's meant to inform us in a standard playthrough that there is a huge form of life inside the island, and Bucky recognizes it because Brandon was the most conscious while suffering from infection (that we know of).

[Subtle Writing Briliance]

The above elements are just more examples of the sheer brilliance in subtle writing Squeaks incorporated into the design for Shipwrecked 64 to serve storytelling. These pieces are quiet, mysterious, and are presented in such a way that we're meant to think about them and piece them together. The same applies to the awesome sub-storyline of Connor's cruelty to Mark by way of Harley, and how Layer 2's existence may have much more meaning than we realize. This is one of the highest points of praise I tried to convey within the video: showing, not telling, and allowing the players to think about things and make connections that give those "aha!" moments.

[lithoan]

hi there!! i'm the main composer for this game, it's so surreal to see you make a large video on something i helped worked on. you were such an inspiration to me all the way back when you were covering classics like marble hornets. it makes me so so so happy to hear you enjoyed it this much, i'm gonna be binging this. ❤

[AdamGaffney]

Honestly I love the black bar stuff. You start off like "oh well it's a remake of a game from 1997 so it's in 4:3 as a result and don't think about it. Then suddenly you think you saw something on the side but then you doubt yourself. And then it happens more and more and it really makes you feel like the game is emerging out of the screen towards you. A beautiful bit of in-game work.

[FawkesLive]

This will probably get lost in the sea of comments, but thank you so much for this. I'm the voice actor for Mark and it blows my mind to have a project I've been apart of for the last 2 years be this deeply analyzed and appreciated the way that it has. Especially from you, MatPat, and everyone else. It's made me so happy over the past month seeing the reception that this project has gotten from all these content creators I've been obsessed with since I was 13 years old. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

But other than that, with the part in the end where it's your PSA for creators to never give up - honestly, that's always been the most gratifying part for me. Other than Shipwrecked blowing up on YouTube and all of that: In my heart, I've been the most proud of watching Squeaks grow as a creator for the past 2-ish, years, and I'm so happy I was able to help him get here by voicing Mark. Squeaks has always been transparent and passionate with me throughout all of Broadside Beach and Shipwrecked, and I admire so deeply that this all came from a place of genuine love for horror and ARGs. I've had so many conversations with him over the years about all these game design elements he's excited to implement, what he wants to tackle next with the story, and especially all of his fears and worries about this project. It warms my heart seeing him get his flowers for something he's worked so hard for.

I'll admit, I've been jaded on the aspect of creation over the past couple of years myself, but watching this kid that I met when he was 16 take Shipwrecked to this level has inspired me more than anything. Anyway, thank you for making this video. And thank you for helping people like Squeaks, myself, and millions who watch your videos fuel their creative passions.

[GloryInWonderland]

3:07:31
SPOILERS;

Regarding the Starling Conversion, I intepretted the language here differently. This is how I understood it:
1. They found the weird organisms on the island.
2. They did a couple experiments with rats to find out what it was.
3. The BURIED BODIES of the victims merged with the organisms in the soil and rose out of the ground. That's why 'when the three victims emerged, it was in our best interest to fix that.'

They were SHOCKED to see the bodies come to life, it wasn't intentional. They were trying to cover up the deaths by burying the bodies, but the bodies came back on their own.

[aaronlagarda]

Something i really liked about Shipwrecked 64 is that it HAS A CLEAR ENDING
So many horror projects vague their endings and real plot elements and leave a lot of details out
But aside from maybe one little continuity situation, this game has a full, closed ended story with some leftover mystery to keep you hooked

[hilotakenaka]

Shipwrecked feels like it’s an evolution to the Mascot Horror genre. Rather than the setting be “abandoned building with children’s mascots that want to kill you” it has the anthropomorphic game characters be the horrors
Combined with the meta-horror of the live action cutscenes and you can truly see why this is _special_

[Traveler_]

Theres a great irony that at 2:30:25 conner is rambling about his living breathing world while the background shows multiple unanimated wind turbines.

[frstytg]

I dunno if anyone has posted anything saying this yet, but the insinuation wasn’t about them using rats to fill the mascot costumes up, the insinuation was them taking the bodies of Olivia, Gary, and Nathan and using the stuff to reanimate them, with the suits becoming their new skin. The same thing happened to Brandon, he was, by all intentions and purposes, the first Starling. He died due to an overdose and Broadside decided to both cover up his death by making him the first starling, and also testing the biomass’ effects on human bodies.

[TechnicolorShortie]

I feel like the Starling Conversion video might have been done the way it was on purpose, and if my theory is correct, it needs to be as out of place as it feels. All throughout much of Shipwrecked you have Connor hiding pieces all over of Broadside's dark secrets, and each time they're all relative to information he knows or placed there. The way the Starling video is found isn't the same as the others. I don't think Connor made that part, I think the Vandal did.

We saw that the Vandal addressed Mark on a personal level, especially finding the vacation home and saying Mark can't hide from him there. The Vandal has been after Mark, and I think he added his own touch to what Connor and the others produced in his own way. Separating it into three pieces gives me a suspicion that the Husk provided it, but in three pieces relative to the three dead actors. Whatever is happening, the Vandal had a bone to pick with Mark, and if he's been vandalizing places, why not the game itself?

The video is an info dump, not as organized as everything else Connor hid inside. Everything else came together to create a story, a rug pull to reveal the beating heart of the company, except that single part. It reveals something that Connor likely had no way of knowing, but the Vandal would. Or if not the Vandal, what of the Husk, who hasn't been shown to be very direct with its information until you earn it. Like splicing three pieces together.

Merely a theory, but with everything beforehand coming with a nuanced sense of purpose, it's hard to believe Squeaks just slipped right there that severely without a reason. The other mistakes he made were either subtle or instances of improperly conveying the key to a puzzle. It's possible, of course, but I think I just want to give him the benefit of the doubt after doing so much right.

[Wallemations]

I interpreted the “rat skin” section to insinuate that the substance worked better on dead tissue rather than living, meaning that to cover up the murders they used the substance on the victims, not stuffing the costumes with rats.

[gregvs.theworld]

Gotta give mad props to Corgeh for actually releasing a game. I was waiting for an unfiction ARG project to do that. Petscop, Rapid Eyes, Diminish, each time the idea was right there that you could push the audience engagement further by actually releasing a game and letting players play with it. I know, actually making a game is long, tedious, hard, and expensive, so it's not like I begrudge anyone for not going the extra extra mile, but on the other hand indie development is easier than ever before to attempt and I figured it was only a matter of time before someone actually released a video game for their project.

[StarDiSaF]

Stumbler is a real one, just helped out, reassured, and they were just being a silly lil guy

[nubbe]

I was ignoring this one because i thought it was only a "fake lost media games" but when i watched that sidebar/black bar jumpscare it instantly hooked me.

[surpriseandterror]

02:01:41 -- The Broadside Drive bit doesn't need to be a plothole. He could have been meeting with any number of other people at Broadside BESIDES Mark, presuming it's a colossal animation studio and not just, like, a single guy. They could have been meeting with marketing, with lawyers to deal with copyright issues, or just some lower level accounting flunkies looking to pad out the studio's promises for Q3.

[MCOmegaX]

(coming back to the video after a break) Re: the 'living organism' hangup, I'm pretty sure it meant 'living' as opposed to 'non-living' (as in rock, synthetic materials like the mascot costumes, etc), rather than 'living' as opposed to 'dead'.

[GmodPlusWoW]

The story of Squeaks also makes me think about Zeekerss, the developer of Lethal Company, who started out making stuff in Roblox when they were *12.* And Lethal Company itself launched, becoming a best-seller example of emergent horror-comedy, Zeekerss was 21.

While some might not have much hope for future generations, art like Shipwrecked and Lethal Company prove that, with the availability and accessibility of all these tools, younger people can make compelling art, even without a college degree. And honestly, knowing what they've made so far, I'm pretty excited to see what else they've got up their sleeves.

[JET]

Only a minute in but please PLEASE take it from a fan of yours thats been around since the beginning to take as much time as you need with videos! I personally would rather have these long deep dives even if it means technically fewer videos. I will be very happy with one video a month (or however long it takes) just to see dedication like this to a topic

[GrenadeCeption]

That image of Olivia's corpse is absolutely terrifying. Brings a level of fear out of me that I can't quite describe

[floramew]

As a creator myself, I really love that you give the overview and teaser etc etc, and then ask the viewer to go to the original project, every time, consistently enough that you're making a joke about "you're gd right I'm predictable, go look" lmao.

As someone who likes horror but doesn't have the skills, patience, or energy to delve deep into wikis etc just to understand the story being presented, I also really appreciate that you make these stories accessible to me.