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May 11, 2025 10:06 AM Subscribe
A charming animated short by CalArts film student Ben Knight featuring, inter alia, rhythm games, the pressure of expectations, and a missing cow: I Have Leftover Pasta
So creative - take that AI!
Heavy caveat: I don't understand anything of the premise of this short - what is the game? Is that a thing? They are a couple? Or siblings? Why are they singing?!?! Anyway, it was so completely realised, whatever it was, that even this oldster is fully sold. Yay!
posted by freya_lamb at 11:07 AM on May 11
Heavy caveat: I don't understand anything of the premise of this short - what is the game? Is that a thing? They are a couple? Or siblings? Why are they singing?!?! Anyway, it was so completely realised, whatever it was, that even this oldster is fully sold. Yay!
posted by freya_lamb at 11:07 AM on May 11
I don't understand anything of the premise of this short - what is the game? Is that a thing?
It feels inspired by something like Rhythm Heaven (example level with tutorial) or PaRappa the Rapper (example level), where you are shown a rhythmic sequence and then asked to recreate it by pressing buttons to trigger the same actions--someone saying a line, or triggering a sound effect. The videos hopefully explain this better than words can. The actual gameplay seems closer to a PaRappa but I think the Grand Finale stage where you re-do all the previous stages in one big medley is very Rhythm Heaven to me.
More generally these are all considered "rhythm games," where you press buttons (or perform actions of some sort) in time to the rhythm or notes of a song. Rhythm Heaven and PaRappa to me inhabit a special subcategory inside that niche; a lot of rhythm games don't do the call-and-response thing, and look more like, say, Hatsune Miku Project Diva.
As for the other questions: I think they're siblings, Frankie looks like they just got home from school. They're singing because a) rhythm games, but also b) it's a musical!
posted by chrominance at 11:43 AM on May 11 [1 favorite]
It feels inspired by something like Rhythm Heaven (example level with tutorial) or PaRappa the Rapper (example level), where you are shown a rhythmic sequence and then asked to recreate it by pressing buttons to trigger the same actions--someone saying a line, or triggering a sound effect. The videos hopefully explain this better than words can. The actual gameplay seems closer to a PaRappa but I think the Grand Finale stage where you re-do all the previous stages in one big medley is very Rhythm Heaven to me.
More generally these are all considered "rhythm games," where you press buttons (or perform actions of some sort) in time to the rhythm or notes of a song. Rhythm Heaven and PaRappa to me inhabit a special subcategory inside that niche; a lot of rhythm games don't do the call-and-response thing, and look more like, say, Hatsune Miku Project Diva.
As for the other questions: I think they're siblings, Frankie looks like they just got home from school. They're singing because a) rhythm games, but also b) it's a musical!
posted by chrominance at 11:43 AM on May 11 [1 favorite]
I tend to skip video content, but I'm glad I clicked this one. Pretty sure that was whole-wheat pasta, it felt so wholesome!
(Less than five minutes, for those who are still on the fence about watching.)
posted by demi-octopus at 12:13 PM on May 11 [1 favorite]
(Less than five minutes, for those who are still on the fence about watching.)
posted by demi-octopus at 12:13 PM on May 11 [1 favorite]
(This is well worth your five minutes. Thanks, cortex!)
posted by Hermione Dies at 1:24 PM on May 11
posted by Hermione Dies at 1:24 PM on May 11
They're siblings! The demon web site says, "To save your brother from the digital plane, you must reach the end of this video game."
posted by waxpancake at 1:53 PM on May 11
posted by waxpancake at 1:53 PM on May 11
Aww, that was sweet
posted by Going To Maine at 2:10 PM on May 11
posted by Going To Maine at 2:10 PM on May 11
If you're interested in how it was made, there's a full animatic of the short, found via Ben's portfolio site along with his other (very good) animated shorts.
posted by waxpancake at 2:57 PM on May 11
posted by waxpancake at 2:57 PM on May 11
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posted by cortex at 10:08 AM on May 11