Petscop
Petscop is a web series, released on YouTube, created by Tony Domenico. In the format of a Let's play YouTube series, the series follows a man named Paul exploring a supposedly "lost and unfinished" PlayStation video game named "Petscop", developed by a company named Garalina. The 24-episode series ran from March 12, 2017 to September 2, 2019.
Plot summary
The series is presented with the main character, Paul, having received a copy of the titular unreleased and unfinished PlayStation game, uploading recordings of himself playing through the game. The first four episodes are seemingly addressed to an unnamed person who Paul knows, with Paul having uploaded them to prove that he was not lying about having received the game. The game, which appears to have a vibrant and cute aesthetic, centers around the player character - named the "Guardian" - capturing strange creatures known as "pets" by solving puzzles. Paul remarks on the unfinished nature of the game and its playable content; however, after inputting a code found on a note attached to the copy of the game he received, Paul is able to access a section of the game markedly different from the title screen and its surface-level content. The new section of the game, known as the "Newmaker Plane", is roughly underground from the surface level, is entirely dark - lit only in a small circle surrounding Paul's player character - and has no music, unlike the surface level.Throughout the series, it is implied that more than one person is playing the game using different save files, and more than one episode features no audio recording by Paul. As Paul encounters more puzzles, it is slowly revealed - through references to external events and separate NPC characters - that this section of the game was designed for a specific person who did something horrible, alluding in part to a family Paul is connected to somehow being involved in the events referenced inside of the game. The series has few concrete details, and ends without a concrete explanation for either the game or Paul's connection to it.
Characters
Outside of the game
- Paul – Referred to as such due to his choice in naming his save file, Paul is a quiet and investigative person. Not much is known about his personality, other than his desire to uncover the secrets of the game. There are several parallels between him and Care, suggesting a connection between the two. Additionally, there are several references to Paul being under some form of surveillance.
- Belle – Throughout the series, Paul uses the word "you" when talking, as though referring to a specific person. This is prominently shown in the first line he speaks in the series: "All right, so, this is just to prove to you that I’m not lying about this game I found." In "Petscop 22", Paul refers to this person as "Belle". A person named Tiara, first mentioned by the Tool and in a note in "Petscop 5", is an in-game character. Later references in the series reveal these two to be the same person.
- Rainer – Likely the nickname of the person in question, due to the name "Rainer" being referred to in quotation marks, Rainer is, or was, a person who had been in contact with Paul, and the person who gave him Petscop. He is also the signer of most notes shown in "Petscop 9" onwards. He is the lead developer of the game, presumably a pseudonym of Care's cousin, Daniel Hammond, and is implied to be a grave robber.
- Anna - The wife of Marvin and mother of Care.
- Jill - The owner of the channel and Care's aunt, apparently a suspicious figure according to Paul.
Inside the game
- Guardian or Newmaker – The player character that Paul controls. It is a green animal-like creature of an unknown species.
- Tool – A large red object that the player can interact with and ask questions to. It is found under the Newmaker Plane.
- Marvin – A character mentioned by Tool when it turned pink, and the name that Paul gives the strange green-faced creature in "Petscop 8". He is the father of Care, who kidnapped her in 1997 to perform rebirthing. In certain recordings, he is playing the game, which Rainer, at least partially, designed for him.
- Carrie Mark – A young girl found by Paul under the Newmaker Plane. Paul manages to "catch" her, as she is considered to be a "pet". She exists in three different states, A, B and NLM. A fourth state exists, an Easter egg after a failed "rebirthing" attempt.
- Michael Hammond – A dead seven-year-old child whose gravestone is found by Paul. Implied by the notes in episodes 11 and 24 to be Rainer's brother.
- Lina Leskowitz - A girl who disappeared with a windmill in 1977. Marvin's friend, she was supposedly "reborn" into Care. She is referred to as "boss", and it is said that "not everyone" can see her.
Pets
- Randice – A flower who exists in a symbiotic relationship with Wavey.
- Toneth – A pet shown in a painting alongside Randice. Only caught on the Newmaker Plane, he is a bird who has apparently broken his leg in a car accident.
- Wavey – A cloud who waters Randice to keep him alive.
- Amber – A large sentient steel ball who enjoys staying in her cage.
- Pen – A musically gifted pet, a "deaf" mathematician.
- Roneth – Toneth's baby half-brother. The method of catching him is revealed by the Newmaker Plane's bucket puzzle.
- Hudson - A spherical, robotic-looking pet appearing in "Petscop 18"'s Extra Stuff menu as concept art. Otherwise unused.
Reception
Interpretations and cultural links
Petscop, the video game, is a work of the series creator, although this was not confirmed to be true until after the series finale, when creator Tony Domenico revealed himself on Twitter. As such, there had previously been some speculation on the game's existence outside of the fiction of the web series. Throughout the darker sections of the game, there are many references to child abuse, making it a recurring motif throughout the series. As such, a common interpretation of the series is that it was made, at least in part, to draw attention to the issue of child abuse. In addition to these themes, Domenico has cited the Marble Hornets and Ben Drowned web series and the 2006 David Lynch film Inland Empire as the primary influences for the series.A frequently recurring example of this are references to Candace Newmaker and her death in rebirthing therapy. Throughout the series, the word "Newmaker" appears several times: it is the name of the dark, grassy plane that Paul discovers after inputting the secret code in Roneth's room, the note in "Petscop 9" is signed "— Rainer, Newmaker", and it is also the name, or possibly title, given to the player character and/or Paul. In addition, there is an area known as the "Quitter's Room", which features a picture frame with the question "Do you remember being born?" written on it, and there is also a mention to a character named Tiara. Series creator Tony Domenico has stated that while the references were intentional, he later regretted them. In addition, the series includes a quote from the book Daisy-Head Mayzie by Dr. Seuss, during "Petscop 3". In this same episode, the character Care is seen crying underneath a large flower, which at first appears to be growing from her head, similar to how the titular protagonist of the previously mentioned book had a daisy grow out of her head.