Fairly short, and straight-forward. Cute and 90's nostalgic. That being said, the story takes abrupt jumps, and it feels lackluster and separate from what the game is up to. Still fun though, would probably play again, might've missed or glossed over things that would've made the story make more narrative sense

Hypnospace Outlaw has some of the best characterization I've seen in a game. It's not set in a fantasy escape, characters aren't shoved in your face, and the gameplay doesn't even let you interact with who they are. Instead, you get to browse a geocities forum, seeing people make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and bond over interests and experiences.

So much humanity happens in the background, as you parasocially experience their arcs over different dates. In the background of the Gumshoe Gooper drawing case is Sandy getting revoked as group leader and disgraced from Goodtime Valley by her friends for disagreeing about a copyright claim. In the background of the Coolfest lip syncing outrage is Chowder Man thinking he had found a community and ruining his life from putting his heart into Coolfest without any fans caring.

It's not all doom and gloom. These people are as real as anyone else you meet on the internet, and they live and laugh and learn. Sometimes you stumble upon a webpage someone made as a fantasy maze, or some spooky stories they made to share with friends. Sometimes it's a teenage dispute gone ugly and you have to moderate kids who need to mature and be kind with each other. Sometimes it's someone getting comfortable with the technology and community around them and finding a home. It's all so raw and feels significant to who they are.

But these pockets of life are temporary and should be cherished, with the Y2K incident being an emotional waterboarding. After a news report on the deaths and a flash forward to the present, you get to see all of the teens from back then grown up and get to live their life. Then you get to see who didn't get to grow up. Just like that, gone. You know these people, what they could have been, why couldn't they have been? This happens a couple of times in the end game, and it hurts every time.

I do wish the game had a bit more compelling gameplay, but also it can't really. It goes for the moderator approach, to give you a reason to explore and focus on specific user happenings and pages. Extra happens are either interesting Merchantsoft interworkings or goofy/nostalgic trinkets. Unfortunately, a lot of the nostalgia factor wears off before you develop these parasocial relationships. It's a love letter to the 90s internet, and it's bittersweet.

made me granny cream

Full playthrough on stream. Very aesthetic.

Nostalgia bait with no real narrative

If you miss those Window XP days, this is the game for you. You are basically the internet police trying to catch dicks on the internet with their wordart style webpages with loud BGM, virus-prone links and widgets. Endless scrolling, endless directions, tags and pictures to click through. I was amazed with the amount of effort and details they have put into the copies, music, styles and themes within the webpages. This game really took me back.

extremly immersive very fun game. hard to play all the way though as it gets a bit too far into tedium but worth poking around for awhile untill you reach a point of breaking. the value is there if you like well thought out puzzles and searching for clues.

Y2K... you let me down, down...

This game literally changed my life.

I need more.

Overhypé par la presse.

Bonnes idées mais je m'y suis ennuyée.

Both a nostalgic trip through the old web and a fascinating exploration of how communities used it. Retrofuturism and kitsch at its finest combination.

love the aesthetics of just that old-school internet. the puzzles are good funny and challenging.

amazing music, great story, wonderful characters!