Not a direct recommendation, but @moschidae recommended a lot of RPG maker games a while ago. I looked at some of them but this one caught my eye the most (I know it's not made in RPG maker, the first one was, but this looked way more up my alley. Plus moschidae gave this a good review, sooooo I'll credit her still.)

Winner of the award for "Best Face Melting Animation"

And winner of the "Best Cookie Deployment Animation", and "Best Hands", among many others. The most appealing thing of Hylics 2 is most apparent just by looking at it. The use of claymation for characters, environments, and the enemies would be one thing; but to then go off-the-rails into the surreal and make everything so otherworldly. No other game looks quite like this, not even other games that utilize claymation. Just watch these enemies yourself from the Steam store page, words can't do this game justice. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1286710/Hylics_2/)
I'd often find myself just staring at the enemies during combat, just trying to process what in the sweet Hell am I looking at. And I love how to help with the uncanniness, most enemies don't move at the same framerate. Some are far more choppier then others, snapping from one pose to the next with seemingly little rhyme or reason. But it doesn't end there, every single spell (called gestures) and item used has their own unique animations. No game needs this much effort in using a burrito with how it rotates, opens, crumbles and warps into nothingness. Gestures meanwhile are somehow vague in what they do, yet you stare at them and think "Yeah it makes sense why that'd cause you to bleed (called "Leaking" here)" Even the less extravagant animations still have flair and a great sense if impact. Pongorma's Lightning gesture has a great "One, Two... THREE!" motion with flick of the hand casting the spell, causing the final impact to feel much more powerful.
The cherry on top is the solid turn based combat, though not without a few snags here or there. It's a moderately challenging game with how on top you have to be with buffs and status effects. Every enemy can cause at least one status effect that range from minor damage overtime to "Deal zero damage now!". Does share that issue with a lot of other RPGs where the beginning can sometimes feel harder then the late game. You learn more spells and find better equipment by the mid game, so it helps accommodate for the statistically stronger enemies; whereas early on your strap for consumables and you have so little Will (your MP equivalent for spells) that every gesture is a commitment. The encounter design also doesn't mess around. Fighting four or more enemies is the norm, and solid "Hit-All" attacks are rare for your party. Yet, for me at least, I never got messed up too badly. Some encounter were tense yes, but I never felt I couldn't make a come-back from a bad situation. Grinding isn't even a potential solution for two reasons: 1). Enemies never respond, and 2). There's no experience but instead meat. Meat is used to increase your party's flesh, which is your health in case there's any confusion. Yes having more health helps, but it almost always comes down to better strategy, item usage, and equipment to make the ride smoother. Items especially. You're a bit limited at the beginning, but you exponentially get a ton of them later on. Use them whenever, it'll make life so much easier. Lastly I wanted to comment on the party and how simple they are. Every party member has just one unique gesture and different starting stats, and apart from that they're the same. If you told me that before I played this game, I would've been under the impression that "That seems pretty boring". Yet every spell has important roles and usage, especially the exclusive gestures. It instead makes the party surprisingly moldable for any composition you want... just like clay oH FU-
I hate using this word, but exploring Hylics 2 really is a "vibe". The soft, melancholic surfer rock soundtrack paired with surprisingly expansive movement for a turn based RPG makes exploring very soothing yet fun. The iso perspective could've made platforming a pain, but there's a handy marker for where you player character is going to land at all times. Also helps that this game isn't terribly long, so you never get fully use to the weirdness and you're continuously surprised by interesting design after interesting design. You become very accepting of the strange and just go with the flow. Even the main battle theme isn't overly energetic, but does invoke a bit more tension. That said, the final boss theme goes pretty hard and is fantastic, even if the fight itself was pretty easy.

Makes me excited to see the artist behind this game, Mason Lindroth, is making another Hylics game and it's looking just as creative as this game. Big recommendation.
The main villain being named Gibby fucks me up more then it should.

The game's so unique it's easy to love despite its rough edges that resulted largely from being more ambitious as a game than the original. It's also beautiful on a visual level. It was hard taking a screenshot of the world's locations that didn't look fantastic

Oh and Wayne is like real cool for a character that barely talks, dude

I wish I could one day gaze upon the world in the way he does

style is substance

Despite the advencement in technology and the fact that the videoludic industry is bigger than ever, some people still find difficult to consider videogames as "proper pieces of art".

But there are some titles that alone will be able to put to rest these frequents comments. Hylics 2 is one of these titles.

A gem created by Mason Lindroth and Chuck Salamone: two people with a vision, a PC, a bunch of clay and a guitar, that were able to create one of the most bizzarre worlds I have ever seen in a videogame, with an aesthetic and music that allows to express so many different emotions at once, some of the most unique gameplay mechanics in the genre, and an atmosphere that makes you literally live a dream.

Hylics 2 is more than a game..... it's an experience. One of the most overlooked indie RPGs of recent years.

A great sequel, but a less perfect game. There's a greater emphasis on combat and movement, but the combat is easily broken and the movement is somewhat deliberately obtuse to a fault. My point being that neither of those things are why I liked the first Hylics. It was easy and chill. The combat is interesting from a conventional RPG sense, but I can just play SMT or any of the classics if I want great RPG combat. Same goes for the movement. I come to Hylics for the vibes.

Vibes-wise A++++++++. I love this game as a sequel. I just find that the attempts to refine elements from the first game undermine those vibes.

(There is full well a possibility that there's some sub-textual stuff going on relating to the movement and RPG mechanics that I need to ruminate on so these are definitely NOT my final thoughts)

The Hylem-xylem hotly resists a Hyelm-xylem

A very surreal and artistically grounded experience, there is very little bad you can say about Hylics 2. This is the kind of game you grieve finishing, for its short length Hylics impresses a lot on the audience with its evocative dialogue and scenery. There are very few games that manage to fully utalize the medium as well as Hylics does, the art is inseparable from the game and the game feels inseperable from the world built around it. It is the kind of thing that is clearly made with love and is wholly one of a kind.

Other than the obvious things Hylics is known for like its clay animation and the fantastic music, i was very happy with the amount of options the game had to prevent you from struggling or becoming annoyed. Nothing lasts longer than it has to, and for an rpg that is very important. Minigames like the lil' wayne sections had various difficulty modes, and enemy encounters are a once-time thing with no respawning foes. Fights are visually engaging and you are always finding new techniques (as long as you explore) so battles dont ever feel dull, and the game is so short that the player will likely always feel like theyre progressing, there is no need for grinding or anything like that.

The one issue Hylics 2 has is sometimes, it lacks direction. There is very little hand-holding, which fits the game well, but i found myself lost a few times trying to find the Sage's coins and especially during that first person dungeon-crawling segment. There are also a few areas that arent really obvious you're supposed to interact with, or lead to a new part of the game. I think tutorials wouldnt really mesh well with how Hylics functions, but some more visual cues would of been welcome.

Hylics 2 is a once in a lifetime game that doesnt seem to get as much admiration as it should. Looking at it, if it seems like it would appeal to you then i would absolutely recommend going for it as youre never going to see something else similar to this again.


Giiiibbbbyyyyyyyyyyyy.....

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Hylics 2 may just be my favorite game of all time. Hylics 2 builds off of the first game in almost every way imaginable.
The combat is still simple, yet features many new enemies, status effects, equipment and moves (with accompanying new animations) that allow players to express themselves and their playstyles in ways Hylics could never allow.

Chuck Salamone is brought on to help with the soundtrack, creating tracks that are not only more listenable, but tracks that give Hylics 2 and it's refined presentation a unique yet similar feel to the first game. With it's psychedelic and post rock influences, unforgettable songs like Prevailing Westerlies and Them's Fightin' Words underscore the rich visuals.

Although still present in the battles, as enemies walk toward the camera with swirling backgrounds reminiscent of Earthbound, Mason Lindroth's signature clay style has taken a bit of a backseat in Hylics 2. What replaces it are 3D overworlds, with effects to ensure they match the visual style of Lindroth's other work.

Hylics 2 is rich in side content, featuring two side scrolling platforming segments, hidden televisions containging powerful gestures and a first person labrynth for players to explore.

With a runtime of roughly 8 hours on a first playthrough, getting Hylics 2 for $14.99 is a steal.

Hylics 2 will always hold a special place in my heart as a unique experience I will return to time and time again, and I look forward to all future endeavors from Lindroth and Salamone.

Hylics 1 foi um dos melhores achados que tive com games em um bom tempo, um jogo que não tem pretensão nenhuma de fazer sentido ou de entregar algo, Hylics 1 era uma grande experiência visual com grandes influencias de Earthbound, surrealismo e rock progressivo.

Mas Mason Lindroth trás uma sequência 5 anos após o original e devo dizer, é impecável. Hylics 2 é uma continuação clássica, mais e melhor, refinando um combate que era desbalanceado porém prazeroso, dá profundidade a exploração e trás de voltas os acertos do primeiro jogo, mas com a revisão necessária, por exemplo, a indicações de objetivos dentro do menu, mas ainda seguido a régua obtusa do primeiro jogo.

E tenho que dizer, acho incrível as mudanças de gameplay dentro do jogo que me trazem uma familiaridade, tanto por serem gêneros de meu conhecimento e apresso como plataforma e dugeon crawler, mas principalmente pela execução semelhante a de Yoko Taro. Mason estava inspirado na produção desse jogo.

Mas resumindo a resumindo a opera. Hylics 2 melhora todos em todos os aspectos, mas dessa vez além de um experiência visual, existe um jogo solido por trás que deve ser apreciado.

A duologia Hylics merece sua atenção.

Didn't play much of this one so I'm not going to say much for this review. The first Hylics was an okay game propped up by its surrealist art style and music. I heard the second game was a big improvement on the first, but all I got from the couple of hours I played was more of the same, only this time the dialog wasn't AI generated.

I think I've gotten to the point where I need more than "weird for the sake of weird" for a game like this to hold my attention for longer than an hour or 2. All this game adds is better looking animations, a more interactive overworld that's mildly annoying to navigate, and 2D platforming segments that are initially novel until you realize how godawful the controls and physics are.

Not a bad game necessarily, but when watching a playthrough of a game on Youtube is going to give you almost the same experience as playing it I'm not going to put in the effort.

It looks and sounds as if you got ran over by a 70's hippie van and got isekai'd into the illustration on its side. No complaints on that front! My problem is that the writing is absolutely droll - purposely, I understand, but it feels like a waste for a setting like this - and plays just a smidgen too clunky to be consistently engaging. There's a reason why when you look at most of the discussion on Hylics, it tends to involve unwavering praise of the aesthetics without much comment being given to... anything else? The first game was already a sort of vehicle for Mason Lindroth's art and music with gameplay and story taking a low priority, which is why it's strange that the sequel still feels like that despite the monumental strides in enhancing the experience of actually playing it. I'm all for art being as personal of an experience as possible but it comes off less to me like this overworld platforming, unbalanced RPG combat and dry storytelling was the dev's True Vision™ and moreso like something he felt necessary to tack on so that it's a more "realized" video game. You already have Chuck Salamone on the soundtrack, I think adding a few folks to the writing staff/programming/Q&A wouldn't really hurt the frankly incredible amount of self-expression already present in this. It's neat but I wish it had more going on

Here's one that has sat high up on the backlog ever since I saw it's extraordinaryly good release date trailer. I saw that, played hylics 1, and then always had this one very close to be playing played. Even when I did get here, I wasn't able to finish it in time for new Zelda.

Love the claymation models. The swirly backgrounds are fun too. The post rock, shimmery guitar work of the soundtrack is great. Songs usually glide and elide around a melody, sometimes forming into triumphant almost grunge moments for boss battles. Flying in the airship is sick as hell.

It's a bit obtuse to play, the impatient among us (me too) will need a guide for some late game areas, including a first person dungeon which is a neat perspective shift but too droll and difficult to navigate in execution. Additionally, combat balance seems wacky, and some enemy combies are hell, like the poolmane who multiply, a guy who does an aoe attack on a cool down that'll wipe the party, someone who constantly casts this barrier that you have to break to damage them, but breaking it makes you take damage, and they can heal, and they just put the barrier back up in one turn???

Hylics 2 is much more something you experience rather than play, and it was exactly intended it to be that way. This is one of the most visually stunning games I've ever seen, and is a drastic improvement over the first's. From the mesmerizing movement in battles, to the absolutely jammed open world full of secrets and interesting areas, and a soundtrack that has some absolutely banger and straight-up weird tracks. Definitely a must play for anyone who's a fan of surreal art, or at all thinks the aesthetics of this game look interesting as you really play for the visuals in this game.