It's just an interactive comic. You can defo tell it was written around 2020. It's a pretty good time-capsual.
Also, I hate to say it but Andrew Hussie does know how to write some good-ass characters.
Also bonus points for shitting on transphobes.
Also, I hate to say it but Andrew Hussie does know how to write some good-ass characters.
Also bonus points for shitting on transphobes.
Someday I'll give this game the review it deserves.
For now, I'll just say it's the most unfortunately influential piece of media in my life, probably. Play it if you read Homestuck, or if you didn't but know what happened to the fandom circa 2020... or if you're a communist I guess.
UPDATE: The game is now free. No reason to not check it out! :)
For now, I'll just say it's the most unfortunately influential piece of media in my life, probably. Play it if you read Homestuck, or if you didn't but know what happened to the fandom circa 2020... or if you're a communist I guess.
UPDATE: The game is now free. No reason to not check it out! :)
Zhen is so babygirl
This review contains spoilers
I know basically nothing about Homestuck or Andrew Hussie so maybe some of the subtext is lost on me but in a vacuum, I found following Zheng's story to be a very interesting character study. She was an unlikeable protagonist and a bad person, which was why it was /so frustrating/ that I was also rooting for her at many points and agreeing with some of the things she said. It was very cathartic to watch her bring the world to its knees and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how far the author would take it, and in the end he took it as far as he could.
Zheng was right- the capitalist machine and the spirit of imperialism are far too entrenched in our cultural psyche for us to ever truly escape them so there really was no "winning" against them. It's easy to complain that the narrative lets her off the hook for her actions but I feel like her stepping away was... if not /the/ correct choice, then at least /a/ correct choice. She already failed, her "revolution" just wound up recreating the same systems again because she and the people around her couldn't truly conceive of anything else, and so her ultimate victory was to just extract herself from everything as much as possible. It was no more selfish of a choice than staying, and staying would have meant dying, and having her die out of some misguided sense of honor would have been too cruel of an ending for a game that was already so harrowing.
A lot of things are left unsolved at the end but I didn't mind it because honestly, it felt truer than having them wrapped up. In particular it was fitting that we never really get to see what becomes of Earth in the end because, well, we never found a solution for the problems so we don't get to see anything solved. The cosmic invaders plot fizzling out also made sense because divine intervention from above was never coming, and besides, who cares about space imperialism when we already have imperialism here on Earth? The only storyline that really gets resolved is the Zheng/Abby plot, and that's because they're actual human beings who are able to stand and speak and reckon together.
For similar reasons I don't think the story really had a moral, but my takeaway was that our culture is rotten to the core, but, BUT, individual people aren't, and when we start thinking of people only in the abstract sense (be it as names on a screen or bodies in a revolution) then we lose. You are never going to be perfect, hell in the grand scheme of things you might even be a bad person, but being a dick about it is the least helpful thing imaginable. And stop hurting yourself, that doesn't help either.
Speaking of the game itself and not just the story, I actually really liked the art style. The pixelated photos with simple drawings overlaid was a striking visual style and the designs of the clowns were fun. The music got a bit annoying but it wasn't in the way or anything like that.
Zheng was right- the capitalist machine and the spirit of imperialism are far too entrenched in our cultural psyche for us to ever truly escape them so there really was no "winning" against them. It's easy to complain that the narrative lets her off the hook for her actions but I feel like her stepping away was... if not /the/ correct choice, then at least /a/ correct choice. She already failed, her "revolution" just wound up recreating the same systems again because she and the people around her couldn't truly conceive of anything else, and so her ultimate victory was to just extract herself from everything as much as possible. It was no more selfish of a choice than staying, and staying would have meant dying, and having her die out of some misguided sense of honor would have been too cruel of an ending for a game that was already so harrowing.
A lot of things are left unsolved at the end but I didn't mind it because honestly, it felt truer than having them wrapped up. In particular it was fitting that we never really get to see what becomes of Earth in the end because, well, we never found a solution for the problems so we don't get to see anything solved. The cosmic invaders plot fizzling out also made sense because divine intervention from above was never coming, and besides, who cares about space imperialism when we already have imperialism here on Earth? The only storyline that really gets resolved is the Zheng/Abby plot, and that's because they're actual human beings who are able to stand and speak and reckon together.
For similar reasons I don't think the story really had a moral, but my takeaway was that our culture is rotten to the core, but, BUT, individual people aren't, and when we start thinking of people only in the abstract sense (be it as names on a screen or bodies in a revolution) then we lose. You are never going to be perfect, hell in the grand scheme of things you might even be a bad person, but being a dick about it is the least helpful thing imaginable. And stop hurting yourself, that doesn't help either.
Speaking of the game itself and not just the story, I actually really liked the art style. The pixelated photos with simple drawings overlaid was a striking visual style and the designs of the clowns were fun. The music got a bit annoying but it wasn't in the way or anything like that.
I'll start with what I'm sure of, in the hopes that I can come up with something more as I go along. I genuinely do not know what to say, or how to say it.
To get the easy exposition out of the way, I stumbled across this game while I was reliving my Homestuck phase back in early-mid 2023, along with my ventures into the Hiveswap and Friendsim games. Obviously I would also be compelled to another of Andrew Hussie's creations, especially with the musical collaboration of another big name in the old scene Clark motherfucking Powell.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Actually beautiful. It's not often for a game to provide such a mix of just... unexplainable feelings and tones with its music for me. I'd find myself starting each chapter just sitting there, letting the music play out for a good few minutes. It's haunting, it's soothing, it's cold, it's just perfect for everything it needs to be, whenever it needs to be. And you already know I was losing my god damn mind hearing Flare again in one of the later cutscenes.
... and that's about all I know how to say. I can't think of a way to put my thoughts into words on the actual story of Psycholonials. I certainly enjoyed the story being told, but it's just kind of a lot? For a little 7 hour game like this, it says what it says rather quickly, which definitely makes the shock and spectacle of it all stand out, but it never goes past feeling anything but ridiculous. Because it is. From start to finish, it's a ridiculous fugitive tale, quickly turned clown riots across the state of Massachusetts, even quicker turned across the United States, worldwide, I don't know what to say! By the final couple chapters, it all moves so fast, and only continues to speed up from there, I can't tell if I had just gotten lost somehow or what!
This story is batshit insane all the way through. To save myself the trouble of struggling through any more of my thought process behind my writing, and to give myself the excuse of trying to keep this review mostly spoiler free, I'll leave it at that. It was fun seeing each and every breaking moment of Zhen's global domination, I liked the thrill of anticipating whatever else could go wrong out of just the absolute slew of... everything. but, uh. good lord.
I'm sorry, this review just feels so nothing, I've never and will never claim to be a writer of any sort, but I also don't like just saying nothing, especially when I'm already so passionate on one particular aspect of the game.
Nice 8/10, though I definitely had it at a 9 before the ending.
To get the easy exposition out of the way, I stumbled across this game while I was reliving my Homestuck phase back in early-mid 2023, along with my ventures into the Hiveswap and Friendsim games. Obviously I would also be compelled to another of Andrew Hussie's creations, especially with the musical collaboration of another big name in the old scene Clark motherfucking Powell.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Actually beautiful. It's not often for a game to provide such a mix of just... unexplainable feelings and tones with its music for me. I'd find myself starting each chapter just sitting there, letting the music play out for a good few minutes. It's haunting, it's soothing, it's cold, it's just perfect for everything it needs to be, whenever it needs to be. And you already know I was losing my god damn mind hearing Flare again in one of the later cutscenes.
... and that's about all I know how to say. I can't think of a way to put my thoughts into words on the actual story of Psycholonials. I certainly enjoyed the story being told, but it's just kind of a lot? For a little 7 hour game like this, it says what it says rather quickly, which definitely makes the shock and spectacle of it all stand out, but it never goes past feeling anything but ridiculous. Because it is. From start to finish, it's a ridiculous fugitive tale, quickly turned clown riots across the state of Massachusetts, even quicker turned across the United States, worldwide, I don't know what to say! By the final couple chapters, it all moves so fast, and only continues to speed up from there, I can't tell if I had just gotten lost somehow or what!
This story is batshit insane all the way through. To save myself the trouble of struggling through any more of my thought process behind my writing, and to give myself the excuse of trying to keep this review mostly spoiler free, I'll leave it at that. It was fun seeing each and every breaking moment of Zhen's global domination, I liked the thrill of anticipating whatever else could go wrong out of just the absolute slew of... everything. but, uh. good lord.
I'm sorry, this review just feels so nothing, I've never and will never claim to be a writer of any sort, but I also don't like just saying nothing, especially when I'm already so passionate on one particular aspect of the game.
Nice 8/10, though I definitely had it at a 9 before the ending.
Thanks Huss
🥺
hussie for the love of god im begging you to stop writing young female characters. maybe even writing in general, like this was so narcissistic and pointless
I personally believe it's very difficult to give an honest review of this game, so all I can really do is recommend a list of what I personally feel gives a deeper understanding to the ideas and inspirations that fueled this story.
1. Homestuck, very obviously being something that is not only directly referenced multiple times, but is clearly the inspiration for major themes throughout.
2. Metal Gear Solid (1,2,3,PW,)
Some of the thematic comparisons are a little lost on me at the moment of writing, but there's an amusing amount of parallels, and the inspiration is enough to the point where in a certain scene, you can see Kojima's face faintly in the sky.
3. Homestuck community controversies/fandom culture
This isn't one I'm well versed in, but a passing knowledge is somewhat worthwhile, at least from my takeaways due to just how much of it impacts in the general result of what Homestuck is, it's obviously not a cut and dry commentary on the fact that the community was bad, but to ignore the community in a story inspired by being in the position of a metaphorical messiah for a fandom, is short-sighted.
Even if you don't agree with the messages being told here, I would very well recommend a full playthrough, I believe that keeping an open mind to hear out some (not ALL) of what we decently disagree with, nurtures critical thinking, and helps us grow.
1. Homestuck, very obviously being something that is not only directly referenced multiple times, but is clearly the inspiration for major themes throughout.
2. Metal Gear Solid (1,2,3,PW,)
Some of the thematic comparisons are a little lost on me at the moment of writing, but there's an amusing amount of parallels, and the inspiration is enough to the point where in a certain scene, you can see Kojima's face faintly in the sky.
3. Homestuck community controversies/fandom culture
This isn't one I'm well versed in, but a passing knowledge is somewhat worthwhile, at least from my takeaways due to just how much of it impacts in the general result of what Homestuck is, it's obviously not a cut and dry commentary on the fact that the community was bad, but to ignore the community in a story inspired by being in the position of a metaphorical messiah for a fandom, is short-sighted.
Even if you don't agree with the messages being told here, I would very well recommend a full playthrough, I believe that keeping an open mind to hear out some (not ALL) of what we decently disagree with, nurtures critical thinking, and helps us grow.
under appreciated gem. more cohesive than homestuck and with a lot more to say, generally for the better this time. explains why hussie is so good at writing mentally ill women (they were one this whole time)
I feel like I need a PhD in Media Studies to unpack this. It's so weird for this to be a sort of half filled in period to 15 years of Internet fame/infamy, which regards that notoriety as mostly a Bad Thing, and then for so many elements of that Bad Thing to show up. A pivotal moment in the story uses a remix of a song from the climax of Homestuck! Why??? The politics are confusing and the characters pretty unlikeable. The BTS stuff I thought was particularly dumb. Idk, just weird all around.
[Much to think about.]
Edit:
[Okay I thought.]
[Psycholonials is an amazing art piece that delves deeply into the emotions & situations that surround art & mental illness & how the feedback loop they can create with each other can obliterate everyone involved but especially those so close to the epicenter of it.]
[A lot of this comic is ugly, especially in the beginning. The coldness that comes from a lack of care about the current self, that will always lead to acts of suicide, either literal or social. In this case we see Zhen embrace the vilifying agony of social suicide, & embrace the destruction of herself.]
[This is perhaps one of the most mentally ill creations I have ever experienced, along with things like Girl Interrupted, Midsommar, Lady Bird, or even Celeste; but Psycholonials uses its medium in a very important way that alters the perception of this special type of story that we may have experienced before. It gives the illusion of choice to the "player" when really it is just dictating the proof that Zhen had many moments where she could stop indulging in her self destruction.]
[When in a self-destructive state, it becomes really hard to see things for what they truly are; & the projected self will always permeate through every perception of the events that transpire. It is impossible to not see everything as some aspect of yourself & some aspect of your responsibility; & with that you need all of this trauma to prove that you are suffering & that you either deserve it or this shows that you are TRULY mentally ill & therefore more valid in your pain.]
[The epilogue subverts the entire medium, & gives autonomy & choice to the sufferer, the character themselves. In a claim of selfishness that says "there is never a need for suffering, & nothing is ever as big as it seems, you can pick yourself & it will be okay. Choosing to heal is okay, besides, if you can't fight for yourself how do you expect to fight for anyone else?"]
Edit:
[Okay I thought.]
[Psycholonials is an amazing art piece that delves deeply into the emotions & situations that surround art & mental illness & how the feedback loop they can create with each other can obliterate everyone involved but especially those so close to the epicenter of it.]
[A lot of this comic is ugly, especially in the beginning. The coldness that comes from a lack of care about the current self, that will always lead to acts of suicide, either literal or social. In this case we see Zhen embrace the vilifying agony of social suicide, & embrace the destruction of herself.]
[This is perhaps one of the most mentally ill creations I have ever experienced, along with things like Girl Interrupted, Midsommar, Lady Bird, or even Celeste; but Psycholonials uses its medium in a very important way that alters the perception of this special type of story that we may have experienced before. It gives the illusion of choice to the "player" when really it is just dictating the proof that Zhen had many moments where she could stop indulging in her self destruction.]
[When in a self-destructive state, it becomes really hard to see things for what they truly are; & the projected self will always permeate through every perception of the events that transpire. It is impossible to not see everything as some aspect of yourself & some aspect of your responsibility; & with that you need all of this trauma to prove that you are suffering & that you either deserve it or this shows that you are TRULY mentally ill & therefore more valid in your pain.]
[The epilogue subverts the entire medium, & gives autonomy & choice to the sufferer, the character themselves. In a claim of selfishness that says "there is never a need for suffering, & nothing is ever as big as it seems, you can pick yourself & it will be okay. Choosing to heal is okay, besides, if you can't fight for yourself how do you expect to fight for anyone else?"]
Yknow there's a lot I could say about Psycholonials... and I will, it's overbaked tripe that angsts about the pains of being #cancelled, the millennial equivalent to a Netflix comedy special, but for what it's worth there's a lot of interesting stuff going on. As much as the story regards every not Abby/Zhen character as the equivalent of a cardboard cutout making literally any statement it has on leftism hard to take even half seriously, there is a certain catharsis in the violent revolutionary rage it espouses. Very very few stories will let its characters overturn their world's status quo, nevermind straight up burning the United States of America to the ground, and that's Dangerously Based. The music is kind of background filler often, but Now and Forever and Ephemeral Muse are BANGERS and deserve to be remembered as such.
No, the reason this game is a one star and not a three star is because somebody needs to get over to Andrew Hussie's house and tell them what a fucking visual novel is. The game's artstyle is unacceptably rough because for some incomprehensible reason each panel is drawn separately, like its some sort of prompt based multimedia webcomic and not a visual novel where you can reuse images to save resources. Like, genuinely sincerely I think this game would be like at least a 2 star or a 3 star if I didn't have to spend half my time looking at these scribbles born out of a fundamental refusal to engage with the medium the story is being told in, goddamn.
Anyways uh, idk read Gideon the Ninth or Umineko or Vast Error if you want a more mature step up from postmodern YA adventure space fantasy, Psycholonials is just kinda, there, even if you disregard the circumstances it was made in.
No, the reason this game is a one star and not a three star is because somebody needs to get over to Andrew Hussie's house and tell them what a fucking visual novel is. The game's artstyle is unacceptably rough because for some incomprehensible reason each panel is drawn separately, like its some sort of prompt based multimedia webcomic and not a visual novel where you can reuse images to save resources. Like, genuinely sincerely I think this game would be like at least a 2 star or a 3 star if I didn't have to spend half my time looking at these scribbles born out of a fundamental refusal to engage with the medium the story is being told in, goddamn.
Anyways uh, idk read Gideon the Ninth or Umineko or Vast Error if you want a more mature step up from postmodern YA adventure space fantasy, Psycholonials is just kinda, there, even if you disregard the circumstances it was made in.
I have to admit I was captured by Hussie's familiar writing style and sense of humor, which kept me invested all the way through until the ending underwhelmed and made the whole experience feel somewhat pointless.
Almost killed me. Almost. Nice fucking try Andrew, but it's gonna take more than that to end me.
less a game, since it's a comic with music, but its still pretty good
zhen is just like me fr fr (just please ignore chapter 2-9 for this statement)
anyways, clowns. so bonus points.
also they hate capitalism so extra bonus points
zhen is just like me fr fr (just please ignore chapter 2-9 for this statement)
anyways, clowns. so bonus points.
also they hate capitalism so extra bonus points
De mis novelas visuales favoritas. Quizá es un poco fumada, pero al final merece la pena.
Pasa el test de Bechdel
Thanks to this I am now into clowns. Fuck you Hussie
I love that this game keeps lying to you about being a game. I love how fun it is to play this with two other t-girls, voice acting the lines together in real time. I love how the storyline of this game is like a tram full of clout chasers careening ever faster toward a brick wall. They lean out the sides as they pass, face painted with huge clown smiles, throwing thumbs up gestures with novelty foam gloves. I loved the experience of playing it for the first time from 1am to 8am, going in completely blind. I love these incredibly flawed characters. I love how much of an asshat the protagonist is. I love how Andrew Hussie slowly spins the the "OH MY GOD Z WHAT ARE YOU DOING" dial and looks back at us with wild, broken eyes, like a contestant on an episode of price is right who is simultaneously holding the entire studio hostage with a timed bomb. This is one of my S-Tier games and I love it so.
If you told me i would play an Andrew Hussie game that left me smiling like an idiot, happy for the person who made it, in like 2017 i would not have
believed you.
Except thats what this game did.
If you ask yourself how it is to make something big on the internet as an artist, this is the most honest and self critical metaphor on the subject.
believed you.
Except thats what this game did.
If you ask yourself how it is to make something big on the internet as an artist, this is the most honest and self critical metaphor on the subject.
proud clowngender
Really interesting game/visual novel/whatever. You can immediately tell by pretty much everything surrounding and in it that this is like a weird vent piece by Hussie and that gives it a very odd vibe that I quite enjoy but idk I think I need more time to ruminate on this one.
Zhen is a really entertaining character and I stole Abby's name to use for myself muahahahahahahahaha (not really but it's a funny coincidence)
Zhen is a really entertaining character and I stole Abby's name to use for myself muahahahahahahahaha (not really but it's a funny coincidence)
At once a fiery power fantasy about bringing America to its knees and a cautionary tale about internet fame swallowing its subject whole, Psychocolonials is a fascinating visual novel. It’s kind of impossible to talk about it without talking about its creator Andrew Hussie’s most well-known work, Homestuck, so let’s get into that first. There’s obviously plenty of overlap in narrative voice and art style (and music, courtesy of Homestuck music team member Clark Powell), but even when it comes to its format, Psychocolonials feels more like Homestuck than it does like other VNs; rather than reused sprites and backgrounds punctuated by bespoke CGs, Psychocolonials is entirely composed of unique if rough illustrations (tellingly, they’re even referred to as “panels” at one point) and the occasional animated cutscene (I kept getting thrown off by the lack of a “[S]” preceding each one). And of course, it’s hard not to read parts of the story as allegorical for Hussie’s own experiences as the figure at the center of Homestuck’s passionate fandom—the mental-health-destroying weight of all that attention, the inability to control your following even as you bear responsibility for your influence over it.
Even if you don’t know a thing about Homestuck though, Psychocolonials is a great time. It’s fun watching events rapidly escalate from social media rebrand to geopolitical chaos, the character writing is really sharp, and as fucked up and bleak as it gets at times, it’s also incredibly funny when it wants to be; there’s one gag in particular involving spinning guns that absolutely killed me. The ending goes on longer than it needed to and the pontificating about leftist revolutions at the end felt pretty shallow, but I did enjoy getting called out for trying to save-scum the final choices.
Even if you don’t know a thing about Homestuck though, Psychocolonials is a great time. It’s fun watching events rapidly escalate from social media rebrand to geopolitical chaos, the character writing is really sharp, and as fucked up and bleak as it gets at times, it’s also incredibly funny when it wants to be; there’s one gag in particular involving spinning guns that absolutely killed me. The ending goes on longer than it needed to and the pontificating about leftist revolutions at the end felt pretty shallow, but I did enjoy getting called out for trying to save-scum the final choices.
Found this pretty absorbing! Hussie works better in small doses and while their overwriting tendencies are in full effect, the short length and laser-eyed focus on just two characters in Psycholonials works great. It doesn't reflect on the Homestuck phenomenon as much as I wanted it to, it's a bit "it's because you be on that phone", and Hussie should probably actually read some left-wing theory books instead of just being on the internet. But on a pure character study level it's pretty great, has some rad sci-fi moments, and I was glued to it!
My takeaway is either Hussie is doing what's best for them and leaving a mess they created (also ACAB) or that gender could be so much more fun.
this sucks ass broooo what is going on hussie please bro
I don't know what hussie did to most of you for you to feel so angry about someone else or someone's work, but it's such a weird thing to see. anyway, it's not that i think this is even close to perfect, it just so happens to be the type of shit that makes my brain go brrr so i loved it!
none of you freaks have reading comprehension
psycholonials is a mixing pot mess of authorial self hatred, pandemic and lockdown issues, the slow collapse of the government to fascism as the world burns, fandom and parasocial relationships eating away at you to the core. its a work both deeply autobiographical and tuned into the larger desire for change. a fucking desparate singular need for escape with the chaos of trying to make a world even possible to escape into. it feels pretty clear that the intent is for someone to go in having knowledge of hussie and his work and most likely for you to have a mental image of hussie, and hopefully at least realise that at the end of the day you dont have a picture of hussie in any way and that you dont know him and its weird to assume so from his work. pyscholonials is full on a fucking mess but its one that wants you to go in knowing that and pretty much does the most it can with what it offers you.
psycholonials is a mixing pot mess of authorial self hatred, pandemic and lockdown issues, the slow collapse of the government to fascism as the world burns, fandom and parasocial relationships eating away at you to the core. its a work both deeply autobiographical and tuned into the larger desire for change. a fucking desparate singular need for escape with the chaos of trying to make a world even possible to escape into. it feels pretty clear that the intent is for someone to go in having knowledge of hussie and his work and most likely for you to have a mental image of hussie, and hopefully at least realise that at the end of the day you dont have a picture of hussie in any way and that you dont know him and its weird to assume so from his work. pyscholonials is full on a fucking mess but its one that wants you to go in knowing that and pretty much does the most it can with what it offers you.
If you want to see a visual novel that is nothing but a one-sided self-indulgent analogy about the fall of a washed out hack writer that took away 2.4 million dollars from people onto a fraudulent Kickstarter campaign, then by all means, play this game, it will get even better if you love shallow and nonsensical political theming with a pinch of unhingedness made by someone who cannot make good analogies and coherent themes to save its life, for further enjoyment I also recommend washing your eyes every 15 minutes while playing this game, so that your eyes can hopefully avoid contracting a virulent blindness-inducing disease for staring at this ungodly ugly artwork for too long.