“Hypnospace Outlaw” reminded me somewhat of “Her Story” in its principle. You carry out what is basically detective work, starting with minimal information and gradually learning more to push forward your investigation, often using tags or keywords. There are more tools available in “Hypnospace Outlaw”, and they work very well within the central theme of the game, which is the early days of the Internet. If you’re a millennial or older then there’s a good chance you will be hit by a wave of nostalgia looking at the pages, essentially personal blogs, available through HypnOS. The devs clearly put a lot of work into recreating the feel of the late 90’s Internet, where it was still kind of a Wild West, moments before the corporations and start-ups alike realized the monetary potential within the world wide web. The collection of teenage wannabe hackers, middle aged nerds with tragic pasts, forgotten rock stars attempting to relive their glory days, teenage bullies, awkward online relationships, religious zealots - Hypnospace feels like it could’ve been a real place and simply browsing through the pages gives immense joy, plus there are plenty of options for customizing your OS. And the original songs are just the icing on the cake.

The actual gameplay loop is satisfying, as - not unlike aforementioned “Her Story” - it will make you feel smart by breaking each case. One complaint I have is that towards the end of the story some of the steps required to progress are a little too obscure and spoil the fun a bit. Otherwise, for the nostalgia hit alone I’d definitely recommend the game to anyone who even vaguely remembers those days.

This is one of those games that are more of an "experience" than a "game". Though unlike its contemporaries in the "experiences" genre, this game doesn't feel the need to be pretentious with its artistry. It just is. It is a love letter, expose, and a walk down memory lane of a time lost to us; the Wild West of the internet. It presents you with a nonsensical peripheral, nonsensical OS, nonsensical applications, web-pages, and a non-sensical moderator job. Just... if a stone was un-turned, a blade of grass un-stepped, or fly un-killed in our current timeline, there is an uncanniness to how probable, how sensible, that any of what Hypnospace Outlaw presents could've been real. It's like staring at your reflection in a funhouse mirror. It's a satire of you, but it holds the entire reality of what you are (or were in the case of this game) within that reflection.

tldr; God I miss GeoCities.

Going into this, I assumed Hypnospace Outlaw would more or less be a quirky 90s internet simulator, and it is that—but it's also much more. At the risk of sounding really pretentious, it's kind of a tribute to the internet, regardless of the time period, in all its best and worst forms. For every troll or hacker dweeb with a holier-than-thou attitude, there are just regular, passionate folks that are sharing their hobbies online. For all the games and media in general that try, and sometimes fail, to appropriately capture internet culture or modern culture in general, Hypnospace Outlaw doesn't feel out of touch at all, presumably since it harkens back to a simpler time when the web was this hot new thing with a relatively miniscule userbase (at least compared to today).

Now, of course, you could be cynical about Hypnospace and claim that its just capitalizing on nostalgia and has no substance or value for people who weren't on the ground floor of the pre-Y2K fervour it depicts. That said, as someone born in 1997, I could fully get on board with the cosy, charming, and somewhat naïve world wide web that Hypnospace is recapturing. I suppose since the game takes place in a fictional version of the early internet and you play as a newcomer to it, that does help bridge that gap for people like myself. However, the point is that I had no qualms getting on board with the version of the web that Hypnospace Outlaw is selling.

The writing across the board is great, balancing heaps of silly with the occasional serious tones (depending on what sites you're visiting) without it coming across as jarring at all. As you explore the web and act as a firm but fair administrator for its users (and more so for the corporation running it), a mystery narrative also starts to develop that becomes really engaging and kind of takes it beyond the fun, quirky game that it seems from the outset.

The culmination of this mystery is decent enough but perhaps not as dramatic as some may be expecting, although, given the jovial, wacky writing and presentation of the rest of the game, perhaps making it too dramatic and dire would have betrayed the overall feel that Hypnospace Outlaw goes for as a playful examination and time capsule of early internet culture.

Really, my only big complaint is that some of the cases you're handed down by your bosses can have really abstract solutions and unless you've really been paying attention to every detail of every site you visit, you may need to consult a guide once or twice. However, of course, your mileage may vary there.

Even with those quibbles, Hypnospace Outlaw is such a spectacular treat in every way a video game or piece of media can be, whether you're intimately familiar with the pre-Y2K internet or not and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

10/10

Playing as an content moderator on a capitalized oldschool internet fills me with dread on a fundamental level. Watching people adapt, learn, grow and connect with this janky technology is one the joys of this game, so seeing technical incompetence and hubris as well as capitalist interests (and some misogyny) impede or destroy relationships is heartbreaking. What is striking is really how it lands those emotional moments with sincerity and subtlety behind their grim reality specially nearing the last act. I must mention how memorable the various video, music, pets and effects the game has specially the monster catching and hot butter brand in bringing levity and charm. The story steps into various technical, political and social issues surrounding an emerging technology that I wish more games would tackle such as the lack of backwards compatibility which effectively deletes content similar which is still relevant in the current gaming industry. I am thankful the internet remains an open public good and this game reminds me of its grim alternative.

The other joy of this game is its slightly difficult puzzles with no hint system. No case is a simple page search but following breadcrumbs to hidden and private pages and software that feel rewarding to piece together. I do love the last act mechanic where each page has a new dimension that jives with its context and nostalgia in a way. What I love too is the moral ambiguity of the job itself whether to file a violation or detain a user specially how most of them are minors that perhaps need a guiding hand more than a ban hammer. This reason conflicts at times with less rewards in accessing more of the game's content such as pets and achievements which is a nice complication. I do urge players in avoid using a guide and take in the world that was created with passion and quirks.

My issues are few and the biggest one really is the artificial loading of pages for its immersion. It is cute early on but it feels more of an annoyance later on specially when the game offers a page speed booster program which comes with its own annoying ad popup window. The tradeoff between immersion and convenience here I feel was not really worth it. I was going to mention the lack of bookmarking but I late figured out every stamped pages can be viewed from the misleading lower left box next to the music player which conflicted with my expectation of a sidebar. Playing on a keyboard and mouse, I did not find any quick window switching shortcut like Alt+Tab available to bring windows to the foreground for some mechanics. One tedious mechanic in particular I wish had a browser button or program to check for hidden files instead having to manually type in a password everytime would be great. I do have a small peeve about the ending program as it feels out of place given the gravity of the situation although I do see how it loops back to the critical incident. As an indie game, some jank can be expected but overall the experience was pretty good.

I love this and would have been a game of its year.

o fato de que eu tive que procurar no google como desinstalar essa desgraça desse professor helper (e arrumar urgente um antivírus) do mesmo jeito que eu tive que pesquisar desesperado como desinstalar o hao123 e essas coisas porque tava ENCHENDO de anúncio porn* no meu navegador aos 8 anos me vendeu MUITO isso aqui.

e essa parte final toda melancólica também é muito foda???? replicaram perfeitamente essa vibe de tentar voltar pra lugares da internet que sentimos falta e gostaríamos de voltar quando bate a nostalgia.

acho que eram tempos melhores mesmo...

Seriously, what's with your obsession with messing with people's fun in Hypnospace Outlaw? You're like the ultimate troll, lurking in the digital shadows with nothing better to do than ruin someone's good time. And your choice of character? It's like you're trying to be the epitome of cringe. Can't you take a hint from Cakey and me? We may not always see eye to eye, but at least we're not trying to be the embodiment of every negative stereotype out there. Seriously, rethink your life choices, buddy

Score: 8/10

Professor?!

☆

This game made me feel like I wasn't even real. I enjoyed the concept of it, but I would probably never play a game like this again. I loved every bit of it, don't get me wrong, but it just didn't give me the wow factor I needed to ever crave this type of gameplay again. I do really like the art style of it all!!