Hypnospace Outlaw is unlike any other game I've seen before. It's a simulator and somewhat of a puzzle game that lets you experience what the Internet was like in the late 1990's. This is also an alternate history game. In this timeline, people used something similar to the internet called "Sleepspace," where you had to use a special headband to browse online while you sleep. The leading company in this field is MerchantSoft, and they just released their newest corner of Sleepspace, Hypnospace, only available on HypnOS.
In Hypnospace Outlaw, you play as a volunteer moderator, where it's your job to keep the users of each community in line and well-behaved. You have a number of communities to patrol at your own pace. Much like a massive forum, each community has different topics of discussion, like older people reminiscing about the "good old days" or kids and teens posting about drama or the latest new video game craze: Squisherz, an alternate history Pokemon. Some people post about conspiracies, some people post about religion, some post about music, and so on. Some people will keep to themselves as they make reviews, blogs, or just post about their interests. However, just like real forums, not everyone will get along. Despite not being allowed to talk to them, you have to make sure no one is harassing other users, using copyrighted content, or distributing malware. Once you find someone breaking the rules, you can delete it from Hypnospace and make a little bit of Hypnocoin, the official currency. When you get enough Hypnocoin, you can spend it on little downloadables like stickers to decorate your desktop, mp3s to listen to, or virtual pets. Just be careful you don't download any viruses or click on any sketchy links. Listing things off like this, It may sound overwhelming but like I said, the game allows you to tackle literally everything at your own pace. As you progress, the tougher the tasks will get; some people end up breaking the rules, but not exactly out in the open. It's up to you to sleuth around and figure out how they were able to snake around getting caught. At the end of the game, something big happens and you have to take it upon yourself to piece together what took place.
The writing in this game is so good that each user feels real, like there's an actual person on the other side of the monitor. Each page you encounter on Hypnospace seems so silly yet genuine, as everyone has their own distinct taste in visuals and writing styles. Some people are very paranoid, some people love drama, some people spend their time trolling, some people are only in it to sell things, some people write sloppily with lots of spelling errors, some people can't figure out how to use the page editor, and some people are a bit too comfortable laying out all their personal info on their page. Most pages in this game aren't even relevant to the plot but are there to make it seem more broad like the real internet. Some people have entire pages dedicated to cryptids, others use their pages as art galleries, some people have entire websites dedicated to showcasing how Squisherz are demonic, and there's even a website that serves as a cringe compilation as they post about other users who are being weird or awkward. Nearly every kind of person you see online today is represented in some way.
This game is loads of fun. It's really interesting to see how people react to everything you're doing and the problem-solving aspect keeps it engaging. Once this game was finished, the developers put out tools you can use to make your own Hypnospace page. It inspired me to make a Neocities website right after playing. Also, there's already a sequel in the works, Dreamsettler, which takes place in the early 2000's. I can't wait to play that one as well. I highly recommend Hypnospace Outlaw if you're looking for something weird, unique, or silly.
Also, I stand with Gooper.
In Hypnospace Outlaw, you play as a volunteer moderator, where it's your job to keep the users of each community in line and well-behaved. You have a number of communities to patrol at your own pace. Much like a massive forum, each community has different topics of discussion, like older people reminiscing about the "good old days" or kids and teens posting about drama or the latest new video game craze: Squisherz, an alternate history Pokemon. Some people post about conspiracies, some people post about religion, some post about music, and so on. Some people will keep to themselves as they make reviews, blogs, or just post about their interests. However, just like real forums, not everyone will get along. Despite not being allowed to talk to them, you have to make sure no one is harassing other users, using copyrighted content, or distributing malware. Once you find someone breaking the rules, you can delete it from Hypnospace and make a little bit of Hypnocoin, the official currency. When you get enough Hypnocoin, you can spend it on little downloadables like stickers to decorate your desktop, mp3s to listen to, or virtual pets. Just be careful you don't download any viruses or click on any sketchy links. Listing things off like this, It may sound overwhelming but like I said, the game allows you to tackle literally everything at your own pace. As you progress, the tougher the tasks will get; some people end up breaking the rules, but not exactly out in the open. It's up to you to sleuth around and figure out how they were able to snake around getting caught. At the end of the game, something big happens and you have to take it upon yourself to piece together what took place.
The writing in this game is so good that each user feels real, like there's an actual person on the other side of the monitor. Each page you encounter on Hypnospace seems so silly yet genuine, as everyone has their own distinct taste in visuals and writing styles. Some people are very paranoid, some people love drama, some people spend their time trolling, some people are only in it to sell things, some people write sloppily with lots of spelling errors, some people can't figure out how to use the page editor, and some people are a bit too comfortable laying out all their personal info on their page. Most pages in this game aren't even relevant to the plot but are there to make it seem more broad like the real internet. Some people have entire pages dedicated to cryptids, others use their pages as art galleries, some people have entire websites dedicated to showcasing how Squisherz are demonic, and there's even a website that serves as a cringe compilation as they post about other users who are being weird or awkward. Nearly every kind of person you see online today is represented in some way.
This game is loads of fun. It's really interesting to see how people react to everything you're doing and the problem-solving aspect keeps it engaging. Once this game was finished, the developers put out tools you can use to make your own Hypnospace page. It inspired me to make a Neocities website right after playing. Also, there's already a sequel in the works, Dreamsettler, which takes place in the early 2000's. I can't wait to play that one as well. I highly recommend Hypnospace Outlaw if you're looking for something weird, unique, or silly.
Also, I stand with Gooper.