Hylics

Even if it is very visible that it's a first project I'm very happy with the hole experience that it gave, since it's not usual to see something that experimental I would like to thank the developer, for the creativity and the peek music. Thank you Mason Lindroth, keep going!

If you have a day of free time and feel like going for surrealism, then I can only recommend Hylics to you

Absurd tacky over the top confusing; constantly denying being pinned into place as to what its plot is. It is more secretive about its control scheme and basic mechanics then any reasonable person would ever expect. In otherwords an utterly unforgettable masterpiece; I wish I could forget it all just to experience it for the first time over and over again.

The style alone is reason enough to check it out. The game looks like it's made of clay. The story can be hard to wrap your head around, but if you enjoy weird, you'll enjoy this game.

An incredibly bizarre game that surprisingly works really well as a gateway RPG, highly reccomended

Excellent short little psychedelic adventure, through some crazy looking environments and places.
The overall vibe is pretty laid back and plays mostly like your usual RPG game, but I honestly think it benefits from that, as I think you are meant to mostly just enjoy the visuals and play along at your own pace.

A small feature I also kinda liked was that enemies that you kill stay dead once you return later.

The music is pretty cool and unique too, sometimes it feels like someone is rubbing your brain but I kinda liked it honestly.

Definitely try it if you are looking for a unique and strange experience

I passionately hate this game. I struggle a lot with abstract thinking, airy ideas and metaphor. Not that I'm incapable of it, just that I have a personal limit. A lot of dialogue in Hylics is(or seems) auto-generated, technically making every game unique for every player. It also makes it horrifically hard to follow any non-critical Non Playable Character when they speak. The plot is more...abstruse in general. Not in a 'haha random' way but more so you just don't understand the world and make your own meaning of sorts while you piece little bits of lore together. It's also very obvious the game is a project of love. Multimedia from real life to claymation to necessary RPG Maker portions and more.

But I gave it a honest try and engaged with things as they were. I struggled but tried to understand what the devs wanted to do. It's probably a more honest engagement of their work than any of them or I want to really admit. For around $3.00 USD the game is a trippy, weird little experiment I'd recommend to others. Especially if they're more engaged by abstract art.

Tips and tricks for the interested:

-Gather some(at least one) party member(s) before engaging any enemies. They tend to attack in bunches. One is on your starting isle in the city at the top, one is in the middle of a maze to a new map you have to go to the top and then left, then down, on is on a middle isle you gain in Act 2

-When you hit a puzzle in a 3x3 format with a bunch of shapes? Top column, first shape is #1, then under it is #2, and under that is #3. #1 and #2 are activated. The next column, #3 is activated, the last column #2 is activated

-Hot Dogs and Burritos are the items you want until you can access certain Specials to restore party health broadband

-Paper cups are very, very useful

-Wayne tends to be my buffer while everyone else varies in use(Somsnosa my beloved)

-Somsnosa can crush the little white bugs for additional Mightiness

-F1 to launch in full screen, it's a RPG Maker game

There is nothing like this game, esoteric, odd, and beautiful.

Perfect short game for the price, music and characters feel both small and largely feel like the best parts of the game.

Interesting world and fun fights. Worth the price

hylics is a trippy, dreamlike ride disguised as an rpg, where words melt away, reality warps, and the clay-like visuals build a world that's as weird as it is hypnotic

hylics is a wonderful experience. finally got around to playing the first one after playing the second 3 times and can say it was absolutely worth the play. looking forward to playing again soon!

love this series can't wait for the third game <3

A game with personality. Both the visuals and the soundtrack are amazing, and once you get into it it's also really really fun. I specially enjoyed the combat, something I don't usually care about when it comes to games. It rewards exploration and curiosity, and the lack of clear quests or objectives makes it more charming.

More of an art piece than anything. Not too long, and not even too focused on being a game. The combat is simple, usual RPG maker stuff. What you're here for is the art and the music. If anything, this was made as an experiment for the sequel. Worthwhile? Maybe, depends on if you're okay with zoning out for a night and just cruising through a game with absent thoughts taking the forefront of your mind. It is alright. 7/10

I did play this after an indie JRPG so this colored my experience because I did expect a JRPG at first, but otherwise I was 100% blind. I honestly didn't really understand this game, on a surface level there's a lot of fantastic bits, incredible music, character design, backgrounds, art in general. But then, I honestly don't really even get the role of combat in this game, it feels like except for the first 40-ish minutes it adds nothing. I was somewhat frustrated but losing so many fights in the early game made me really feel something, and then once I got over that hump every fight just felt like it wasted my time. I got tired of talking to NPCs because randomly generated dialogue felt like it wasted my time.

I truly feel like I didn't get this game and its a shame, by the end I kinda just wanted it to be done. Except for the very beginning it felt like I could've just watched a lets play, and I never think that! If it wasn't visually excellent this would've been a negative review, and that feels out of character for me. Might be worth revisiting down the line.

art direction rocks and music is cool

If someone described what Hylics was to someone that never saw it, its surreal nature could easily be interpreted as bizarre and disturbing, but then the whole thing actually looks smooth and creamy. That's pretty much the whole spirit of this game. Something that should logically be disturbing, but it's super chill.
The RPG stuff is pretty smart in design, too. Dying's worked into the gameplay loop since you go to the afterlife, which is both one of the only places you can level up and the only way to fast travel. Offensive spells are really expensive magic wise, so you spend more time experimenting with stat modifiers and conditions. The visuals and sound design in battles are super aesthetically pleasing and flow really well with everything going on at once. This game is just densely packed with good shit.

I usually hate it when people tell me something is like Earthbound (it's my favorite game) but to me this is the closest there is, if Earthbound was a game where everyone is on acid or meth.

Eccentric, funny, and a thing of beauty. Can't imagine the work that went into it!
...I still don't know whether I want to marry Wayne or be him.

This game was over way too soon. I will spend the rest of my days yearning for more. This has absolutely become one of my all time favorite games in the few short hours I spent playing.

Beautiful.. No other words describe it better.. The end nearly got me cryin' its that good.
Get Hylics, it's so very very worth it.

Dude I love this guy. Makes me desire to go on many silly misadventures and possibly pick up a homeless guy or two on the way.

I search up questions online that involve meat, hot dogs, and paper cups.

An enjoyable experience so far! I got interested in Hylics after playing Felvidek. Great art and cool animations, especially the walking ones lol

Although a lot of people recommend going in blind, I personally recommend you to know at least a few things about specific items in the game to avoid frustration and backtracking, especially for players who aren't knowledgeable in RPG Maker games.

First, there are two important items that involve meat and paper cups. These items help you gain permanent increases to health and mana. However, when they are used, they only apply to your current party members. If you upgrade three party members and then get a fourth one later on, they will not have received the upgrades.

Second, you need to save often. Use many different save slots. You can press F12 to quickly reload a save if you need it.

great game, the best game. this is the greatest game ive ever played and ive played a lot of games before.

Cute game, beat it in one sitting and it was very enjoyable. I've heard a lot of comparisons to Earthbound, but I can only see surface level similarities in that regard. Can't wait to check out the 2nd one, in which I've heard was more polished. Overall, can't complain about this lite-JRPG; for only .99 cents on sale it was worth the experience (:

Great game with awesome game play and music that keeps you engaged. You can beat this in a couple of hours and is a must play if u have some free time

Hylics is a must play.
I'm normally not too into JRPG style games but after seeing some of the talk, the insane looking visuals I finally decided to give it a try.
Hylics is was an instant hit for me. It felt teeming with soul and its visuals hooked me instantly on start, then of course the awesome soundtrack. I loved seeing all the hand gestures and animations, random gibberish, NPC models and dialogue, and looking back I loved the intermissions with dracula. For a couple of bucks I feel that the 4ish hours I spent was well worth it and I instantly got Hylics 2. A replay is sure from me.
Go and play!!!

Se Salvador Dalí tivesse feito um jogo seria tipo isso. Muito bom infelizmente é bem curtinho, mas vale a a pena o preço

plug took me to the pottery studio ...

seen and personally compared to other earlier and later works like insaniquarium, Mother/Earthbound and cruelty squad, but Lindroth has really made something singular, simple and deeply appealing. I think among art and video games absurdism and surrealism are increasingly difficult to really get *right*. I think many pieces of media categorized as either/or fail to balance what is often a knife edge between unique, intriguing and thoughtful and excruciatingly pretentious, and video games are absolutely no exception, especially something fairly barebones like Hylics. But, Lindroth has really done it effortlessly here and made something that's *just* cool, *just* weird in a good way. It harkons back to the darker yet goofy sort of 90s style of digital/analog hybrids, evoking Primus music videos and Sega Genesis cartoonishness, but it really does stand alone as a current work, reminding me just as much of the trailer living room of some stoner trans girls I know today in Ypsi as it does Mother and Les Claypool. On that, I know *I* also tend to find myself very bored with a lot of later games that really sell themselves on being 'chill' or casual or even just simply warm and accessible, even in a time where video games in general, not just the shooters and grand RPGs I think the indie market really rose to match, are much more ubiquitous and can achieve this easily, but Hylics manages to cultivate a sort of special, empty coziness that doesn't veer too far into hippie grandeur or otherwise succumb to insisting upon itself. I think this is all a long way of saying if the pretty clear and striking art style isn't enough to bring you in, the simple pleasure of wandering around this little world Lindroth has graciously shared with us is worth far more than the 3 bucks he's asking for entry.

As far as I can tell, Mason Lindroth is the first person to make a good video game.

Super vibey world with fantastic art from Lindroth. The JRPG mechanics are super simple and the game doesn't ever feel overbearing or anything.

jesus christ.
I cannot and I mean CAN NOT understand what the hell this game is. Most of the dialogue is mere gibberish for me, and story... i have no idea.
However, this game unlocks some primal part of my brain (like Cruelty Squad) that gives dopamine every time i see it, the maps, design have no sense however i still love them, and i don't quite know why.
Overall, Wayne is just like me fr, 10/10

One of the funniest art games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. The art is is raw and feels like how it looks, like brain clay. The music is horrid little tunes that I'll always love & recognize til I'm older than Pongorma. Once I get the chance I'm buying & playing the 2nd game!

This game is silly and goofy and i love it, absolutely would recommend the experience

Fun little (really tiny) game. It doesn't really have anything outside of the main story progression, but it also doesn't need to because the game is really short and really (REALLY) cheap even at full price. The main appeal of the game is it's depiction of scenarios and characters in clay and seeing how all of it comes together in a surrealist fashion combined with meticulous sculpting makes experiencing this game really entertaining. For me, the best parts of the game were the scenarios with intricate designs (like the cemetery), where not only you could appreciate the mood of the scenario but also, if you stopped and looked at the ground and the walls and the composition of the scene in general, you could imagine how an specific part of it was made, most often seeing clearly how the fingers passed through the clay, which gives it much charm and artistry.

Ah yes, the juice of Wayne courses through the bones. A game? Nay, an experience. A flesh odyssey woven from the finest meat textures, where verbs undulate and nouns coalesce into the grand tapestry of the cosmos. One moment, you are vaporizing foes with the power of gestures. The next, you are transmogrified into a pile of nice splinters. Such is life.

Combat? A dance of numbers and animated hands. Dialogue? Poetry from another plane of existence. The television whispers wisdom. The moon awaits. The flesh is transient, but the vibes? Eternal.

Would I recommend? Indeed. Deposit thy meatpoints and ascend.

I would describe to you this experience and there is something to articulate but nothing seems to coherently convey it properly. On another note, I am leaving to go buy paper cups for my great great great great.... grandchildren. May they live like kings.

Great game, real nice to be able to see into someones world. it has great artwork, wacky music, and engaging puzzles.

Backloggd Review

Score:

★★★½

The closest experience to a video game acid trip you'll likely encounter. Nothing in Hylics makes sense - nor it's supposed to. It is the Cruelty Squad equivalent of role-playing games. 

Objectively speaking, this is an experimental RPGMaker title made by a solo developer where you explore a small open-world environment. In the game, you can collect, use, and equip items, apply buffs and debuffs to your party, and utilize skills to defeat enemies in turn-based combat. 

Hylics' most defining aspect is its visual style, which is entirely (or at least designed to resemble) claymation presented in an 8-bit color palette. NPCs, creatures and items vary from humanoid silhouettes to chaotic splashes of color-vomit that flail or melt across the screen. The game features a fascinating amount of designs, and you will often find yourself pausing to take in the surreal visuals. 

The plot is primarily conveyed through a mix of big-brain philosophical ravings and, for the most part, gibberish on insane topics such as the convexity of soul worms. It is intentionally obscure and vague; while you probably won't be able to piece together (I personally didn't), you'll still grasp the overall essence of the narrative. Hylics isn't a game that expects players to overanalyze the story or its intricate lore: rather, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The combat system, as expected, is as thematically bizarre as it is simple. Your characters possess attributes like "might", "texture", "cooking" or "jollity". Wayne and his companions each have a set amount of meat (HP) and will (MP), which is used to cast gestures, Hylics' equivalent of skills learned by watching TV sets. Enemies and bosses each employ distinct attack patterns that you must counter using different offensive and defensive strategies. While it is not particularly challenging, you will need to pay attention if you wish to progress at a steady pace. 

Actions during encounters are played in a first-person perspective, with a gloved hand conjuring ideograms through choreography. Each item or gesture features a unique animation, making this one of the most intriguing aspects of the game. For instance, it has perhaps the best dynamite use animation of all time!

Perhaps one could sum up Hylics as a game centered around experimentation. What happens if I warm this frozen burrito in a microwave? Does equipping toilet paper provide a boost to "jollity"? Will I die if I touch this wriggling mass of worms? If I cast "Bubbles" on an enemy, what happens once it becomes "queasy"? If all these statues are jiggling, will I receive an item? Its systems, while designed to maintain a coherent gameplay experience, are intended to complement the overall surreal tone of the game. Evidence of this is the fact that there is no real punishment for dying in Hylics; you just get sent to a warp room dimension where, as noted by a fish, you can mince your enemies' meat to increase your health points and then warp back to a nearby checkpoint crystal. At most, you'll spend a minute or two returning to the spot where you previously perished. 

Hylics may not be the best JRPG you'll ever play, but it is undoubtedly one of the most aesthetically unique. Its experimental nature blurs the line between digital art and game. Hylics often feels like a proof of concept for a more extensive experience, which I've been told is precisely what its sequel, Hylics 2, seems to be. Can't wait to play it in the future!

it is super fun to explore the world, listening to the music, and meeting all the strange inhabitants. the final boss is pretty hard IMO, but after some grinding I finally got him.

Creative, entertaining and interesting - not very hard to play or finish.

"He's more revolving dirt than mal-beast now."
(Me after absolutely annihilating Moon-Tyrant Gibby)
--
In all seriousness, I loved this game. It's music, setting, and animation come together to create an original experience that can't be replicated or replaced. I love all of the clay-mation. I still have no idea what happened, but I won and it was cool. Definitely worth the money and playtime.

I have pure love for this game to it's Earthbound rpg inspiration and it's 90's weird time period claymation stopmotion art are all things I already love all thrown in a package thank you so much for this experience to play^

What a game, I came across this game through social media and Im like why not. Best 3 dollars Ive spent in my life, words cannot explain how I felt while playing this you have to try it yourself

Very entertaining, comical, and surreal RPG. well worth the handful of hours to chug through.

Esse jogo psicodélico e surrealista traz conceitos interessantes que eu nunca tinha antes visto. Primeiramente, o nome do jogo "Hylics" vem do grego que remete a uma ideia de "material" em contraste com "espiritual". A relação entre isso e a gameplay em si não é evidente até você começar a juntar algumas peças do quebra-cabeça.

Ao apertar "play", você começa sem entender coisa alguma e de fato todos os diálogos do jogo não fazem sentido - eles foram gerados aleatoriamente no desenvolvimento do jogo. Isso porque a ideia aqui não é mostrar uma trama linear e planejada, mas sim caótica, misteriosa e etérea. O que eu pessoalmente achei disso é tentar encontrar uma lógica dentro dessa aparente desordem. Não vou dar spoiler do que eu conclui, mas cada experiência nesse jogo é única.

Not sure what to say about it, but for 2 bucks? buy this shit. It's like a Pajama Sam themed fever dream and it's great. The 2nd one is way better, though.

Finding out a majority of the dialogue consisted of randomly generated gibberish was a relief, until then I thought I was as dumb as a bag of rocks.
Neat claymation and scenery that will have you feeling like you're stuck home from school with the flu

beat the game in 2 hours. well worth my 3 dollars. I'd do it again for 7 dollars. probably not 8.

I was really digging the start of Hylics 2 and decided I had to stop and play through the original first. I'm glad I did. The experience wasn't quite as "alchemical" for me as first contact with its sequel, but they share a similar skeleton and manage to be simultaneously very familiar-- stripped down, plot-lite JRPGs that let their systems shine-- and also unique in the genre. In the details of its implementation, in the artwork, the music and silly nonsense. Its proof that the NPCs and story can say almost anything and it will still be somehow compelling. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.