Hylics
Hylics | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Mason Lindroth |
Publisher(s) | Mason Lindroth |
Engine | RPG Maker |
Platform(s) | Windows |
Release | October 2, 2015 |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Hylics is an indie role-playing video game developed and published by Mason Lindroth. It was released for Windows on October 2, 2015 on Steam.[1] An art game it uses claymation graphics to depict a surreal world.
Plot
The player character is Wayne, a humanoid being with yellow skin and crescent-shaped horns. Most of the game's NPCs speak using random text generation, in a manner described as a deliberately misleading red herring, albeit consistent with the setting, with the player's goals being represented through environmental design instead.[2] The world and characters are alluded to be posthuman in nature and the goal of the game is to defeat the moon king Gibby.
Gameplay
Hylics plays like a traditional JRPG despite its surreal setting. Hit points are replaced with "flesh", while magic points are replaced with "will". Battles are shown from a first-person perspective, with the character's hands being shown performing attacks.[2] Wayne loses all his flesh when defeated, but does not die, rather warping to an "afterlife" from which they can travel back to a previous area.[2] Battle items are also unusual, such as being able to attack with a frozen burrito.[3]
Development
The game was developed in RPG Maker and took a year to develop.[4]
Reception
Emily Gera of Rock, Paper, Shotgun described the game as "like a scene from Bosch by way of Videodrome".[3] Chris Priestman of Kill Screen called the game's animation "wonderful" and stated that "to play a Mason Lindroth game is to delight in all that is possible within the material world and to learn how wonderful creation and destruction can be."[2] Jordan Devore of Destructoid said that Hylics was "the trippiest RPG I've ever seen".[5]
Sequel
A sequel, Hylics 2, was announced to be in development ever since the release of the first game. It features higher resolution graphics and is scheduled to release before the end of 2018.[6]
References
- ^ "Hylics". Metacritic. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ^ a b c d "The material world of Mason Lindroth - Kill Screen". Kill Screen. 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ^ a b Gera, Emily (2015-08-08). "Hylics Is Basically Videodrome: The Game". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ^ "Hylics Might Be One Of The Strangest Yet Beautiful RPGs You'll See - Siliconera". Siliconera. 2015-08-23. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ^ "Hylics is the trippiest RPG I've ever seen". destructoid. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
- ^ Gach, Ethan. "Claymation JRPG Hylics 2 Is Looking Twisted As Heck". Kotaku. Retrieved 2018-01-28.