50%PC

It's a detective puzzle game where you have to search around a 90's themed internet to find contents that breaks the rule.
As someone that didn't experience the early 90's internet, the main appeal of the game was lost on me, it just looks gross and hard on the eyes. And so, all that was left for me to enjoy was the detective aspect of the game, but after the first few cases I was already done with it. It feels like a chore to go around looking for infractions.
I assume that there is some sort of overarching narrative to the game, but during the time I spent on the game, no plot was introduced and so there wasn't even a narrative thread to keep me engaged.
The game is clearly built around the enjoyment of reading these webpages first, and the detective part second. So if you don't care about the former, you will most likely not enjoy the experience on offer.

50%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is such a cool concept for a game. It presents you to be on an OS system from the 90s. With all the weird tropes and nuances from that era of the internet brought into a singular video game. More of a puzzle game where you need to read, and pay attention but man are there some cringe parts to the game. Now I did get about halfway through the game and started to use a guide being fully transparent because it was more frustrating being lost in the 90s internet then it was fun at a certain point. For a first timer I really think the fastest you can play it is in about 3-4 hours.

Talking about the good, the game is cool, like 1990s cool. It has character, it has comedy, it has reason to do and create certain things and overall it gives me the nostalgia boner that we are always looking for. Reminds me of when I was a kid in elementary using the school computers and finding neat and new websites that no one else was aware of.

Here is the major issue that I have with the game is that there is damn near ZERO guidance on what to do and where to go. It is one of those games that I wish there was like hints? Or maybe a quest line that gives you an idea of where to go and what to do but all you get is “Hey you should fix this issue” and that's it which makes for frustrating game play when you have no idea what you are looking for or how to get there.

With one major point and one loss point I give Hypnospace Outlaw a solid 5/10 nothing too great, nothing too terrible. Very interesting experience.

95%PC

Awesome game! Definitely check it out, totally immersive Web1 imitation, sucks you right in. Has a nice story as well, alongside many side stories, games, interactive pages and odds and ends!

80%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is a refreshingly weird game. The idea of being a cyber police officer and reporting harassment online is funny and surprisingly engaging. Looking through all the communities and members of hyperspace is like following a bunch a breadcrumb trails and getting completely sidetracked happens more often than not. That's probably the point tho. It's an endless feeling rabbit hole of personalities. There are Christians fighting to free detective Gooper from authoritarian censorship (enacted by yours truly), which eventually evolves into a marketing campaign. A bunch of teenagers making up girlfriends and making fun of each other. A rebellion and a hidden community who are fighting for their rights. A hacker collective trying to expose all the secrets of the company running the whole thing. And a hopelessly out of touch businessman, who honestly has no idea what's going on. The main narrative of health risks and rushed updates is fine but it's all the other narratives that truly keep the game entertaining. The aesthetics very much mirror how internet looked like in the late 90s, but I wasn't alive then so there's no nostalgia for me. The Y2K update is an ambitious idea, but I think the game gets somewhat worse afterward, although, that's partly by design. Hypnospace Outlaw is just a fun game fueled by the wild wild west of late 90s internet culture. Definitely worth at least trying out for a bit.

80%PC

Really charming and fun fake internet simulator. Only big problem is that it can be a bit too vague in what the game is actually asking the player to do. I ended up using a guide for most of the end.

It also gets surprisingly emotional and gripping towards the end with the conspiracy behind a saddening tragedy.

Good stuff.

80%PC

Interesting game, and definitely enjoyable. I feel like I may have "sequence broken" the game a little bit by finding some stuff too early, and then other things near the end were much harder than I would have otherwise thought they'd be. Still, a brilliant idea for a game, and well put together.

95%Xbox Series X/S

+ Interesting worldbuilding
+ A love letter to 90s internet culture
- Probably should play with a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller

100%PC

creative in any way you can think (design, audio, graphics, writing... for me, even in a personal, nostalgic way), theres nothing i dont like a lot about this game. i dont like making tops but if i was held at gunpoint and had to make a 10 one this game would be in it.

75%PC

Sometimes frustrating, but always intruiging, Makes you feel like a real detective. The attention to detail and aesthetic is really comendable. Fun, unique concpet well executed.

75%PC

game starts in a very beautiful and nostalgic way, then it continues with amusing puzzles, it will also make you cry at the end with its emotional soundtrack, the only problem with this game that it gets a little too difficult and ridiculous in the middle of the game, other than that it's not a game for everyone but if you can finish it is going to be one of your favorite games

80%PC

Really clever game. Brings back a lot of nostalgia from the early days of the internet and 1990s/2000s vaporwave. At times it can be a little ambiguous on what to do next, but exploring Hypnospace is a blast and you'll always end up finding what you're looking for.

90%PC

LIGHT 9

85%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is a charming game, only brought down by some irritating puzzles and uninteresting side areas.

90%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is essentially a point-and-click adventure game that instead of taking place in a vast open world takes place on a desktop on the vast world of the 1999 internet. And instead of acquiring items to combine and use on every object, its more about acquiring information and learning about some of the secrets that lie in Hypnospace. Sure there are parts of the game that are just you clicking things over and over again until you get a correct answer but for the most part the game is really well designed. The game starts with you working as an enforcer for Hypnospace and you must take down any unwanted content. This content includes copyright infringement to harassment to malware. The game uses a search bar where you may search for keywords that may be tags on other pages to be able to find them. This feature reminds me a lot of how the gameplay is in Her Story albeit a bit more broad and many more elements going on. The game gives you cases to find certain rulebreakes and the process of finding them is quiet fun. And you find little stories about some of the characters like small teenage loves who are broken apart because someone becomes a good Christian. Or just some funny characters like Chowder Man or my favorite page was Zane's page about how ZANE ROCKS. Then the second half of the game follows a similar structure but has many more steps and more depth to figuring out the deep secrets of Hypnospace. If I were to classify this game as a point and click adventure game I would have to say it is my favorite of all time and I am excited to see what more these devs can put out. Granny Cream's Hot Butter Ice Cream for life. 9/10

70%PC

What creative game, wow. The devs basically made an entire fictional Operating System taking a lot inspiration from something like Windows XP. The game so accurately captures how early internet culture felt, with so much cringey that was absolutely the norm. If you have nostalgia for this stuff, this game will make you soo invested. Some parts of it are genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. Some of these webpages feel like a genuine person made them and it makes the world of Hypnospace Outlaw feel alive. What a unique experience.

90%PC

Nostalgic look into early 2000s/late 90s internet culture. Surprisingly gripping tale if you get to know the characters using the system.

Some minor choice/consequence stuff that is kinda easy to miss.

70%PC

100% achieves what it sets out to do. A convincing 90s geocities early internet simulator. I think I just wasn't in the mood to read and click through text. May come back to it later.

90%PC

Holy fuck, what a game. What an experience. What an ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Pretty much everything about this game is perfect. There's a reason it's not a 10, though.I'll start with my few gripes, even though it was pretty much all a "me" issue and not a fault of the game. First of all, it's VERY text-heavy and there's a FUCKTON of content to go through, meaning you can very easily get overloaded with info and stuff to explore. Second of all, because of the game's structure and pacing, while I was usually super curious and interested in exploring, sometimes I didn't want to look up a billion different tangents and just progress the story/cases. Thirdly, some of the cases I personally had a lot of difficulty with, and had to look up a walkthrough at several points. This feels like it was mostly my problem though. I wasn't observant, stubborn or meticulous enough. I also kind of misused the bookmarks - I stamped a lot of pages so the bookmark page was very cluttered, and didn't bookmark enough curious pages that could've been useful in the future. One last thing - it's visually very cluttered, and it was at times very hard to either navigate, keep track of programs or have several programs pinned at once.

With that being over, I can now proceed to absolutely fucking gush over this masterpiece.

HypnOS is such an insanely cool system. I am genuinely flabbergasted and gafawwed over how they managed to basically make an old, feature-rich OS that could entirely pass as an alternative to Windows 98/XP. It's got so many features, and the fact that you can download and interact with files e.g. new programs, videos etc. is insanely cool, immersive and fun. It's even got its own built-in music player!

Downloading and interacting with files is part of what makes Hypnospace's cases so fun. Solving cases and eventually uncovering Merchantsoft's dark secrets is a joy. You're pretty much an internet detective, making use of every possible tool at your disposal. The cases are extremely well-crafted, clever and cool, especially the later ones. I had a notepad up on my 2nd screen and was writing notes as I went along, it was super fun (though I didn't solve all cases on my own ^^;)!

The story was great, and though it was pretty predictable by the end it was very satisfying. The twists along the way were mind-boggling. More than the story the main focus of the game is its setting and characters. Merchantsoft Explorer hosts such an incredibly elaborate world of websites. There's a metric shitton of content - writing, videos, viruses, hidden pages and torrent listings, music, wallpapers, backgrounds, text files, emails etc. Most of it not vital to the progression of the game, but it can't be overstated how essential it is for making the game feel lived in and providing stuff to explore. All of this content is exceedingly well-made and true to what I assume 90s internet must've been like. The game (SPOILER) has several time skips during which most pages are changed. Watching several characters' stories unfold during these different time periods and seeing how not only individual users but the userbase as a whole get impacted is godlike.

Just this much would've been cool on its own, but Hypnospace Outlaw wouldn't have been that special if the content within wasn't good. Fortunately it's excellent. This game is consistently hilarious, charming and poignant. A lot of these pages and users feel almost too real. They definitely got the feeling of the old internet down. It's so much fun going through these goofballs' websites. It's genuinely emotional and touching at points, and I think they totally nail that as well.

100%PC

i love this game so much it makes me want to yell and throw up

90%PC

Perfect little capsule of nostalgia and artistic talent. Great puzzles. Big recommend.

90%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is a truly an underrated indie game that completely blew me away with its super addicting cycle of reading random and crazy websites, along with puzzle-solving by navigating the web. Though not the most interesting gameplay on paper, with you mostly just exploring the web, this game is elevated by the fantastic visuals, god-tier music, and elaborate puzzles that kept me coming back to play more. The main story and mystery are a lot of fun all together and are woven masterfully into the gameplay. Definitely check this one out if you don't mind web searching and reading large amounts of text.

80%PC

A hilarious game that had me bursting with laughter. The shine was taken off somewhat by the last achievement for viewing every page on the entire Internet at least once (up to three times) which takes ages. I had some issues with the Windows Store version signing out of my account every few days, and there's no in-game account choice screen except on first launch so to get my save back I had to keep deleting and reinstalling the game. It's probably MS's fault.

60%PC

Más que un videojuego este título podría llamarse una experiencia. El gameplay consiste básicamente en navegar internet de los años 90 con un buscador parecido a los de la época mientras denunciamos distintas infracciones que los usuarios pueden realizar en ese "internet alternativo". La navegación la realiza nuestro usuario de estos años 90 alternativos utilizando un dispositivo ficticio que se coloca como una cinta en la cabeza mientras se duerme para que "el tiempo dormido deje de ser tiempo perdido". Echarle unas horas explorando las distintas páginas al estilo MySpace mientras buscas infracciones, vemos las diferencia de los años 90 del mundo del juego con el nuestro y se desarrolla su simple trama es bastante entretenido; aunque alguno de los puzzles que presenta se puede hacer tedioso al igual que la navegación si jugamos durante un buen rato. En general una experiencia diferente, entretenida y nostálgica pero tampoco te cambiará la vida.

80%Nintendo Switch

Definitely one of those games that you see gameplay of and think to yourself "this is gonna be wacky" then it subverts all of your expectations. The game is like a 1999 internet simulator that really perfectly captures that sort of time period, with you working in the shoes of an internet moderator, which is really unique. I think that the third act of the game was a little unneccessary, ngl, but other than that I'd highly rec this game. PROTIP: you should probably get this game for PC, since the entire interface is designed around that. Moving around mouse cursors, clicking, and typing isn't very natural on a controller.

50%PC

Pretty good, I really liked it at the start but grew bored with it after ~5 hours and followed guides to beat it. Still fun, but overpriced.

100%Nintendo Switch

So creative. Some of the songs of the game were funny and catchy. There are so many websites full of crazy characters. I've never found a game like this before. I wish it was even longer! Some secrets that you uncover along the way are fun. It became challenging at the end for me.

90%PC

One of my favorite games this year.

100%PC

Don't stop until you see the credits. I backed this way back when I just saw funny gifs and pretty colors scratching that fun old computing aesthetic itch.
I played it way after it released, when it got a free content expansion and just sank into it like I didnt expect. Just reading and exploring these fake webpages is a joy of discovery unlike any other adventure game before. But typical for the genre, it has characters you get to know and who change over time (and depending on your actions).
There is a main story which hit me really hard by the end. Lets just say, like the real internet, what has the biggest impact on communities is tragedy.
Hypnospace makes reading a geocities-like forum really fun and manages to bring in critique of unethical uses of technology, without blaming the wrong people. Its themes, characters and harrowing warnings will stick with me for a long time. It has expanded my understand of what adventure games and games in generall can be like and do. If you like games that tell their story primarily by reading (there are so many songs and some videos in there too, however!), then give this game a try.

90%Xbox One

Never played anything like this and probably never will again. What the game is trying to do it executes nearly perfectly. Went into it completely blind and I'm really happy that I did. Kudos to the small team that made this whole thing.

90%PC

Not very game-y, but a fucking experience. Very engaging and surreal at times, especially if played late at night (trust me I know this from experience). Very much worth the money, especially with Plus now out, get it if you can and don't look anything up!!

90%PC

I loved this game. It felt like a lot of love went into this game and there's still so much I didn't see while exploring different pages. The interface itself is the star and combined with the music and sounds, the experience is incredibly immersive and I felt myself get sucked into this other world. Speaking of, the music is one of the best parts of the game and there are some genuine bangers in here. I loved just browsing around, customizing my desktop, and trying out the different programs. I found myself putting off missions to just explore. Putting cases together and figuring stuff out was great as well and nothing felt like it came out of nowhere or would be impossible to find. The cut to the present day as an ending and finding out the truth was something I definitely didn't expect and I felt wrapped up the game well and gives you the opportunity to go back and explore all of the things you may have missed.

100%PC

100% - A must play for anyone, regardless of genre.
90% - A masterful game within the genre.
80% - A top game within the genre.
70% - A standard game within the genre.
60% - A bad game within the genre.
50% - A horrible game within the genre.
40% - There are likely people who enjoy this game. I am not one of them.
30% - Avoid this game. It's horrible by almost every metric.
20% - "Playable" but unsustainable to be enjoyed.
10% - Unplayable game due to technical or gameplay issues related to the game.

80%PC

Any game that features Hot Dad is guaranteed to be sick AF, and Hypnospace Outlaw is no exception.

100%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is one of those games that doesn't belong in any single genre, but it rather bends the laws of video-games and creates its own indescribable section of the indie game catalog. Incredible game that I wish I could experience for the first time again.

GRANNY CREAM'S HOT BUTTER ICE CREAM

80%Xbox One

It's pretty good. I love the rabbit holes and comunities you can go through with the little worlds people have. It's really well written and you get a good feel of how these people are. It drags its feet a bit with the few last puzzles, but I reccomend it

100%PC

Impressive game. The attention to detail is remarkable, the story is very good and you really feel like a detective. It's funny too.

60%PC

Went into this very intrigued and excited for the theme and type of game, but I feel as though I may have missold it to myself. The theme and interaction is incredible and so enjoyable to click around, and the attention to detail is one of the best I've seen in a videogame. However, I found everything was too vague and hard to find - perhaps intentionally but I really did not enjoy it, and ended up using a guide to get through the main bulk. This ultimately put me off fully completing it, but I still enjoyed what I saw.

80%PC

Really love the humor and nostalgia. I liked the cases, but at some point it started getting absurdly difficult for me around New Year's.

80%PC

Hypnospace Outlaw is a trippy detective game where you try to solve crimes and misdemeanors by scouring pages upon pages on a 90s themed internet space for clues. The game is most closely compared to something like a cross between Pony Island and Her Story with Outer Wilds or Return of the Obra Dinn. The difference, and my major complaint with the game, is that there is SO much content to browse that it gets overwhelming, especially as you hit the second half of the game when the entire space is in play. I thought the sense of discovery was fun, but some things just became too obscure. That said, if you don't mind reading pages and seeing a world develop through its archived pages, this game is going to be a blast. Special mention to the music, which is voluminous and ridiculously accurate. The presentation in general is a masterclass, and for many, I imagine that this is the sole reason to pick this title up.

Final notes: I wasn't able to get full achievements on a single run of the game. Several events/interactions are missable, which I am very opposed to in games. I wish there was still a way to see/complete all of the cases even after the credits scroll.

80%PC

Really cool and unique game. Enjoyed playing it.

80%PC

Very unique and interesting game. Never seen anything quite like this one. Looking back at it, I kinda regret not being more patient and properly invest some time with all of these characters because I basically just went for the enforcing missions and looked up stuff I couldn't figure out. I guess a big portion of enjoyment comes from exploring the actual Hypnospace and taking it all in. But I enjoyed my time with it regardless and you're bound to explore a lot of it even by just doing your job, so... I didn't miss THAT much.

80%PC

++ Construção do universo
++ Imersão

+ Humor
+ Artstyle

- Pouca coisa pra fazer
- Puzzels não são divertidos

100%PC

If you have any interest in 90's internet aesthetics... this is a must-play.

70%PC

Disclaimer: I used a walkthrough for the last third of the game. I'll explain why later.I finished it in 7 hours but probably would have taken 10. The last 3 would not have been fun.

Hypnospace Outlaw is a fascinating game and there should be more of this type. It reminds me of Sam Barlow's games, Her Story and Telling Lies, which are both a bit better by the way. At points, you'll end up typing in search terms on a whim to progress through the game. There's lots of intrigue here, and I got weirdly attached to characters I would research but could never see. I love it.

The concept and plot are very good. You're an old-school internet cop who initially catches kids for copyright infringement and bullying, but, gradually, the crimes you discover elsewhere become more... severe.

What sucks is the gameplay. I got sick of perusing the same websites over and over for infringement (the websites get updated you see) and it got tedious. VERY TEDIOUS. So I consulted a walkthrough, where I discovered that the tedium would become rather epic. You become a detective and have to use scanning search tools on nearly every page, and on nearly everything, to find needles in haystacks. Then you have to type search criteria in like 'f000852a' just to hopefully get bites on some new lead. It was just too irritating. I loved learning more as the story neared its conclusion, but the hunt for obscure easter eggs just got too time consuming / frustrating.

I loved the idea and story but, jesus man, couldn't y'all figure out ways to make it less annoying to play? There were intentional old-school lag points and download times where the nostalgia novelty wore off fast.

70%PC

My expectations were far too high, as much as I still enjoyed Hypnospace Outlaw.

It's a chance to just relax and explore a mashup of every '90s Internet meme-before-memes, to sift through Geocities-like pages and play cornball games like Dogz / Catz clones or NeoPets during its heyday. I like that. The '90s cheese aesthetic is beautifully-realized and true to itself at every step of the way.

What I really couldn't get into: The story was barely there, and where it was it was largely incoherent. They're clearly going for the environmental storytelling, but since it ties so closely into the gameplay of exploring an early web client, the chaotic pacing just ruins it. Of the 4 days (in-game) the story takes place over, the first day, Nov. 5th, is the only one that feels like it was carefully planned and fleshed out. The final ending falls flat so hard after a sudden plot twist and unwelcome build-up. Ooof. You can spot this in the achievements themselves, too, since you'll get almost all story achievements in the first quarter of the game.

The whole vaporwave branding is a little off, too, since it's really only the visual a e s t h e t i c that fits. The music is just '90s beeps and boops.

Right. A relaxing, nostalgic adventure point 'n' click that's also a touch too boring at times. Liked it, but didn't love it. The visual design and the concept itself are the biggest selling points. Might play it again in another 10 years when age has really cracked me and I really do just spend every moment wishing it was still my childhood. :<

I *really* suggest Broken Reality, which is bundled with this game on Steam for reasons that'll be obvious to you. That game was the indie masterpiece I mostly expected this to be.