With the continuously impressive Hylics 2 looking to come out summer of next year, I think it’s time we revisit the first in the series. Advertised as a “recreational program with light JPRG elements,” Hylics lived up to its name. You can finish it in a handful of hours, the aforementioned JRPG elements are as light as claimed, and it definitely doesn’t get much more recreational. That being said, Hylics is a game that comes in heavy and refuses to let off the gas until you’ve been melted down into the same gooey clay that composes the gorgeous visuals.
For something that can be completed in an afternoon, Hylics never fails to turn heads. The frightening geometry of the whole thing mixed with the word gumbo dialogue will catch even the most discerning itch.io browser. After all, dialogue is essential to any good role-playing game, correct? Hylics takes a different approach. Instead of a world where the game tells you where to go or what to do next, it decides to show you. Beneath the surrealist putty of Hylics is all the information you need to complete the game, almost like the world itself is contorting into a giant arrow as if to say “HEY GO HERE NEXT,” which it sometimes does.
Hylics is a game that doesn’t hold your hand, but not in a way that leaves you scratching your head. Instead, it respects the player. When you interact with particularly standout objects, you’re rewarded with items. When you’re stuck on where to go, simply look around. Much like its namesake, Hylics is a game invested purely in the material world, which Cliqist invites you to explore in this episode of Fire Walker With Me.
