Hylics 2 is a 2020 role-playing video game developed by Mason Lindroth. It is the sequel to the 2015 game Hylics. Set in a surreal and intentionally absurd collection of islands, the protagonist Wayne must stop the resurrection of the tyrant king Gibby by his minions. Battles take place in a turn-based role-playing game format, similarly to its predecessor, but gameplay in the overworld is expanded upon, prominently featuring 3D platforming elements, with extra inclusions of 2D platforming, and first-person dungeon crawling. The game was acclaimed for its unique claymation visuals and psychedelic funk score composed by Lindroth and Chuck Salamone.
A battle from the game after the player has developed a party
Hylics 2 is a turn-based RPG with similarities to traditional JRPGs.[1][2] It takes place in a surreal and absurd world,[2][3] with some horror elements.[4] The player character Wayne assembles a party of characters, fights enemies, explores a 3D world, and finds hidden treasure. Exploration across each island is done in an airship, which has been compared to Final Fantasy.[1][2][4][5] Unlike the first game, the sequel contains 3D platforming elements,[4] and contains a segment of dungeon-crawling in first-person.[5] The player can dodge enemies with a variety of moves.[5] The plot of the game involves Wayne attempting to stop the resurrection of the first game's antagonist,[4] the tyrant king Gibby, by his minions.[1][3] The sequel reveals there are many versions of Wayne in the world, of various shapes and designs.[1][4] The player characters gain more flesh (hit points) by putting the meat of dead enemies and Waynes in a meat grinder. When all party members' flesh hits 0, the player dissolves. [1]
The game is a sequel to the 2015 RPG Hylics,[2] both developed by Mason Lindroth.[6] The sequel's plot contains motifs of the first game, but can be understood without playing the first game.[5] While the first game was developed in RPG Maker, the sequel was developed in the Unity engine, allowing for the visuals and gameplay to be further fleshed out.[4]Hylics 2 uses a psychedelicclaymation visual style, a relatively rare animation technique in games.[2][7] Behind-the-scenes photos of the process were released in 2023.[8] Lindroth supported the sequel's development with a public fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.[9] The game's psychedelic funk score was made by Mason Lindroth and Chuck Salamone.[10]
The game was announced with a trailer in January 2018, with a planned release date for later that year.[6][11][12] Another trailer was released in November 5th, and by then, the release date had shifted to summer 2019.[9] After a final trailer on June 3rd, the game was released on June 22, 2020 on the Steam and Itch.io platforms for Microsoft Windows and MacOS.[2][13][9]
Reception
The game was acclaimed upon its release,[1][2] with significant praise being given to its visual style.[1][6][8][12]Rock Paper Shotgun writer Alice O'Connor claimed the game had some of the best visuals and music in gaming.[2][10] The visuals were compared to the video game Clayfighter, artist Bruce Bickford's works, and the movie Fantastic Planet,[1][6] while the score was compared to Frank Zappa's music.[1] The in-game models, animations, and battles were considered improved from the first game.[4] In 2021, PC Gamer named Hylics 2 as having one of their favorite title screens in gaming.[5][14] Early user reviews criticized elements of the platforming as clunky, and the length of battles as being paced poorly.[5]
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