The spiritual successor to Hypnospace Outlaw takes you back to the '00s internet

pcgamer.com:

Hypnospace Outlaw is one of the coolest and oddest games of recent years, as well as being one of the best detect-'em-ups there is. Our review at the time praised its world, constructed around the early internet experience(opens in new tab), as «a joyous explosion of art, music, creativity, and weirdness, and a pleasure to explore. And it's a nice reminder of when the internet felt like a cool underground club, rather than a pervasive Hell from which there is no escape.»

During what was basically a Hypnospace Direct today, a spiritual sequel to the game was announced, called Dreamsettler, alongside a rather wild-looking spinoff called, ahem, Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer. Vengance is not a typo.

Dreamsettler first, and there's one word for that trailer: funky. Anyone who's played the original will slip into this like a comfy pair of old boots (bought on eBay when it was still good), and while the trailer doesn't go into the nuts-and-bolts of it, you'll be playing an internet detective, helping out users of something called the Somnius Sleepnet System with their problems.

Per the press release: «You'll be exploring webpages, experiencing the beginning of social media, listening to hours of music from alternate-reality genres, watching all sorts of mad videos, and generally exploring a version of the '00s internet that feels familiar yet different… and that'll be before it starts to get really dark.»

The game involves browsing the net, keeping up with user emails, downloading apps, and solving cases before being drawn into a big 'ol conspiracy.

Now, time for something completely different. Here's the trailer for Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer:

Oookay. We're not exactly short