But looking at the trailer and some gameplay videos… well, don’t get mad, but this is exactly the kind of stuff I wrote my article in faux protest about.
It’s not wrong, it’s not bad, not saying that. There’s truths in there about 90s design. But if you’re asking me, the game has a thick layer of Vaporwave over everything. It just comes across as fake 90s to my tastes, personally.
But I think that was the point. I think that’s what Tendershoot was going for. It’s a surreal game about surfing the web in your sleep, right? So the design isn’t going for accuracy, it’s more that dreamy fantastical look people remember (or misremember.) It works for them!
Like, I like the key art! That’s pretty good. CGI head in space would have been right at home on a Trapper Keeper. That USB cord should have totally have been a serial port instead tho.
And this box art is chef’s kiss. I feel like I’d see this on a textbook in computer class.
What I’ve seen of the actual game though? Hmmmm. You’re asking a web designer here for an opinion, and this is a game all about web design. Like they get some stuff right. UI is a lot of fun, down to the Winamp-style skeuomorphic buttons in some of the screenshots.
But for something that’s supposed to be set in ‘99, that’s a huge overuse of pastel pink and purple gradients. It’s like an Instagram filter over the whole thing. That’s Vaporwave, and while it looked cool in 2018 that’s not really what was going on at the time.
The MS-DOS sized pixel text bugs me when they should have gone with Windows 98-style higher resolution. They seem to run all their images through an aggressive dithering filter when in reality, JPGs existed too. But it’s funnier to have all those crusty GIFs in there, that ages the art more. And is that a poop emoji button? An emoji in a 90s game?
Sorry, that sounds like I’m picking on a game I haven’t played. Not trying to knock down any Hypnospace fans. The game looks fun! I’m just being a design nerd and taking a magnifying glass to something I’ve never seen before today. If you love the look of the game, that’s valid! I like Vaporwave too. But Vaporwave is its own separate thing.
So, real quick, let’s talk Vaporwave. It’s important to understand Vaporwave is evocative of the 1990s, but wasn’t an actual thing in the 1990s. The point of Vaporwave is it’s meant to be a surrealparody version of the decade, as seen through the lens of the 2010s. I think what happened over the past decade was everyone forgot it was a parody and took it at face value. Vaporwave and 90s just became equals.
And that’s how we got this:
What I wanted to share with you all was Vaporwave and Memphis style graphics are starting to be like THE ONLY representation of the decade. I wanted to share that there’s more out there to pick apart and use for retro throwbacks.
Maybe further into Hypnospace they get into that other stuff? Thanks for tipping me off about the game! I’ll add it to my Steam list.
my older sister would apparently sing the COPS song in her stroller and my parents would get dirty looks? and then also my older sister was/is sooo into lord of the rings! she would try and make me watch the dvds with her when they came out and its like “not only am i nine i have undiagnosed adhd i’m not watching this lmao” and went off to go color or something
i am on another plane right now and this video has me convinced that I reached nirvana for a few seconds
the first time i watched this video i was stoned out of my motherfucking MIND and i watched it on loop for 25 minutes
this is the only fucking post on this entire fucking site
such a wholesome and naïve interaction about this funny hedgehog giving an OK sign. this reminds me of the jokes about killing Victorian peasant children with a single hot cheeto. like- wow! this is impressive and amazing to you? i also really really really like this image.
my hospital job had daily emails with occupancy/discharge reports(?) and before the actual info a little meme or cute image of an animal or a minion saying something like “happy thursday” and omg one time it was legit the Wednsday Frog! but this little cute hedgehog is totally something that would be included
apparently europeans have the impression that US Americans never learn the metric system.
like our science curriculum from day one is entirely done in the metric system. we just don’t use metric in our day to day lives.
yeah actually we kinda just do it for the bit :)
I have had people try to gently and kindly explain to me the workings of the metric system, as if Americans are having trouble with the concept of a base ten system. like no. we get it. we were taught this when we were like eight. it’s just that like. we don’t really wanna do it that way. for the bit.
no no it’s for the bit it’s for the bit !!! it’s for the bit!!!!!
!! Ko-fi does not have an automatic shipping calculator so if you are from outside the United States and wish to buy a pin, message me so I can calculate and add the shipping for your country. !!
