While in communication with supernatural forces, two influencers launch a daring new social media brand. After getting in trouble with the law, they must consider how to navigate stardom as scrutiny of their project intensifies. The visual novel begins on April 20th, 2020, taking place on an island off the coast of New England.
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10/10 would almost wear clown makeup in private or public. at first i was like "this is online and mentally ill in ways that i also am but feel alienated from
then it played with the fourth in wall in the form of where we are and are not supposed to suspend our disbelief in a way that was, at first, fun and comforting, then cathartic and visceral and at some point i gasped in real life and had to tell my wife the truth- that i was "worried about david hasselhoof the horse" which is almost too much information bc the pacing and development-to-where is fun and weird as fuck
i think that if you have certain prominent strains of incredibly online brain worms this will be transcendent, relieving, and empowering- i've seen reviewers here and elsewhere who lacking that specific context have brushed it off bc they don't know what it's negotiating with let alone how it's negotiating it. it will be very easy to tell which one you are very fast!
then it played with the fourth in wall in the form of where we are and are not supposed to suspend our disbelief in a way that was, at first, fun and comforting, then cathartic and visceral and at some point i gasped in real life and had to tell my wife the truth- that i was "worried about david hasselhoof the horse" which is almost too much information bc the pacing and development-to-where is fun and weird as fuck
i think that if you have certain prominent strains of incredibly online brain worms this will be transcendent, relieving, and empowering- i've seen reviewers here and elsewhere who lacking that specific context have brushed it off bc they don't know what it's negotiating with let alone how it's negotiating it. it will be very easy to tell which one you are very fast!
"fuck you for thinking i should be held responsible for anything" - andrew hussie
If Steam had a middle ground option, I'd absolutely pick that and if you're a fan of Hussie's work (or Joker (2019)), I still think this is worth checking out because there are some really great moments and I still believe the beginning of this Visual Novel is very very strong. The first chapter has some especially relatable moments if you're someone who does creative work for a living and has to promote online. Ultimately though, Psycholonials feels unfocused and hollow.
A comment on Reddit once said that it feels like there's not much difference between reading Psycholonials yourself and having someone describe the plot/events to you, which I very much agree with. This isn't a gripe at the lack of interaction since kinetic Visual Novels have been around for a long time, that's fine with me. However, the story is rifled with timeskips, and they often happen when things get interesting, meaning it feels like a lot of plot/character development is very rushed as it seemingly happens off screen. Joculine probably being the best example of this.
Each chapter is pretty short, maybe around 30 to 40 minutes and it often felt like the story was spending time in the wrong areas. There's also a lot of inconsistency in regards to realism which took me out of the story a few times
The start of Psycholonials is fantastic because the story has a small scope. As it gets bigger and bigger, the constraints of 40 minute episodes just can't keep up and do the premise justice. Some people will say that the point of this story is that there's no satisfying ending or that there's no point at all - which sure that's fair and valid, but also doesn't free it from criticism
Psycholonials was originally released one episode per week and I would be super hyped for each release, because I was enjoying it so much. I could barely wait for the next chapter but about half way through, I started to realize that my enjoyment was dwindling. Now that every chapter has been released, you can read the story in one go and I think that'll make it a lot more enjoyable and that reading it in 40 minute increments every week genuinely harmed my perception of it
I won't say too much because of spoilers but the ending didn't do it for me either. I will say though, the surreal visuals are great and the soundtrack slaps. I also really like Abby and Z as characters, even if I wish we'd seen more
A comment on Reddit once said that it feels like there's not much difference between reading Psycholonials yourself and having someone describe the plot/events to you, which I very much agree with. This isn't a gripe at the lack of interaction since kinetic Visual Novels have been around for a long time, that's fine with me. However, the story is rifled with timeskips, and they often happen when things get interesting, meaning it feels like a lot of plot/character development is very rushed as it seemingly happens off screen. Joculine probably being the best example of this.
Each chapter is pretty short, maybe around 30 to 40 minutes and it often felt like the story was spending time in the wrong areas. There's also a lot of inconsistency in regards to realism which took me out of the story a few times
The start of Psycholonials is fantastic because the story has a small scope. As it gets bigger and bigger, the constraints of 40 minute episodes just can't keep up and do the premise justice. Some people will say that the point of this story is that there's no satisfying ending or that there's no point at all - which sure that's fair and valid, but also doesn't free it from criticism
Psycholonials was originally released one episode per week and I would be super hyped for each release, because I was enjoying it so much. I could barely wait for the next chapter but about half way through, I started to realize that my enjoyment was dwindling. Now that every chapter has been released, you can read the story in one go and I think that'll make it a lot more enjoyable and that reading it in 40 minute increments every week genuinely harmed my perception of it
I won't say too much because of spoilers but the ending didn't do it for me either. I will say though, the surreal visuals are great and the soundtrack slaps. I also really like Abby and Z as characters, even if I wish we'd seen more
This review contains spoilers
The most controversial game I have ever played. Not only among random internet discourse, but between all of my friends who have played it. You either love this game or dislike it, there’s rarely an inbetween. I do understand the disdain for Psycholonials but I have a vastly different interpretation of it compared to other people.
To start with, Zhen is my favorite character of all time. Like, easily. It’s kind of difficult to describe what it is I like about this character because most of my love and appreciation stems from personal connection but I feel like the way her character is framed throughout the story is wonderful. The gradual shift in her mindset is done in an especially interesting way because while the narrative bias exists, it’s also broken by Abby at times making for a really interesting unsure narrative. It’s done for a purpose, coming to a climax right near the end where Zhen gets her big character moment of realization. She is a textbook narcissist and only truly comes to terms with this and its consequences during the ending.
Zhen directly shows that the problem with cancel culture (primarily those who partake in it) is that they have an unhealthy obsession with chasing after others in a way that is unhealthy to everyone, and can almost be likened to a form of twisted love. In the case of a Joqueline, it literally is. It showcases how parasocial hatred for someone consumes you, because after the hunt dies down, the only person who will fill that void in you is the next person you decide to hunt.
Generally speaking I am someone who likes really long games and shows and whatnot because I feel that there’s always so much content within them but Psycholonials is generally really short, taking me 6 hours, I think. The music of Psycholonials is perfectly suited to the atmosphere of each scene they accompany, elevating them to a level that text and visuals alone are unable to. Zhen is the focus of Psycholonials and Psycholonials is mostly just a character study of her and that’s okay. Abby is also in the story with her own concise character but she is mostly used in favor of Zhen’s character and being her guide of morality. Abby is like a reinforcer of the themes of the game, which I think actually works here. Usually I would consider a character existing as a theme device first as a bad thing but there are exceptions like Hody Jones from One Piece that strike me as good. I’m kinda just saying shit here so feel free to disregard if none of this makes sense, writing a Psycholonials essay is difficult!
My interpretation of Psycholonials is that it primarily highlights individualism over collectivism. Zhen created jubilitism, this is true, but Zhen is used with this context to highlight how political collectivism can be incredibly harmful if the fires are stoked enough, and that having a concrete leader doesn't actually affect anything except for giving a movement a figurehead.
The ending of Psycholonials shows Zhen's strong regret for creating the jubilite movement at all, because at the end of the day, it's harmful! harmful to everyone. harmful to zhen, harmful to abby, harmful to the world, harmful to the elites that jubilitism combats as a whole. The world is fucked up. We know this, and Psycholonials is directly stating that the world being fucked up is okay, and you can find peace and happiness in spite of that, through both individualism and strong relationships. Psycholonials is basically just about accepting how deeply rooted the world's problems are, and prioritizing your own happiness not through ignorance, but through acceptance. Zhen is merely a figurehead of one of the most uncontrollable aspects of movements like this, that being how quickly they get out of hand and consume you. This is shown directly through her character. She is, again, a narcissist, and while she technically is the leader of the movement, as soon as she steps down it doesn’t matter, and the movement is just as strong as it was to begin with.
Psycholonials is a love story. It is a love story between two people, and it is a story that shows you that no matter how fucked up the world is, you can still find peace. That is something special, I think.
To start with, Zhen is my favorite character of all time. Like, easily. It’s kind of difficult to describe what it is I like about this character because most of my love and appreciation stems from personal connection but I feel like the way her character is framed throughout the story is wonderful. The gradual shift in her mindset is done in an especially interesting way because while the narrative bias exists, it’s also broken by Abby at times making for a really interesting unsure narrative. It’s done for a purpose, coming to a climax right near the end where Zhen gets her big character moment of realization. She is a textbook narcissist and only truly comes to terms with this and its consequences during the ending.
Zhen directly shows that the problem with cancel culture (primarily those who partake in it) is that they have an unhealthy obsession with chasing after others in a way that is unhealthy to everyone, and can almost be likened to a form of twisted love. In the case of a Joqueline, it literally is. It showcases how parasocial hatred for someone consumes you, because after the hunt dies down, the only person who will fill that void in you is the next person you decide to hunt.
Generally speaking I am someone who likes really long games and shows and whatnot because I feel that there’s always so much content within them but Psycholonials is generally really short, taking me 6 hours, I think. The music of Psycholonials is perfectly suited to the atmosphere of each scene they accompany, elevating them to a level that text and visuals alone are unable to. Zhen is the focus of Psycholonials and Psycholonials is mostly just a character study of her and that’s okay. Abby is also in the story with her own concise character but she is mostly used in favor of Zhen’s character and being her guide of morality. Abby is like a reinforcer of the themes of the game, which I think actually works here. Usually I would consider a character existing as a theme device first as a bad thing but there are exceptions like Hody Jones from One Piece that strike me as good. I’m kinda just saying shit here so feel free to disregard if none of this makes sense, writing a Psycholonials essay is difficult!
My interpretation of Psycholonials is that it primarily highlights individualism over collectivism. Zhen created jubilitism, this is true, but Zhen is used with this context to highlight how political collectivism can be incredibly harmful if the fires are stoked enough, and that having a concrete leader doesn't actually affect anything except for giving a movement a figurehead.
The ending of Psycholonials shows Zhen's strong regret for creating the jubilite movement at all, because at the end of the day, it's harmful! harmful to everyone. harmful to zhen, harmful to abby, harmful to the world, harmful to the elites that jubilitism combats as a whole. The world is fucked up. We know this, and Psycholonials is directly stating that the world being fucked up is okay, and you can find peace and happiness in spite of that, through both individualism and strong relationships. Psycholonials is basically just about accepting how deeply rooted the world's problems are, and prioritizing your own happiness not through ignorance, but through acceptance. Zhen is merely a figurehead of one of the most uncontrollable aspects of movements like this, that being how quickly they get out of hand and consume you. This is shown directly through her character. She is, again, a narcissist, and while she technically is the leader of the movement, as soon as she steps down it doesn’t matter, and the movement is just as strong as it was to begin with.
Psycholonials is a love story. It is a love story between two people, and it is a story that shows you that no matter how fucked up the world is, you can still find peace. That is something special, I think.
a 2020 quarantine period drama with a fun premise, really charming art, and a fun story that gets really emotional near the end. i can't begin to explain how much i loved the characters in this, from the designs of the background characters to the main characters' personalities. if you're a fan of homestuck you should definitely check this out, since it's pretty similar in terms of writing, but even if you aren't you should still play this.
Andrew Hussie provides an allegory for homestuck and then cries for 5 hours.
I actually enjoyed this for the majority of the time playing, but the ending is such a dickslap to the player that it completely soured my opinion. I would not recommend this condescending work to anyone, especially fans of Hussie's previous works.
I actually enjoyed this for the majority of the time playing, but the ending is such a dickslap to the player that it completely soured my opinion. I would not recommend this condescending work to anyone, especially fans of Hussie's previous works.