Not much of the visual aspects of the game remained from the last version, which is why we needed to completely refresh the Steam Page too, but let's take it one update at a time.
Three Playable Classes
Hunter, Empress and Mystic. They exist on another layer - or dimension, from the main avatar, which needs to be charged first, in order to open the portal to access them. Classes have their distinct play style that defines how players can navigate through the game world. The moves of each class are rooted in DJing principles so each playstyle can be thought of as a different DJing style that will result in a different musical experience. Apart from that, classes also respond differently to the sequencer beats, which also makes playing classes a distinct visual experience.
Visual Sequencer
The game now features a visual representation of every track in a form of a dedicated sequencer line. There are four of them per instrument - one for each zone, with each of four instruments having their own dedicated corner. Progressions are now also visually signalled to the player by resetting and initializing the whole sequencer once a progression is invoked.
Tailor Made Music
A brand new set was designed for this version with the aim to keep players in the desired vibe longer and make transitions between zones smoother. This set was also designed with Mystic in mind to specifically suit its play style.
Skyboxes
Game backgrounds are now fully immersive skyboxes, which - together with converting the rest of the scene into properly scaled three-dimensional space is a major step towards VR support, which we believe will take Hypno experience to a whole new level.
Playtest
We're currently warming everything up for a limited playtest session, planned for the end of April, so if you're interested - and you're more then welcome, please head over to our Discord channel where we'll be organizing the whole thing from. All the best, Team Hypno
[ 2025-03-25 13:08:50 CET ] [ Original post ]
With the introduction of animated, particle based avatar in the previous version came also the desire to make it upgradable - by the way players mix and combine their tracks. The first sneak peek is available in the latest media refresh that features four types of armor. The idea though, is to make the armor fully modular so the process of upgrading the avatar becomes as creative as possible. Another major upgrade relates to the grid, which has been further reduced to simple dots, that aesthetically match the particle systems used elsewhere, but also bring several technical perks along with it. The first one is further reduced hardware requirements. Hypno is already running at stable 60 fps on the OG Steam Deck, further optimizations will thus make it playable on wider range of mobile devices, including smart phones. The second perk is that the grid can now be fully animated. First tests showed drastic effects of such an animated grid. In fact, the effects were so severe it completely oversaturated the already demanding visual field of the game, so we decided to turn it off for now until we find a more comfortable way to utilize such technology. We will be handing out first playtest access soon, so if you're interested in laying your hands on the current version of Hypno, please head over to our Discord channel. Until next time. Hypno Unlimited
[ 2025-01-28 09:08:21 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hypno Sets Preview
Hypno stages are based on audio-visual sets. Each set is composed of 4x4x4 musical loops that can be combined in any way, because they share the same musical key. Each set has 7 unique backgrounds that can be combined in independent quadrants. This version features a preview of all 10 sets from the full version that can be accessed through Play > Free Dive menu option.
Simple Control Scheme
Newly introduced is the simple control scheme that uses keys and buttons to perform basic tasks as opposed to analog stick gestures that have been moved to Advanced Control Scheme that can be switched to in the main menu.
Hypno Speakers
The four cubes, representing the four musical layers of a track has now received a responsive outline that mimics the behavior of a speaker producing sound through acoustic pressure. This addresses an issue reported by players that the cubes were not visible enough and adds a visual hint to which cube is playing which part of the track so it is easier to progress the desired parts of the music.
Release
Hypno has moved into another phase and the planned release is now set for November.
[ 2024-10-15 04:54:42 CET ] [ Original post ]
We've just released Hypno Demo v0.1.2.2 with minor adjustments to the visual aspects of the main gameplay loop, as per early feedback. The main cubes start with a brighter and more solid outlines but gradually fallback to the original minimalist state over the first 30 seconds of the game, and stay that way for the final 30 seconds. This should make the game more accessible for the newcomers and still retain some challenge with its late-stage visual style. The second visual update is concerning the cues meant for collecting and charging the cubes. Their outlines were also made thicker and more recognizable. To make the game fully accessible, there's now a full in-depth guide of "How to play Hypno" [previewyoutube=Avss8AAkDLI;full][/previewyoutube] And finally, the leaderboards just reset so the Top 10 is now fair game for everyone!
[ 2024-08-23 11:15:03 CET ] [ Original post ]
Hypno Demo is released for Windows and Linux. It has been tested and confirmed running at 60 fps on Steam Deck LCD. In this version: Four unique zones with four layers per track Seven environments per zone distributed between the four times four layers of each zone Blitz ranked mode allowing one minute long runs Personal stats dashboard Global Top 10 leaderboard for Blitz that will reset at midnight (PDT) on the 23th of August Playtest Access unlocks other game modes. You can apply on our Discord server. Known bugs: Environments sometimes don't reset during the end game phase Lost charge just before an attempted drop will make the affected audio track muted for one cycle
[ 2024-08-19 17:00:07 CET ] [ Original post ]
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
- Hypno is for people who look for something different.
- For people who realize they are active participants in the experience.
- For people who are not afraid to embrace the chasm of the mind.
There's no spoon feeding, no tutorials, no easy mode.
You struggle here ==============================================> RTFM
You suck here =================================================> git gud
Your brain starts melting =========================================> train it
Hypno is rhythm based, but very unlike the typical button mashing rhythm games out there. You don't mash buttons here. You work exclusively with the twin analog sticks on your controller - or, if you're a diehard keyboard purist, you'll get the keyboard emulation, but we really think you should try to step outside your keyboard comfort zone and give 21st century gaming a chance.
You get to operate the four cubes upfront. We might give them some pretentious name later, but for now, they're just cubes. Each cube represents one element of the track.
- lead synth
- support synth or vocals
- bassline
- drum track.
You can progress the track both vertically and horizontally, independently for each cube, for several of them, or all at once.
Vertical progression happens automatically when you collect enough of the matching color cues. Horizontal progression requires a successful drop.
Once you collect enough, your cube gets charged. From here on, you can keep progressing upwards, or initiate a drop.
However, charge can also be lost by collecting non-matching color cues. Both during the main game loop and while priming for a drop. The latter will result in a failed drop and reduced speed, the former in vertical regression.
Drop requires priming first, which will provide you with a riser - an audio effect loop that will prepare you for the drop itself. The window for a successful drop is small and requires precision and anticipation.
The quality of the drop is reflected in the amount of points you get, multiplied by the amount of cubes dropped.
There are three ranked modes of varying length and play style, where the amount of collected cues, right timings and successful drops decide your final score. And if you've got what it takes, you will get to upload it to our global leaderboard. If not, you get to stick with your local peasant leaderboard.
- Blitz - for speedrun aficionados
- Regular - casual enough for any state of mind
- Long - not for you, if your attention span is measured in seconds, instead of minutes
And then there's Hypno. There's no time limit, you don't play for score and you don't compete with anyone but yourself here. That being said, we consider it the main mode of the game. Take it as you will.
- OS: Steam OS 3.5
- Processor: Zen 2 4-core
- Graphics: 8 RDNA 2 CUs
- Storage: 500 MB available space
- OS: Steam OS 3.5
- Processor: Zen 2 4-core
- Graphics: 8 RDNA 2 CUs
- Storage: 500 MB available space
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