I feel rather gamer-goofy for not mentioning this in the video, but Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams, is actually a sequel to the original Hypnagogia. PROBABLY should have mentioned that, my bad!
I feel similarly about the overarching story and especially the ending cutscene. It works as a good framing device for why the dreams get darker as they do, contextualizing the masterful tonal progression of the game. Then it leans on cliches to create unwarranted drama that clashes with the rest of the game's tone, making Grimthorn an inexplicable villain who wants control of the dreamscape For Reasons and bringing back Gogi just to kill him in a sacrifice that sorta falls flat. I guess my little fanfiction on improving this would be to have Gogi killed when he's trapped in the little crystal at the end of the Ethereal Crux, but he makes a sacrifice _then_ to prevent Grimthorn from taking control of the dream crystal or whatever - the Rapture of Grimthorn short story in Haunted World could then detail/explain/foreshadow that. Grimthorn's motivations and goals could be kept ambiguous as she's banished or whatever when she tries to touch the dream crystal, and her sudden disappearance could be what motivates Mimic Gogi to have its little post-credits evil scene. I feel like the lack of answers would make for some very positive speculation if it played out like that as opposed to what actually happens. Ultimately though that's just my weird lil idea, and the story was cobbled together during Boundless Dreams's initial 8 months of development in the midst of the colossal amount of other work anyway, so... honestly it's miraculous that more of the game doesn't show these sorts of cracks. Given how you spoke of your admiration for the mere act of spatial exploration, it may be worth checking out The Big Catch: Tacklebox. It's a 3D platformer with an emphasis on mechanics, and unfortunately doesn't have any assist options (it's technically a demo [specifically a standalone prologue that shares no main game areas], hopefully those are added with the full release!) but it's very moody, meditative and exploratory. May be up your alley if the difficulty isn't a deal breaker for you!
I feel rather gamer-goofy for not mentioning this in the video, but Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams, is actually a sequel to the original Hypnagogia. PROBABLY should have mentioned that, my bad!
I hope things will start to get better for you soon. Awesome video btw, this game is gorgeous
You’ve been working hard lately! It’s appreciated!
I feel similarly about the overarching story and especially the ending cutscene. It works as a good framing device for why the dreams get darker as they do, contextualizing the masterful tonal progression of the game. Then it leans on cliches to create unwarranted drama that clashes with the rest of the game's tone, making Grimthorn an inexplicable villain who wants control of the dreamscape For Reasons and bringing back Gogi just to kill him in a sacrifice that sorta falls flat.
I guess my little fanfiction on improving this would be to have Gogi killed when he's trapped in the little crystal at the end of the Ethereal Crux, but he makes a sacrifice _then_ to prevent Grimthorn from taking control of the dream crystal or whatever - the Rapture of Grimthorn short story in Haunted World could then detail/explain/foreshadow that. Grimthorn's motivations and goals could be kept ambiguous as she's banished or whatever when she tries to touch the dream crystal, and her sudden disappearance could be what motivates Mimic Gogi to have its little post-credits evil scene. I feel like the lack of answers would make for some very positive speculation if it played out like that as opposed to what actually happens. Ultimately though that's just my weird lil idea, and the story was cobbled together during Boundless Dreams's initial 8 months of development in the midst of the colossal amount of other work anyway, so... honestly it's miraculous that more of the game doesn't show these sorts of cracks.
Given how you spoke of your admiration for the mere act of spatial exploration, it may be worth checking out The Big Catch: Tacklebox. It's a 3D platformer with an emphasis on mechanics, and unfortunately doesn't have any assist options (it's technically a demo [specifically a standalone prologue that shares no main game areas], hopefully those are added with the full release!) but it's very moody, meditative and exploratory. May be up your alley if the difficulty isn't a deal breaker for you!
Very nice video! You really really deserve more views. Hope a subscription will help!