SquisherZ Slimes!
(read my review or best/worst list of Hypnospace Outlaw)
In this article, I’ll be quickly looking at each of the SquisherZ monsters found in Hypnospace. They lack descriptions, so I’ll be relying purely on their aesthetic.
0023
There’s nothing like a good ‘ol CRT monitor as the head of a robot. It seems this SquisherZ formed out of a computer left on a radioactive barrel. I like the zeroes for eyes.
Archuslop
A goofy mile-long grin splits the face of this lupine monster with a head much too long for its body. I wonder if its tail is a set of pinchers or an underdeveloped second mouth? I love the neon cyan contrasted against the purples.
Barfly
This is a highly creative SquisherZ design! The simple fly’s slimy digestive spit is a separate, presumably sentient eel, using the main body like a protective shell. Also, its punny name is awesome.
Bleel
Another monster with a sick giant maw. Its underbite with drastically larger fangs looks great. I’m not sure how I feel about the color scheme, but it at least makes Bleel pop out next to the murkier SquisherZ.
Dreadmelt
I feel that if Dreadmelt were an official Pokemon, I would have hunted it down ASAP. It appears the mysterious slime moulded around a draconian skeleton. To me, the green areas are where the slime filled in the blanks for the fragmented skeleton.
Garbluh
I like the effort put into this design, but to me it looks drab overall. It doesn’t have the pizazz to compete with Trubbish. Yes, there is an art form for trash monsters.
I’ll admit that the melted face and rubber bands segmenting Garbluh’s body are neat flourishes.
Glopoly
I don’t feel there’s enough slime integrated into this Porygon parody. More of it would enhance the minimalist polygon design.
Gloyo
Gloyo is “just okay” to me. I tend to be picky with humanlike creatures. The eyes located at its baseball cap (and the yo-yo!) are neat, and I like how the slime drips into a hairstyle at Gloyo’s “head.”
Goost
I was never a fan of Slimer, nor am I feeling it with SquisherZ’s blobby Ecto Cooler ghost.
Hisslime
This is another one of my top-tier SquisherZ. I like its loud colors, slime-teeth, and fancy Eye of Ra (likely snuck in there by a group referred to as “Children of Horus”).
I just noticed that Hisslime’s tongue is another snake! It’s drooling with more slime, too. I wish I thought of something like this!
A lot of favoritism with Hisslime comes from one of my own fake Pokemon, “Hisser” (I’ll share a drawing in the future). It too has its tongue lazily hanging, though it doesn’t have the badass tinier snake.
Ickygoo
Oddly, this SquisherZ isn’t used as the mascot of the franchise. I think it’s perfect as a Pikachu parody with a unique identity! I like the vaguely axolotl-like ears and its goofy smile. It also has those neat cyans and purples. I’m noticing that the artist for these characters really loves their purples (good choice, might I add).
Leaka
I’m getting vibes of a Furby mixed with an “In-Training”-tier Digimon, and it ended up with a good result. I like the birdlike mask that comprises Leaka’s face.
Murmurk
Not feeling it with this SquisherZ, either. The shades of blue are nice, and I like the “locks” of slime hair. I don’t care for the skulls with sunglasses as its “bra.”
Those skulls repeatedly show up on some SquisherZ. I have no idea if they’re signatures from the artist who made these. The Hypnospace Fandom wiki mentions nothing of it.
Moldi
There’s only one confirmed SquisherZ that evolves, but Moldi is not that one. It looks like something Garbluh would slough off, complete with the fly drones. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot going on with Moldi, so I don’t have much to talk about.
Mushi
This is SquisherZ’s official mascot, but I don’t think it’s as great as Ickygoo. Its simplistic look is decent, and certainly better than Moldi, but I’m left wishing for more out of Mushi’s design.
Oozurf
This radical guy is a surfer, surfboard, and shark combined into one monster, like the zooids to a Portuguese man-o-war. I love the slick shades on the surfer, and the wild teeth of the shark. The stripe along its face and body looks neat, too.
Pitrool
I love the diminutive eyes peering from the back of this flytrap’s mouth. I find Pitrool’s roots are underwhelming; it’s the only part I feel needs revising.
Plasmemon
The wild neon eyes on this scuttling demon are interesting, but I’m not particularly interested in the rest of its design. I don’t care for the simple trident tail, either.
Turthole
Another creative design! I’ve never thought to use a manhole cover as a shell. It’s clever how the slime underneath squished into this familiar turtle form. However, the design is a bit too plain for my taste.
Shellslop
Here’s the one and only evolution to a SquisherZ! I like Shellslop a lot more than Turthole. That mellow expression is so endearing.
Shambloth
I’m not sure why I find this SquisherZ so low-tier, because there are a couple features that I like. The deadpan eye is interesting. The poor thing is nervously shambling around, wearing a little tie for reasons unknown. Maybe it just wants to be a nice businessman?
Maybe I’d rank Shambloth higher if there was more to its clothing motiff; as-is, it looks out of place. He can’t go to work without a full suit!
Sliraffe
Only a couple SquisherZ are at the bottom of the barrel for me. I don’t like the plain stars and circles littering Sliraffe’s body. The face looks great, but its otherwise featureless body leaves a lot to be desired.
Yolky
Yolky is simply too generic. The brain-eye is at least something that stands out.
Yuckey
The final SquisherZ in the encyclopedia is a little Tamagotchi parody! I like the broken keychain for an antenna, and how the front buttons double as eyes. I imagine that the digital pet moves and emotes with Yuckey, but without any animations, I can’t get a feel for its personality.
On a miscellaneous note, there’s a screenshot of the SquisherZ game visible on its official Hypnospace page. Yolky and Hisslime are noticeably off-model from their concept art. I’m not sure if this is an intentional reference to the inconsistencies of Pokemon’s earliest artwork, but it gave me a chuckle nevertheless.
(Nexomon Part 5)
