Should I finish Homestuck?

[seacliff217]

About a year or so ago I read through the first Part of Homestuck. I really liked it, but after noticing how long it was I got burnt out before getting more than a few dozen pages into Part 2.

Something tells me this game is only going to have loose connections to Homestuck at best, but is it still worth finishing Homestuck before playing this game?

I know I'm asking a community that probably has a huge bias, but I just want to know what fans of this game thinks.

[KezzieZ]

The game definitely appears to have connections. Most of them are non-interactable cameos (like Pa Harley is Grandpa Harley and Roxy the drunk babysitter is Mom Lalonde), so it's not that big of a deal at the moment.

Granted, it looks like Doc Scratch is around, and supposedly interacts with both the Heiress and with Xefros (sending him that security software), so this seems like stuff directly leading up to some of the events in Homestuck.

It could be worth going through, if you have the time and patience. I think some people did voice-acted versions of parts of the comic on youtube, which could help, especially since the beginning can come off particularly unfocused (especially the very beginning where character choices were decided by the readers).

[Ada Loveless]

Most of the direct connections to the original comic are cameos, as mentioned above (Roxy the babysitter is Mom Lalonde, Halley the dog is shown in a picture, etc), but it's also worth reading because this game has a RIDICULOUS number of references to the comic, in-jokes, and more (the Sufferer doll shot by the dart outside Joey's room, the Lord English style playset by the hallway closet, just to name two of like a thousand) that would be a lot funnier if you have knowledge of what they're referencing. Plus a lot of narrative and word-choice gags.

Basically you don't need to read the comic to understand any plot elements, since every single main character is original to this game (so far), but if you want to get the in-jokes, visual gags, and other references, it's worth a read. Plus Homestuck is just a really, really great comic with great music and it gets a lot better after you get past the initial beginning, which, as mentioned above, was kind of an unfocused mess that's torturous to get through at times.

[seacliff217]

Alright. It seems like that it's not required, but recommended to get the full enjoyment. I don't mind that.

I'll continue the webcomic at my own pace, and probably get this game when I finally get an afternoon off.

[fishloser]

i really reccomend you do, like it becomes you, ruins you, and adds to everything, and you embrace the meme a lot more, and get to call your own fandom trash. please, join us and sell your sociability away for the internet
-fish

[Forgie Dusker]

there are ridiculous amounts of HS references that you wouldn't understand unless you got way into act 6 of 7, like the serpent symbolism. just worth mentioning.

[Aleccia Rosewater]

The big thing (aka easiest to understand) that happens later on in Homestuck is the kids eventually learning to be adults. Rather cleverly, their apperance would switch between "teenage kid" and "young adult" based on their current behavior and task. It is worth noting that the kids end up inheriting some of thir parent's personality traits despite their best efforts not to. Joey does not wish to become a vagabond like her father, yet the symbol on her shirt is a compass rose?

Honestly the biggest tie-in so far might be how some of Homestuck's themes are also part of Hiveswap. Friendship across distances, and how people are more important then objects. Yin&Yang; two opposites make the whole. Reincarnation - the destruction of something old to make something new. Maturity and learning to be an adult. The number "11", the concept of synchronicity, and how homestuck wiki editors fail to make a connection between the two.

Originally posted by Xeno Cortex:

there are ridiculous amounts of HS references that you wouldn't understand unless you got way into act 6 of 7, like the serpent symbolism. just worth mentioning.

Yeah you would not know anything about this unless you got really far into the comic.

[InverseTyrant]

you would not get the cherubs, trolls, the babysitter, the fact that Dad is grandpa,etc. plus:
homestuck is just awesome.

[seaotters]

Don't be daunted by the length, just read at your own pace - there is no rush.

[Vector]

It's not required to read Homestuck before playing the game. There are slight references if you have read it though. I personally think you should finish it. Read it at your own pace too, it isn't going anywhere any time soon. As for me, I've read the whole thing twice already

[Some bad player]

do you sincerly need a reason to read homestuck?

[Laz1985]

Hey, if you want more of this kind of humor, Homestuck is a great way to get it.

But no, you don't HAVE to read Homestuck to enjoy this game. Like, at all.

[Aleccia Rosewater]

Don't bother with Homestuck. Go read Problem Sleuth instead.