When I started working on HyperRogue, I expected it to be a "gimmick or tech demo" as you say. But after implementing the basic roguelike gameplay, it felt surprisingly good, better than what I had actually planned. So released it, and other people liked it too.
So it is not surprising that people expect it to be a gimmick (given that I did expect that hyperbolic geometry would make basic roguelike gameplay feel better myself). Some people do not get it on their first try, but love it on their second try.
When I started working on HyperRogue, I expected it to be a "gimmick or tech demo" as you say. But after implementing the basic roguelike gameplay, it felt surprisingly good, better than what I had actually planned. So released it, and other people liked it too.
So it is not surprising that people expect it to be a gimmick (given that I did expect that hyperbolic geometry would make basic roguelike gameplay feel better myself). Some people do not get it on their first try, but love it on their second try.