People have been waiting years for YIIK: A Postmodern RPG’s release. The game’s been in development since 2014, and you can go read interviews floating around from 2015 onward for more background on its journey. Finally, the big day is here... but can it live up to nearly a half-decade of anticipation? Before we begin, rest assured, this will be a minimal-spoiler review.
YIIK (that’s pronounced “why two kay,” as in Y2K), at its base, is a 3D indie RPG. There are turn-based battles, an overworld with random encounters, dungeons with puzzles to solve, and plenty of memorable NPCs. Beneath these simple genre trappings, however, is a game that defies summary.
Meet Alex, the primary player-protagonist, who comes home to the town of Frankton from an unnamed American college one summer day. Alex is the beating heart of the narrative drive. He also wears a red plaid shirt, big dark-framed glasses, a fuzzy beard and a full salvo of orange hair.
Yes, Alex is a hipster. He listens to vinyl records by obscure artists and speaks fondly of classic video games. He has also grown accustomed to a somewhat upper-class lifestyle. Alex’s status as a privileged (but otherwise unexceptional) white boy forms the plot’s subtext; or, at least, receives some story treatment. The point is, this “Postmodern RPG” is nothing if not self-aware.
YIIK is wagering on something here: there’s probably a ton of people out there who can relate to Alex in varying degrees. He is intelligent but lacks ambition. After earning a degree, he's struggling to achieve the measure of success his parents have attained. He enjoys hanging out with friends but falls short when it comes to forming meaningful relationships. He is lonely. He would rather stay in bed today.
The plot takes place in the year 1999, and at times Alex can be found browsing a weird internet forum. How many of us were doing the same at one time, discovering the World Wide Web and poking around in its strange corners? YIIK places a bet on this nostalgia, and at times it really lands well. For those who ever felt ‘adrift’ at this point in their life, and perhaps found a little solace in odd BBS forums, the whole journey will land even more poignantly.
And, oh boy, what a journey it is. Once Alex is back in town, he renews contact with Michael, an old neighbourhood friend who had moved away years prior. Then, you eventually see a loose cat, and pursue it into the woods, and then to an old factory. There, Alex meets a young woman named Sammy, who is suddenly torn out of reality by interdimensional beings of unknown origin. Alex is powerless to prevent this, and his anguish over the event begins turning the wheels of the entire storyline.
It’s a lot to take in, and only the beginning of a breathtaking spiral of strangeness. This is a game where Weird Stuff Happens, and much of its appeal is going to hinge on whether you have an appetite for a continual serving of more Weird Stuff at every turn. YIIK is absolutely gunning for the Weird Stuff throne, full tilt, and truly swings for the fences in that regard. You want surreal visuals and utterly unconventional quest chapters? Search no more, for you have found your huckleberry.
Oh, right: beneath its splashes of stylish colouring and deep dives into the bizarre, there’s a video game! Alex really wants to save this girl, even if figuring out how to do so will get pretty tricky. He, along with a growing and rotating cast of support characters, will embark all over the landscape to visit different towns and caves and dungeons to find his way.
Combat is a highlight. Enemies present a healthy challenge, along with designs ranging from insipid (a piece of poo) to inspired (Sheep Man is a woolly wonder, he’s the best). Your characters can use healing items, attempt to run and so on, but the attacks are the real hook here, of course.
Each character has their own standard attack that relies on button-press timing. You may be holding down your analog stick and trying to release it at a certain time, or pressing different face buttons to match the swings of a hula hoop. Records will spin and obey your commands to drop the needle, swords might lash out at all enemies rather than just one – it’s a turn-based party, and you’re invited.
Each character also has their own skills. These vary wildly, with each character serving a very distinctive niche, from healing to adopting “stances” to change their fighting style to the one-of-a-kind ability to “banish” certain enemy types. Like fellow indie RPG darling Undertale, YIIK dares to ask, “How does a pacifist character work in battle?” Some of the skill attacks are performed by mastering 16-bit pixel microgames, which are just adorable. Much like the regular attacks, these will be a test of reaction timing and focus.
But nimble fingers won’t win the day by themselves. The dungeons in this game pose some real lateral-thinking challenges. As Alex and friends embark to locales spanning from a mountainside cave to… like, spaces within the mind-consciousness or whatever, players will quickly realize that conventional tactics may not suffice. There is definitely in-game logic going on, as it’s all never truly random or unfair, but this is the kind of game where, once or twice, you may turn your Switch off in frustration and have to sleep on it before you realise what you need to do in order to progress. At least, that was our experience.
You probably won’t mind too much, though, because the ride is a thrill. The increasing surreality of the story, along with the steady level-up progression, on top of the eye-kissing artwork, all blend together in a pleasant dish for gamers and compel you to keep moving forward. You can have a lot of fun just spotting different gaming references and detecting classic influences. Beyond that, without saying too much, just trust us when we say that this game really takes some imaginative leaps.
The music is a ride all of its own, sporting different collaborations on the soundtrack that lend to an eclectic flavour. Peppy horns will give way to eerie keyboards, only to be supplanted by an orchestral arrangement, only to be overtaken by a wave of sudden vocals and electric guitar. It’s all a little odd but the quality itself is never in question.
If you were looking for a concern, let’s have a word about pacing. How do you feel about dialogue? YIIK has loads of it. Trainloads and boatloads and bathtubs full of the stuff. If you’re into that sort of thing, it’s great; which is the kind of statement that sounds obvious but still bears mentioning.
The characters that form your adventuring party are going to have lots of conversations, some of them lengthy and many of them without any bearing on the plot. They are going to tackle topics ranging from the existence of God to the death of a family member, but also favourite anime and SNES RPGs. At its core, YIIK operates on the same frequency as a cross-country road trip with a few close friends. If that sort of tone resonates with you, you’re in for a treat of characterisations. Otherwise, you may feel stuck waiting for something to happen as the cast launches into another pseudo-philosophical conversation on the nature of the soul.
The level-up system, however, might be the low point. Levelling in YIIK does not happen naturally as characters gain EXP. In order to advance their stats, you have to enter Alex’s Mind Dungeon (ahem). There, Alex will walk into various doorways and stairwells in order to make his manual selections as to which of his stats to increase. It’s as tedious as it sounds, and although there is some more Weird Stuff that pops up in these sections, it’s ultimately not worth the added tedium, especially since some other game elements like certain attacks have already taken a slower approach. It’s hard to imagine why simply selecting stat increases from a menu would not have been an improvement.
Other than these hiccups, the game flows like a dream – quite literally, in some moments. YIIK captures a certain slice of Americana, when end-of-the-world hysteria was peaking but before everyone had a Twitter account. Not every beat works perfectly (the NPC kid who says they hope their mother marries her new boyfriend because he “doesn’t hit me as hard” as their dad is rather uncomfortable, to say the least), but if you’re willing to “buy in” on the experience a bit and let yourself be swept into the motif of late-night internet sleuths ignoring real-world woes by diving headlong into the paranormal, you might be in for something special.
Conclusion
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a dazzling explosion of stylistic presentation and compelling strangeness. This might go down as “EarthBound for a new generation,” and much like EarthBound, the quality is difficult to score, since it is based less on the precision of design and more on an intangible, heartfelt payoff. While some gamers may not see anything special going on here, YIIK will likely really resonate with some players. If a Weird Stuff RPG appeals to you, strap in and prepare for a wild ride. Surreal themes aside, if you’re simply looking for an RPG experience on the Switch with far-out visuals, YIIK should satisfy your turn-based desires.
Comments 113
Looks similar to Saturday Morning RPG but with the visuals on acid
Throwing those 8's about today!
...yes. This sounds like my jam. I'm totally down for this. Might be the break I need before starting another 20 hours of fetch quests in Starlink.
Cool. I have this on my eShop's wishlist, so maybe on an empty month or sale, I'll dive.
@CptProtonX Is Starlink any good?
@CharlieSmile I don’t feel like every game needs to have a choice of male or female protagonist. This is the character they made for the story they’re telling.
@CharlieSmile
That attitude is not okay, the rejection of a story because it's from the perspective or viewpoint of a specific gender, race, or role.
The developer wanted to tell a story featuring a male protagonist and that should not be a taboo or a problem.
@Lord
You don't mean…
...no way… couldn't possibly be…
Or.. ?.. Do you mean to claim there exists other scores than 8 on this site?
@CharlieSmile
No, I really don't agree with this. A character is typiccally made for a story that fits the needs of the story. Something like that would cause a LOT more work, especially in an RPG.
Believe what you want, but by a logic AND storytelling standpoint, that makes no sense at all. A developers choice of protagonist like this is not a problem, nor should it ever become one.
@CharlieSmile Not every game can or should have customizable main characters, and skipping out on a game you would otherwise enjoy because of some complex you have about playing as men seems irrational at best.
@TAndvig I do like it...DIGITALLY.
I did get the retail version for the Christmas. A good hour in, I realized the Arwing ship wasn't worth the annoyance of the physical toy and the constraints involved with buying the pilots, weapons, and ships. I sold it off to a friend for $20 (he just wanted the ship), then I got the digital version for $30 with more content and no more hassles.
I do believe the game is pretty brilliant, and even more so on the Switch. The space travel, planet entry, and control of the Arwing are fully realized. I always get a kick of flying and leaving planet orbit.
Also, the Starfox team just leaves a great taste. I read a few times they aren't as pivotal, but they are actual characters in the game, interacting with the Equinox crew. They don't feel shoehorned as I had expected.
That said, this is a Ubisoft game. Constant fetch quests await you along the main story. Prepare to collect, upgrade, collect, upgrade...on and on.
Overall, a solid 8 for me. For $30 on the eShop, (and it will be again because Ubisoft has constant sales), I call it a no-brainer buy. Rock and Roll!
I’ll probably drop some dollaz on this game. I liked Undertale a lot, so I think this game could be really fun
@CharlieSmile VIDEOGAMES!
Was this review supposed to be postmodern to match the theme of the game? Gold star to anyone who made it all the way through that. I got as far as "Records will spin and obey your commands to drop the needle" before I gave it up as a bad job. The only thing I got from what I read it is that the writer is really enthusiastic about the theme of the game. I can't say it helped me decide whether to buy it or not, sorry.
@CharlieSmile That's a little unreasonable. I do understand where you're coming from, I'm a feminist myself, we need to be aware of diversity and representation more than ever, and we definitely need the option of either gender whenever the game allows, just like we do with transgender, people of colour, and more. But a huge percentage of games are based around a specific plotline, and can only work with the specific character the plot was written about. For example, Assassins Creed Syndicate allows you to choose a male character or a female character, because they are both characters in the story so to do so changes very little. Other stories, the main character is just a template for the player, so you can also choose male or female without causing issues. However with games where the main character and who they are is a focus of the story, this is impossible. For example, the Witcher 3 is written around Geralt, and Uncharted 4 is written around Nathan Drake. To implement a female character to these games would not only be an absolutely gargantuan task for a very small gain, requiring changes in storyline, new voice recordings (not just of the main character), changes to scenes etc, but would also completely change the piece of art away from what the writers/developers intended. In cases like that, forcing you to play as a male or female, and not giving you the option, is completely reasonable. Asking for a gender option in those type of games is the same as asking to watch the whole Harry Potter series with a girl actor taking Harry's place. Like, it's cool if you want that, but no studio is going to put the extra money and work into that for such a small benefit, and if for example Harry Potter was about Harry's struggles with puberty, and learning about girls, it would completely break the narrative.
I don't know enough about this game to say which type it is, but being an RPG, I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote it about a male character, and wanted it to be about that specific character, in the same way as the Witcher and Uncharted examples above, and if that's the case, they are completely justified forcing players into whatever character they want, and complaining that they don't allow you to play as a female is frankly misguided and unbeneficial. Based on what I can tell about this game from the video and review above, it seems like it's more taking the p out of the typical privileged white male than glorifying them, and if that's the case, it wouldn't even make sense with a female main character.
@hatch
Absolutely, representation matters, and this is why I feel that nobody should be dissuaded from representing who they want to represent.
YIIK isn't another game for a major developer who isn't representing a larger populous, but a smaller indie studio, I don't feel that such a developer should be pressured to do anything.
I also feel that representation among indie titles is quite nicely varied, I've enjoyed playing, or am looking forward to playing the likes of A Hat In Time, Iconoclasts, Timespinner, Celeste, Broken Age, games featuring a variety of different and unique protagonists.
The bottom line is that rejecting a story because of a protagonist's race or gender, is prejudiced.
Although that said, the games I've mentioned are because I'm interested in the gameplay or scenario, the characters can be incidental, but are a great way to discover new viewpoints and narratives.
@CharlieSmile I completely agree with you in principal and in general on the matter.
I will, however, try to play devil's advocate and say I can also understand if there is a specific aim to tell the story of certain group of people or person, then it makes sense as to the limited choice in characters. If I'm understanding the review correctly, its sounding like the goal is to tell a story of a privileged, white male from his point of view?
If that isn't the case, then I think its completely valid and reasonable to ask and question what about the story makes it where it couldn't be also told from a women's point of view.
@hatch thank you 💖
@CharlieSmile Wrong on every measurable level:
You are a biological male. You are not irrational because your opinion differs from those of others. You are irrational because you are wholly opposed to experiences that feature men in leading roles simply because they are men. You are going to miss out on many great experiences in life with that mindset — learn to embrace men rather than pretend they are the problem. Your life will be much richer for it.
That is a life lesson worthy of slapping on your 'Ten Year Challenge': "It only took the entire decade and a strongly-worded comment on Nintendo Life late in the game for me to learn what true equality is and drop my toxic anti-men sentiments, but I did it, and I'm better for it!"
@AstralOrange64 I'd normally be right there with you (Dark Souls comparisons, anyone?), but I think it's worth mentioning that the developers have always been the one to lead with describing it this way — http://www.useapotion.com/2015/10/interview-yiik-a-postmodern-rpg/
lol @ this comments section.
PS this game is not very good.
I think it ridiculous that people are jumping on CharlieSmile just because she expressed her preference for a game. I don't agree with her but I can understand her.
@hatch Agreed, there's still more progress that can be made towards fair representation. Some peoples and groups still have little to none, though representation itself is sometimes representative of demographics, and those vary between platforms and kinds of games.
That said, I feel it's wrong to try and improve representation of one group by attacking the representation of another.
@johncalmc Just read the main character is pretty much a tool. I like what I see in the visuals, but I can't tolerate obnoxious protagonists. So...eh. Probably a pass at this time on second thought.
@RupeeClock As I said in a previous post, I can understand if the specific goal of the game is to show a perspective of a white, privileged male and its of some substance and value to the discussion.
However, I have a hard time calling @CharlieSmile criticism "attacking" when, if we are gonna be honest, this is a perspective that tends to be the default for just about every form of entertainment. Entertainment as a whole isn't lacking in the white male perspective
@CharlieSmile usually I agree with you here but I can't this time. A game is made from the perspective that developers choose. It doesn't matter what year it is. They still have that freedom.
And you have the freedom not to play if the main character's genitalia are that important to you.
@saintayu conflating my statement on gender in RPGs with genitalia?
weird flex.
I were moderately interested in the game back when it was first announced (has it really been that long?), but it looked super slow, even in the trailer meant to make it look appealing, and it doesn't seem to be any better now, so I'm skipping this one.
Nice review! The game sounds weird but different. A bit Persona-like from what it sounds like. I can’t play it now as I’m knee deep in other games, but it will be added to the wishlist.
@oninowon
But...
She didn't state is as a preference.
I'm a bit dubious of this game. I saw some recent footage pre-release and the game's combat looks like some of the worst i've seen in an RPG.
The battles seem to drag on for ages since every basic attack has a QTE attached. Not a quick one like Paper Mario but a clumsy slow one. The main character has a record spin round for 5 seconds every time he executes his normal attack.
@CharlieSmile Same reason I wont play a Metroid or Tomb Raider game, why do I have to play as a female bounty hunter or tomb raider/action hero in 2019????? (SARCASM)
God this looks awful, an 8 sounds incredibly generous. Also burn this comment section jeez.
@CharlieSmile the fact that it's 2019 and people are complaining about nonsense like this makes me think we are devolving. You are complaining about the sex of an imaginary video game character in a game with no character customization options in the first place, this isn't normal behavior
@CharlieSmile I agree that representation is good, but for plot-focused games without much character customization, I think it's fine to have a set gender. Sure western RPGs basically let you create an avatar, but JRPGs and games that emulate them usually don't. I find it more to do with style rather than any sort of social or political message, though it doesn't have to be that way like Persona 3 Portable. I am not going read too much into it in this case especially since it's an indie game.
@CharlieSmile This is like if I didn’t want to play Celeste because the main character is female. Personally, I feel that the main chracter’s gender should not influence your decision to play a game (although I do agree that we need representation in video games).
It looks like the hipster child of Persona and Katamari Damacy.
O_o Pushsquare gave it a 5.
@oninowon lol what a white knight
@CharlieSmile lol. First of all there is no difference between sex and gender. And if you don’t think genitalia have anything to do with it... please take a biology class or something. You’re living in a fantasy world and wasting everybody’s time.
Honestly this game just looks like a bad psychedelic trip.
@RupeeClock @imgrowinglegs I am pretty sure that user is just trolling this comments section.
Citizens of Earth is probably my favorite Earthbound like rpg.
@CharlieSmile Seriously Charlie? It ain't that serious but go ahead and go march if you want.
@CharlieSmile it's not really weirder than saying this game doesn't have a female main character so I'm not going to play it.
@CurryPowderKeg79 There is hardly any games that feature characters in a gay relationship and if they do it is usually just someone trying to cash in on some pervy girl on girl sex scenes for all the straight guys to get off to. Thing is that isn't really a problem because those games simply aren't meant to appeal to someone like me. I think some people need to get over this narcissistic sense of entitlement where everything should be all about what they personally desire. No matter what you can't please everyone and diversity is all about not complaining about things that aren't meant for you.
@CurryPowderKeg79 Hahahaha. The sarcasm in your comment is STRONG.
Huckleberry?
@Majora101 Are people here really surprised that some dudette with the word "feminist" in her profile pic is being fragile/entitled? Lmao
Other than the pretentious sub title and the boring character design it has potential I am not a fan of the leads design very boring and tropey , Undertale was as post modern as it could get I wonder how they stack up against one another.
It takes place in 1999 but it looks like a bunch of damn millennals.
@CharlieSmile I'm with you 110%. And I've seen a few people comment saying that on a game as big as an RPG it's unfeasible to write multiple versions of a script to accommodate different genders. That's just lazy. Having just written a visual novel script (writer is my job) I can say, it's not unfeasible at all. Our team did it.
@RupeeClock Well put. I mean how often do we get to play as neckbeard hipsters anyway?
Some RPGs have the player play as the main character - it's your decisions that matter, so choosing gender matters.
But some don't - this game has a fixed main character. You are along for the ride - you might control the combat, but you don't control the dialogue or the interactions.
I completely understand why not everyone is up for this - it's not the gender that matters. It's the lack of control. I presume reskinning the main character isn't going to change anyone's purchase decision, based on that alone.
Anyway - this looks interesting to me and I love weird. But backlog is huge, so it's on my watch list.
@Achelexus Yup. Like 98% sure it's just trolling. Even actual women with real feminist ideals would be violently cringing at someone who takes a social justice stand over the gender of an imaginary character in a video game.
The answer to all of these issues is simply a plague or World War III, because these fake world problems people invent in their Adderallized minds are completely out of hand.
@hatch I agree with you. Representation is very important and I’m glad that there are people demanding that media address fair representation.
For me I don’t necessarily think the comment that triggered some of the responses on this page was entirely fair though. I’m all about diversifying the game development field beyond the majority white dudes that inhabit it, but until then we are going to be subjected to a limited amount of perspectives. It is what it is. Sure there are said game developers who have broadened the field, but the majority sort of stay in their comfort zone and recycle tropes.
At the same time it’s not right to criticize the game because of it. Comments like “I’m not playing/ watching/reading/etc.. because it’s about a guy” dilute the progressive debate and encourage one dimensional rhetoric. As a progressive it disappoints me to see people promoting shallow anti intellectual behavior like this.
I quite frankly find it absurd this game does not allow me to play as a dog. I will be holding off on a purchase until they rerelease the game with an option to do so and not just one breed this is 2019 we demand inclusion so unless every breed is fairly represented no buy.
On a serious note I won't be buying this. The hipster vibes are to much for me.
@NIN10DOXD I’d like to know what the two people who gave your comment a downvote particularly disliked about your very reasonable response.
Did anyone say ‘boo’ when both Alis and Alys were the main protagonists (female) of Sega’s classic Phantasy Star games? ... Lightning in Final Fantasy 13? Terra in Final Fantasy 6? No. The story was specifically written for them in their given games and they all just happened to be really badass. JRPGs (which, though the term neans ‘Japanese Role Playing Game’ is actually all encompassing of any game that fits a certain sub genre of RPGs) aren’t like western RPGs; you aren’t expected to create your own character. Instead, you’re there to experience the story from a certain point of view while gathering eclectic party members on the side the help flesh out other perspectives. When we (the fans) play JRPGs we go in knowing full well that a story is already setup and we’re there along for the ride, including the set perspective of the main protagonist.
To those people complaining here: Would you rather we go back to the generic structure of Final Fantasy 1, where generic avatars stood in for any and all people? Or would you agree that focusing on specific characters is the only real way to form any meaningful plot? CRPGs (the character builder kind: aka Baldur’s Gate, Elder Scrolls, Divinity. Ultima, D&D... etc) get away with the generic plotline because the story is more derived from the perspective and personality of your chosen hero (what you perceive the plot and character to be) and the various causes and effects of your actions along the way, slowly shaping the world (yes, Final Fantasy 1 is much more a CRPG than not). One is a true epic novel, while the other is a choose-your-own-adventure series. In my opinion, they both definitely deserve to exist and both grnres have amazing games that shouldn’t be missed by anyone. But it sounds to me like some people just don’t like what a JRPG offers; that is, a set world, with a set protagonist and a set goal, with all the other aspects of the story pointed back at said character.
To be honest, going by this review, I’m sold, but I need to read other reviews for a final opinion. At any rate, we should appreciate a game that dares to be different.
@Kal_ lol...you are right. However, some replies seem more of an attack on her and that is not right. As for the game, this is an easy pass for me.
Just bought this and I'm absolutely fuming that it won't let me play as Gimli's hairy dwarven nutsack. IT'S 2019, GODDAMIT.
Scratch that, just realised the lead character IS Gimli's hairy dwarven nutsack. Crisis averted.
@CharlieSmile if we're going the representation angle i think it'd be refreshing to have a unattractive protagonist
..................... Hmm.... Some people don't know what different kind of video games do in different....different.....ways...... never the same.....
What am I even talking about? What is the point am I getting at? Oh well
Disagree with you people saying "oh my I am force to play as a male character" in a certain video game......... What is wrong with your minds people? What about those popular games that makes you play as a Male character only? Mario, Link, etc....... Oh well..... Plus in this game you do have girls as playable characters for battles at least.
Nobody is owed having everything catered specifically to their one most-wanted issue.
And they're not being oppressed over not having everything catered to their issue, either.
But I guess if one can't dominate people's attention and conversation in reality, one has to try and do it on the internet.
Wasn't Sheep Man a joke of a Mega Man character lol?
So this game IS what I thought it would be: A modern Earthbound. This definitely ticks all the right boxes for me. "Weird Stuff RPG" indeed. Here's a mini list of weird for everyone's enjoyment
Earthbound
Contact
Citizens of Earth
High Strangeness
I'm not sure if I want the game or not, but this has been a fairly entertaining comment section.
@NotTelevision what is wrong with "white dudes" in game development?
@ArronFerg have you written a version that is told from the perspective of a different ethnic background or a different sexual preference??
This sounds quite interesting. I might pick it up after I finish Tales of Vesperia.
It is very nice to see an indie game that is not vomiting more 8-bit wannabe graphics and is not yet another "Not-Link-to-the-Past" or cookie cutter platformer.
I have been eyeing this game for a bit .... Do want to pick it up. The little I played of earthbound was interesting, so I do want to play this. Also it's not another 8 bit game.... Kinda burned out on those right now! Want something else, more animated games (hollow Knight, Forgotten Anne, Gris) or of different visuals.
This comment section though..... Can't have anything anymore because X thing is missing. haha
Oh no. Nintendo Life puts a virgin neckbeard to review a pretentious SJW game. What could go wrong?!
This dude compared a classic with a garbage.
@CharlieSmile Don't give in to the people who don't understand the problem you've pointed out. The thing about people with an inherent privilege is that they don't think they have it.
CharlieSmile is a master troll.
A wild feminist approaches!
@ArronFerg what bearing does what your team was capable have on what another developer is able or willing to do? Not every company has the budget or timeline to develop multiple perspectives or playable characters. And not every company would even feel the need to do so if they didn’t feel it had an important or relevant impact on the story they were telling. If not wanting to have a playable character of another race or orientation in your game is tantamount to laziness, well that’s a big screw you to any game with a single playable protagonist, be them male, female, or otherwise. You are arguing from annecdote; a logical fallacy masquerading as an argument in @hatch ‘s terms so to speak.
While there certainly have been inordinate amounts of ad hominem and other fallacies being thrown around after Charlie’s comment, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a comment worded as poorly as it is would be perceived as discrimination. Forgive me if I’m being too generous but my guess is the comment was meant to say something along the lines of “it’d be preferred if this title had stronger representation of diversity” rather than “its bad I have to play a game with only a male protagonist in 2019”. One argues in favour of a belief, and the other discriminates against a group. Replace “male” with “POC” or “female” or “LGBTQ member” and you see why this sort of comment just feels unnecessary and provocative in how it gets it’s point across.
This game looks bad, and you are all idiots.
@CharlieSmile You must be joking or just want the attention with a comment like that. So we should stop writing books about men too? Maybe we can go and rewrite a male version of Alice in Wonderland to be safe? We can call it Alan in Wonderland.
Absurdity.
Also, it's ok because although the male protagonist identifies primarily as male, he cross dresses on Tuesday nights and attends feminist rallies. So you should really play it since you're a feminist.
Oh great, another mediocre "Look guys! I'm earthbound!"
Maybe it's okay but not everyone can be undertale.
Also something charliesmile something something Yikes
I have mixed feelings on this one. The graphics are delightfully quirky but also basic and kind of ugly and look to have about as many polygons as an early GameCube title. I like retro pop culture references and weirdness to an extent, but I don't like existential or psychedelic themes. I like a good amount of dialogue, but too much of it is frustrating. However, the deal breaker is the slow gameplay as mentioned in some of the comments. QTEs can liven up a turn-based RPG, but they should be used in moderation and still quickly enough not to drag the entire combat system down to a crawl. Having to slowly, manually assign your stat boosts after each level up then makes the issue even worse. I'll pass.
@Bunkerneath it's roughly about a million times better and really isn't anything like S.M.R.P.G
I love this game. If this doesn't instantly make you want to play it then don't. it's that simple.
Might pick this up at a slight discount. I saw a vid of the first hour of play. I'm not a fan of the self narration that Alex does. It takes me right out of the experience as it feels like the game is dictating to me how I should feel and react to it rather than letting me sus that out for myself. It's also rather annoying. Voice acting so far is a bit hit or miss.
Lastly from what I've seen, the Switch version has some very bad load times for battles. Battles take about 8~10 seconds to load into every time. I wish this had been mentioned in the review
@CharlieSmile Sheesh, you want a girl role, make a game yourself.
No story writer should be forced to make the main character have a girl or boy version if they dont want to.
We really got to the point where people cant even share stories how they want. Sad.
Usually if I see a game described as even remotely Lynchian, I dive on it. However, in this case something is pulling me back. It's probably a combination of those visuals, and the fact that my little one won't let go of my switch since Mario Bros Deluxe dropped!
The sight of the man character alone turns me away. As if pretentious hipsters weren't annoying enough in real life.
@CharlieSmile What's wrong with a male protagonist, especially if it's tied to the game's plot? The review says something about the hipster guy being a "privileged" person, so his whiteness and maleness seems relevant (unlike the "30-something white guy with brown hair and stubble" which is the boring, "safe" choice and may as well be a gray blob).
It's actually unusual in a western-developed RPG to have a specific main character, unlike JRPGs which this game seems to emulate. Most western RPGs, from ancient Rogue to modern Fallouts, lets the player create any kind of character and change race, gender and looks as much as the engine can handle. Having a specific main character is actually more of a novelty for the genre than being able to make one.
@Mew Don't you mean YIIKes?
@Edrick;)
@CharlieSmile will you not read a book if they force the gender of the main character on you? How about movies?
@CharlieSmile What if the RPG has a story focused on or written around the game having a premade player character?
It's the year 2019, but that doesn't mean that every game has to pander and provide a gender option and character creator. No, not even RPG's, where I would prefer a character creation of some sort and do 99% of the time want a female protagonist. I 100% guarentee you wouldn't be complaining if there was only a female protagonist with no option for male.
Yea, females protagonists are still outnumbered by male ones, but if somebody wants to create a fixed protagonist and they happen to be male, sit down and let that person create that, FFS.
This game looks really good, I might get it.
Also, what is this comment section? haha, "privileged white males" always cracks me up so hard, I highly dislike these people wanting to have the "choice" of female/male protagonist in every game, it just isn't possible, it's a non-issue, grow up.
Jesus Christ why do I read the comments on this website
This game doesn't look like its up my ally, not a fan of how all over the place the art style looks.
@CharlieSmile you're either a White Knight Defender of Social Injustice, looking to cash in on that gimmick. But sadly never will, until ironically the coroner morbidly defiles you postmortem.
Or, this account is a troll. You don't even get to choose your race, name, gender, voice, or hair color in a plethora of RPGs. Get over the minuscule things, and more people will take the validity of your agenda in the larger context and issues, much much more seriously.
@CharlieSmile I’m always for more representation if only to see things from other perspectives. Representation really helps but it should be used to reflect our reality rather than forced if that makes any sense. We live in a melting pot of people so I never understood why our media doesn’t reflect that. However I don’t understand your problem with identifying with a white male character in general. Spider man Peter Parker I identify with more than Miles Morales despite my race. Why do you find it difficult, I wonder?
I think the whole world has gone nuts. You have one side saying I can’t play games because it stars a white male and you’ve got the other side that says if you want more representation in media, then you’re racist against whites and too hung up on race with everyone failing to the big picture of the potential of what media can offer with a variety of perspectives, white men included. The people that suffer most are developers hearing all this noise when all they want is constructive feedback to reach the broadest possible audience.
@nintendolife
IMO, the reviewer using the term “white boy” sounds a bit derogatory. There’s was some very poor wording there.
Genderists and feminists now even use game reviews for their complains? Do you know the background story of the developer? That their mother was lying on the dying bed? This game is meant to be how it is and there is no need to complain if it has a male or female protagonist.
@CharlieSmile Than just don't play this game if it doesn't suit you!
Look at all the triggered snowflakes in the comments.
@Arcamenel got nothing to do with being triggered. It's just a fact lol
All these people wanna play games a certain way but forget it's the story writers work of art. They shouldn't have to bend over for anyone.
If someone wants a girl,boy,black,Asian,white,gay, Mexican, trans, etc leading character ....they should make their own story and game.
It's that simple.
@KosmicStove That’s how I feel for the most part except I feel that if they CAN be more inclusive then do so. If not then simply follow your original vision and let no one stop you.
Apologise to David Lynch
@CharlieSmile Jesus. It looks like these people are desperate for likes by trying to prove you wrong.
It's just her opinion. Who cares? Y'all were defending a really shitty game anyways.
@CharlieSmile Screw Super Mario Odyssey and BoTW amiright?
I hate how Mario and Link don't have female counterparts that you can play the game through with! Smh /s
@Gluff You too Gluff.
@MBII don't tell people to shut up, you need to hit ignore, like I've just done!
@Achelexus funny to see all the red necks picking on someone then going on about how they're over reacting. Self awareness is not your strong point.
Well..the first time I hear anyone talking positive about this mess of an unpolished, tedious "game".
I have to say, I've been playing through and enjoying this game, and I was wondering for a while if there was anyone calling it good online! It's nice to know I'm not the only one enjoying YIIK!
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