Sayonara Wild Hearts – Review
Sayonara Wild Hearts is perfectly self described as a “pop album video game.” It sits somewhere between a music visualizer and an auto-runner with a deep focus on music and visuals. The color pallete of blues and purples pop off the screen, and are perfectly paired with the insanely catchy soundtrack. Game mechanics are kept to a minimum, but it’s more about the overall experience than anything else.
As it begins, the game feels a bit like a bedtime story as a narrator starts us off on our journey. We’re introduced to our heroine as she falls into another world where she becomes “The Fool” and has to take on the numerous villains she encounters. Though it’s a bit on the vague side, Sayonara Wild Hearts’ tale of romance, arcana, and motorbike gangs feels like a wild dream.
Progressing through the game’s twenty-three levels will take you to a variety of locations, with a few that even have different gameplay mechanics. The premise, however, is always simple… progress to the end of the level while collecting hearts and avoiding attacks. Throughout the levels there are rhythm based quick time events to jump, punch, and perform other actions as well. Each level feels intense and fast paced to get through, and is perfectly paired with the music. The most delightful part is how the action will surprise you, throwing you total curveballs to change things up. There are a few sections that took a bit of trial and error but, if you fail too many times, you’ll be offered to skip just that particular section if you’d like.
The game’s total length is about an hour, but there is a scoring system that adds replayability for those that chase high scores. Even without that feature, the overall experience is so stimulating and beautiful that you’ll want to go back and play it just to experience it all again. There’s also a mysterious “Zodiac Riddles” portion of the menu that we have yet to figure out.
The only thing breaking up the impeccable flow of the title is how you are taken out of the game each time a level is completed in order to start the next. Once the game is completed, a feature called “Album Arcade” is unlocked that allows you to play the entire game uninterrupted. In addition, the narrator throughout the game can feel a bit out of place. Though she only chimes in at the beginning and end of levels, she says a few things that were more on the cringey side and did not fit the overall feel of the game.
Overall, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a fantastic celebration of pop music and spectacular visuals. Its run time is a perfect length for multiple playthroughs, and the songs will be stuck in your head long after the credits roll. Turn down the lights, crank up the volume, and remember – Wild hearts never die!
