YIIK: A Post Modern RPG Is Straight Out Of Bizarrotown – But In A Good Way – Review (PC)

There’s a quote from the film Safety Not Guaranteed that says, “there’s no sense in nonsense, especially when the heat’s hot.” YIIK A Post Modern RPG throws this concept completely out the window. Though the heat is hot in Frankton during the 25 plus hours you’ll play this game, you’ll experience nothing but wonderfully crafted nonsense.

Story

While not nearly as confusing of a game as something like Kingdom Hearts, YIIK will have you spinning on your head as you try to piece together this intricate tale that takes place over the last year of the 20^th century.

Our protagonist is Alex, a twenty something Gen X’er recently home from college who thinks he’s ready to take on the world. Little does he know that soon enough he’ll have to do just that and more. After a brief stop at home where he finds an empty house and a shopping list, Alex is soon to have adventure of a lifetime. Armed with his favorite record and the aforementioned shopping list, Alex spots a cat that is just as mesmerizing as it is hideous. He follows the cat to an abandoned warehouse where the adventure begins.

Upon entering the warehouse Alex avoids a string of obstacles that leads him to a girl who claims to live in the abandoned property. Soon after meeting the girl Alex watches her disappear as if an other worldly being has broken all laws of time and space in an attempt to snatch her from her current existence.

Unsure of whether or not what he had witnessed was real, Alex can’t help but feel a sudden loss for the girl even though he had just met her.

This increasing feeling of missing someone he barely knew overtook his every waking breath until he finally knew what must be done. Alex was going to find Sammy if it was the last thing he ever did.

Shortly after these events Alex was on his computer and came across a mysterious website which had video proof that what he saw actually happened.

As Alex pulls on the thread, unraveling everything he knew about life and his very own existence, he’ll embark on a journey that will ask more questions than it answers. Along the way he’ll find a party of friends that he’s been searching for his entire life. In the end every character that he crosses paths with will be changed. Each one cut from the same cloth and brought together for the single purpose of going on this journey together.

Gameplay

YIIK plays out like a JRPG from the late 90s and early 2000s. Set in 1999, the game stays true to that setting and feels as though it could have been released during the time period. You’ll traverse through the overworld heading from town to town exploring each one along with a number of dungeons along the way.

Battles are turn based, but unlike any turn-based RPG in recent memory. Each character yields a weapon specifically designed to represent their character. As mentioned earlier, Alex is a hipster that is armed with a series of records, each more powerful than the last. To attack his enemies, you need to hit the attack button in designated color area as the record spins. Hitting the red area will continue the spin, enabling you to really hit your enemy with a powerful attack. Other characters are armed with weapons such as cameras, key-tars, and hacky sacks, just to name a few. The battles are relentless, and you can never let your guard down. Enemies will send a barrage of attacks your way and each attack can be blocked or dodged by performing a series of events in real time. Looking away for a second can cause serious damage to befall you, so it is imperative that you always stay aware.

The enemies vary from generic smiley faces to knockoff Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or Samurai Tortoises as they are called here). Though the enemies and dungeons are quite varied, the dialogue they spit at you can become quite repetitive. The dialogue during the battles is easily the weakest part of the game. You soon tire of hearing “I said no anchovies” not long after a battle begins.

The dungeons range from a sewer to the inside of character’s minds. Each one has puzzles that are well thought out and challenging and. with only one difficulty and a hint system that tends to be a little vague at times, you’ll find yourself wandering around aimlessly on occasion until you catch a break and solve the puzzle. In one particularly challenging dungeon there were somewhere between 6-8 rooms to explore and the only hint was something like “get all the band members to the stage.”

Direction is something YIIK is lacking from the very beginning and, unless you know the hint option exists on the menu, you may find it hard to navigate through the early chapters of the game.

Luckily the game has a very forgiving save system. You can save the game at any phone and, since it was late 1999, there are payphones everywhere!

Along with saving, you can also enter the Mind Dungeon from the payphones. The Mind Dungeon is where you will use the precious experience points earned in battle in order to level up. Leveling up requires 100 points in order to move to the next floor and upgrade your stats. How you upgrade is up to you. Each floor has four doors, each with a skill or stat upgrade available. Which stats you upgrade can be choosen before you enter each door, so how you enhance your statistics is completely up to you.

Though the game looks aged, the controls and gameplay feel quite modern – giving that nice blend of nostalgia and tight gameplay.

Graphics and Sound

YIIK has nice, simplistic art style that helps it feel like a classic RPG. The characters look great in pop-up images when they dive into moments of inner monologue and conversation. The colors really pop and, though simplistic, the game still looks good.

The sound is where the game excels from a technical aspect. With a wide range of tunes from a plethora of musicians, including indie darling Toby Fox himself, the soundtrack will have you humming along in no time.

Each battle is perfectly set to music making each one a choreographed work of art.

Recommendation

Though not without its faults, specifically on the dialogue front, YIIK is a fun well crafted RPG that has been years in the making. With a surprisingly meaty run time of 25+ hours and a battle system that will keep you on your toes, fans of old school RPGs will find a lot to love here. The story is fascinating, though completely insane, and you’ll never find yourself bored. For all of the WTF moments in the game there were some incredibly well-written, heartfelt moments that you’ll think about long after the credits roll. There is plenty of humor in the game as well, specifically during the load screens. You’ll want to read each tip they give you because they are hilarious.

YIIK A Post Modern RPG launches on January 17, 2019 on the PS4, Switch and Steam.

*YIIK A Post Modern RPG was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*

Check out our Review Guide to see what we criteria we use to score games.