Yiik Fiction

It's insane how bad this game is, but it really shows the devs passion. It has love, but low intelligence. Pretentious as shit, involuntarily funny, weird characters, weird moments, weird jokes, weird artstyle, weird OST, weird level design, weird story. This game is the definiton of weird.

An amateur work made by passionated developers. It has a very human side to it, like watching a baby trying to walk. It tries, but it's hard for him. The attacks tried to be very Paper Mario-like. But it failed because it was so over-designed for a single attack.

It's a reflection of the dev team. They wanted to make something special. That doesn't mean it has to be objectively good, but it needs the soul to shine. I like what they tried to do, not the execution itself.

I ended up watching on Youtube because I got stuck on a boss.

I'll update/add a segment were I talk about I.V once it's out. A big update made 4 years later for free.

YIIK is an RPG that likes a lot of things from better RPGs but doesn't seem to understand why they like them. As such, this game incorporates lots of RPG elements, sometimes cheating off another game's work.

YIIK has a large roster of party members you can choose from, though several characters aren't really good in combat, generally unimportant in the story, or just like, aren't developed beyond several shallow traits. Refer to anyone who isn't Alex, Vella, or kind of Rory. It has minigames in its combat like other better games, but some minigames take much too long to do, are boring to play, or just aren't worth using like, at all. It also has dungeons, as RPGs often do, however they can feel bloated at times with puzzles that are either too easy, pointlessly tedious, or completely stupid. There's also overworld items you can use to get rid of obstacles around you or traverse land, think Mother 3's wall staples, though it kind of forgets about these partway through after getting the first one or two and so it just gives you like three at once after a while which is pretty funny.

YIIK's story is kind of interesting on paper, but then kinda gets lost in itself halfway through the game. Though, the game seems to act like that's kind of the point because the world is falling apart. Once you get past Vella's dungeon the game's story just kinda goes completely south in my opinion.

I also really don't like Alex's characterization. I know he's supposed to be an unlikable asshole and that's his thing, but like he just kind of stays that way? Like there are scenes that show he questions his actions but he can just like, not care, it's admittedly pretty funny. I also don't know why anyone hangs out with him at any point since he's always like this but I digress, I can suspend my disbelief. What I don't like is how the game doubles back on this with like zero warning, where Alex becomes a bleeding heart who regrets all the horrible things he's said and done to everyone and takes it upon himself to be the hero after finally learning his lesson. And that would be fine, but he just like doesn't progress, like, at all. Like the writers want you to feel for this guy who's done nothing but be a self-centered prick to everyone and anyone, and obviously no one wants to feel bad for a dickhead like that, so the writers just kind of, pretend he's a changed man? Either he's an asshole for the rest of the game, or he has a believable arc. pick a lane.

There's lot's of controversial stuff in the game's story too (See Golden Alpaca, Semi Park's death, Michael, and more stuff I probably forgot) but I don't much feel like indulging it more than I have to.

If anything, I respect how dedicated the devs are to fixing this game more than anything, 1.4 footage that's been released seems genuinely enticing. In its current state though, I'd treat it more like a gruesome trainwreck. Stay away from it unless you're dying to see how bad it gets. Wait for a sale though.

CW: mentions of suicide, spoilers later on

I want to go on record for the most part and say that I love YIIK for what its concept is and what it sets out to do. I can really see the amount of love they poured into this project, however flawed it may be, and I will defend its existence in whatever way I can. That said I wish I could score it higher but I have the same gripes with everyone else about the gameplay and dialogue.

The gameplay is slow-paced and downright unreadable in some situations, such as that one pixel minigame where you have to parry that weird yellow smiley ball guy and there's no telegraphing barring the split second window the game gives you. And, as a bonus, if you miss at any point the remaining characters also get hit. The system offers no breathing room with the action-based combat so learning new skills comes with a toss-up rather than being a new and engaging way to play the game. If you completely miss the action, you won't hit at all. There's also this weird elemental system that feels sort of shoved in? I find it weird to have an elemental system in a game where none of the characters use elemental magic. All that combined with the fact that the fastest of battles take at least 20 seconds wears down on my excitement pretty fast. There's also random encounters when you travel in the overview map which is really not for me. I was getting kind of annoyed trying to find the right town to go to and find a crosswalk and having those aforementioned battles really felt like padding. I feel like the random encounters should have been put into the dedicated monster dungeons they had. Dungeons were also not very much fun for me as any puzzles kinda felt slow to operate or were kind of clunky. I seriously can't believe that they have two types of barriers that require different abilities to be removed. Surely you can do better than that.

There was also some functionality issues with one part of the first dungeon. There's this one part where you're supposed to aim and throw a cat in a direction to flip a lever, but it's meant to be played with a controller which means that you're meant to have an analogue stick for it, which means that I had to use my ARROW KEYS FOR ANALOGUE. Only by sheer miracle was I able to get those levers.

That aside, YIIK really delivers well on the overall vibes. The graphics, music and atmosphere are top-notch especially when it leans into the unsettling surrealism part, such as Wind Town at night or the Warehouse. I also loved the world seemingly breaking apart and changing art direction as Y2K approaches, ripping apart the universe. I could also stare at the title screen all day, it's so soothing~

The story, however, I could sadly not say the same. Unfortunately, it's presented in the worst way possible with it explained with long monologues presenting all these in-universe concepts as matter-of-fact within the main plot, rather than letting the player experience them unfiltered and learning more about them through reading and side quests. The Soul Space and leaving one's own universe through emotional distress is an intriguing and nuanced concept that gets talked about as if it's supposed to be normal and we're as dumb as Alex for not knowing about it before. Don't get me wrong, these concepts can work! They just need breathing room to be digested. I think Homestuck does a great job with that in its beginning pages, with it letting the reader slowly understand the rules of the universe and rewarding them with humor and awesome battle sequences. YIIK's presentation made my brain hurt.

It's also hard to see how this ties in with the game's supposed message about self-improvement and becoming a better person, at least within the main route. That message in of itself is scattered and has no narrative structure save for a few actions. One being Alex's neglectfulness of his studies placing his mom in a state of financial worry that doesn't amount to anything considering it gets resolved WITHOUT Alex manning up and getting himself a job. The other is causing Rory's suicide. Instead of taking responsibility and changing his actions to try and improve himself later on, he just talks to himself about how much of a shitty person he is and continues to keep the focus on himself. And the universe affirms him for it. Even in the alternate ending RORY'S GHOST FORGIVES HIM, WHAT???

It's funny that the song's one track by Toby Fox made me care about this game more than anything. Don't get me wrong, all of the music sounds great but Toby's is phenomenal. It might even be my favorite of his. It's a simple chiptune battle track, but it's hauntingly somber like a lonely voice crying out for a sense of purpose. This is paired with the album cover they chose for the official OST release, while just being a random screenshot from the upcoming YIIK I.V, still managed to tell a story. Alex ashamedly looking at a wide-eyed Sammy for some sort of guidance or comfort but seeing that she's just as scared as he is. I even came up with a line from the song's melody. It's cheesy, I know, but good music is a very powerful tool for conveying messages and not just emotions and tone.

"You thought you were ready to embrace change, but you didn't expect the change to change you."

If I'm being honest with myself, I would've wanted to take this story in a completely different direction about Alex being thrust into adult life and him avoiding his responsibilities and new-found feelings through bizarre adventures that only serve as a mere distraction. His own feelings of inferiority masked by a huge ego and attitude being slowly brought down as he realizes how pointless his adventuring is and how much joy he gets out of being with his friends. Sammy and the Essentia could stay as misleading and antagonistic distractions, but the culmination could be Alex finally realizing that none of this is actually worth the battle. I don't know, I think this game has hindered my rationalizing skills a bit.

I cannot stress enough though, how excited I am for YIIK I.V and how it addresses all of its current flaws. The new battle system looks great and snappy, if a bit disorienting. I also like that they're tapping into the surrealism, and flexing their scripting muscles with new cutscenes. It looks like they're planning on keeping the monologues in but they're making them more interesting by presenting Alex an MC at an open mic night recounting his tales, which is a fair enough compromise if the devs are that keen about keeping that vision for him. I personally don't think I.V will solve all of its problems, but it will definitely make things more interesting and I respect the hell out of the devs for standing by their game.

The only game I would truly describe as "Lovecraftianly bad". Not only does it find new and exciting avenues to being bad every 10 minutes or so: after playing Yiik you are permanently scarred with it, a small section of Yoourk brain is tainted with the sickness. As Yoouk thiink about it more and more, the void where your sentiience Yuused to be grows. The more you ponder, the less iit makes sense. Untiilk your sense of self is eroded away and you are left shaking, vibrating with motion.

I named my real life cat after one of the characters in it. So know this 2.5 is not because the game is miid. But because it exiists in a simultaneous 0.5 and 5.0.

Timeline of events:

I'm a games writer, and I was feeling bad about my work. I'm also a fan of postmodernist fiction. I thought: "Surely, comparing what I like and what I do to YIIK, a notoriously awful game, I'll feel better about myself." I bought it later, when it was on sale.

Now, I've played an hour and 9 minutes of it.

I did not know.

Even four years down the line, YIIK's developers do not understand... anything that makes a game coherent, and hold somebody's attention. We can't even talk about "good" here - this is not in the same star system as a "good" game.

At the start it's a thousand pinpricks. As it continues, they ramp up and turn into drills. And make no mistake: No video essay talking about it can make you understand how bad that feels to play.

Basic feedback for most player actions is absent; actions such as setting the Panda-barrier cannot be cancelled out of; the music meanders without skill or purpose; the graphical style has small inconsistencies and errors that would've been easily fixed, but never were; NPCs are either cardboard, or just the worst babblers I've ever seen anyone write. Statements that could take 2-3 text boxes and one selection screen take 20.

I genuinely thought this game could make me feel better; instead, I feel like I smugly punched a kid. With less time, fewer resources, more rudimentary tools, *I, and YOU* could create something better than this.

I spent money, and that's fine. I also put part of my soul as tribute on it when I put it in comparison to what I do, thinking that comparison would be anything but a let-down. And that is not fine. I want my soul back, YIIK.

I've abandoned it. I don't intend on picking it up again, even if it updates. Don't buy it. It's not even funny; it's just sad, and will make you feel sad, too.

This game is buggy, occasionally appalling design and writing that is often contrived, but that doesn't stop it from also having an odd charm, solid aesthetic, an often great soundtrack and sequences that border on art house. It seems the studio is taking steps to correct almost every complaint about the game (shorter monologues, persona-esque combat, instant level ups, battle balancing, reworking of tone-deaf bosses), though too little too late for most, is always something I can respect. I can guarantee every .5 review is from someone who came to a conclusion through video essays. I 100%ed this shit, and let me tell you, it is far from irredeemable. I'm not here to recommend it, just to say there is clearly a lot of passion and good ideas here, even if their execution didn't pay off. Though most won't make it far enough, the ending is admittedly quite brilliant.