Heartbreak, subsistence, and resurgence are typical emotive beats to plot with for many a narrative, and Sayonara Wild Hearts uses an interactive visual album in the style of endless runners and vertical scrollers to develop a queer protagonist's turn from heartbreak to resurgence into the world she once knew. Brevity befits the experience (replayability enhances it, albeit the riddles and Arcade modes do not interest me) as wonderful pop tracks from Simogo mainstays Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng back dreamlike, neon sequences of travel through cities and forests and seas in search of what is lost. This reminds me now of Pop. Love. Panic! (a.k.a. We Are OFK) in a significant improvement of flow and use of these music video-esque levels, but the necessary attachment to the story requires both a love of the music and the ability to attach meaning to the chaotic events happening onscreen as the player dodges obstacles, projectiles, and checkpoint-restarting QTEs. If all that sounds good, this is another example of why Simogo (and Annapurna Interactive) are among the best in the business.

On first play-through, this game feels like a pretty short, maybe forgettable romp. Go back for the gold medals though, and soon enough, like listening to an album over and over, it grows on you. Before you know it, you'll be singing all the tunes in the shower.

I would never have picked this up if it wasn't gifted to me, but I'm so glad I did. The feeling of nailing a run after a bunch of tries using muscle-memory and rhythm is super satisfying. Weirdly, the gameplay sometimes feels like a more refined and deeper take on 3D-era Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega should take some inspiration from this.

Sayonara Wild Hearts does not care about being a video game. It has interactive elements, but they are purely in the service of making its audio and visual experience cooler and more meaningful. Gameplay loops between an auto-runner format, a flight simulator, and various timing based quick-time events without any warning, as it's unnecessary for what Sayonara Wild Hearts is trying to accomplish. The only thing that matters is that you follow the line that makes you part of the music video that is its world and get to act out some truly breathtaking visuals in an artistic representation of finding yourself, your heart, and your muse in life again. As a creative endeavor and a passion project, it is a sublime use of video games as a medium.

It's also kind of a bad rhythm game. While SWH appears to be on tracks, all movement is done via a very slow and gentle drift, meaning that the occasional QTE is the only real 'on the beat' action a player has to perform. Enemy patterns are rendered trivial as long as you follow the trail of breadcrumbs that give you points, levels that don't end in a boss fight are pitifully short, and each of the game's gimmicks only really provides a difference to movement, with no real meaningful 'feel' changes outside of one level where the enemy you're pursuing snaps on the beat, warping between two realities with each snap. Sayonara Wild Hearts is at its best as a video game when it manages to marry its music with the thrust of its levels, and it does this... I dunno, maybe three times, and only for parts of its longer 'boss' levels that serve to be the game's showpiece moments?

If it's your favorite game ever and an unforgettable experience, I get it. The use of the visuals with the music alone and how you naturally feel like you're brought along for the ride in an incredibly intimate way is an almost wholly unique experience. But the game ranks you, it has points, it asks to be treated as a rhythm game, and as such... I just don't think it uses its gameplay in service of its music very well. Conceptually, absolutely, but the feel isn't there. When the timing of your QTE's is off, the music fades and pauses and sort of just wrecks the vibe. And yeah, messing up the QTE is your fault, but it's the first time you're hearing the song and the prompt for the proper timing has a weird visual indicator! It's consistent stumbles like that which keep Wild Hearts from being an all-time favorite and more an incredibly novelty.

Here's my Steam review, verbatim:

Every original idea this game has is a good one. Gameplay-wise, you're looking forward to a highly replayable and deeply innovative experience. It's fast-paced action tied to some pretty decent music. I'd describe its raw appeal as being not too dissimilar to Rayman Legends' music stages with lane runner elements similar to modern Sonic the Hedgehog games. Don't let the comparisons fool you though; its gameplay is truly a creative marvel to behold.

Thematically, however? You're looking forward to a lot of tropes from the past decade reused without bringing much to the table. In a lot of ways, it feels very regressive, and I fear that the game will struggle to age well. The tarot cards, the zodiac, the naming schemes, the Japanese onomatopoeia... No matter how tired a trope is, it can always be utilised cleverly. You just won't find that here.

The story is also sort of wishy-washy and vague, but I think there's some amount of intention to its vagueness, and I can sort of appreciate it. The game's most interesting "narrative" is really the way its gameplay evolves and changes, rather than its story.

If the trailer and description has you interested, it'll be absolutely worth your time. If you're on the fence, then you'll still get SOMETHING from it, but I can't say it'll be the intended experience. Still probably worth it, though. Just don't expect more than an hour or so of game content before the credits roll.

If you like Queen Latifah, however, you should buy this game.

A beautiful and funky little interactive music album. Simogo clearly put so much love and passion into making fun levels to match the amazing music by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng. This is a soundtrack that I’ll always love with its great use of synths taking influence from various classical pieces. Queen Latifah was also a really fun choice for a narrator, apparently only being gotten last minute, she suits the vibe of the game perfectly. I really recommend this game, it doesn’t take too long to beat and is very replayable, perfect for someone wanting some good vibes.

Sayonara Wild Hearts não é só um jogo.
É uma mídia que proporciona uma experiência musical. É um jogo e um álbum de música ao mesmo tempo.
E, como uma boa música, te traz algo a mais do que só uma melodia.
O jogo traz consigo a mensagem de que você não precisa ser algo que você não é pelos outros. Não é porque as coisas dão errado, que as coisas falham, que tem algo errado com você. Seja gentil com você mesmo.
Jogue o jogo, tenha sua própria experiência e aprecie tudo que o jogo tem a oferecer.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a musical action-rhythm game that's maybe an hour long. That said, it's one of the best hours you can spend gaming.

A very abstract queer adventure in very creative levels revolving around collecting various hearts to boost your score while jamming to pop music. Every level feels unique and interesting with a lot of them introducing new mechanics for the player.

This game is an absolute joy. Its visuals are low-poly yet stylish, the color scheme is fantastic, and the story, as minimal as it is, made me cry.

The replay value is also there if you're up for it with 24 hidden achievements for which the game gives hints and a few collectibles per level (which also give a boost to your score!)

It's a fun time reminiscent of games like Space Channel and should not be missed.

Sayonara: Wild Hearts is a musical action game by Simogo that puts the player in control of a woman with a broken heart as she explores the surreal world inside her mind. It's also the source of the prettiest migraine I have ever had.

Speaking purely in terms of presentation, Sayonara is an achievement on its own. Using the familiar motifs of tarot arcanas, the game establishes its protagonist and the antagonists in gorgeously animated 3D scenes that seamlessly merge into the gameplay. Tension builds up and releases along with the beats, which are in themselves are a treat for the synthwave enjoyers out there. There are also some fantastic designs that mesh the ideas around sound and music to the level in unexpected and mindblowing ways, the Stereo Lovers stage being my uncontested favorite.

But there is such a thing as too much color, too much flashing and too much motion. Having finished the game in a single sitting just over an hour long, I walked away with a headache so bad, the mere thought of playing the game again to attempt high scores or solve the riddles felt terrifying. I shiver to think of someone with actual epilepsy trying this game out, as even for me, as beautiful as the motorcycle ride through the Heartbreak Subspace was, it's hard to tell if it was worth it in the end.

Plus, as wondrous as the sights are, the gameplay lacks the mechanical precision that one would expect from a game tagged as rhythm. Controls feel floaty and the intense use of perspective and unusual framing leads to lots of avoidable mistakes when dodging or swaying. Plus, the intended movement rarely matches the beat, which means this is less of a musical game and more a game with music playing along the action. These are all intentional design decisions, mind you, and they work very well for what the game is trying to achieve, but it bears saying that this won't scratch the rhythm game itch nor does it have that extensive, satisfying replayability those games tend to have.

All in all, Sayonara: Wild Hearts merits a recommendation, but a very cautious one. You have to know what you’re getting into, and you should have some aspirin nearby just in case.