Sapphic Sonic the Hedgehog with rhythm game elements that also features motorcycles, anime battles between women that use both martial arts AND sword-fighting, AND it has robots AND lasers AND skeletons; as a one-and-done aesthetic experience Sayonara Wild Hearts is pretty fucking awesome. It's got cute themes going on too, but it is pretty lucky it's such a short game cuz otherwise it'd be kinda frustrating that it takes so long to get to its specific thesis. And I'll be honest here: I don't think the gameplay is very good, as an action game nor as a rhythm game. The controls and camera were especially aggravating during certain sequences; it's really only saved by the game's rather generous checkpointing system. I don't know if it was just the Switch version or what, but the controls would also just hang up a lot for me causing a lot of unavoidable deaths, mostly happening when the player character model gets caught up against a wall/boundary.

That said, I do love how confident it is in its storytelling and diversity of gameplay stylings, and the best chunk of the game was probably towards the middle where the game mixed up the gameplay almost on a level-by-level basis (and also where I think the best song in the game happens). Relying on the player to form their own interpretations of the events unfolding was smart and I think pretty effective, but sometimes the visual homogeneity/repetition feels like it's potentially undermining the distinct narratives they're portraying, alongside muddying the visual clarity in a game that's already extremely difficult to parse in the moment-to-moment.

But I suppose a lot of that just doesn't really matter in the end though, huh? It's definitely been designed to be an aesthetic experience first, a narrative experience second, and a gameplay experience third (emphasized in how the game really doesn't want you to die and how performing perfectly seems overall deemphasized as there's only three possible achievable ranks on top of there being seemingly no possible fail-state). I dunno if I'll ever revisit this one, but I'm glad I finally picked it up on a whim. Also Queen Latifah sounds like she's having a lot of fun yelling the title of the game, and that kinda rules lol

I played this game because a new podcast I watched on Friday is doing it for their second episode. You can find the channel here.

I don’t know when this game showed up in my wishlist or why it even did. It must have been popular at some point but I was curious about it when I looked at screenshots after that first podcast episode and realized it was $7 and thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it. Man I’m glad I gave this game a try because omg it’s so awesome!

This game is a visual trip, the screenshots may have given me confidence I’d like it, playing it in action is even better. The game’s visual style is really nice and I especially love the color choice used for the environments. Almost all of the environment is a visual treat to look at and the music and setpieces compliment it very well too. I especially love how much this game uses the camera for so many different shots giving the levels many different ways to stand out. Again none of it is jarring or bad and it’s impressive how much the game aces at it.

The gameplay is also just amazing as well, trying to get a high score on each stage is addicting as you try to ace these stages. The progression through them flows so well and the music compliments it all perfectly and while IDK if the music is as good listening to it on its own compared to playing, it’s addicting to hear and I can’t get enough of it. I’m not even sure if I have any issues with the gameplay outside of maybe a nitpick or two.

If I had to address any personal issues I had, the one that comes to mind immediately was the visuals for the beginning of I think it was Forest Ghost, it kind of hurts my eyes especially on replays for gold rank. It’s why I said almost all of the environment is great. I also didn’t like when the game puts one of those diamond items on a split path where you do those hard turns because I didn’t notice anything that made it obvious to go that way but maybe I’m blind. Still it says a lot about how good this game is that these are my only issues.

The ranks are really fun to achieve gold for if you’re good enough. I don’t know if people find this game hard or not. Just getting through is pretty easy and the game even lets you skip sections if you die too much and thank you devs for putting an option to just have it never show up again. I really like giving options to like 3 different types of people. I think I had about 5 gold ranks when I beat the game. As of writing right now, I have 15 gold ranks and 8 silver ranks. I might update that before Friday but idk yet. Still being able to get all of the points and bonuses just to get that gold rank is so satisfying and strives me to perfect all of these. Getting risky for bonus points, timing button presses, getting all of the items all while enjoying the music with no stopping is a huge win in itself. Beating the level is one thing but gold ranking is another level of excitement for me.

There is another unlockable for getting all gold and I may try to get it along with the extra you unlock that lets you do every level in a row. There’s just so much of this game that has me excited and I wanna scream in excitement, it makes me wanna show people how engaging it is! Though I’m sure that isn’t necessary haha. Even the story that’s there is pretty nice. If you haven’t played this game yet, go do it sometime soon then because this is one of the best games I’ve played this year. I’m really happy I got to try it and find a game that I found so appealing and addicting. Maybe sometime I’ll get all the golds, I think I could do it!

I have been falling for so long I have forgotten what the ground looks like.
This was a digital euphoria I genuinely needed to help me float, at least for a short while.

An audio-visual feast, bite sized tabs of purple acid for my way too sober mind, hungry for a meaningful stimulation. Loose, soothing and forgiving.

I'll have to admit, the synth pop OST was hit or miss for me. I caught myself nodding along only three seperate times, but maybe I was just too enthralled in the whole experience to notice all the other times and nothing overstayed it's welcome anyway. It also reminded me that Debussy fucks hard.

Also crazy they got Queen Latifah in this to tell me I got a bronze rank.

Play this if you want a short but warm hug from a person rubbing some LSD onto your skin.

Talvez uma review não devesse ser pessoal como o que eu estou prestes a escrever, eu nem sequer acho justo validar esse jogo com esse sistema de estrelas, não vou me aprofunda em termos técnicos nem nada do tipo, exemplo como o ritmo funciona, como as musicas são sensacionais e o visual deslumbrante.
Eu joguei esse jogo pela primeira vez em uma madrugada aleatória, em uma fase da minha vida onde tudo estava mudando, havia desfeito amizades de muito tempo, feito novas, conheci novos amores, perdi esses amores, todas essa mudanças não fizeram bem para minha cabeça de adolescente, pra ser mais direto, eu estava em uma fase depressiva da minha vida, fazia constantes mudanças de casa, mas sempre na mesma cidade, não sorria com tanta frequência como sempre foi, me distanciei da minha mãe, que era com quem eu morava na época, via meu pai com menos frequência ainda por conta do divorcio de alguns anos atrás, eu acho que só era coisa demais para minha cabeça na época...
Os jogos sempre foram uma fuga para mim, mas quando eu entrei nesse jogo e entrei na primeira fase, eu senti algo que nunca havia sentido antes jogando algo, eu não sei explicar o que era, mas o sorriso no rosto não saiu de lá em nenhum momento, desde que eu comecei a jogar, ate quando eu zerei ele, ele eh um jogo rápido, eu precisava me concentra, não podia fica pensando em todos os problemas da minha vida se eu quisesse aproveita a trilha sonora perfeita desse jogo, e então, por 2 horas em uma madrugada aleatória, todos os problemas haviam sumidos, minha ansiedade, me tristeza haviam sumido, e eu conheci pega no sono e segui em frente no dia seguinte.
Desde então, esse jogo foi o meu meio de fuga, quanto meu coração apertava e eu não conseguia respira direito, quando eu sentia que nada se resolveria, e principalmente quando eu me sentia sozinho, esse jogo representa muita coisa para mim, e eu finalmente consegui ele de forma legal, eu recomendo esse jogo para qualquer pessoa que queira se desprender um pouco da realidade, ele é fantástico.

I am flabbergasted.

This playthrough marks the tenth time I've played through Sayonara Wild Hearts (fifth time logged). Year after year, time after time I think, going in, that this is going to be the time the game doesn't fill me with the euphoric feeling it usually does and yet year after year, time after time, Sayonara Wild Hearts has proven me wrong. This is now the tenth time I have lost it during the final few minutes of the game.

I am absolutely flabbergasted.

This is the videogame equivalent of a rollercoaster ride. For just a fleeting moment, it transports you somewhere else entirely. Music. Colors. Voices. Sounds. Feelings. And then it ends. No game has ever made me feel like Sayonara Wild Hearts makes me feel. Euphoria truly is the only way to describe it. It is fucking enchanting.

Wild hearts never die <3

I really loved this game despite being challenging for me and being disheartened I will not get a platinum. I just know I will never be good enough to get gold rank on every level.

The game is really short if you only consider a single play through. Most levels take a few minutes to finish.

The game is still difficult - and to really enjoy it you’ll have to play some levels over and over to get the right achievement - gold rank, all hidden tokens and solve riddles.

It’s like a love child to sonic type speed collecting games and old school racing and rhythm arcade games. It might not make sense til you are 2-3 levels in why I describe the game like that but it’s got a classic appeal of perfect timing, trying to decide paths to take for points, or which will safely get you to the end. You have to be an extremely fast, recognize patterns to make decisions that will net the objective of you play through. Quite the strategic game when you really put the effort in.

The levels are visually beautiful with a cool moody almost cyber/retro vibe. The music is enjoyable with it fitting perfectly with the game play.

The concept of fighting through a tarot deck is intriguing and how it all comes together because of heartbreak.

Even though I was terrible at the gameplay I adore this little gem.

And can we just give a shout-out to Queen Latifah for narrating the game! She was perfect to set the final tone.

I can’t even get into the game play because it’s just unique from skateboarding to floating cards to sword fighting and avoiding obstacles hurled by a multi-headed wolf and even making your way into a VR game.

Give this immersive game a chance and just play through such a unique narrative.

It's like this game was engineered specifically to my tastes. I love visual albums. I love good pop music. I love games. If you love these things too, do yourself a favor and get this game ASAP.

You've probably already gathered it's an interactive pop-album. More specifically it's part rhythm game, part Bayonetta-like cinematic QTE sections. It's visuals are impeccable, pure fireworks. This game had it's hooks within seconds, and my excitement held all the way through to end. I don't think this happened to me before. Granted, it's a rather short game, but that's how it's able to achieve being this flawless. Plus, replaying this game is like relistening to an album, with the added bonus of trying to get a high score. And there's also something to unlock for getting a gold rank on every chapter. I blasted through the whole game on christmas eve 2019. My eyes got a bit watery at the end, that's how gobsmacked I was.

The creativity on display here is unmatched. Every level is so unique, and stylish in a way I haven't seen before. This is the kind of game that reminds me why I love this medium so fucking much. Games forever!

on a sidenote: go play this stoned

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 in themselves are a treat for the synthwave enjoyers out there. There are also some fantastic ideas that mesh concepts related to sound and music to the level design 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.

Fun and largely intuitive gameplay, and it can get pretty challenging (but if one fails a segment of a track a few times, the game will let one skip past that segment). This game sure has (super queer) vibes! It's extremely flashy, though. It was kinda hard for me to look at, and my partner couldn't tolerate looking at it for more than a couple of minutes. Sound sensitive and photosensitive players are likely to have a bad time here.
I would like to learn other players' interpretations of Little Death... I didn't really know what to make of that part.

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.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is like if someone made the crazy twisty Mario Kart 8 courses into a playable music album and it is just an awesome experience. So lovely that I immediately played through it again after finishing. {I do wish the continuous mode you unlock after finishing the game was just the original experience}

This game is so fast-paced, dazzling and creative. The gameplay is precisely the right amount of engaging to let the banger soundtrack and incredible visual spectacle shine. I adore the style here and quite literally enjoyed every second.

It's amazing how the heart collectibles throughout each stage are the exact thing needed to make the high-speed fair while also being the perfect way to test skill. I love the scaling collectible scoring system

I adore how much this game is optimized for sight-reading, they really nailed being able to react to things for the first time while they came at you at lightning speeds and surprise you in flashy ways.

Each level feels so distinct, yet the whole game is an incredibly cohesive experience. The variations in how you move and perspective shifts pack a lot of punch in adding subtle diversity

I have a favorite level, but that feels like a fundementally unfair concept given how good they all are.