Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 30, 2017
    85
    I picked up Yonder without any expectations, as it seemed to be a simple game trying to capitalize on Zelda-like visuals. It won me over in 15 minutes and over a dozen hours later I parted with it with true sorrow. [10/2017, p.54]
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  2. GameGrin
    Aug 11, 2017
    85
    Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a stunning and fantastic game. If you visit for the story or the wildlife, you will find yourself staying for all that this title has to offer. With a number of quests and different gameplay mechanics working together to build a world of mystery and wonder. This title is easily one of this years best surprises and I highly recommend it to anyone.
  3. GameSpew
    Jul 21, 2017
    80
    Video games don’t have to equal violence. Knowing that no monsters await you around any corner, and that no band of rogues is out to kill you is strangely liberating. Put down your guns, your swords, and your bows and arrows, and step into the world of Yonder just for an hour or two. You might just love it.
  5. The Overpowered Noobs
    Jul 17, 2017
    80
    For an open-world, immersive experience replete with quests, fishing, farms, and more, look no further than Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. The design is apt to please any gamer interested in what Yonder has to offer, while nightfall and the gloominess of a heavy rain ensure that players who might otherwise avoid overly bright hues don’t feel left out -- a sure recipe on Yonder’s part for broad appeal. However, as an exploration-heavy title, especially one that does not offer combat, the allure is counteracted in part; ultimately, though, all -- save the hardcore -- can enjoy Yonder.
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  1. Eurogamer
    Jul 18, 2017
    An open world adventure that does away with combat, Yonder's beauty is ultimately undone by its mundanity.
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jul 21, 2017
    I’ve had such a splendid time just mellowing and wallowing in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, not needing to care why it has such a terrible name, not being rushed along, or nagged to do anything. [RPS Recommended]

User Reviews

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User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 34
  3. Negative: 7 out of 34
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Feb 26, 2019
    8
    I was captivated immediately by the glorious art style that’s present in the game and the accompanying sound design sets the scene perfectly.I was captivated immediately by the glorious art style that’s present in the game and the accompanying sound design sets the scene perfectly. The world feels so alive in all areas and exploring this world always feels rewarding because there’s always something new to discover. There’s a decent amount of content for you to get to grips and enough replay ability present to keep you satisfied and to keep you coming back for more multiple times. I found the story to be very charming and without a doubt it had enough depth within it to keep it fresh and interesting throughout my time with the game. The quests you come across in the game could’ve done with a bit more in terms of variety. While the game is pretty good when it comes to the technical side of things the controls could’ve been made a little less awkward. Even though there is a decent amount of depth in the crafting elements they don’t always feel rewarding because they don’t matter as much as they should. I enjoy a relaxing journey every now and then because they immerse me just as much as the over the top action packed AAA releases. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles whilst not being perfect offers you an experience that doesn’t make you stress, it makes you appreciate every little detail, and without a doubt there’s plenty of that in both the beautiful visuals and sound design. This then means the world feels alive in all areas and it also makes exploring rewarding because there’s always something new to find. The game also features a number of different mechanics for you to get to grips with as well and thankfully most of them have been done well even if they don’t matter as much as they should. This however doesn’t impact on you returning back to the game time and time again and even though more variety in the quests would’ve been nice there’s enough variety in the story to make you forget about this little shortcoming. At the end of the day then once you get used to the awkward controls you’ll find yourself going on a very enjoyable adventure that stays with you long after completion and for that reason Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles does more than enough to get a recommendation from me. Thumbs up!… Full Review »
  2. P_May
    Jul 21, 2017
    9
    This game is really adorable and utterly relaxing. The world, including the animals and sprites have an innocent and charming appeal to them.This game is really adorable and utterly relaxing. The world, including the animals and sprites have an innocent and charming appeal to them.
    The fun in Yonder is the sense of adventure. The discovery of the unknown. At first I only followed the story line, but it was once I veered off into the unknown that I really learned what Yonder was about.
    For me, Yonder is a place that you come to do whatever it is you want. I spent quite a bit of time fishing, as it’s genuinely a fun thing to do.
    I also had a great time befriending the animals – especially the Groffles!
    My pros:
    - Beautiful world
    - Cute animals
    - Totally open world

    My cons:
    - No player housing
    - Could use more variety in animals
    - Tool swapping – tools are not hot bound

    So this game may not be for everyone, as some of the negative reviews have shown. But I can say this game really is for me and I love it and I think you should give it a go before you let the bad reviews ruin what may be the prefect game for you!    … Full Review »
  3. Keezie
    Jul 20, 2017
    0
    Preface
    I want to start this review by saying I was hyped for this game, I wanted to love this game - it was promoted as Stardew Valley meets    Preface
    I want to start this review by saying I was hyped for this game, I wanted to love this game - it was promoted as Stardew Valley meets Zelda and that couldn't have been any further from the truth. It has in depth farming system like Stardew Valley does or even Harvest Moon for that matter where the player is required to try and push themselves to maintain their farm. Zelda was backed by an engaging storyline and a very unique/appealing world which brought the character back time and time again for more - Yonder, unfortunately, has no depth to its storyline and the characters are bland. The game had so much room for potential, but doesn’t live up to anything.

    You can honestly skip this game and watch a 2-hour complete playthrough (it’s terribly underwhelming). I’ll break this review down into a series of sections covering the main topics and features of the game and why it will never be worth the $25 they're going to be asking for it.

    Exploration
    When starting the game, it feels like you are part of a vast, rich world with lots of characters, animals, and biomes to explore then you quickly and sharply realize that the game is pretty repetitive featuring only one real animal in each biome and they’re completely optional. The exploration of the game loosely ties into the actual main questline and you can skip a vast majority of the game (objectives, areas, and side quiests) and still complete the main game in less than six to seven hours.

    The game lacks any real puzzles with substance or logic, which would have added a great deal of depth to the environment. The characters, sprites, and animals you'll meet along your adventure are also amazingly bleak with no background stories or character development to be seen.

    Storyline
    There isn’t any storyline. There’s maybe a single half-page reading to go along with the game-play which was considered the game’s storyline. If you’re reading reviews thinking this is another wonderful Zelda storyline, you’re sadly mistaken. This game is pretty much an objective simulator moving from Point A to Point B, purchasing a few items from a nearby vendor, and then moving onto the next objective in this very, very basic game.

    Combat
    There isn’t any combat - end of story. Absolutely no nostalgic Zelda 64 dungeons to crawl or Stardew Valley like areas to explore and dig into. Nothing.

    Graphics
    This is subjective, I enjoyed the game’s ‘Zelda’ inspired graphics, but it’s up to you to form your own opinion on it.

    Sound
    This is also subjective as graphics are. I found the background insects and other sounds to be overly obnoxious, but not game-breaking.

    Crafting System
    The crafting system is a complete joke. A majority of the items are simply placed for sidequest requirements and can be skipped with no hussle or bustle about it. You don’t create any armor, weapons, or tools nor can you upgrade any of the tools you have. It’s completely passive with no real benefit. Even if you chose to complete the crafting system, you’ll be done in 30 minutes due to the lack of depth and game-play.

    Farming System
    Again, the farming system is completely optional to the main storyline of the game and doesn’t provide any depth or content to the game itself. It feels like a complete waste of time and I only had to tame one animal just to complete the main storyline and it was never mentioned again. If you want a captivating experience like Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley then skip this game and go play those.

    Developers
    It's sad to say, but the devs of this game have now taken to filtering out any negative feedback or reviews of this game that they can find - banning users on steam from youtube reviews and more. They're trying to snuff out any bad publicity about their game and are going as far as they can to stop anyone from having a voice they don't agree with. Buyer beware!

    Conclusion
    This game is pretty much a rip off at it's current price. It’s advertised everywhere as a Zelda meets Harvest Moon experience which makes you think you’re in for either a unique and fun farming system with goals and objectives or an alluring storyline supported by a farming system – this game is neither. It’s an under polished, seemingly rushed money vacuum. Wait for this game to go on sale or just rent it for a few dollars, you'll have plenty of time to finish it in a single day - save your cash.    … Full Review »
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