Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

 PC
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

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  1. 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 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    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.    … Expand
  2. Abdo333
    Dec 28, 2017
    0
    A walking simulator . The game consists of you picking up items in an empty area and giving the items to a villager then do the same thing over and over again . There is no adventure or any challenge at all . It just worthless space. The only people who like this are either autistic kids or the parents of autistic kids seeing their kids happy play a meaningless endless game . Can evenA walking simulator . The game consists of you picking up items in an empty area and giving the items to a villager then do the same thing over and over again . There is no adventure or any challenge at all . It just worthless space. The only people who like this are either autistic kids or the parents of autistic kids seeing their kids happy play a meaningless endless game . Can even call Yonder:who gives a **** a game ? I am really sad to have spent 2 hours of my life playing this crap!… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 16, 2017
    60
    You run around for an hour or two, you mine stuff, you cut trees, you deliver packages from one person to another, and then you realize: that’s it. If you bring tavern keeper those flowers she asked for, you’ll get more tasks. You do them – you’ll get invited to a guild that will give you even more grab this, craft that jobs that somehow never start being fun – and Yonder has no combat to fall back to. [Issue#223, p.67]
  3. Games.cz
    Oct 3, 2017
    70
    Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles shouting the word defining - ease. It gives you neither a large, nor a small sandbox where you can devote yourself to different professions, uncover the secrets of the island, help local people ... But you do not have to do anything of it. Do not try this if you need a guiding hand. Enter if you are looking for relaxation, beauty and the absence of any kind of violence.
    Read full review
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