Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 39
  3. Negative: 5 out of 39
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  1. Impulsegamer
    Aug 16, 2017
    46
    If gathering resources, exploring, and “go get this for this, or find an item or persons for this” kind of quests are your deal or if you just want a change of pace, Yonder: the Cloud Catcher Chronicles is just for you. More experienced players may find some of the shallowness of the story and game play to be a little off putting. However younger players and those that desire a passive bit of simple gaming away from the loads of violence driven games with no choice but violence in them will have a good time with Yonder: the Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Though I must give this warning… you may smile.
  2. Gamer.no
    Jul 28, 2017
    30
    Yonder is a beautiful and cute game that sadly lacks almost every aspect of a good sandbox role-playing game. The quests are tedious, the farming is undercooked, and the constant gathering of resources - without a compelling combat system or a peaceful equivalent - makes for a title that is fun for about half an hour before it grinds itself into forgetfulness.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Jul 21, 2017
    30
    Without a way to fail, the game just soldiers on like its fishing minigame: a thing that’s tedious but not at all difficult, and which simply continues until players either succeed or become bored enough to give up.
  5. Metro GameCentral
    Jul 20, 2017
    30
    It has admirable intentions, but this misguided role-player proves a quiet life is rarely an entertaining one when it comes to video games.
  6. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 17, 2017
    30
    One cannot comprehend who Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is meant to serve. Exploration is a chore based on frame rate issues and less-than-stellar graphics. Questing sucks because there is no real sense of progress or accomplishment. Farming and crafting is similarly pointless as there just isn’t a heck of a lot to do. I will confess to giving up after only a couple of hours in hopes that I was the recipient of Alpha code.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 55
  3. Negative: 10 out of 55
  1. compoczar
    Jul 20, 2017
    4
    Superficial and Empty. The "No Man's Sky" of RPG Farming Sims.

    I enjoyed my first hour, keeping an open mind throughout, and I wanted so    Superficial and Empty. The "No Man's Sky" of RPG Farming Sims.

    I enjoyed my first hour, keeping an open mind throughout, and I wanted so bad to love this game. But I am tired of making excuses to justify my wasted evening and my wasted money.

    Art style is cute and original (outside of the obvious BOTW influence), but the plot is mediocre and unoriginal.

    Farming is boring and automated. The animals go from adorable to unnecessary, quick.

    Crafting is unrewarding. Items lack interesting descriptions to enhance the experience, leaving a mass of rather useless junk filling up your backpack.

    Your backpack's carrying capacity is unclear until you are far away from a chest and unable to store the items, as opposed to Stardew Valley, which is always clear. This is due to the expectation that a scrolling menu (rather than a fixed menu) can imply a very large or endless capacity.

    I rather like the bartering system as opposed to a coin-centric model. However, items are shown to equal a certain amount of money, even though actual money is never used, resulting in a strange inconsistency.

    Finding Sprites in Yonder (including the prototypical two sentence "you found me" snarky comment) is a not so subtle riff off of finding Kokiri in BOTW (except without the fun/unique/challenging/charming puzzles that come with BOTW).

    Yonder's Murk (the purple fog) is clearly another not so subtle riff off of BOTW's Malice (the purple goo).

    MC does not sleep, eat, run out of energy, etc, rendering the chef path another useless edition to the game.

    MC does not have a house or a central hub, which would have aided in a feeling of commitment to the land and community.

    NPCs lack depth and add nothing to the main quest line, who are only there to trigger sidequest after boring sidequest of grinding for useless resources that you probably already have in your bloated backpack.

    And there are the recipe quests: Bring me this item, but, first, here is the recipe for the item, and, also, here are the ingredients to craft the item. Make the item. Give me item. (ಠ_ಠ) Thanks.ヽ(ಠ_ಠ)ノ

    The most frustrating part about this game is its unfulfilled potential, and it has so much potential!

    There is more to say, but I'm just one person. There are extensive reviews on Steam that are very helpful. Please read the reviews before purchase. It may save you your evening and your money.    … Full Review »
  2. ArmymanPants
    Jul 19, 2017
    8
    Yonder is a game that doesn't add anything new to a game that we have seen before, but it maximizes every element that is involved in a RPGYonder is a game that doesn't add anything new to a game that we have seen before, but it maximizes every element that is involved in a RPG that is quirky, stylistic and above all else, fun. Yonder feels like a mesh between Zelda mixed with VIVA PINATA, and to those of you who dont know, viva pinata was a base building game that involved pinata pets (horrible example i know). Yonder Isn't a game that stands out as one of the greatest games ever made, but for the price and the entertainment, as well as the content within, it is certainly worth trying it for yourself.… Full Review »
  3. AlysonPPD
    Jul 25, 2017
    10
    Yonder is a relaxing and beautiful game. If you don't like to be relaxed, or you don't like beauty or cute things, then this game isn't forYonder is a relaxing and beautiful game. If you don't like to be relaxed, or you don't like beauty or cute things, then this game isn't for you.

    Yonder isn’t aiming to take you on an epic journey filled with conflict or drama. It isn’t trying to overhaul its genre with new mechanics or gameplay. Instead, it’s a beautiful, easy going and relaxing experience. One in which you’re free to collect flowers and cats, explore the various gorgeous environments, or run a farm. All at your own leisure.

    Following a quick ship wreck and some rushed story scenes explaining a thing called ‘Murk’, which is a strange mist infecting the land, you’re dumped on the islands of Gemea. A deceptively large world, which features diverse environments from deserts to dense forests and snowy mountains. From there on, you’re free to wander and explore to your heart’s content. Which was exactly what I did.

    Yonder1

    Yonder if anything, is beautiful. I spent the first half an hour just wandering around, taking in the gorgeous artstyle and environments on display. Seriously, just watching a sunrise or sunset is a treat. There are breathtaking landscapes galore, intricate trees and foliage around every corner and areas which just sparkle in the sun and moonlight.

    The Australian developer Prideful Sloth’s debut title, coming to PS4 and Steam for the time being, is not just for show though. It features a range of activities for you to fill your time. Fishing, farming, taming cute animals, crafting and learning trades such as being a brewer or carpenter. And a gazillion collectibles, most notably cats. Who will purr loudly when they are nearby.

    You’ll be tasked with completing a variety of missions too, from finding out who stole a lamington, to various fetch quests. Which as you could imagine, grew old incredibly fast. Although, where Yonder shines most is when its mechanics are focused around exploration, as its exquisite world steals the show.Yonder2The Murk, which covers parts of the world and stops you progressing to new areas, forces you to explore the regions you already have access to in order to find ‘Sprites’. Little fairy like beings which allow you to clear the Murk. It is a smart mechanic which led to me exploring the many nooks and corners each region had hidden throughout.

    Overall, Yonder aims to be a nice and playful time. The characters and models are simple but cute, like a child’s playset. How characters talk is quite friendly and often silly. Even the font seems somewhat childishly friendly. None of these are negatives, just observations of the developer’s obvious aim of creating an easy going experience. One which will definitely appeal to younger audiences, as well as older ones looking for a calming game to wind down to after a long day.Yonder3

    As if to emphasise this more, the first chance I had to jump off a ledge my customisable character pulled out an umbrella to glide down with. It was only at that point I realized I didn’t have health. In fact, there aren’t any enemies in the game to fight at all.

    Yonder avoids conflict wherever possible. If you go too deep into water, you spawn back to safety. Animals you come across, such as buffalo or foxes, actively avoid you, through turning their bums in your direction (unless you have the right food). It is cute and honestly adorable. All and all, it creates a refreshingly pleasant game.

    Populating the variety of towns there are plenty of people to talk to. Some pop up continuously throughout your journeys, giving you facts on the land or about cute animals inhabiting the world. Some will be quest givers, many you’ll be able to hire as hands on your farms or be able to trade various items with.

    Overall though, the characters I encountered in my journeys felt one dimensional and empty. You can’t develop actual friendships through story lines or dialogue. They often felt more like filler and lacked character. Which is disappointing, considering the world has so much. Yonder4The small quirks and sometimes silly dialogue of the characters will most likely be enough depth for some. But I felt mostly unattached to my quest givers, who felt just that. More points of contact for quests if I ever became bored of exploring.

    Despite these faults the story, gameplay and world comes together in the main objective of the game, which is to repair the Cloud Catcher. You’ll need to traverse the many environments, talk to and collect items from people from all walks of life and complete some of the most unique missions of the game.

    Albeit still lacking the finesse and character to make this an incredible game, there were moments which made me feel like I was going on an exciting adventure towards the end. One which required me to have truly explored and understood the world to complete it.    … Full Review »
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