YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

 Switch
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 42
  3. Negative: 19 out of 42

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  1. cyanScientist
    Mar 6, 2019
    7
    YiiK is a game that’s very rough in a few places but also very charming. The writing is very Scott Pilgrim-esq with a main character who’s openly pretentious and childish and grows through the events of the game. The art is very eye-popping, uses lots of color without being too over-bearing. The main gripes I have with this game is its speed. Loading times feel a little to slow going inYiiK is a game that’s very rough in a few places but also very charming. The writing is very Scott Pilgrim-esq with a main character who’s openly pretentious and childish and grows through the events of the game. The art is very eye-popping, uses lots of color without being too over-bearing. The main gripes I have with this game is its speed. Loading times feel a little to slow going in and out of battle and the micro games for each character can end up feeling too slow. I hope much of this will be fixed in an update.

    Overall if you enjoy quirky western Earthbound rpgs like Lisa, Undertale, and Omori you may enjoy this.    … Expand
  2. DakTalk
    May 31, 2019
    7
    YiiK: A Postmodern RPG is a unique, quirky game that feels like a love letter to many things while at the same time attempting to explore themes not often touched upon.

    In YiiK you play as Alex whose just finished college and returned home. Upon returning he quickly discovers that there are things about his reality that don't seem quite the same as he remembers before college. Soon he is    YiiK: A Postmodern RPG is a unique, quirky game that feels like a love letter to many things while at the same time attempting to explore themes not often touched upon.

    In YiiK you play as Alex whose just finished college and returned home. Upon returning he quickly discovers that there are things about his reality that don't seem quite the same as he remembers before college. Soon he is set on a path to lead down a rabbit hole deeper than any conspiracy ever could take him.

    As suggested in the name the game is an RPG. There's a unique story to be found here for sure (possibly even more as the secret third ending has yet to be found). Unfortunately I feel like the game suffers quite a bit mechanically. The balance is fine but with combat based on Wario-Ware style minigames things get confusing quick. Unfortunately there aren't any demos or examples of the different attacks so you have to stumble through and figure them out on your own. I also feel as if some of the abilities fall flat and aren't even worth using. That being said, combat is really the weakest part of this game. I feel like the story holds up quite well and the world is interesting and unique enough to engage the player with the tried and true carrot on a stick that promises to answer what the heck is going on here. The environments are very well designed as well as being spectacles to look at.

    Lastly the music is pretty stellar. Maybe some tracks will fall flat for you, but after spending 30 hours I can't think of one I didnt like at least a bit.

    I think overall I'd give this game a solid 7/10. Give it a try! For $20 I feel like you get what you pay for. Follow me @DakTalk on Twitter

    Follow Ackk @AckkStudios on Twitter    … Expand
  3. Metroid_Gamer
    Jul 11, 2019
    6
    It has a LOT of fails and I wouldn't recommend it by the price, but with this done.
    The game has a unique art and music, that for me is very good. There are hidden secrets worth looking for, and the progression of the game is not bad, the art and sound helps a lot with this. The exploration is really nice, the camera play tricks with you and, not showing the prize, but giving indications    It has a LOT of fails and I wouldn't recommend it by the price, but with this done.
    The game has a unique art and music, that for me is very good. There are hidden secrets worth looking for, and the progression of the game is not bad, the art and sound helps a lot with this. The exploration is really nice, the camera play tricks with you and, not showing the prize, but giving indications that there's something there, sometimes there's nothing, but that's the magic of playing with your camera, if you always have a reward, then none of then would be interesting to look for.
    The game lacks a map, and a list of sidequests, this is very anoying and I hope they gonna fix this in the future, but still the map is small and there's not many sidequests, so is not that bad after all.
    Another point that's bothering me somehow is that this game should be placed in the early 2000's, no in the end of the 90's, most of the dialogues would be more interesting and makes more sense, in fact, all in the game, about the dialogues seen to be something my generation would say in the early to mid 2000's, maybe 2005 would be a better choice.
    Also, the story is in a thin line between I just don't care and this is getting me anoyed, it's not bad, but I fell is out of place and most of it is in fact useless for the development of the game, remember, this is not a game about story.
    Now mechanics, it's a traditional jrpg, nothing new, nothing out of place either, it's good, it works fine, but it's nothing special. Now my final considerations, if you can ignore the story, it's a good jrpg with an awesome art and music, if that's what you've looking for and the price drops down someday, buy it.    … Expand
  4. Bonoclay15
    Jan 28, 2019
    7
    There is so much potential here, but the game gets in its own way. The story, exploring, music, and characters are all fascinating and its scratching that Earthbound itch. The combat system is godawful. Each move or attack is a quicktime event. Granted, there's an option for unlimited slow down time, but it really drags the whole experience down. I would give it an honest 8 if theyThere is so much potential here, but the game gets in its own way. The story, exploring, music, and characters are all fascinating and its scratching that Earthbound itch. The combat system is godawful. Each move or attack is a quicktime event. Granted, there's an option for unlimited slow down time, but it really drags the whole experience down. I would give it an honest 8 if they just patched that garbage out with a normal turn based battle system. There's so much good here, alot of spirit, and it might be one of my favorite indie games. But man, that battle system is ROUGH.… Expand
  5. DeekLeeshy
    Feb 1, 2019
    7
    YIIK is an interesting experience, if I was to grade it on charm, style and sound alone it would earn a solid 10/10. The game is certainly an experience, its visuals are like no other game, the music throughout was joyous and it had charm and well written characters. The performance though is where it starts to fall apart, I experienced stuttering quite a lot whilst playing in handheldYIIK is an interesting experience, if I was to grade it on charm, style and sound alone it would earn a solid 10/10. The game is certainly an experience, its visuals are like no other game, the music throughout was joyous and it had charm and well written characters. The performance though is where it starts to fall apart, I experienced stuttering quite a lot whilst playing in handheld mode (Which was most of the time, its how i prefer to play my switch) the loading times were also shocking, sometimes waiting a couple of minutes just to enter the next fight. Sometimes the writing and the story felt very pretentious, I'm not sure if that was an artistic choice though as we are seeing the story unfold through the eyes of a hipster.

    In the end though I feel like I would recommend YIIK to RPG fans. Its problems in my opinion don't outweigh its charm and visual appeal as well as the amazing soundtrack that I would happily listen to all day!    … Expand
  6. Gamerheadspodca
    Jan 25, 2019
    5
    For everything that I liked about YIIK, everything that I wasn't that big of a fan of outweighed it. The story is very intriguing with the supernatural and spiritual elements which is what kept me going. Every time a battle started though, a feeling of dread washed over me. Trudging through the battles weighed down the experience of great looking graphics and good sound.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. FNintendo
    Nov 21, 2019
    50
    With a 1990s environment and some attempts at innovating an RPG's fighting system, YIIK has something to go for it, but unfortunately this gets rather lost in a game that is overall too frustrating and confusing. With its inconsistent art style and gameplay and a main character that's impossible to relate to, YIIK could have explored its real potential in a much more enjoyable way but as it is, it's mostly an unfulfilled work.
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  2. GameCritics
    Feb 26, 2019
    70
    YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a bizarre title that connected with me on several levels despite a number of issues, and it kept me coming back until credits rolled. While it did take a significant amount of time to get to the ending, the characters and the themes of coping with loss and Alex’s growth made the investment of time worth the effort. That said, I don’t know if I would recommend this game to anyone but myself, yet it’s so strange and offbeat that I think there’s something worthwhile here to check out for everyone who’s not me.
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  3. GameSpace
    Feb 22, 2019
    65
    If you grew up way back in the olden days like me and can’t stomach another anime RPG then YIIK is worth a look. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is out now on Nintendo Switch.
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