YIIK A Postmodern RPG Review

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Review – DearthBound (PS4)

Every time I was reminded of YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, I was reminded of how excited I was. This is a game that evokes, primarily, EarthBound, in style. YIIK has long been presented as an old school RPG full of bright colors, otherworldly mischief, dissonant sounds and images, and self-confidence in its weirdness. Certainly, all of these things are true, and as…

  • Cool, dissonant soundtrack with contributions from creators like Toby Fox
  • Neat visual style that uses color to bend the rules of reality
  • Combat and progression balance is totally out of whack
  • Battles are slooooow, damage numbers don't scale up with levels well
  • Weird problems with grinding
  • Clumsy, wooden writing, especially in dialogue/voice acting
  • Unlikeable protagonist and underdeveloped supporting cast
  • Attack minigames are too finicky, with tiny pass/fail windows and lack of reward for doing well
  • Some systems or mechanics aren't introduced clearly or at all, adding to fumbling

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