Release Date: 19/09/2019
Played On: PS4
Available On: AA / NS / PS4
Time Played: 3h 10m
Progress: Completed three times / still playing
Developer: Simogo
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
As time goes on, I find myself being repeatedly surprised at how much I enjoy shorter games that showcase a complete vision. It's happening so much that I really need to start expecting it as the norm, instead of the exception. Gone are the days when a huge open-world epic appeals to me more than a tightly polished experience that hits every nail on the head.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a small game that I hadn't heard of at all, until someone randomly mentioned it on a podcast I listen to. The comparison was made that this game felt like something of a mash-up between Rez and Journey, which is high praise indeed. Although, I haven't ever played Rez (even though I know it from reputation alone), and I'm not sure that I'd now agree with the Journey comparison. However, the way that this game was talked about had be intrigued, and after watching the trailer on the Playstation store, I was sold.
Right now you might be thinking "wait, this is a game that's like a game you haven't played, and actually not like the one you have played… so that was a bad recommendation anyway", and you'd be kind of right. Except that I can see what they were getting at when mentioning Rez and Journey, as there's a lot in this little game that evokes the same kind of vibes you might get from those other titles.
The basic premise of Sayonara Wild Hearts is that it's a rhythm game broken up into a number of diverse and interesting levels. Each level only lasts for a few minutes, as its synched with a piece of music from the game's excellent electro-pop soundtrack. Mechanically speaking, you spend your time moving around in each level to collect hearts and avoid obstacles, much like an endless runner… or Rez.
While the entire campaign of Sayonara Wild Hearts can be beaten in about an hour, the real fun of the game comes from repeat playthroughs. Now, I'm not usually the kind of person who plays levels over and over again to try for a better score, and I'm still not that guy. Fortunately though, I find myself replaying this game because it's just so much fun and I want to continue experiencing the simple pleasure of playing it… like Journey.
Even though the game amounts to little more than a series of short levels based on various songs, there's a lot more going on to get you hooked. The first time I fired up Sayonara Wild Hearts, I found myself glued from start to finish thanks to a wicked combination of gameplay variety and outstanding presentation.
Before we get into that though, let's cover the story in a broad-stroke kind of way. It's strange to care about any narrative at all in a rhythm game, but this one manages to pull off something interesting. My own interpretation of what's going on is that we're playing as a girl who has fallen out of love and has to battle her own demons in order to pick up the pieces and learn to love herself again. It might sound a little corny, but the story actually weaves itself into the mechanics and overall gameplay really well.
This lends itself to the variety of levels that we're given to tackle, along with the other characters who show up along the way. After all, these characters become incredibly important to the theming of each level and the kind of challenges you'll face.
For instance, the wolf-pack characters are featured in a series of forest-themed levels. They ride motorcycles and change into wolves that fire missiles at you as you ride a deer, or run them down on your own bike… or something like that anyway. Alternatively, another opponent forces you into their virtual world where you have to navigate a wireframe obstacle course, and experience the game in the two dimensions of their visor.
Each and every character that shows up in Sayonara Wild Hearts represents another aspect of our heroine's self that she is battling with. Hence the diversity when each one presents a different set of challenges for us to face. It's a fantastic way of keeping things fresh and whenever the game changed things up in my first playthrough, I found myself smiling with the delight of my discovery.
You see, not only is this a straight forward little rhythm game that has you avoiding obstacles and timing button presses, but everything is presented with care and true beauty. Everything from the art style to the animations has been polished and shined into a smooth and ultimately flawless product.
Enemies don't just show up and fight you, they appear in a flourish of movement and poise. The levels aren't simply corridors with boxes in the way, they are fantastical flights of fancy that shift and change with the music and action along the way. What's more, with each level being hand-crafted instead of relying on a procedural formula, every piece of music has been timed and synced perfectly with gameplay.
In one of the earlier levels you are chasing three bikers through what seems to be San Francisco style streets (lots of hills and trams). Each biker you're chasing takes up what is essentially a verse and a chorus of the son that accompanies the level. You chase them for the verse, then the world opens up and you fly through the air for the bridge/chorus; before defeating your opponent and returning to the streets for the next one.
I really don't want to spoil some of the more surprising and creative ways that Sayonara Wild Hearts changes up its own formula, because there are some truly surprising and joyful moments to discover on your own. However, I can honestly say that this is one rhythm game where you'll never get bored of the formula, as it's constantly changing in interesting ways. It's like the developers decided that if you want the same thing, you can replay a level instead of continuing through the story, which is pure genius in my opinion.
Plus, if you're the kind of person who likes to go for high scores, there's plenty of room to aim for that Gold rank on each level. While you're racing through collecting hearts and fighting off other characters, there are plenty of pickups that can be missed along the way. What's more, there are special pickups that appear on the more difficult routes that will bump your score up significantly.
I've managed Silver or Bronze on most levels without really trying for a high score, so I'm not sure how difficult the top rank would be for those who really focus on high scores and finding the optimum route through each level. Although, I get the feeling that it would be impossible to collect everything on certain levels, so there's probably always room for improvement.
Additionally, there are a series of "zodiac riddles" to unlock by performing certain tasks in each level. These are basically the trophies of the game, but they're hidden behind cryptic riddles as the name suggests, so it's not always clear how to unlock each one. In fact, after three full playthroughs, I still haven't unlocked even one of these riddles (although I haven't exactly been trying to either). No doubt because if you look up the riddles in a guide you'll discover that you're rewarded for some pretty random stuff like pausing the game quickly twelve times in a row. They may not be easy to stumble into, but if you're looking to extend the gameplay experience and add some difficulty and nuance to each level, then this might just be the ticket.
Everything about Sayonara Wild Hearts has me all excited and eager to play it again and again. Whether it's figuring out the riddles and playing in ways that don't come naturally, or simply enjoying the progression between each level and the variation in gameplay. This is without a doubt on of the most joyful games I have played in a while, which is why I think it was originally compared to Rez and Journey, even though it doesn't strictly adhere to either of those game styles.
Sayonara Wild Hearts has a comparable flow, presentation, and soundtrack to that of Rez, which pulls you into its rhythm and takes you on an exhilarating ride. Mastering each level takes practice, but even when you're casually playing along, the presentation is enough to make your time fun and meaningful.
Then, much like Journey, the narrative and delivery of Sayonara Wild Hearts is varied enough and just plain beautiful that all I want to do right now is jump back in and drench myself in its gorgeous aesthetic one more time. I still play Journey repeatedly to this day, and I honestly feel like this will be another game to put into rotation. After all, you can do a lot worse than spending an hour absorbed in pure joy and enthrallment.
This is all why I believe that a short little game of polished perfect like Sayonara Wild Hearts, is worth a whole lot more than a big old feature-packed blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, I still love the big open-worlds with huge maps and a million things to collect, but I can find something to complain about in just about every big game I've ever played. It's just a matter of time and scope, as I imagine it's a lot easier to polish a small game with fewer moving parts.
What really matters though, is how much bang I feel like I'm getting for my buck (or the time it takes to have fun in the game). To that end, Sayonara Wild Hearts is all killer with no filler, as every moment I'm playing this game is one where there's a big smile on my face. There's no downtime, there's no grinding, there's nothing more than a carefully curated experience of beautiful sights and sounds.
Of course it's kind of impossible to expect a huge game made by thousands of different people to be problem-free and perfect. It's actually quite impressive to think about how well put together some of those huge games are when they're made across multiple studios around the world and with even tens of thousands of people adding their own touches along the way. There's no doubt that those blockbusters wouldn't be possible without their huge studios and budgets, but it does come at a price.
At the other end we have the smaller studios who work their butts off on the games they're passionate about making. While they might not have the time or finances to make a big blockbuster, often what we get instead is a smaller game that's been given as much care and polish as possible. I'd much rather see smaller studios working on shorter games that are expertly made, than throwing together something that has a huge feature list, but is broken and dodgy as hell.
At this particular moment in time, Sayonara Wild Hearts has the top spot for my 2019 GOTY, which says a whole lot. I can't deny that I've had more fun-per-minute from this little game than I've had in any other game I've picked up recently. Even writing this post and thinking about the game has made me all excited for the time I get to play it again. If it's possible for any game to reach a state of perfection, then this might well be one of those games.