Recently, my brother gifted me $50 through Steam for my birthday, and I ended up purchasing Return of the Obra Dinn, Katana Zero, and Sayonara Wild Hearts. I began with Obra Dinn ... but quickly found I wasn't in the right headspace for that game, so I put it on the backburner. I got about 6 or 7 stages through Katana Zero, and I was feeling a break. Sayonara was the title that was furthest off my radar of the three, and I can't believe just how wrong I was. The first thing I noticed while booting it up is that it's an Annapurna Interactive game. I knew I was in for a treat from that alone given their reputation and history of games. Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, Kentucky Route Zero, Gone Home, etc. It's a screen splash that now immediately sets my mood for something good to come. This game is yet another hit in the catalogue.
For reference, I'm currently using a 27", 1440p, 144 Hz G-Sync monitor on my PC as well as a pair of Sennheiser 558s, and this game stretched both of those to their limits.
The game itself is extremely simple in that you only need the space bar and the arrow keys to get through every single stage, but Sayonara Wild Hearts is all about presentation. My reaction was ricocheting back-and-forth from being mouth agape to grinning from ear-to-ear. It's a very short game with a solid amount of replayability in the form of high scores, but I felt that every minute I played was worthwhile. The standout feature of this game, though, is the music. If nothing else, this game needs to be experienced for its soundtrack.
I cannot say enough positive things about this short, lovely game. If you're on the fence, buy it. It's tough to go too much into detail considering how short the game is, considering how delightful the little surprises are from level to level ... but maybe watch like 20 total seconds of a stream. No more. You'll get the gist of what to expect. If at the end of the day you enjoy a visually gorgeous presentation and a banging soundtrack, drop some dollars on this today.
For reference, I'm currently using a 27", 1440p, 144 Hz G-Sync monitor on my PC as well as a pair of Sennheiser 558s, and this game stretched both of those to their limits.
The game itself is extremely simple in that you only need the space bar and the arrow keys to get through every single stage, but Sayonara Wild Hearts is all about presentation. My reaction was ricocheting back-and-forth from being mouth agape to grinning from ear-to-ear. It's a very short game with a solid amount of replayability in the form of high scores, but I felt that every minute I played was worthwhile. The standout feature of this game, though, is the music. If nothing else, this game needs to be experienced for its soundtrack.
I cannot say enough positive things about this short, lovely game. If you're on the fence, buy it. It's tough to go too much into detail considering how short the game is, considering how delightful the little surprises are from level to level ... but maybe watch like 20 total seconds of a stream. No more. You'll get the gist of what to expect. If at the end of the day you enjoy a visually gorgeous presentation and a banging soundtrack, drop some dollars on this today.
