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OP
OP

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
Currently playing it on Switch. Just cleared the Parallel Universes level and it was such a fun, trippy, mind blowing experience!
that level was such a rush, when the finger snapping gimmick starts i was just mind blown.

Playing this on an iPhone, I can't get used to movement controls and miss a lot of points, QTE controls are kinda hard for me too, anybody else experiencing on an iPhone? It's a fun game I will keep playing for a bit, maybe I will get better one day.
do you have an XBO or PS4 controller? try connecting the controller to your iphone and playing it with buttons.
 

weblaus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
933
I feel strange somehow as I really don't enjoy this as a game.

Presentation and art design is great, the visuals have a very unique quality and the soundtrack is enjoyable.

Yes, there's lots a variety in regards to changing up the basic runner formula every few seconds, but somehow it still feels rather samey and has some serious mechanical issues: touch controls are pretty much unplayable and even with a controller it feels loose, especially when you have to navigate narrow places - I couldn't imagine going for gold in most levels because of this.

The story is, well... okay, I guess? I actually don't think projects like this or e.g. Rez even need one. But if you have to set up a narrator to basically explain the point to get it across feels like some kind of failure.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel like Sayonara Wild Hearts is a great audiovisual experience, but a let down as a game (while e.g. Rez Infinite ranks in my all-time top 10).
 

roguesquirrel

The Fallen
Oct 29, 2017
5,483
i think the narrator was mostly there as part of the fairy tale flavor of the aesthetic, and to holistically tie in the arcadey shouts she does. i dont think it was there specifically because "oh without this no one will understand" otherwise she'd be explaining every band across the way like this was the 80s cut of blade runner.
 

ryushe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,813
On Twitter Patrick Klepek said he never got Rez due to not loving the music but loves the pop songs and the overall experience of Sayonara Wild Hearts and considers it 'his Rez' and I'm right there with him.
 

DigitalT

Member
Oct 27, 2017
326
Surprisingly enjoyable game, wished some levels were longer so I could enjoys the songs more.
When they revealed Queen Latifa as the narrator I fucking lost it
 

Igor

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,478
I just finished it, and while I can say it's been a unique experience It didn't do it for me, apart from rather tight art direction (Though even then, keeping everything low poly and in the same colour palette really helped. It's a little sterile).
I really tried to like it - but it just doesn't pass for me - for a game, for a multimedia art experience, or a pop album. Playing through it I could only think how this is style over substance, and how all the separate elements of the game just don't have much justification apart from looking "cool". And SWH is a cool experience but I do not think there's much depth to it or that it tries to say anything interesting in particular.
The gameplay is basically Temple Run with a music twist added - which could be wonderful (I'm a big BIG music/rhythm games fan) but this is not a Tetsuya Mizuguchi game and the systems and controls are just not tight enough. A lot of difficulty comes from how unresponsive the character would be - probably the most clever level, the Parallel Universe could have been a case of the game redeeming itself from rather bland gameplay up to this point but its marred by controls that just do not allow for twitchy gameplay. The REZ like sections only highlight my argument - trying to insert those gameplay elements without understanding what made that game so amazing (combining rhythm and gameplay; smooth, super responsive controls) just looks ignorant and is bit of a sad attempt. I do not have problem with easy games which SWH definitely is - I just wish the game was more successful at being a rhythm game - this is what makes Mizuguchi's games so potent and from Western games maybe only Thumper got close to.
As a pop album or a multimedia experience? The music is bunch of typical pop synths and cute Purity Ring-esque coos, or something that sounds like a diluted cross between Chvrches and Imogen Heap - the only track I haven't forgotten already is actually a cover (re-arrangement?) of Debussy's Clair de Lune which is damning! I do understand that this is a matter of taste but there are tons of better game music, and better synth pop than this. For something that calls itself a pop music album game: Where. Are. The. Hooks.
All in a narrative of going through heart break - it would be a cute story arc if the narrative was a little more coherent (I mean from Bjork to Tyler the Creator, some best albums have been made on the topic, why games can't do that!) but I wonder if washing it in Tarot and Zodiac millennialism is actually earnest because it has been treated a little on the surface. Maybe I am missing something but card like Death in Tarot is not a negative card (as every Tarot card on its own is essentially neutral) yet in the game it's been presented as such. And as the Sayonara Wild Hearts name suggests, the game's narrative is a mash up of just cool ideas piled on top of each other with little coherence.

When I saw the reveal trailer I was cautious but really wanted to be surprised. Pity. I suppose the best thing this game will do is attract people who normally don't game to the medium, because the appeal is definitely there.

TL;DR I didn't like it at all but I am bothered enough to discuss it.
 

P A Z

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,914
Barnsley, UK
Just finished it.

Presentation and soundtrack are stellar.

Pacing was good, never felt like any levels dragged or that I didn't understand what I was supposed to do, though I do think some stages are a little too fast, I definitely won't be going for all golds when I replay it.

Lots of variety in the stages, the boss fight stages are the best stages, they felt more involving and less like I'm just watching the game.

I do think the controls could be a little tighter, it feels like the slightest accidental nudge can move your character into an obstacle but then you need to push stick all the way to the side to move across the stage (the car stage). They're nowhere near bad enough to not allow you to compete a stage or anything like that but along with the games ridiculously fast pace in many stages I never really felt comfortable with them. Maybe I'm not supposed to though.
 

ultramooz

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,337
Paris, France
Just finished it and it was pretty much what I expected after playing it in Japan expo in july. Great visuals and nice ideas but I often felt overwhelmed by stuff I couldn't catch or obstacles that were in my face without warning. Overall it felt quite unfair.

I'm pretty bad at rhythm games, but I had an easier time coping with thumper speed than in this game. I felt some of the tells were not readable enough and the movement was either too fast or too sluggish at times. I felt like the inertia of the movements was too strong.

Some of the later levels felt frustrating and I even skipped a few cause I couldn't be bothered.

Still happy with purchase because there are some good ideas and it's visually interesting
but I don't see myself trying for the gold grades.
 

Sirhc

Hasn't made a thread yet. Shame me.
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,050
Oh man, the Stereo twins levels leading up to that song from the trailer, so good.

Edit: Just finished, 10/10, fantastic experience, what a ride. And unlocking album mode is exactly what I wanted from that start, going to be super nice for next run. Curious what the reward for all gold is.
 
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Zutrax

Member
Oct 31, 2017
4,191
Alright, so I was pretty down on it in my previous posts when I was maybe halfway through the game. I finished the game and I was still on the fence. I really did love the final level though, that was quite the audio/visual experience.

That said, now I'm going back and trying to do the Zodiacs and getting Golds, I feel like the game gives off a very poor first impression with it's gameplay. It's extremely chaotic and loose, hard to follow everything when you're playing through a first playthrough.

Now that I'm actually attempting challenge runs and memorizing levels? It feels pretty damn good. I feel like this is an odd case of a really shitty first impression that grows on you as you take in more and more of it.

I still am not a huge fan of the loose controls (for a rhythm game at least) and gameplay style, but it did start to click more and seeing how everything flows when you really get the levels memorized and going is quite the experience.

It went from a disappointment, to something pretty special in the few hours I've been really hammering into the title. I don't think this will be for everyone, but I think I do see what the games trying to present now, when before I was just more frustrated by it.

Rez is still my favorite "audio/visual experience game", but this does have a lot going for it that Rez doesn't, so I'm happy to put the two in the same ballpark.
 
Oct 27, 2017
12,282
I went into this as blind as can be... Really had no idea what kind of game this was, and I only saw some screenshots and a snip of a description.

Finished it in one sitting and replayed it on Album Arcade mode. Honestly it blew me away. Everything coalesced perfectly, the music and art combined with ever escalating mechanics that continued to build on itself all the way up to the end. I played it on Switch on my TV with a pro controller and I had no complaints in terms of how it played. I honestly thought it handled beautifully, sliding back and forth felt really satisfying as did hitting the timings. The sightly loose nature added to the frantic feel it was going for.

I was playing with my partner watching and when we got to the Twins section I legit gasped. Top 10 moment for me this year.

Fucking loved it.
 

Defect

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,673
I love this game. Played through it 5 times already on my IPhone. My favorite levels/songs are the wolf boss and the penultimate level.
 

Mr.Fletcher

Member
Nov 18, 2017
9,490
UK
Bought this last night and finished it this morning - loved it. The presentation is top draw and I really enjoyed the music.

I felt they devs came up with some inspired visuals throughout and did just enough to mask the simple gameplay.

Getting the top grade isn't easy either.

It's amazing to see a game like this get made and released. I applaud the minds behind it and I hope it does well.
 

Deleted member 4208

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
409
Not sure if this counts as double-dipping but I played this on Apple Arcade first but when I saw there was a Switch version buying that version was a no-brainer. Playing this on a big screen with a regular controller is much better than touch controls on the iPhone. I tried using my Xbox controller on the iPhone but don't have anything to hold my phone at a convenient angle while I hold the controller.

The music and presentation are fantastic. I haven't completed it yet; I keep going back to cleared levels to get better ranks and just enjoy the music. The Switch version is the cost of an album and it's 100% worth it.
 

Jonnykong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,898
Played it last night and absolutely loved it. Not sure I'll go back to it to get higher scores etc, for me it was a special, one time experience.
 

Jahranimo

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,002
I pre-ordered the Switch physical on iam8bit so I'm gonna wait for that.

... Which works because September is still ridiculous right now lol.
 

Dyna

Member
Nov 1, 2017
339
Finland
Picked this up on launch day from the Nintendo Switch eshop and I've beaten it a couple of times now as well as gotten all the gold ranks. At first I definitely felt a tiny bit of buyer's remorse when I realized I had already breezed through 1/3 of the game in a short session, but after completing the game and replaying all the levels a few times to get the remaining square coins and go for the gold ranks I really liked it a lot. I just got 991,000 total score in the arcade mode so I still have that (and the harder mode) to master until I can say I'm done with the game, the audiovisuals in the game are just so fantastic and refined that it's incentive enough for me to keep replaying the levels. I honestly just wish there were more levels and songs in the game! A flight level with a track similar to Kate Bush's The Big Sky would have been amazing to see for example, haha. Has anyone gotten all the Zodiac Riddles? Does that do anything?
 

jdstorm

Member
Jan 6, 2018
7,562
Not sure if this counts as double-dipping but I played this on Apple Arcade first but when I saw there was a Switch version buying that version was a no-brainer. Playing this on a big screen with a regular controller is much better than touch controls on the iPhone. I tried using my Xbox controller on the iPhone but don't have anything to hold my phone at a convenient angle while I hold the controller.

The music and presentation are fantastic. I haven't completed it yet; I keep going back to cleared levels to get better ranks and just enjoy the music. The Switch version is the cost of an album and it's 100% worth it.

Just a reminder you can buy a lightning to HDMI adaptor and play Apple Arcade games on your TV
 

Jintor

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,396
i'm not really feeling it as a 'game' so much as an amazing way to listen to a pop album if that makes any sense

I also think the arcade mode is a far superior way to enjoy the game because the constant breaks in normal mode really detract from any sense of flow
 

MagnusGman

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,041
Dallas
I'm trying to bang out the rest of Astral Chain so I can start Link's Awakening and all I can think about is Sayonara Wild Hearts.
 

Murlin

Member
Feb 12, 2019
1,049
Can someone point me to the third diamond in Mine (the level where you defeat the Stereo Lovers)? I assume it's in the last part where you're flying but I just don't see it anywhere.

edit: Found it, I would have been searching forever if I only looked in the space I assumed it was!
 

Bebpo

Member
Feb 4, 2018
4,559
I feel strange somehow as I really don't enjoy this as a game.

Presentation and art design is great, the visuals have a very unique quality and the soundtrack is enjoyable.

Yes, there's lots a variety in regards to changing up the basic runner formula every few seconds, but somehow it still feels rather samey and has some serious mechanical issues: touch controls are pretty much unplayable and even with a controller it feels loose, especially when you have to navigate narrow places - I couldn't imagine going for gold in most levels because of this.

The story is, well... okay, I guess? I actually don't think projects like this or e.g. Rez even need one. But if you have to set up a narrator to basically explain the point to get it across feels like some kind of failure.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel like Sayonara Wild Hearts is a great audiovisual experience, but a let down as a game (while e.g. Rez Infinite ranks in my all-time top 10).

Yeah, I'm just finishing it up now and I'm so mixed on this. I love the visual/audio presentation but the shortness of it and the ultra-simplistic gameplay to the point where sometimes I feel it's just one long QTE the game (aka Asura's Wrath x Rez x Tempest if Suda51 made it is how I'd describe this the most) that I just don't know.

I feel like I enjoy this at like a 7/10 while playing but appreciate the art experience of it and will listen to the soundtrack instead of playing the game after.

At times I also feel like these stages would be awesome parts of a much bigger meatier game. They remind me of the kind of segments I would find in a good Suda51 game, but those would be meaty 10-20 hour games and these would be varied creative highs within them. On its own, it's just so....shallow? I mean unless there's a upside down castle kinda thing after I finish these last couple stages, the entire thing is what? 90 mins?

Also I feel like the longer boss stages are the best and the short 30-60 second stages are kinda pointless. Would rather have had fewer stages but all substantial length like an arcade level.

So far the best stage has been the VR glasses boss because that felt the most "gameplay" out of everything so far and was basically a little shmup with ultra cool presentation. Actually just did the bow stage and that was good too since it was closer to a Sin & Punishment/Panzer Dragoon gameplay.

As a lover of Rez and Rez Infinite, definitely feel like this is trying to be Rez, but the gameplay is nowhere near as good.

fwiw, playing it on the phone with a DS4 & headphones. Could see it being nicer on a big tv, but don't like it enough to buy it.

*edit* ok, finished it. Nice experience, glad to have experienced it, will keep the soundtrack on play for awhile, but yeah everytime the game actually had more real gameplay mechanics and I'd start dying, it'd be like "oh wait, it's actually a game now!", just weird experience overall.

I think maybe if the game moved slower it'd feel more like real gameplay in the runner sections. The speed is so fast a lot of it feels like trial & error and memorization vs reacting and "playing".
 
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Tunesmith

Fraud & Player Security
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
1,936
I'm liking it so far, but I wish the controls were tighter - hard to navigate some of the more narrow obstacles when a light nudge of the analog sends your character flying. Kind of makes me wish it was a snap-to-lane kind of game
Funnily, this is how the iOS touch controls, and it makes you wish it wasn't a lane kind of game on that platform.
I agree though that the stick controls are on the very sensitive side of things and takes finesse to master (I'm not there yet).
 

DashReindeer

Perfect World
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
531
Sad that this game isn't getting more love on Era. I know that it's probably not most people's cup of tea, but wow, the acid-laced, neon-soaked retelling of 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back' worked for me on pretty much every level. I don't see nearly enough psychedelia in games these days, so this game was the type of intense face melting experience that I didn't even know I was missing until I booted it up.

I do get how there are a lot of gamers who would not be interested in the type of experience on offer here, but I hope the game can find the audience it definitely deserves.
 

Dascu

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,993
Was very fun, but I really wish there was a more full-blown rail shooter out there with this style. The little bow and shooter bits in the last stages were great but over too soon.
 

xch1n

Member
Oct 27, 2017
603
It's really good, but the touch controls are...exactly what I remember about mobile games being awful when just putting "regular" games on a mobile platform. Yes, I know that it has controller support, but like, part of the appeal of Apple Arcade is being able to play games on my phone. Not playing games with my phone weirdly propped up somewhere while I use a controller. Yes, everything will be better when iPadOS/tvOS 13 comes out, but it's a real dang bummer nonetheless.
 

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,704
This music is like OST of the Year material, but the gameplay is a little odd. Could be that I've been away from mobile gaming for so long, but it seems worth playing through at least.
 
Oct 26, 2017
3,925
Listening to the OST I find myself wishing they had mixed in some of the collectibles audio - the songs feel like they punch harder in game lol
 

APOEERA

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,061
Been listening to the soundtrack at work and I straight up bought it for PS4 on the basis of it. The Platinum looks really hard though.
 
zodiac riddle solutions
OP
OP

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
i'm having a blast with the game, getting the achievements, gold ranks and square coins.

here's all the zodiac riddle solutions, in case anyone's stuck:
Aries A: Achieved "No Rank!" in "Clair De Lune"
Aries B: Used skip cutscene in ten different songs in a row

Taurus A: Collected all the square coins
Taurus B: Paused the game twelve times quickly

Gemini A: Used the skip magician three times in "Hearts & Swords"
Gemini B: Got ten "Risky!" in "Yolo Arcade"

Cancer A: Got twenty "Risky!" in "Doki Doki Rush" without failing
Cancer B: Passed through the left eye of the smiley shaped obstacle in "Reverie" four times

Leo A: Achieved gold rank in "Begin Again" three times in a row
Leo B: Got twenty-five "Slide!" in "Transonic Gravity"

Virgo A: Dealt a KO! with only one button push
Virgo B: Listened to the entire song on the title screen and then played "Hearts & Swords"

Libra A: Did not collect any small hearts in "Parallel Universes"
Libra B: Spun the zodiac wheel backwards ten cycles

Scorpius A: Got no points in "Night Drift"
Scorpius B: Got only "Good!" on the prompts in "Fighting Hearts"

Sagittarius A: Achieved gold rank in "Inside" then silver rank in "Heartbreak V" and lastly bronze rank in "Heartbreak III"
Sagittarius B: Got three "Spinny!" in "Inside"

Capricornus A: Got "Perfect!" on every prompt in "Forest Ghost"
Capricornus B: Collected more than half of the square coins in "Album Arcade"

Aquarius A: Warp teleported forty times in "Heartbreak IV"
Aquarius B: Achieved a rank in "Yolo Arcade"

Pisces A: Squeezed between two spaceship bullets four times in "The World We Knew"
Pisces B: Got all square coins in one run of "Wild Hearts Never Die"
 
Oct 30, 2017
9,200
I'm playing through it now on my iPhone.... totally blown away by it, very artistic and well designed and really really fun!

I love games like these, the music tracks are <3
 

Deleted member 8468

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
9,109
Played through the whole game in one sitting last night on my iPad, with a DS4 and headphones. Really incredible experience, it totally came out of left field for me and its a game right up my alley. I can't help but think of Q Entertainment when playing this, but the devs are taking the 'music integrated game' in a whole different direction than Miz & Co. For me, I think the visuals and story elements make it a very different thing. It pulls the audio, visual, and gameplay elements together in a more cohesive way. Oh gosh and the soundtrack. Its very good, I will be listening to this for some time.

I'd like to buy this on a different platform so I can play it on my TV/sound system. Not sure if I'll pull the trigger on Switch or see if a PC version is cooking.
 

Murlin

Member
Feb 12, 2019
1,049
Okay so I flew through the left eye in Reverie four times and didn't solve the riddle so I thought maybe they meant my left, rather than the face's left, and tried four more times. Still nothing. Anyone know for sure which side it actually means? After playing through the whole level eight times in a row I'm not going back to it until I know for sure. I'm just going to assume it has to be done four times in succession with no other songs played in between, even though it doesn't actually say so or hint toward that being a requirement.