It’s an open spectrum of light and sound, all here for you to enjoy. Nothing is being kept, or gated, from the player.

Failing too often leads to a screen on which you’re offered the opportunity to skip that song entirely. Even the quick-time events are very forgiving, as they are more like take-your-time events.

Although there is some sync-up between the music and the sound effects of gathering hearts – did I mention the point system is hearts made of beautiful light? – success in the game isn’t reliant on hitting the beats. But each level has multiple checkpoints, so failing doesn’t mean restarting the whole track.īut I wouldn’t call Sayonara Wild Hearts a rhythm game. Some levels ask for more concentration than others, such as a particularly tricky section where you have to hit pinball-style bumpers to nail tight turns. The gameplay is simple enough that it can easily be played with an idle thumb while standing on a bus. Sayonara Wild Hearts plays more like a mobile game, for better or worse, no matter which system you play it on. You can stream the soundtrack right now if you’d like to give it a try. Like so many psychedelic gaming experiences before it, Sayonara Wild Hearts feels like a dream you can play through as often as you’d like, and all in a single sitting, if you get as lost in the songs as I did. The bubbly indie-pop tracks heighten the overall feeling of playing through an animated music video. Sayonara Wild Hearts is basically Give Carly Rae Jepsen a Sword: the Game, so it’s no surprise that the chiptune-influenced audioscape is entirely on-point. The other highlight of the game is the soundtrack. This is a world where everyone is graceful, strong, and wants to kiss everyone else.

Given that you alternate between fighting and kissing these ladies, it’s refreshing to see a game embracing a queer aesthetic so wholeheartedly and wholesomely. The tarot cards are all stylish ladies leading girl gangs, wearing cunning suits and letterman jackets. The color range is drawn straight from the bisexual lighting palette, jewel-tones accented with neon UI elements. The animations are smooth and satisfying, like when you twist in mid-air after collecting a high-value heart, or balance like a ballerina on your scooter seat when it’s time to confront the boss - which may or may not be a mechanized wolf with three heads. Every moment in the game is an aesthetic delicacy.

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