YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Reviews

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is ranked in the 17th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2020

I may have been quite late in getting to covering YIIK, but in the end, was this worth the wait and time for me, as an RPG fan and a fan of 90s games and visuals? Honestly, I did come out really enjoying the art style for its cool quirky looks, and some of the music is legitimately awesome, but on the other hand, you have a horrid battle system and some voices that sound as if they were recorded from a tin can. It’s a weird mess all around, and even now, I don’t recommend you check this out. Just buy the soundtrack if you have to get anything out of this game.

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5 / 10
Nov 21, 2019

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is certainly full of good intentions and it promises a lot in what it could turn out to be...nevertheless, intentions alone don't make a masterpiece and while its 1990s-tinged environment, its attempts at an innovative fighting system and a few of its musical tracks are certainly worthy of praise, the game drags itself for too long, feels frustrating and confusing too often and the experience is just too inconsistent for its own good. Something which could have turned out much better and whose potential can still be harnessed for something remarkable.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Jun 25, 2019

My issues with the story are that it tells you the specifics once, in large information dumps during key scenes, and then expects you to remember it all through the depressing dialogue and obtuse combat. I wanted things to be more fun, I wanted the dialogue to make me laugh and be full of hidden jokes and respectable interactions. Instead, everything is a chore to read and a punishment to experience. I really wanted a fulfilling journey for Alex and his friends, and I didn’t feel like we earned that goal based on most if not all of the dialogue in this game. It was all very depressing and felt like it had been written specifically with self-reflection in mind. I felt like YIIK was a game made to analyze. I wished it carried those critical elements of fun and enjoyment. Even though the world was beyond interesting to look at, its contents and message were just unnecessarily padded with inner monologue. It took me roughly 30 hours to beat the main story and begin some of the side extras. YIIK will cost you $19.99 on PC, PS4, or Nintendo Switch.

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6 / 10
Feb 25, 2019

WORTH CONSIDERING - YIIK tries many new things to reinvent the JRPG genre only to fall flat. It’s a shame because there is a potentially good game buried under the pretentious main character, Alex. The music is great though!

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GameSpace
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Feb 22, 2019

If you grew up way back in the olden days like me and can't stomach another anime RPG then YIIK is worth a look. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is out now on Nintendo Switch.

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3.5 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2019

As boundless is the cosmos where alternate realities and selves may reside, so too is YIIK immeasurably unfun to play. This should have been a visual novel.

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4 / 10.0
Feb 11, 2019

Some criticize JRPGs for being weird, having too much talking, brain-dead gameplay, being pretentious, and even pandering too hard to be likable to nerds. I can think of one game that fits those criticisms, and it was trying to honor the best of them. YIIK? Yuck…

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50 / 100
Feb 10, 2019

YIIK has an interesting story and an exceptional concept, that could've worked better if the game was idealized as a visual novel. Unfortunately, as an RPG, it doesn't work so weel since it ends up losing itself in an attempt to innovate the mechanics of the classic titles from which it draws inspiration.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2019

YIIK is visually appealing, has a nice soundtrack and is pretty funny at times. But the battle system needs a little more polish and the main character was… not my cup of tea.

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6.8 / 10.0
Jan 28, 2019

YIIK is an ambitious and wacky RPG that despite having fascinating characters and a gripping surrealist narrative, falters in part due to poor pacing, a mediocre combat system and performance issues

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8.4 / 10.0
Jan 28, 2019

YIIK does something different, taking some of the best memories of classic games, folding it in with brilliant writing, and creating one of the most evocative RPGs I’ve ever played that didn’t have “Final” in the title. For fans of the genre, great writing, or supernatural mystery, this game should be immediately on a lot of 2019 Must Play lists.

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Jan 23, 2019

Even though YIIK strikes out, there’s definitely some potential in the game’s overall design with a pretty solid foundation that leaves room for plenty of improvement, and I wouldn’t mind giving Ackk Studios another chance at making another Post-Modern RPG.

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7 / 10
Jan 22, 2019

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is huge achievement for Ackk Studios, it is so much better than their previous title, and maybe a little more attention to combat system and controls could’ve even made it one of the best indie titles in years. Nevertheless, A Postmodern RPG is a fun game that will probably worth your time and money.

Review in Persian | Read full review

No
Jan 22, 2019

Trying to bring the feel of a different era into the modern limelight is quite the task, and YIIK almost pulls it off. While it sports great old-school visuals, it just can’t overcome its other flaws. The shallow combat gets old quickly, the characters aren’t all that endearing, and the pacing doesn’t do the game any favours. You’d be better off playing one of the games that YIIK imitates. Those who want to go back in time may very well find a game they love, but I didn’t.

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Gamefa
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2019

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a great game if you want an attractive story_driven game with some elements of RPG. The story is really unique and innovative which make you follow it to the end. If you can deal with a really simple graphic, YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a nice choice for you to play.

Review in Persian | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Jan 17, 2019

It’s the sort of game that will gain a cult following. These super-fans will appreciate its millennial dread, imperfect friends supporting one another through crises both personal and apocalyptic, and a quirky style that draws on gamer culture, weird horror, and low-poly goofs without getting bogged down in uncritical nostalgia.

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Unscored
Jan 17, 2019

YIIK might have been able to get away with some of its issues if other areas were able to pick up the slack.

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5.5 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2019

My hope for Ackk Studios is that they will take this criticism to heart in their next project. They are clearly bursting with creativity, and we need to see more of that in the gaming industry. Just be sure to back it up with solid mechanics that push the player’s experience forward. Being set in 1999 doesn’t mean we have to suffer through the worst of it.

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7.3 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2019

YIIK has been a bit of a strange one for me. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the quirky story through to its conclusion and loved exploring the wonderfully crafted world, the repetitive battle system and poorly executed levelling up system left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Neither aspect was particularly game-breaking nor did they make YIIK end up feeling like a bad game, but they did stand out a lot as I made my way through the fairly lengthy adventure. It’s definitely going to be a divisive experience for gamers though and it certainly won’t tick enough boxes to warrant a purchase for everyone. For me though, YIIK did enough right to make it recommendable for fans of RPGs or those who like a truly surreal experience – it’s far from perfect, but it still manages to offer an enjoyably bizarre journey that I was glad to be a part of.

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6 / 10
Jan 17, 2019

YIIK is an ambitious little RPG with an intriguing premise and engaging battle mechanics that is ultimately let down by some poor pacing and a very unruly inventory management system. In a game where stats matter so much, this is a pretty big issue to have. Regardless, if you can see past its flaws, there's a kooky game here with a weird but wonderful plot and a lovable cast to enjoy.

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