YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

Well, at least it wasn't boring, but I wish they consulted a real JRPG dev first (sorry-not sorry for commiting the Original Sin™ in the very first line of my review). If you didn't already like the first version, the update won't change your mind.

YIIK I.V adds a lot to the back half, but the major new feature - an entirely new combat system - leaves much to be desired. All you have to do is figure out one Karta combination (I'm not telling you so you won't ruin the game for yourself right from the start) and you can coast on just pressing Quick Attack for 99% of encounters even before you overfarm. This is the real sin the developers commited - making a system less engaging than what YIIK originally had, at least you had to press other buttons in THAT one. I had to drop the combo and readjust for only ONE encounter and that was the fucking NG+ FINAL BOSS.

Still, the writing is good, the new scenes are great, even though some of them made me feel like the devs get high on the smell of their own farts with how "symbolic" they made them, which is a bold answer to the common criticism of the original game getting pretentious. Finally, it makes sense why The Holy Mountain is listed as a reference, because I can't stand that film for the exact same reason, but the Allanson brothers make it work.

However, they made a baffling decision to get the cast back together and do absolutely nothing new with them in the original parts of the game, which still need some polish, like, ten years later (unvoiced conversations, weird dialogue or just kinda off takes). The absolutely incredible grocery store monologue (seriously, look it up on TCRF) remains cut, and I’ll be forever mad about that.

I'm glad they made it, because now it's a complete journey and a half - no, the fabled "third ending" still has not been found, and yes, having the actual "first" fake ending as an option would have worked wonders for it in the long run, I just can't figure out why Inherent Vice is in the reference list too - other than a woman who gets the main character on the case being in on it, there is no connection whatsoever. Maybe it's a connection dreamed.

This game is stupid, very stupid, but also so incredible. The I.V update is an incredible overhaul that includes so many new changes and secrets that persist into NG++ and beyond. It also turned my semi-ironic enjoyment into pure admiration for this game and its devs. Even 6 years later they are still fixing the game into a product that people can enjoy, all for free. IV adds over 115 new songs to the game, new mechanics, new boss fights, new areas, everything. This game is a masterpiece and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in it. Here's a tip though, suspend your disbelief. The game is easy to criticize, I'm aware, but suspending your disbelief about how stupid and crazy everything is does wonders for your enjoyment of the game.

I never could dislike the original. It's always had a charm and a great story even beneath the surface.

This update takes it to another level.

The presentation is absolutely phenomenal now. Before, while I think it still did its job somewhat well, was not made for people who couldn't read between the lines. While it doesn't spoon-feed you everything now, it does a much better job of enticing the player along. The new framing of story elements does a great service to what the game is hinting towards. Especially Alex on an open mic spittin' monologue.

When devs are tackle a project with so many elements in the overarching narrative, it can be hard to get people to understand certain concepts. Just the slightest misadjustment of framing can turn people off. However, they have struck a great balance between verbalizing itself and stringing together the rest in the shadows. Along with this, they explore a lot more of the depth of the cast. It's always been there, but the characterizations are better expressed. The development of specific characters even further better the experience.

Real cinematography, updated visuals, entirely new sections and characters, the list goes on frankly.

Combat is fun and engaging, its stimulating to generate momentum with the Karta. Battles feel a lot more like a macabre dance. A personal wish of mine is wanting more Karta to play with, but the selection is well thought out mechanically. The combat and what it represents is narratively prevalent too.

I could go on and on about how I adore this, and that, and be here for hours. You don't need to know all that right now. Disconnecting the actual madness network of the story from my thoughts, its just really damn good now. If you like fast n' fun combat in a whacky world, come for the fun! Then stay for the insanity and meat of the material at play.

Don't rush yourself, digest what you see. If you don't like it, that's fine! I'm not gonna sit here and helplessly beg to you.

Tip: Understanding actual occult concepts like Hermeticism and Alchemy will help a lot if you wanna engage with the *real* shit. Bonus points if you are in to Comparative Theology.
Tip 2: Memes are more than what you commonly think of *as* memes.

I only played the game after the I.V update.
I don't think YIIK is a particularly good game, but I think it has a lot of heart. The menus have annoying delays on them, the new battle system isn't very good, having some bugs and weird quirks in it, but more importantly starting off really hard until it becomes easier and easier the longer the game goes on until every battle is braindead by the end. There's a lot of obnoxious ironic meta-humour coming from NPCs in the game world and sidequests related to them. There might be a meta element from the author in wanting the player to find these things annoying, but that might be giving them too much credit.
Regardless, YIIK is a visual spectacle, full of surreal imagery and intricately crafted environments to go with its surprisingly competently directed cutscenes, where the game's story and aesthetics are the main draw. Alex is very clearly and intentionally an unlikeable character, but I didn't find him as intolerable as many seem to, and the game actually managed to have me care about him and the rest of the cast by the end. The story often veers into surrealism but the plot itself isn't that hard to follow, at least until the NG+ content veers into substantially more open to interpretation matters of philosophy.

It's hard for me to put into words what I actually found appealing about the game, but if you're open to sitting through mediocre gameplay elements in order to experience a fascinating story of character growth buried under a great deal of metaphysical pseudo-babble I'd recommend giving it a go. You'll be able to tell quite quickly whether it's something that's resonating with you or not.

did not play the original release version, but at the time of its release i did watch videos on the game, and my takeaway was that it just sucked. then I forgot about it for several years and remembered it a month before the I.V update was due to drop.

i am so, so glad i rediscovered it when I did, because I actually fell in -love- with the demo-- the new intro screen being so much more dramatic and making me think "how does the story unfold to this point?", the new intro, the reanimated cutscenes, the combat system (which took a minute to grasp, but is much preferred vs the original combat system)-- all of it got me excited for how the rest of the story would play out on release.

granted, i did have to consult others' videos interpreting the story after the fact, as i heard it was infamously convoluted, but it's more like the game requires deeper thought on what it tells you VS what it shows you, and a lot of youtube video essays on the game didn't quite catch that... so going in after the update dropped, i had a better idea of what was going on, and the way the story is restructured in the I.V update reinforces those ideas.

that, and the second part of the game, YIIK 2, (yeah, that's what it's called) was an absolute treat that answers the question of "... so what?" once the game's main story ends. it's nice and this game feels a lot more earnest with its final takeaway vs how people were interpreting it back on release.

i would say give the demo a try, and if you jive with it, then check the game out. for 20 dollars it's honestly pretty good without a sale...

Truly, one of the best experiences I have seen. So much has changed and so much has been added: If you only heard of this game through video essays from 2018-2021, please give YIIK another chance.

I fucking love this game. It's not perfect, but damn it will remain special to me for years. Currently on NG++ and still finding new things. A lot of comparisons could be made between No More Heroes (my favorite game of all time) and YIIK. Ackk Studios really did the impossible with the I.V update, but it majorly paid off.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this game on and off for years now, but with the new presentation, battle system, story and music content in the IV update this has kind of become one of my favorite games. I'm often someone who has trouble finishing any game I play but after a point YIIK became something I couldn't put down. The new karta combat system is incredibly fun and there are really fun card abilities you can pair with party member specific abilities. The story is fascinating to me, and I'm still piecing bits of it together while mulling it over in the back of my mind. The game's old reputation will likely stand and its a real shame because this is a really neat game. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

If you had asked me what I thought of YIIK: A Postmodern RPG a year ago, I would have told you it’s that game I heard really sucked. The one that had really annoying minigame combat, a story tastelessly redressing a real life tragedy, which presents itself with the upmost pretentiousness. I would tell you my friend Vivian “made the logo for the update or whatever they’re doing I guess."

Today I would tell you that it is the first quirky depression-inspired RPG about EarthBound. I would tell you now, on the 7th of January, 2025, that it is the greatest RPG I’ve ever played.

YIIK I.V is such a bizarre game; The worst moments are basically anything left untouched from the original iteration, whereas almost everything new is really good, or at it's worst: fascinatingly cryptic.

I'm gonna have to say that I'm sorry for clowning on this game for the past 4-ish years. Fresh off of a full playthrough the game fully delivers on it's story and fixes on some of the missing details of the original release. I'm shocked at how excited I was seeing how the world ticked with the new revelations introduced with this updated version of the game, I was hooked by the trippier and more interesting visuals that the trailer had and the interesting combat system they showed off in the Nameless Psychosis demo. If you're still on the fence, take a look at the demo first. and my gametime at the time of review should represent the amount of time needed to complete a full playthrough of the game. If you think it's worth your time, based off of this knowledge alone I give the game my full recommendation

Surprisingly good.

Combat is fun, but get's mindlessly easy pretty quickly, making mid to late combat a slog, needs a way to speed up combat animations.
Base game story is still there, which is a downside since its atrocious. Wished there was a fast forward button for dialogue but I think the devs would sooner die than do that.
The additional story is pretty enjoyable though, has fun ideas, but is still very "tell don't show" like the base game.

I've ruminated on my time with YIIK I.V for quite a while now, it feels unfortunate that I ended up feeling the need to write a "review" at all but here it is.

I assume people looking in from the outside are going to find YIIK I.V quite confusing speaking strictly in terms of what it is as a product, I certainly did. YIIK has been known for years as this sort of "so bad its good" disasterpiece to many people. Years later this "I.V" update gets announced which on a surface level seemed to me like a full game remake or rework, a sort of last ditch effort to get it right.

Thats not what YIIK I.V is though. Nearly the entirety of the original YIIK experience remains in I.V untouched. Its really difficult to explain exactly what I.V changes and adds succinctly but if I had to compare it to anything its sort of like the third version of a Pokemon gen. Its got a bit of a meatier epilogue compared to what those usually included but I think the single most important thing I.V adds is a revised battle system.

If you've ever heard anything about YIIK it was probably about its story but arguably combat was always its real biggest issue. I wouldn't really say that they "fixed" combat with this revision but its way better than what they had before. Battles never drag on for too long, you can find actual strategies to use, party members and skills actually do things, all great improvements. I've got a million little nitpicks with it and I really don't think I can in confidence call it "good" now, but it is inoffensive for the most part and has some cool ideas.

In spite of all these changes, and really anyone who ever doubted its authenticity, YIIK is still YIIK. With that being said I don't think I can in good faith actually recommend it to anyone. YIIK retains the spirit that saw it widely ridiculed across the web. Its weird, jank, abrasive, unashamedly itself. Im into it, not in love with it but had a pretty good time overall. If you watched the trailer or saw some gameplay and really dug the style and vibes present I say give it a shot, that's its core strength. I didn't connect with or really make much sense of its writing beyond some basic thematic stuff but some people clearly have, try to go in with an open mind.

I've seen the sentiment that this update "fixed" YIIK or even made it into some kind of masterpiece but really I think it just does an even better job now of appealing to the niche that was predisposed to liking it. Thats sort of why I felt the need to write this and why its marked as a "negative" review. If YIIK still looks unappealing to you but you "heard it was good now" maybe reevaluate your expectations and consider the tastes of those who are saying this, approach with caution.


Happy New Year

So, after a long time of memeing on this game while waiting for the new update before playing it, I've finally gotten to playing YIIK I.V.

My verdict?

The game is very well made, the voice acting is good, the visual style/graphics are good, the soundtrack is actually really amazing, but the story is so pretentious and for a game who has absolutely nothing to say it still manages to vomit exposition in your face every 5 minutes and yet it's not actually trying to help you understand the story because the characters are constantly talking in cryptic analogies. This isn't a Manifold Garden/Hollow Knight/Gris situation where the story is intentionally abstract, because those games have barely any text/dialogue if any at all. This is a game who has a story so convoluted for literally no other reason than to make it stand out as convoluted. And they accomplished that, all right. YIIK I.V. is a very unique game with some really creative elements, however that doesn't make it good, which is why I can't recommend it.

I.V fixes a lot of the problems and recontextualizes others in a way that makes them bearable.
The story is streamlined to some extent, and the obvious problems are solved, but in the end it's still a confusing mess that I'm sure I'd get if I had a bigger brain or the willpower to read supplementary material. It's a confusing mess in a "we are deliberately not telling you the method behind the madness", as opposed to "we have our heads up our asses and we think that makes us better than you".
There's still a lot of things that need fixing. But now it feels like the game they wanted to make rather than the game that we got.

Is YIIK PIIK? I wouldn't say so. But it's memorable in the way they wanted now.

The new update completely fixes and expands the combat, while adding so much new story content that is truly mind bending. This new update was my third playthrough and I eagerly wait to do a forth. The original release was a very interesting, if flawed game. This new version has the makings of a real cult classic imo. Huge props to ACKK for all their hard work.

A truly entertaining and fun game, with very excellent and surreal presentation. The YIIK IV update is phenomenal, with very interesting and unique gameplay. This battle system is what I would have wanted from the old ATB FF games. I would imagine you could enjoy this game even from a pure gameplay standpoint, especially in the midgame.

And just to note when you beat the game. Play new game plus. You are not expecting what you think you're expecting.

Find the Self, the Sun, and the Holy Thief.

Full disclosure: 80% of my playtime was before even the 1.25 update.
The first time I ever heard of YIIK was when the clips on a certain youtube channel started circulating a few months after the game had come out, I remember even seeing the music guy from VA-11 HALL-A tweeting about it and then deleted their tweet and I thought "wow, this game must be THAT bad if one of your composers is ashamed of being part of it, then I saw Running Shine's masterpiece of a video review and I really wanted to play, fast forward a year, I finally have my own PC and can finally play it and I have to be honest, despite the game breaking bugs that wiped like 3 hours of progress, some random encounters or even bosses softlocking the game I still liked the game, sure, some songs are genuinely awful but even some like Puzzle Pieces have a charm that vocal songs in games haven't had since Yakuza or even Sonic Adventure.
The 1.25 update did sour on me a bit because the devs did some stuff relating some skills that made them useless on a coin toss basically but I reached halfway on my NG+ and then dropped it.
Then the I.V demo is announced, I play it and it's amazing, the new combat system is really good, the plot thread regarding the new character is really interesting and then it finally comes out and I have to say, it's not a redemption arc like NMS or Cyberpunk but I love how the weirdness that was so charming about the game was turned up to 11 and so far I'm only halfway through the new stuff and it's amazing, the new songs are great, there's even a part that is straight up a homage or a rip-off of old Resident Evil depending on your cynicism and it legit spooked me ambiance-wise.
tl;dr a solid 7/10 game has turned into a 9/10 that I hope that the people that just meme about it or like it "ironically" have a chance to try it out and be charmed by it.
The things I'd do to Vella Wilde help me God

The good:
-Combat is fun, quick and engaging
-Soundtrack is very good
-Visuals are gorgeous
-Surreal scenes are always fun (one or other surreal scene is a bit lackluster but its fine)
-Building characters is a thing now with Kartas
-Mind dungeon is janky but a fun 3D open stage platformer sort of colect-a-thon
-The new interwoven story is actually well done, it took what was already there and added on it in a fairly seemless way
-Michael is a great character

The bad:
-Super super linear (no player freedom, you need to do things in the very specific order they require, kills flow sometimes)
-Dialogue is too eloquent/bloated (It would be ok if it was just Alex, but Vella and Rory also tend to speak like that)
-No replayability (due to the above)

The ugly:
-Some chapters don't feel like they tie well into the main plot, they just feel like padding (for example Mt. Town chapter)
-Plot is too convoluted for its own good
-Storyteling tends to be a bit too direct
-Character development for some characters is weak at best

I give it a 7/10

YIIK I.V. is a triumph on every level. Weathering the many criticisms levied at the game's original state, YIIK has decided not to go the coward's way, be that abandoning the game or changing it entirely, but rather refined that original vision to a sheen to shut up all those that had seen fit to tread on it, be it with legitimate criticisms (which the original release had many that could be levied at it) and illegitimate ones, inherited from the opinions of others.

The new combat is fun, the new story cutscenes and content dynamic and exciting, framing even the old writing in a better light and aiding in carrying meaning to the text. This story is a triumph of layered meaning carried over by legitimate fun and entirely overhauled combat, in a package much more respectful of your time as both a person and a gamer. You will now interface with the story in earnest, able to think it through and see what it is trying to say, all while having a great time destroying shit with the new Karta system. Overhauled dungeons also are a great boon to pacing and fun.

Plus, 150 new tracks of music! All of them excellent. Gone are the slightly wonky songs 1.0 could have at times (even if a lot was great), this entire package is fantastic.

If this game has ever even slightly interested you, you owe it to yourself to give YIIK its fair shake. Come at it with an open mind unburdened by what you heard before and you might be surprised how fun and interesting an experience it can really be.

If you looked up perfect remake/remaster/update/whatever in a dictionary, you would get YIIK I.V.

I can not recall the last time (or even ever) that a game has kept me wanting to come back. Every time I saved and quit, I just wanted to return back to YIIK to play more. The people who worked on this game really did listen to every single criticism that the original had and fixed them. The combat is, while a bit confusing at the start, really fun and interesting. All the new music is phenomenal and I have been listening to many of the new songs on repeat while at work. The new presentation & cutscenes are so good, and much help the dialogue they accompany. The new parts with The Nameless Child are super cool too. As someone who played the original YIIK and pretty much knew the story, the addition of The Nameless Child sections and one of the twists within absolutely blew my mind in a way I didn't think possible. I played this game on stream for my friends to see, one of which had never seen YIIK before at all, and I was worried that she wouldn't understand the game as much as I did since I had played YIIK before. However, she told me that by the end of the game, everyone thing (for the most part) made sense. I still worry that a newcomer might be confused as to all the deep meaning of everything that is happening on a first playthough, but I believe that if they stick it out to the end they will understand.

Words can not describe how much respect and admiration I have for the creators. They could have just given up, but they didn't. As a certain someone said, they "Kept fighting" and made this. Everything about YIIK inspires me to "keep fighting" and I can say that, without a doubt in my mind, YIIK is one of my favorite games ever made.

new combat system is really fun and engaging, although you will need to be prepared to properly focus and really think about your karta/party layout to get the most out of it. new cutscenes are really cool too, with trippy visuals and symbolism that simultaneously works just as cool psychedelic imagery on the surface whilst giving you a lot to chew on once you have a better understanding of the narrative. they also suit the verbose writing style better, giving room for extra character interactions and symbolism visually.

there are still parts that drag on, such as some less then engaging puzzles and instances of boring character interactions. i enjoyed most the character interactions but there are some pretty dismal ones in which they just kinda go off on some big story that probably has some big symbolic implications for the narrative, but ultimately aren't engaging in a vacuum.

overall, i'd definitely recommend this. there are moments that drag but you'll stop caring as soon as you get back to the cool shit cause it rocks.

YIIK is very much still a game with blemishes.
It is a game with parts that can make it difficult to recommend to the average player. Certain parts still retain their day 1 "coarseness" if you know what I mean, especially in the first half of the game, which I feel may turn away some players.
However, having beat the game, I can easily say that YIIK is a game that will stick with me for years to come.
I will remember this game for a very long time, and that's not something I can say for every game.
There are scenes and music that made me physically react, I was excited to learn more about this world,
and just how distorted it could become.
Very, very cool. I love YIIK!

As a side note, I have noticed, I think that YIIK is a game that isn't very fun to watch.
Most people that have experienced this game second hand through watching youtubers or friends playing it come away hating it, while the person playing it ends up enjoying it.
Because of this, I would recommend that if you do choose to experience this game, first hand experience will be the best way.

It's PIIK...

Jokes aside, I slept on this game when it initially released. Saw all the backlash it got and decided that it probably wasn't for me. Then I get a friend poking me a couple months ago to try out the demo they put out for I.V, Nameless Psychosis and I was hooked. The combat system, the weird-ass visuals and story, the music... I found myself actually excited to play YIIK. And when the real deal came out, I can safely say that the enjoyment I got out of the demo has since continued.

Now, that being said, even with YIIK I.V changing a bunch of things from the base game, at the end of the day it's still YIIK. If you've got hang ups about the game for whatever reason like it being pretentious as all hell or the story being incomprehensible, that has not changed. While I personally enjoy that kind of thing, it is definitely not for everyone.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue enjoying this intravenously.

This is primarily a review for YIIK I.V, as someone who experienced the older versions of the game secondhand.

YIIK, at it's core, is a pretty misunderstood game. People compared it to Earthbound, went in expecting a quirky Earthbound style story, and got mad when it was really a very introspective story told to you by a chronic liar of a narrator that expects you to scrutinize everything told to you, and, in truth, does not have a happy ending, despite Alex's own insistence. In my eyes, the battle system was the game's biggest fault. The game markets itself as "A Postmodern RPG", so it is vital to approach it from a postmodern lens, or the story it tries to tell will be practically invisible to you.

YIIK I.V. is a total overhaul of the game. The aesthetics are made stronger, there are now animated cutscenes, it's made very clear that Alex's monologuing is intended to be kind of annoying, some characters get more scenes to make them feel much more distinct, and the battle system has been 100% redone into a very unique and enjoyable system. These don't make the game perfect by any means, but they would, in my eyes, bump what was a 5/10 to about a 7/10. The story is a bit easier to parse, battles aren't a slog, and overall it's a great little package.

What I, and many other people likely weren't expecting, was the additional content after you finish the story. The original primary ending has been completely rewritten, leading into a segment that I will be very sparse on details for, (although I will in a spoilered comment on this review, to prevent people from accidentally spoiling themselves), but said content felt challenging, fun, and gives enough additional story for me to bump YIIK I.V. to an 8.5/10. Not a perfect game by any means, but one I can say I did very much enjoy.

tl;dr intentionally painful narration and layers of obfuscation hide a genuinely very interesting metanarrative about rejecting reality and constructing a more convenient internal narrative.

Yiik is a fascinating product in so many ways, but I’m gonna focus on the narrative here because it’s by far one of the most scrutinized parts of this game for both valid and uncharitable reasons. If someone sees this with preconceived notions about the game (like I had going in), one thing needs to be made starkly clear.

Alex is quite possibly one of the most unreliable narrators in fiction.

This story should be analyzed from the same lens as, for example, American Psycho, where you need to decipher what is real and what isn’t. The story you are witnessing is NOT Alex’s adventure to track down a missing girl from interdimensional aliens, neither is it about tracking down an album that doesn’t exist, nor about saving the world. If you scrutinize Alex’s endless rambling, there are constant and clear contradictions in his perception of reality. Late in the game, Alex interprets some of these glaring ones as “reality breaking down” because the narrative he is trying to push about his circumstances is falling apart.

I would argue this game is well aware of the ways the writing style is grating and flawed; this, like Fear and Hunger’s anti-player gameplay design, approaches writing from the angle that the horrible experience of listening to Alex go on and on about meaningless drivel is part of the story it is constructing. Alex is a vapid, egotistical person, and experiencing the game from his perspective pushes that onto you. I won’t deny it can be frustrating and annoying to read his seemingly endless thoughts, but I can’t help but feel this is intentional. I’m not arguing this game is perfect. Even if the experience is intentionally painful at times, that doesn’t make it less painful to go through.

The new content from I.V. really helps clarify a lot of what’s really going on here for those (like me) who took the game’s events at face value and saw it as a pretentious and meaningless sequence of unrelated events. The storytelling really shines through when you’re no longer playing as Alex and get to interpret things without him going off every five seconds. It takes a more abstract approach to telling the story that, despite being hidden under layers of symbolism, ironically comes off as more easily interpretable than the base game’s content (due to the illusion of reality from Alex’s telling of the story).
I’ve seen people argue that “the new story content is a petty reaction to criticism about the original game”. In response, I wanna say that I can understand how this interpretation exists (notably, it refers to the act of criticism as a sin), but this ignores the context under which “criticism” is being referred to. I see it as making much more sense to interpret this as Alex’s criticism and rejection of objective reality rather than his skewed perspective ultimately causing him and others more harm than good. The base game is, in truth, Alex’s critique of reality to resemble more closely his ideal. Michael shouldn’t be his older sister’s boyfriend who just tolerated him, he should be his younger childhood best friend! Vella shouldn’t be a girl who never had any interest in him, she should be his soulmate! This reading (which seems supported by comments made by the writer) fits the themes of the story much better than a reductive “criticism = bad” view.

What I’m trying to say here is if you are willing to experience a game that can be painful and unsatisfying to go through at times with a more open lens, you’ll be able to decipher the truth behind Alex’s reality rather than what he wants you to see. Beneath those layers of deception, there is a fundamentally interesting story going on.

Oh yeah and the new gameplay is pretty fun (albeit a bit too easy), and the music goes hard. Visuals are really neat too.

yiik i.v is a full update/revamp to yiik which released recently and believe me when i say it's one of the most fascinating, brain-worming pieces of art i've had the pleasure of experiencing, not just recently but maybe ever? not everything from the original has been changed (the changes tend to be more additions than replacements) but what's been added and moved around has brought yiik to a very interesting game with a lot of neat ideas that struggles to communicate them to something i was compelled to play almost nonstop until completion. the combat has been fully replaced and is now much, much more fun (some people will definitely find it too easy but i'm not a super dedicated Gamer so i didn't mind), the story has been changed and added upon in ways that make its ideas infinitely more clear, multilayered, and compelling, and the best aspects of the visuals have been doubled down on in a fantastically surreal way. even the parts which have remained the same have been entirely recontextualized (you wouldn't believe how much better the long dialogue scenes work when they're supposed by actual big cutscenes and fun gameplay)! the plot is mindbending but resonant, with dense themes i'm still parsing out days after finishing the game (a big improvement from the original, which was pretty simple at its core and could hammer it home a little too hard with how few things it sometimes had to focus on.)

this game definitely still isn't for everyone. yiik is still yiik. alex has been framed in a much more interesting way, and there's plenty more to balance his parts out, but if you still hate him on principle there's not much the game can do for you. likewise, if you want something that explains itself to you, has a dead-serious script, or just don't like weird art in general, you also might want to skip out. you also won't like it if you come in expecting to hate it: the character-focused sections will become incredibly tedious, the plot will become gratingly nonsensical, and its commentary on the human tendency to make things worse while trying to make them better will just seem like the devs whining about critics (even though they just spent five years making an update doing its best to address that criticism). my advice is to leave any preconceived notions you have about the original yiik at the door - this is a wholly new experience, and if you let it, it might just blow your mind.

I'm unsure how to really structure a review like this, but honestly, just wow. What an astonishing improvement on one of the most misunderstood and maligned games ever made. YIIK I.V is a truly captivating experience like no other that'll leave you scratching your head yet wanting more and more all the same. Almost everything about the game has been improved drastically, from the completely overhauled combat mechanics that are incredibly unique, fun and fast paced (if a little too easy and exploitable), to the stellar soundtrack and vocal performances, to an amazing visual presentation that is genuinely unrivalled in the scene, doubling down on the game's surreal aspect and making something that, if nothing else, will truly leave an impression.

YIIK I.V is one of the most gripping, confusing and thought-provoking narratives I've ever experienced, and combined with the massive expansions to the game's story made in the update with the secondary protagonist, is a game I cannot recommend enough. Please, cast aside any preconceived judgements you may have about the previous versions and go into the game with an open mind, and sincerely think about the events as they transpire. If you're cautious about trying the game, then check out the free Nameless Psychosis demo which covers pretty much the whole of the game's first chapter.

I'd write more in-depth about specific parts of the game I enjoyed, but I wouldn't wish to spoil the game for anybody. Going through the whole thing blind and hardly being able to make sense of anything, only for it to click hours later when unpacking it all, is such a thrill. Bravo, Ackk, you've all outdone yourselves here. This is my favourite game I've played all year, and perhaps one of my favourites in general.

This is a review of the I.V update of YIIK and contains spoilers.

The update adds hours of new story via new dialogue and updating old static talking scenes with flashier cutscenes. This has the effect of bogging down an already terribly paced, meandering narrative with even more slow, plodding, pointless scenes in a story where the big twist is that everything was a lie told to the protagonist to manipulate him.
There's an even bigger twist now though! After finishing the original story and choosing the correct answer after the credits you unlock a new game plus. But this new game plus is actually a sequel to the original story. So how is this new story? Its a drawn out meta narrative that just reads like the developers being REALLY mad that people had the gall to criticize YIIK. "Why are things one way rather than the way I'd prefer" was a real thing I had to read, on a sign detailing that criticism is the original sin.

There are new segments in which you play as a nameless girl in the original plot, and as Cyrille in YIIK 2. Both of these boil down to boring walk to A to get item X so you can walk to B and open door Y. It only serves to pad out playtime. I used to be of the opinion that ACKK's next game should be a walking simulator because I think that their striking visuals were just about the only thing that YIIK had going for it at times. After having the monkey's paw curl a finger on me for that thought I no longer believe this.

The new combat system has interesting ideas. You can equip 3 cards per party member that apply passive effects, or that can be sacrificed for the battle to pull off an effect. There's a good number of cards too so you have a lot of options for build variety. Cards act as a barrier for your health and have to be defeated before direct damage can be done. When all your cards are gone and you've been hit, you will start to bleed out. This makes combat into a race to blast through the enemy's cards and kill them ASAP before they do the same to you. Unfortunately, the balancing of these systems is completely off and it soon becomes apparent that you can ignore almost everything and just mash normal attacks until battles are over. I guess this is still a vast improvement over the old system as terrible combat that's fast is still preferable to terrible combat that's slow
I actually even tried to take the final boss of the new chapter seriously, trying to actually use my characters abilities. He responded to this by spamming a party wide attack that reduced everyone's HP to 1, causing me to lose the fight. I squared back up against him and did nothing but normal attacks and using a healing item the one time my HP got low and he never once used that attack, leading me to believe it was retaliation for using my specials. The final boss was punishing me for trying to engage with the combat system.

This will come off as extremely harsh, but considering ACKKs response to criticism of the original was to update the story and make it about how criticism is sin I don't exactly care. This update was a waste of time. The past years and months spent on this could have gone towards the development of a new game that actually had a chance of success. You cannot fix YIIK's public perception. You are not No Man's Sky. You are not Cyberpunk 2077. You need to let YIIK go.

YIIK, now that the extensive I.V. patch has been released, is a game that, while not for everyone, has heavy appeal to people who enjoy non-standard storytelling in video games. Engage the game with patience and good faith, and you will absolutely be rewarded by the end. The update has added a lot of additional scenes and slightly reworked older ones to add further context and emphasize certain themes amidst already existing pre-I.V. content. At times, the meshing of this new content with the old can lead to the game's pacing and presentation feeling somewhat uneven, but it had more than earned my attention by that point, and I was more than willing to bear with it to see it to the end.

In addition to that, the RPG battle system has been overhauled for this patch, replacing it with the 'Karta' system, giving each character a hand of three Karta cards that act as both shields for your easily-damaged health and spells that have strong effects if you're willing to sacrifice them. It's a system that's easy to grasp, but has some depth as you experiment with combinations and usages.

Also, as a quick note, the OST for this game is fantastic in most places, especially in the numerous battle themes. The I.V. update added many new tracks and is available on Bandcamp! It's pretty cool.

This is a game that absolutely won't be everyone's thing, and I respect that, but if cool, striking visuals and abstract storytelling are your thing I'd definitely say to give it a look. There is a demo on steam, YIIK Nameless Psychosis, that covers the first hour or so of the game, so you can try the game out before you buy it if you're on the fence!

Coming from someone who did not enjoy the original YIIK, this game is an absolute gem, and 100% is deserving of your time.

The taste of gameplay given by Nameless Psychosis did not disappoint. Hell, maybe it even undersold just how significant this update truly is. Despite my worries, this game far surpassed my expectations, cementing it as an all time favorite for me. I struggle to even call this a "fix" to the original, as that would be downplaying the serious work and passion pumped into this project. Where YIIK struggled, I.V. excels. Narratively, visually, mechanically, you name it.

Even if you dismissed the original YIIK, have never heard anything about it, or have played the original to death, I highly recommend a full playthrough of this game. The new combat system is superb, the narrative's layers are far more accessible, and there are many new layers of the narrative to explore. I look forward to playing through again with a more critical eye as I think there's still more for me uncover and piece together.

Ackk Studios, thank you for revisiting this game. Your passion and grit are beyond commendable, and have resulted in something truly special. It's been a pleasure to follow you on this journey, and I will absolutely keep an eye on anything else you develop.

The new update has added an unbelievable amount of content that was really fun to experience. The story is confusing and weird. The new characters are interesting and weird, and old characters are given a lot more personality and context. The alternating plotlines help keep the game fresh, and give you lots of things to think about. New cutscenes are animated and there's a lot of stunning, surreal imagery. The soundtrack is incredible as well.

Personally, I found the new battle system to be much more boring than the old one, because I don't even have to pay attention now. I won most battles by spamming quick attack while looking at Instagram reels on my phone. The Karta are mostly irrelevant and the bleed becomes completely irrelevant past chapter 2. Only a couple bosses challenge you a bit, but nothing serious. I would have to pretend the game isn't an RPG and do a low level run to have any fun, which is obviously not how anyone's first run will go. The combat has generally been well-received though, so try it and see if it works for you.

TL;DR good story, visuals and music; mid gameplay

It's kino. it's a step in the right direction for what games can and probably should be as an artform. Much closer to a Jodorowsky film or a Grant Morrison comic than your typical game's approach at storytelling. YiiK 1 still has flaws but once you get to the second chapter it truly is incredible. it reminded me of Morrison's Animal Man showing what a medium is truly capable of on a storytelling level, there's something special to it.

YIIK I.V has become one of the best indie games I've ever played.

It it so thoughtful, so heartfelt, and so artistically expressive that even if it's hard to understand at times, it leaves an impression. It's a dream. It's a prime example of the types of stories that can only be told through the medium of gaming. We need more games like this, and I don't just mean in style (although, certainly, the style here is cool af), but also in substance. Games that not only take risks—that not only experiment—but games that are honest to themselves and their visions.

YIIK was always a misunderstood gem, in my opinion. The reputation it got was unfair, hateful, and to this day baffling. The I.V update doesn't compromise anything. It is purely additive. But more than that, it is additive in a way that only the story of YIIK could be. It uses the rich (albeit indirect) original story as a launchpad for a new, yet similar, trajectory. It takes a story that is at time serious, at times playful, at times outright silly, and points it at you, like a spotlight... not to startle you or interrogate you! But to find you, to help you see. It's a "benevolent" light.

Like any good piece of art, this one will sit with me for a very long time! And I hope people finally can see it for what it is, rather than what they were told it is.

To dramatically paraphrase a woman with a sword: a game is much more than its memes... so please, Michael, put down the gun.

YIIK is the sort of game I do not imagine I would have been a fan of before IV. Don't get me wrong: the pretentious writing was on purpose, and tells a story within the game's meta-narrative. I understood that much.

However, the gameplay and the framing of that narrative just didn't appeal to me. It felt like an incredible message that I just didn't click with, and so it dug under my skin somewhat. I appreciated it for what it *tried* to do, and that was all.

IV has blown my old opinion on YIIK out of the water. The cutscenes are engaging, the imagery is gorgeous, and the gameplay itself is quite innovative! You can think of Karta, the main "skills" system, as less of an intensive deck builder and more of a fun system of synergizing gimmicks you can throw into any fight.

Don't get me wrong! There are still one or two scenes that make me want to sob in the corner of my room. BUT. When the game hits hard (and it does so quite often), it hits hard.

If you've ever loved a manipulator, or someone who struggled to get over their own manipulative tendencies, this narrative will hit home, especially towards the end of the game (when the meta-narrative comes into play).

And to everyone else, welcome. The world of YIIK is yours to reap. Give it a shot, you might enjoy it :3

This game is definitely NOT the same game you probably know and seen a few years ago. Highly recommended

>New combat, stories, recontextualizing old content, amazing soundtrack 10/10

YIIK 1.25 was a game I hated first playthrough because I had no knowledge in why the game was being presented this way. Playing through 1.25 again made me like it for its unique ideas, but this was despite its flaws in a rushed conclusion, unexplored side characters (I understand why now, but I don't think it was well executed), and substandard gameplay. The new update (I.V) made it turn into a masterpiece that I will remember for a long time.

I will admit that this is a hard recommend because the story is difficult to get into for players who aren't use to this type of story. This is NOT something that aspires to tell a story like Persona, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, or any other RPG. The narrative is purposefully crafted to be surreal as possible, leaving the player with fragments of a story that they must put together themselves. Plus, while I.V's narrative is better than 1.25's, YIIK never changes its identity. It gives more answers but only leaves more questions. I would consider the narrative to be more along the lines of Umineko than anything else. If you're a fan of that novel and similar works like it, then YIIK I.V is tailored for you. Some of both old existing characters and new characters have become my favorites in media.

The gameplay has substantially improved, but I feel like they could have done more with it. The system feels snappier while retaining depth, and I had a lot of fun with it, so much that I explored every nook and cranny to try to fight something. However, I feel as if the fights themselves aren't particularly thought out. For example, for the last boss in the third chapter, my party was level 21 when I proceeded to demolish a 200 HP boss under a minute via a pierce strategy with Michael. This might be because I was good at building my decks, but it also felt plain to me. In general, I felt like some fights needed more challenge to them, but others were almost perfect (the final boss for example). If the developers make a hard mode, harder content or make the AI more intelligent (like why are some enemies using Hungry Traveller first turn?) , then I would love the game even more.

The visuals in the game are expanded upon in I.V as well, and they fully enhanced YIIK for me. Fights and other segments of the game take place in dreamlike settings instead of a traditional overworld, with colors changing and the camera shifting. It helps fit the more chaotic gameplay compared to 1.25, and it also establishes why the narrative is what it is quite well. It could hurt for some people though, but there are options to tone everything down as to not overwhelm the player.

Overall, I believe that people should give YIIK I.V a shot, and if they don't feel like committing to it yet, give Nameless Psychosis (the demo) a try before deciding. Even if the story can get lost on casual players, I think they would still enjoy the atmosphere and gameplay of I.V, and for those that do want to explore every facet of the story, I 100% urge you to buy the game. YIIK I.V is unlike any other.

I've specifically waited until I.V to drop before playing this. I've heard quite a bit about the game before, I've seen the old combat and I could tell it was just not going to be fun for me, so this major update finally made me give it a try.

I am not disappointed, I've completed the base game so far.

The soundtrack is incredible, it's a surprise that you can't buy it separtely here on steam and only on bandcamp. I know I would buy it here the second it releases.

The combat is instant, fun and snappy. Genuinely this new combat alone made the game worth it.

Regarding the story, it's a bit weird. It's a multiverse story, and it comes with quite a lot of the same cliches as those stories go. It's not a bad thing, but you could kind of see where it'll go next in a lot of places.

To avoid making it soo similiar to other stories, they went with quite a lot of different terms that sometimes make it feel like the game is trying to be too smart for it's own good. A bit pretentious in a way. But again, it's not exactly a bad thing. It does give it a bit more uniqueness.

The only true problem in writing that I see is that it does get a bit circlejerky towards the end.
Look, I get it. Two Brothers, your first game was a flop, but that, and the rest of the meta commentary was too on the nose. If those sections were removed, nothing of value would've been lost and it would've likely been paced a lot better.

About the characters: I've also heard some bad stuff about the main character, but honestly. Alex is not terrible, he's just a flawed human being that does go through quite a bit of self improvement throughout the story. He's not exactly hate-able and I feel like a lot of things people said online was completely overblown. Granted, I only chose the dialogue options that were not dickish.

Though all of what I described, could be maybe because they updated his dialogue a bit for I.V and if that's the case, then congrats. That means that the feedback was addressed and everything became better.
I feel like Master of Ceremonies sections definitely made his "rambling" a lot cooler and easier to go through, that's for sure.

The rest of the characters were fine. Though Chondra always felt a bit iffy with her text. Maybe some people are just like that. Shrug.

The cutscenes are very trippy, but sometimes it's hard to tell what's going on or what the intent behind them is. Not a bad thing, but expect to be a bit confused at times.

Other notes/feedback:
-Essentia's voice lines are super crusty and sound a bit jarring in combat, I would much prefer to have it updated with less crust.
-There's a bug with Panda tool, there are a few places in the game where the game would teleport you, if you end up placing panda in the place where the game teleports you, you can clip out of bounds in a few areas. I ended up doing an accidental skip in Essentia's mind dungeon that luckily didn't break anything.
-Some self-referencial things, like the Ultima LP is very fucking funny, because it's just YIIK's soundtrack in the game and on the cover, and Alex and co just ignore the fact that he and everyone else is on the cover. It genuinely makes it feel off, because it's right there and no one aknowledges that weirdness.
- The crosswalks in the overworld map are barely visible, made me feel strange when Alex couldn't walk through the roads. I suggest making them a bit more obvious as that would avoid the confusion.

Now, the only thing left for me to do is to complete the NG+ which so far, surprised me.

All and all I'll say one thing.

For the love of fuck, do some marketing. People still think of this game as terrible, it's not. It genuinely isn't now. You've spent a lot of effort on the updates, you basically made another game.

People need to know about how much better it is now. Advertise. Let them know. That's all.

EDIT: I finished New Game+ (which is basically contiuation.) And all I have to say, What the fuck.

I used to like YIIK ironically, but now with I.V I really do think it's a genuinely great game. Fully recommend it.

YIIK is amazing now. I.V addresses pretty much every issue I had with 1.25:

-Combat is fast paced and snappy. Even though I'm one of the weirdos that enjoyed the old combat system, this new one is just better in every way. Fights always feel pretty balanced. Never too easy, but never too hard. It really makes you use your kartas strategically if you want to win.
-Skills are better and more intuitive. A problem 1.25 had is that skills were obtained seemingly at random and most of them were pretty pointless or poorly explained (like Chondra's hula stances, which still said "basic attack" despite how the basic attack was changed into beatdown after a certain update.) Here, skills are found by exploring the new mind dungeon, which feels rewarding and has some neat puzzles along the way. Every skill feels like it has a purpose now, and I wouldn't say any of them felt unbalanced.
-Characters are more balanced and have unique roles. There are some really fun strategies for the new characters, especially Michael. He's now one of the best party members, whereas he used to be one of the weakest in 1.25. Chondra's battle role was expanded from just spamming spread item at every turn and healing everyone in your party. Vella's banish is way better now that it doesn't have the old unresponsive minigame it used to have. It feels flashy and powerful. Rory was also made slightly less powerful, but for a good reason. Now there's a lot more strategy to him than just using him to protect your entire party at every turn, and I like it that he can actually deal damage now. Claudio also god a huge buff. He only used to have two skills, one of which was the basic beatdown, but now he's really powerful.
-Stats have a better purpose now. In 1.25, a lot of the stats felt like they didn't really affect combat all that much, but now every stat counts and is explained to you in the new mind dungeon so you never feel lost.
-Gameplay is more concise and a couple overly drawn out puzzles were removed to give room for better sequences.
-The characters now get way more screentime and characterization. For as much as I liked Chondra and Claudio in 1.25, I.V really did a great job at making them feel more like characters. Michael definitely got the most extra screentime out of any of the supporting cast, for sure.
-Pretty much every major story beat has a new 3D cutscene. This makes every moment hit just so much higher. You'll notice this right away around the end of chapter 1. They really went all in with the cutscenes and all of them look fantastic. It's hard to put into words just how much better they make the game. The high moments just keep on coming, whereas in 1.25 they used to be way more sparse.
-The ending is seriously amazing now. You have to play it for yourself to get a feel for how good it is.
-New music slaps.

And these are only the things I can say without spoiling anything. Even if you're not the biggest JRPG fan, you should definitely check it out. This some high quality stuff. I especially suggest you play I.V if you've already played the original game

I heard many things about this game back when it released, and none of it was good. But i can clearly see now that i'm playing it after I.V launched, that these things are changed or gone. What we are left with is something very unique and original. I can definitely see myself enjoying this from start to finish, and i want to give applause to the developers for their perseverance.

a certified spine chilling genre defining bone tingling aryan slow burn terrifying jumpscare 'jak driven atmosphere oozing a24 released trope subverting dark and eerie gut wrenching aesthetically heavy craft gradual escalation soul shaking dread inducing post horror suspenseful build up a “say more with less” approach blood curdling kino keyed nerve wracking nail biting jaw clenching free of cheap gore kuz, soot, doll and froot approved snopes verified reuters verified ‘zelling free coal killing cobson loving fauci approved pro science truth uncovering jannie decimating glowie zapping vtuber chudding schizophrenic 4cuck killing shitter crashing discoal erasing ‘coinslot closing NAS free anti meds soylent free wholesome pupperino west rising heavenly holy sharty saving IAS gemerald

as of today the giant 1.5 (IV) update came out, and it is a massive improvement to just about everything that was wrong with the game initially. the main giant improvement is the battle system: battles are now closer to a traditional turn-based system and very fast paced. load times have been cut down completely. the game has still retained its personality while adding huge amounts of new content and mechanics.

if you either didn't like the game in its original state or were on the fence about it, now is a perfect time to go back in and play it with an open mind. there is enough new content that it is basically an entirely new experience, even if you have seen or played it all before. i believe that the allansons have finally reached their final vision for the game, and i am incredibly glad that they stuck with it this long instead of giving up after the initial negative response.

I've fully cleared the game again, as well as all new content that happens in NG+. There may be a few more things for me to do now that I have "NG++" to do, but I need to detox from this game for a bit.

So, right up front: The update does not meaningfully improve the story and the general runthrough experience of playing that game in any way that would drastically change my previous opinions. This update adds a sprint button, so you can get around faster. It removes random encounters, so slogging through the overworld is speedier. Some dialogs have been turned to full cutscenes, which you can now skip. Two of the most annoying puzzle rooms in the game have been removed. Even taking the time to clear every monster den and do many of the side quests, I think these changes shaved 1 hour off my playtime compared to my previous playthrough.

There is now a secondary story woven into the existing story that the game has always had, as well as about 5 more hours of brand new content after you beat that story. I will give credit where it's due: The new stuff looks nice, plays well, doesn't disrespect your time too badly, and the new music, monster designs, voice acted lines, and other material is much more appealing. However, that appeal is by contrast to the writing you'll be enduring for the entire main story. Characters speaking in cryptic poetry, hinting at things that won't make sense until you completely beat the game is preferable to getting blasted with multiple instances of Alex monologuing back to back.

Then there's the combat system. It's better, but it is also host to new issues. The general power curve of things is a little wobbly at first, but by about level 20, you'll be able to blitz through most battles just by spamming basic attacks. The karta system is interesting, and it does have some decent ideas, but it's not implemented as well as it could be. The real problem is that the visuals of this new battle system are completely spastic. The way the camera moves around and zooms in, the way the karta entities burst onto the screen, the constant BLEED FOR ME vampire animations playing. Cards ripping. Sound effects piling up.. and all of it, for nearly every fight you do, will be on a bright, solid yellow backdrop. It's hard on the eyes and even though it's faster than doing a mini-game for every attack and dodge, it's still not fast enough to not be annoying, especially for the rare enemies with 300-1000 HP.

Leveling in the mind dungeon is one part total improvement and one part novelty that kinda overstays its welcome. You talk to an NPC and level with a couple button presses and no dialog. That's great. If you want new abilities or more karta, you need to run around a puzzle platformer zone with more eye-searing visuals. Many of the upgrade items you need are gated by the tool items that are story gated. By about the 3rd time I was making my complete tour of the area looking for any nooks and crannies or missed items stashed in corners or angles I could have overlooked, I was extremely tired of the place, which was much smaller and much less populated than it initially seems.

If I've got a final verdict, it's that I.V is legitimately an improvement. The guys at ACKK worked hard and it shows. A certain kind of person is going to love this, and that kind of person is already a fan of this game and doesn't need any convincing to play more of it. For everyone else, the core problems with its general narrative pacing, it's characters, it's obtuse storytelling, and its sandpaper-on-your-retinas art and animation style (especially in the new content), make it hard to say that anyone else should subject themselves to 20-40 hours of YIIK just to see if they jive with it.

The gameplay isn't deep or satisfying enough to recommend it for that. The characters are not going to resonate with most people, so playing to find out what happens to them isn't a selling point. There's good music, and the new tracks range from okay to pretty great, but you can listen to them online without buying the game.

It's still a fascinating pile of crap though. I don't think anyone will ever match it. They got me to play it and they had me hooked enough to see it through to the end and thensome, but I don't think anyone else should waste their time like I did, unless they think the prospect of being the one crazy friend who is constantly ranting about how miserable they are because they're still playing YIIK is something they strive to be.

------
I'll probably update this after playing the "1.5" update that drops soon, but for now I'll just say that this game is less bad in certain ways than the memes would have you believe. Alex is not that much of an asshole and he's not the primary reason to dislike the game. His monologues are extremely stupid though.

However, the writing for EVERY character is extremely stupid. The plot is stupid, but worse than being stupid, is that it's utter nonsense. It proceeds in many scenes as if things have been shown or explained or resolved, but they haven't. The majority of the game seems to be hastily assembled from numerous rough drafts, failed prototypes, demos, and a voice acted script that was recorded so early in development that it doesn't actually hold up with what the final product ended up being. It pretends like it is saying and exploring very deep and complex topics, but then it switches moods between text boxes so suddenly that you'll be left wondering if you accidentally skipped several lines of dialog by mashing the button too fast. You didn't. It's just like that.

With the 1.25 update, they tried to fix a few things, like making the monologues optional and peppering in some QOL features, like the ability to turn on infinite time energy so you can ace every quicktime event and minigame, but they don't fix the game. Worse still, they've added a few new rooms, new bits of dialog, and some absurdist, nonsensical imagery that doesn't actually improve the story. They don't add context of hint at anything deeper. It's nonsense for the sake of nonsense, so you can trick yourself into believing that it has a deeper meaning or that it abstractly hints at the true plot with its unreliable narrator and nuanced post-modernist writing.

It's just crap. It's unique crap with a one-of-a-kind style, and a presentation that will be hard to forget. There's no other crap like it. But it's crap. Crap slapped together by a couple of guys who got in way over their heads, got way too ambitious, fucked up repeatedly, and then hurriedly pasted together what working parts they had into something that appears like a pretentious hipster game for wannabe high-brow academics... if you stand 100ft away and squint at it. Those same guys spent the next several years trying to turn the game into something closer to what they intended it to be, and now all the preview material and demos for the 1.5 version look like they're just leaning so hard into the meaningless absurdism and exaggerated surreal visuals.

I don't have any high hopes it will be a better game after the update. I just know it will be lauded as amazing and deep and full of secret meaning by pretentious contrarians who want to believe they have earned some special status for praising the most meme'd on/most hated indie RPG of the past couple decades.

It's ight ig

good

this is a game

I wish I could play this a negative time so that it cancels out and becomes zero

YIIK is the kind of game that starts off a bit slow and throws some bizarre visuals at you, but as the narrative builds itself up with the combat, the pacing carries you along and before you know it you have a whole new appreciation for the game design and storytelling.

a flawed, but beautiful masterpiece
also shoutouts to my man fraildog!!!