YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

Filled to the brim with random humor and hamfisted drama, YIIK: A Postmodern RPG attempts to tell a modern love story for the internet generation. Taking place in the final days of the 20th Century, this game is chock full of your run-of-the-mill RPG tropes set in a fantastical version of suburban America.

YIIK is at its best when it’s not trying to emulate other, more successful video games. However, the abysmal battle system and the terrible writing make this game a tough sell with players looking for a serious RPG experience.

Retro Roots

Even at first glance, it’s easy to see what YIIK’s main inspirations were. Anyone who has played EarthBound before will notice the clear similarities between both games, at least in the wacky characters and outlandish situations present in the plot. However, YIIK falls short when it comes to how likable its characters are, and that’s a terrible thing to happen to a long game like this.

You play as Alex, an anachronistic hipster who has just graduated from college and lives with his mom in a quiet suburban town. When Alex gets involved in the mysterious disappearance of a young woman, his life will be changed forever, as he discovers that he might be the most important person in the universe.

Let’s get straight to the point here: Alex is insufferable. You’d be hard-pressed to find a character as unlikeable as he is, and that’s something that hardly ever changes throughout the game. Maybe that’s the reason why RPGs like Persona 5 still go for the “silent protagonist” route.

Slow Battles

The battle system in YIIK is presented in a turn-based manner, not unlike the retro RPGs that inspired most other aspects of the game. There’s a certain element of rhythm to the battles, too, with players having to stop a moving arrow at a precise moment for the attacks to be successful.

One thing to note here is that, unlike other Earthbound-inspired games like Undertale, the combat in YIIK can be unbearably slow. Turns take forever to process, and combat animations can drag on for more time that’s needed. All in all, the game is at its best when it’s outside combat.

Exploring the game’s many outlandish locations and discovering its crazy characters is much more interesting than its flawed combat system. Another thing worth mentioning is that the balance feels a bit off: some of Alex’s attacks feel downright unfair, making every encounter feel unnecessary.

Enjoy the Weirdness

First of all, no, YIIK won’t be anyone’s favorite game. However, there’s something unique about how everything can go so wrong in a game – something that will keep you hooked, just waiting to see what else the game’s going to throw at you.

While most of the game’s mechanics and plot are flawed beyond repair, it’s that same awkwardness that makes YIIK such a unique experience. If you’ve ever been interested in gaming as a hobby, and have played your fair share of RPGs before this, you should definitely give YIIK a go, if only to see how wonderfully terrible most of the game can be.

Pros

• Genuinely charming visuals
• Tons of locations to explore
• Some unintentionally funny moments

Cons

• Most of the humor falls flat
• Repetitive and boring combat
• Nonsensical plot with loads of terrible dialogue