YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

[b]YIIK: I.V[/b] might be one of my favorite games, and if not one of my favorite games, it's definitely one of the most impactful games I've experienced. I think I had a similar experience as most people with Yiik, where the game was laughed at and ridiculed relentlessly online on it's initial launch, so much so that it wasn't really a game, but more just a meme to laugh at. But I saw my friend streaming the I.V. update and hopped in, and was instantly asking questions, keeping track of what's happening, analyzing our favorite protagonist Alex like a specimen in a lab. I was taken aback at how interesting this story was, and how unique it's presentation was, and even more so when stumbling across [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe0kXi39k6sw31itwLoNK-w]Hellkrai's[/url] analysis videos on the first game, where there's a distinct point made that the analysis was based on the first version of the game. I had no idea that the story [i]always[/i] had this much depth to it from the very beginning, and it had gone passed up and laughed at for years until it finally got a second breath with I.V. I.V. improves on many aspects of the original game, one of which is the gameplay itself. I personally haven't played the original version, but I know the combat was rough and slow. That is not true at all with I.V's Karta system. Throughout the multiple breakthroughs I've done and watched of I.V., I feel like I rarely saw the same Karta decks or party layouts. Deciding when to discard your karta for its active effect vs. when to keep it around and try to keep it healed up to get as much out of its passive as you can, there's a lot of depth between cards, and even more-so when incorporating character specific abilities/passives (e.g. Rory being a pacifist who only counter attacks getting multiple attack/crits up to be a strong glass cannon, buffing Michael before blinding the party for his mechanic and turning into a one-shot machine). The edits made to the story and its presentation are astounding. Some of the most cinematic shots I've seen from a game, and they had me and my friends discussing each cutscene to death, and each story beat. There's so much that can be learned from as early as the first alex monologue, and even moreso with what follows. One example that stands out (that will be spoilered, just to be safe, but it's from the cutscenes in the factory hotel section of the story at the beginning), is that during one of Alex's monologues, [spoiler]he ask's Sammy where she's from, and she responds that she's "from here, where else?". Alex takes this to mean that she lives in the factory, but what I think she's actually saying is that she's from Alex's mind, as all of his monologues take place in a place in his own head.[/spoiler] I don't want to say too much, but play the demo to see if you vibe with the gameplay and presentation, as it shows the first chapter of the game (including the first of many Nameless Child sections), and lets you play a [i]little[/i] bit with the karta system. We love you Alex Yiik, and thank you Allanson's for such a solid game!! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2863840/YIIK_Nameless_Psychosis/

Peak fiction, but only if you're willing to engage with the narrative. You'll never experience anything like YIIK I.V, you'll find that engaging with it's narrative is one of the most fun parts about the experience. Try it, you might like it.

Yiik has been a guilty little pleasure of mine for a while now, something I've looked on and laughed about, something that brought me much joy in how bad it was. When I heard they were reworking the game AGAIN I knew that I had to give it a go. the initial trailers for the new update also intrigued me. were they remaking the story? so when the update dropped, I bought the game immediately. and then didn't play it for 6 months I didn't play this game until finally I decided I must see what it had become. I expected to find a slog of game who's only redeeming grace would be how hilariously bad it was. I was wrong, I was oh so wrong. This game is a masterpiece. Conceptually it is brilliant and I feel appeals only to my sensibilities. They built not one, but two games upon the corpse of Yiik, a corpse they were able to breathe some new life into with additional story beats and an entirely new (and admittedly quite fun) battle system, so while the festering carcass of old Yiik dwelled beneath, the new additions were more than enough to entertain and engage me. I found myself enraptured, and with each hour that passed I sunk deeper into the mire. This game is brilliant. Upon completion, I thought "wow, that was excellent, it was still a bit shoddy, and the old story still has many of the same problems, the new additions are clearly a lot better and more interesting, overall, decent game." and then new game plus begun, and that sealed it. This game is a masterpiece and a mastercraft in meta-narrative exploration. I laughed and I cried but most importantly I yiiked out.

everybody should play this game at least once and form their own opinion around it i think the updates they made are enough to warrant checking it out !

I played YIIK 1.25 on switch and it was to date one of the most miserable experiences I've had with a video game. I'll admit it was a hate play through. Id liken it to playing the original Zelda CDI games. The story / cutscenes were the only good bits. YIIK I.V on the other hand is one of my absolute favorite games of all time there is nothing else like it. if you've played any other version of the game give YIIK I.V (and new game plus as its an entirely new game) a go. it was genuinely a blast and i cant recommend it enough. I'm glad all the characters finally got their happy ending. They and all of us are finally free from the OG YIIK. Thank you Ackk for fixing this game and making it into the beautiful experience it is today. Now... I think there's another game you made that should also get a second chance. Regardless of weather it gets one or not I'm excited for whatever comes next.

Have you ever wanted to play a passion project with so much heart that even the entire world tearing apart couldnt stop them from creating an even deeper more confusing that added removing insane context to everything. My god also toby fox made a track so his name is in this too. Get yiiked or get fricked. I love yiik iv. I love the art. I love the music.

After beating it like... 5 times. i think its good, weird story telling, clearly not made for everyone, but I love so much about it. from the funky music to strange story beats, I think its a fantastic game especially for the price. One of my favorite games this year.

Y2K is an amazing story game with lots of action built in the systems are easy to undertsand and the cinematics are off the chain dude!

Never played the pre I.V release so can't give an opinion on that version of the game, but I really digged the I.V version of YIIK. I'm a guy that is into weird, surreal media like FLCL and Hylics and RPGs are my favorite genre of game so YIIK I.V was entirely up my alley. And with all the references to various anime and video games you can tell that stuff is up the developers alley as well. Sure some of the writing was hokey or cringe and I couldn't even begin to explain the plot plus I felt the turn based combat was missing like one more extra layer, still despite those flaws I enjoyed my time spent on the game. If anything I've said even remotely resonated or sounds appealing pick YIIK I.V up. You (probably) won't regret it.

Subversive in all the right ways. The "postmodern" moniker is taken seriously at multiple levels, leaving the game with a rich tapestry. Yiik says a lot in short order, aided by the visuals and sound design, and it impressively stays cohesive in a unique surreal setting.

YIIK 1.5 blows 1.0 out of the water, and I say this as someone who had a decent time with the original version. The battles here have an interesting system going on, with the Karta slots you equip to use as stat boosts and temporary barriers at the beggining of each battle. These mechanics are easier to get the hang of than you may believe after completing the tutorial, and give the fights much needed room for strategy and quicker pacing. Storywise, it manages to address some shortcomings the original cut had, without feeling like the authors are retconning anything. Even if part of the point is that the whole universe is very centered around the protagonist, I appreciate the fact that most of the new content is dedicated to flesh out the rest of the cast, and a few brand new characters. I found the added scenes to not have the tendency to drag that some of the pre-existing writing had. Those ocasional arguably excessive bits of dialogue/monologues are still all here, tho, so I can't say the pacing is perfect now. Just compensated in some cases by an improved presentation for many of these moments. On the artistic department, I've always appreciated the visual style YIIK goes for, and this update goes all in with the surreal visuals. Some people I showed footage of the current battles to did perceive them as a bit overstimulating, because of all the camera movement and big images and models appearing frequently. I'd say whether you find this appealing or not depends on your tolerance to this kind of stuff, and how engaged you are with the experience. My least favorite aspect of the package is the soundtrack. Curiosly so, as even a lot of its detractors seemed to appreciate the music. But being experimental can only take you so far, and even if I would not call it outright bad by any means, I can't help but think that the quality varies a lot from track to track. Many of them sound messy to me, not having a thought-out structure or melody to follow. The tracks with vocals are specially hit or miss. There is huge quantity and variety here at least, so there's that. Overall: Play this game is you like turn battle system with a clever spin of them, and enjoy surrealism and stories that don't quite give you all the answers. Not for everyone definitely, but one of my favorites now.

They did it boys, they brought it back. They did it just for us.

It is really interesting.