"Sayonara Wild Hearts" was a game that I stumbled on at random. I had heard the name get thrown around a bit before, but didn't know anything about it until a friend of mine picked it up during a Steam sale. I watched him play it during a Discord hangout and was pretty drawn in by the visuals; perhaps it was how stylized the overall game was, but it stuck with me a bit. Not surprising that it appeared so artful, given that it was published by Annapurna Interactive, a team known for more artsy kinds of games. Not long after, my brother found that it was also on sale on PlayStation, and decided to pick it up. I didn't know what to expect, especially given that my history with Annapurna is a bit hit or miss (I liked "The Pathless" but was mixed on "Last Stop" and couldn't get into "Twelve Minutes" or "The Artful Escape"). After playing the game, however, I can say I very much enjoyed my time with it.
"Sayonara Wild Hearts" almost feels like a pop album brought to life. In this extremely short adventure (it can be beaten in about an hour and a half), you play through 23 songs, all of which come together to form the story's larger whole. The story is very minimal, but I like a lot of its themes as it centers around bringing love back to a broken world, while also finding acceptance and growth in your own heartbreak. It's a great approach, and it makes for some extremely memorable storytelling. Graphically, the game stuns with luscious, colorful visuals that take advantage of the unique ideas in the game, and as you may have already heard from many others, the soundtrack is a real stunner. It's melancholic and bittersweet but also extremely nice electro-pop stuff that is really the true star of the game. Gameplay-wise, the mechanics are fairly simple with very accessible controls, and while the game can be quite easy, there is a good amount of challenge in regards to the ranking system. Like many rhythm games, you score points and earn rankings depending on point totals, and it takes a good amount of challenge to earn those points.
While the game is very refreshing, that doesn't make it flawless. There are some elements to the gameplay that I couldn't quite get into as easily, such as the small size of collectibles and some of the timed inputs can feel a bit off. Also, while the visual design is certainly lush and wonderful, it can also be extremely overwhelming at points. It's very flashy, showy, and stylish, and it's definitely the kind of game that can cause seizures. I'd absolutely advise caution with the game in that regard.
Overall, "Sayonara Wild Hearts" is a clever and inventive take on the rhythm game genre. With a slight action twist combined with emotional storytelling and a killer soundtrack, this is a wonderful little winner for Annapurna. It's a pretty short game, so don't expect the main story to take you forever, but there's a good amount of replayability, and it's a game I definitely recommend trying out.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"