YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is an indie role-playing video game by American developer Ackk Studios for Microsoft Windows, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch. The game was released on January 17, 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
Developer(s)Ackk Studios
Publisher(s)Ysbryd Games
Producer(s)Brian Kwek[1]
Designer(s)Brian Allanson
Andrew Allanson
Ian Bailey[1]
Programmer(s)Brian Allanson
Artist(s)Brian Allanson
Brigid Allanson[1]
Writer(s)Andrew Allanson[1]
Composer(s)Andrew Allanson
Michael Kelly
Calum Bowen
Toby Fox
Hiroki Kikuta
Jose Alfaro
Tony Manfredonia
Chipocrite
Steve Lakawicz
Mika Maruyama
Ken "Coda" Snyder
Baiyon[1]
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseJanuary 17, 2019
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The game is a colorful 3D Japanese-style RPG. It is set in the 1990s and is based around a mystery in a small town. There are eight characters who are message board friends. They work together to investigate the mystery around a viral video star called Sammy Pack, who goes missing in a supernatural event. The player can control the characters in turn-based battles where normal everyday objects are used as weapons. The combat consists of turn-based moves with timing-based actions which can increase the damage of an attack. There are six dungeons to explore which include battles, puzzles which have to be solved and traps that have to be avoided. There are approximately twenty five hours of gameplay.[2][3][4][5][6]

Development

The game is built on the Unity game engine.[7] It began development in 2013, with brothers Andrew and Brian Allanson creating a fully-featured prototype in 52 days for showcase at PAX East 2013. After seeing the game in action at the event, publisher Ysbryd Games entered an agreement to publish YIIK: A Postmodern RPG.

Around this time, the Allansons' mother was diagnosed with cancer, which would later result in her passing. This loss caused the team to rework parts of the game's plot, making an effort to "[have] a more 'humanistic' perspective" and "sand down some of the game’s more cynical edges." By the end of this period, nearly a quarter of the game had been remade, including a complete rewrite of the game's ending.[8]

A demo was released in June 2016 on Microsoft Windows and MacOS.[9]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(NS) 63/100[10]
(PC) 64/100[11]
(PS4) 59/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid(NS) 5.5/10[13]
GameSpot(PS4) 5/10[14]
Nintendo Life(NS) [15]
Nintendo World Report(NS) 8.5/10[16]

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG received "mixed or average reviews" on all versions according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10][12][11]

The game was also criticized for referencing the death of Elisa Lam[17] as well as featuring unattributed passages from Haruki Murakami's novels.[18]

References
  1. Ackk Studios. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG. Ysbryd Games. Level/area: Credits.
  2. "Try Y2K: A Postmodern RPG for free next week". polygon. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  3. "YIIK is precisely the right amount of weird". Destructoid. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  4. "IGM at EGX 2015: YIIK – A Postmodern RPG". Indiegamemag. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  5. "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Coming Summer 1999". Videogamesuncovered. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a psychedelic indie Earthbound". pcgamer. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  7. "Chromophore! Coming soon to Wii U, PS4, PS Vita, and STEAM". Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  8. "In the Wake of Their Mother's Death, How Two Brothers Rebuilt Their Video Game". variety. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. https://ackkstudios.itch.io/yiik-episode-prime
  10. "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  13. Mersereau, Kevin (January 16, 2019). "Review: YIIK: A Postmodern RPG". Destructoid. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  14. Maher, Cian (January 16, 2019). "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Review - A Bit More Hipster". GameSpot. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  15. Bailey, Eric (January 16, 2019). "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  16. Ronaghan, Neal (January 16, 2019). "YIIK Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  17. Tamburro, Paul (January 22, 2019). "YIIK: A Postmodern RPG criticized for 'using' Elisa Lam's tragic death". Game Revolution. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  18. Rivera, Joshua (May 20, 2019). "Indie Developer Accused Of Plagiarism Says It Was An 'Intentional' Reference [UPDATE]". Kotaku. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
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