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  1. Developer Simogo labels their latest title a "pop album video game" and I'm not sure there's any more perfect description of Sayonara Wild Hearts. It reflects the game's rhythm-focused gameplay of course, as well as its stylish, eye-catching visual style, but referencing pop music is also particularly apt for the game's emotional resonance. Everyone has that one album that they just can't get enough of—every time you put it on you get swept up in the music and lyrics and feel transported to another world. Music, in particular, has that effect, and Sayonara Wild Hearts is a game built upon its soundtrack's ability to sweep you off your feet. The story follows a heartbroken young woman who is transformed, with the help of a diamond butterfly, into a new version of herself called The Fool who then battles other Tarot-card-inspired characters through psychedelic environments. There's no need to get too bogged down dissecting the literal events of the game—Sayonara Wild Hearts is clearly open to interpretation, which is just another part of its charm as it allows you to focus on the emotion and artistry of the visuals and audio. To that end, it's hard not to drawn in to the emotional journey that is aptly summed up in the final level of the game. By that point, Sayonara Wild Hearts will have firmly embedded itself in your psyche. Obviously, a huge part of the game's appeal is its visual style and soundtrack. Screenshots don't even begin to capture how stunning the game looks in motion thanks to silky smooth animation even when roadways and obstacles are hurtling past you at incredible speeds. The generally simple shapes and consistent, vivid color palette allow your eyes to focus more on the surreal landscapes that seamlessly transform from one incredible scene to another. Sayonara Wild Hearts is an insane feast for the eyes, one that is truly mesmerizing to play. The only thing more important than stylish visuals is a soundtrack that you can lose yourself in, and the electro-pop music on Sayonara Wild Hearts is phenomenal. It treads a fine line between being emotive—especially around the theme of heart break—and still being fun to play, but the composers and singer nailed it. It's a soundtrack that sticks with you in a beautiful way, and it's a soundtrack that absolutely bears listening to again and again. The actual gameplay of Sayonara Wild Hearts is pretty simple: it's a rhythm game, so as you're speeding through brightly colorful landscapes your goal is to collect hearts to increase your score and avoid obstacles. Each level moves at breakneck speeds, and there's a wonderful variety to the types of settings you'll be riding or flying through. The scenery is consistently surprising and always engaging. The game doesn't explicitly tell you this, but picking up hearts builds up your score chain, and hitting obstacles resets the chain, so earning a high score requires careful play—not easy when you're careening through surreal landscapes on a motorcycle before leaping off to fly through a canyon. What's great about Sayonara Wild Hearts though is how forgiving it actually is when it comes to gameplay challenges. There are frequent checkpoints within each level, so even if you're not earning the highest score possible you can still make it through a level with several mistakes. It's even possible to earn a gold rank with one or two mistakes, assuming you're still able to maintain a long score chain for the majority of the level. There's no limit on dying/retrying, and in fact the game will even ask you, should you die repeatedly in one section, if you want to skip it and just move on. Sayonara Wild Hearts has the makeup of a rhythm game but it's really about the journey here, not just score chasing. Anyone can—and should—experience the musical journey on display here, regardless of video game skills. On the other hand, to really get the most out of the game, you probably want to perfect your skills and chase those high scores, because the one problem with this game is how short it actually is. A single playthrough of Sayonara Wild Hearts can be as short as an hour, which is a real shame because the gameplay, visuals, and music absolutely do not get old in that time frame. It can also be a little disappointing when you realize just how short most of the levels in the game are—just when you're getting into the groove of a song the stage ends. It's a testament though to the wonderfully inventive variety of level designs that no part of the game feels tedious or repetitive. So to really make the most out of your time with Sayonara Wild Hearts, you'll probably want to take the time to master each level and earn a gold rank, as well as collect the big diamonds within each level. And for anyone that really can't get enough of the game, there is a kind of achievement system with the cryptic zodiac riddles in the game's main menu that can point you toward additional challenges. A normal playthrough probably won't yield any of these achievements, so pursuing them might be a good way to spend even more time in this world. Sayonara Wild Hearts is an experience. The gameplay may not be as meticulously nuanced as other rhythm games, but that's not what the game is going for anyway. This is a musical journey through emotions, represented in surreal landscapes popping with beautifully vibrant colors and an enchanting, dreamlike sense of movement. And of course, this is all topped off with a truly phenomenal pop soundtrack. Your time with Sayonara Wild Hearts may be brief, but it will absolutely leave a lasting impact. Rating: 9 out of 10 Wild Hearts
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