Yonder
Released: July 18, 2017
Game Length: 12 Hours
Grade: B
Introduction
The Search: Back in September, I was seeking out a crafting sim that was along the lines of Stardew Valley and My Time At Portia. There were many websites showing me a ton of different games that were all in early access or development - Kyneseed, My Time at Sandrock, Len's Island, No Place Like Home, Ooblets, Moonstone Island and Sun Haven. However, there was one that was released years ago by Prideful Sloth I have never heard of. Although the last recorded patch was Update 8 on April 27, 2018, Yonder was just about the right type of game to satisfy my curiosity. However, $25 was a steep price for something I knew little about. It wasn't until late October that it went on sale for $9.99.
Gameplay
Setting: Considering that this game came after Breath of the Wild, it was going to be very difficult to adjust my expectations accordingly. Although the keyboard & mouse setup ran fine, the gamepad felt a lot tighter. Sadly, there isn't an option to turn off vibration, so fishing might get a tad annoying in that department. Auto-camera works really well and you don't have to worry about fighting anything since there is no combat. There is no health meter, stamina, armor, running for your life, eating, or worrying about sleep. If at any time you "drown" in the water, your character will automatically be placed safely nearby. If you jump from a ledge too high, your character will pop out a little umbrella. The characters and environment all look like they were made with Playdoh and coincidentally reminds me of Wallace and Gromit. Although it is possible to complete the game by exploration alone, it is highly recommended to spend some time enjoying the fact that there is no currency (with the exception of Old Kingdom Coins for exclusive prizes). It is entirely a trading game where you barter items with different guilds and outposts in exchange for things you might need.
Environment: There are plenty of fun activities you can do once you get your foot in the game. The interesting part is that you only use your tool when it can be used and it never needs to be upgraded. Never are you blindly swinging things without knowing if you hit something. You can chop trees down with an axe for wood and plant seeds of various kinds so more can grow in its place. A fishing pole will allow you to collect fish in any body of water. All it requires you to do is point in the direction that's prompted on the screen, opposite of where the fish is pulling. A mallet will allow you to break open stones and barrels. A pick-axe allows you to collect ore. Finish a quest for a sickle and you can cut grass for fodder and tear down spider webs for silk. Contrary to what you think a trap will do, you'll simply get some animal-related items. There are no voice-overs other than a few grunts and noises. You won't ever say anything to people. Instead, the locals will make fun little puns, tell you a little about the world, or give you instructions. There are cats in the world you can collect that will provide you one Kingdom Coin for exclusive rewards for each one you stick in the giant ball of yarn. Creatures can be lured to a farm and "tamed" for exclusive items. Retrieving a number of sprites in the world can help clear various spots full of murk and reveal a bunch of interesting things.
Guilds: The map is composed of a large island where you seek out each of the guilds in every region. You start off with some simple recipes in the Wayfarer category that enables you to craft some bare essential ingredients. The Chef allows you to create complex food items that can barter for a large surplus of items. Carpenter provides you the recipes to build basic structures for your farm that maintains animals, crops, and trees. Constructor allows you to mold stone together into structures like bridges for the environment. Tinker gives you access to various machines that help with your farm. Brewer gives you fireworks, dyes for certain cosmetics, and shampoo that cosmetically alters your wardrobe. Tailor, of course, let's you make clothes. There is one more category called Master that you can advance a bunch of random recipes from all others once you complete the main story. Although there is a ton of backpack space, you'll eventually find yourself needing to place some items inside the farm storage unit. The good thing is the storage bin appears limitless and is linked between all your farms.
Traveling: As mentioned earlier, most of the game consists of finding things out in the world. Amusingly, there is a small area you can find that has "You are not supposed to be here" written in the the stone. You can use your "compass" to draw out a line in the direction of your objective while standing still, but it is better just to highlight the quest with your map open. But for a $25 game, don't expect too much flexibility. You are able to "pin markers" on the map, but that is annoyingly limited to a max of 50 way points. I would have liked a more variety of icons to choose from and the option to place in the ballpark of 200. Trade posts and guilds are shown on the map, but good luck trying to remember what was offered at each one. The only thing you are shown are their associated world names. In order to travel to any of your farms, you'll need to craft yourself some Traveler's Knots (which is actually quite easy to do). You can build a bunch of different bridge shortcuts with the help of Carpenter or Constructor recipes. You can quickly travel through the six inter-dimensional gateways called Sage Stones. Otherwise, there are two teleporters - Sunlight & Moonlight - that become available depending on the time of day.
Notes
Miscellaneous: Besides the vast number of things you can do in the game, I've found some little tidbits that skewed outside the main campaign. For example, Maggie is found practically everywhere and offers you additional cosmetics for free if you download the Accessory Pack. If you visit the town where the Tailor Guild is during the Fall season, you have a chance to participate in a Halloween Event where you can keep the costume of your choosing and collect other goodies from the barterer. It is entirely possible to obtain quests to make items before you join the associated guild. You don't seem to get any assistance when it comes down to finding tree plots or missing cats. Jumping can get a little touchy when its so easy to "bounce" off surfaces. The market never fluctuates. If you barter an item to an outpost, you can "buy" it back at the same value. It might be cheaper to barter items with a trading post's assistant than it is to process goods. It can be pretty crazy how something as easy as a potato can be valued so much higher than everything else. I completed the main story in 14 hours, but that's because I didn't spend more time playing around with a lot of the higher guild recipes.
Summary: The game can be split into three different phases. The first phase includes finding sprites to access certain parts of the island, obtaining all of your tools and equipment, collecting everything that isn't nailed down to the ground, and establishing a series of farms. The second phase is branching out in finding all the secrets, shrines, sage stones, and unlocking all of the guild recipes. The third phase is building the three main parts for the final part of the campaign, clearing out whatever you missed, and building what you can from the master recipes. I had hoped for a little more ingenuity, like the ability to make speed-running potions or allowing me to ride an animal. However, the game is built to be a relaxing experience for kids to enjoy. So if you consider yourself curious enough and find this game on sale, I'd recommend checking it out.
2-8-2022