A Walk With Yiayia
- November 3, 2022
- Trent Garlipp
Get on Steam"A Walk With Yiayia" is a heartwarming narrative-driven game where you accompany Yiayia, your Greek grandmother, on a stroll through her countryside village. Engage in conversations, help with tasks, and learn about her life experiences, traditions, and stories. The game captures the essence of a deep intergenerational bond, offering a memorable and emotionally resonant experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- A Walk With Yiayia features a heartfelt and emotional story that resonates with players, particularly those with close relationships to their grandparents.
- The game showcases beautiful black and white pixel art and a unique visual style that enhances the storytelling experience.
- Players appreciate the charming dialogue and the game's ability to evoke strong emotions, making it a memorable and touching experience.
- The gameplay can feel sluggish and some mini-games are considered boring or difficult to control, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game is very short, taking less than an hour to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
- There is a lack of mouse support and some technical issues, such as graphics that can appear blurry or tearing, which may hinder enjoyment.
- story70 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "A Walk with Yiayia" is a heartfelt and poignant exploration of family, aging, and the importance of cherishing memories, conveyed through charming dialogue and emotional interactions. Players appreciate its simple yet impactful narrative, enhanced by unique art direction and engaging mini-games that deepen the personal connection to the characters. Overall, the game is celebrated for its ability to evoke strong emotions and resonate with players' own experiences, making it a standout in short storytelling games.
“A walk with yiayia is a warm little story about appreciating and making peace with the past and present.”
“This is a personal yet relatable story that came from a vulnerable place.”
“Triple-A developers have a lot to learn from Trent Garlipp, a solo developer who manages to wring both the art and soul from the medium, delivering a gaming experience that raises the bar for what we should expect from video game storytelling.”
“A few things need polish (I accidentally triggered the rest by the stream twice and couldn't skip), and there was more blood than I expected from a granny walking simulator, but overall would recommend this charming story.”
“These are very much varying in likeness from each other, however incredibly intriguing and ensuring the player is truly involved in the story at hand.”
“It is short, but just the right amount of time to tell the heartfelt story.”
- emotional46 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game "A Walk with Yiayia" is praised for its deeply emotional narrative centered on family and aging, evoking strong personal connections and nostalgia, particularly for players with close relationships to their grandparents. Its unique black-and-white pixel art style, combined with heartfelt storytelling and interactive elements, creates a touching experience that resonates with players, often leading to tears and reflections on cherished memories. Overall, it is described as a wholesome and comforting journey that beautifully captures the essence of familial love and the passage of time.
“This game was an incredibly touching experience and helped me remember the wonderful time I spent with my nana before she passed.”
“Be prepared for a very strong emotional reaction when you play this game, especially if you have a close relationship with your grandmother or any loved one faced with aging.”
“It's a little story about walking with your grandma that feels incredibly personal and touching; I totally didn't cry a few times during my playthrough, nooo.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players criticizing them as bland, blurry, and prone to tearing, while others praise the unique black and white pixel art style and the emotional depth conveyed through the visuals. The game features a grayscale filter that enhances its artistic presentation, alongside moments of more realistic 3D graphics that enrich the storytelling experience. Overall, while some aspects of the graphics may detract from gameplay, many players find the aesthetic and visual storytelling to be beautiful and memorable.
“There is also a constant grayscale lens put on the gameplay, with a filter almost resembling TV fuzz, which adds to the dissociative yet vivid feeling the visuals of this game give.”
“The more realistic 3D graphics on the grass outside and the dynamic puddles with their reflections, as well as the shadows of the clouds above and the heightened environmental blur compared to inside Yiayia's house, really pull you into the scene once you reach the main gameplay.”
“I will remember this game for a long time, not only because of its absolutely beautiful stylistic visuals, but also where it came from, and what it means to his family and all of those who can relate.”
“As a game, it's pretty bad; no mouse support, character movement was somehow both sluggish and loose, the mini-game sections were boring and the graphics were bland, blurry, and felt like they were tearing.”
“There is also a constant grayscale lens put on the gameplay, with a filter almost resembling TV fuzz, which adds to the dissociative yet vivid feeling the visuals of this game gives.”
“There are also several interactive scenes which stray from the initial visuals of the game, opting for something more realistic.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging conversations, immersive exploration, and artistic visuals, which enhance the storytelling experience. While the dynamic graphics and innovative dialogue mechanics are highlighted as standout features, some players found certain gameplay elements, like the grasshopper controls and specific sections involving vehicles, to be frustrating and in need of refinement. Overall, the gameplay is well-received, with a strong emphasis on its artistic direction and emotional depth.
“I enjoyed the conversations with the grandson, exploring the neighborhood, and the change in gameplay and visuals during certain story beats.”
“The more realistic 3D graphics on the grass outside and the dynamic puddles with their reflections, as well as the shadows of the clouds above and the heightened environmental blur compared to inside Yiayia's house, really pull you into the scene once you reach the main gameplay.”
“The way some things pop up into dialogue by Yiayia's initiation when you walk close to them, and others by pressing enter with the main character initiating the thought, is really the best way I could ever imagine a conversation such as theirs being adapted into gameplay, especially in a style like this.”
“I should mention that some of the grasshopper gameplay was frustrating to maneuver, in a way that just made it feel like the speed of directional controls and maybe the turn-radius of the grasshopper was kind of unnatural.”
“Some of the gameplay choices could have been a little more refined, like the airplane and boat sections.”
“There is also a constant grayscale lens put on the gameplay, with a filter almost resembling TV fuzz, which adds to the dissociative yet vivid feeling the visuals of this game gives.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and emotional depth, effectively complementing the themes of aging and complex family dynamics. Reviewers note that the combination of music and visuals creates a beautiful and immersive experience, despite the game's short length. Overall, the music enhances the emotional impact of the narrative and interactive elements.
“The music is very well done and sentimental.”
“This experience is very short, but very beautiful in the art, music, and narrative.”
“The graphics and the music are so well done, and the interactive parts of the game and the quests are both emotional and well thought out.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "A Walk with Yiayia" is characterized as wholesome and heartwarming, eliciting frequent smiles and laughter, particularly through Yiayia's playful chastisements and touching storytelling. Players often find themselves emotionally engaged, balancing humor with poignant moments.
“Wholesome perfectly describes 'A Walk with Yiayia.' I found myself smiling often while I was playing, laughing at Yiayia chastising you for swearing, and tearing up at her stories.”
