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Yerba Buena

Yerba Buena is a novel puzzle-platform game with a unique gameplay concept, which offers an opportunity to play around with real-world physics; however, its weak points include poorly designed puzzles and interruptions.
Yerba Buena Game Cover
57%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability
67% User Score Based on 15 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCCloudXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindows
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Yerba Buena Game Cover

About Yerba Buena

Yerba Buena is a single player platformer game. It was developed by Mad About Pandas and was released on May 26, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Step into a surreal puzzle-platforming adventure as Barb, a young woman living as an NPC in an abandoned gameworld. Your beloved city of San Francisco is under threat from a sinister plot and it is up to you to save it with the help of a mysterious and powerful device: the Oscillator. Master a ground-breaking “Copy and Paste” mechanic and manipulate the gameworld by applying the movement and physi…

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Reviews

67%Audience ScoreBased on 15 reviews
story3 positive mentions
stability1 negative mentions
  • Innovative and unique puzzle mechanics that encourage creative solutions.
  • Strong, memorable story concept with dry, funny writing and good overall narrative.
  • Distinctive art style capturing 1970s San Francisco, with impressive visuals and atmosphere.
  • Performance issues and bugs increase as the game progresses, including crashes, physics glitches, and soft locks.
  • Some puzzles suffer from frustrating time limits, unclear objectives, and poor checkpoint placement leading to repetitive death loops.
  • Variable voice acting quality and lack of polish in animations, difficulty curve, and level design negatively impact the experience.

  • story

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 17% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions

    The story is praised for its unique and memorable concept with innovative puzzle mechanics, drawing players in quickly. However, some find the plot pacing and exposition rushed, which may confuse those seeking clearer explanations. Overall, it provides an engaging and enjoyable narrative experience.

    • “It has one of the more innovative puzzle mechanics I've come across in recent years, and a story concept that is completely unique and memorable.”
    • “The overarching plot is something I can't say I've heard before and it pulled me right in within the first 5 minutes of playing.”
    • “I am having a great time and I am enjoying the story.”
    • “The pacing and exposition of the plot points is crazily rushed.”
    • “I personally prefer to use my own noggin but I can imagine that a story this complex would frustrate most players without an explanation.”

  • gameplay

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The gameplay features innovative and well-implemented mechanics that combine unique puzzle elements with a memorable narrative, offering a fresh and engaging experience. Players appreciate the creative concept and the variety of properties that can be absorbed and applied, making it one of the standout puzzle games in recent years.

    • “It has one of the more innovative puzzle mechanics I've come across in recent years, and a story concept that is completely unique and memorable.”
    • “No pre-made formula or reskin of a known mechanic, but an innovative approach that combines a puzzle game with narrative.”
    • “The mechanics introduced are used in good ways, and there is a decent range of different properties that can be absorbed and applied with the oscillator.”

  • music

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions

    The music is catchy and well-designed, enhancing the gameplay without becoming annoying during puzzles. It complements the environments effectively, adding a fun and immersive layer to the experience.

    • “Catchy music and sound design.”
    • “If you're moving quickly through areas, the music adds to the environments in a really fun way.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The game's optimization starts strong with smooth performance in early stages, but significantly deteriorates as the player progresses, leading to noticeable issues in later chapters.

    • “I made it to chapter 11, but as I progressed further in the game, the performance got worse and worse.”

  • graphics

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The graphics feature a lovably rugged art style that enhances the overall enjoyment and complements the game mechanics throughout the experience.

    • “Lovably rugged art style.”
    • “Up until the end, I was really having fun and enjoying the mechanics and art style.”

  • humor

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor is characterized by hilariously dry writing that rewards attentive players with occasional, unexpectedly funny lines that leave a strong impression.

    • “Hilariously dry writing.”
    • “If you're willing to pay attention to the dialogues, they will occasionally reward you with a line so funny, it'll blow your socks clean off.”

  • atmosphere

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its breathtakingly beautiful sets and cutscenes, showcasing impressive shaders, effects, and detailed tech art that reflect the developers' considerable effort.

    • “Some sets within the game and cutscenes are breathtakingly beautiful and atmospheric; you can tell that a lot of work went into the shaders, effects, and overall tech art.”

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from significant bugs and lacks polish in levels, character models, and puzzle difficulty, resulting in an unstable and uneven experience.

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Critic Reviews

77%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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Play Times

5h Median play time
5h Average play time
5-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yerba Buena is a platformer game. Common tags for Yerba Buena include first-person, indie, trading, surreal, exploration and others.

Yerba Buena is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam Deck, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Yerba Buena.

Yerba Buena was released on May 26, 2026.

Yerba Buena was developed by Mad About Pandas.

Yerba Buena has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Yerba Buena for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Yerba Buena is a single player game.

Similar games include Somerville, Contrast, Typoman, The Entropy Centre, Hubris and others.