Yesterday
- March 21, 2012
- Pendulo Studios
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamYesterday is a single-player mystery role-playing game with an awesome story, beautiful game mechanics, good visuals, and a delightful soundtrack. The game takes place in New York 2011, where homeless people are disappearing, and a Y-shaped scar appears on unrelated people. Players uncover the mystery as Henry White, Cooper, and the enigmatic John Yesterday, who has no memory of his past. The game is very atmospheric with plenty of humor and a unique, dark style.
iPad
iPhone
PC
Phone
Windows
Gog Com
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Engaging and dark storyline with unexpected plot twists.
- Great art style and voice acting that enhance the overall experience.
- Logical puzzles that are mostly intuitive and enjoyable.
- Very short gameplay, typically completed in around 4-5 hours.
- Some puzzles can feel nonsensical or overly simplistic.
- Lack of character development and emotional connection to the protagonist.
- story731 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Yesterday" is characterized by its dark themes and unexpected plot twists, which many players found engaging and well-crafted. However, the narrative is often criticized for being rushed and too short, leaving character development and pacing lacking. While some appreciated the unique storytelling style and intriguing elements, others felt the execution was flawed, resulting in a disjointed experience that could have benefited from deeper exploration of its themes.
“The game does an amazing job of mirroring elements and themes throughout, and the story is incredibly tight and well-thought-out.”
“The result is a captivating adventure, well-served by a dark atmosphere and excellent storytelling.”
“I loved the story and I am now looking forward to playing Yesterday Origins.”
“The main issue is that the story seems a bit rushed at times and is too short.”
“However, after that the story is nonsensical; it changes abruptly and bizarrely.”
“The story is all over the place; I had a hard time following it or taking interest in it.”
- graphics151 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and colorful art style, often described as cartoonish or comic-like, which complements the narrative well. However, some reviews note inconsistencies in quality, with certain animations and character models appearing cheap or unpolished. Overall, while the visuals are appealing and enhance the storytelling, they may not meet the expectations of all players, particularly due to a lack of graphical options and some cluttered scenes.
“Beautiful graphics and animations.”
“I find the art style to be fantastic and it supports fullscreen on ultrawide monitors, so bonus for that.”
“I really liked the graphic style of the game, crisp cartoon mixed with some highly detailed background landscapes.”
“The semi-cartoony 3D graphics mixed with 2D backgrounds are at times effective and pretty, but mostly clumsy and cheap-looking in a way that clashes poorly with the darker and edgier tone of the story.”
“My only complaint is that you can't actually adjust any graphical settings, and the game doesn't have working high resolutions; it's stuck at an internal 4:3 resolution.”
“Story and voice acting are okay, but the graphics are sometimes distractingly bad.”
- gameplay108 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic point-and-click adventure with a mix of engaging storylines and varying puzzle difficulty, though many players find the puzzles to be not particularly challenging. While the mechanics are generally smooth and the interface simple, some reviews highlight issues with clunky item interactions and frequent cutscenes that disrupt the flow of gameplay, leading to a more passive experience. Overall, the game offers a short playtime of around 4-5 hours, which some players feel is insufficient given the price, but it may appeal to fans of narrative-driven experiences.
“Fantastic little game to get through a few hours, great story line, gameplay and style... heading to the Steam store to see if there is a sequel!”
“The mechanics in the game are brilliant - your character doesn't waddle around the screen, instead it fades out of its position and quickly fades in near the spot you have clicked, which speeds up the gameplay.”
“It offers an interesting story, logical, though sometimes complex (even when easy) puzzles, and generally simplified gameplay.”
“The result is very little gameplay to push the plot forward.”
“On the whole though, 'Yesterday' is a short mess of a game with a promising premise that sadly falls apart under the weight of terrible storytelling and mediocre gameplay.”
“Puzzles and game mechanics are just clunky and often only backtracking.”
- humor72 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a blend of dark and twisted elements, often resulting in unexpected laughter from cheesy or cringeworthy dialogue. While some players appreciate the quirky and campy moments, others find the humor jarring or overshadowed by the serious tone of the story. Overall, the game maintains a unique charm with its humor, despite a shift from the lighter comedic style of previous titles by Pendulo Studios.
“The dialogue is so cheesy and skips forward erratically, causing me to laugh out loud at something that probably isn't meant to be funny (example: after you save Pauline in the antique shop).”
“A rather dark and twisted story with a cool multi-ending, and some fun tongue-in-cheek humor sprinkled throughout.”
“There is some very welcome humor in this story, especially the American tourists in Paris.”
“The game is not funny nor does it try to be funny, and the story is dark and evil and heavily inspired by the occult.”
“The writing is never bad and quite good at times, but the game lacks humor entirely.”
- music66 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the mood of scenes, while others note significant gaps in ambient music and sound effects, leading to awkward moments of silence. Although the soundtrack is described as catchy and effective at times, there are complaints about its simplicity and instances where it is either too loud or nearly nonexistent. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience, it could benefit from more consistency and depth.
“An intriguing story, nice art, good voice acting, and music.”
“The music really sets the atmosphere and the voice acting is solid.”
“It is a good game for beginners to the gaming world, and the music is amazing; it definitely sets the tone for the scene in which you are playing.”
“The only downsides are its brief duration (around 4-5 hours play), and music which is too simple or nonexistent at all.”
“While the tracks fit the mood, you often have awkward moments without music, and some of the sounds aren't impressive, leaving much to be desired in the audio department.”
“Got bored even before ending the first chapter... tortured gameplay, music and theme for me...”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as dark, immersive, and beautifully crafted, effectively enhancing the storytelling and overall experience. While many reviewers praised the captivating and creepy ambiance, some noted inconsistencies in tone, shifting from serious themes of murder and cults to moments of broad comedy. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals, solid voice acting, and impactful music contributes to a compelling and atmospheric adventure.
“The result is a captivating adventure, well-served by a dark atmosphere and excellent storytelling.”
“Yesterday delivers on all levels of a narrative adventure: intelligent puzzles, interesting story and characters, immersive atmosphere.”
“And still, the atmosphere is fantastic, dark and creepy and weird and aloof and just spot on; the music is sometimes great, the voice acting is rather good all around, and the writing is quite good at times.”
“It also features distractingly inconsistent atmosphere and tone, veering from dark, cult-based ritual murder and torture to broad comedy (the guru/martial arts master training sequences in the mountains of Asia), in a manner which completely undercuts almost everything that has come before.”
“It moves away from the previous titles’ colorful and light atmosphere and introduces us to a bloody thriller involving satanic cults, torture, a serial killer, and a big load of mystery in the form of the protagonist, who suffers from a very strange case of amnesia.”
“- atmosphere & visuals (being partly a hidden item game, some scenes will make it impossible to detect interactive items unless you use hints)”
- replayability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to its short length of three to four hours and limited branching paths. While there are multiple endings to explore, many players feel that once the story is known, the incentive to replay diminishes significantly, often leading them to prefer watching playthroughs online instead.
“This all leads up to a choice of four different endings and will give you some replay value to see them all.”
“Very short, but the ending offers some replay value.”
“Game itself is fun, creative, interesting, good story with multiple endings.”
“Beware that the game is not overly long, difficult or branching - so get it on sale as replay value is low.”
“With only something of three to four hours and a replayability of nil (it is an adventure game, after all), this is rather limited.”
“And there is not much replayability once you know the plot: you can try a few different options, but that's it.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is inconsistent, with some users experiencing frequent crashes and freezes upon launch, while others report no technical glitches at all. Overall, the feedback suggests a mixed experience regarding stability, with notable bugs affecting some players.
“It's also a little buggy.”
“Have tried several times, yet it breaks and freezes up every time I try to launch the game.”
“It's also a little buggy.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with players feeling disconnected from the characters due to a lack of emotional dialogue and facial expressions. The average voice acting and poorly integrated humor further detract from the emotional engagement, leaving many players feeling that they missed a crucial part of the narrative. Overall, the game struggles to create a meaningful emotional connection.
“This is a great looking point and click adventure game, but I found it to be mired in nonsensical puzzles and an incredibly boring story tangent in the middle of the game.”
- character development6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players feeling that it lacks depth and is rushed compared to previous titles. Many believe that a longer gameplay experience could have enhanced character arcs, but despite these shortcomings, the game is still considered worth its full price.
“For the sake of character development, the game could have been a bit longer, but still, the game is absolutely worth it at full price.”
“I also have to say that the game is not as good as the previous ones regarding the story and character development.”
“The writing is evidently rushed with scant room for character development.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game for its streamlined mechanics, which reduce tedium and allow for faster progression. The inclusion of features like character teleportation enhances the experience by minimizing repetitive travel, making the gameplay feel more engaging and less monotonous. Overall, the game successfully balances grinding with enjoyable elements like surprising twists and appealing visuals.
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, making the game more of a slog than an adventure.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding really takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
“I found myself losing interest due to the excessive grinding required to progress.”
