YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

YIIK has been a bit of a strange one for me. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the quirky story through to its conclusion and loved exploring the wonderfully crafted world, the repetitive battle system and poorly executed leveling up system left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Neither aspect was particularly game-breaking nor did they make YIIK end up feeling like a bad game, but they did stand out a lot as I made my way through the fairly lengthy adventure. It’s definitely going to be a divisive experience for gamers though and it certainly won’t tick enough boxes to warrant a purchase for everyone. For me though, YIIK did enough right to make it recommendable for fans of RPGs or those who like a truly surreal experience – it’s far from perfect, but it still manages to offer an enjoyably bizarre journey that I was glad to be a part of.

77%Game Brain Score

story, music

grinding, stability

78% User Score Based on 1,164 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a single player role playing game with fantasy and mystery themes. It was developed by AckkStudios and was released on January 17, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, explore a psychedelic, neo-dating sim inspired world and battle strange enemies in turn-based combat with real-time elements. Join Alex on his journey to solve the mysterious disappearance of a girl he met online. Uncover clues by interacting with a diverse cast of characters, delving into dungeons, and solving puzzles. This RPG combines surreal humor with a haunting, ambient soundtrack to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+15

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,164 reviews

story123 positive mentions

grinding36 negative mentions

The I.V update significantly improves the combat system, making it more engaging and fun compared to the original.
The visuals and soundtrack are stunning, enhancing the overall experience and atmosphere of the game.
The narrative, while complex, offers a unique and thought-provoking story that encourages players to engage deeply with its themes.

The pacing of the story can be slow and tedious, with long monologues and cutscenes that may frustrate players.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as the leveling system and certain puzzles, can feel convoluted and poorly executed.
The main character, Alex, is often seen as unlikable, which can detract from the player's overall enjoyment of the game.

story
664 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The story of "Yiik: A Postmodern RPG" is a complex and often surreal narrative that challenges traditional storytelling conventions, presenting a flawed protagonist, Alex, whose journey is marked by self-discovery and moral ambiguity. While some players appreciate the depth and thematic richness, others find the plot convoluted and difficult to follow, with pacing issues and a tendency to over-explain. The recent updates have added new content and improved the storytelling, making it more engaging for those willing to invest time in unraveling its intricacies, but it remains a polarizing experience that may not appeal to everyone.
- “The sheer absurdity of the plot coupled with a heartfelt, genuine message behind it, especially once you get past all of the pre-update content, made it worthwhile and extremely compelling and impactful.”
- “The story is engaging and interesting -- you play as this total asshole hipster character and watch as he totally messes everything up for himself at every corner, making friends and losing them along the way.”
- “The new combat mechanics, a greater emphasis on surrealism, and a more interesting retelling of the original story makes it a joy to experience.”
- “The pacing is bizarre and fascinating, with absolutely nothing happening for 2/3rds of the game, then a very different kind of nothing happening for the next third, with all the plot confined to massive cutscenes in the last hour.”
- “You will spend literally hours hearing every permutation of the cast saying 'things are seriously messed up in this reality!', while major plot points are dropped never to be seen again.”
- “The story is convoluted, unclear, and honestly pointless.”
music
289 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The music in "Yiik" has been widely praised as a standout feature, with many reviewers highlighting its diversity and emotional impact. The soundtrack includes a mix of quirky, catchy tracks and more serious compositions, featuring contributions from notable artists like Toby Fox and Garoad. While some songs may not resonate with everyone, the overall consensus is that the music significantly enhances the game's atmosphere and is worth listening to outside of gameplay.
- “The music has incredible moments throughout the game and some motifs that hit you like a brick every time.”
- “The soundtrack is massive with dozens upon dozens of tracks in dozens of different styles.”
- “The music is absolutely stunning, the art style is charming, the suburban spin on modern fantasy is something I've been looking for since Earthbound and the voice acting is absolutely superb.”
- “The music is wildly inconsistent.”
- “Some of the soundtrack is actually really rough on the ears.”
- “The music is unbearable, even the ones done by guest composers like Toby Fox.”
gameplay
241 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
64%
13%
The gameplay of "Yiik" has seen significant improvements with the introduction of the karta system, enhancing combat mechanics and pacing, making battles more strategic and engaging. While many players appreciate the unique and artistic approach to gameplay, some still find it janky and poorly balanced, with certain mechanics feeling underexplained or tedious. Overall, the revamped gameplay offers a mix of enjoyable elements and frustrating aspects, making it a polarizing experience for players.
- “The gameplay was revamped and it's really fun!”
- “The new combat mechanics, a greater emphasis on surrealism, and a more interesting retelling of the original story makes it a joy to experience.”
- “The gameplay system is much more fun and engaging compared to before.”
- “The gameplay, of course, is notoriously bad and poorly-balanced.”
- “Even when the dialogue scenes finally end, the gameplay itself is horrendous; the combat is so slow and clunky, I really can't describe how torturous it is to actually try to play it.”
- “The gameplay is extremely tedious and unnecessary.”
graphics
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The graphics of "Yiik: A Postmodern RPG" have garnered mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and surreal art style that evokes a nostalgic, 90s aesthetic. While some players appreciate the vibrant and psychedelic visuals, others criticize the lack of polish, inconsistent asset quality, and occasional discomfort caused by the trippy effects. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a standout feature, contributing significantly to its charm and appeal, despite some flaws.
- “I also absolutely adore the graphics for this game.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack are amazing and unique.”
- “The visuals of Yiik have always been its strongest point, and Ackk played to their strengths and have successfully amped up the visual design in practically every sense.”
- “Graphically, the game lacks polish; the camera craps out constantly, assets are lazy as hell and reused all over the place, many models are ugly, even the newer ones, and enemy designs are mind-numbingly stupid.”
- “The graphics in some parts don't match with the graphics in other parts sometimes, which just causes me to be confused.”
- “The real problem is that the visuals of this new battle system are completely spastic.”
humor
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding it unintentionally hilarious due to poor writing and absurd scenarios, while others feel it falls flat or becomes tedious over time. Many reviews highlight moments of genuine laughter, especially when played with friends, but also note that the humor can be subtle or reliant on niche references that may not resonate with all players. Overall, the game's comedic elements are often described as a mix of "so bad it's funny" and moments of genuine charm, though opinions vary widely on its effectiveness.
- “It's a funny game.”
- “The story is so bad it's funny.”
- “Yiik is a pretty humorously written game that's easy to laugh along to.”
- “No, it's not funny or interesting to have a football helmet and a pile of shit in like 10% of the encounters in the game.”
- “It is not funny bad, it is just bad bad. I have never seen a game be such a slog. I have just above an hour and a half in this game, and that took me like 5 sessions to reach because it is so hard to sit through. There is never a good point in Yiik; the dialogue is horrible. I'm sure everyone knows this, but it feels so different when you are the one actually having to sit through it during a playthrough as opposed to just watching a YouTube video.”
- “When I'm in an unfunny Yiik review competition and my opponent is a troubled 14-year-old who watches video essays.”
grinding
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
Overall, reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing dissatisfaction with the combat system and leveling mechanics. While some appreciate the novelty of the RPG combat, it frequently feels slow and repetitive, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite attempts to improve upon previous iterations, the game still struggles with pacing and engagement, leading to a mixed reception regarding its grinding elements.
- “After making multiple different saves to get through all the elements of the game, beating the game, grinding, and making sure I get every single last thing... this game still sucks and was barely enjoyable.”
- “The gameplay is extremely tedious and unnecessary.”
- “The combat was so utterly tedious.”
emotional
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Yiik" is a complex blend of heartfelt character development and surreal storytelling that evokes a wide range of feelings, from laughter to tears. While some players find the writing to be melodramatic and pretentious, others appreciate its depth and the genuine connections formed with the characters. Overall, the game offers a thought-provoking experience that resonates emotionally, despite its occasional narrative flaws.
- “The game tricks you with a seemingly pretentious main character and his iffy squad, and then keeps peeling back the layers more and more, until it is a sincere, genuine, heartfelt adoration of these characters.”
- “The sheer absurdity of the plot coupled with a heartfelt, genuine message behind it, especially once you get past all of the pre-update content, made it worthwhile and extremely compelling and impactful.”
- “I got very emotional at times, some moments where I cried in laughter, and even got really sad.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including glitches, bad hitboxes, and awkward controls, which can detract from the overall experience. Players report frequent bugs during exploration, combat, and even in critical story moments, leading to frustration and occasional softlocks. While some enjoy the quirky nature of these glitches, many agree that the game remains quite buggy and could benefit from further polish.
- “It is very common to run into obnoxious glitches, with floor clips, bad hitboxes, wonky menus, poor enemy pathing, and awkward controls (the mind dungeon particularly).”
- “The exploration and puzzles do feel a bit janky at some points, with minor glitches and such at many places, camera not shifting correctly, weird map collision, etc. Most notably, the ending scenario of the main story got kind of ruined because one of the character models just ended up sticking around, overlaying over the new characters.”
- “Then to add to your frustration, there are ample bugs, freezes, and crashes.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
27%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its suspenseful music, vivid overworld themes, and a surreal, creepy ambiance that evokes a sense of dread and intrigue. While some players appreciate the depth and storytelling elements that enhance the atmosphere, others find that certain narrative choices disrupt the tension and immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is described as intense and engaging, appealing particularly to those who enjoy atmospheric storytelling in games.
- “Cutscenes almost always have an atmospheric track building suspense and hinting at audio motifs which help you piece things together. The overworld and town music paints a more vivid picture than images ever could, and battle themes feature some of the greatest EDM bops of all time.”
- “I quite like the atmosphere and the questions the game pokes and prods at you to ask yourself.”
- “It really excels at creating a creepy, surreal atmosphere, kind of like if those parts of EarthBound were an entire game.”
- “However, what I cannot forgive is how consistently the game stumbles over itself to destroy any atmosphere or tension it struggles so hard to build.”
- “Whether it's deflating a plot vital conversation between characters with a monologue from Alex, or traveling through what would otherwise be atmosphere-establishing linear segments bookended by a monologue from Alex, or an authentically disturbing dream-like sequence in which characters are calling Alex but are voicing other characters you've had the misfortune to become familiar with, excruciatingly dissected in a conversation between Alex's toy panda and (you've guessed it) Alex.”
- “I picked it up for the memes to stream for my buddies but was shocked to be absolutely subverted and fall in love with this story, atmosphere, characters, music, and mystic.”
character development
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the depth of relationships, particularly between Alex and Ramona, while others criticize the overall lack of growth and depth for many characters. Several reviews highlight that character writing often feels uniform and underdeveloped, with missed opportunities for deeper exploration of supporting characters. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the game's unique style and value, suggesting that the character development, while flawed, still contributes to the overall experience.
- “This game is a masterpiece, the character development between Alex, Yiik, and Ramona Flowers is incredibly in-depth and profound.”
- “They do get a lot of character development, but more than that, it's important to understand that this is what the internet was like at that time.”
- “I would've enjoyed some more character development with regard to Michael and Rory, but I give the game a pass on this part because what you get for such a cheap price exceeds the value.”
- “The character development is almost non-existent, and every character is written the same.”
- “Yiik could've focused less on introducing (or plagiarizing) weird and/or abstract essays in dialogue and more on battle pacing and character development.”
- “It's still pretentious, obtuse, mistaking complexity and abstraction for depth and character development, and suffers the occasional indie RPG-isms (outdated references and an abundance of self-importance), but all of that has now become good bad instead of just funny bad.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's optimization shows significant improvement, particularly in combat mechanics, which are fast-paced and engaging, though occasionally too easy. While there are minor issues like varying voice quality and some text cut-off, the overall visual presentation and character performances are impressive for an indie title, enhancing the immersive experience.
- “Almost everything about the game has been improved drastically, from the completely overhauled combat mechanics that are incredibly unique, fun, and fast-paced, to the stellar soundtrack and vocal performances, to an amazing visual presentation that is genuinely unrivaled in the scene, doubling down on the game's surreal aspect and making something that, if nothing else, will truly leave an impression.”
- “Gone are the sluggish mini-games and slow-loading scenes bogging down the heat of battle, and in its place is an elegant, utilitarian system of bloodletting filled to the brim with little intricacies to be discovered and optimizations to be made - it's RPG combat at its core.”
- “As an indie effort, there's some roughness around the edges such as varying mic quality for different characters, but the very good and grounded character performances carry it for me.”
- “Gone are the sluggish mini-games and slow-loading scenes bogging down the heat of battle, and in their place is an elegant, utilitarian system of bloodletting filled to the brim with little intricacies to be discovered and optimizations to be made - it's RPG combat at its core.”
- “Screen optimization is lacking; text gets cut off in text boxes and goes off-screen occasionally.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has low replayability, with players expressing a lack of motivation to revisit it after completing it. Many feel that the experience does not warrant a second playthrough.
- “Replayability: I didn't feel the need to go back.”
- “No replayability (due to the above).”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has not been explicitly addressed in the provided text, focusing instead on its postmodern themes that resonate with fans of similar titles. Further details on monetization strategies or practices are needed for a comprehensive summary.

Skip Critic Reviews

73%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
YIIK has been a bit of a strange one for me. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the quirky story through to its conclusion and loved exploring the wonderfully crafted world, the repetitive battle system and poorly executed leveling up system left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Neither aspect was particularly game-breaking nor did they make YIIK end up feeling like a bad game, but they did stand out a lot as I made my way through the fairly lengthy adventure. It’s definitely going to be a divisive experience for gamers though and it certainly won’t tick enough boxes to warrant a purchase for everyone. For me though, YIIK did enough right to make it recommendable for fans of RPGs or those who like a truly surreal experience – it’s far from perfect, but it still manages to offer an enjoyably bizarre journey that I was glad to be a part of.
Useapotion.com
73%

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5h Median play time

9h Average play time

5-9h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a role playing game with fantasy and mystery themes.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Mac OS and others.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing YIIK: A Postmodern RPG.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG was released on January 17, 2019.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG was developed by AckkStudios.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is a single player game.

Similar games include YIIK Nameless Psychosis, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Everhood 2, UNBEATABLE, The Outbound Ghost and others.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

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