All of this is done with only one analog stick and one button, making the game easy for anyone to pick up and play, but it's fun for any skill level. Other stages have you do a few Quick Time Events, where you're either hitting buttons in time or just mashing to get the best result. You'll even switch to roads that go across the ceiling. Some levels have you doing more, like hitting special areas to make sharp turns or boosters to make leaps to close gaps. No matter the level, you'll always be moving forward, collecting hearts and cards to boost your score while also avoiding obstacles. This sounds like it can be complicated, but the game simplifies this by being an auto-scroller. It all plays out like a fever dream, but it makes sense once you start playing. You'll hop in a car only to land in a VR world, fly through more highways in space, fight against twins that can change the environments at a finger snap, and even fight off demonic bats. Aside from racing and fighting some people, you land in a forest and ride a deer toward a fight against robot wolves. The discovery of the sprite leads your character to fall out of her ceiling window, ultimately landing on a celestial highway that twists and turns until you're riding down city streets on a motorcycle. Ultimately, the game is about heartbreak and recovery, but it's told in the most oddball of ways. Alone in her room, she is visited by a sprite, who tells her that she has been tasked with wrangling the wayward arcana and returning harmony to the world. That person happens to be a young woman who's feeling lost and heartbroken due to a recent breakup. Narrated by Queen Latifah, Sayonara Wild Hearts starts off with a tale about a trio of ancient arcana who, while close to defeat by their rebellious peers, disperse their power in the hopes that someone can come along and be their champion. Sayonara Wild Hearts is a return to form, and it has so much style that you can't help but be mesmerized from beginning to end. There's nothing wrong with this, but it has been a while since we've seen this genre take on the form of an interactive concept album, where the songs don't just sound cool but also end up being essential to telling a story.

If you aren't simply playing through a list of songs, you're going through songs that don't necessarily fit thematically with the game. Recently, rhythm games and rhythm-adjacent games have taken to using music as a mechanic rather than the focus.

Sayonara wild hearts reviews