PSX 2015: YIIK A Postmodern RPG Preview

Ever since PSLS checked out YIIK at PAX Prime, I’ve wanted to get my hands on it. The odd concept seemed out of place, yet that’s what made it so unique and drew my attention right to it. I’ve yearned for the classic Nintendo RPGs of my early life, specifically something in the style of Earthbound. YIIK pulls no punches in being weird, yet offering players a fun RPG that doesn’t necessarily take place in a fantasy land filled with magic and dragons.

No, instead, YIIK takes place very much in a world that isn’t terribly unlike our own, and its hero is a group of characters that contain people who aren’t too unlike you or me. Taking place in 1999 (as you may have been able to surmise, given the game’s title), You’ll take control of eight strangers brought together by an internet forum interested in researching missing persons and the occult.

Pull No Punches

My demo started in a strange windy town, aptly named Windtown. I was investigating the disappearance of a girl and talking to any of the residents usually resulted in a battle beginning, often due to a bad day at work, or other simple misunderstanding. These fights played out bizarrely, with one character even wielding a keytar as her weapon. There’s tongue in cheek humor at every turn in YIIK and it fully embraces how bizarre it is, pulling no punches along the way.

Combat is standard turn-based RPG fare, but attacks are broken up by mini-games that either allow you get more hits on the enemy or defend against their attacks. It was a fun way to add an extra layer of skill based gameplay to the combat, not unlike pulling the trigger when using Squall’s gunblade in Final Fantasy VIII.

All of the best elements of any turn based RPG are here. There’s an open overworld with nine dungeons to explore. There’s an epic story that will take your cast of characters on a massive adventure. There are even different endings depending on how the main character, a geeky guy named Alex Eggleston, interacts with the other members of the party. And then of course there’s the fun part where all of the party members are in their twenties and dealing with becoming an adult, something I know I’ve been able to personally relate to for the last decade or so.

The striking visuals may look simple and uninteresting at a quick glance, but they fit the bizarre styling of YIIK, allowing the deadpan humor to play out without distraction. In fact, let’s not call them simple or uninteresting. let’s call them minimalistic, which is extremely interesting in its own respect.There’s another good reason for it to look the way it does, and Vita owners should rejoice. If you’re looking for another great RPG to play on the handheld, YIIK should be on your radar as the Vita version is coming shortly after launch of its PS4 counterpart.

I managed only a few minutes with YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, and it was far too short of a time. It scratched that itch for a game like Earthbound, and I can’t wait until it releases early next year to play more.

PSX 2015 On Site Gallery

PlayStation Experience 2015

The enormous autograph wall allowed fans to share in their PlayStation love.
Ratchet

Waiting in line to pick up his badge, Stephen gets a glimpse of his first PlayStation character!
Badge Pickup Desk

Heading to the third floor to watch the keynote!
Keynote

The hall was packed with PlayStation fans eagerly awaiting Sony's announcements.
Final Fantasy VII Remake

What a way to open the show! We were excited to get a glimpse at more of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Battleborn

Randy Pitchford talks more about the upcoming beta for Battleborn.
Street Fighter V

Fighting fans rejoiced as more was announced for Street Fighter V.
PlayStation VR

The PlayStation VR offering was expansive, with two floors of virtual reality units ready for players to try out.
Dead Star

Dead Star is a competitive, twin-stick, MOBA style game, featuring 10 v 10 battles in space! Keep an eye out for our preview soon!
Destiny: Sparrow Racing League

Chandler previews Destiny's Sparrow Racing League ahead of its Dec. 8th release.
Dark Souls 3

This enormous fountain was a photo op that sprayed "blood" from the body of the fallen soldier.
Dark Souls 3

Here's the blood fountain in action.
MLB: The Show Trophy Bar

Want an easy way to grab a beer and play some baseball? MLB: The Show's trophy bar offered both!
Uncharted 4

No, the main game wasn't playable, but anyone missing the multiplayer beta of Uncharted 4 was able to play the multiplayer at this enormous booth.
PlayStation Vue

Not only were the games on show, but PlayStation's media features were given a focus too, with this booth giving more information on Sony's PlayStation Vue service.
PlayStation 4

Who can resist checking out a variety of PS4s, DualShock 4s, and that sweet PlayStation VR headset?
Abzu

The underwater game that evokes feelings of titles by thatgamecompany was playable on the show floor.
Helghast

Stephen is caught by some Helghast for being an ISA spy. Fortunately it was all just a misunderstanding and we were allowed to go about our business without further delay.
Disney Infinity

Disney usually brings their massive arch of Infinity figures, and they were showing off the latest additions to Disney Infinity 3.0 at the show.
RIGS (Livecast Stage)

The creators of RIGS talk more about the competitive VR game on the livecast stage.
RIGS (Livecast Stage)

The creators of RIGS talk more about the competitive VR game on the livecast stage.
Capcom Cup

Sunday morning the Capcom Cup gets underway!
Tim Schafer (Double Fine)

Tim Schafer sits on the livecast stage to talk about the games that Double Fine is bringing to the PS4.
Battleborn

A huge display showcases some of the characters from Battleborn.
Hob

Indie game Hob was popular despite being tucked along one of the walls.
Far Cry Primal

Fans got a chance to tame beasts in Far Cry Primal's first playable showing.
Abzu

Due to the lit up sign, this picture's exposure turned out pretty cool.
Destiny

Destiny's guardians wandered the show floor keeping guests safe from the darkness and waiting for a Gjallahorn drop.
Masquerada

Chandler is shown indie game Masquerada by one of the devs.
Randall

An enormous statue of the character from Randall looms over their booth.
Uncharted 4

Walking by the Uncharted 4 booth kept having us question if we were still in San Francisco.
Drawn to Death

An enormous notebook for fans to doodle on. Who knows, maybe David Jaffe will take future character inspiration from it?
PlayStation Network

The back wall was a showcase of the PlayStation Network and its media features.
LEGO Hulk Battle

It's Hulk vs. Hulkbuster in this fight of epic LEGO proportions.
LEGO Hulk Battle

It's Hulk vs. Hulkbuster in this fight of epic LEGO proportions.
MLB: The Show Trophy Bar

Because just one picture of the place where you can get beer at the show isn't good enough.
Livecast Stage

The livecast stage was host to a number of awesome events, talking to developers and showing off games.
RIGS

The RIGS demo station pitted two teams against each other in one of the most desired demos at the show.
Yoda

This giant statue of a Disney Infinity Yoda is bigger than Yoda would be in real life.
Destiny Sparrow Racing League

If only this Sparrow had an actual engine so that we could race around the show!
Destiny Sparrow Racing League

We're ready to race our sparrows for some loot!
Chandler and Kratos

Chandler met Kratos and somehow survived the experience!
Stephen and Ratchet

Ratchet's a movie star now, and Stephen just had to get a picture with him on the red carpet.
Chandler and Ratchet

Ok, Chandler decided to grab a picture with Ratchet too.
Atoi and Iota

Chandler and Stephen take a moment to visit with messengers Atoi and Iota.
Fat Princess

Fat Princess needed some protecting from the minions of darkness! Luckily Chandler and Stephen were on the scene with funny hats and menacing looks!
Kat (Gravity Rush)

Stephen had to ask Kat what manipulating the world's gravity was really like.
Uncharted 4

You've seen those Uncharted 4 trailers with the crazy vehicle driving? Turns out it was Stephen behind the wheel!
PlayStation Experience 2015

PlayStation Experience 2015 may have come to an end, but you'd better be certain that PlayStation LifeStyle will be on the scene to cover the show again when it comes back next year!