Sayonara Wild Hearts from Annapurna Interactive and Simogo is a fast-paced arcade-style pop album video game experience worth checking out on Nintendo Switch 2. Find out why in our Sayonara Wild Hearts review!
Sayonara Wild Hearts from Annapurna Interactive and Simogo is a fast-paced arcade-style pop album video game experience worth checking out on Nintendo Switch 2. After your character’s heart is broken so badly that her sorrow echoes through space and time, the entire balance of the universe is shattered. A butterfly guides you in your dreams through a highway in the sky where you end up face to face with your other self: a biker known as The Fool. What follows is a technicolor musical journey through a custom-written pop soundtrack composed by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng, with vocals by Linnea Olsson.
Many, many moons ago, I had a chance to work on a review for Year Walk from Simogo on the Nintendo Wii U. That was back in 2015 when the Swedish indie studio decided to port the game from PC to Nintendo’s console while fully integrating the Nintendo Wii U GamePad into the experience. The team also created a digital book called Year Walk Bedtime Stories for Awful Children, which you should definitely check out.
When comparing it to the Nintendo Switch version that launched 6+ years ago – yes, it’s really been that long! – you might be wondering… what’s new for Sayonara Wild Hearts – Nintendo Switch 2? We’re getting a considerable boost to the overall framerate and resolution, with support for 120 frames per second and 1080p resolution when playing in Portable or Tabletop Mode, as well as 120 frames per second and 1440p resolution or 60 frames per second and 4K resolution when playing in Docked Mode. On top of that, we’re also getting a new unlockable Remix Arcade Mode, which is not available on the Nintendo Switch version.
You’ll be taking on 20+ levels as you automatically travel down each area, with gameplay mechanics that change along the way to help keep the experience feeling fresh from start to finish. It all starts simple enough, with you having to move left and right with the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you collect hearts, but it soon changes into something else.
Once you magical girl into The Fool, you’ll start to run into speed boosters, more defined environments to traverse, additional obstacles… and rivals. First up are the Dancing Devils, a trio of cursed individuals who represent the tarot card The Devil. They will be easy to spot thanks to their blazing pink cardigans and masks. You’ll then have to battle them as you press a button in time with the music as an outline closes in on the icons that will pop on the screen.
Mind you, this is only the appetizer for the actual fight that will be taking place in the next stage, during which you’ll have to complete a series of chase sequences as you then battle each of the Dancing Devil’s members and take them down one by one. Aim for a Gold Rank as you show them who’s the boss!
It’s going to take you an hour and change to play through the game, but worry not since this release offers some replay value for those of you who like to 100% games, since you can go back and replay levels as you aim at getting the best grade possible based on your score. This is how you’ll be able to get either a Bronze, Silver, or Gold rating. There’s also the Remix Arcade Mode for this Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, which bumps up the challenge with bite-sized segments to play as you try to get the best score possible.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a fast-paced arcade-style pop album video game experience worth checking out on Nintendo Switch 2. After your character’s heart is broken so badly that her sorrow echoes through space and time, the entire balance of the universe is shattered. A butterfly guides you in your dreams through a highway in the sky where you end up face to face with your other self: a biker known as The Fool.
What follows is a technicolor musical journey through a custom-written pop soundtrack composed by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng, with vocals by Linnea Olsson. Oh, and did I mention that none other than Queen Latifah is the narrator who sets up the story and closes the book on the whole thing once you reach the end? She’ll even announce which score ranking you get for each level!
The game mixes things up every now and then by introducing new gameplay mechanics to help to keep its experience feeling fresh until the end. A good chunk of the game will play the same way as you move left and right to collect hearts and avoid obstacles and hazards, but every now and then, something new will be thrown in. Maybe it adds button prompts for you. Or you start to fly. Or you’re behind the wheel of a car. Or, you know, it turns into Sin and Punishment for a segment.
Sayonara Wild Hearts is out on Nintendo Switch 2 with a $12.99 price tag. If you own the Nintendo Switch version of the game, then all you need to do is get the Sayonara Wild Hearts – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack, which is available at no cost, and your Nintendo Switch copy will be upgraded to the Nintendo Switch 2 version.
Disclaimer
This Sayonara Wild Hearts review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 copy provided by Annapurna Interactive.
