YIIK: A Post Modern RPG / Ackk Studios / Andrew Allanson - "I wanted to make a game with a protagonist who was very unlikeable" - From Someone who is equally unlikeable. Currently developing Version I.V (1.5)

[Dustlord]

I liked OFF. That's about it though. Honestly I think the reason Earthbound makes game devs so crazy is that the game is more than a little over their heads, which is saying a lot since Earthbound isn't really that difficult to wrap your head around if you just pay attention.

I don't think earthbound makes game devs crazy. Any grown man that is holding onto their childhood this hard was likely going to have issues anyway.
Its one thing to have nostalgia for childhood things, but most people have moved on enough by adulthood that it wouldn't be a major facet of their personality.

 

[L50LasPak]

I don't think earthbound makes game devs crazy. Any grown man that is holding onto their childhood this hard was likely going to have issues anyway.
Its one thing to have nostalgia for childhood things, but most people have moved on enough by adulthood that it wouldn't be a major facet of their personality.

Well, I should rephrase that to makes them act out on their crazy but my point is it draws them in because of its aesthetics and themes but they can't really grasp it.

 

[Don Yagon]

If "Earthbound/Mother-Inspired RPG" always means "katy t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m! discovers RPGMaker," as seems to be the case, then I'm out.

Not always. Check out LISA. It might have some wacky moments, but overall has much more serious tone that many other games of that type.

 

[Drain Todger]

I saw the trailer, immediately realized YIIK was the product of either Tumblrinas or bearded hipsters, and noped the fuck out of its Steam page immediately.

 

[Medulseur]

Anyone ever played VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action? It's a pretty good game that plays similarly to Papers Please and No Umbrellas Allowed. It came out way back in 2016 and had references to YIIK in anticipation of its release. The only reason I could see them doing that is because they had the same publisher and were convinced/forced to do it or the developers were friends or something. It's one thing for one game to shill another shitty game but to shill a shitty game that hadn't released yet? Never seen that before.

 

[Pizdec]

Anyone ever played VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action? It's a pretty good game that plays similarly to Papers Please and No Umbrellas Allowed. It came out way back in 2016 and had references to YIIK in anticipation of its release. The only reason I could see them doing that is because they had the same publisher and were convinced/forced to do it or the developers were friends or something. It's one thing for one game to shill another shitty game but to shill a shitty game that hadn't released yet? Never seen that before.

I only remembered this because it was around the time I was looking at the game, and the cameo was so brief it didn't really mean much. The sprite work for her was pretty nice at the least. When I was watching videos of the game I kept asking "why is Vella not the protagonist?".

 

[Least Concern]

The line with the name dropping of RPGs is also a stupid oversight. This game apparently takes place in the 90s. These characters are in college, so one can reasonably assume their childhood time would be sometime in the 80s or so...

...when none of those name dropped games existed.

Not quite fair. As confirmed by Wikipedia, the game takes place in 1999 (hence the "Y2K" title). If the characters are about 20 years old (born in 1979), then they were 12 when the SNES dropped, 16 when the PSX came out. Still young enough for games of that era to have been an important part of their youth.

 

[Kabuki Actor]

I only remembered this because it was around the time I was looking at the game, and the cameo was so brief it didn't really mean much. The sprite work for her was pretty nice at the least. When I was watching videos of the game I kept asking "why is Vella not the protagonist?".

Developers intentionally picked the worst party member as the protagonist, all the other characters were made to be interesting and likeable individuals. It has the same mocking relationship to "bland" relatable vidya protagonists that soyfaces had with the original wojak, as a mocking caricature of the viewer.

 

[Rootbeer]

As someone who hates modern video essays, I actually also recommend watching Running Shine's review on the game.
Informative while actually being funny and non-pc, it felt like old Youtube really.

I don't know how much content we can squeeze out of this thread as so much has already been said about the game, but YiiK really is a fascinating game in the same
way The Room is a fascinating movie albeit a lot more painful to sit through; it's a constant question of, "What the hell were they thinking?"

It seems that Allanson is trying to become the next George Lucas with the retries and edits to the game, when really he needs to smother his baby and move on to another
project (and honestly a different career, his name is mud at this point). YiiK will never be good, there's far too much wrong with it and "fixing" it all will basically result in an entirely different game.

 

[Filthy Greenskin]

I can't believe the OP didn't include the greatest part of 'lolxD randum' humor that earned it's place in the public concious for all of five minutes

YIIK: Golden Alpaca Fight (The Struggle Continues)

Done for a screenshot LP of this godawful pile of shit. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/timrod

www.youtube.com

Anyone ever played VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action? It's a pretty good game that plays similarly to Papers Please and No Umbrellas Allowed. It came out way back in 2016 and had references to YIIK in anticipation of its release. The only reason I could see them doing that is because they had the same publisher and were convinced/forced to do it or the developers were friends or something. It's one thing for one game to shill another shitty game but to shill a shitty game that hadn't released yet? Never seen that before.

The devs were friends at the time (no idea if they still are) which is why there's references to the others' game in both YIIK and VA-11 Hall-A though I wonder how much seething was involved after VA-11 Hall-A got all the praise (and rightly so) while YIIK was panned as the overstuffed philosophy-wank that it is.

 

[Kromer Merchant]

The devs were friends at the time (no idea if they still are) which is why there's references to the others' game in both YIIK and VA-11 Hall-A though I wonder how much seething was involved after VA-11 Hall-A got all the praise (and rightly so) while YIIK was panned as the overstuffed philosophy-wank that it is.

I thought there was references to YIIK in Vallhalla because the publisher forced them to?

 

[JamusActimus]

In another universe Yiik is actualy a good game.

 

[Chad Holdenford]

I liked OFF. That's about it though. Honestly I think the reason Earthbound makes game devs so crazy is that the game is more than a little over their heads, which is saying a lot since Earthbound isn't really that difficult to wrap your head around if you just pay attention.

You don't understand!

It is an RPG set in the modern world! With funky backgrounds and odd stylistic choices! You get to fight crows, gas pumps, UFOs, and Dali paintings, while knock-offs of Tequila and Johnny B. Goode play in the background! You heal yourself with mundane foods like burgers and soups! The final boss is the literal personification of evil and you defeat it not by bashing it, but by praying! The game itself recognizes your name! YOU, THE PLAYER, ARE THE ONE WHO DEALS THE COUP-DE-GRACE ON THE FINAL BOSS WITH THE POWER OF LOVE AND FAITH!

Also, references to The Beatles and Natsume Soseki's body of work. I'm sofa king smart for catching them.

Sorry for the rant, but you bet that's pretty much what most devs caught of Earthbound. You can also bet at least 90% of them never played Earthbound back in 1996 or so, and only found out about it when emulation started getting track somewhere in the early '00s.

 

[GayestTrap]

I'm surprised no one has jumped on the obvious joke that yiik and ackk are the noises you make when you're sick. Kind of a weird thing to name your game/company after.

The joke has probably been made before though I do agree with you.

I know why they didn’t just name the game Y2K (not As ”prestigious” as using roman numerals) but still could have easily avoided jokes like that.

 

[Least Concern]

I can't believe the OP didn't include the greatest part of 'lolxD randum' humor that earned it's place in the public concious for all of five minutes

YIIK: Golden Alpaca Fight (The Struggle Continues)

Done for a screenshot LP of this godawful pile of shit. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/timrod

www.youtube.com

Please tell me this music was procedurally generated and no human recorded this and was like, "Sure, this sounds good. Let's go with it."

Or is that shit supposed to be part of the irony/quirkiness?

 

[SimoH]

Please tell me this music was procedurally generated and no human recorded this and was like, "Sure, this sounds good. Let's go with it."

Or is that shit supposed to be part of the irony/quirkiness?

I think the music is by far the less offensive part. The gameplay is what it's absolutely abhorrent, I can't believe that each turn takes like 3 minutes because every single game is extremely long.

 

[Rotollo 2]

@Alex Yiik explain yourself

 

[Alex Yiik]

All I wanted to do was kiss Rory. I didn't mean for any of this.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

I don't think earthbound makes game devs crazy. Any grown man that is holding onto their childhood this hard was likely going to have issues anyway.
Its one thing to have nostalgia for childhood things, but most people have moved on enough by adulthood that it wouldn't be a major facet of their personality.

Earthbound fans have insane arrested development and has sucked any appreciation I have of the series.

Cute game but man there are other games.

 

[Vamp Soulja]

I played this from start to finish and there aren't many other games that I've enjoyed less. Andrew Allanson was definitely cow material when the game came out and he was melting down about the bad reviews but afaik he's kept his head down since then and has been releasing updates to try and make the game less shit (iirc there's now a mode that completely disables the protagonist's dialogue).