as of today the giant 1.5 (IV) update came out, and it is a massive improvement to just about everything that was wrong with the game initially. the main giant improvement is the battle system: battles are now closer to a traditional turn-based system and very fast paced. load times have been cut down completely. the game has still retained its personality while adding huge amounts of new content and mechanics.

if you either didn't like the game in its original state or were on the fence about it, now is a perfect time to go back in and play it with an open mind. there is enough new content that it is basically an entirely new experience, even if you have seen or played it all before. i believe that the allansons have finally reached their final vision for the game, and i am incredibly glad that they stuck with it this long instead of giving up after the initial negative response.

I heard many things about this game back when it released, and none of it was good. But i can clearly see now that i'm playing it after I.V launched, that these things are changed or gone. What we are left with is something very unique and original. I can definitely see myself enjoying this from start to finish, and i want to give applause to the developers for their perseverance.

Disclosure: I was a volunteer tester for the I.V update and received the game for free on Steam for this purpose. I had not played YIIK at all prior to being invited to help test.


YIIK I.V is by a pretty long shot my favourite turn-based RPG to be released this year. I'm genuinely of the mind that in it's current state it's deserving of some kind of keighleyesque GOTY-trophy for it's design and it's dense and challenging mystery narrative.

I.V's revamped gameplay is truly a marvel. It takes elements from many a beloved RPG and puts a new spin on them; the karta system in particular bleeds the blood of many an experimental final fantasy game while keeping itself unique and fresh and very much itself. Gone are the sluggish mini-games and slow-loading scenes bogging down the heat of battle and in it's 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 it's core. It's fast, fun. I greatly enjoyed my time with it, and that enjoyment only grew as it became more complex over the course of the game with new cards to slot into my builds, and new enemies to consider them for. I really hope everyone who plays this update enjoys the combat as much as I have, because as a huge freak for RPG combat I think it's really something special now.

As for the story, if anything I said about the combat has enticed you I highly recommend discarding any preconceived notions you may have about the game's story if you haven't played it before and going in with an open mind: play the game with the intent of doing so on it's terms and thinking on it's themes for yourself, maybe even doing so in a game-book-club-like setting with some friends, because this game's story is absolutely like that of a dense and cryptic novel. There's a lot this game gives you to think about and I think that's very commendable in a day and age when so many of the contemporary works we engage with can be so unchallenging to experience from a literary standpoint.
"Media literacy" may not save the world (or maybe it would) but it will probably help in breaking down what exactly it is that YIIK is trying to convey to us.
YIIK's story is certainly one that aims to challenge, and if you think you're up to the task you'll probably really like this game when the many "aha!" moments the story can provide really start piling up.
Even with all this being said, the story may still not be your cup of tea and that could be for any number of reasons. There are elements of YIIK's storytelling and presentation that to some may come off in a certain way that others aren't accustomed to from playing other games. I'm of the mind that this doesn't make anyone necessarily wrong or right on their outlook of the quality of *anything* really, it's simply an indication of preference and if YIIK is not to your preference that should be seen as perfectly acceptable. But, not everything should be made for everyone - otherwise everything would just be the same boring slop in the truest sense of the word. We would live in a world devoid of genre in an attempt to placate everyone.

The glue that sort of melds together the story and gameplay though is by far the music. I.V is filled to the brim with new music tracks, many of which at this point are dearly beloved to me. One big reason that I've been counting down the days until I.V's release was that I have been so, so excited about being able to talk about and show some of my favorite tracks to my friends. The many different permutations of Alex's theme alone are so much fun and I'm looking forward to seeing peoples thoughts and reactions to all of I.V's musical offerings.

In full, I really love I.V. it's a new favourite for sure. If you love RPGs or mystery visual/novels I definitely recommend giving YIIK a shot.