One of my goals in life is to get through my Steam game backlog. This is increasingly unlikely to happen as I continue buying games and not playing them.
However, The Yawhg by Emily Carroll and Damian Sommer is the exception to this rule. Not only did I play it the very minute it downloaded, but I’ve also played it 10 times since. Why? It’s just that good.
Gameplay
The Yawhg is a one-to-four player choose-your-own-adventure game that randomizes a unique story every time you play. The evil Yawhg is returning, but until it hits, you must lead the characters through their ordinary day-to-day activities.
If day-to-day activities sound boring, trust me when I say they aren’t. The writing (and accompanying art) is charming, humorous, and best shared with other people – something that the gameplay demo highlights well.
My friends and I spent an hour last night trying to out-do each other’s dramatic readings of game text. I totally won with my rat voice impressions – differentiating between three rat voices is completely Oscar worthy!
Story
The character artwork is phenomenal, showing subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) differences in the way each character approaches a task. While you as the player truly define who and what the character of your choice is, the distinctive artwork goes a long way towards getting those creative juices flowing.
Since the events in the game are randomized, there is no possible way to get the exact same character through separate plays. One day you might go to the woods and meet a nymph, while a separate day you might go to the woods and spend the week being tortured by a demon.
In addition, some actions affect the entire city which in turn impacts other character’s turns. Accidentally release a plague on the city? The next player might have to fight off zombies. Fail at banishing a band of leeches? Other people might have to step in to clean up your mess.
With the game’s randomization, you never know when these events could be triggered and the possible outcomes change based on current character reactions. There are 50 potential endings for each characters, and I personally have only begun to scratch the surface of these.
While the gameplay itself is fresh and charming, the creators make sure to add a hint of impending doom via the music and interludes. The music by Ryan Roth and Helena Heron moves from folksy to solemn as the game progresses through the weeks, subtly changing the mood of the game without beating the message into the player. The interludes between weeks take care of that.
While the day-to-day activities of the characters are varied and fascinating, once the Yawhg comes, it’s time to truly see how much of an impact these people can have on their city. The rebuilding efforts rest on your shoulders, and it’s up to you to flourish, survive, or fail based on your decisions. Pro-tip: choosing to be the town drunkard is not useful for rebuilding efforts and may or may not doom your city (it will).
