It requires a laser-focus to avoid crashing, but when you go off the rails, you almost immediately get to try it again. As you chase your target, you also have to execute hairpin turns and jumps.

You maneuver to collect hearts and avoid barriers that come at you at 200 miles per hour. You ride a motorcycle at high speeds, hop on the back of a deer, or ride a skateboard through the air.

The gameplay in Sayonara Wild Hearts seems impossible, but it’s whimsical and forgiving at the same time. The fusion of music and gameplay reminds me of music games like Rez from 2001 or that wacky and artistic “ Take On Me” music video by A-Ha in 1985.Ĭheck out our Reviews Vault for past game reviews. So begins an imaginative title from Swedish indie developer Simogo and publisher Annapurna, which has a knack for finding some of the most creative indie games being made. As you take control of The Fool, you speed along on a motorcycle with in a tunnel-like view of the horizon. She sets out to restore the harmony of the universe hidden away in the hearts of her enemies. A tarot card pops up and dubs her The Fool, transporting her into an alternate universe which she has to save. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, you play as a young woman who suffers a heartbreak. But I don’t mind because this dream-like game has a wide range of original pop songs, and some of them are pretty good. I’ve played all 23 levels, and I scored bronze or silver in them. It’s a high-adrenaline game where you tap, jump, maneuver to collect little hearts in a beautiful neon-and-black landscape.

Our wild hearts soundtrack