`Postmodern` is both an intriguing and an intimidating word. YIIK, pronounced `Y2K,` comes with the subtitle, `A Postmodern RPG,` but what does that mean? Is it a game centred around the tennis matches of Infinite Jest? Or around Andy Warhol`s Campbell`s Soup Cans? Regardless of the intention behind labeling the game as such, the postmodern tag initially seems a little peculiar at first.However, when you boot up YIIK you`re met with a stylish title screen that looks like it was ripped straight out of a retro arcade. The stunning visuals are accompanied by an electro-jazz bass-driven track that immediately asserts the game`s homage to `90s culture. After a short exchange with a crow named Marlene, you`re given control of Alex McHugh, college graduate and spoiled brat. You`re also unemployed, so you just wander around your town aimlessly until you meet a cat with a Salvador Dali moustache. Shortly afterwards, an ethereal girl goes missing, triggering a chain of events that threaten the very fabric of reality itself.YIIK plays as a turn-based RPG, but while the early-game battles are a lot of fun, combat becomes tedious before you even get halfway through the main story. Instead of a strength/weakness mechanic that`s usually innate to most turn-based systems, YIIK uses a series of minigames in order to determine how much damage you deal and receive. Alex`s basic attack sees him spin his favourite LP on a portable record player, which is lighthearted and amusing at first. However, as more characters and abilities get introduced to the game, the amount of minigames becomes increasingly daunting.As the game progresses, basic attacks begin to do barely any damage, but special abilities feature minigames that span myriad genres and have no tutorials. These special abilities are necessary to take down mid-game enemies, but because there are no instructions on how to use them, the game´s learning curve is both unfair and unsatisfying. Make a mistake and you`ll deal no dam ...
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