Sayonara Wild Hearts

In its one-hour runtime, Sayonara Wild Hearts transcends video games and becomes not just a playable pop album, but a hypnotic self-help soundtrack. It's an endorphin factory.

It’s hard for me to say too much about Sayonara Wild Hearts, because the experience I had going in was one of pure discovery, and I want that same eager foray into this neon world for everyone. If you’re even mildly curious, I recommend simply getting it now. Your curiosity will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience, like the first time you listened to one of your favorite albums all the wa...

Sayonara Wild Hearts is easily Apple Arcade’s first “killer app” and a must play if you’re a subscriber, interested in music games, or just want to try something new. The synergy between the visuals, gameplay, and music raises the bar for the genre.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is the video game equivalent of Prince: it’s extremely short and its journey maybe ends a little sooner than you’d hoped, but it packs so many varied and beautiful ideas into its brief life and masters so many different styles that even though there’s a real disappointment it’s over so quickly, what it did give you will remain with you for an extremely long time. A true creati...

Everything works in concert in Sayonara Wild Hearts. It’s sublime.

For everyone else though, Sayonara Wild Hearts is best enjoyed without pressure. Put on some headphones, get yourself comfortable and let the game’s audio and visuals wash over you. By all means, try to get a good score while you’re at it, but the true beauty of Sayonara Wild Hearts is simply enjoying the exceptional music and getting lost in the visuals. Mistaking this for a simple rhythm game is...

That's the heart of it, really. I think Sayonara Wild Hearts reminded me of all the cool things I've liked over the years, because it's not saying anything deeper than "Cool things are fucking great, and being cool is great too." Which is fine. It's all said in this incredibly alluring wash of pink and blue and purple, this brief flowerbloom of a game, this stylish, inescapably cool thing that ref...

Let it be known that one needs to really play Sayonora Wild Hearts in order to truly experience it. Everything here describing the game honestly can't do it justice. The graphics are a pure blast of neon joy and the soundtrack is absolutely stellar, but when combined with simple yet addictive gameplay that takes so many wonderful twists and turns, it creates this sort of trippy experience that you...

When Sayonara Wild Hearts was first announced last year atthe Game Awards, I was immediately drawn in by the anime-esque art style, dreamy visuals, and all of the neon colors.

Wild hearts can't be broken.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a shining example of using a game’s design to say something meaningful while also making it look cool as hell. The game controls simply with the analog stick and a single button. What makes it stand out is its music, its look, and its mood.

Sayonara Wild Hearts plays more like an extended interactive music video than it does a traditional video game, but it’s still a wonderful time. It offers little in terms of challenge (if you aren’t hunting high scores) or substantial player input, but the stirring soundtrack and impressive art and animation all lead to a moving experience that culminates in a joyful finale.