Yesterday Review (Windows PC)

The cartoon graphics, mystery solving gameplay, and strange attempts at humor gave Yesterday a Scooby Doo kind of feel. That is, until people started dying horribly. It was hard to tell if the developers were trying to be cute and funny or if they were really aiming for a serious and mature story. It was very confusing, as it would alternate back and forth between strange, funny dialogue, and then someone getting shot half a dozen times, or getting an axe to the face, or being tortured.

If you are more into stories that are easy to follow you may want to steer clear of Yesterday. There is main character swapping, random and confusing flashbacks, and quite a lot of plot holes. Since the “primary” character suffers from amnesia, it’s hard to tell what his motives are. The plot becomes increasingly difficult to follow when most of the major characters exhibit dramatic behavior swings, causing much confusion over the direction of each of the characters.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Yesterday is your classic point and click interaction. There are “hotspots” on the screen for where you may search or interact with the environment. Some items you find are needed to combine with other items to progress; for example, making a torch out of scavenged items. There are a few puzzle-type scenarios but they are not too difficult to figure out.

While most of Yesterday is very easy, if you do happen to get stuck there is a “search for hotspots” button which will flash all the available hot spots on the screen. This function is a little frustrating because unless you are paying really good attention it may take several tries to see them all since it’s ever so brief. There is also a hint button that gives you a clue for what to do next. The hint is sometimes very vague and not all that helpful; nothing a little brain power or trial and error won’t solve though.