Yerba Buena, title recalling the ancient name of San Francisco, is a puzzler/platform 3D developed by Mad About Pandas and published by Focus Entertainment.
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The elephant "The Portal" in the room
Let's cut the bull's head now, Yerba Buena clearly recalls the gameplay of the famous Portal. The substantial difference is that instead of creating gaps between two surfaces, your arm machine allows you to copy a movement from an object of the environment and replicate it on a โcorruptโ element from a strange dimensional malfunction.
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This system opens tocreative solutions and often surprising: you can, for example, make fly away a wall applying the movement of a passing car, transforming a simple obstacle into a dynamic puzzle and consistent with the logic of the game world.
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To help you identify which objects can be copied and on which to apply the movement there is the function scan scan, can be activated with the button Q. This mode highlights in yellow the elements in movement and in blue those who changeable, can find them quickly.
The action, becomes automatic so much is indispensable, and brings with it the side effect of Clearly obscure the environment. In less illuminated areas it can make you almost blind.
Copyable movements include shifts on three axes, rotations and some โbonusโ properties, such as elastic carpets.
If in words it may seem like a limited possibility set, just a few minutes of play to understand how much the variety is actually huge. The right level design behind it can turn every level into a puzzle capable of making the meninges squeeze.
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The Level design
Yerba Buena He left me conflicting emotions during its gameplay, alternating a level design at times very rigid, in which your imagination cannot really deviate from the path conceived by developers, to other times when the freedom of action, or rather the trick you can apply to mechanics, returns a Huge satisfaction.
Toward the end of the game we find, in two consecutive levels, the more extreme examples of this swing. On the one hand a completely exploratable level, which allows you to freely exploit all the skills acquired, no help, no suggestions, only your ability to combine the powers available. On the other, one level Quick Time Event, in which you simply need to locate the copied yellow and blue object to move, and perform the action without thinking too much, pointing everything on the speed.
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Faced with adventure you will have the opportunity to experience this first personcontinuous alternation of freedom and embryo, in a climb that characterizes much of the experience. A curious aspect is that among the most successful levels the ones that call closer Portal. Discussable if this depends on having a great model to inspire or the fact that, for the type of gameplay proposed, that structure is simply the most functional.
To give almost impossible challenges there will be โdev logsโ, small multicolored spheres scattered in levels and absolutely difficult to get. Here, some are hidden in the most unthinkable points of the map and require creative use of the elements available.
They are a real joy for those who love tough challenges and are not afraid to devote time and effort to achieve the goal.
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History
The story of Yerba Buena is one of those already seen several times in the video world, a small protagonist, hero by chance, who finds himself facing a large body control and power. The narrative rhythm is flat and the almost non-existent twists.
In fact, it is not the plot that pushes Yerba Buena to play, but rather its gameplay, designed to offer freedom of ingenuity to the player. However, although easily switches to the second floor, narrative component remains an intrinsic element of the videoludic experience and, for this reason, it cannot be completely neglected.
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Graphics and Sonore
The design of Yerba Buena and his artistic direction marry well with gameplay and ambientation. The choice to place adventure in San Francisco from the 1970s gives a touch of personality, offering curious views and an aesthetic that, although simple, is consistent with the tone of the game.
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From the technical point of view, however, the graphics show clear limits. Style is essential, but despite that the game requires unusually high resources for what it shows on screen. Theoptimization appears lacking: the frame rate struggles to maintain stable and open environments are particularly subject to heavy performance, which can compromise the fluidity of experience.
The sound sector carries out its work without particular leashes: it accompanies the action discreetly, without ever stealing the scene, but without even leaving a lasting memory once the adventure has ended.
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The Good Herb
Yerba Buena is a puzzle/platform 3D starting from a brilliant base mechanics, simple but capable of generating a surprising number of possibilities. However, its main limit lies in a level design swing, with slightly inspired levels flanked by others in which experimenting with mechanics becomes a real pleasure. The history plays the role of simple glue between one level and another, without ever lighting something more. A missed opportunity is theabsence of a mode creating and sharing levels: with such a system, the creativity of players could really unleashed, giving the title a longevity and a hugely superior variety.
Despite his flaws, Yerba Buena remains an interesting experience for those seeking original puzzles and gameplay that rewards ingenuity more than precision.
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