The diversity at hand in the gameplay is hard to get a handle on. If the player messes up, they are instantly thrust back into the action with no loading screen necessary. Thankfully, the hard difficulty isn’t a significant factor in the game’s enjoyability. As a rhythm game savant, I found myself even getting bronze ranks in a few levels.

Not only is it easy enough to run through that it’s not outside the realm of casual gamers, but it is tough-as-nails to get gold ranks in several of its 20+ levels. The game isn’t just a looker, it has the perfect difficulty. The mechanics are a breeze, and anyone can pick up and play this game with no acclimation period. Thankfully, the game is just as much fun to play as it is to look at. The environments and art style are so immaculately gorgeous that it’s impossible to absorb in one go. With a neon aesthetic, the colors are divine, but the game goes above and beyond that. Sayonara Wild Hearts is the most visually-pleasing game I have ever played. This turned out to be the right decision. I began with the first level earlier in the week, and was so blown away that I decided to wait until this past weekend to give it my full attention.

I was reeled in by a brief trailer that I assumed was entirely made of cutscenes, but, alas, that’s the actual gameplay. It is extremely rare for a game to bring me to tears, but as I begin this review, there are a few in my eyes after wrapping up Sayonara Wild Hearts.

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