Pendulo Studios, the developers behind the Runaway series, are looking to Yesterday as a way to
do something different and less comedic in the adventure gaming space. Yesterday’s darker tones become apparent very quickly right from the intriguing start and stay constant to the end game. Investigating satanic cults and tracking down a serial killer don’t add much levity, but that’s exactly the departure the Spanish developer intentionally takes with Yesterday. Yesterday cycles the gameplay through each of the three primary characters as you progress, but most of the focus falls on amnesiac cult expert John Yesterday. Through him you’ll have playable currentday and flashback sessions. Yesterday takes some liberties with game design. For example, rather than slowly traipse across a room, you are instantly teleported there. Goodbye wasted animation. In-game pacing sometimes feels uneven, and design does suffer from hot spot searches. Fortunately, the in-game hint system mitigates getting stuck, and by the time the story wraps up, the narrative becomes clearer. Yesterday also features multiple endings, which is a nice touch. Overall, a solid win for adventure fans.
