Sayonara Wild Hearts Zodiac Riddles
Annapurna Interactive often publishes games that scratch that perfect pick-up-and-play itch. Last year, I had a blast playing all the way through Ben Esposito’s Donut County in one sitting. The year before that, I greatly enjoyed Giant Sparrow’s What Remains of Edith Finch. While I haven’t had a chance to check out The Outer Wilds, it’s also on my to-do list. That being said, Simogo’s Sayonara Wild Hearts is another excellent addition to Annapurna’s publishing stable. It’s rare for a rhythm game to exemplify the boundless reach of imagination, but Sayonara Wild Hearts definitely succeeds.
Sagittarius A – Get a gold in “Inside”, then a silver in “Heartbreak V”, then tell when to press the action button with perfect timing.
When the heart of a young girl breaks, it causes a ripple in reality that transforms the world in her dreams. A myriad of tarot cards are sent out and she becomes “The Fool”, donning a mask and moving through various challenges to fix the universe. Along the way, she’ll face Little Death and her allies, all of which stand in her way. It’s a subtle story, but it helps to have Queen Latifah’s voice guiding you through it. It lends itself well to the minimal narrative and makes for an enjoyable experience.
What truly sets Sayonara Wild Hearts apart from other games is the combination of stylish visuals with the musical gameplay. The game utilizes a set of pinks, purples and blues, really lending to an eye popping aesthetic. The use of cel shading mixed with gradients create an incredible look that somehow works fantastically for the fast-paced gameplay. Had we had a chance to play this earlier, it would’ve easily earned a nomination for Art Direction in our Epic Win Awards.
On top of the visuals is the main aspect of a rhythm game: the music. Sayonara Wild Hearts uses a beautifully crafted synth pop soundtrack that pleases the ears. Most stages will have short tracks that last for roughly a minute, but are still a joy to listen to. Boss stages however will use vocal tracks and last significantly longer. Easily the best part of these boss stages would be the transitions that take place during key moments in the song. As the music sets up a beat to drop, the visuals match up perfectly to further complete the transition. Some of them are just so cool that it makes you want to play the stage again and again.
Surprisingly, the gameplay holds a lot of variety between stages. Many will have the player riding a motorcycle through fast-paced stages, moving left and right to collect hearts. Things will often change depending on the scenario. For example, one stage has players driving a car, drifting and avoiding obstacles in the road. Others may give the player a bow, allowing them to shoot arrows are multiple targets at a time. It keeps things fresh, and combined with the short length of the various stages, it’s all paced very well. The fact that stages aren’t so long helps to make them highly replayable to earn better scores, or even solve Zodiac Riddles.
Sayonara Wild Hearts has 24 Zodiac Riddles, each one posing a different challenge in the game. These challenges are typically tied to achievements or unlockables, but they make for a fun distraction. Some may be easy, like pausing the game ten times. Others may be to narrowly avoid obstacles without dying in a particular stage. It’s sometimes difficult to figure them out, but once you solve them, you’ll feel a strong sense of accomplishment. This is especially true for the ones that require an immense amount of focus. In a way, they’re just artificially lengthening the game, but when the gameplay is this fun, it feels justified.
As mentioned before, Annapurna has a lot of games that can be pretty short. Sayonara Wild Hearts is no different. If you really wanted to, you could beat the game in a couple of hours. Now if you wanted to beat it and solve all the Zodiac Riddles, it would take much longer. This comes down to getting Gold rank in every stage, collecting all the square coins, and playing the unlockable mode. Overall, it just comes down to how coordinated you are with your movements. Some Zodiac Riddles involve precision timing, and that can get pretty challenging.
Don’t let the short length of the game fool you, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a genuine, heart-filled blast. The music has the potential to send you through waves of bliss and make your spirit soar. I still have the soundtrack stuck in my head, and I’m not complaining one bit. With the help of the eye-popping visuals, it combines to make for one of the most visceral experiences of the year. After playing this gem, I can’t wait to see what Simogo does next.
Final Score: 9.5 out of 10
GotGame is on OpenCritic, check out our reviews here.
This guide will help you unlocking all achievements in Sayonara Wild Hearts.
Sayonara Wild Hearts Achievement Guide
Hey, I will try to explain as easily as possible how to earn all achievements in the game.
Different Levels are underlined and different gameplay mechanics are bolded.
Let’s pop!
Aries
Side A
“There is no place for me on the podium of a starway.”
Solution: Get no rank in Clair de Lune – score less than 5,000 points.
Side B
“I was consecutively in a hurry in ten different places.”
Solution: In ten different levels pause the game and choose to Skip Cutscene.
Taurus
Side A
“I find squares in every corner of the world.”
Solution: Collect all 68 squares throughout all levels.
Side B
“I took a dozen quick breaks.”
Solution: In any level, pause the game and resume 12 times.
Gemini
Side A
“A magician made three of my wishes come true where one became two.”
Solution: In Hearts & Swords, hit obstacles repeatedly until the game asks if you want to skip that section, skip it and repeat that 3 times.
Side B
“You only live once yet I risk my life ten times.”
Solution: In Yolo Arcade, get a Risky! 10 times. Getting close to objects awards the Risky! prompt.
Cancer
Side A
“Twenty times I risk my life without failing where a diabolical trinity appear.”
Solution: In Doki Doki Rush, get a Risky! 20 times. You can do this by getting very close to the cars in the traffic.
Side B
“Reborn in a daydream my secret is in the left eye four times.”
Solution: In Reverie, fly through the left eye obstacle 4 times. You will have to play through this level 4 times.
Leo
Side A
“Three are the times goldenly I began again.”
Solution: In Begin Again, get Gold rank 3 times.
Side B
“Up is down and down is up where I slid twenty-five times.”
Solution: In Transonic Gravity, slide 25 times. You initiate a slide by drifting either left or right for a certain period of time.
Virgo
Side A
“With the smallest of efforts I knock out.”
Solution: In Begin Again, get a knock out with just a single button press.
Side B
“I heard her sing goodbye before my journey to the sky began.”
Solution: Listen to the entire opening song in Main Menu and then play and beat Hearts & Swords.
Libra
Side A
“Small blood pumps are cursed among snaps and claps.”
Solution: In Parallel Universes, complete the track while avoiding the small hearts.
Side B
“Just from here I traveled ten years back in time.”
Solution: From the main menu, enter the Zodiac Riddles menu and rotate the zodiac wheel counter-clockwise 10 times.
Scorpius
Side A
“Like a worthless chariot I drift in the night.”
Solution: In Night Drift don’t score any points. Don’t collect hearts and avoid drifting.
Side B
“In a devilish fight I am only good.”
Solution: During Fighting Hearts, get only Good! in the quick-time event prompts.
Sagittarius
Side A
Nascar rumble for android. Because this application was presented to you. You are very lucky.
“From a golden sun to a silvery star I go to a tower of bronze.”
Solution: Complete Inside with a Gold rank, then Heartbreak V with a Silver rank, then Heartbreak III with a Bronze rank.
Side B
“Inside I spin a thousand and eighty degrees.”
Solution: In Inside, after getting to the tunnel, spin around three times to get 1080 degrees.
Capricornus
Side A
“I am the perfect emperor.”
Solution: In Forest Ghost, get a Perfect! on every jump or QTE prompt.
Side B
“My secret is a majority of squares where all music play.”
Solution: In Album Arcade, collect at least half of all the squares. You unlock the trophy at the Final Results screen.
Aquarius
Side AInto the dead part 2.
“With the card of the solitary one I appear oppositely forty times.”
Solution: In Heartbreak IV, move through the warp from one edge of the screen to the other one 40 times.
Side B
“With only one attempt I stand on the podium.”
Solution: In Yolo Arcade get at least Bronze rank (250,000 points or more).
Pisces
Side A
“In the flat space I slip between two bullets quadruple times.”
Solution: In The World We Knew, fly between two bullets shot from the airships. This is only possible from the ships that are shooting bullets vertically.
Side B
“Happiness is a quintet of squares where one journey ends.”
Solution: In Wild Hearts Never Die, collect all the squares (5 in total) in a single playthrough.