Review: Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles (Nintendo Switch)

Yonder is set in the world of Gemea. A natural island paradise with eight distinct environments ranging from tropical beaches to snow-capped summits.

Pros:

  • Cutesy graphics.
  • 1.3GB Download size.
  • Options- Invert axis, invert accept/cancel buttons.
  • Touchscreen support.
  • Basic character creator. Male/female and then sliders and color choices.
  • Open world adventure game.
  • Photo mode.
  • Crafting from the menu after you learn the recipes.
  • Save when you want.
  • Day/night cycle.
  • Ongoing tutorial.
  • Map- Can mark the map yourself with the various icons.
  • Tool selection shortcut bar like in Minecraft using the L and R button.
  • Trade system used in shops.
  • Harvest- Can cut down trees, break rocks, cut grass etc for resources.
  • Very easy to use controls with some on-screen button prompts.
  • Points of interest fill in automatically on the map as you discover them.
  • Play how you want and do things in your own order.
  • Sprites- Hidden in blue objects, These are used to clear out the Murk that is obscuring areas.
  • Charming, Almost chilled experience.
  • Fast movement.
  • Excellent lighting model.
  • Fishing- Clevel control method that involves rotating the right stick in the shown direction.
  • Bridges can be built to unlock shortcuts or new areas.
  • Farm- You can build and maintain a fully working farm. Acquire animals by feeding them their favorite food, generate resources from them. Use the grid create system to build and place buildings etc.
  • Farm stats will show a rating of how you are doing and a brief overview of what you are known for.
  • Feels like a cohesive collection of genres from adventure to survival to farming sim.
  • Trees stat- You are told how many are in the current area and increases or decreases as you chop/plant trees.
  • Compass- Highlights the direction of your quest.
  • Upgrade/unlock new tools as you progress through the story.
  • Well paced.
  • You have optional side quests outside of the main story missions.
  • Pleasant characters in the world to meet.
  • So much fun to play.
  • Every gaming session feels rewarding and productive.

Cons:

  • The character creator is very basic as you cannot change hairstyles or faces.
  • Crafting is not well explained.
  • You get bombarded with tutorials, menus, and cutscenes.
  • Have to press the button every time to harvest thing which is annoying when hacking a tree.
  • Day/night cycle is initially very short.
  • Easy to feel lost or overwhelmed.
  • A lot to take in.
  • Creation mode is fiddly.
  • No replayability.
  • Empty chests.

The Numbers:
  • 9/10
    Graphics - 9/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Accessability - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Length - 9/10
  • 8/10
    Fun Factor - 8/10
8.4/10

Summary

Combining a grand adventure game with the depth of running a farm not found much outside of Stardew Valley, We get Yonder. Now here is a charming game that will immediately drag you into their world and never let go. Its just a beautiful world to explore, You are free to travel around and make your own adventures and when you tire of that the slew of story and side missions will keep you gaming for hours. The real surprising fact is the game for all its wonder and excitement is very chilled. You never feel like its all getting too much and for that, it will soon enter the classic Switch archive. A game that is all about the adventure, Make your own story and when that gets boring go run a farm Worzel!

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!