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.