Disappearing beggars rarely make headlines, and are the least of the NYPD’s concerns, but when they begin turning up, burnt alive, philanthropic Henry White and his friend Cooper, a duo working for an organization dedicated to helping the homeless, are quick to investigate. Compounding this mystery are spontaneously appearing Y-shaped scars on the palms of apparently unrelated individuals, along with cases of completely wiped memories, including that of the story’s third hero, John Yesterday.
Thus far, this is the extent of the known plot for Pendulo Studios’ Yesterday, a point-and-click adventure game that the usually comedic Spanish developer is calling a “dark thriller.”
Hands-on time with a short, pre-release build of Yesterday illustrates the clever, though apparently circumventable, puzzles and quirky-with-a-hint-of-sinister narrative that players are to expect when the game is released in March.
Yesterday carries a classic adventure feel in its play mechanics. That is to say that players will find themselves managing an inventory of items collected throughout the environment, frequently combining them or using one to modify another in order to create the right tool for the job. While the logic of puzzles seems to be sound so far (albeit sometimes in an oddball way), it looks like there will be nothing preventing players from experimenting with every inventory item on every person, object, or area in the background until something finally works. A toolbar button that highlights all interactive points on the screen will at least let players avoid a humdrum pixel hunt, though, and the game will often acknowledge the player’s failed attempts, sometimes with helpful ideas and sometimes just to poke fun.
Narrative has always been a primary focus at Pendulo, and Yesterday doesn’t aim to change that. Several NPCs and at least one playable character show clear signs of psychologically damaging histories, and even in this mostly voiceless build of the game, it’s evident that the cast promises to be colorful and entertaining. Witty dialog and stylish cartoon animation certainly can’t hurt the game’s personality, and if a cult of mannequins reacting to a homeless man’s preachings in an abandoned subway station says anything about Pendulo’s dark humor, Yesterday will definitely be worth exploring further.
Eager adventure fans have to wait less than a month to step into Henry White’s, Cooper’s, and John Yesterday’s shoes, as Focus Home Interactive brings Pendulo Studios’ Yesterday to PC via Steam and limited retail distribution on March 15.
