I feel as though these design choices kept the immersion persistent throughout my time with the game. The aesthetic even flourishes within the minute details of the snappy menu and presentation of level selection, which made everything cohesive.

Sayonara Wild Hearts emits an aura of style that lets me feel way cooler than I actually am or could ever hope to be. With hints of Sailor Moon, each string of heartbreaks felt like an arc of an anime with how each section you encountered new game elements, enemies, and their own sense of identity. Narrative aside, the best features of Sayonara Wild Hearts can be attributed to its art direction and sound design. An eye catching color palette and synth-pop melodies felt like cotton candy was being shoved in my eyes and ears and my hunger pangs wouldn’t relent.

Drawing these connections for me, when the final stage crescendos, I felt a swelling up in my eyes as well as my heart. Though, Sayonara Wild Hearts doesn’t explicitly say all of that, but I found room for self reflection in a game that honestly can be enjoyed whether you derive any emotional connection or gain from the narrative at all. An allegory for relationships or one of self discovery through overcoming despair or hopelessness. After completing the game I realized that the narrative can be interpreted in a few different ways. Throughout the twenty-three tracks of the game, or playable pop album, both the narrator and the lyrics to the songs help escort you on the journey of the protagonist’s alternate ego, The Fool, on a road towards new beginnings. Sayonara Wild Hearts opens up with the narrator quickly explaining how the protagonist is suffering from a broken heart, and before you know it you’re transported to an alternate universe. With an art direction that compliments its undeniably catchy original pop tunes and accessible arcade gameplay, Sayonara Wild Hearts is an arcana filled, heartbreaking journey that resonated with me on depths I didn’t expect. I was caught in a wave I couldn’t escape, Sayonara Wild Hearts stole my beating heart in March and I’ve been longing for its groove to hit me again ever since. When I passed by the bright flashy neon screen, the pop jams swirled through the crowded PAX East floor and into my body. One of my favorite moments earlier this year was at the Simogo corner of the Annapurna Interactive booth.

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