#simogo

The first is the stage you encounter The Hermit arcana, The Desert of Doubt. In Hermit's voiced song, The World We Knew, the first line is, "I'm too young to remember when the world was alive." Referring to the lifeless desert, where the hermit sits alone, a reflection of the lense they view the world through.

However, in the stage right before that, Night Drift, you see more and more power lines, communication towers, satellite dishes show up along the sides of the road as you near Hermit.

Even though Hermit is isolated, they do have an ear to the outside world. Maybe attempts to reach out or stay connected? Or hold on in a way that's safe?

Getting into the actual encounter, the first thing Hermit does is use The World arcana to turn The Fool into a game cartridge and inserts it into their vr headset.

Hermit64, in their reclusive way, is sharing their world. And what does The Fool find? Despite Hermit's cool and calm presentation, internally, there are all kinds of hostile defenses and obstacles.

A departure from the other solely external arcana fights.

Going back to the line, "I'm too young to remember when the world was alive". Focusing this time on the young part, having felt this way for a very long time. Not remembering life before this desert. Then, "They say begin again, but I'll take any fragments I can find. They say begin again, but I'll treasure any fragments left behind." Of course, in this desert depression, Hermit holds dear to what little they have and can't let go. There's been nothing else. A hint to the nature of this heartbreak.

Also, "Begin Again" a nod and response, maybe a consequence, to the first heartbreak's (Fighting Devils) more upbeat/positive song about the letting go and moving on.

Navigating through the internal world, the defenses, the numerous obstacles, The Fool eventually reaches Hermit64's heart. Which is as big as it is guarded.

Also, something to notice is that there are two times the Fool retaliates in this fight. The first time, is when they were completely surrounded and there was no other option (no screenshot, sorry). And the second at the final encounter.

Publisher Annapurna Interactive and developer Simogo have released Sayonara Wild Hearts – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition via Nintendo eShop for $12.99, the companies announced. It is a free upgrade from the Switch version.

Sayonara Wild Hearts first launched for PlayStation 4, Switch, and Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019, followed by PC via Steam on December 12, 2019, Xbox One on February 25, 2020, and PlayStation 5 on February 24, 2025.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition offers the following visual modes and features:

Handheld Mode

1080p resolution and 120 frames per second

TV Mode

1440p resolution and 120 frames per second

4K resolution and 60 frames per second

Remix Arcade

This mode turns up the heat, featuring progressively faster and challenging gameplay, where players must aim for high scores in random song bites with zero loading

Here is an overview of the game, via Annapurna Interactive:

About

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a euphoric music video dream about being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph. As the heart of a young woman breaks, the balance of the universe is disturbed. A diamond butterfly appears in her dreams and leads her through a highway in the sky, where she finds her other self: the masked biker called The Fool. Traveling through futuristic cities, dark forests, and electric deserts, The Fool sets out to find the harmony of the universe, hidden away in the hearts of her star crossed allies: Little Death, Dancing Devils, Howling Moons, Stereo Lovers, and Hermit 64.

Key Features

Custom-written vocal pop soundtrack.

A pop culture mash of electric pop, dance, fashion, anime, arcade games and subcultures.

An inclusive cast of stylish characters based on tarot cards.

Sensory overloading arcade game action.

Constant surprise and delight as every stage introduces new elements.

Challenging and intense, yet pure and inviting gameplay.

Buttery smooth gameplay: 1080p / 60 frames per second docked, 720p / 60 frames per second handheld on Nintendo Switch.

Straight to the action: virtually no loading times.

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Switch 2 Announce Trailer

Since this game seems to have slipped under the radar for the most part, I wanted to give it a shout out and recommend it to all lovers of puzzle games.

The basic premise is that you play as a woman invited to a secluded and almost completely uninhabited hotel somewhere in central europe. You're given almost no information to start out and it's up to you to piece together what is happening (and what already happened).

In the house there are puzzles. So many puzzles. Several people have compared the puzzle aspect to Professor Layton (which I have not played). They range from logic puzzles, to patterns, to spotting hidden elements in images, manipulating and mirroring, memory games, etc, etc.

It's not an action game; there are no enemies or combat. I also wouldn't call it horror so much as mystery, though it is a little creepy at times.

The visual aesthetic of it is quite striking, being in black and white with only splashes of red/violet in certain places. Also the soundtrack was fantastic.

It draws a lot of inspiration from things like surrealist cinema, horror games (think original resident evil without combat), and more. Several reviews have said it has Twin Peak vibes. And it has things to say about art and capitalism.

While there are some minor annoyances with the controls (no dedicated back button in menus is the big one), overall it played really well and I never got bored. It's also really fun to play with a second person (no online co-op or anything, just through streaming on discord or something) and work together on the puzzles.

So if you like puzzle games in creepy houses with slowly unfurling mysteries, it's definitely worth grabbing.

Pew-pew eye-lasers not included.

Everyone and their entire families should play Ilomilo right now I'm not even kidding it's so good and fun and creative the emotional and I HATE that everyone sleeps on it.

Progress images (and some design points) below the cut:

LORELEI AND THE LASER EYES | Release Date Trailer