I enjoy folklore outside North America, so I was stoked when Versus Evil and Breadcrumbs Interactive allowed me to play their action RPG that revolves entirely around Slavic Mythology, YAGA.
YAGA revolves around the tale of Ivan, a blacksmith that’s unlucky, and missing a hand because of it! Ivan is tasked with quests from the Tsar that will take him into the wilderness where he encounters bandits and mythological creatures as he smashes his way through them to achieve greatness, as well as looking for a wife (to quiet his Grandmother). As all this happens, Baba Yaga watches from beyond, influencing Ivan’s journey.
The controls of the game are simple and easy to learn as there are not many buttons used in the game. Ivan’s main weapon is a hammer which not only can be used to strike enemies but can be thrown like Thor’s hammer and strike foes at a distance before spinning right back to him.
You can collect gold coins and other items that you can sell or materials to use on Ivan’s anvil to forge new weapons and items as there’s a chance that Ivan’s luck will be bad and his weapons break while he uses them in combat!
Luck plays a part in the story as well as the decisions Ivan makes. Depending on what course of action you’re willing to take Ivan’s journey as he interacts with others can determine if you added some more to the bad luck bar (that’s purple) on the screen. the more bad luck you have, the more experience you can earn but you run the risk of having items break or be taken by Likho!
Likho appearing
Those of you who have read previous reviews know I’m a fan of art, and the art of YAGA is something I’ve been waiting for in a game for a while! I absolutely love it and was blown away after finding out that all the art was done by hand! It looks like something you would see out of an illustrated children’s book of fairy tales!
The sound is just as good, all the characters are voiced by actors adding to the quality of the game and story. The most interesting element of YAGA is the soundtrack; it’s done by Romanian folk-hip-hop band Subcarpați, It is a nice addition to the game adding the sounds of traditional music with a modern electronic beat.
The last part of the game that makes it great is the fact of pointing out in the beginning that players will have to make choices that can affect the outcomes of sides missions and the main story only means one thing, you can go back and play the game over multiple times to see how you can handle missions differently!
Overall, YAGA is a great game to play when you’re in the mood to escape and go into a fairy tale. You can complete the game around six hours or so but with all the potential storylines you can create with your choices you’ll be playing it over and over again. Breadcrumbs Interactive knows how to tell a story, and have a passion for it which is a big plus when it comes to indie games. YAGA gets a 5/5 from me for its art, soundtrack, voice acting, replayability, and humor!
YAGA is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Apple Arcade, and Nintendo Switch.
