Yerba Buena

Full of surprises and not afraid to throw you into the deep end, Yerba Buena is a delectably tricky linear puzzle narrative adventure masquerading as a colourful physics sandbox. Transferring properties wildly around a gamified 1970s San Francisco is tonnes of fun, with stylised environments adding life and colour to your puzzle playground. While the storytelling won’t be for everyone and there’s some imprecision in some of its mechanics, this game is a great little romp bursting with heart.

Yerba Buena is a flawed but fun puzzle platformer. The gun is fun to use, and while the puzzles in the latter half can get maddeningly difficult in levels that can start to feel like they run for too long, those puzzles can also feel satisfying to solve. The story can be a little bonkers at times, but it is compelling despite some issues that can mar the experience. With a solid presentation, Yerba Buena ends up being a fun experience for those craving a puzzle platformer that feels both different and familiar.

All in all, Yerba Buena is a rather unusual first-person puzzle game that will provide genre fans with plenty of “Yes, I did it!” moments over the course of ten to twelve hours, depending on their playstyle; however, it’s likely to give newcomers quite a headache due to a lack of sufficient accessibility options.

Yerba Buena is an intriguing experience that gets better after its opening. The story and gameplay get significantly better after the opening act, expanding in gameplay depth and with plot points that keep me interested. I couldn't really connect with our playable character, and that did make it hard to enjoy her perspective in the story. Some of the puzzles can be a bit too difficult, but apart from that, it's a great puzzle game that will keep you hooked.

Barb finds herself right inside a video game and has a fantastic device that allows her to change things around her and solve puzzles. But even that sometimes doesn't help her succeed.

While the oscillator concept is innovative, the story is the game’s true standout. I was completely absorbed in the narrative and eager to discover what new twists would unfold after each completed level, but unfortunately the road to those moments often felt more like a chore than something I genuinely looked forward to. Some puzzles were enjoyable enough, yet the levels eventually started to feel repetitive, and more often than not I was simply relieved to be done with them; the name “Yerba Buena” is slightly misleading, as this herb is mediocre at best.