Good:
+ Aesthetically Pleasing
+ Animals are cute
+ Multiple guilds to join/various types of items to craft
+ Big map with lots of regions to explore

Bad:
- Even with Fast Travel Statues, expect a lot of running
- No tool upgrades/farm upgrades/house upgrades

Rating:
4/5 Dial soap bars

Yonder shows that a game can be cute and cozy and still have depth and challenge. It is a game that encourages you to slow down, enjoy the scenery, explore just for the sake of exploring, and immerse yourself in this adorable and vibrant world. And whether you follow the story or chart your own meandering path, there is lots to discover and do each time you play.

The graphics are like a cozy blanket for the eyes. Yonder is cute, vibrant, charming, and full of personality. Environments are stylized and easy to identify, finding a good balance that is neither too plain nor too cluttered, but rather inviting and easy to explore. The characters you meet along the way have unique identities and charm. While dialogue is not endlessly deep, it is quite enough to make each little village and its inhabitants have memorable identities. And, the animals... oh my goodness, the animals! Can I adopt them all? Can we make this game skyrocket in popularity so there can be plushies and T-shirts of the animals?

I will admit that gathering and crafting can get to be a bit busy and cluttered. But, the good news is that you never run out of inventory space. So, the best advice I can give is to always pick up something if you see it! There is a use for everything - everything! - and when you start unlocking the crafting guild memberships you will need a lot of materials to work with. Hording is a virtue in Yonder.

Yonder is very forgiving in how it allows you to discover and try new things. There is no combat (only cleaning up the Murk), a magical umbrella saves you from falling, and never once did I feel like I had did something that was an mistake that could not be fixed. At most, you will find yourself just spending some time backtracking here and there to get missing items, or perhaps having to tear down and rebuild parts of your farm. None of that feels like a problem, just more like a learning process.

There is a story to follow. But, at the same time, Yonder is wonderful at letting you figure out your own path. There is no need to rush. In fact, the more relaxed and easygoing your pace, the more I feel you will enjoy Yonder. It is really fun to just meander about if for no other reason than to see what is around the next corner or over the next hill. And for those who are in a hurry, there are actually fast travel points to unlike, but each has its own secrets and challenges for unlocking, and I don't want to spoil that! (I have read some people complaining about a lack of fast travel; however, it is in there, but it has to be discovered.)

Now, any game has its rough edges, and Yonder is no different. I would love to see a bit better inventory and crafting UI at some point. As I said before, it can get a bit cluttered. Likewise, the map is charming, but I just feel like now and then it is missing something, or is maybe a little awkward to use. I would love to be able to build more freely, but I realize that is not part of the game's design. I can only hope to expand my farm plots for more building area. Speaking of farms, it would be nice to actually be able to enter my farmhouse and decorate it. Yonder is a game with buildings, but I find myself forever stuck outside as doors are decorative and not functional. None of these things break the game or make Yonder bad. This is more of just a wish list for what i humbly think would take Yonder even higher. Anyway...

Yonder is truly a delight, and it is a game where I felt I have already got more than my money's worth. I cannot help by smile and feel genuine delight each time I play. And, I know there still remains so much yet for me to discover! If cozy games are your vibe, I hope you will give Yonder a try.