Yolked Early Access Review

Game: Yolked
Genre: Platformer, Action
System: Steam (Windows & macOS)
Developer|Publisher: HardBoiled Studios | Hitcents
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $11.99 | UK £9.29 | EU € 9,99
Release Date: October 28th, 2021

Review code provided with many thanks to Team Critical Hit

Start of a Good Breakfast 

Yolked is a game that falls into the category of weird physics-based action. A design similar to games like Humans Fall Flat and Octodad. In this case, you play an egg with dangly arms that appear to be on a mission to escape its fate of becoming part of a delicious breakfast. The game was released in Early Access but if you want to support the developers you can purchase the game now at a cheaper price and you get to watch the game develop and grow. This article will rate what is currently available. 

Break a Few Eggs

The goal of the game is to manoeuvre your egg safely across a large level without breaking. The game itself plays on the 2D plane but the level design is 3D. Fall from a great height and you become a splattered mess on the floor. But heights are not your only problem. The game will regularly present with some pretty nasty gotcha! moments.

Hazards like kitchen spatulas or flying darts will surprise you with a very mild warning. So you need to keep on your toes (if you had any). At the same time you can’t be too fast. Knock too hard against surfaces and this will gradually crack your egg until it just can’t take the pain anymore. But it’s not all bad, regular checkpoints will present themselves in the forms of egg cups which are not too far away making the game accessible for most audiences without succumbing to too much gamer rage. 

Attention to Detail 

In the games currently state you will explore through a kitchen and an attic. The designs of these levels are a pretty standard affair for these environments but there is some nice attention to detail in the backgrounds if you find time to pay attention to them. Often you will see your fellow eggs succumbing to an explosive fate giving the player a warning about future hazards.

I liked the attic in particular as there were some books with rather interesting titles worth keeping an eye out for. The game is clearly designed to have a soft and humourous feel to it. You may play as an egg but your character regularly cheers with glee as you swing about. That  is until you fall down and the sounds turn to something more horrific. 

Scurry up the Walls 

Controls are deliberately awkward but you are able to use a controller or keyboard to suit your preference. You move the right and left arms independently and can grab onto surfaces. The game is all about physics and momentum so you can swing around with one arm then let go and pray to the gaming gods that you move in the desired direction to grab onto the next safe surface.

A useful technique is trying to move your arms up and down and letting go at the right time in order to project you around faster. At least that’s the idea in principle. For me, it was more scurry around the walls and only attempting to use this method when absolutely necessary. 

Yolked is in Early Access and clearly a work in progress. In its current state you probably have about two hours of gameplay. The main incentive to replay the game is to master the tricky controls, maybe speed run the game and look for various secret cosmetics dotted about the level. Costumes like a witch outfit, devil and a neat little green outline. 

Conclusion – More Time to Boil

If you like your physics-based games with wonky controls then Yolked is one well worth purchasing to master its devilish challenge. There is also the incentive that some may have fun streaming this game to an audience. For others, watching this game will be far more appealing than playing it. For myself, I enjoyed the short snippet that’s currently available but time will tell if Yolked is going to become hard boiled or just a scrambled mess on the floor. 

Early Access Verdict: I Like it