GOODBYE WORLD Review

It might seem like fun and games, but YO FUJII, Flyhigh Works, and IndieArk expose players to the real world of game development with their new title GOODBYE WORLD. Does this meta tale have what it takes to make it big, or is this videogame about a videogame a bomb?

GOODBYE WORLD Review

Kicking things off four years ago in March 2017, Goodbye World tells the tale of Kanii and Kumade as they set out to design an old-school video game – think Nintendo Game Boy old-school. Kumade is on point to do the pixel art, while Kanii is the programming whiz that brings the bleeps and bloops of their title to life.

However, making the perfect game is a passion project – these two grads needed to pick up part-time jobs to pay the bills since their game isn’t selling. It’s a hard-knock life though; Kanii can’t hold a job and Kumade has a boss that wants to bring her on full time.

While it’s a simple tale, GOODBYE WORLD will captivate players to the very end, waiting to see where Kanii and Kumade’s journeys go next. There’s not quite enough runway to keep players truly engaged – it does clock in at around an hour and a half – but we enjoyed seeing the struggles this dynamic duo faced when working on this passion project turned career.

Outside of the story mode is the game the team is working on: Blocks. This puzzle platformer tasks players with opening a gate at the end of each zone, braving enemies and high areas to get there. In order to get ahead, players can add the titular blocks that they carve from each level’s landscapes, using it to build stairwells. There can be around five blocks at any given time, and the system works as it should.

It’s just a shame that this portion of the title is a bit overly simplistic, feeling more like an afterthought than a main attraction. It’s far from a chore to play, but the action found here is fairly rudimentary – those who have mastered something as easy as a Kirby game will get through these sections without any trouble. They’re not overly long – think around 5-10 minutes at the absolute longest – but they don’t add too much to the title. If anything, it is clear to see why the team is facing resistance pitching it to major publishers and becoming a bona-fide sensation.

Unfortunately, outside of the main story of the game, there’s not too much else to see in GOODBYE WORLD. There’s a bonus section that provides additional context to the game, but its linear format and story-driven content means that it is more of a one-and-done type of deal. Those looking for more dynamic gameplay will be disappointed, but the title prides itself on its tale – it ultimately comes down to what one is looking for in a game.

GOODBYE WORLD provides a great tale, albeit one without too much room to grow. Those who don’t mind a brief story will enjoy this tale of game development, but it needed more time to really flesh out this pair of fledgling designers.

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