YAPYAP Review (PC)

The time for diplomatic relations and negotiation are over. Oh, it isn’t the time for collaboration, nor is it the time to make peace with the wicked or wax terms and conditions with warring parties. As of this moment, drastic actions are above board, as is the act of urinating on another wizard’s enchanted rug, apparently. There will be no repercussions, only items that are in dire need of volatile dismemberment. It doesn’t matter if you’re against the idea of belittling a wizard and their prized possessions; it matters only that you serve your master. And when it comes to YAPYAP, loyalty and servitude is everything, as is the act of wreaking havoc in any manner you deem fit. That, really, is all that is required of you here. And the best part is, you’ll be paid handsomely for your reckless ignorance.

YAPYAP is all about mayhem. Or at least, it’s about proving that even petite minions can rock the apple cart and cause a few problems for the grand mages of the wizarding hierarchy. As a sidekick in this magical cortex of supernatural beings and incantations, it falls to you to buddy up with a few friends and, with the aid of spells, wands, and otherworldly wonders, rebel against a wizard and ultimately vandalize their sacred tower and just about everything that gathers dust. But, here’s the catch: the tower isn’t empty. See, while the objective here is to vandalize and effectively fill a gauge as a team, you also have the goal of fending off villainous creatures and other mythical wardens. It’s like a riot, only you aren’t breaking into storefronts and stealing precious jewels, but rather, clogging a few toilets and casting spells to inconvenience your arch enemies. It goes a little deeper than that — but that’s about the brunt of it. It is, in layman’s terms, a vandalizing simulator with a few magical infusions and voice-activated incantations. Oh, and fish. Don’t ask.

The general premise of YAPYAP is simple: break into a tower, roam rampant, and work collectively to fill a meter before escaping into the night to accomplish your nightly quota. That’s about it. Again, it’s simple, but annoyingly, also rather addicting. And, to be clear, if it didn’t have incantations—voice commands that you must repeat in a clear and stable dialect to cast spells—then it probably wouldn’t be quite nearly as effective. Yet, thanks to its inclusion of humorous spell-casting terminology and its generous catalog of set pieces that can be manipulated and sabotaged, it is, in spite of its relatively small size, a lot of fun to play through for an couple of hours, give or take.

Gameplay-wise, there’s a good amount to sink your teeth into here, with a solid variety of set pieces to work with and a ton of creative ways to vandalize the tower and transform it into your own weird and wonderful world of floating objects and nonsensical happenings. It doesn’t always make sense, but that’s sort of the point. Frankly, none of it makes sense, as it’s more or less a pantomime that comprises mindless barking, gibberish, and waving wands about like carrots with fumes of urine ejecting from the ends. It’s a bit like a toddler’s birthday party: chaotic, poetic, yet absurdly funny and highly unorthodox.

The bad news here is that, while the game does offer a sizable library of things to do, there also isn’t all that much post-vandalization content to enjoy here. Frankly, once you plunder your first few jobs, there isn’t a lot to keep you coming back for another shot at the tower. It isn’t that there isn’t any replay value; it’s that, provided that you utilize the weight of the wands and experiment with all of the available incantations in the first few romps, you might struggle to find any new spells or methods for completing your goals in future scenarios. In other words, you can, as much as it pains me to admit it, experience most of what YAPYAP has to offer in the first two hours. And that’s a shame, really, as behind its lack content lies a great concept with a lot of potential, especially with its voice-driven spells and oddly satisfying gameplay mechanics.

To counter its rather small size and general lack of content, YAPYAP does make an effort to adopt some great facets, including a fun-filled magical biome with plenty of hilarious heroes and settings, as well as a humorous collection of spells that allow you to shape the world, transform inanimate objects and enemies, and even manipulate time and space, weirdly. There is a bit of a learning curve behind all of this, but then, to be fair, being able to spectate from the sidelines as a friend splutters gibberish in an attempt to morph a spider into a fish will never not be fun, either. There’s a silver lining in incompetence, thankfully, and it shows a lot in YAPYAP. Maybe that’s worth a few extra bonus points, maybe it isn’t. I admire the comical value, nonetheless.

Verdict

YAPYAP might not have the weight of a fully-fledged wizarding world on its shoulders, but it does have the gift of a brilliant concept and setting in its stead. It could certainly benefit from a plethora of additional spells and incantations I’ll admit. But, for what it’s worth, I will say that it makes for an entertaining experience that more than justifies the price tag, more so if you’re looking for a comedy-horror hybrid that doesn’t take itself too seriously and learns to laugh at your mistakes. It isn’t a perfect co-op game, but it is one that clearly has a lot heart and vigor, and not to mention the capacity to acquire more materials and mischievous stories in the near future. As for whether or not it will find the means to elevate its image is another question that might not receive an answer at all. Either way, we’re crossing our fingers for the best possible outcome. Till then, we’ll just keep on yapping.