…But That Was [Yesterday]

The Good
The graphics were minimalist but very bright and colorful. The platforming was fun and satisfying. The game was just long enough to get its ideas across without overstaying its welcome. There were also multiple endings on different playthroughs, although I'm not sure what triggered one as opposed to another.

The Bad
Once you know what to do, the game is pretty easy, so the replay value is low, but the knowledge of multiple endings (it isn't advertised) can somewhat make up for this. Also, this is a minor nitpick, but I also didn't like how the game made the male character blue and the female character pink. That was slightly too clicheed/stereotypical for my tastes.

The Bottom Line
...But That Was [Yesterday] is a fairly short (a playthrough takes 10-15 minutes) platformer with an emphasis on conveying emotion and experience to the player. At the start of the game, the player character is walking very slowly and easily overcome by a literal and metaphorical wall of negative emotions. As he progresses, he revisits memories that help the player to understand his emotional state. The tone becomes a bit more upbeat, and the player is gradually introduced to additional gameplay mechanics. The ultimate theme is one of hope. At first, the player believes that the game's title refers to the player character's previous happiness that was cut short by life events. However, one eventually realizes that the message is that sadness is also transitory, and that if you continue to live life and overcome obstacles, some measure of happiness can return. I ultimately found this to be a satisfying message and a meaningful gameplay experience.