The Best Way to Replay Sayonara Wild Hearts

2026-04-24T08:00:00+01:00 | 2-minute read

Fact Sheet

Original Title: Sayonara Wild Hearts
Genres: Action; Rhythm Game
Release Date: September 19, 2019 (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Switch, tvOS); December 12, 2019 (Windows); February 25, 2020 (Xbox One); February 24, 2025 (PlayStation 5); April 23, 2026 (Switch 2)
Length: HowLongToBeat: 1.5-2.5 hours
Reviews: Edge: 9/10; Eurogamer: 4/5; Gamespot: 6/10; OpenCritic: 84/100
Creators: Developer: Simogo; Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Platforms: App Store:: removed on August 15, 2024; Microsoft Store:: Digital; PlayStation 4: Digital; PlayStation 5: Digital; Switch: Digital; Switch 2: Digital; Xbox One: Digital

Video games structured as albums are special. This non-interactive format suits the interactive medium so well that its only rival is… perhaps, gallery spaces? But then album music is meant to be referenced, chopped and screwed, mixed and repackaged. And in this sense, I’m not surprised Sayonara Wild Hearts works as well, or even better, as a sample collection rather than the full course.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

The Remix Arcade mode is the way I replay the game. I rarely have the itch to go in for the full hour-plus, and I don’t want to play favorites here. So this is the compromise: sample the stages to a point where they distill into WarioWare microgames. Exposed to its smallest mechanics, the game still shines, hinting at an overall strong design that doesn’t collapse under different circumstances.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sayonara Wild Hearts is an arcade game in all but monetization, if I can even use the word in this sentence. That’s why there’s no escaping score attack, but gives this whole thing a purpose that even some of the best WarioWare titles lack when they stay purely singleplayer. This is where the strongest design choices, such as making “perfects” really hard to pull off and rewards for barely avoiding obstacles, become even more so obviously good as they’re no longer about single stage, they’re about the whole body of game.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

And this instant menu transition back and forth… What a thing of beauty. I can play it over and over again, just like the game itself.

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My name is Anton, I’m a video game creator who proudly overthinks tiny aspects of game design. Every week, I take a game I’ve been playing and find a detail that may often not be its main focus. But it still deserves love, doesn’t it? Besides these aspects, I pay special attention to general game flow and game feel.

When I play new games, I like to take notes. They often end up messy, and I can’t share them with anyone. I even have trouble reading them later myself! So now I turn them into cohesive posts that not only I but others can read. I also need every excuse I can get to play new games, old games I’ve never played, old games I have no excuse to replay as well as games outside my comfort zone.

I try to avoid spoilers for the newer games I bring up, but sometimes I see no better way to make a point. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, I recommend avoiding the posts on the games you haven’t played but plan to play.