“This is like Ninja Warrior, but with eggs”, as observed by a friend while I try to navigate through obstacles without getting literally yolked. As the unnamed raw competitor tries to scramble towards safety while avoiding getting cracked under pressure, Yolked – The Egg Game provided countless hours of entertainment, while thinking of puns for this cheeky game review.
Hatched by the aptly-named HardBoiled Studios and published through renowned indie game company Hicents, Yolked is an adventure simulation game that runs on the Unity Engine and currently available on various gaming platforms. Like most titles of their genre, all seriousness gets taken out of the basket and your unhinged senses take over because really, anthropomorphic eggs come to life?! There is a deep and intense backstory behind this madness though… Well, not really. Unfortunately for one Guy McBoiler, his eggsperiment went awry and now, they plan to navigate their way out while avoiding getting cooked in various recipes of death (I would have personally gone for sous vide).
Through Yolked’s cartoony, whimsical graphics and silly dialogue, it sets the tone of what to expect while playing this game. It is Hell’s Kitchen, but pumped with protein-packed callisthenics and strangely enough, an in-game recommendation to use a gamepad. As it turns out, this comes in handy while controlling your character while playing Yolked, with the proeggonist requiring to climb drawers, swing between pans and making timely adjustments while dodging attacks. Select between two game modes, namely Endless (survival-style and recommended for those wanting a quick feel of Yolked), and Campaign (storyline with tutorial and various savepoints). In addition, you do not have to wait until Easter as Yolked has collectible items that enables your oval competitor to receive customised outfits and additional effects.
Despite the light-hearted premise and unintentionally laughing at the fate of escapees in the background, Yolked puts your knowledge of physics to the test and like a good sunny side-up, timing is pivotal before making the next move. Through an engaging gameplay experience and ability to make the seemingly simplistic prove otherwise, it is a simulation game that keeps you going without even realising (and after several attempts, unless you are an eggspert). Skip the supermarket and do your shopping online, because every good egg knows that Steam knows that you need a carton of Yolked now.
