Surreal indie RPG YIIK is finally out next month

The long-awaited YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (as in Y2K) will be out on Steam next month, developer Ackk Studios has announced.

As you can tell from a new trailer, above, it's going to be utterly bizarre. It's "a Japanese-style RPG developed by Americans", and it's set in a twisted version of Earth in the '90s with "yammering skulls, tortoise samurais and living stop signs".

Throughout its 30-hour campaign you'll face platforming sections, minigames and puzzles. The combat is turn-based, and you'll fight through both story dungeons and randomly-generated dungeons that give you extra chances to level up.

The story focuses on "eight strangers, a mysterious woman who vanishes in an elevator, and the supernatural". Tyler spoke to the development team in 2015 and realised it was inspired by the story of Elisa Lam, a Canadian student who was found dead in LA in 2013. 

When Tyler published that interview, the game was set to release later in 2015, so clearly a January release is the result of a long series of delays—I'm sure the game is all the better for it.

The Steam page is here. It's out January 17. 

Samuel Horti

Samuel Horti is a long-time freelance writer for PC Gamer based in the UK, who loves RPGs and making long lists of games he'll never have time to play.