Reviews from

in the past


Sanabi me surpreendeu bastante por me lembrar bastante a Katana Zero, mas tendo claro o seu próprio brilho e mecânicas, sua história, mesmo ela não sendo inovadora, ela é bem feita e bem explicada. Tenho uma paixão por jogos em píxel arte, e Sanabi acerta bastante nesse quesito. Só achei que o jogo se estende bastante, a mecânica com o braço é bem legal, mas enjoa rápido, e eu acho que ele se estendeu um pouco, a última parte eu já estava bem enjoado da gameplay, mas o que me prendeu foi essa bela historia.

The gameplay and story keep fighting each other, which is a shame because both are fine in their own right. Also, towards the end, there was a lot of bullshit difficulty

Fantastic story, probably one of my favorite narratives in the last couple years, and is probably the game's strongest point. It's rare for me to get so emotionally invested in characters, and the setting is on point.

Pixel art visuals are really good, the environments and backgrounds are packed with details and just look generally great. The occasional cutscenes also all look very good.

Gameplay's pretty good, feels appropriately snappy and flows pretty well. The levels can feel a bit too long, especially when you want to get on with the story.

Overall, great story on a pretty good game.

I was not expecting such an heartfelt and emotional story from an 2D platformer.

I really cannot put it to words how beautiful this game looks. The pixelart is just drop-dead gorgeous and the way it interacts with the lighting at times is just mindblowing. The sound and music are no slouch either and work great with the visuals.

Weirdly enough the gameplay might be the weakest link. This does not mean its bad, not even close to that as it is very solid with lots of different gameplay gimmicks and set-pieces introduced along the adventure to keep it fresh. But at times I did feel like I just wanted to get to the next story bit instead of grappling around the city.


umihara kawase + katana zero + quero ser pai de menina (from portuguese: i wanna be a girl's father) + oomfiecore + life is worth living + good soundtrack
it's fun

Wheeeee...STORYYYYYYY...whee...STORYYYYY...wheeee...STORYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. This describes the gameplay loop and why I was ANNOYED for the first two-thirds of the game. Then, in the last third of the game, the story-balls started landing one after the other. Plus, the gameplay went from slick-but-unchallenging to just plain slick.

Narratively, Sanabi went from feeling super wrote to having one of the best bait-and-switch landings that I've found in memory. I still think the script could be pared-down by 25%, but then I don't know that I'd edit much at all from the deeply affecting conclusion.

It never got quite as hard as I wanted, but I also ended the game in awe and tears. So I might return and clean-up the last three achievements. If you go in, expect the first two thirds of the game to be underwhelming, but to have the best time in the last act.

I'm not crying you're crying I don't cry when I play video games that's ridiculous

this game does everything it can to keep you from having fun

We are owls that never cry and tigers that don't leave footprints.

To preface: I'm not the biggest fan of mechanical prestige games, like speedrunning is cool and I admire people who get really good at a game's mechanics and prefer that kind of thing to the rest of the medium's capabilities, but it's not always for me and that's ok. I'm on a time limit, I have other things to do and I'm not gonna write 500+ words on how a game's frame timing works or whatever, so I'll slip in a few hours and enjoy my time and then move on when it looks like the reward will just be more of the same reflex challenge, but faster and with more frame-counting. This sounds like I'm about to get harsh, but I promise I enjoyed this game and I think it's worthwhile if you like anything you've heard or seen from it.

Sanabi is a decent mix of that mechanical prestige presentation and a more casual-friendly focus on story and art, providing an interesting skill-based mechanical basis and attempting to work a narrative around those mechanics. Obviously, we can make several direct lines to Katana Zero, and the devs are well aware of their place in a post-K0 world, and Sanabi does a good job being its own thing artistically and mechanically, but it does start to wane when the mechanics are buffered by cutscenes and dialogue that feel more like a half-baked excuse to get the player going from A to B than a meaningful, original story. That's fine, but I think the game would benefit a lot more from a classical arcade approach instead, providing an outline for what you're doing and why, and then letting you go wild for an entire zone before giving you a break with a short cutscene and some exposition on your brooding protagonist's connection to the game's core conspiracy. I think it would suit the piece just fine to remove some of the padding and setpiece justification, and compromise a few of its hit-or-miss anime "serious protag, energetic girl" jokes in favor of some punchy illustrations and a paragraph or two of text after a boss.

I played this game in early access in the middle of 2022. Me playing any early access game is rare enough, there are apparently 29 games in my Steam library that were once in early access, only four of which being games I purchased myself during that time, and Sanabi was not one of those. A friend gifted it to me and simply said "you need to play this" and so I did. Version 1.0.11 already had me completely hooked, and I could tell right away that this was going to be an incredible game when it was finished. So, after getting to the end of the demo, I put it down and patiently waited. Eventually I forgot about it, because when it finally came out on November 8th of 2023, I didn't realize it happened until it was almost December, and by the time I got around to playing it properly, it had already seen several more patches... including the addition of a speedrun mode. That's how you know it's really a gem.

A certain rule of thumb has existed in the back of my brain for many years now. "If the game has a grappling hook that isn't a quicktime event, it's probably an amazing game." Hasn't failed me yet. Well, not only does Sanabi have a grappling hook, the grappling hook is the core of the gameplay. A 2D platformer built entirely around swinging with a grappling hook and using enemies as single-use springboards is a game made specifically for me, but also a dangerous concept, since it relies heavily on the controls feeling consistent, predictable, and extremely good. The player needs to always simultaneously feel fully in control, and on the razor's edge of control. Not an easy balance to achieve.

But thankfully, it's fully achieved here, even managing to never become frustrating because the incredible clarity of the controls makes it impossible to blame the game for a skill issue. Not that you'd be doing that very often anyway, however, because even when you're not playing well, flying around the map like Captain Korea still always looks and feels cool. The game only loses its footing for a moment in the later stages, because one of the cool setpieces feels really clunky compared to the rest of the game and overstays its welcome, but I find that easy to overlook since it only happens once. It's even easier to look past that hiccup when considering the sheer rush of dopamine the final chapter gives you, rushing through the game at full power feeling like a god. I'd be singing this game's praises even if it was just a platformer with nothing else of note to offer.

But simply building the entire game around perfect controls wasn't enough. They had everything, and needed more.

Sanabi is a visually breathtaking game that bleeds style no matter where you look, with another level of visual beauty added through the extremely expressive and stylish character animations, all well beyond any reasonable expectations for a team of this size - only five people, and starting out as college students no less - to produce. Sound design is also wonderfully chunky and crisp, adding a lot of weight to the already weighty visuals, and even notably improved since the early access build I originally played.

The original soundtrack is beyond perfect for the game as well, fitting flawlessly into every scene and elevating the experience greatly while also being simply fantastic music on its own, to the point that I will probably be listening to this soundtrack outside of the game from time to time - as music to lose myself in, not just background sound - which is something I do so rarely with games that I didn't even have a top five until now; Jet Lancer, Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams, Doom 2016, Iridion II, and now Sanabi... and it takes position 2 in that list.

Games like this aren't expected to have much, if any, narrative either. Nobody would have complained if Sanabi didn't have a storyline, all it really needed was to say that a bad thing happened and you're going in to fix it. But of course, that wasn't enough for Wonder Potion. The story of Sanabi is more than simply present, it's compelling enough, interesting enough, and charming. It's not exactly revolutionary, but that doesn't matter, it's way better than it ever needed to be - much better than the disgraceful writing of some triple-A games that get showered with praise - and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As I played, I figured out most of the reveals before they came to pass, but from what I've seen online, a lot of people didn't, and even if you do see things coming like I did, getting to the end still makes the second playthrough feel pretty different, so I can't even say predictability is a caveat here. The only real caveat is that towards the end of the game (but not at the end, pretty much just in chapter 4), the translation quality dips, and it can be a little jarring, occasionally causing me to need to reread lines... but I can't get mad at that. Oddly, the focus on the story seems a little controversial, because The Gamers™ hate reading and cutscenes in 2D platformers, even when it's as good as this.

Fortunately for them, they only have to deal with it once, because once you see the true ending of the game - continue the game if you went downstairs - speedrun mode is unlocked. No dialogue, no cutscenes, no boss fights, no loading screens, no fades to black, just a straightforward run through each chapter with nothing to distract you from the incredibly fun flow of swinging through levels quickly. Every time you complete a chapter in speedrun mode, the game kicks back to the title screen instead of back to the speedrun menu, which is unfortunate and annoying, but livable considering how fun it is to run through each chapter nonstop. I'll call it an enforced moment of respite. My first attempt ended up at a total time of 1:11:20, which felt pretty slow to me and did a very good job of showing me just how much I still have to learn, especially since I then found out the current record on speedrun.com at that time was 25:58. I will definitely be coming back to this for a long time.

The more I like a thing, the less I usually have to say about it. I've said as much as I can think of at this point, I don't know how to dig deeper into the details about why this game is so fantastic or what makes it feel so amazing to play. So just trust me bro. I'll close with this.

Wonder Potion had everything they needed and chose to go well above and beyond for the sake of their vision. The result is something to be very proud of, and I applaud them. Sanabi is absolutely one of the best games I've played, and an all time favorite.

(from my web zone: https://kerosyn.link/when-control-is-everything-and-everything-isnt-enough/)

Another hidden gem as it seems nobody cares about it now that the full game released, really surprising considering how much it gets compare to katana zero which is much more popular and it's also better than zero in my opinion currently

Very glad that getting to the end is not what's important because this ending still feels off! anyway legend difficulty was surprisingly incredibly fun and not a slog like i was half expecting it to be, it kind of feels like the way the game was designed to be played after a first playthrough warm-up. It added some much needed difficulty and took away the option to cheese or damage tank certain sections, beating it felt great. Even after getting 100% I would still go for speedrun mode this game is just so satisfying to play

What now... she talks just like me!! I'm her fr!! There's a great balance between story and gameplay, everything hooked me. Yes I made the hook joke and I'll make it no matter how many times my personality is reproduced!!

Btw you wouldn't believe the easter eggs in this game. I agree with everything they said about him. Based Korea. They added a speedrun mode as well, which makes it the 2nd hook-based game that focuses on speedrunning, so I get two nickels for that but hooks are kind of made for speedrunning let's be real.

I love petting a cat to save. Only once though?? I wish i could just pet that little flying robot but I'm sure they thought long about it and decided it'll interupt the flow too much. Minus a whole star for that! (i'm kidding)

katana zero with grappling hooks, this game fucking rules

Go play Katana Zero, it has a better narrative and a much more enjoyable pace

Узнал об этом проекте совершенно случайным образом, обнаружив его добавление в вишлист одним из друзей в стиме. Как оказалось, бум популярности пришёлся на СНГ от совсем недавнего русскоязычного ролика на ютубе, поведавшем о существовании Sanabi на игровых просторах.
Первое, что приходит в голову, рассматривая изображения - Katana ZERO. Далеко не постыдная ассоциация, а вполне эффективный крючок на ценителей нечто подобного, коим я сам и являюсь. Но оправдала ли себя схожесть? Не совсем. Если Катана представляла из себя очень ёмкое, лаконичное произведение, не отнимающее у геймера больше 5-6 часов на прохождение, словно погружая в живой игрофильм, то Санаби же прибегает ко всему тому, что Катана умело избегала. Опыт прохождения выглядит примерно подобным образом: пробегаешь геймплейную секцию минут за 5-10, после лицезреешь постановку болтающих текстовыми облачками пиксельных спрайтов, что занимает если не столько же, то словно вдвое больше времени. По крайней мере ощущается это именно так. И не сказать, что это оправдано, ведь тут далеко не тарантиновские диалоги, и не кинематографичная постановка. Нужно очень постараться, чтобы удержать взгляд человека у монитора, взамен предоставляя немое кино мало прорисованных и мало анимированных 16-битных спрайтов. Авторам явно далеко до устоявшегося выражения "Краткость - сестра таланта". Кстати, ни за что не проходите игру в русском переводе. Он машинный, и он отвратителен.
Буквально каждая "катсцена" представляет из себя межгеймплейную интермиссию в виде текстовой болтовни двух человечков, и не сказать что без этого нельзя было раскрыть историю и лор. Можно всё, если уметь. Никто не отменял сюжетные детали в окружении, повествование между строк, киноязык и т.д. Не надо недооценивать умственную полноценность игрока. Вспомните хотя бы тот же Hotline Miami. Кстати, одним из основных крючков сарафанного радио является якобы слёзовыжимательная концовка. И я конечно всё понимаю, основополагающим фактором эмоциональных моментов является контекст, но и про подачу не стоит забывать. А какова подача? PNG-шка с обменом текста двух персонажей на протяжении пары минут. Без комментариев.
Ну а что до геймплея? Тут всё просто. Если вам интересно опробовать в платформере механику раскачивающегося и притягивающегося крюка, то добро пожаловать. Ничего особо, но на разок пойдёт.
В целом, Sanabi посредственный представитель современной инди сцены, но негатива не вызывает. Проект на любителя, но каким-то чудом любители и правда нашлись.

Sanabi is a game of very high highs and very low lows.

It has an amazing story that is badly paced and localized.

It has amazing platforming that is interrupted by horrible bossfights.

It has a strange difficulty curve and a lot of the time the difficulty options don't even do anything but the final section was basically the perfect amount of difficulty for me.

It has a great cyberpunk aesthetic and an amazing soundtrack but the cyberpunk ends up feeling a bit toothless, despite it inarguably being cyberpunk. Not quite sure how to describe it without getting into heavy spoilers.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this game a lot but there were also multiple occasions where I was really close to abandoning it.

I bought this game on a whim bruh, that 2nd half is insane.

This is an indie gem that flew under the radar of nearly everybody. I listen to quite a few gaming podcasts. Too many. I wanna cut back actually. But the point I am trying to make is that none of them talked about Sanabi. The traversal is fun as heck. Do you like grappling hooks? This whole game is about using your hook and momentum to get around and fight enemies. It's also a story heavy game, which for me, is a big check. Daddy needs his story drip. Speaking of "daddy" this is a sad dad game through and through. I shit on many tropes but I do like a good sad dad trope. Only negatives is that fighting enemies is just grapple hooking them and that's it. Though, it doesn't actually bother me. Some cool boss fights but nothing spectacular. And various art styles that don't mesh well. The base art style is lovely (though admittedly one note) but there are these anime/clay talking head cutscenes that are... very strange. Oh, and I have to admit that it's pretty cool to see Korean in cyberpunk instead of japanese/chinese

Sanabi
---------
Graphics: 4.5/5 Tirei varias print pq pqp cada cenario mais bonito que o outro

Story: 5/5 Um dos unicos jogos que me fez chorar um pouco com o final

Gameplay: 3/5 Boa no geral, mto divertido de se balançar por obstaculos soq pode ficar enjoativa

Soundtrack: 3.6/5 Mto boa, especialmente a dos creditos

Bugs(0= None ; 5= Unplayable): 0

Fun factor: 2.3/5 La para o final do jogo eu me obriguei a finalizar mesmo estando um pouco enjoado da gameplay

Characters: 4.7/5

Final thoughts: 4.8/5 (5 no backlogged) Pqp que jogo bom, curtinho da para finalizar em uma tarde porem vale mto a experiencia. Me lembrou mto katana zero pela maneira que a historia foi contada e os cenarios (especialmente do inicio)

(Apenas uma coisa a se mencionar, o jogo tem por volta de 10 horas, porem eu recomecei o jogo pois tinha começado e parado a um tempo atras)


Sanabi is a linear, Action Platformer with a strong focus on its Narrative. A bit of a unique and bold take in a genre that’s usually light on dialogue even in a post-TLOU world, Sanabi chooses to ask you to stop and listen to the tale it has to tell, and if you give it that respect, I think you’ll find a very well woven story that takes advantage of the fact its a video game pretty well.

You play as The General, a retired war hero who’s called back for one last mission into the massive mega city, Mago City, to chase after the elusive SANABI and to investigate the disappearance of the inhabitants of the city, a mission he’s all to eager to take as it ties into his personal mission of vengeance. Inside the city, he meets the sole survivor of the investigation team sent in to investigate the disappearances. Together, the two climb the city and solve the mystery behind the City and The Geenral hunts down Sanabi.

To climb said city, The General is equipped with a Bionic Commando type grappling hook he can use to grapple and zip around. And it feels great to grapple and swing in this game. And the simple jump and swing controls are complimented with some excellently designed stages, both in terms of layout and challenge, as well as thematically. There’s only 2(?) more additions you get from his base kit, but they’re both well timed additions and feel super fun to use, and the stages feel varied and no gimmick overstays their welcome. This game does feel like it’s designed with WASD + Mouse in mind, but I played through on a controller just fine with a bit of getting used to.

Between each stage/chapter/whatever, there’s typically a lot of dialogue, expanding on the Mystery of the City, Mari’s goals or The General’s past. If you’re good at this type of game, you might feel there’s more dialogue than game play, and that may be off putting, I’ve seen many reviews criticising the pacing or questioning the choice of the plot focus. And while I get it, I think 1 – there’s a skip option and 2 – The story sets the stage wonderfully for some of the most entertaining and cool stages and boss fights I’ve experienced in a platformer in a long time, and these moments wouldn’t have hit as hard if the story hadn’t set up these stakes so well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a 90s kid gamer, I can hold right for no other reason than Beat Wily or Kill Dracula. But I dunno man, something about Sanabi’s use of set pieces and dialogue mad moments like Justice and The Oversee stand out and I’m sure stick in my memory.

The real question you may be asking though is, if you pay attention to this Video Game Story, does it pay off? And I honestly think so, yeah. I’m a big on creators using the medium of video games to tell interesting stories, and Sanabi does just that. It’s not anything revolutionary, or is some deep dive into the human condition or anything. It’s just a touching story that takes advantage of you being the video game boy (or girl!) and does some interesting twists with it.

I hope this review sells Sanabi to you. It’s a delightful little product made with care and love for both storytelling and video games. And I want nothing but the best for Mari.

do yourself a favor and play this game

I really enjoyed Sanabi, but honestly I think its score is a little inflated from just how good the last 2 hours of this game are. This game has some absolutely incredible moments. The opening is very strong, a few story moments in the middle are neat, and as mentioned the lead-up to the end of the game is amazing.

But the game is just way too drawn out. Most gameplay sections could have had their length cut in half, probably dropped to 1/4 if you wanted to only leave the really good stuff. A lot of sections, especially once you get to the back half of the main plot, drag on far past the point they should have and I was begging to be done with a few segments long before I reached the end. This was generally not because of difficulty - This is not an overly challenging game outside of a few tricky platforming areas. Instead you'll just be seeing endless screen after screen of incredibly basic platforming challenges you'd already mastered twenty minutes ago.

This is especially painful because Sanabi's writing is often genuinely enjoyable, though sometimes a little clumsy, and is really the only reason I made it through to the credits. The characters are generally well written and the dialogue usually succeeds at being actually funny. I often found myself wishing dialogue scenes would stretch on a little longer just so I could spend more time with the characters, but inevitably the scenes end and you're due for another 30 minutes of silently grappling your way through repetitive platforming challenges.

Sanabi is frequently compared to Katana Zero and while I agree the vibes are similar, I think Sanabi's flaws become especially glaring when that comparison is drawn. Katana Zero's total runtime clocks in at around 3.5-4 hours, less than half the time it took me to beat Sanabi, but that game has cut all the fat that sometimes makes Sanabi such a chore. If you enjoyed Sanabi then I think Katana Zero is an easy instant recommend, providing a shorter, more focused experience.

I still think Sanabi is worth playing. The story is fun, and the characters are likable. But the endless padding really brings down a game that is otherwise so close to becoming one of the indie greats.

Shoutout to Elon Musk for being such a terrible human being that he indirectly inspired this game's creation.

Insane that this flew under the radar. Amazing story, engaging gameplay, it's got everything.