Sequels are one of the great mysteries of the video game world. Sometimes they can be produced by the developer to revisit one of their earlier franchises, and other times it is because the franchise has become a financial or critical success. In the case of Yesterday Origins, it is likely to be a combination of both of these reasons, as the original game Yesterday received positive reviews and a respectable amount of copies sold upon its initial release back in 2012 for iOS, Android and PC. The only question remains is to whether Yesterday Origins is a strong sequel that lives up to the original’s name, or if it is a case of déjà vu gone one step too far.
The plot of the game follows on from the points established in the original Yesterday. After an experiment with alchemy five hundred years in the past, John Yesterday now resurrects every time he dies with practically none of his memories intact. Along with his girlfriend Pauline, who has also been subjected to the same experiment, they are searching for an artefact that will allow John to keep his memories every time he dies. During their journey, they must also avoid the machinations of a sinister modern day equivalent of the same group that made John effectively immortal. Along the way, John revisits some of his former lives, which include a disgraced nobleman’s son accused of witchcraft, and a morally conflicted monk who is the part of a devil worshipping cult.
