SANYA

My review contains minor spoilers. Here's my opinion without the spoilers: I don't think it is worth the price because of how short it is, I'm disappointed, but the art style was lovely and I enjoyed the nice parts of the game, and will come back to play those. Now the long read: Pretty game, beautiful art style, and it brought me joy and nostalgia. HOWEVER, I expected more, a bit more. I knew it was going to be short, but it was shorter than I expected. I wanted Sanya to face different issues, I was disappointed when I found out that the "adult issues" were only the forest part. I liked the forest part, don't get me wrong, but again, I expected more. Also, I wanted to experience another day when the dog was accepted in the family, I wanted some joy and more adult issues. The ending was fine but I wanted more content.

Pros - Charming characters and dialog - Great graphics, really beautiful lighting at times. - Simple but engaging game-play, there is a couple of mini-games buts its mostly clicking through dialog, its practically a visual novel. Cons - Very short, I left the game running for about an hour so my time is overstated but you can probably get through the game in a hour even going at a leisurely pace and exploring everything. - Only saves at certain points but then again its probably meant to be played and finished in one sitting. - Not entirely playable with the mouse, you have to use WASD to move, I'm really not sure why they couldn't have implemented a click to move feature. There is a weird mini-game at the end that mightn't play well with just the mouse but arguably this particular game could be just removed entirely as it seems out of place. Overall short but very sweet adventure game about childhood things. Recommended on sale.

I was truly excited to play this game. I wanted some safe space after work to bring back my childhood memories, that smell of hot summer, the taste of kvas after dogonyalki, and the endless feeling of being cared. Short, heartwarming story. Point & click interaction. The visual is something I can yap about for ages. Your designers did truly inspiring and awesome job! And the sound? OMG! P.S.: But why did you feel the need to mention politics in such game which is supposed to be a comforting, safe, unbiased space for people? Sad...

SANYA is a small-scale narrative adventure developed and published by helpnode that focuses less on traditional gameplay challenges and more on evoking a specific emotional space: childhood curiosity, freedom, and the quiet texture of everyday life in a post-Soviet town during the 1990s. Rather than telling a dramatic or high-concept story, the game invites players into a gentle, memory-like journey shaped by simple joys, fleeting worries, and the feeling of a long summer day that seems endless when you are young. The story centers on Sanya, a seven-year-old boy who has recently moved with his family to a new neighborhood. The narrative unfolds through his eyes, capturing the unfamiliarity of a new place alongside the excitement of exploration. One of the earliest and most important moments is Sanya befriending a stray puppy, a companion that becomes both an emotional anchor and a practical gameplay element. This relationship sets the tone for the entire experience, grounding the story in empathy, responsibility, and companionship without ever resorting to overt sentimentality. Gameplay in SANYA is presented through a 2.5D side-scrolling format that emphasizes exploration, intera…

https://youtu.be/xyOtwA8JtmY Telling a slice of life coming of age story from a lesser focused region is a great change of pace.

Очень добрая и милая игра. Сделана с большой любовью и заботой, замечательная рисовка. Коротенькая конечно, но душевная. Пара минусов: - Много предметов, которые собирал всю игру - по итогу они не нужны. Очень короткая и внезапная концовка (я-то надеялся что надо собачку учить всяким командам, чтобы родители разрешили ее оставить - логично ведь...) - Баг во время игры в прятки - застревает на экране реплика про ларек и не пропадает, а потом и на персонажей из-за нее не нажать, пришлось начинать сначала - Неожиданно очень сложная мини-игра в лесу из-за забагованного управления - с клавиатуры пройти крайне сложно, с контроллера чуть легче (включайте Steam Input), но периодически команду прыжка персонаж вообще игнорирует. Пришлось бешено жать на все правые кнопки разом. В остальном мне понравилось, хоть концовку и правда можно было бы сделать посущественней.