Forestrike
Forestrike
Game
Game2026
Yerba Buena
Developer Mad About Pandas
Yerba Buena is a 2026 puzzle platformer video game. The player controls Barb, a character in a virtual representation of 1970s San Francisco, and solves puzzles with the Oscillator, a tool that allows certain properties of objects, such as movement, rotation, and material, to be copied to other objects. The game was developed by German indie studio Mad About Pandas, and was funded in 2023 by a German government… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
65 reactions from 3 sources (Bluesky, Steam reviews, Mastodon) · newest Oct 30, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
64
Fresh
9 positive · 5 negative
95% range 39–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Steam reviews | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
12 of 18 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
64% recommend · 9 yes, 5 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 14 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (51 of 59 positive).
Some reviewers note a lack of polish and bugs that hinder the experience. [1][2][3]
Liked
Representative posts
- [9]
For a puzzle game, this was a scam of $30. The demo made it look promising, I kept expecting it to do anything intersting or ramp up in difficulty. I didnt. It ended at 5 hours of playtime and a good chunk of that was me being stuck at poorly designed puzzles. Between the infinite death loops, bug crashes from common object interactions and puzzles feeling unsatisfying when they did work. I could not recommend this …
- [11]
I originally left a review on launch day when I got soft locked by a bug. This bug was patched and I was able to continue! Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this game. Near the end it becomes painfully slow. You get locked into an on rails experience. Checkpoints in it are few so if you make a mistake you are stuck repeating large segments over and over. This becomes worse when you are doing everything correct, …
- [7]
I enjoyed this game! The first few chapters (what's available in the demo) had me intrigued at how open it was and how many options there seemed to be to accomplish different tasks. Admittedly, I was actually rather disappointed through the middle of the game as it seemed to kind of degrade into 'test chamber' style puzzles, where there aren't many options to accomplish your goals, but the puzzles through this I …
- [4]
Finally a game that does something completely different. No pre-made formula or reskin of a known mechanic, but an innovative approach that combines a puzzle game with narrative. I also haven’t really seen the “game within a game” concept used like this before. I felt smart when figuring out the solutions. Highly recommended.
- [1]
In its best moments, Yerba Buena can be a lot of fun. You can really tell there was a lot of passion in this project. unfortunately though, the lack of polish can be extremely distracting. My biggest gripe is that the puzzle elements often blend into the environment. The scanning button does a decent job of making up for this, but I really hate spamming it just to get a grip of what i'm looking at. Also the more …
Summarised from 21 of the 69 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Yerba Buena talk about innovative puzzle mechanics and creative narrative; those who didn't talk about lack of polish and frequent bugs. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Yerba Buena received "mixed or average" reviews on Windows, according to review aggregator Metacritic. 50% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic. The game was compared to Portal (2007), with IGN's Len Hafer saying "it kind of wants to be Portal". Writing for Checkpoint Gaming, David McNamara said it "inherits [Portal's] cheeky sense of whimsy in subverting physics-based puzzle solutions and player expectations". Reviewers generally praised the puzzle design. Writing for IGN Deutschland, Sönke Siemens described the puzzles as not providing explicit hints as in Portal, instead attempting to use subtle environmental cues and encouraging the player to use trial and error.…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 65 · most liked firstMarch through Yerba Buena at gdc from the game workers union @cwaunion.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →well I’m going to be at GDC, mostly in Yerba Buena, so if you want to talk about Bridgerton or give me several million dollars to make a game let me know
neutral · AI labelView post →The enclosure of Yerba Buena Gardens didn’t stop us from leading a march to discuss our Game Workers’ Bill of Rights earlier this week — our way to fight for standardization across video game studios and employers that empower workers instead of breaking them down.
neutral · AI labelView post →For a puzzle game, this was a scam of $30. The demo made it look promising, I kept expecting it to do anything intersting or ramp up in difficulty. I didnt. It ended at 5 hours of playtime and a good chunk of that was me being stuck at poorly designed puzzles. Between the infinite death loops, bug crashes from common object interactions and puzzles feeling unsatisfying when they did work. I could not recommend this game to anyone. Save your money.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →South Asian Game Dev meetup at #GDC is happening again! 🕑WHEN: 2 PM on Wednesday, 19th March 📍WHERE: Yerba Buena Gardens, Waterfall Come kick it with @ekanaut.bsky.social, me, and fellow melanated pals. Let's talk about game design and/or generational trauma. iykyk #gamedev #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →I don’t have a pass, so I literally cannot stand next to our TMNT game! That said, you’ll be able to find a bunch of the team around GDC/Yerba Buena this week, including @writualmagic.bsky.social @rj.dcellgames.com @futterish.bsky.social and @tv-neato.bsky.social.
neutral · AI labelView post →Want to meet other game trailer makers at GDC!? At GDC Wednesday March 19th 12pm I'm gathering together game trailer making people to hang out at the Yerba Buena Garden Theater area. Please come and chat even if you're not a trailer maker and just want to hang out and say hi 😄 Mini 🧵
neutral · AI labelView post →Correction: the United Video Game Union (UVW) under the @cwaunion.bsky.social launched today at #GDC2025 and after a panel, marched to nearby Yerba Buena gardens
neutral · AI labelView post →Today’s the day to meet game trailer making folks at GDC! 12p at the Yerba Buena theater area in the middle-ish of the park 6p at Uno Dos Tacos at 595 Market St See you there!? 😄
neutral · AI labelView post →I totally wackyparsed this as "The People's GDC" and thought that a bunch of game devs in Yerba Buena Gardens were doing a Covid conspiracy
neutral · AI labelView post →The demo is amazing. the full game however runs like doodoo. missing dialogue, broken puzzles and collectibles that don't trigger anything. I'm constantly wondering if I haven't found a solution or if i need to restart the game again and that's not a great feeling playing a puzzle game. had really high hopes. awesome concept though, hoping they fix the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Renesmee has made the pilgrimage to Yerba Buena. She is a game dev now, like her mom. Fences cannot bar her from self-knowledge. Creativity cannot be contained by capital.
neutral · AI labelView post →Game Developer Carousel returns for 2025! On Thursday, March 20, take a free ride on the LeRoy King Carousel at Yerba Buena Gardens, thanks to former game developer John "Seg" Seggerson. GDC attendees: Take a spin! #GDC2025 #gdc #gamedev #carousel
neutral · AI labelView post →👋🏻 Join us on our first GDC Meetup! 📅 Thursday March 20 ⏰ 4PM 📍Yerba Buena Gardens It’ll be a great opportunity to meet you and learn about your game, network with other Latin American devs and talk about our plans for 2025! We’ll have pins and candy 😉 RSVP link below👇🏻
neutral · AI labelView post →It gets more painful the further you get. I honestly really want to recommend this game. It starts out REALLY WELL. The mechanics are cool, and the concept is great. But the further I got, the less polished the levels got - e.g. with the fairground level, you have rollercoasters appearing out of nowhere. This is fine, until you get to e.g. the pinball machine, where the ball acts differently upon running the same setup multiple times. The ball can also not fall through the hole properly,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Terrible idea: YerbaJam Bring your workstation to Yerba Buena gardens and make a game during the week of GDC sitting under the trees and drinking boba.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is awful, the promise sounds good, but the story is awful, most puzzle are just plain easy, the voice acting moves between decent to who let this person have a mic And it dragsss, you feel like the tower would end it, but nooo you need the god awful sticky power which makes the puzzles just even more boring and the "tutorial" on that is sooo longgg with awful puzzles The pinball part completely broke me Don't get me wrong, there are some good puzzles, but they are far and between,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📆 Wednesday March 12, 1pm PT South Asian Game Dev Meetup | Yerba Buena Gardens Waterfall bsky.app/profile/indr... 👤 @indrani.bsky.social 👤 @ekanaut.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →I enjoyed this game! The first few chapters (what's available in the demo) had me intrigued at how open it was and how many options there seemed to be to accomplish different tasks. Admittedly, I was actually rather disappointed through the middle of the game as it seemed to kind of degrade into 'test chamber' style puzzles, where there aren't many options to accomplish your goals, but the puzzles through this I found interesting regardless. Towards the end of the game there were more options…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first 10 minutes starts out slow and seems like one thing but after that there is a surprisingly cool meta puzzle game here with potentially multiple possible solutions and intriguing developments as you move along, was definitely unexpected and looking forward to playing the whole game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Are you a #GameBoy or other #Retro #gamedev going to #GDC2025? Let's meet! 📍Yerba Buena Gardens 🕐 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm *Show a Game Boy or Retro Game and receive a free pin! Register 👉 www.eventbrite.com/e/game-boy-a... #gbstudio
neutral · AI labelView post →i wish there was a MIXED review type at times i had a lot of fun with this game, but there are so many flaws that it definitely deserves the mixed overall rating it currently has Pros first: - this game screams with passion, its clear that lot of the people working on this cared - clever spin on the "this game knows its a game" trope (will not elaborate, go play the demo, there is more ideas about that premise in the full game) - a lot of art in this game has very painting-like style to it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the beginning was the word, and the word was: "Peace, man!" Yerba Buena is what I imagine to be the result of mixing the puzzles of Portal with the what-the-hell-did-i-just-watch-ness of Inception and putting it all in a blender. For roughly 25 bucks you get about 6-10 hours of wreaking havoc in 70s San Francisco together with the protagonist Barb and all her friends. Stop an evil plot and save the city! What I enjoyed: - Lovably rugged art style. There's none of that soulless Unreal…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We've got some time this afternoon to hang out around the Yerba Buena Gardens. Come hang, enjoy a bubble tea, talk about our cooking-horror game Soul Food and get a sticker for the laptop. Basic Cable Games #GDC #IndieDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Thank you all for the huge support at #GDC2026! If you missed out on getting my sold-out Game Development Strategy Guide at the bookstore, you can grab it at @rosenfeldmedia.com (and there’s a discount code in #EnduringPlay Season 2). I’ll be on the upper level of Yerba Buena for a bit
neutral · AI labelView post →I’m at Yerba Buena! I have tiny alien babies! I would like your reactions (to our game). The more unhinged, the better!
neutral · AI labelView post →What a nice day to chill at Yerba Buena and listen to game music
neutral · AI labelView post →Finally a game that does something completely different. No pre-made formula or reskin of a known mechanic, but an innovative approach that combines a puzzle game with narrative. I also haven’t really seen the “game within a game” concept used like this before. I felt smart when figuring out the solutions. Highly recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game Developer Carousel 2026! 🎮 🧑💻 🎠 Thursday, March 12th, 2026 | 10am - 6pm LeRoy King Carousel, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, CA Free for anyone and open to all ages. Just show up and ride! #GDCarousel gdcarousel.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Students / aspiring #gameUX folks in SF (at #GDC or around), we're having an informal gathering/mentoring session in the Yerba Buena gardens on Thursday at 11am. We're also looking for a few #UX #gamedev mentors to provide guidance/answer questions. Sign up here: www.eventbrite.com/e/game-ux-fr...
neutral · AI labelView post →This week on Video Game Manual Storytime, maybe broadcasting from Yerba Buena Gardens, time TBD twitch.tv/nicmcconnell
neutral · AI labelView post →One can nitpick details and bits of the execution, but the sheer amount of inventiveness, creativity and fun packed into this game makes it well worth the while. It has one of the more innovative puzzle mechanics I've come across in recent years, and a story concept that is completely unique and memorable. The game brings 1970s San Francisco to life, too— it really feels like a labor of love. Sometimes the puzzles were a bit rough, lacking polish and a smooth difficulty curve— I didn't always…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really unique game with a twist
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Shane Satterfield Show 13 is LIVE for patrons and YouTube Members! The shame of Samson's developers, how he ended up in the credits for a video game, and why Yerba Buena is basically Portal 3! www.patreon.com/posts/155873... siftd.net/content/1595... www.youtube.com/@SIFTDGames/...
neutral · AI labelView post →I’m on the T heading to the Giants game and there’s a fare inspector who’s managed to check about five fares in three stations, and now we’re holding the train at Yerba Buena Station? I would like to go to the ballgame. Clipper 2.0 is going great.
neutral · AI labelView post →All setup for Warped Inputs 🥳 Come on by Yerba Buena Gardens to say hi if you're around for #GDC to play a #Playdate game! partiful.com/e/EEp4B1DsdQ...
neutral · AI labelView post →hell of a day for the folks in Yerba Buena who have no idea a game conference is occurring
neutral · AI labelView post →In its best moments, Yerba Buena can be a lot of fun. You can really tell there was a lot of passion in this project. unfortunately though, the lack of polish can be extremely distracting. My biggest gripe is that the puzzle elements often blend into the environment. The scanning button does a decent job of making up for this, but I really hate spamming it just to get a grip of what i'm looking at. Also the more open ended puzzles were some of the least fun that this game had to offer.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Informa rents out Yerba Buena every year from the city so nobody else restricts access. THIS mess is apparently the catered lunch for $2500 Game Changer passes. But it devalues general GDC passes and encourages people to not show up. Attendance will drop because of this, @officialgdc.bsky.social.
neutral · AI labelView post →Heading to GDC? Join our informal Game UX meetup — no GDC pass needed. Hosted by Celia Hodent in collaboration with UI Peeps (founded by Stephan Dube). 📍 Yerba Buena Gardens 🎟 Limited spots: www.eventbrite.com/e/game-ux-fr... 💬 Discord (GDC-2026 channel): linktr.ee/uipeeps
neutral · AI labelView post →> Daily picnic lunch at Yerba Buena Gardens Is there more details about what this entails on the Game Changer pass? Will Yerba Buena Gardens still be a public space for meetups during the conference or is GDC taking it over somehow?
neutral · AI labelView post →• The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition • Turbo Overkill • Untitled Goose Game • Where Is Billy • World of Tanks: Heat • Yerba Buena • Yoku's Island Express via: TrueAchievements www.trueachievements.com/news/xbox-ga...
neutral · AI labelView post →Amanda and Jeff are heading INSIDE THE GAME today on The Dojo as they check out the strange, retro world of Yerba Buena for some mind bending puzzle action right here on RAGE SELECT! youtu.be/JHNsZTt4oQE
neutral · AI labelView post →Hey writerly friends going to GDC! I won't be there this year but... The BYO Game Writers Picnic Lunch is still on! Tuesday March 18th at noon onwards in Yerba Buena Park ☀️ No pass needed, everyone interested in or working with game narrative welcome! ✌️
neutral · AI labelView post →I think Yerba Buena has a really neat concept--capturing momentum and using it to move glitched objects--but the game itself seems somewhat glitchy, having not recorded my progress through Chapter 3 and being frustratingly convoluted as early as Chapter 4. Not sure the Psychonauts vibe is helping!
neutral · AI labelView post →I originally left a review on launch day when I got soft locked by a bug. This bug was patched and I was able to continue! Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this game. Near the end it becomes painfully slow. You get locked into an on rails experience. Checkpoints in it are few so if you make a mistake you are stuck repeating large segments over and over. This becomes worse when you are doing everything correct, but your cursor is pointing in ever so slightly the wrong spot or your timing is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Shane Satterfield Show 13 is NOW FREE on YouTube! Shane takes issue with how Samson's developers swindled fans, why Yerba Buena is the Portal 3 we've been waiting for, and the story of how he ended up in the credits for a video game! #samson #portal3 youtu.be/djGDSJe_UW8
neutral · AI labelView post →if any game developers who've previously hung out in Yerba Buena Gardens during GDC were confused as to what gentrification looks like, here is a prime example.
neutral · AI labelView post →I'll be hosting an unofficial Game Narrative "Groundtable" in Yerba Buena the Friday of GDC. All experience levels welcome, come have a fun time wrapping up the week talking about how we can do narrative better! March 13th at 2:30pm! Would love to see all of you there!
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're local (or visiting SF soon) don't miss this. Bring a camera. Bring a friend. Bring wonder. 📅 On display through June 22 🌐 yerbabuenagardens.org/events/alebrijes-and-nahuales #SanFrancisco #YerbaBuena #DowntownSF #ColossalCreatures 3/3
neutral · AI labelView post →Press X to Sit – a tiny GDC game. Yerba Buena Gardens. A blanket. A cozy spot. You sit. Someone picks a chill song and narrates your inner monologue: thoughts on life, GDC, or if you should give me your All Access pass. It's a lil real-world interlude. Anyone keen on playing? Share/DM me! #GDC2025
neutral · AI labelView post →Game Developer Carousel 2025! Thursday, March 20th, 2025 | 10am - 6pm LeRoy King Carousel, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, CA Free for anyone; No badge or other foolish notions of credentials required. Just show up! #GDCarousel gdcarousel.com
neutral · AI labelView post →"breaking video game manual news, we now go to Nic live on the scene from Yerba Buena gardens"
neutral · AI labelView post →It's a fun game, but not perfect. Pros: The gameplay was very unique. The oscillator's copy and paste ability led to some fun puzzles. The game has an interesting story that explores the concept of living in a simulation in a unique way. The art style is very cool. The ambient music is groovy and adapts to where you are in a level. Cons: The glitched objects had a tendency to blend into the background. There were a few puzzles that I got stuck on because I could not see what objects I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Yerba Buena" is a mind bending physics puzzle game set in a surreal 70s San Francisco, where your device can steal physics properties & swap them between objects. ...I have no idea what the name "Yerba Buena" means.
neutral · AI labelView post →A new gameplay overview has been released for #YerbaBuena, ahead of the games release next month Details: https://www.maxi-geek.com/con/yerba-buena-drops-a-new-gameplay-overview-ahead-of-its-may-release #news #pc #ps5 #xsx
neutral · AI labelView post →A brand new puzzle platform is on its way when #YerbaBuena arrives this May, putting players in control of a NPC who needs to save their game world from being destroyed Details: https://www.maxi-geek.com/con/save-your-game-world-when-yerba-buena-arrives-this-may #news #pc #ps5 #xsx
neutral · AI labelView post →Reminder! If you're in #SF for #GDC (or just here in general!) there's a Thinky games meetup happening at Yerba Buena tomorrow. No ticket needed! www.eventbrite.com/e/thinky-g...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're local (or visiting SF soon) don't miss this. Bring a camera. Bring a friend. Bring wonder. 📅 On display through June 22, so hurry! 🌐 yerbabuenagardens.org/events/alebrijes-and-nahuales #SanFrancisco #YerbaBuena #DowntownSF #ColossalCreatures 3/3
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're local (or visiting SF soon) don't miss this. Bring a camera. Bring a friend. Bring wonder. 📅 On display through June 22 🌐 yerbabuenagardens.org/events/alebrijes-and-nahuales #SanFrancisco #YerbaBuena #DowntownSF #ColossalCreatures 3/3
neutral · AI labelView post →
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