Sophia the Traveler
Sophia the Traveler
Game
Game2017
Yono and the Celestial Elephants
Developer Neckbolt
Yono and the Celestial Elephant is a grand adventure, featuring carefully designed puzzles, treasure hunts, a sprinkling combat and a world full of people. From the Steam store page
203 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
79
LovedLoved
148 positive · 40 negative
95% range 72–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 148 | 40 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
188 of 233 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
79% recommend · 153 yes, 41 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 194 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (300 of 364 positive).
Players find Yono and the Celestial Elephants a cute and charming puzzle adventure game. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game has a surprisingly deep story with philosophical themes. [4][5][6] Several players criticize the controls and bugs as frustrating. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Might change opinion about the game later, but the first impression is not good. The first level has you navigating narrow bridges, literally from the start, and you die if you fall in water. There are no options to turn on invisible walls or any other accessibility features. For a small child (who I presume is the target demographic of a game about a cute little elephant going on an adventure), who is not yet that …
- [1]
Hello friends! I am writing this review since i just beat Yono and the Celestial Elephants. Basically, this game is a cute puzzler game with rpg elements. You play as a young elephant celestial being and go around helping people. You travel to different area's and do quests to help people. There are also unlockable custom skins you can buy and even find health upgrades. Anyways, here is my pro/con list: PROS: …
- [4]
For a cutesy, simple puzzle game, Yono and the Celestial Elephants takes on some pretty heavy subjects. The themes of self-doubt and uncertainly in the face of expectations you're born into, I sort of expected, but the ways immortality would change one's perceptive, how being created to serve would leave a mark on now sentient machines, the pitfalls of political power structures: I didn't see any of that coming from …
- [2]
An adventure for world peace featuring a cute baby elephant that descended from the sky. Despite some minor bugs, the puzzle difficulty is relatively straightforward and simple, making it suitable for casual enjoyment. After all, as long as it's cute, right? 코끼리 뿌우!
- [3]
I got Yono on sale and really enjoyed it. It is really adorable and charming puzzle game. I can see how it could be considered tedious or too easy, but I think it's a short and perfect game for when you want to relax and play something simple. Pros: + Colorful and cute graphics + Many different elephant skins to choose from without needing to grind + Easy to 100% when it comes to getting coins, letters, and …
Summarised from 34 of the 209 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
79% of the 194 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Yono and the Celestial Elephants. The complaint that keeps coming up: clunky keyboard controls and awkward camera angles. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 203 · most liked firstHello friends! I am writing this review since i just beat Yono and the Celestial Elephants. Basically, this game is a cute puzzler game with rpg elements. You play as a young elephant celestial being and go around helping people. You travel to different area's and do quests to help people. There are also unlockable custom skins you can buy and even find health upgrades. Anyways, here is my pro/con list: PROS: -Cutesy graphics -Interesting concept and original -Unlockable skins -Health…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first big game project was Yono and the Celestial Elephants #gamedev #indiegame #nintendoswitch
neutral · AI labelView post →Ah The Legend of Yono: Breath of the Safari. It’s a Zelda styled game where you're a cute elephant, what else can you ask for? The love of a good man? But I think that might be out of the dev’s jurisdiction. This game looks so god d*mn adorable. I’m a 30 year old man and I bought this. Not even ashamed to admit it. This is Zelda except you’re a damn elephant. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: I love exploration games, so buying this only seemed natural, I just hoped the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's wonderful, it cures depression, I want to be an elephant Yono best, 10/10 made me happy Anyone who doesn't like it is grumpy and needs a nap and a long hard look in the mirror
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Recommended only on sale, due to a couple fundamental problems with this game. First, if you're going to be a kids game, be a kids game. I appreciate some over-their-head dialogue here and there, but frequently the character interactions are so philosophical (as advertised in the game description) that I'd feel awkward watching young people play this. Are robots really just slaves? A fair question, but I think it narrows the audience. Second, puzzles can't be consistently reset despite being…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game seems aimed at very young players. There's really nothing to the combat, and the puzzles are very basic. The story isn't particularly enthralling either. However the game is colorful and you're an elephant, so it's got that going for it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's oddly tedious to play, partly because of the dodgy keyboard controls that I shouldn't have been using (although ... refer to footnote), but mostly because the game doesn't really have an identity of it's own gameplay-wise. It's got puzzles, block pushing and lever pulling ones. It's got combat, very standard and easy combat. And it's got some dialogue that while occasionally entertaining isn't enough to really justify playing this when I still haven't read Nausicaa. Footnote: Really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An adventure for world peace featuring a cute baby elephant that descended from the sky. Despite some minor bugs, the puzzle difficulty is relatively straightforward and simple, making it suitable for casual enjoyment. After all, as long as it's cute, right? 코끼리 뿌우!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awkward control, with glitches they ruin the game. I feel bad giving a negative review to cute games. I like the cute elephant smiles at everyone, but as long as I leave the peaceful town, the puzzle solving and battles are unbearable. The moves are clumsy, just walking can be easy to drop off the map. The puzzles themselves are easy, but the actual box pushing can be trouble because it is hard just to face an object precisely. Too many times I die by attacking enemies, right, the elephant…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game seems like fun. However the keyboard controls are just too frustrating for me to play it I don't know if it's much better/easier with a controller as I don't have one
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was only able to play a little bit of this cute game. The controls are what ended up getting me to stop. They're unreasonable and clunky. I fell off the map so many times and couldn't face half the targets. Not to mention that simply walking past an entrance will send you to that area. It's a cute game but has bad controls.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+20 SOCIAL CREDIT ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢁⠈⢻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⡀⠭⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠄⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣿⣷⣶⣶⡆⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⣼⣿⣿⠿⠶⠙⣿⡟⠡⣴⣿⣽⣿⣧⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣟⣭⣾⣿⣷⣶⣶⣴⣶⣿⣿⢄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⣩⣿⣿⣿⡏⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣹⡋⠘⠷⣦⣀⣠⡶⠁⠈⠁⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣍⠃⣴⣶⡔⠒⠄⣠⢀⠄⠄⠄⡨⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡘⠿⣷⣿⠿⠟⠃⠄⠄⣠⡇⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠋⢁⣷⣠⠄⠄⠄⠄⣀⣠⣾⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠉⠙⠻ ⡿⠟⠋⠁⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⡯⢓⣴⣾⣿⣿⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⡟⣷⠄⠹⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ +1 WAIFU ⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⠛⠉⠄⠁⠄⠄⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡟⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡇⠄⠄⠄⠐⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡇⠄⢀⡀⠠⠃⡐⡀⠠⣶⠄⠄⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣶⠄⠰⣤⣕⣿⣾⡇⠄⢛⠃⠄⢈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a simple girl I see elephant I hit like O(°J°)O
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sadly I can not recommend this game, at least for Keyboard players. The controls are frustrating and a bit jank and it just ruins any fun the game can bring. The game might be a lot of fun if used with a controller, but I do not have one to test this theory. Maybe someday I'll revisit the game with a controller.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to praise this game, but there are some design choices that make this game really irritating to play. I can see that the devs tried hard on this game and wanted to pay homage to several action/adventure titles, while keeping their own personality and flair; I appreciate that. Now, I first started playing with keyboard and mouse, which made the game pretty clunky. Yono the Elephant is tricky to position right with just the four directional keys, so I recommend playing with a controller if…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →buggy as hell elephant-based isometric puzzle-adventure. no mouse support in a pc game is a terrible first impression, further disappointments in the settings, available anytime. only master and music volumes, resolutions on an insta-change slider, can't check them all without changing anything, and rebinds are only possible by restarting the game while pressing shift to bring up the unity launcher. lazy. nice graphics and music and some really annoying audio (including the menu music), as one…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros Cute elephant Cute Chicken on head Cons Game play gets tedious Controls not great
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay I beat the game and actually almost 100 percent the game. This game has a ton of rough edge problems but overall was really good! However, I'm giving this a down vote because its unfinished in 2 areas that I know of. There is one quest where if you don't complete early in the game you can never complete since the character goes to jail and never comes back. The other problem and why I couldn't 100 percent the game is because there is one heart piece that I needed to have all of them, but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is 100% created just for kids ...as an adult i don't say i quite enjoy this seems boring and slow ...feels like some made by Duck TV XD ..but maybe this is the real audience ...i played quite few other games that looks for kids but they were fun and could had been enjoyable for adults ..but this ain't one of them ...so these being said if you ahve a kid this game would be great and fun as his first experience ..despite you might had others as a kid XD but times change ...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →53. Was playing this recently. Yono and the Celestial Elephants. A simple, puzzle based, adorable game where you go on an adventure to save the world and help people.
positive · AI labelView post →When the world find itself at the crossroad and the tension is slowly growing among the people, it's a high time for its divine protector to appear. Celestial elephant Yono is sent upon this world to help the people find balance and lead them into a peaceful and prosperous times. But as Yono is just a small, young elephant it's hard for him to see how he could help anyone. With newfound friends he travels around the world, meets its inhabitants, learns about their hardships and dreams… after…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not suited for kids The artstyle is nice and the little elephant looks really cute, but despite the cuddly graphics the game is not for kids of that age who find this adorable. - controls are unintuitive. You have to hold a direction key for a long time before the crate is moved. A kid repeatedly tried to move the crate with the dash ability which would be logical and natural, but the game doesn't allow this way of moving the crates. - The moving platforms do hold for a too short amount of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is weird, and I don't mean that in a good way. It is presented as something that could pass for a fun and colorful adventure, but in reality it quickly get boggled down by a lot of plot about death and such matters, which fails to be interesting and instead only felt jarring to me. The gameplay revolves entirely around block-pushing puzzles, so if you like those, then great, but otherwise it's a chore. The pace never really picks up and the boring puzzles just get more boring. Not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yono and the Celestial Elephants Time Played: 6.2 Hours Last Played: 3rd of May, 2026 Given my time to play anything befitting of the spring season was dwindling, and I wanted a gentle palette cleanser after the near-impossibility that was besting the “Puzzle 2” challenge in Lumines Arise, I thought this would be just what the hypothetical doctor ordered. It unfortunately was not... Yay: + Even the title screen was immediately-enrapturing to me. + You get started with minimal setup.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm live playing a cute little game called Yono and the Celestial Elephants! It's my last stream of 2025 so you better get in here! twitch.tv/NyxTheBat
neutral · AI labelView post →I got this game after seeing it at GDQ. I did not refund it, just because of how cute it looks and I assume someone put a lots of effort in it. That being said, this effort was not enough to create a smooth gameplay experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For a cutesy, simple puzzle game, Yono and the Celestial Elephants takes on some pretty heavy subjects. The themes of self-doubt and uncertainly in the face of expectations you're born into, I sort of expected, but the ways immortality would change one's perceptive, how being created to serve would leave a mark on now sentient machines, the pitfalls of political power structures: I didn't see any of that coming from a plushie-shaped, baby elephant. And yet, Yono has it all. The puzzles…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🐘 It's Elefantastic! 🐘 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1678468650
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FINAL STREAMS OF THE YEAR! Can you believe it guys? Christmas, just a week away! Thurs will be a VR hang before I leave Fri will be more 76 cause I'm addicted Sat will be more Cryptmaster! Sun will be a game I won called Yono and the Celestial Elephants! It looks so freakin cute I can't wait!
neutral · AI labelView post →Ooops. So that video game break? I’m p sure I’m close to finishing Yono and the Celestial Elephants. >_> And I started today. Had to pry myself off so I can sleep! Maybe reward myself with finishing it tomorrow after work? :3 That’s the spirit!
positive · AI labelView post →This is a very cute and beautiful puzzle game. You need to do stuff in specific order to continue to the next area or to complete tasks. Very relaxing and simple puzzles. There are a few glitches and awkward camera angles every now and then, however still cute. I would recommend this game, however buy it on a special.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little adventure game, where you control a magical elephant on your adventures to help others in need. It's a puzzle adventure game, while majority of puzzles are easy some are really tricky to figure out, but they also have a tendency of breaking, so you can no longer continue, this happened to me on the final area and is not fun, the only way to go past it then is to have multiple saves or restarting the whole thing. I'll also mention the fact I had gotten this on chrono.gg back when it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's cuuuuute ! Just sit back, relax and enjoy a pleasant trip through forests and mountains, trying to make people happy. While talking to skeletons about the meaning of life and war. And to robots about freedom. But in the end, you're a baby elephant hanging out with friends so you just do your best and have fun along the way Another cool thing is that nobody's holding your hand, arm, shoulder and leg trying to tell you how to walk and talk.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ok, here it's really hard to decide whether I'd recommend or not. Because I liked the flavour of the game: there isn't much story, but the setting was rather fascinating, and despite the overall game having a colourful kids' game look, it throws quite unexpected philosophical, spiritual and political discussions, there are myths and all that...so the ambience of the game was actually delightfully weird. But the gameplay left quite a lot to desire. There were some fights but the regular ones…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is adorable and frustrating at the same time. It’s clear that I’m not the target audience, but I found it too cute to pass (you can carry a hedgehog on your head!). The art style, the graphics and the soundtrack are all cute. I liked the game’s world as well and playing as a little elephant is fun. There are very nice ideas here and there and I could say that everything is child friendly, except the story. The story is somewhat political for some reason and even I, as an adult, was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute rather easy adventure/puzzle game! Completion time around 5h.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Poorly optimized- It stutters a lot, and it feels like there is some input delay. looks cute and intriguing, however i did not get very far, as the bad response made it unenjoyable for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really cute puzzle game, I enjoyed it very much and got about 11 hours of playtime with it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wonder if the devs really have a younger audience as demographic in mind because I cant for one think these controls are smoothed out for their convenience. Wonky movement, weird looking sprites that's only one step better looking than a slideshow, and a rather uninspired story. I'm sure the devs put a lot of work and love into it, but it's still a bad game no matter how I see it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: Flawed and bugged, but still enjoyable if you're looking for a game to relax. The better: - The way the game blends a seemingly light and easygoing ambience with somewhat darker subject matters and some philosophical questions with its narrative is unexpected but quite welcome. In fact, I wish it went even further with this idea: pushed the philosophical discourse a bit more, especially closer to the ending, which felt a bit rushed. - The music, while it hasn't left a big mark on me,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel weird writing a negative review for this game, because I did enjoy it. It's adorable, the music is fun, the characters are silly, and overall I had a good time playing this game. The puzzles are quite simple, which makes me think the game is aimed at young children--and I do think it would be a good game for them to play--but the dialogue deals with war, oppression, and one elephant shouldering all the earth's burdens and feeling inadequate. There are executioners and ghouls and all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring for someone used to violent games, but might be suitable for children. It has 15 trading cards.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has an undead Diogenes messing with people in the city, so big thumbs up there. The game is cheerful and bizarre in an understated way. It's fairly kid-friendly as the combat is infrequent and easy, although there's some spots where more playtesting could have smoothed out the game balance. Keyboard controls are reconfigurable, but gamepads need to be reconfigured using Steam's tool. Camera control would be a huge improvement for solving puzzles. The game is color-blind friendly,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cute elephant solves puzzles and does fetch quests, what's not to like?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a console (Nintendo Switch) ported family friendly isometric puzzle/action game where you control a baby elephant from space and help a bunch of cutesy cartoony characters solve their problems. This is kind of okay for a console game but the controls are locked and there's no support beyond 1080p, so the game falls below minimum acceptable standards for PC, despite the 2017 launch date. The whopping $15 price tag for a console port that doesn't meet…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very short and simple game. Simple puzzles, simple fights, simple bosses.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short, simple and fun Zelda-like game starring an elephant. Lots of fun side-activities, catchy soundtrack and upbeat, cheery visuals. Puzzles vary from "Ha, a baby could solve this!" to "Ha, a baby could - no wait I'm totally stuck, help". Nothing groundbreaking but a thoroughly good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slow and clunky Zelda-like. Suffers from very bad framerate
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got Yono on sale and really enjoyed it. It is really adorable and charming puzzle game. I can see how it could be considered tedious or too easy, but I think it's a short and perfect game for when you want to relax and play something simple. Pros: + Colorful and cute graphics + Many different elephant skins to choose from without needing to grind + Easy to 100% when it comes to getting coins, letters, and sidequests. Cons: - Not necessarily negative, but this game is definitely better…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll be honest: I only got this game because I love elephants and the game very clearly has at least one elephant. I didn't know much else going into this, and by all appearances in the first few minutes the game seems like a bit of a childish experience for very young kids. There might be some truth to that: the visuals and sounds are largely oriented towards a younger audience. Yono is a cute character, the controls are fairly simplistic, the songs all tend to be cheery, and the game is not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm live with more Yono and the Celestial Elephants! This game is so adorable 🥺 twitch.tv/NyxTheBat
positive · AI labelView post →what a cute wonderful fun game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Though a bit rough around the edges when it comes to the controls, Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a surprisingly rich and packed experience. Do not let the extremely cute graphics, silly and playful music, and quippy, lighthearted dialogue fool you -- this isometric-3d story-driven puzzler has a fulfilling story, and a Message to tell its audience. This game definitely has appeal for many different age groups; the puzzles are not really challenging for a 20-something such as myself,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite simple but well written enough. So a decent game but not too interesting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of little annoyances in this game made me meh about it and I walked away after dungeon 2 (of 3 I think). The controls are a bit wonky; sometimes the headbutt doesn’t work, sometimes it works too much and overshoots you to your death; sometimes the trunk action is hard to aim. There is one rock type you can destroy with headbutts, one rock type you can destroy with dynamite, a crate and an ice block you can push; but there are several objects you can’t do anything with even though they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cute game with simple puzzles. Tbh didn't read much of the text, but was a very chill and relaxing game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Charming puzzle game with pretty visuals. Controls are incredibly irritating, the levels are designed with a camera positioned at 45 degrees from the grid layout, and with wasd controls and ledges that you can fall off, makes it annoying to constantly be holding two input keys at the same time to move around. Audio sounds like it was sourced from a startup free sound website, seriously low quality and not very pleasing sounds. 1/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yono is a fun Zelda-lite kind of game that focuses mostly on puzzles and less on combat. Most of the puzzles are not at all difficult, though a couple near the end take a second or two of thought. Combat is rudimentary but it never feels bad or too intrusive. There are a couple of easy bosses in dungeons, and overall, the game is well paced and doesn't overstay its welcome. If you're looking for a pleasant game, this is it. No challenge, all charm.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A chill elephant story with good puzzles. Except for three bosses its not that challenging cause enemies have very slow attack speed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Soooo cuuuuuute!! The puzzles are simple but fun, it introduces lots of new mechanics to keep things fresh. Good length for a game. Only con is its pretty easy to break/skip a bunch of the puzzles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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