Copy, Paste, and Puzzle: Yerba Buena Brings Physics Manipulation to PC and Consoles
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Yerba Buena is a new puzzle platformer inspired by Portal that lets players copy and paste physical properties using a gadget called the Oscillator, available now across PC and current-gen consoles with a Steam demo.
If you have been chasing that specific puzzle platformer itch left behind by Valve, a new release might be worth a look. According to a report by Oisin Kuhnke over at Rock Paper Shotgun, developer Mad About Pandas has just launched Yerba Buena, a game that swaps portal guns for a literal copy and paste mechanic. Set in a surrealist 1970s San Francisco built inside an abandoned video game world, players step into the shoes of Barb, an ordinary NPC dragged into a city-wide conspiracy.
Instead of shooting portals, you carry a device called the Oscillator. This tool lets you log the physical properties of objects in the environment and apply them elsewhere. You can copy the bounciness of a castle and paste it onto a car, or transfer the vertical motion of a hotel sign to a balcony to reach previously inaccessible areas.
The design philosophy leans heavily into open-ended problem solving, offering multiple solutions rather than a single rigid path through each puzzle. Naturally, games that try to capture the magic of Portal face a high bar for comparison. Part of what made Valve's classics endure is the elegant simplicity of their core mechanics.
When you can copy and paste any physical trait, the challenge shifts from spatial reasoning to how the sandbox rules interact. Fortunately, you do not have to guess if the concept holds up. Mad About Pandas has released a playable demo on Steam alongside the full launch, which is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Tags: Yerba Buena, Puzzle Platformer, PC Gaming, Console Gaming, Indie Games
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun