RiME review

Simplicity is a skill that can easily be overstated. On the first it may seem easy to make a game like Journey in which the landscapes are empty, the mechanics are reduced to two actions, and the story is told without any words. However, today's research puzzle adventure RiME is an example of how simplicity itself is not a recipe for success. Sometimes the simplicity of the substance that gives the image of the game, but sometimes leaves a lukewarm impression during the game.

However, when I say that RiME is lukewarm compared to the competition, it should be emphasized that this competition is not always available on all platforms, so if you play this game on a PC or Xbox, you may not have experienced anything better than it. In that case, RiME could be a very pleasant experience, provided you go through some minor minus.

From the very beginning, the game sets an intriguing premise. You play as a boy who finds himself on an island with strange architecture and more strange creatures. You slowly discover that it is somehow connected with that island, but at the same time you help him to break these links and escape from that place. His adventure is an adventure survival, pervaded by reminiscence and exploring the magical background of the island. It is mostly told visually - without narration and any other verbal or written communication. Most of the time it works quite well and allows you to discover a kind of "language game" in peace.

A purely visual narration of a story makes you discover a kind of language.

However, one thing in this narrative is completely left to the player, which is not exactly the happiest narrative method. Namely, in the interpretation of the story, the thumbnails that you collect as optional additions hidden all over the island are more than the tracking of the action itself. It is easy to miss, and at the same time lose the key details of the story. Since the islands are linear, once you miss them, there is no return to them.



This decision was obviously made to increase the durability of the game, or to give the game a chance to play again. Namely, the RiME lasts about six hours, which is not ideal for a game that costs thirty euros at a regular price. Sustainability, however, is quite well beyond this price context because the game takes a lot of time so you do not get bored. Puzzles are generally not repeated and everything runs smoothly from start to finish.

The durability of the six-hour game is quite decent, outside the context of a thirty-euro price tag.

There are stocks that contain unnecessary irritation, although in the game you can not technically see the game over the screen. The only punishment is returning a few steps backwards, but it also can be a little stressful when you get killed without having the opportunity to correct your mistake, or get out of the pulley. Fortunately, at the end of the game, this still improves and there are more interesting threats and challenges.



What does not change throughout the game is a pretty awkward control model over the main character. The situation is not as chaotic as in the Shadow of the Colossus, but is far from the convenience that games with a focus on platform elements should have. Often, the movement controls are too sensitive and the character does not stop when you release the analogue fungus.

On the other hand, it is sometimes challenging to control its running when the camera is fixed, or to determine the angle at which you should hold the stick on the controller to move this while hanging on the edge of a wall. Such things cast a stain on the otherwise very solid gameplay mechanics.

RiME is not like games that look more beautiful on promotional materials. In this case, the live game looks better than on the pictures.

More than a solid audiovisual side that does not tell how this is about independent play. Do you know the case when the game looks better on promotional materials than in reality? But in RiME the opposite is true - this game looks better than on static screenshots.



Unfortunately, the consoles are not really the best, and the PC is more demanding than it really should be. But provided that you have honest hardware and that somehow you can spin it even in 4K resolution, believe it is worth it. If nothing, orchestral music lovers can find the best new soundtrack to play after Wintory's Journey.

When we underline the line below everything, RiME is one of those games that definitely pay off at least once if you are a fan of reflexive experiences. I do not think it will be remembered by anyone in a few years as a cult title in the genre of research adventures, but the recommendation will probably get in spite of some technical problems in performance.

There remains only a matter of patience - how long to wait for the price cut and in which moment to accept it.