Games

RiME is an unforgettable story after a long silence. Review

Game tested on PlayStation 4

From the outside, it might seem that RiME was created in production hell. News about the project stopped coming immediately after the publication of the trailer in 2013, then Spanish industry insiders wrote that the game did not really exist, Sony stopped funding, and the money it had already invested went nowhere. Some time later, the Tequila Games studio announced the acquisition of the rights to RiME from Sony, which many associated with problematic development and distrust on the part of a large corporation.

How much of this was true is anyone's guess. And if it’s difficult to confirm or refute insiders’ statements (there were even rumors that RiME was not a pretty adventure at all, but a MOBA or something similar), then Sony’s actions are quite understandable. In recent years, the company has been publishing indie games less and less, making an exception only for the creations of its own studios. Therefore, they remain only on PS4, and once exclusive ones do not. So RiME is available immediately on all current platforms, and in the end it turned out to be exactly the game that we were waiting for.

⇡ Again a guy, again an island

A nameless boy wakes up on the shore of a mysterious island. Seagulls scream around and crabs scurry around, and the only thing left for the guy is to run forward and try to understand where he got to. The player is not explained which buttons are responsible for what, since everything becomes clear without words: the hero jumps low, clings to ledges with his hands (interactive objects are colored like in Uncharted) and in some cases can grab objects and move them in different directions .

Almost immediately, the character meets a fox cub, who will become his guide around this island. Due to the presence of the animal in most locations, it becomes quite difficult to get lost - barking allows you to quickly determine the further direction. In addition, RiME offers exploration in more or less linear locations, and the path from one point to another in open areas is usually obvious. So, despite the similarity in visual style with, you should not expect an open world. At the same time, there are about fifty collectible items here that will never catch your eye if you do not try to look for loopholes hidden behind the bushes and hidden interactive platforms.

The boy does not have to fight opponents - puzzles become the only obstacle in his way. And in the first hour they seem really unusual and original - sometimes the solution is obvious, but as soon as you find the answer, the conditions immediately change, and you have to think differently. Often, tasks are related to the movement of objects: from placing them in the right positions to the play of light and shadow falling from different things. The guy copes with most problems using his voice - it is worth shouting loudly, as the statues standing nearby are activated and something happens. Sometimes you have to use several statues at the same time, choosing the right angle.

Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half, the puzzles become too easy. You almost don’t have to think about them, because when you get into one or another room, you immediately more or less imagine what you need to do. However, RiME successfully smooths this shortcoming with interesting narrative techniques. Some of them have already been in similar projects, but the presentation is still original enough not to talk about direct copying, ICO, or The Witness.

If streaks of white paint are visible somewhere, then you can climb there

The beauty of RiME and its main advantage is in the ending, which completely changes the attitude towards everything seen before the finale. Everything takes on a completely different meaning and begins to look completely different. Even the menu with a choice of chapters surprises with an unexpected decision. The game is full of mystery - as you progress, you meet unusual sculptures and mechanisms, study the paintings on the walls, follow a strange figure in a red cloak. And although not everything becomes clear immediately after the final episode, over time, the meaning of most of the details still appears.

⇡ Vivid impressions

But do not think that the rest of RiME has to be endured for the sake of the final alone - the game always maintains interest, there are simply no boring or drawn-out episodes in it. The sun-drenched shore gives way to a colorful meadow, gloomy caves and a network of underground passages. Sometimes you have to swim underwater, replenishing the supply of air in the lungs with the help of large bubbles. That time of day will change, then the weather, then new dangers will arise on the way - something is always happening in this world, and because of this, not the longest duration (if you do not get distracted by secrets, get ready to spend six or seven hours) does not seem serious disadvantage.

The attention to detail here is appropriate: lizards crawl along the rocks and overgrown with vegetation, birds can always be seen and heard on the island, flocks of fish frolic underwater, and the seabed is dotted with corals and algae. Sometimes, like in The Witness, you just want to look at the environment and take nice screenshots - especially since the "cartoon" visual style looks great and is unlikely to ever seem outdated in the future. At the same time, RiME is devoid of the slovenliness inherent in many indie platformers, which is usually expressed in crooked animations, a sluggish camera, or objects placed somehow.

Therefore, it is hard to believe in the rumors mentioned at the beginning. RiME became the second Tequila Works project that the studio created independently (before that there was a platformer) - and it turned out to be something truly magical. Everything in RiME works as it should: a mysterious narrative that reveals all the cards by the end, and an unobtrusive platform component, and pleasant, albeit simple, riddles.

So it's not worth launching RiME in the hope of seeing "The Witness with a plot" - the puzzles here are much less inventive. Rather, the game will appeal to those who have fond memories of the ICO, who have sunk into the soul of Journey and who were able to manage The Last Guardian in order to see the finale. Here you don’t have to suffer with anything: the main character deftly and relatively quickly climbs ledges and platforms, jumps where the player wants, and reacts to commands without ever causing irritation. And the puzzles are just a nice bonus, which does not interfere in any way during the passage and does not seem out of place.

RiME is one of those games that you want to advise friends and acquaintances, but it is very difficult to explain the reason for the delight. At first, it seems like a bright and, perhaps, even a banal fairy tale - there have already been many games about a hero who solves puzzles on the island. But almost immediately, the work of Tequila Works gives the impression of something much more: it surprises after the first steps, pleases the ear with an amazing soundtrack and delights with the final chapter.

RiME towers over many other story-driven platformers of recent years. This is an unforgettable adventure that can easily be put on a par with the work of Team ICO.

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