Title: RiME
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC (reviewed)
Developer: Tequila Softworks
Publisher: Greybox Games
Release date: Out now
tl;dr: A charming puzzle adventure game akin to Ico with a Wind Waker paint job.
Price: £30/$35
Family Focus: Click here for more information.

When Rime was first shown at PlayStation’s Gamescom presentation in 2013, it instantly became one of my most wanted games, as the vibes it gave off were that from Team Ico’s incredible adventure game, Ico with a splash of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. After four years, Rime is here and it does not disappoint.

Rime starts off with you experiencing an awful stormy dream, transitions to you waking up on the beach of an unknown island, and upon completing the various puzzles in the first section you are greeted by a fox spirit who guides you through the game. You’re also watched by a mysterious hooded figure who is wearing a red scarf throughout the game, and it’s a little daunting as he/she disappears from view as you get closer… I don’t like being watched…

The controls in Rime are simple and easy to get used to, as they follow the typical adventure control scheme such as A/X to Jump or X/Square to examine. Movement is tight, which is perfect, as you don’t want floaty controls when trying to jump over a few ledges with precision. Unfortunately, in terms of performance on PC, the frame rate dips every so often; I have played around with the graphical settings, but even on the lowest settings the frame rate still drops… I have researched this issue and apparently, Tequila Works are aware and have started work on a patch to fix things.

The cel-shaded graphics are beautiful which blends perfectly with the aesthetic of Rime and gives it that welcoming family friendly vibe. It’s colourful, vibrant, and as I’ve said before, gorgeous. I wish I could live on the island, or at least take a holiday there. Even though Rime has the graphical style of Wind Waker, the water graphics look realistic. I mean, when I got control of the nameless protagonist, I just stared out into the infinite space presented on the beautiful horizon.

As Rime is an adventure puzzle game, it would be wrong for me not to talk about the puzzle aspect. A lot of the puzzles generally are light-based and using shadows to activate switches at a distance; these are intriguing and some can prove a bit of a challenge, giving your brain a bit of a workout. Even though a lot of puzzles can be similar, they never get boring or feel overused.

As for the narrative for Rime, it’s very vague in the sense it’s driven by painted murals and character interaction; this adds a sense of mystery to the whole game. Whilst, I do enjoy this, some people who prefer a strong explanation may find this annoying overall.

Rime contains a vast amount of collectables such as; toys, costumes and set of music then when collected will play a song. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to find all of the collectables as some can be very well hidden throughout the various locations, hopefully, I will able to find them all on my second playthrough as I want to experience the beauty of Rime all over again.

Overall, Rime is an incredible experience and offers a wealth of puzzles for you to experience with a beautiful, colourful and rich graphical style akin to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Rime is definitely worth picking up if you enjoy games such as Ico, Journey and Legend of Zelda, or if you just want to enjoy a nice relaxing puzzle game with a simple narrative.

 

The Good

  • Beautiful environments which will have screencapping every five minutes.
  • Amazing sound design and soundtrack that beautifully accompanies the gorgeous scenery and atmosphere.
  • Interesting puzzles that never get too dull.

The Bad

  • Too many frame rate dips on PC.
  • An unsatisfactory ending that leaves you wanting something more.
  • Too many mundane caves that break up the beautiful scenery.

RiME: Family Focus

A colourful puzzle adventure which is perfect for a family audience. PEGI 7. ERSB E10 Rating.

Disclaimer: This review is based on a digital copy for PC supplied by the publisher for the purpose of this review.