They're more like TLG puzzles - as in, more like environmental walk around finding x to open y. Not barely puzzles at all most of the time.
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RiME |OT| Breath of the Child
- Thread starter Eggbok
- Start date
They're more like TLG puzzles - as in, more like environmental walk around finding x to open y. Not barely puzzles at all most of the time.
Jack The Nipper
Banned
This wasnt a Tuesday release?
Hoho for breakfast
Member
Awesome game overall. I think the look, the music, the exploration, and the ending are what really made the game. My only real complaint is the controls/movement is not very fluid at all. Otherwise an excellent game. I'd rate it above Little Nightmares and What Remains Of Edith Finch.
Maybe a 2 or 3? Don't get it for the puzzles. At no point did I feel like a puzzle was clever, or did I feel clever for solving one.
The exploration on the other hand I'd rate higher because I missed a bunch of collectible stuff on my first play through. There were a couple things I found though on that playthrough that I thought were hidden pretty well. Apparently a bunch of other stuff was hidden even better since I didn't find it.
Maybe a 2 or 3? Don't get it for the puzzles. At no point did I feel like a puzzle was clever, or did I feel clever for solving one.
The exploration on the other hand I'd rate higher because I missed a bunch of collectible stuff on my first play through. There were a couple things I found though on that playthrough that I thought were hidden pretty well. Apparently a bunch of other stuff was hidden even better since I didn't find it.
I was thinking of buying it but the price combined with length and performance put me off a bit. I bought a PS4 Pro and 4K TV relatively recently, I want stable performance. I'll wait for a framerate lock patch or sale.This thread is so slow. That's not good
I'd buy it first, it will always be a good game regardless of what your feelings on performance are.
Also they are going to have money to pay for said patch if people buy it, if it bombs, that is not as likely.
Well I beat it.
I liked it a lot. It's stunningly beautiful in a way that AAA titles don't bother with anymore, and the ending
worked fantastically.
If I had a complaint is that it leans on the whimsical score a little too much.
Frankly all the bitching about performance and optimizing and blahdeblahdebloo is grating. It's a $30 indie game that isn't a cheapo 2D platformer. There should be some allowance for flaws under those circumstances and it's annoying to think that people are passing up a labour of love such as this for those reasons.
I liked it a lot. It's stunningly beautiful in a way that AAA titles don't bother with anymore, and the ending
where you play as the grieving father
If I had a complaint is that it leans on the whimsical score a little too much.
Frankly all the bitching about performance and optimizing and blahdeblahdebloo is grating. It's a $30 indie game that isn't a cheapo 2D platformer. There should be some allowance for flaws under those circumstances and it's annoying to think that people are passing up a labour of love such as this for those reasons.
This thread is so slow. That's not good
Honestly, if this was PS4 exclusive I feel this thread would get bit more traffic. I think many were ridiculously scared off by them splitting up with Sony. So not even the positive reception makes them give this a chance. It's really unfortunate. But it's not like this is the only game deserving of more attention in GAF either. Hopefully more people play and enjoy the game and this thread will pick up.
Jawbreaker
Member
The game seems to be selling pretty poorly, unfortunately. Its UK debut was quite low, and while still a bit early, it's sitting at around 6k on Steamspy, whereas games that released on the same day or the day before can be upwards of 77k. Granted, it doesn't help that it has performance issues on PC.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
I mean this is also the company that hand waved away their price gouging on the switch as "development costs" because it now costs more to port a came than to actually develop it. Shouldn't really be that shocking that you should pay now and hope for a well running game in the future if they make enough money.
You really can't get away with releasing a game with subpar performance these days. News travel far and wide in a really quick manner. I feel bad that it's selling poorly, but maybe next time don't release a game with all these performance problems and for the love of god never release a game with an uncapped framerate on consoles.
This is what's making me hesitate, sadly.
Well it didn't stop Breath of the wild, but that's a very special case for being one of the best and launching on a new hit console. Any idea on how Last Guardian did? Fallout 4 atleast sold well even with it's dips to 20 fps. In that case it might help that people weren't expecting anything better.
I was going to mention with rare exceptions, of course. Zelda and Fallout will sell millions regardless of performance. No idea how TLG did. I suspect that it would sell the same amount even if it ran 4k/60.
Thanks for the replies.
Since puzzles aren't the main focus I wonder how rewarding the exploration aspect is.
Will wait for a patch and then give it a go.
This thread is so slow. That's not good
The Switch version doesn't even have a release date yet and many people are probably waiting for that (I know I am).
forknknife
Banned
All videos of the game I've seen is the kid solving some kind of puzzle. If this is not a puzzle game, what else do you do?
Yeah, hopefully they get fixes up fast and the situation will noticeably improve and the word about it would spread too. It's always a shame when a game with a great vision and design is held back by technical problems. Especially on these smaller games without any pedigree and minimal marketing, it can be a kiss of death. Hopefully it isn't too late, fingers crossed for the Switch version atleast.
RPGCrazied
Member
They talk about performance issues for PC, but not consoles? I'm guessing there are no patches in the works. Really disappointing.
Apparently people played biilions of puzzle games so they don't qualify Rime as puzzle game because it offers nothing new for them.
For the first hour puzzles felt great to me, I would even compare some of them to The Witness. Later on they became simplier but they still were puzzles.
Steve McQueen
Member
I don't agree.The framerate on consoles is not acceptable to me, which doesn't mean it's a great game. I think it was the wrong decision to go with an unlocked framerate while a locked 30pfs was an option on consoles. In my opinion, only 30 or 60 on consoles. Everything in between only makes things worse.
If true, that 4 month delay would kill my interest in getting this game on the Switch. Even July 21 would be pretty disappointing...
Doug Heffernan
Member
I actually like that the puzzles are not as complex as The Witness. It makes the game a lot more relaxing.
The puzzles are more about exploration than about cracking codes. It's an experience reminiscent of Journey, Abzu or Ico.
Just finished the game.
I need to collect my thoughts but overall i found Rime to be a memorable experience that was well worth buying. Well done, Tequila Works!
Somehow, i had no clue what the game was about until i saw the chapter select screen (despite discovering 6 keyholes). Now i wonder if the world and the game might have been full of hints and things i didn't notice or understood and if replaying could add an extra dimension to the game. There is still a lot about the story that i don't understand though. Ultimately, it seems about dealing with loosing someone you love and the various stages in that process. However, i still don't understand how these feelings are actually portrayed throughout the chapters in the game and the boy in particular.
I need to collect my thoughts but overall i found Rime to be a memorable experience that was well worth buying. Well done, Tequila Works!
I think the price will be off-putting for a lot of people. I know a lot of people who aren't willing yet to part so much cash for what they essentially see as an indie game with not a very long length, but anyway, I've just started it tonight myself and really like it so far. It actually seems like the perfect hangover game as it's so relaxing.
the black pearl
Member
It's a puzzle game, but its more about the atmosphere and physicality of the puzzles than challenge basically.
Some of the things I inferred or took away from the story:
Chapter 1 - Denial:
This level is rather cheerful looking and contains no enemies. In that sense it is kind of a safe place. The puzzles, which are pretty plentiful in this chapter, serve to occupy the mind, allowing the boy not to focus on the real issue of his death and detachment from his loved ones. Some people also lump isolation into this grief stage, and what's more isolated that being on an deserted island.
Chapter 2 - Anger:
In this level we see our first foe, a large winged bird. The environment also becomes less hospitable and there's a certain level of anxiety that goes along with the bird chasing the boy. In addition to this the dark storm clouds denote a shift out of denial, and introduce the typical stage two signs of grief. This is also the first area where the ominous, black, robed figures appear, but at this point they can be easily defeated.
Chapter 3 - Bargaining:
I'm having more difficulty finding the meaning in this chapter. The robed figures become hostile, so maybe they represent the negative thoughts that race through the boys mind. I'm not sure what the point of the Sentinels are, unless the boy is just looking to cope by reaching out to "friends."
Chapter 4 - Depression:
This one is pretty straight forward. It's rainy and dreary. Rain = tears. All of the boy's Sentinel "friends" end up leaving him, as does the fox. Maybe he's finally starting to understand the situation and beginning the process of acceptance. The boy hits his low when he becomes trapped in stone and consumed by darkness. At the end, enlightenment is reach, and the light house is lit. and acceptance is achieved.
Chapter 5 Acceptance:
Another obvious stage. I just got done platinuming the game, and the little added detail from seeking out the White Shades made the game even more sad:
This level is rather cheerful looking and contains no enemies. In that sense it is kind of a safe place. The puzzles, which are pretty plentiful in this chapter, serve to occupy the mind, allowing the boy not to focus on the real issue of his death and detachment from his loved ones. Some people also lump isolation into this grief stage, and what's more isolated that being on an deserted island.
Chapter 2 - Anger:
In this level we see our first foe, a large winged bird. The environment also becomes less hospitable and there's a certain level of anxiety that goes along with the bird chasing the boy. In addition to this the dark storm clouds denote a shift out of denial, and introduce the typical stage two signs of grief. This is also the first area where the ominous, black, robed figures appear, but at this point they can be easily defeated.
Chapter 3 - Bargaining:
I'm having more difficulty finding the meaning in this chapter. The robed figures become hostile, so maybe they represent the negative thoughts that race through the boys mind. I'm not sure what the point of the Sentinels are, unless the boy is just looking to cope by reaching out to "friends."
Chapter 4 - Depression:
This one is pretty straight forward. It's rainy and dreary. Rain = tears. All of the boy's Sentinel "friends" end up leaving him, as does the fox. Maybe he's finally starting to understand the situation and beginning the process of acceptance. The boy hits his low when he becomes trapped in stone and consumed by darkness. At the end, enlightenment is reach, and the light house is lit. and acceptance is achieved.
Chapter 5 Acceptance:
Another obvious stage. I just got done platinuming the game, and the little added detail from seeking out the White Shades made the game even more sad:
When the father goes to hug the boy, the mother appears and joins in on the hug.
As far as parallels and themes similar to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
The bird creature is similar to an albatross, and shares the same fate.
The obvious sea, ships, and shipwreck themes.
The obvious sea, ships, and shipwreck themes.
The questions I have, mainly from the ambiguity of the keyhole stories and flashbacks:
Why did the boy leave?
Did the tentacles represent some kind of evil force that overtook their homeland, or did it represent the father's depression from his son leaving?
Was the father on the boat or simply wishing he could have been there to help?
I assume that while they look similar, the piece of land that the father is on and the piece of land that the boy ends up on are not the same and more like the real world and the afterlife.
Did the tentacles represent some kind of evil force that overtook their homeland, or did it represent the father's depression from his son leaving?
Was the father on the boat or simply wishing he could have been there to help?
I assume that while they look similar, the piece of land that the father is on and the piece of land that the boy ends up on are not the same and more like the real world and the afterlife.
Also, this has me even more exited for another of my highly anticipated, Ico-like/Journey-like titles, Vane. I hope it is just as fantastical and artistic. I really hope we get another look at it at E3, or even better: a release date.
Ah dang, I came in this thread expecting more spoilers (lol) but seeing it this slow is kinda disappointing. I still plan to get this on the Switch although if that July 21st rumor release date is true then uh....yeah that's not happening Day 1.
This game completely flew under my radar until it popped up in my Steam news on the weekend. I'm intrigued and have it on my "to play" list.
The disparity in reviews was surprising to me. For those who have played/finished the game, do you think a lot of the low scores are from reviewers who just didn't "get it"? Kinda like with TLG?
The disparity in reviews was surprising to me. For those who have played/finished the game, do you think a lot of the low scores are from reviewers who just didn't "get it"? Kinda like with TLG?
phantasmic_glaive
Member
That and and it came out on a Friday with little to no promotion. PS4 exclusives gets promoted well enough to keep it on people's radar. Not only that but, it was sandwiched between some big releases. Injustice, ultra sf and Tekken. Not to mention the 20-30 games that came out the last 2 weeks and e3 is upon us. It probably should've held off for a couple of weeks or launched aligned itself with Crash or something.
ScientificPizza
Banned
I'm waiting for the Switch version 🤑This thread is so slow. That's not good
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of others were as well
Definitely. I think The Last Guardian is probably its closest comparison, especially since The Last Guardian had some minor issues, but was amazing on a whole. It stays much closer to the games as art genre and is a great experience. I've been on both sides of some of these types of games, being underwhelmed with ICO and Flower, but loving Shadow of the Colossus and Journey.
It does have some technical issues. If only concerned with its creative and artistic merits, I'd rate it a 9-10. But if rating it merely on an objective, technical level, I'd say it's a 6-7, mainly due to some of the frame rate issues. Still, overall I'd give it a 9 because I'm more lenient on technical issues providing the rest of the experience is top notch.
(I actually think it would be a good idea if more review scores listed two separate scores to show what they achieve creatively vs what they achieve on a technical level - kind of like Olympic sports scores. I think its a cool way to merge subjective opinions with objective statistics.)
TLG's technical issues weren't something as trivial as frame rate/pacing issues every now and then, but a flawed companion AI, on which the main game mechanic is based.
During one incident in TLG I spent an hour solving a puzzle the solution of which I worked out within a couple of minutes. I did everything by the book but no dice. So I started doubting myself and trying different things and going around like an idiot. Eventually I restart the game, try the first solution again and voila it works.
Add a few more incidents similar to this one and now do you really think my overall experience would be the same as someone who was lucky enough to go through the game without encountering these? Should I be labeled as someone who "didn't get it" if I don't think the game is great after all that? Reasonably the answer to both is a big nope, but not everyone is reasonable.
Doug Heffernan
Member
I think a lot of people on this forum wrote the game off after that article about the creator crying over a GAF thread. If that's the case, it's a petty reason to ignore an amazing game like this.
"Didn't get it" is a bit harsh. I too had a few issues getting Trico to do stuff. Some people will dismiss issues like those when concerned with the overall experience. Others can't overcome the issues and scores suffer for it.
My main point is that many times a score can suffer due to technical issues, devaluing the creative vision of the project.
More often than not a game that brings something new and interesting to the table but has glaring technical issues still gets credit for its creativity by the reviewer even if they think the overall experience is shit (see Trespasser and its revolutionary physics).
A game that brings something new to the table and has minor technical issues will still be praised to high heaven (see SoTC, Demon's Souls, etc...).
In this case, some of the reviewers didn't think Rime was interesting enough to offset the technical issues. The reader's responsibility is to discern whether or not these issues offset everything else the game potentially has to offer.
The score is of no value to anyone with the ability to read.
Always-honest
Banned
Wow.. had to search pretty hard for this thread. Isn't the game very popular on Gaf?
Shrike Alvaron
Member
Oh my god for some reason the game is crashing like crazy for me :S It happened a few times before, but now I'm in the rain world and it's crashing so frequently I'm barely able to make any progress and it's just really discouraging me from continuing. One time it even crashed so hard I had to restart my entire computer because task manager wouldn't come up.
I was really liking it and want to see this end everyone's talking about but this is just insane...
Edit: Well what do you know, I went and tried one more time and it managed to avoid crashing all the way through the end. ...Until the credits ended, at which point it seemed to crash one final time. Kinda surprised about how many collectibles I missed when I thought I was being pretty thorough most of the time, except for the rain world where I just wanted to move on so as not to lose progress from crashes.
About the ending:
Padding out space here since it didn't occur to me that an emoticon could be a spoiler
Following what Wozman23 theorized above,
I was really liking it and want to see this end everyone's talking about but this is just insane...
Edit: Well what do you know, I went and tried one more time and it managed to avoid crashing all the way through the end. ...Until the credits ended, at which point it seemed to crash one final time. Kinda surprised about how many collectibles I missed when I thought I was being pretty thorough most of the time, except for the rain world where I just wanted to move on so as not to lose progress from crashes.
About the ending:
Padding out space here since it didn't occur to me that an emoticon could be a spoilerFollowing what Wozman23 theorized above,
I think the Sentinels are a representation of the father/son trying to combat grief. The impression I got from Bargaining level was that the Sentinels in the "dream world" were designed to ward off the shades, hence how they amplify the light orb blasts. Translating that to the real world, the Sentinels can be seen as friends, other outside influences, or even positive just thoughts that support you as you're 're going through this process of grief. Unfortunately as you slip farther into depression they begin to slip away, until you hit the low point where it feels like you're on your own and no one can help. At that point, you alone are able to break free and continue towards acceptance.
matrix-cat
Member
Just finished it. I'd been looking forward to this game since those very first trailers when it was still a Sony exclusive. I played on PS4 Pro and it could use a 30FPS lock option, but I honestly would have kept it unlocked because it really didn't stutter that much (it either got better later in the game or I just started ignoring it).
This game is so Team ICO-y that I'm not even going to pretend to ignore it. It's perfectly obvious that that they've taken huge influence from Ueda's games, and while Rime falls short in some areas I honestly think it surpassed them in others. Shortly after the game started I realised I'd been bracing myself for some kind of obnoxious tutorial, and I was delighted when it never actually came. The first thing I did upon starting the game was go in the opposite direction to where the camera pointed me, press all the buttons, find some hidden paths and a collectible or two; at no point did the game feel the need to step in and tell me what to do. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to The Last Guardian, for example, which can be heavy-handed to the point of absurdity with all its obnoxious tooltips and booming voiceover narration telling you exactly what you just saw.
Rime doesn't have a single word, either spoken or written, through the entire game (outside of the menus, at least), and it's such a wonderful thing. The command of both game design and storytelling necessary to create a thing like this just boggles my mind a little. The puzzles themselves aren't going to blow anyone's minds, but they were all enjoyable, intuitive and rewarding to solve, and the game is constantly layering new mechanics into them to keep them fresh. I played Tequila Works' previous game Dead...something? Deadlight? That 2D zombie thing that came out within the same couple of years as like six other zombie games with the word 'dead' in their titles. I found that totally unremarkable, so I'm amazed to see how far this developer has come.
I also think it's nice that the game just plays well. 60(ish) FPS on Pro and perfectly functional controls. Rime Boy doesn't feel like a razor-sharp Platinum Games character or anything; he just controls easily enough that you can forget about the controller in your hands and lose yourself in the game. Not to harp on TLG's shortcomings, but the boy in that game controls like absolute garbage, and the constant fight to move him where I wanted to go meant I just never reached that point of (I don't care if it's a cliche) immersion. Too many 'art game' developers overlook this side of the medium, which I find so disappointing, but Rime gets it right.
So, yeah, not to spoil anything, but I thought this game was lovely all the way through. Gorgeous art style, wonderful music, perfunctory but still enjoyable gameplay, and a nice, low-key story that definitely had me blinking back tears at the ending. I want to play through it again at some point, but right now I just want to let it congeal in my memory for a while. Bask in the glow for a bit
This game is so Team ICO-y that I'm not even going to pretend to ignore it. It's perfectly obvious that that they've taken huge influence from Ueda's games, and while Rime falls short in some areas I honestly think it surpassed them in others. Shortly after the game started I realised I'd been bracing myself for some kind of obnoxious tutorial, and I was delighted when it never actually came. The first thing I did upon starting the game was go in the opposite direction to where the camera pointed me, press all the buttons, find some hidden paths and a collectible or two; at no point did the game feel the need to step in and tell me what to do. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to The Last Guardian, for example, which can be heavy-handed to the point of absurdity with all its obnoxious tooltips and booming voiceover narration telling you exactly what you just saw.
Rime doesn't have a single word, either spoken or written, through the entire game (outside of the menus, at least), and it's such a wonderful thing. The command of both game design and storytelling necessary to create a thing like this just boggles my mind a little. The puzzles themselves aren't going to blow anyone's minds, but they were all enjoyable, intuitive and rewarding to solve, and the game is constantly layering new mechanics into them to keep them fresh. I played Tequila Works' previous game Dead...something? Deadlight? That 2D zombie thing that came out within the same couple of years as like six other zombie games with the word 'dead' in their titles. I found that totally unremarkable, so I'm amazed to see how far this developer has come.
I also think it's nice that the game just plays well. 60(ish) FPS on Pro and perfectly functional controls. Rime Boy doesn't feel like a razor-sharp Platinum Games character or anything; he just controls easily enough that you can forget about the controller in your hands and lose yourself in the game. Not to harp on TLG's shortcomings, but the boy in that game controls like absolute garbage, and the constant fight to move him where I wanted to go meant I just never reached that point of (I don't care if it's a cliche) immersion. Too many 'art game' developers overlook this side of the medium, which I find so disappointing, but Rime gets it right.
So, yeah, not to spoil anything, but I thought this game was lovely all the way through. Gorgeous art style, wonderful music, perfunctory but still enjoyable gameplay, and a nice, low-key story that definitely had me blinking back tears at the ending. I want to play through it again at some point, but right now I just want to let it congeal in my memory for a while. Bask in the glow for a bit
Man with Knife
Member
___
Shrike Alvaron
Member
Sorry, didn't think about that. FWIW, (not actually a spoiler just relating to what you spoilered)
it's a bit more complicated than that. Lots of emotions were and still are being felt.
Interesting thoughts, Wozman23 and others. I feel that i will experience the game different on my second playthrough and think more about what is actually happening in the game. I look forward to it. Should i start a new game or will i lose my collectibles? Also, i don't care about throphies (only reached 27% iirc) but i had a look at the list and most of them seem quite fun to discover and do. Though i have no clue how to achieve most of them yet.
And yes, Vane is next up on my list of most anticipated games
I just love these type of games.charliebear
Neo Member
Just finished this. A little torn. Didn't get me emotionally like Journey at the end. Didn't wow me like Abzu. Enjoyed it quite a bit but less as the game went on. Preferred the early areas. Think had it been a bit cheaper (psn) would be less torn.
Still. Good experience. Glad I got to play.
Still. Good experience. Glad I got to play.