7.5
Rime
Dec. 21, 2018 by Mikey Cannon
SPOILERS AHEAD
Tequila Works adventure-puzzle indie game Rime is like no other. You are clouded with mysteries as soon as the game begins with only a magical fox as your companion. While the puzzles throughout the game are fun to solve sometimes, they hardly present a challenge or require a strategic approach but it is the innocence and simplicity of Rime coupled with the mystery of the tower which keeps you glued to your journey through the magical island.
Rime's soundtrack and artwork is fabulous and hits you on your emotional side. This game is a far cry from modern day gaming but consider playing it as an isolated journey into the mountains for a week by yourself.
The entire game is inspired by Kubler-Ross model also known as the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). The conceptual design of the game is to be applauded as is the creativity of Tequila Works to be able to implement their ideas of having a game revolve around the emotional stages of someone's loss.
As said before, the game is a one-off experience and no matter where you go after playing it, you will indeed be reminded of the soft humming of the boy or the soundtrack every once a while. The gameplay explores the different stages of human emotions and nearing the end of the game you will be rewarded with the explanation to all the mysteries. While we would have wished for a happier ending, the game is a reality check which shows us not everything has a happy ending but people learn to accept and move on in reality.
The world design along with character development has been outstanding. The most iconic element of character design is how the behavior of the characters change as you progress through the game. The game is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Switch. The launch trailer which was released by Sony at Gamescon 2013 is shown below.