The only way I can describe my experience with RiME this past weekend since its release is to simply say this. That this game is captivating, immersive and unforgettable in every single minute and moment I played of it. To say that RiME was an experience that took every aspect of what I enjoy most about gaming and took it to a whole new level of appreciation is really only scratching the surface of just how much this game has impacted on the way I view video games as an art form and as entertainment. RiME ended up being so very much more than I had expected and hoped for, quickly becoming the biggest and most welcome surprise of 2017 so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrQINQ-Jxmo
Sometimes, just getting the simplest of things right in a video game can create something truly special. When combining so many different elements with the single goal of creating an experience for players that is as satisfying as it is moving and sustaining that level from the moment the game starts to the very end of the credits is not an easy thing, which for the most parts, seldom few games manage to achieve. But when a game does successfully tick all these boxes and does so in a way that is refreshing and genuinely one of a kind, you know that you have something precious before you. RiME manages to do so many things right and in such a way that not a single moment or minute in the gameplay is wasted.
At its core, RiME is about exploring and solving puzzles. The story opens with a young boy waking up after being washed up on the beach of a mysterious island with no recollection of how he got there or where he is. It is in these first moments that RiME immediately envelops the player, wrapping it up in one of the most beautifully crafted musical scores I have experienced in gaming. The soft melody is then joined by the sounds of the waves washing up on the shore as sea gulls squawk and fly around you. Taking a moment to spin the camera around and you are presented with the visual spectacle of the ruins of an old tower structure just in the distance, rising out of the sea and rocky hills around the beach. Taking my first steps, the sound of the boys feet walking in the sand blends into the change of the music that follows you, growing bigger with each step you take moving into this island that lies before you. In just a few minutes I can already tell that this game is going to be something truly different to play.
My first instinct was to simply explore this island, showcasing perhaps the strongest element in RiME, freedom. There is no dialogue or text to read in RiME, nor does the game throw inane tutorials at the player to teach them how to move and interact with the world. Instead RiME gives the player freedom to just be in its world, allowing a fluid and natural way for the player to learn how the game works. Other than an onscreen prompt to press a button to interact with an object, RiME completely leaves everything to the player to learn just by playing. The joy of such simplicity creates a truly immersive experience right from the very start. In these early moments of freedom to test out what you can and cant do in the world, RiME directs the player’s focus and attention right where it needs to be and by doing so in such an effortless manner, the immersion into the world is instantly gratifying.
Visually this game, just as the musical score and audio effects are, is quite simply astonishingly impressive and moving. This is a beautiful world in which to be in and you may find yourself as I did of stopping just to spin the camera around to take it all in. The art style is delightful and is so vibrant in its use of colour to set the tone of each location you explore in the game and far removed from the attempt to be as photo realistic as possible that more and more modern games attempt to have, but so often trip over themselves in doing so. Instead RiME encapsulates the use of light and colour and attention to the smallest of details to create its world. The detail in the animation alone of the boy’s movements to that of the wildlife in this game is so refined that it creates a believable living world that comes to life increasingly more as you progress into it. The lovely touches of the wind blowing through the trees and tall grass and the audio swirls around the boy is subtle but impactful that to put the controller down for a few moments just to take it all in is a reward in itself. The number of times I literally stopped what I was doing to watch the sun set, absorbing how the light changed the setting of the environment I was in as it set, to seeing it become something different as the moon rose and the thousands of stars filled the night sky above me only to have the sun rise again, and feel the warmth of colour as the light brought the landscape to life once again. The use of the visuals to set the tone throughout the game, along with the music is just majestic. Without dialogue or text to tell the story, the music and visuals help the story unfold around the player with cut scenes making full use of both to connect the player emotionally to the boy and the world.
The puzzles are a traditional style of being presented with a puzzle to solve, and using the environment to solve it in order to open a new area or find an object needed to progress further. All the puzzles are logical and so eloquently designed in order to keep the player in the world without having the frustration of failure. The solution will be there if the player is observant enough and some will use a trial and error approach to teach the player what do so that when the same style puzzle appears later in the game, the player will have the knowledge in what to do but without the problem of being too repetitive. The satisfying in successful problem solving allows a nice flow in the game; this is not designed to be over challenging and in doing so, keeps the player completely immersed in the experience and in going forward. The world also has secrets and collectibles to find, rewarding the more adventurous players who like to go exploring but never punishing the players who simply want to play the story and keep moving forward.
I also really came to appreciate the lack of violence in this game as there is no combat, no beating up of enemies or fighting bosses. This is all about telling a story through the exploration and puzzle solving as the boy progresses further into this mysterious world. The story begins to unfold with a gradual pace that will tug at the heart strings. Trophies and Achievements will pop up and are so cleverly named that they become a part of the story telling, helping to give hints at what the overall meaning of the story is without revealing too much about it whilst playing. I was completely emotionally attached to the story by the end, I felt every moment of joy, fear and sadness the boy experienced, so much that I am writing this a full day after completing the story due to having to take some time to process the story because it connected to me on such a personal level which I did not expect. It is delicate in how it delivers its final message so not to rip the player out of the story too harshly, giving the player the chance to be reflective of each of the steps they took throughout the game to get to the end. Though not a very long game, it is just long enough not to drag out the story too much and squandering the pace and flow of the experience it wants players to have. Though I do not personally believe there is such a thing as a perfect game, RiME is perhaps the closest I may ever come to experiencing that very thing, it is faultless in what it want it wants the player to feel every moment they are in the game. The blending of music, visuals and gameplay is remarkable, though it is similar to PS4 exclusive ‘Journey’ in many ways, for me it raises that bar set so high by Journey, in every way.
RiME is something very special. I have deliberately avoided talking too much about the story it tells because it needs to be played to appreciate it properly. It does so many things right and in such a refreshing way to be one of the most moving and emotional gaming experiences I have had and I do not say that lightly. It is moving, emotional and inspiring to play this game and if you devote a day or two sessions to play it fully, it will leave you satisfied and rejuvenated in how much an art form video games can truly be. The power in the smallest of details of the animation combined with the magical musical score to do the story telling give RiME a heart and soul that drives everything that makes this experience so very special.
When I first saw a trailer for RiME back in 2014, something about it even then just gripped my imagination. Three years later and after completing the game, it was well worth the wait. To experience such high quality in every aspect of a game is very rare these days, but to have one that so connected with me on such a deep level, something that many players of the game have also said they felt on completion, is a rare one indeed.
RiME is a beautiful game in so many ways, it certainly deserves a place in your collection and an experience I know will stay with me for years to come.
