Röki (2020)

I played this game with my son. While a little dark, it is a beautiful episodic story about family and loss.

It has a large scope for an adventure game and changes tone and setting a few times. The characters, world and puzzles are engaging and for an adventure game of this run time I only got stumped and checked guides 4-5 times.

This is also a thrilling window into the folklore of another country.

I think I said most of what I wanted to in a previous update, but I'll say it again:

Everyone should play this game.

It's the story of a grieving father/husband, a daughter forced to grow up too soon, and a younger brother with the ability to see the creatures (and monsters) of Scandinavian folklore. (It is also partly the story of a devoted mother and the fears she has for her "monstrous" son.) You play as Tove, the daughter, who is on a quest to find her missing brother.

I don't even know what the best part of this game is. The environments are absolutely gorgeous, and just feel real. The music is immersive and soft, upping the ante in more intense parts of the story. The story itself had me in my feels almost constantly, which was refreshing and honestly not exhausting. The characters are relatable and realistic, with deep emotional scars that are gradually revealed as you progress.

The gameplay is totally solid. There's no fighting or even a jump button, but you do control Tove in 3rd person, running around and occasionally climbing. It's an adventure game with puzzle-solving elements similar to a hidden object game or point-and-click. You collect items to solve puzzles and interact with NPCs and the environment. The puzzles range from simply recognizing when to use an item from your inventory to more challenging ones that require interpreting riddles and placing or combining collected items correctly.

One of the best things about the puzzles is that they're never immersion-breaking. They all serve a role in the environment and the story, and it's never like you're solving one "just because it's a puzzle game." You're always trying to do something relevant, like entering a building or other structure or helping a troll lady make delicious tea. There's even a new twist to the gameplay in the final area where you're switching between two characters at will to get through it, and it's a very smooth and well-done transition.

Everything about this game just sat right with me. I honestly have no complaints, other than that I don't know any other games like this and I want more.

I'm probably 75% of the way through this, and honestly, everyone needs to play this game.

I mean, LOOK AT IT.

I can't remember the last time I just felt so much while playing a game (that wasn't like a really story-heavy JRPG or something). It's just so insanely beautiful. Tove's desperate search for her little brother, her grief over the loss of her mother, her guilt toward her father--it all just hits hard.

I love the point-and-click aspect when it comes to using inventory items. I love the journal with the charts, badges, collection, and story notes. The music and the environments are absolutely incredible. The inclusion of Nordic folklore and mythological creatures feels very natural. (I love the trolls so much, especially Trollhulde!)

Like, damn, man. The trailer looked interesting enough for me to put it on my wishlist a while back, but it definitely doesn't do this game justice.

There's no fighting; there's no jump button. You just run and solve puzzles and explore and feeeeeeel.