RIME (PS4)

(Please click through to the "See all reviews" link above or below to read the whole thing)I completed Rime in about 12 hours, and I take my time on games, so I'd estimate average playtime to be about 10-12 hours, to complete the game once. You could rush through in less, but wouldn't want to. Once you've completed it, the level select option is opened up, along with info on which collectables you have found in each area. The design and art direction is nice enough, as are the levels and puzzles. The music and sound effects are decent too, but the game is also quite frustrating. There's a little bit of heart-string pulling towards the end of the game, although nothing too out of the ordinary.The main distraction are some serious and frequent frame rate issues; just running through a corridor or panning the camera results in drops. Shadows on walls can also look atrocious, with serious pixelation and flicker. This game is pretty, but by no means graphically stunning, and there is no excuse for these issues. Strangely the frame rate issues were mostly concentrated in the first few areas, but they did crop up throughout. If a game like Horizon (which does have stunning visuals and much more happening at once) can maintain a solid frame rate on a standard PS4, 99% of the time, then so can this, with its much simpler graphics and levels.There seem to be issues with some of the trophies. I did exactly as required and didn't receive some. They are also extremely ambiguous, and in one case could have meant one of two things, which was a real pain (you're hiding from one creature by using the shade, while also trying to avoid other creatures which may or may not be called "shades"...). Lots of the trophies seem to be things you'd stumble upon more by luck rather than through skill or exploring. A little annoying as it's nice to know what you have to do, even if not where, instead of just a random riddle alluding to something you have no clue about.This is a good, and not stellar, game. The 9/10 rating from Edge is their way of saying they want more games like this compared with FPS's and open world collecting / shooting games, which would be nice, but they don't have to show that by inflating a game's score. I'd give it 7/10. The reduced RRP helps, but even for £25 or so, 10-12 hours isn't a whole lot of playtime, and I'm not sure I'm that fussed about playing each level again (collectables would be fine - toys, costumes etc, but for the trophies which I have no idea at all how to get, it's a waste of time).It's great to see developers making games like this, I was just hoping for a little more. It's a lot of lovely ideas, nicely put together, but as some other reviewers have commented on, we've kind of seen it all before. You can see what they were trying to achieve, but some fresher ideas and a little more to do wouldn't have gone amiss, along with maybe a few more levels. It's very bare-bones, but in some ways that's nice, without superfluous and vacuous NPC's, pages of stats, having to craft items, keep an inventory, and have a huge laundry list of objectives to tick off. Still, a good effort, and anything that's not a Marvel cash-in or new Call of Duty is definitely worth a look.

I hardly ever write a review (especially for games), but Rime is one of those rare gaming experiences I think everyone should play. (Of course not everyone, if first person shooters are your forte why would you play this?) If *only* everyone would play a game like Rime.It is incredibly refreshing to play something which has no on screen tutorials or button prompts and no speech. From the very start - when your nameless character wakes up on the shore of a mysterious island - you're free to explore and figure things out for yourself. The art style is absolutely beautiful and full of colour and visual flair; the day/night cycle wowed me and I genuinely lost track of time whilst playing it. There are subtle visual cues which guide you in a particular direction and gradually introduce new gameplay mechanics, but you'll hardly notice them.Visually Rime creates a very special immersive experience and I found myself in awe of it.Sound equally plays an important part in creating Rime's immersion; whether it's the sound of the waves and gulls, the chirpy barks your fox companion makes, the secret 'lullaby' horns which can be found, or the boy's own (slightly subdued) voice. There's some excellent sound design complemented by intermittent music, in particular a piano track which I thought was hauntingly beautiful. It's also worth noting that you can sometimes find where the fox has scampered off to by following the noise of its barks. Music triggers in relation to events within the game and is succinct in doing so.Since other reviewers have raised the frame rate as an issue, I'd like to state that I've only had one or two occasions of frame rate drop. They were barely noticeable and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game as a whole in any way.As a puzzle/adventure game, Rime does what it does almost to perfection. The environmental puzzles aren't exceptionally taxing, but they do require some lateral thinking to solve. The solutions are creative and clever and wholly rewarding to figure out. Rime doesn't just ask you to take an object from area A and move it to area B. Puzzles often involve light, shadow, time, perspective and even positioning. You feel a huge sense of achievement passing from one area to another; something I've perhaps not experienced since PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus. Rime makes you actually think...In closing, I haven't fully figured out the story, although I feel like I'm on the verge of discovering a great tragedy (perhaps I already have). Rime is hopeful too and showcases the resilience of the human spirit, not unlike Journey before it. If you're still having doubts, please support the developer - this is a game which is worth every penny in my eyes and it's a bargain at £20 or less. I don't know what game IGN have been playing to give it 6.5 out of 10, but Edge magazine gave it a score of 9/10. Tequila Works really have crafted something which will stay with me long after I've completed it.Rime is an absolute joy.

Have played this for ~3-4 hours so far and have to say it's awesome! Very similar to Ico/Shadow of the Colossus/The Last Guardian in tone in that there is zero dialogue and virtually no instructions. Nevertheless it's a really immersive game, the artwork and the music score really help to accomplish that. Performance-wise I have noticed a few jitters and frame-rate drops (I'm playing on a PS4 slim), but not so much that it's a huge issue. It is the first day it's been released so I'm sure with a patch this will be sorted.At first I was worried that the puzzles would be too easy, but I have to say that some of them I was really stumped on for a while. A really nice variety of puzzle styles as well, a nice improvement from other recent releases (cough The Last Guardian cough). I was going to say that this would also be a great game for kids but I'm not sure if it's a bit TOO minimalist in terms of instructions on what to do. Try it out I guess!Overall a really great, original game, it looks amazing and I can't wait to find out more about the island!EDIT: Just completed RiME, and there's 2 extra things probably worth mentioning: The first is the game is pretty short, you're probably looking at 4-5 hours maximum. That is unless you try and get all the collectibles, bear in mind (as another review has said) that once you leave one area you can't return, so if you're a completionist it's worth spending the time to scout everywhere. The second thing is that the ending is actually nothing what I thought it was going to be, and looking at the names of stages once completed makes a bit more sense. I'll refrain from any spoilers but it is quite somber, so probably scratch my previous comment amount it being a good game for kids!