Rime game ending. RiME - an unforgettable story after a long silence

RiME is a stunningly beautiful action/adventure game with mesmerizing music and a very touching story, created by the Spanish team Tequila Works. It took the studio 5 years to bring the project to release, and thank God that despite all the twists and turns of fate, they managed to do it.

After a storm, a boy in a tunic and a red cloak comes to his senses on the shore of a small island with picturesque ruins and a colossal white tower in the center. The boy remembers nothing about himself or the events that brought him to this shore, knows nothing about the island and the ruins located on it, but hopes to find answers to all these questions. To do this, he needs to get into the Tower and climb to its top.

Formally, RiME is action/adventure with virtually no action. The little hero, accompanied by a cute little fox, explores the island, or rather islands, solves puzzles, climbs rocks and ruins in search of secrets and keys, hides from a giant pterodactyl, makes friends, dives into the depths of the ocean and opens doors with the help of his own voice. But in fact, like the previous game Tequila Works, a platformer, this is also a set of associations and hints, a Rorschach test for the player. RiME is not about a lost little boy at all, it is about love, loss and death.

A funny red fox helping a nameless boy find his way is an all too obvious allusion to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The black, faceless figures in robes are clearly inspired by Studio Ghibli cartoons. The light, halftones and wind that permeate the game are seen in the sunny paintings of Joaquin Sorolla. The frescoes that tell the story of the boy are reminiscent of ancient Greek mosaics that have survived oblivion. RiME has many sources of inspiration, but this in no way makes the game secondary. All elements are intertwined, complementing and changing each other, turning RiME into a real work of art.

RiME is a very beautiful game. As in the case of Deadlight, the developers took the Unreal Engine (this time version 4) and turned it into an artist’s brush, with which they painted a stunning starry sky, white caps on the waves, scorching midday heat and the coolness of the night, the sparkling whiteness of ruins and oppressive a veil of rain. Each of the four main locations and parts of the game has its own mood. The surprise and joy of exploration in the first part. Fear and determination in the second. Sadness and oblivion in the third. Sorrow and deep sadness in the fourth. The work of artists and 3D modelers who managed to convey such strong emotions using visual means is simply impressive.

However, without the work of composer David Garcia Diaz it would not have been possible to convey the right mood. Mesmerizing music, both situational in-game music, fantastically beautiful vocals in the menus and credits, as well as the Lullaby unlocked as you find secrets are some of the best compositions we have ever heard in games. Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack is sold separately on iTunes and Google Music. By the way, the album is also available on Spotify.

Music and video are what reveal the boy’s story. The thing is that there are no words at all in RiME. Not a single sentence of text, not a line of dialogue. However, they are not needed here. The boy explores the world, finds artifacts from his past, pictures and memories that help him understand and accept what happened. And then suddenly it turns out that you understood everything wrong and the world is literally turned upside down. However, you will be able to unravel all the symbols and hints only at the very end, which is sure to evoke very strong emotions in you. RiME is a sad fairy tale that leaves very bright memories.

You will not encounter any special problems during the passage. There are no overly challenging challenges here, and the sound and light puzzles are very elegant and self-explanatory most of the time. And the jumping tasks here are simple, if you don’t have time to jump, carry, or be on time, it means you’re doing something wrong, look for the right solution. The authors of RiME play with light and space. Many puzzles involve moving a light source and an object that casts a shadow. In one of the tasks you will even have to control time by moving the sun across the sky. Yes, the game has a normal day and night cycle, although this, by and large, does not affect anything. If you suddenly get lost and don’t see a way out, try to go back, it’s not a fact that it will be the same corridor along which you passed. Euclidean space in RiME is nothing more than a convention.

The spiritual successor to ICO and The Last Guardian, which was undoubtedly worth the wait.

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Still in the early stages of development RiME at the studio Tequila Works things were going from bad to worse. A staged video instead of a gameplay one, a change of publisher and the cancellation of exclusivity on PS4 did their job - many began to fear that the game simply would not live to see release. However, sometimes indie projects are much more durable than their big brothers. Why? Thanks to the dream, of course! And the new game about the adventures of a boy and his little fox friend deserves to be called, albeit small, but still a dream.

The palaces of the mind

Most likely, the first question that will arise among players who have launched RiME is what kind of tower is that in the distance and why we must come to it at all costs. Without going into details of the plot, this tower is kind of the final goal of the entire journey. Going through it lengthwise and crosswise is your primary task, but you don’t have to get hung up on it.

The world of RiME can be roughly divided into four large locations: this is the island on which we first find ourselves, an arid desert, a multi-level temple with ponds and a kind of jungle, as well as a rainy area near a gloomy minaret. And if the first place attracts with its charm, you want to stay there for a long time, then further areas are intended rather to ensure that you move strictly according to a given plot.

However, all locations have their own nooks and crannies that contain collectibles. They are as good as milk from a goat, but searching for them can stretch out the passage for a good ten hours. There are also a lot of rock paintings here that complement the silent story with the necessary fragments, so keep your eyes peeled!

Fus Ro Dah!

Our hero doesn’t have many skills, but they all come in handy. After all, you will have to climb steep walls and rocks a lot, jump over obstacles and... scream. No, you heard right - the boy can neither fight nor resist adversity in any other way, but he still knows how to shout!

Screaming is generally almost the most important gameplay element that you will resort to throughout your journey through the world of RiME. Partly because it solves a good half of the puzzles in the game. Well, puzzles are perhaps the strongest side of the project.

The principle of all such riddles is simple: shout next to the totem, and it, in turn, activates a certain object. At first everything seems logical and understandable, but gradually the complexity of the chain of actions will increase. Somewhere there will be a need to move the balls, which amplify the scream and carry it to distant totems, somewhere - try to shout at both at once, and so on.

More often than puzzles tied to the hero’s voice, there will be two more types of riddles that focus on the perception of the surrounding world and its details. In one case, everything literally depends on your point of view (Batman had to deal with something similar in the series Batman: Arkham), in another, players will find a game of shadows that has appeared repeatedly before.

However, RiME is not limited to solving all sorts of puzzles. It is actually based on one large system, when we need to find a special key and open a passage further with it, then again the key, again the passage, and so on in a circle.

Who are all these people?

But not only puzzles will test the imagination of the young hero. A little later it turns out that he and his bodyguard friend are not alone here (not taking into account the grazing wild boars). A mysterious stranger in a red robe will keep an eye on the characters from afar throughout their journey across the fabulous island.

And on the second “level” a hefty, pterodactyl-like bird awaits us - the local boss. And it won't be that easy to deal with...

Although this is nothing compared to the mystical black silhouettes that hide in the shadows. At first they seem defenseless, but over time they become aggressive and rush to deal with the boy themselves, sucking the strength out of him. Just like the creepy dementors from Harry Potter.

There will also be strange-looking mechanical creatures, as if they came straight out of Dwemer ruins. There will be a couple of exceptional moments associated with one of these, so say no more about them.

Here you will find peace

RiME does not amaze with either deep detail or design solutions, but at the same time it knows how to make it look “beautiful”. A romantic lagoon, a sky-colored ocean, green meadows, ancient ruins and a horizon where a majestic tower looms, from which it is simply impossible to take your eyes off.... The first location is undoubtedly the most beautiful. And the Mediterranean style really suits her.

The game is ideologically and visually similar to the little-known The Girl and the Robot, by the way, which took inspiration from the animated films of Studio Ghibli. And in RiME you can find a ton of similar images, as if taken from their full-length films. Thus, the local “dementors” are partly reminiscent of the Faceless God Kaonasi from Spirited Away, and the white tower is the tower from The Return of the Cat, where it also later appeared as a stronghold of salvation in some sense.

If you are interested in the technical side of the issue, then everything is not as smooth as we would like. Optimization problems have plagued the PC version again. In short, for now it is not recommended to play RiME with high texture detail, otherwise you risk getting a ladder of pixels.

But what can’t be faulted is the musical component. The game's soundtrack is rich in enchanting melodies that anticipate all your little achievements in RiME.

RiME is mostly silent and stingy with hints; as you progress, you will have to find the answers to some questions on your own. Below you will find some clues that will help you in this mysterious adventure.

The main character's name is Enu

If you're wondering about the main character's name, his name is Enu. As you progress, you will discover many secrets and learn more about the mysterious boy.

White marks indicate where you can climb

In the world of RiME, not everything can be climbed. If you lose your way, look for these marks on the ledges, they will help you find the right path.

Objects and items are color coded

Most colored objects and objects have a color designation.

• Green and turquoise respond to sounds and voices.

• On orange objects can be affected physically. This can also be indicated by barely noticeable golden sparks near the object. And if Enu shrugs, then you forgot something important, such as a key.

• Red A very important color for the game, most often it indicates objects that are important to the story.

But you should not strictly follow these notations, they will only help you in solving some riddles.

Various objects react to the voice

Fox is your personal guide

The fox will appear as an assistant for Enu at the very beginning of the game. Sometimes, if you have been wandering for a long time in search of the right path, she may appear and help you.

The dog says “woof”, the cat “meow”. What does the fox say? Actually, she shows you the right path, just follow her, and if she suddenly disappears, you should try to investigate the place of disappearance.

There are points of no return in RiME

The world of RiME looks and feels quite open, but there are actually places that cut you off from other parts of the world, such as high ledges where you can't climb back up if you jump off of them. Or bridges that immediately collapse as soon as you cross. So don't rush into exploring the world unless you're sure you've collected all the collectibles.

Taking care of collectibles

You can start playing RiME from the very beginning after the first playthrough. Which, depending on your playing style and desire to explore, will take you from 6 to 10 hours.

If you start a new game after the first playthrough, then all the previously collected collectibles will remain with you, so you won’t have to waste time searching again each time.

Don't be afraid to die

Don't be afraid to die during your adventure in RiME. If, for example, you stumble near a cliff, then nothing bad will happen, you will return to the same place from where you fell.

Game tested on PlayStation 4

From the outside it might seem that RiME was created in production hell. News about the project stopped coming immediately after the trailer was published in 2013, then Spanish industry insiders wrote that the game did not actually exist, Sony stopped funding, and the money it had already invested went nowhere. Some time later, Tequila Games studio announced the acquisition of the rights to RiME from Sony, which many associated with problematic development and mistrust on the part of a large corporation.

Which of this was true can only be guessed at. And if insider statements are difficult to confirm or refute (there were even rumors that RiME is not a cute adventure at all, but a MOBA or something similar), then Sony’s actions are quite understandable. In recent years, the company has been publishing indie games less and less, making an exception only for the creations of its own studios. That’s why they remain only on PS4, and the once exclusive ones don’t. So RiME is available immediately on all current platforms, and in the end it turned out to be exactly the game we were waiting for.

⇡ Again a guy, again an island

A nameless boy wakes up on the shore of a mysterious island. Seagulls are screaming around and crabs are scurrying around, and the guy can only run forward and try to understand where he ended up. The player is not explained which buttons are responsible for what, since everything becomes clear without words: the hero jumps low, clings to ledges with his hands (interactive objects are colored like in Uncharted) and in some cases can grab objects and move them in different directions .

Almost immediately the character meets a little fox who will become his guide on this island. Thanks to the presence of the animal in most locations, it becomes quite difficult to get lost - barking allows you to quickly determine the further direction. In addition, RiME offers exploration of more or less linear locations, and the path from one point to another in open areas is usually obvious. So, despite the similarity in visual style to , you shouldn’t expect an open world. At the same time, there are about fifty collectible items that will never catch your eye unless you try to look for loopholes and hidden interactive platforms hidden behind the bushes.

The boy does not have to fight opponents - the only obstacles on his way are puzzles. And in the first hour they seem really unusual and original - sometimes the solution is obvious, but as soon as you find the answer, the conditions immediately change, and you have to think differently. Often, tasks involve moving objects: from arranging them in the right positions to playing with light and shadows falling from different things. The guy solves most problems using his voice - as soon as you shout loudly, the statues standing nearby are activated and something happens. Sometimes you have to use several sculptures at the same time, choosing the right angle.

Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half, the puzzles become too easy. You almost don’t have to think about them, because when you get into this or that room you immediately more or less imagine what needs to be done. However, RiME successfully smoothes out this shortcoming with interesting narrative techniques. Some of them have already been in similar projects, but the presentation is still original enough not to talk about direct copying, ICO, or The Witness.

If streaks of white paint are visible somewhere, it means you can climb there

The beauty of RiME and its main advantage is in the ending, which completely changes the attitude towards everything seen before the finale. Everything takes on a completely different meaning and begins to look completely different. Even the menu with the choice of chapters surprises with an unexpected solution. The game is full of mystery - as you progress, you encounter unusual sculptures and mechanisms, study the paintings on the walls, and follow a strange figure in a red cloak. And although not everything becomes clear immediately after the final episode, over time the meaning of most details does emerge.

⇡ Vivid impressions

But don’t think that you have to endure the rest of RiME for the sake of the ending alone - the game always maintains interest, there are simply no boring or drawn-out episodes in it. The sun-drenched shore gives way to a colorful clearing, gloomy caves and a network of underground passages. Sometimes you have to swim underwater, replenishing the air supply in your lungs with the help of large bubbles. The time of day will change, then the weather, then new dangers will appear on the way - something is always happening in this world, and because of this, not the longest duration (if you don’t get distracted by secrets, get ready to spend six or seven hours) does not seem serious disadvantage.

The attention to detail here is appropriate: lizards crawl along rocks and walls overgrown with vegetation, birds can always be seen and heard on the island, schools of fish frolic under the water, and the seabed is dotted with corals and algae. Sometimes, as in The Witness, you just want to look at the environment and take nice screenshots - especially since the “cartoon” visual style looks great and is unlikely to seem outdated someday in the future. At the same time, RiME is devoid of the sloppiness inherent in many indie platformers, which is usually expressed in crooked animations, a sluggish camera, or poorly placed objects.

That’s why it’s hard to believe the rumors mentioned at the beginning. RiME was the second Tequila Works project that the studio created on its own (previously there was a platformer) - and it turned out to be something truly magical. Everything in RiME works as it should: a mysterious narrative that reveals all the cards by the end, an unobtrusive platform component, and pleasant, albeit simple, riddles.

So you shouldn’t launch RiME hoping to see “The Witness with a plot” - the puzzles here are much less inventive. Rather, the game will appeal to those who have pleasant memories from the ICO, who have fallen in love with Journey, and who were able to cope with the controls in The Last Guardian in order to see the ending. Here you won’t have to struggle with anything: the main character deftly and relatively quickly climbs onto ledges and platforms, jumps where the player wants, and reacts to commands without ever causing irritation. And the puzzles are just a pleasant bonus that does not interfere with the passage and does not seem out of place.

RiME is one of those games that you want to recommend to friends and acquaintances, but it is very difficult to explain the reason for the delight. At first, it seems like a bright and perhaps even banal fairy tale - there have already been many games about a hero who solves problems on an island. But almost immediately, Tequila Works gives the impression of something much more: it surprises after the very first steps, pleases the ear with an amazing soundtrack and delights the final chapter.

RiME rises above many other story-driven platformers of recent years. This is an unforgettable adventure that can easily be put on par with the work of Team ICO.

Advantages:

• an intriguing story with a great ending;
• colorful locations and great attention to detail;
• delightful musical accompaniment;
• a large number of secrets, including new costumes.

All your thorny path to release RiME passed with the press unceremoniously labeling it “a project in the style of creations.” It beckoned and alarmed at the same time, inviting you to perch on a stool and rummage around on the mezzanine for the dusty reference book of weights and measures, with which the gamer of the early 2000s tried to approach the living classics of Ueda-san and Co. However, like us studios in our time, their work belongs rather to the cohort of so-called “experience games”. This lowers the bar somewhat; on the other hand, no one can feel at least confident in the same niche as the outstanding Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Journey.

RiME is so uncomfortable in such a company that it’s time to grunt condescendingly and start typing in the routine “it’s not so shameful to lose to the greats,” until a little later you look over the lines again: look, this one in the raincoat turns out to be that lively one. brainchild Tequila Works at first there is a catastrophic lack of emotional intensity, involvement in what is happening, at the same time, adjusting their game exclusively to this criterion is the same as assigning an obese passenger to the side of a reserved seat: the guy won’t get in, even if the whole carriage is compacted.

At the same time, RiME itself begs for a direct comparison, using a similar pattern observed from its older comrades. A storm, several torn images, a boy in a red cloak who finds himself on the shore, who looks up in surprise at the island stretching out in front of him: here he and the player will have to spend the next 5-7 hours. That’s the thing, the aforementioned “living wage” of the plot would be enough to start a short-lived adventure with regular “pit stops” every 15-20 minutes. The project of the Spanish studio turns out to be a middle-distance runner, and is only just warming up when the “emotional sprinters” are already approaching their equator.

Such a vacuum in the prologue could have been avoided if the developers had not promoted a natural “romance with stone.” We climb bare rocks, move hewn blocks, interact with statues in puzzles and contemplate architecture reminiscent of ancient times. With such episodes, the game poorly generates feedback; for the reasons stated above, it lacks the emotional charge inherent in the introduction; it is in no hurry to surprise with unexpected decisions and images.

At the same time, RiME fails to find a connection between the player and the virtual world. This could be, for example, another character who would act as a kind of “conductor of energy”, like Yorda in the same (by the way, the opportunity to take this girl by the hand is still one of the most intimate moments in video games), but in this direction, developers are only halfway there.

It is clear that we cannot run our palm over the rough relief, breathe in the salty breeze, and due to the omissions mentioned above, we are not able to integrate into the emotional background. Therefore, as a rule, developers strew our path with a variety of gaming systems that can provide “acclimatization.” The authors of Ico did this too, introducing tedious and primitive, but still battles. Despite successfully resolving issues with the perception of their history and world, they understood that, among other things, the user needed to create a point of application of force so that the fictional universe could also be felt tactilely, felt in the fingers.

Therefore, it is natural to see how RiME perked up when the island subsequently begins to sink its claws deeper and deeper into its ward. This is still a rather indirect interaction, but conflict appears, new nuances in the gameplay, mechanics, finally. They straighten their shoulders and puzzles, even the context of the story begins to take on meaningful outlines, even if this part of the story is relegated to the category of collectibles.

These metamorphoses are felt so consistently and organically solely thanks to the transparent design. You always know at least approximately where to go and what to do, you are aware of which ledge you can jump to, how and where to use this or that item. The authors took an unobtrusive, but at the same time very far-sighted approach to teaching the player, preferring to convey information through scenes played out as if by chance, interior elements and color schemes. The interface is minimal, the immersion is complete.

RiME, despite a certain secondary nature in the soundtrack (the cello parts and flute interspersed here are completely), is perceived as a moderately original, elegant carved box that was presented for an anniversary. True, when you open it you find a large banknote, the value of which (including its artistic value, of course) is much lower.

Looking back at the traversed plot path, at the story that remains just a lead-up to something grandiose, at the relatively small number of memorable mise-en-scènes, at the acceleration of a number of events, you understand how a fairy tale game filled with meaningful images would have worked much better than in the current guise of metaphor. Much less obscurant, but not unlike the more personal Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a living reminder of this.

Moreover, the “second bottom” of the game does not seem like a compelling enough reason to block the first bottom. And after watching the end credits and going to the level selection menu, you realize that the developers have chewed on everything so that no one leaves offended. But you still leave offended. And then, remembering the story with the thoughtful ending of Journey, the idea of ​​which the authors from thatgamecompany were inspired by a bug and the subsequent reaction of a tester to it, you regret that something similar did not happen within the walls of Tequila Works.

No matter how you look at it, RiME seems to be frozen in a half-position: in terms of timing, situations and mechanics, it is a little more than just an impression game, and in terms of emotional intensity, it is much weaker.

Nevertheless, I really want to recommend the project, it came out alive, sincere, matching the perfectly animated main character, who was drawn and voiced by a simply unimaginable (for the indie segment, of course) number of reactions to the environment, characters and situations. To say that, by purchasing a budget version for PC, the work of the Spanish studio should be encouraged (after all, on PS4 you can join the monumental The Last Guardian for a lower price). And after reading the news that the game is letting top-end PC configurations take a shine, you freeze in the same confusion as after the RiME finale.

Well, at least the development studio is consistent in everything.