Rime (video game)

Last updated

RiME
Rime cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Tequila Works [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Grey Box
Six Foot
Director(s) Raúl Rubio Munárriz
Producer(s) Remy Chinchilla
Designer(s) Kevin Sardà Pérez
Programmer(s) Carlos M. Vázquez García
Artist(s) José Luis Vaello Bertol
Writer(s)
  • Rob Yescombe
  • Raúl Rubio Munárriz
Composer(s) David García Díaz
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • PS4, Windows, Xbox One
  • 26 May 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
    • NA: 14 November 2017
    • EU: 17 November 2017
    Amazon Luna
  • 20 October 2020
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Rime (stylized as RiME) [3] is an adventure puzzle video game developed by Tequila Works. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2017, for Nintendo Switch in November 2017, and for Amazon Luna in October 2020. The game follows a boy arriving at and searching a mysterious island with a fox-like spirit as a guide. The player guides the boy in solving environmental puzzles across five large levels.

Contents

Early concept work was undertaken under the working title Echoes of Siren when the game was green-lit by Microsoft, but later rejected. Funding of the game was eventually obtained from Sony for a PlayStation 4 release, with the first trailer released at Gamescom 2013. Tequila Works re-acquired the rights to the intellectual property in 2016.

Gameplay

Rime is played with a third-person view as the player controls a young boy who has washed ashore on an abandoned island. The player can make the boy run, climb, carry objects, and push or pull larger objects across the island's landscapes. The player can have the boy shout or sing, which can trigger certain events tied to nearby statues, such as causing a door to open for a limited length of time.

Through these commands, the player solves various environmental puzzles. Some of the puzzles are based on the use of perspective, using a special turret-like feature to align several disparate objects to create a doorway on a surface they project onto, or trigger other events in a similar way.

Plot

Rime begins with a boy washed ashore on a mysterious island, with a giant tower at its far end. As the boy explores the island, guided by a magical fox, he encounters a mysterious man in a red cape on several occasions but never reaches him. During the progress of the game, the boy has recollections about how he came to the island. He and his father were at sea when a storm struck and his father fell overboard. The boy tried to save him but could only grab hold of part of the red cloak his father was wearing before the sea took him. The figure in red represents his father, leading him across the island to the far tower.

As the boy climbs the tower, he comes to additional areas, each individually represents the five stages of grief. [4] Eventually reaching the top of the tower and exploring the area representing depression, the boy is forced to let the fox go as it disperses before him. He returns to the central tower and finds that he is now inverted within it, and climbs back through it, eventually reaching the "top", the initial island, now representing acceptance.

At this point, another flashback shows that the story has actually been from the father's perspective the entire time; it was the son that had been lost at sea, and the island and tower have all been part of the father's own mind as he's coming to grips with his loss. Imagining his child having come back to him, the father goes to the boy's room and examines his various toys. As he turns to leave, a vision of his child with his red cloth appears on the bed. He hugs his son, the vision vanishing and leaving the red cloth in his hands. The father releases the cloth, finally letting go and accepting the loss of his son.

If all four instances of the "white shade" throughout the game were found, a vision of the man's deceased wife appears alongside their son, hugging the pair before vanishing along with the boy.

Development

Conceptual design of the game began during the development of Deadlight . [5] An early iteration was a third-person isometric action role-playing game concept originally under the title Echoes of Siren; the game was to include hunting and crafting elements during a day cycle, preparing for combat including tower defense elements during a night cycle; other key game elements were to be exploration, avatar development and customisation. [6] The game was offered to Microsoft as an exclusive Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) title and possible Windows 8 game; [6] [7] initially Microsoft greenlit the game, [8] but the design was later rejected due to a mismatch with Microsoft's Xbox One XBLA publishing policies which emphasised multiplayer and other social gaming. [7] A development budget was approved by Sony, and the game for a while became a PlayStation 4 exclusive. [6] By September 2016 Tequila Works had reacquired the rights from Sony which resulted in the game becoming a multiplatform release. [9] [10]

The first released trailer for the game was shown in August 2013 in the indie game section of Sony's press conference at Gamescom; showing third-person, adventure video game-type gameplay with a 'cel-shaded' art style. [11] [12] The trailer gameplay and art drew comparisons to games by Team Ico, as well as Journey by Thatgamecompany, [11] and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker . [13] [14] The trailer resulted in an initial positive response from journalists. [13] [14] [15] Creative director Raúl Rubio has also referenced the films Princess Mononoke , Spirited Away , and Jason and the Argonauts , as well as the art work of Joaquin Sorolla, Salvador Dalí and Giorgio de Chirico as influences. [16] Rubio would later note, in a 2016 interview, that the early trailer created added pressure and noted that it was shown "too soon" [17]

The game involves a boy who needs to escape an island and a curse. The game, played through the boy, originally involved puzzle solving in an open world island setting; [18] The game design uses the island environment itself, and audio without a spoken narrative to tell the game's story, [16] a day-night mechanic was retained from the 'Echoes of Siren' design, with light influencing gameplay as well as visual appearance. [19] In the progress of development the original open world design was lost, converted to a more gated progress in 'levels' in an overworld; additionally several game elements were removed such as survival game aspects, including the need to eat and drink, as well as stamina and health stats. [20]

The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 26 May 2017. A version for the Nintendo Switch, ported over by Tantalus Media, was released in November 2017. [21] [22] [23] [24] A version for Amazon Luna was released on October 20, 2020. [25]

Reception

Rime received generally favorable reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [27] [28] [29]

GameSpot awarded the game a score of 6 out of 10, saying "AlthoughRime looks and sounds gorgeous, its visual splendor is locked behind frustrating, shallow puzzles and an incomprehensible story, meaning you spend more time figuring out where to go than taking in the world around you." [33]

Marty Sliva of IGN described the game as "Beautiful but shallow" and said that "On the surface, Rime is a gorgeous, melancholy adventure of a lone wanderer in the similar fashion as memorable games like Ico , Journey , or The Witness . But just under that layer of beautiful art, mysterious locations, and wonderful music, is a game with very few new ideas. Instead, almost all of its puzzles are shallow and ultimately uninteresting versions of things we've seen and done in other, better games." Sliva awarded it a score of 6.5 out of 10. [35]

Eurogamer ranked the game 19th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017". [39] The game was nominated for "Best Puzzle Game" at IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. [40]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2017 Golden Joystick Awards Best AudioNominated [41]
2018 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Nominated [42]
Game Audio Network Guild AwardsMusic of the YearNominated [43]
Best Original Soundtrack AlbumNominated

Legacy

In 2021, GQ España named Rime one of the best Spanish-made games ever. [44]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Windows and Xbox One by QLOC, [1] and for Nintendo Switch by Tantalus Media [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ikaruga</i> 2001 shoot em up video game

Ikaruga is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It is the spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun (1998) and was originally released in Japanese arcades in December 2001. The story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation using a specially designed fighter called the Ikaruga which can flip between two polarities, black and white. This polarity mechanism is the game's key feature and the foundation for its stage and enemy design. All enemies and bullets in the game are either black or white. Bullets which are the same color as the player are absorbed while the others will kill the player. The game features both single-player and cooperative modes.

<i>Lumines: Puzzle Fusion</i> 2004 puzzle video game

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion is a 2004 puzzle game developed by Q Entertainment and published for the PlayStation Portable by Bandai in Japan and by Ubisoft elsewhere. The objective of the game is to arrange descending two-colored 2×2 blocks to create 2×2 squares of matching color. A vertical line known as the "time line" sweeps across the field, erases completed squares, and awards points. Each stage has a skin that affects the background, block colors, music, and the speed of the time line.

WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational software. In 1997, they relaunched their video games arm, placing the company as a contractor for publishers and working on a variety of licensed assets.

<i>Deadlight</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Deadlight is a sidescrolling cinematic platforming survival horror video game developed by Tequila Works and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released for Xbox 360 in August 2012 via Xbox Live Arcade, and for Windows in October via Steam. In 2016, a Director's Cut version of the game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, published by Deep Silver.

The eighth generation of video game consoles began in 2012, and consists of four home video game consoles: the Wii U released in 2012, the PlayStation 4 family in 2013, the Xbox One family in 2013, and the Nintendo Switch family in 2017.

<i>Oddworld: New n Tasty!</i> 2014 video game

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! is a 2014 cinematic platform video game developed by Just Add Water and published by Oddworld Inhabitants as a "ground-up remake" of Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. The game was released in North America on 22 July 2014 and in Europe on 23 July 2014 for the PlayStation 4. The title was also released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. It has been ported on iOS and Android and released worldwide on 14 December 2017. A Nintendo Switch version was released on 27 October 2020.

<i>140</i> (video game) 2013 platform game

140 is a platform game developed and published by Carlsen Games. It was directed by Jeppe Carlsen, who previously worked on Playdead's Limbo. The game is described as a "minimalistic platformer", using electronic music to create synesthesia as the player makes their way through four different levels, each with its own sound-track. Its gameplay has been compared to other similar games which involve music synchronization like Sound Shapes and the Bit.Trip series, though with difficult platforming elements comparable to games in the Mega Man series. The game was released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux systems in October 2013, on Xbox One in August 2016, on PlayStation 4, Wii U in September 2016, and Nintendo Switch in January 2020. A release on PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS was planned, but later cancelled.

<i>Max: The Curse of Brotherhood</i> 2013 video game

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Press Play for Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and later on PlayStation 4. The game was announced during Microsoft's E3 2013 press event. It is a sequel to Press Play's previous work, the 2010 game Max & the Magic Marker.

<i>The Escapists</i> Strategy video game

The Escapists is a strategy game played from a top-down perspective. The game was developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and following a Steam Early Access release in 2014, was released in 2015 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It was released on iOS and Android in 2017. A Nintendo Switch version of the game containing all downloadable content was released in 2018. The game was launched on the Epic Games Store on 23 September 2021, with the weekly free game campaign of Epic Games. Players assume the role of an inmate and must escape from prisons of increasing difficulty.

<i>Inside</i> (video game) 2016 video game

Inside is a puzzle-platform game developed and published by Playdead in 2016, and was released on June 29, for Xbox One, Windows, on July 7, and August 23, for PlayStation 4. The game was released for iOS in December 2017 and Nintendo Switch in June 2018. A macOS version was released in June 2020. The player controls a boy in a dystopic world, solving environmental puzzles and avoiding death. It is the successor to Playdead's 2010 Limbo, with similar 2.5D gameplay.

<i>The Turing Test</i> (video game) 2016 video game

The Turing Test is a first-person puzzle video game developed by Bulkhead Interactive and published by Square Enix Collective. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One in August 2016, for PlayStation 4 in January 2017, for Nintendo Switch in February 2020, and for Stadia in May 2020.

In the video game industry during 2019, both Sony and Microsoft announced their intent to reveal their next-generation consoles in 2020, while Nintendo introduced a smaller Nintendo Switch Lite, and Google announced its streaming game platform Stadia. The controversy over loot boxes as a potential gambling route continued into 2019, with some governments like Belgium and the Netherlands banning games with them under their gambling laws, while the United Kingdom acknowledging their current laws prevent enforcing these as if they were games of chance. The first video cards to support real-time ray tracing were put onto the consumer market, including the first set of games that would take advantage of the new technology. The Epic Games Store continued its growth in challenging the largest digital PC game distribution service Steam, leading to concern and debate about Epic Games' methods to seek games for its service. Dota Auto Chess, a community-created mod for Dota 2, introduced a new subgenre of strategy games called auto battlers, which saw several games in the genre released throughout the year. Blizzard Entertainment faced criticism due to their involvement in the Blitzchung controversy, which began after they had banned a Hearthstone player for making comments during a tournament regarding the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.

<i>The Sexy Brutale</i> 2017 video game

The Sexy Brutale is an adventure puzzle video game developed by Cavalier Game Studios and Tequila Works. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in April 2017. A Nintendo Switch version was released in December 2017. A cloud-based version was released for Amazon Luna in October 2020.

<i>Tropico 6</i> 2019 video game

Tropico 6 is a construction, management and political simulation game in the Tropico series, developed by Limbic Entertainment, published by Kalypso Media, and announced at E3 2017. Originally intended for a 2018 release, Tropico 6 was released on Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in March 2019, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September 2019. It was released for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in March 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlitWorks</span> Spanish video game company

BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez, Sonic CD, Jet Set Radio, Super Meat Boy, Bastion, Spelunky and Don't Starve to a wide range of platforms such as PlayStation 5, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, iOS and Android.

<i>Battle Chasers: Nightwar</i> 2017 role-playing game

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a turn-based role-playing video game developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. It was released in October 2017 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in May 2018 for Nintendo Switch and Linux. Based on the Battle Chasers fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, the game involves the cast of that series being marooned on an island and being forced to stop the plans of an evil sorceress in order to escape.

In the video game industry, 2020 saw the launch of the next generation of video game consoles, with both Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment having released the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles, respectively, in November 2020. The industry was heavily affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which had begun in March and was characterized by COVID-19 lockdowns and remote work. While this caused numerous delays in software and hardware releases and the cancellation of live conferences and events in favor of virtual shows, it also created a boon for the industry as people turned to gaming as a means to pass the time. The industry also reacted to various political/cultural events.

In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.

References

  1. ↑ "QLOC and RiME". QLOC S.A. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  2. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (18 January 2017). "Ask Rime's Developers Anything About the Game – IGN First". IGN. Ziff Davis, LLC . Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Tequila Works: RIME, at TequilaWorks.com; retrieved 30 October 2018
  4. ↑ Brightman, James (12 December 2017). "People of the Year 2017: Tequila Works". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Interview with Rime's Creative Director, Raul Rubio Munarriz". www.ign.com. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "RiME (former Echoes of Siren) dismissed by Microsoft". www.vgleaks.com. 19 February 2014.
  7. 1 2 Casu, Daniele (19 February 2014). "Leaked Rime document presents gameplay features". gematsu.com.
  8. ↑ Caballero, David (21 February 2014). "Tequila Works defends Microsoft: "Rime couldn't adapt"". www.gamereactor.eu.
  9. ↑ Romano, Sal (16 March 2016). "Tequila Works acquires rights to Rime from Sony". Gematsu. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  10. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (3 January 2017). "Rime Re-Revealed for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch – IGN First". IGN .
  11. 1 2 Jackson, Mike (3 September 2013). "PS4 adventure Rime teased in new gameplay video". CVG.
  12. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (20 August 2013). "Rime for PS4". shacknews.
  13. 1 2 Schreier, Jsaon (20 August 2013). "This Cool PS4 Game Looks Like Wind Waker Had A Baby With Ico". Kotaku .
  14. 1 2 "Rime gives you reason to be excited for PS4". www.destructiod.com. 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Barker, Sammy (29 August 2013). "Tequila Works: RIME on PS4 Tells a Tale with No Words".
  16. 1 2 Briggs, Jamie (28 August 2013). "Tequila Works Creative Director Talks PlayStation 4 Exclusive 'Rime'". analogaddiction.org.
  17. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (25 October 2016). "Tequila Works: The Reason of Rime". www.gamesindustry.biz.
  18. ↑ "RiME". uk.playstation.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2016. The story of a boy who must [..] escape from – a mysterious island and a terrible curse [..] an open-world adventure
  19. ↑ García, Albert (14 October 2013). "Rime: Hablamos con Raúl Rubio de Tequila Works". www.eurogamer.es (in Spanish).
  20. ↑ Brown, Fraser (8 February 2017), "Rime is a gorgeous exploration game set in a mysterious paradise", www.pcgamer.com
  21. ↑ Dornbrush, Jonathon (8 March 2017). "RIME RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED". ign.com.
  22. ↑ Malgeri, Fabrizia (27 January 2017). "Rime's Switch version being developed by Tantalus". gamereactor.eu.
  23. ↑ Stead, Chris (3 April 2017). "Rime Release Date Pushed Back on Nintendo Switch". Grab It Magazine. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  24. ↑ "Nintendo Switch Release date". Grey Box. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  25. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (20 October 2020). "Hands-on with Amazon's Luna game streaming service". The Verge. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "RiME for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  27. 1 2 "RiME for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  28. 1 2 "RiME for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  29. 1 2 "RiME for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  30. ↑ Carter, Chris (25 May 2017). "Review: RiME". Destructoid . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  31. ↑ Slead, Evan (25 May 2017). "RiME review". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  32. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (25 May 2017). "A Somber Rabbit Hole - Rime - PlayStation 4". Game Informer . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  33. 1 2 Dayus, Oscar (25 May 2017). "RiME Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  34. ↑ Prell, Sam (25 May 2017). "RiME review: 'There's no push from the game, only pull'". GamesRadar . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  35. 1 2 Sliva, Marty (26 May 2017). "RiME Review". IGN . Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  36. ↑ Roberts, Samuel (25 May 2017). "RiME review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  37. ↑ McElroy, Justin (25 May 2017). "RiME review". Polygon . Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  38. ↑ Ahern, Colm (25 May 2017). "RiME Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  39. ↑ Eurogamer staff (29 December 2017). "Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2017: 20-11". Eurogamer. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  40. ↑ "Best of 2017 Awards: Best Puzzle Game". IGN. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  41. ↑ Gaito, Eri (13 November 2017). "Golden Joystick Awards 2017 Nominees". Best in Slot. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  42. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (14 January 2018). "Game Of The Year Nominees Announced for DICE Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  43. ↑ "2018 Awards". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  44. ↑ Abadíe, Borja (29 July 2021). "Los mejores videojuegos españoles de la historia". GQ España . Archived from the original on 6 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.