RiME tells the story of a young teenage boy with incredible upper body strength. It is also a beautiful work of art.

I played the PS4 version. Developed by Spanish studio, Tequila Works, it's been out for ten days and I have just finished the last chapter.

Games like RiME are rare. By that I mean it's a 3D adventure game with no combat mechanics. It follows in the footsteps of Journey, The Witness and... I'm drawing a blank. Suffice to say that RiME focuses on puzzle-solving, rather than violence.

The Game

We begin washed up on an island with a similar aesthetic to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker albeit slightly less cartoonish. The comparison continues with an almost mute central character and puzzles that require logic, exploration and rock climbing. The latter showcases the boy's quite uncanny aforementioned upper body strength.

RiME CLiMB TiME!

RiME is a relatively short game with esoteric subtext. Ostensibly we are trying to make our way to a huge white tower, the top of which contains a large, gold keyhole. This involves a lot of running, jumping, swimming and environmental manipulation. But as we delve deeper, reality warps. The edges of consciousness become fantastical. We experience fear and hostility. Where are we? Why are we here? Who built this crumbling architecture?

If you were a kid in the 80s, RiME might evoke a cartoon called The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Good.

Nice touches include:

• Day/night transitions, which not only add verisimilitude but may have a higher meaning
• Nice little animals, especially the mysterious red fox who acts as a discrete guidance counsellor
• A button that makes the little boy express situation-appropriate sounds and actions
• The way the little boy runs down steps and through shallow water—magically human

Criticism

I have little bad to say about RiME. There were a couple of times the animation lagged and jumped, but that's minor. I'm a bit disappointed by the ambiguous controls associated with some actions, which is slightly less minor. The big issue, though, was the achievements.

Achievements, as far as I know, are mandatory in PS4 games. They're meant as a way for the community connect by sharing solutions, and to add extra value in general. There are many challenges in RiME (the trigger criteria for which are decidedly cryptic), and numerous hidden collectibles. This had the unfortunate effect of distracting me from the game's flow. The story is fairly linear in that areas are closed off after you pass them, so I tried to explore everything fully before moving on. It sullied and prolonged the musical and dramatic crescendos that would otherwise have immersed me in the narrative.

You might say this is my problem and I could have just left the achievements for another play-through. You might be right, but some of the collectibles are are entwined with the plot, so it's tricky pancake...

Conclusion

It transpired that RiME is about something specific. I myself cannot fully relate, but someday surely will. It was still affecting and highly engaging. There is also much of my own life experience that I'm processing in relation to the rich tapestry of feelings it wove.

The scenery, score and plot devices are stunning, sweeping and rousing.

As a gameplay experience it has everything you would expect from this sort of game. Even though I got near-hopelessly lost at one point, the action is crisp and the puzzles are perfectly weighted.

If I could turn back time and have my first play-through again, I would ignore the achievements—save the ones I stumble upon—and focus on the 'script'. I suggest that you do the same.

As a final note, I'm glad that I could play it in front of my two year old nephew, which is a rare thing in this world of premium head-smashing. We need more games like this. Overall, RiME is a triumph.

Thank you for your time.

PS. If you enjoyed this review, you might enjoy a tangental piece I wrote in February about video game violence.