Most Helpful Customer Reviews
92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First impressions can be deceiving!, August 20, 2003
This review is from: Rhem (CD-ROM)
An actual letter sent to the developer, Knut Mueller: Dear Mr. Mueller, My wife and I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to you for creating such a wonderful adventure game. We have been avid players of adventure games for several years now and, like many others, we got hooked on the genre by playing Myst and Riven. Even to this very day, those two games have been the standard by which we judged all subsequent games. On our list of favorites, your game is now in the same strata as those other two. In the years since Myst and Riven, adventure games have gone through an incredible metamorphosis. Each one trying to outdo its predecessors in game-tech ("eye-candy" graphics, lush soundtracks and mesmerizing plots). While I, too, can appreciate the work that went into these games (Schizm and Exile, for example, were absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous), in the end, they all felt like they missed out on being truly good games. Mostly it was because the developers failed to integrate good, challenging puzzles into their games. To make their puzzles seem difficult, they would often times resort to pixel-hunting or poorly-conceived "lateral-thinking" puzzles. All the lateral thinking in the world couldn't come up with what they were after most times. Hardly a game went by where my wife and I didn't have to resort to getting hints or checking a walk-through to help us past some of these stinker puzzles. In RHEM, we never once had to take a peek at a hint or walk-through. That is not to say that all of the puzzles in RHEM were too easy. Some of them were quite hard, in fact, but overall they were the best, most integrated puzzles we have seen since Riven. We got really stuck in a few places, but each time we resisted the urge to find help because we knew, up to that point, the rest of the game had made perfect sense and we were just missing some crucial, but obvious, clue from somewhere else. After finally figuring these tough ones out, my wife and I were often hugging each other or giving each other high-fives! And, at the end of the game, we were truly disappointed that it was over because we were having so much fun. Other reviewers have said they were put off by the "low-tech" look and feel of your game. Initially, we kind of felt the same way after playing so many of the spit-and-polished games recently. But, that feeling quickly faded once we saw the true beauty of it. Soon we weren't even missing the background music, lush 3-D graphics and full-motion videos of the other games (and don't get me started on the voices and actors!). We were totally absorbed in the puzzles within puzzles on top of puzzles. One other thing these reviewers obviously didn't realize was that this game was developed entirely by one single person. That is a huge feat in today's world. We hear that you are hard at work on a sequel to RHEM and eagerly await the results. We know that, being an independent developer, it will probably take a while to finish it. But, some things are worth the wait. In the mean time, we will continue to support the first-person adventure game genre by playing the other games coming out soon, but I will wager that none of them will fulfill our high standards until we play your next offering. Best regards,
...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let me cut through the chase for you., December 20, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Rhem (CD-ROM)
This game is simply great! Non-linear thinking. Tough puzzles which are simply brilliant and no need for cheats if you pay close attention. I can't wait for Rhem 2 to come out! That of course is just my opinion. Now there does seem to be a good deal of controversey surrounding this game. I will simply cut through the discussion and sum up this whole Rhem situation once and for all. The simple truth is: 1. The graphics are not bad. I've seen better but they aint bad. 2.If you got a good system then installation and play are easy. 3.Puzzles are the best i've ever seen. Yes, as good as the Myst series {which I also loved}. 4.Story is almost non-existent. You are simply in Rhem and need to get out. That's not to say there is no story, there is, it's just not much of one. But the good news is it doesn't really matter. So to put a nail in this, the bottom line is- If you love a game similar to the Myst series and love a good story, then don't buy this game. However if you crave mind bending puzzles and sometimes feel a little dissconnected from a story anyway {as I do}, then this game is for you! That's it in a nutshell- Like story? Don't buy this game. Love puzzles and don't really care much about story? Then buy this game. You WILL NOT be dissappointed!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointed, September 10, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Rhem (CD-ROM)
This is one of the worst of the Myst wannabes. I am a long time adventure gamer. I have been beating puzzles for a long time and I love the first person genre. The puzzles in this game were not especially difficult. They were not especially interesting either, because this game's biggest problem is that it completely fails to give one a feeling of being immersed in another place (in the manner of myst, riven, yaddayadda). After an hour of running around in "Rhem" and solving puzzles right and left, I had no sense of connection to a larger plot or intriguing characters. We are not walking through a city which feels like it was ever occupied. As far as I can tell, Rhem is just a city designed to be a puzzle. Period. We walk through the streets of this maze-like place figuring out symbols and writing down numbers. YAWN. Even the puzzles are so simple that my child could have this one solved in no time. I can go on playing this game, solving puzzles and eventually I might even discover a point to all of it, but so far it is just tedious and boring like the worst of the Dreamcatcher fiascos. I don't want to.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
