Customer Reviews

Rhem

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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,
...

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!

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.

I like challenging puzzles, the kind that have you looking and thinking and arranging things in different ways until suddenly you see something you didn't see or find a clue you didn't have and everything falls into place with a grand "A-HA!" Sure, an engaging story and eye-candy graphics are pleasing, but to me they're secondary. If a game has good puzzles, I can forgive an awful lot.

RHEM is chock-full of just the kind of puzzles I crave. In the tradition of MYST and RIVEN, most of what you're doing here is figuring out how a lot of strange machines work, which in turn will allow you to get around the intricate setting, so you can find more puzzles that will...et cetera. There is not much of a story -- you are stranded in this place and you have to collect four pieces of a letter to get out. There is no character interaction and very little animation. There is, thank the Powers, no inventory. Essentially, you're stuck with you and your brain, which hopefully includes a good sense of direction and a decent memory.

Part of the challenge of Rhem is just getting around. The design reminded me of a giant Habitrail(tm), with paths and catwalks interweaving, some accessible only by completing an action in another part of the game. There were times when I thought a guy would have to be a little nuts to design this place, and times when the sheer miles traveled seemed a little tiresome. A warp feature would have helped some, or a map. On the other hand, that may have defeated the purpose as occasionally the fact that there WERE puzzles only became apparent after you'd been over the same ground a number of times.

RHEM is a slideshow game with a simple point and click interface that includes a number of directional cursors. I've heard that some people found the number of cursors confusing and navigation susequently difficult, but I never had that problem. Games are saved in a text format and there are unlimited saves available -- a feature which is invaluable, as often reloading a game at an earlier point allows the player to re-examine some clue that previously didn't make any sense without hiking the intervening miles to get back to it. This is a game where you need to take copious notes, so if you don't like that kind of thing you probably will not like RHEM at all.

I thought the graphics were lovely, if a little monochomatic. I didn't care that the water wasn't animated -- why use memory on something that doesn't really matter, is my opinion. I would have liked to have seen some more variation in the different areas, however. A park or glade would have been nice. So would some wildlife. I can understand why the world of RHEM was the way it was, but I kept thinking of how all the locations in RIVEN differed from one another and just thought more variety would have been nice, as would some signs of life.

I only had a few real problems with this game. One was plot-related: As far as I could tell, you never were given a clear message as to why you were there or what you were supposed to be doing. If you read the box and the manual you knew, but I would have liked to have had that be part of the game. I also didn't like that you had to manually set your screen to 640 X 480; most games do that automatically. And I had a peculiar problem with the game crashing every so often for no apparent reason. This made saving every few screens virtually essential.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed RHEM for all the 30-odd hours it took me to get through it. In my book, it's a new classic, right up there with MYST and RIVEN in the annals of 1st person adventures. In a genre where challenging puzzles are mroe and more being supplanted by timed sequences and gargantuan inventory, RHEM was a refreshing return to what brought me to gaming in the first place. I look forward to more games of this type!

Having played Myst, its two sequels, and every single adventure game Dreamcather Games has released over the years, I knew just by looking at the graphics on the box that I absolutely had to play this adventure game. The object, as far as I can tell, is to gather pieces of a letter and keep them out of the wrong hands. Honestly, the plot is beside the point as you find yourself wrapped up in the challenge of just memorizing where you've been and what you've already explored throughout the game's fictitious infrastructure. I bought this game at a time when I was craving some serious mental stimulation, and this game has provided at least that. The graphics are nothing to brag about, but they suffice once you get used to Quicktime's platform. At least the game is played using a first-person, point-and-click interface. The puzzles are just difficult enough to keep the game interesting, and you find yourself trying to memorize the lay of this twisted metal land (e.g. railroad tracks, bridges, pipes, electric doors, ladders, etc). I would highly recommend having a notepad handy just to take notes of the symbols, numbers, and any other oddball characters you view along the way. So far, the game appears to be so difficult, that it's blowing my mind, and this only fuels my desire to keep on playing. In a nutshell, the puzzles are excellently crafted and the plot is not overly complicated to deter from smooth gameplay. If you enjoyed playing Myst and its two sequels, you'll enjoy this game as well. I highly recommend it.

I would say that Rhem compares favorably to Myst and its successors in terms of landscape and puzzles, but it does lack any compelling storyline.

The deserted industrial setting, composed of pumping stations, generators and radio complexes, is dilapidated and needs repair so that you can find a vehicle to escape. It is similar to one of the ages of Myst, but is even more incredibly vast. Much of your energy will be devoted to mapping out the various locales and routes.

The puzzles are very good, and you'll need to note down colors, shapes and symbols that become essential in later settings. At some point I did become quite frustrated when I was STILL putting so much effort into finding my way between sites, but ultimately I would say that I enjoyed the game, it was MYST-like, and if there were a Rhem 2, I would play it.

The only real problem with installing Rhem wasn't so much the CD-ROM, but the Mac OS X patch you can get from Got Game. It turns out that there are a lot of little .bins you have to open as well.

If you're looking for the kind of fantastic architecture and breath-taking scenery you might find in Myst or the Riddle of the Sphinx series, you probably won't like Rhem. It's basically an abandoned pumping station you have to escape. (Unfortunately, it's never explained just WHY you would steal a railcar to come to Rhem.) The buildings are designed purely for function. Apparently, this is more of a set-up for Rhem 2 (which, from what I've seen at the Got Game website, has much better graphics), as it raises more questions than it answers.

Some of the clues don't make sense within what little of a story it has. You'll find a lot of clues at the beginning that won't be useful until much later in the game, and you have to solve one puzzle before you can even GET to the others. I've always felt that a game should be both challenging AND logical. Some of the logic is lacking here.

If nothing else, it's a good diversion on a rainy afternoon, but it won't blow your mind.

"Fans of Myst of Riven Rejoice! Rhem is here"
That is the description I saw on the web. It is true. Rhem is one of the best games of all time, second only to Riven. The puzzles are fantastic! They are everything you want in a puzzle: logic, thinking, clearly stated goal of the puzzle, clever clues. Not some stupid book with the solution in it, but maybe a scrap of paper showin a schmatic of a power station. The puzzles of Rhem give me a good feeling that only Riven gives me. The setting of the game is good. The erie, deserted, quasi-industrial landscape is noting like I've seen before. I don't care about the fact that there is no story or the grapics not being like some other games's. I play puzzle games for the puzzles. Thanks to Mr. Muller for making our computers a more logical and enjoying place to be. :-)

What struck me first about Rhem is that is has very little color. It is a metal pipe, brick, and dirt world. There's a bit of blue water here and there, but even the huge reservoir is dried up mud. Still, like the desert, it does not have to be seen as unattractive...just different.

Having said that, the graphics are done very well. Attention to details, such as views from afar, are done with great care. There are some sounds, but it is very simple and repetitive. You meet one other character, briefly, and the voice-work leaves much to be desired. Fortuneately, the character leaves and you don't have to listen to him anymore. Unfortuneately, he takes the tramcar you rode in on, leaving you stranded.

While the pathways may seem daunting at first, if you roam around a bit, you will soon recognize landmarks. Or, you can use the map provided in booklet or a more detailed one found online. Getting from one place to another, plotting out the routes, was more fun for me than most of the puzzles. After while, I did not have to refer to the map.

I used hints pretty freely in this game since not all puzzles are straightforward. Still, they are not so far-fetched to make no sense at all. I just needed a nudge. More experienced gamers might not.

This is a point and click game, however you can look down nearly everywhere and that gives you the feeling of a 3D world. I soon didn't even notice.

Overall, Rhem has puzzles ranging from easy to moderately difficult. The graphics are well done, but lack interest. It is worth playing, but do not expect a plot- there is none...other than to escape (and that's rather anti-climatic.)

I enjoyed the time it took to finish the game with the depth of mazes, and puzzles. This is a game that does not offer instant gratification, but is enjoyed over a number of days. The puzzles make sense, and the worlds fit together nicely.
Recommended and enjoyed for all gamers looking to add some adventure to their summer days.