Rating

C+

Specific Ratings

GameplayD+
GraphicsB+
Learning CurveC+
Replay ValueD
SoundC+

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Good graphics
Cons
  • Gameplay quickly becomes irritating
  • Puzzles are often the same
  • Weak story

Rhem (PC)

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Summary

A first-person point-and-click adventure in the style of Myst. Nice at first, but gets boring pretty quickly.

Description

Rhem is a first-person point-and-click game in the style of Myst, but it doesn't really work for me.

The story: You travel to Rhem. (Why?) On arrival, you find yourself in a 3-D maze of paths that, as a rule, never directly lead to anywhere. As soon as you start exploring, you are hailed by some other guy who says he's been here for ages and couldn't find out how the place worked. He says he is going to take the vehicle you came with to get out of here and leave you stranded in turn. Before you can stop him, he does just that. Start exploring...and take your time, the place is HUGE.

In general, the story is weak and, I'm sorry to say, stinks of a cheap Myst rip-off. You find out that some guy wants to send a letter to his brother. The letter is, for "safety reasons," ripped into four parts and spread all over Rhem. It's up to you to find them, reassemble the letter and get out of there.

Rhem consists of a great number of valleys, all connected with each other through twisty walkways. The graphics are good, and the overall design of the place is very intricate and well thought out.
The puzzles are challenging at first, but after some time they become boring with frequently recurring themes. Keys and combinations can be frequently found on doors, but are only visible when the door is closed. You can only close the door from the opposite side. Of course, to get to the other side of the door once you've closed it, you generally have to make a huge detour.

The gameplay is nice at first, but when you've come some way in the game and solved most of the puzzles, the enormous amount of running around that you have to do becomes very annoying. A general rule seems to be that to get anywhere you'll have to travel most of Rhem first, even if your target is very close to you.

Overall: Nice game, but it gets boring pretty quickly. The end scene (After solving the end puzzles, with very familiar pattern by now, you find another car and drive out of Rhem.) did nothing to convince me, either.

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