Rhem

Rating:
Summary: First impressions can be deceiving!
Review: 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,
...

Rating:
Summary: Mentally stimulating and frustrating - and I love it!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I am a Myst fan. I buy games that contain puzzles and problems where you have to think. My first problem or puzzle was trying to install this game! Grrr. I had a difficult time and I have upgraded graphics and memory on my computer. I had to go into my hard drive to find the game in order to play it after installation, then I had to reset my screen settings.
After about 30 minutes of this I finally got to play the game.
This is what I think:
* Installation is difficult
* Graphics are not that impressive
* I was playing like I was in a dark room looking out a window.
(I like full screen graphics.)
Don't bother with this game it's a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I am a Myst fan. I buy games that contain puzzles and problems where you have to think. My first problem or puzzle was trying to install this game! Grrr. I had a difficult time and I have upgraded graphics and memory on my computer. I had to go into my hard drive to find the game in order to play it after installation, then I had to reset my screen settings.
After about 30 minutes of this I finally got to play the game.
This is what I think:
* Installation is difficult
* Graphics are not that impressive
* I was playing like I was in a dark room looking out a window.
(I like full screen graphics.)
Don't bother with this game it's a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Mystical World
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A New Classic
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Blah.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: vast world, great puzzles, no story
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: MYST PLUS
Review: RHEM is the same style of game as MYST. That is already a plus because in my opinion Myst is one of the best games around. Seems like there are not a lot of really good adventure games so when a good one comes out I am grateful. RHEM has lots of neat puzzles and no dark aspects which I really shun in games. Best of all I believe RHEM brings with it something new and different from MYST. In MYST you become familiar with the puzzles then solve them. In RHEM it seems more about becoming familiar with the place of RHEM and that helps you to solve the puzzles. I felt that I became familiar with the world of RHEM in a way that I didn't with world of MYST. I didn't have much time to critique the graphics, sound etc. which were great and in any case better than anything I could create on my own. Personally I liked the no nonsense approach of the author right down to saving the game as a text file. When you have substance who needs glitz. A big part of the beauty of this game all takes place in your head anyway. This is a work of art (in adventure game form) for the whole family.

Rating:
Summary: Logic at its Best
Review: Rhem offers a stimulating challenge in a maze like environment. The game's origin seems to be driven by the success of Myst. While the game compares itself to Myst, it falls a little short. However the game was very challenging and fullfilling. The puzzles made sense, and the game delivered in its promise to send me on an adventure similar to previous games. I would highly recommend Rhem.