There’s plenty of “I need X so let’s go and find X” puzzles but they’re mixed with a vast variety of other head scratchers. Where Röki differentiates itself from its peers is in the quality of the puzzles. It’s a classic game play loop that has existed for decades and hasn’t been revolutionised here. The game play loop is mostly entering an area, exploring everything that flashes when the Left stick is pressed, collecting everything you can and then deciding if any of it can help solve any of the problems blocking your progress. Röki is an adventure game that borrows the best elements of the point-and-click genre but gets rid of almost all of the irritations. It feels like every 10 minutes you’re bumping into a new Jotunn legend come to life – the The Yule Cat, tomte and giant bearded frogs among them – and it’s a constant source of wonderment and challenge. That being said, Röki serves up a steady pace of mythical creatures, fanciful locations and vivid characters to deal with throughout. Despite being set in a mythological version of the Scandinavian wilderness, many of the more interesting aspects of the story come from the humans rather than the Trolls and legendary beasties you’ll be meeting. The entire third chapter of this game feels like a masterclass in game design as each puzzle futhers a narrative device and framing that’s quite ingenious. I won’t spoil the main plot but it’s a deceptively symbolic tale of loss, how grief can affect families and overcoming this together. Rather than being a simple tale of rescue, Röki is a tale of love, of willing to do anything for your family, of sacrifice and of gods and men – and that’s just the plot points involving the game’s villains. However, the narrative is surprising, heart felt yet easy to digest. Röki even plays into these expectations at times. ![]() On the surface, this plot might sound tired and predictable. Tove must navigate the challenges of this magical world in order to rescue Lars and get him home. Here, the myths and legends of the jötnar, trolls, guardians and Tomte are real. ![]() Giving chase, Tove enters the portal and is transported to a fantastical version of the woods surrounding her home. A monster, bigger than the house and blacker than night, attacks their home and kidnaps Lars through a mysterious portal. They were getting by as best they could until one night, a flock of ravens surrounded their house, the heralds for something much, much worse. They’ve been through some trying times in the past few years, namely the death of the mother/wife which has put a big strain on their family dynamics. This family lives out in the Scandinavian wilderness in a little house. Röki is the story of main protagonist Tove, her brother Lars and their father.
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