Röki Review
Trolls are your friends.
Players step into the world of Röki in a secluded, wintry forest, which is the perfect setting for a game that feels so removed from others in its unique stylization. It’s gorgeous, fun, and has a sharp precision with the story that it tells.
The narrative in Röki is built on a solid theme: the complexities of familial love. Without trespassing into spoiler territory, every character in the game relates to a theme connected to family in some way, whether overtly or subtly. Every character is genuinely charming, unique, and deals with a wide array of conflicts. As our red-headed heroine, Tove, players will step into an alternate realm of friendly monsters, and help out the cast of creatures in return for help uncovering the mystery of how she ended up separated from her family.
This is the main aspect of Röki’s gameplay, which is primarily puzzle-based. Players are tasked with exploring, solving puzzles, and collecting both information and items to proceed throughout the game. While the player will encounter some puzzles that require little thought to solve, others will require the player to stop, take a breath, and really assess the environment, items and information that they have in order to move forward.
Hey, listen
As a way of helping to guide the player, there is an option to press a key that will highlight each aspect of the environment that Tove can interact with. This makes it much easier for players to spot items that they have missed, keep track of what they have already searched, and aid in completing puzzles. In addition, there is a journal that Tove updates throughout the game of important events, locations, and collectables. In Röki, there are two types of items: items that can be used to move the story forward, and “loot”, which are small items that are a bit more difficult to find but only serve as collectables. I managed to mind 30 of the 48 collectables along my journey.
Despite the option to highlight key environmental elements and the journal, there were a couple of times throughout my playthrough where I felt stumped on how to proceed and wished for some sort of guide. These moments never lasted too long, and only resulted in exploring the map more to find collectables and further interact with the characters. I could see how this could get slightly frustrating for players who want to advance the story but are clueless as to which item(s) they forgot to pick up; however; this can also be great for players who want to really explore every nook and cranny of the game.
Winter is over there, actually
Exploring the environment of Röki is genuinely rewarding; an entire section of this review can be made simply for its superb soundtrack, which is exactly what you would expect with its soft ambience in a snowy realm. A hauntingly beautiful piano, whirs and windchimes, and the occasional jingles of bells perfectly emulate a universally recognizable feeling of winter. As Tove wanders throughout the forest, toadstools will shyly hide in the ground as she steps near, wolves will howl as she runs by, and the camera angle changes to reveal hidden secrets and areas. Röki employs depth in a phenomenal way that cannot be overstated. The world will feel huge at times as tiny Tove scurries throughout it, and up close and personal as she explores abandoned cabins and castles. Each of these elements forms an extremely dynamic and immersive experience.
The tone of Röki never fully commits to a binary of being childlike or dead serious, and yet it feels very exact in what it wants the player to experience as they venture throughout the story. There are times when the witty residents of the forest will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a children’s fairytale, allowing the player to appreciate its lighthearted moments, and there are times when a striking image appears that reflects the more serious themes presented in the narrative.
By the end of the game, I felt invested in the characters to the point that I couldn’t help but get emotional when a catharsis occurs. Röki features a perfect feel-good story, with lighthearted characters that are easy to identify with and invest in. The world is so well-thought-out, and the way that the game guides the player throughout the story is an extremely welcome escape from the uncertainty of the real-world in our current pandemic times. I fully recommend getting lost in this beautiful world with Tove.
[Reviewed on PC]