RiME Gets a Release Date!

     RiME has had a rocky production since its announcement at the at Sony's Gamescom 2013 Press Conference, but Tequila Works' game has finally received a set release date!

     Rime appears to be an amalgam of Journey, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and the Team Ico games and set on a strange Myst-like island.  The story is of a boy needing to find a way off the island and away from its terrible curse.

     What has me most excited is that it sounds like the game has a few procedurally generated elements, or it may change depending on how you play it.  In an interview with Polygon, the game's creator, Raúl Rubio Munárriz, said, "-"Every time you explore this island or islands you are going to experience it differently."  So not only might there be more than just one island, but it changes.
     Going on he says:

     "The island is a paradise, but that does not mean that what you see at the start is the same as what you see at the end. This is not a game about black and white. It is not about good and evil. We are trying to play with what the player takes for granted. This is a puzzle adventure game but that doesn't mean that you are going to enter houses and start gathering stuff. I see this environment, it is beautiful, but something is wrong. Who built this?"

     RiME will arrive on PC, PS4, and XBox One on May 26th, and at a later date for the Nintendo Switch.

     I also wonder if odd capitalization on the name probably has ties to the tower featured in the game.

     For related posts [ Rime ]

RiME: Finally Arrives in May 2017!

     I've had my eye on Tequila Work's gorgeous game RIME since 2014.  Through the last couple years, RiME has gone through some changes behind the scenes and now the game will be coming to more than just the PS4, it'll also be arriving on Xbox One, Steam, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch.  Which is great, a wider audience to share the experience.  RiME looks to be a wonderful amalgam of the games Journey, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Ico all placed on a strange and mysterious island like Myst.

     The 3rd person puzzle-platforming will help the shipwrecked boy unravel the mystery of this island he finds himself stranded on.  You are an interloper on this island, and it will react to your presence- the island IS a character in that way.  To find meaning, you'll need to delve in and try to solve the questions of who built this place, where is everyone else, and how the island changes.

     That last part is what really peaks my curiosity as the game's creator, Raúl Rubio Munárriz, mentioned something that immediately caught my eye in an old interview with Polygon, "Every time you explore this island or islands you are going to experience it differently."  It makes me think there will be an element of procedural generation, and then further question exactly how reactive will the world be.  Will every decision you make really change how the entire world around you functions?  Can you alter how animals populating the island react by changing what you do to them?  Will the island actively try to assist you in doing good, and try to thwart you from harming stuff?  Can the island fight against your goal?  I look forward to seeing if this is truly how the game is built.  A real reactionary world.

     Experience the subtle beauty of RiME in May 2017.

Rime: Coming in 2017 and Possibly to More Than Just Playstation 4

     Back in 2013 a game was announced and a year later at the 2014 GamesCom Press Conference a trailer for Tequila Works' game Rime was released.  It looked to be a wonderful Ico-esque 3rd person puzzle-platforming Playstation 4 exclusive.  Then more recently there was some developmental upheaval that led to Tequila Works and Sony parting ways.

     Now we get some good news, Rime is still set to arrive some time in 2017 with some help from small game publishers Six Foot and Grey Box will help publish it and it might end up coming to more than PS4.
     As Tequila Works' press release states:

"Additional information about RiME, including gameplay and platform availability details, will be unveiled at the beginning of 2017, as Grey Box, Six Foot and Tequila Works ready the title for release later that year."

     This cel-shaded adventure appears to be something well worth following.

     This is going to make a lot of people very happy.  Others might be kicking themselves as not only did Sony break away, but Microsoft had initially passed on the game as well.

Toren: An Intriguing Game of Growth

     Swordtales, an independent developer from Brazil, and publisher Versus Evil have come together to create a wonderful game called Toren.  They are calling it a dark fantasy adventure, and the visuals have taken many cues and inspiration from games like Ico, Journey, and the soon to be released Rime- creating a place of wonder and danger.  Just watch the trailer, this game appears to be much more than what it first appears to be.

     "Toren is a 3D adventure game with beautiful graphics, immersive gameplay, which leads the player through an introspective and captivating journey using the deep concepts like time, religion and mortality.

     Built around an epic poem, the game takes the audience in an torrent of discoveries about the greatest myth of all. 

     A game to be experienced, in which the player will grow and change along with the tower and its heroes."

     Swordtales seem to have struck something amazing here- the progression of time.  The character, Moonchild (Could that be a call back to Bastion's Mother's name in the NeverEnding Story???), even appears to age through the trailer while she is scaling the titular tower, and that sounds amazing.  Think of the ramifications of that small act in game.  Aging and mortality.

     The "timeless world of Toren" might have more meaning than the texts from the site let on- and it draws my attention when the character ages in a timeless place.  Moonchild grows enough to attack a small dragon and that is something to think about.  This game has a lot of potential and I fully look forward to trying it out when it hits PS4.  In fact- this, along with Rime, look to be the perfect filler while we all wait for The Last Guardian's re-introduction.

     Toren will be available on PS4, PC, Mac, and Linux in early 2015.

     Source [ Toren ]

Rime: The 2014 Gamescom Trailer is Truly Wonderful

     Premiering at Sony's Gamescom 2014 Press Conference, Rime looks like a cross between Journey, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Shadow of the Colossus and mixing in the enchanting beauty of a strange island like Myst.

     Rime's official trailer description is “The story of a boy who must use his wits and ingenuity to survive – and ultimately escape from – a mysterious island and a terrible curse.”

     I've been waiting for a full trailer of this game for about a year now (since Sony's 2013 Gamescom Press Conference), and it does not disappoint.  While all of us Team Ico fans wait for Sony's "Re-Introduction" of The Last Guardian we'll be getting Rime instead to ease the interim.
     Rime is a game about a boy stranded on a mysterious island- where discovery happens through exploration and interaction.  Chris Jones, Sony Xdev Studio Europe and developer, gave a nice lengthy description of the game for Sony's Europe Blog:

"Rime is set in a unique ancient world of mystery, intrigue and adventure. Set on a beautiful island, a boy wakes on the shore to find he’s lost, with the only the island and the animals to accompany him.

You guide the boy through the island helping him unlock the puzzles, in the trailer you can see that there are puzzles all around and finding them is just a matter of perspective, (Did you see the fox? Watch the trailer again!)

As well as following the story of the boy, the island is also an integral character in the game, and it will not give up its hidden secrets easily. Who is the boy? Why is the boy here? Why is he alone? Ultimately the game is to find the answers to all of these important questions.

In a beautifully crafted world, you will see stunning vistas as you play through the game and delve deep into the islands true meaning."

     The game's creator, Raúl Rubio Munárriz, further described this world in an interview with Polygon (which also has a very interesting line-"Every time you explore this island or islands you are going to experience it differently." I added the emphasis.):

     "The island itself is a character. The ambition was always that the island would tell the story. It is reacting to your presence. The seagulls and boars react to your presence because you shouldn't be there. You are a trespasser.

     "The island is a paradise, but that does not mean that what you see at the start is the same as what you see at the end. This is not a game about black and white. It is not about good and evil. We are trying to play with what the player takes for granted. This is a puzzle adventure game but that doesn't mean that you are going to enter houses and start gathering stuff. I see this environment, it is beautiful, but something is wrong. Who built this?"

     With an air of mystery and subtlety Rime looks to be an amazing experience.  Alongside games like No Man's Sky, the PS4 lineup keeps getting better and better.

     I suppose with the recent Tomb Raider and Xbox One exclusivity deal it makes me wonder about this game- as Microsoft had declined Tequila Works' Rime, and now Sony is going to reap the quiet majesty that it has become.