Roki (PC) Review

This immediately distances itself from other point-and-clicks by shaking up the control scheme. While the basics remain the same (you interact with certain objects, add them to the inventory, use objects on other things in the environment to solve puzzles, etc.) the controls tend to favour action over puzzle-solving; clicking on the screen will not move Tove around, only the arrow or WASD keys will do that. It's an interesting design choice that at first seems a tiny bit off-putting, but it's not without reason - Röki involves a bit more exploration and adventure than wandering or clicking, so it makes sense for the controls to do the same.

The game's environments are lovely, looking like something out of a pop-up book, or maybe a highly detailed children's drawing. The characters themselves are less appealing, dipping their toes into uncanny valley territory, with younger brother Lars looking particularly robot-like and unsettling. To make matters worse, due to a glitch his model kept disappearing entirely, making some puzzles difficult to solve as an item had to be used on him, or leaving parts of the environment seemingly moving on their own whenever he interacted with them. Creature designs help the overall aesthetic of the game shine; some of them have the same detail and care put into them as the gorgeous environments, while even the monsters that are just silhouettes are visually striking and memorable.

The real playability lies in its storytelling, which stands strong from the gate. Scandinavian legend and folklore make for a rich, unique setting a lot of gamers from other regions are probably entirely new to. The point-and-click adventure style of gameplay lends well to players of all ages who want to help Tove save her family, and the writers waste no time making Tove and her family fun and sympathetic; making players want to help them, despite their sometimes too-robotic expressions or animations.

The game could've easily fallen into a bit of a trap where it might've seemed too big for a point-and-click, or that the puzzle-solving or exploration might've held back what could've been an action game, but for the most part Röki instead finds a good balance between the different things it's trying to do. For example, a press of the F key will highlight anything on-screen that can be interacted with, should players find themselves stuck, but this is entirely optional. Besides that, some interactive items, like journal collectibles, are tiny or well-hidden, so players are never left feeling like they're cheating for using the hint system.