Having just finished reading and then followed by watching ‘Project Hail Mary’ I was looking for a game that gave me that same sense of interstellar loneliness and problem solving that Ryland Grace goes through in the book/film. When I first heard of the game ‘Rivage’ I believed it to be a puzzle style game where you are the lone occupant onboard a space station, a bit like the games ‘Deliver Us the Moon’ and ‘Tacoma’. What I didn’t realise until playing the game was that it was an immersive puzzle based game with absolutely no hand holding from the developers. Meaning every problem you solve is down to the clues you find around the station via emails, pictures, audio etc.
What makes the game even more unique is that it is run on a time loop. This works in a very cool way by the station being low on power. Each time you open a door to a different section of the station you use 1 (or more depending on the door) energy nodes. You start with 4 ‘power’ in total, which means you need to plan ahead once you’ve run through the station a few times. Once you are out of power and need to go into another section after solving a clue it’s time to make your way to the store room where a strange arcade machine lies waiting. Interact with this arcade machine and this initiates the time loop. The day is then reset to 9.32 in the morning.
And how many loops you go through over the course of your playthrough is reliant on how good you are at problem solving and finding clues. I made it to 32 loops (using about 15 loops) before I managed to figure out a puzzle that I had been stuck on for a few days.
The Story
This would naturally lead me into the game’s gameplay. But I just want to put a pause here and talk about the story.
You play as Miranda. The sole crew member left onboard of the A.R.E.S. space station. It’s obvious that there were events that transpired prior to you stepping into the shoes of Miranda that she is aware of, but you the player are not yet privy to. I like this method of story telling as it’s very immersive and lets you the player figure things out as you go along rather than being spoon fed. An example of this is when we learn that something strange has happened on board the station with weird phenomena scattered throughout the modules, and with the escape pods having been jettisoned, which explains the crew’s absence.
At this point you wonder if Miranda fully knows why all this has happened and what that cause is, but as the player you haven’t a clue yet. However, later as you unravel what happened in the past through interacting with the environment you hear Miranda say ‘this is where it all went wrong…’ which leads to the thought ‘oh so you know what happened’ but as the player we still don’t know yet. (hope that makes sense)
You also find out about events prior to waking up for the first time via emails and crew messages, but also via audio nodes that appear in each new room that you discover. These retell certain pivotal events that occurred in these rooms that are pivotal to driving the story forward.
Gameplay
So gameplay:
The game is labeled as an immersive puzzle game, so if you’re expecting this to be an easy ride then this game might not be for you. But if you like problem solving puzzles via environmental story telling then you’ll enjoy ‘Rivage’.
Each puzzle you come across helps progress the story, however every puzzle gets progressively more tricker to solve. You are highly reliant with keeping track of clues you find while exploring the modules of the A.R.E.S. station and the game knows this. You have a K9 iris link which is like an ocular journal that helps you keep a database of audio logs you find, passwords you uncover (which auto open locks and computers so you don’t have to enter everytime), videos you watch, etc. What it also does (which is super helpful) is allow you to take screenshots of anything you’re looking at to reference later. This saves you having to take real life photos of things with your mobile phone and in turn keeps everything within the confines of the game and keeps the immersion of the experience.
While this immersive gameplay is good and keeps you hooked, a lot of the puzzles aren’t the most straightforward. Meaning you could fall into the trap I did (multiple times) of spending hours trying to solve the puzzle by going at it blind and hoping for the best. Or by searching the station over and over again for clues and coming up with nothing before eventually giving up on playing due to frustration. I will admit this happened to me on more than one occasion, however I kept coming back to the game as I would find myself thinking about it at random times and thinking ‘oh i didn’t check there’, to then go back into the game and have a ‘eureka’ moment and solve the puzzle. However this winning feeling would be short lived as the next clue I would move onto would prove twice as challenging.
Now this isn’t to say the game is bad, not at all. I’m saying it requires patience because taking the time to solve these puzzles is very rewarding and you will find yourself going back over and over again as the lore of the game and environmental story telling makes you want to uncover the game’s secrets.
Graphics and Atmosphere
Graphics wise the game looks amazing. The lighting is very atmospheric with lights casting moody shadows and reflecting perfectly off the floor. One jaw dropping moment for me was looking up in the kitchen area and seeing the planet Vesta for the first time out of the viewing window. The level of detail of the terrain and geometry of the planet makes it look so realistic and adds even more to the immersion.
Sound and Voice Acting
Sound wise all the sound effects feel authentic and realistic with nothing being too out there to break the immersion of the game. Voice acting told through the inner monologue of Miranda or via audio logs is solid and believable. Music is atmospheric and fitting.
Performance and Bugs
I did experience a few bugs during my playthrough. One were there was a specific view port in the connector area of the station which would randomly cause the frame rate to drop. I have no idea why this specific spot caused this but it’s present among repeated tests.
I also experienced some audio glitches where the music would cut out and footsteps would become louder in the mix making each step very noticeable. Also a few draws would clip through each other and shut and open the wrong way followed by items not being interactable any more. These issues were brief though and rectified with a reboot of the game.
Final Verdict
Overall though, Rivage is a solid puzzle game from ‘Exnilo Studio’ & ‘Raw Fury’. If you are looking for a fully immersive science fiction puzzle game then look no further. While it can be frustrating at times I found myself thinking about the game and coming back for more time after time. Just have patience and the game can be so rewarding.
This review was based off a Xbox Series X playthrough.
Read more awesome reviews >>here<<.
The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
Rivage is available September 22nd on Xbox Series consoles, PS5 and PC.
Rivage Review Summary
Rivage is an atmospheric science-fiction puzzle game built around environmental storytelling, challenging puzzles and a unique time-loop mechanic. Playing as Miranda aboard the A.R.E.S. space station, players must investigate clues, manage limited power and uncover what happened to the missing crew. Its immersive presentation, story and rewarding puzzle design make it an engaging experience, although some puzzles can become frustrating and occasional technical issues affect the experience. Rivage gets a 7/10.
Rivage Review Summary
What is Rivage?
Rivage is an immersive science-fiction puzzle game from Exnilo Studio and Raw Fury. Players take control of Miranda, the sole remaining crew member aboard the A.R.E.S. space station, and must uncover what happened through environmental storytelling, emails, audio logs, images and other clues.
What makes Rivage different?
Rivage combines environmental puzzle solving with a unique time-loop mechanic. The station has limited power, with energy nodes required to access different sections. When power runs out, players can activate an arcade machine to reset the day to 9:32 AM. The number of loops required depends largely on how effectively players discover and understand the clues.
How is the gameplay?
The puzzles become progressively more difficult and there is very little hand holding. The K9 iris link acts as an in-game journal, storing audio logs, passwords and videos while also allowing players to take screenshots of important clues for later reference. Solving the puzzles can be frustrating, but finding the solution after being stuck can be extremely rewarding.
What are the problems with Rivage?
Some puzzles and clues are difficult to understand or locate, which can lead to lengthy periods of frustration. The review also experienced occasional frame rate drops, audio glitches and visual/interactivity issues, although restarting the game resolved these problems.
Is Rivage worth playing?
Rivage is worth considering for players who enjoy challenging puzzle games, environmental storytelling and atmospheric science-fiction experiences. Its puzzles require patience, but the story, atmosphere and satisfaction of solving difficult problems help make the experience rewarding.
What score does Rivage get?
Rivage gets a 7/10 from IGC.
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