Night in Riverager
- February 2, 2021
- Two Star Games
Get on Steam"Night in the Riverager" is a first-person adventure game that follows a young musician's journey to uncover the secrets of a mysterious village. Use your musical talents to solve puzzles and interact with other characters to unlock the story. Explore a beautifully crafted world filled with charming locations and unique challenges as you discover the truth behind the Riverager's curse.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique and captivating art style that enhances the eerie atmosphere and complements the story.
- The story, while simple, has intriguing elements and offers a sense of mystery that keeps players engaged.
- The game successfully builds suspense and has moments of genuine horror, making it a memorable experience for fans of the genre.
- The gameplay is often described as rudimentary and can feel like a walking simulator, lacking depth and engagement.
- Many players found the character development weak and the story's execution to be clichéd and unoriginal.
- Technical issues, such as frequent crashes and poor optimization, detract from the overall experience and frustrate players.
- story91 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing plot, unique world-building, and emotional depth, while others criticize it for being clichéd, lacking character development, and feeling overly linear. Many appreciate the art style as a strong complement to the narrative, but some feel that the story's brevity and underdeveloped lore detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the story captivates some players, others find it disappointing and generic, indicating a divide in player engagement with the narrative.
“The monochromatic grayscale aesthetics greatly enhance the feelings of the main character, which are filled with dread and sadness, being a perfect complement to the story.”
“The story is amazing; you are just thrown into the game and made to figure it out on your own with little to no exposition.”
“Stunning visuals, compelling story, and rich atmosphere.”
“The majority of the game is walking aimlessly to wherever the game arbitrarily decides you need to go to progress the story, at times literally needing to walk in circles for no reason.”
“I think there was a really cool world being alluded to but it loses that by chapter three and goes on a more generic story and replaces it with something more familiar and generic which really hurt the feeling I got from the beginning.”
“I just find it generic, boring, and a departure from the setups earlier in the story.”
- graphics59 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and captivating art style, often compared to Tim Burton's aesthetic, which enhances the eerie atmosphere and complements the story. However, some players note that while the visuals are striking, the environments can feel bland and lack depth, with issues like poor lighting detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the hand-drawn visuals and creative design elements are generally seen as the game's strongest features, contributing to its psychological horror elements.
“The visuals of the game are amazing; it's a very unique looking game that doesn’t just look great, but can also instill a lot of anxiety at times with its gloomy lighting and great camera angles.”
“The monochromatic grayscale aesthetics greatly enhance the feelings of the main character, which are filled with dread and sadness, being a perfect complement to the story.”
“The atmosphere is unrelentingly eerie, the art style is unique and well-made, and the story is a great mix of explained and ambiguous.”
“The visuals can easily carry the gameplay; however, for having a really cool art style, the game had very bland environments and nothing that caught my eye or was necessarily cool to walk through and look at.”
“I lowered the graphics, and other people have this problem too.”
“The game's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: the art style.”
- gameplay45 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "My Beautiful Paper Smile" is generally described as simple and linear, often resembling a walking simulator with rudimentary mechanics that are not fully explored. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and story, many criticize the lack of depth and redundancy in gameplay elements, leading to a feeling of frustration and underwhelming experiences. Despite its captivating visuals and intriguing narrative, the gameplay often feels repetitive and lacking in challenge, which may deter some players.
“In this game, there is a mechanic where you have a personal light source that you can turn on and off. If the light is on, you can find your way around, but you risk failing stealth and other interactions. If you have your light off, you will start to lose what I am calling sanity.”
“To my surprise, it had a few action scenes that were an interesting addition and added some variety to the gameplay.”
“The graphics were beautiful, the gameplay felt fresh, and this game had some genuinely scary moments.”
“The gameplay is very rudimentary, to the point that it's not far off from a walking simulator.”
“One of the biggest problems with the gameplay, in my opinion, is that the game teaches you quite a few mechanics that are never explored again, which makes them feel a little redundant and like they’ve been added just to keep the player busy.”
“The main gameplay on offer here is to look for collectibles, but the areas are so unnecessarily large and your walking speed is so slow that it just makes exploring feel like a chore.”
- atmosphere32 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique art style and immersive sound design, creating a tense and eerie environment that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke fear without relying heavily on jump scares, instead fostering a sense of dread through its visuals and minimalistic music. While some players noted minor gameplay issues, the compelling atmosphere and intriguing story remain standout features that contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
“The art direction of this game really helps add to the creepy atmosphere, yet it also has a bit of charm that makes you feel and connect with the main protagonist of the game, in which he's just trying to find his friend so they can be free together.”
“The game does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere with its minimalist approach to its music and dark tones in its environment, always making you wonder what may be hiding in the shadows.”
“I honestly love every part of this game from its unique art style to its genuinely creepy atmosphere.”
“Walking in a straight line at an excruciatingly slow pace with an obnoxious never-ending footstep sound effect that completely destroys the atmosphere.”
“A constant threat would've added to the atmosphere while at the same time taking away the somewhat cheap feeling of dying over and over to an action segment.”
“The sound design was functional; I feel more could have been done on that front to help with the atmosphere, but to reiterate, it still definitely works.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's music is minimal yet effective, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Its dark tones and subtle cues contribute to a sense of unease, complementing the visuals and narrative without being overwhelming. This minimalist approach successfully immerses players in a world filled with tension and mystery.
“The game does a fantastic job of creating an eerie atmosphere with its minimalist approach to its music and dark tones in its environment, always making you wonder what may be hiding in the shadows.”
“The music kept me unsettled without being overbearing; the visuals were fun the whole way through and gave me a Tim Burton vibe, but darker and more personal to the creators.”
“There are not many songs in this game, but there is no need to.”
“Music is eerie and gloomy.”
“The subtlety of how creepy things actually are is not lost on even the most basic observer; from the music to the way everyone is dressed, even to how they speak, it leads to a feeling that something just isn't quite right.”
- character development3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by impressive character designs and a captivating atmosphere, but it suffers from a weak story and insufficient world-building, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals and suspense are praised, the lack of depth in gameplay and narrative leaves players wanting more.
“The scenery and character designs are great; the story is engaging and the suspense is amazing.”
“The game itself has a good atmosphere and an intriguing plot, featuring some of the most twisted character designs I've ever seen.”
“The character development feels shallow and unengaging, leaving me disconnected from the story.”
“Despite the interesting character designs, the lack of depth in their development makes it hard to care about their journeys.”
“The characters are visually appealing, but their arcs are predictable and lack meaningful growth.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the collection of items that offer minimal rewards, such as vague lore instead of meaningful incentives. While the atmosphere and horror elements are praised, the grinding detracts from the overall experience, making the final boss encounter feel more laborious than satisfying.
“In every chapter, there are collectibles that are tedious to collect, and if you think you get a reward for collecting everything, think again; you get a vague 'lore' cinematic.”
“Atmosphere and horror are pretty good, but combat and stealth are low points, making the final boss feel more tedious than a rewarding climax.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply touching and intense, though some note that the experience is relatively brief.
“It's very touching.”
“This was an emotional and intense journey for me, but a short one.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is somewhat diminished due to the excessive walking, which can become tedious over time. While players may need to replay the game to uncover all secrets, the slow pace can detract from the overall enjoyment and motivation to revisit it.
“The game offers a wealth of secrets and hidden content, making each playthrough feel fresh and rewarding.”
“With multiple endings and various choices to make, the replayability factor is incredibly high, encouraging players to explore different paths.”
“Each time I play, I discover something new, which keeps the experience engaging and motivates me to dive back in.”
“There is a lot of walking, and I really mean a lot of walking. I've been playing this game on and off since 2021, which means I've amassed more than triple the total playtime of the game. The walking got really boring really quickly, and because of that, I'd say the game slightly loses out on its replay value. Even sprinting can feel quite slow at times, and trust me, you will have to replay the game at least once if you want to get all the secrets without using a guide.”
“After finishing the game, I felt no urge to play it again. The story was decent, but the lack of meaningful choices and consequences made it feel like a one-time experience. I can't see myself going through the same missions again.”
“While the game has some interesting mechanics, the lack of variety in missions and objectives makes replaying it feel tedious. Once you've seen everything, there's little incentive to dive back in.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, noting a lack of error messages for troubleshooting and unhelpful community discussions that fail to resolve problems.
“There is no error message for troubleshooting whatsoever, and error discussion threads in the community page ultimately lead to nowhere.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant lag and disconnections, which ruined my gaming experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its blend of comedy and horror, with players enjoying the reactions of their friends during scary moments, often leading to meme-worthy situations.
“It was a good game and a funny, scary one. I like it when I see my friends scared, so I make a meme of them! XD”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While some users note that certain settings, such as lighting and repetitive sounds, could benefit from optimization, these issues do not significantly impact the overall playability of the game.
“The game offers a variety of optimization options that allow players to tailor their experience to their hardware capabilities.”
“I appreciate the attention to optimization; it really enhances the overall performance and visual quality of the game.”
“Some of the settings need a bit of optimization, like lighting, and some sounds are a little too repetitive, but nothing that makes it unplayable.”
“The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
“Despite its potential, the optimization issues make it frustrating to play, especially in more demanding areas.”
