Reka

About

Reka is a single player open world role playing game with horror, fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Emberstorm Entertainment and was released on September 12, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Start your life as an apprentice witch to the legendary Baba Jaga and venture across a mysterious, natural landscape with your companion, chicken-legged cottage. Develop your magical powers, customise your home, craft potions, help or hinder villagers find your way in the world.

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83%Audience ScoreBased on 2,085 reviews

story277 positive mentions

stability217 negative mentions

Beautiful, unique atmosphere with rich Slavic folklore and witchy themes.
Extensive and flexible building/decorating system for the movable chicken house.
Relaxing gameplay focused on exploration, crafting, and charming quests.

Game suffers from significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues even on high-end systems.
Maps and NPCs are repetitive and environments sometimes feel empty or glitchy.
Story and quest content are currently limited and main progression can be hindered by bugs.

story
1,139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
5%
The story in this game is praised for its unique Slavic folklore inspiration, charming atmosphere, and engaging early chapters that set a magical, cozy tone. However, it is currently very short and incomplete, with many players noting that the main quest ends abruptly after two chapters, transitioning into a repetitive sandbox mode with limited narrative progression. Numerous reviewers express excitement for future updates that will expand the story, improve quest variety, and deepen worldbuilding, while also highlighting existing bugs and quest glitches that sometimes hinder story progression.
- “The storyline, quests, overall aesthetic are incredible.”
- “The story is beautifully told, with a subtle and beautifully designed main story and rich world building and side stories that have depth and meaning.”
- “You can feel how much heart has gone into this game so far and it kept me hooked for 4 hours (which is very much worth it from just the two locations the story covers alone!).”
- “Many quests cannot be completed for various reasons: either you cannot interact with the quest goal, Baba Jaga doesn't recognize milestones, or the quest goal is beyond the edges of the map and unreachable.”
- “The storyline barely exists and it seems the developers have fallen into the trap of just adding decorative items instead of building the story, which may remain that way until players get fed up.”
- “The gamebreaking bugs are unacceptable, especially as they prevent progression and force you to restart saves, with quests resetting or getting stuck preventing further play.”
graphics
427 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The graphics of the game feature a charming, unique art style that blends coziness with dark, mystical Slavic folklore aesthetics, earning praise for its atmosphere, lighting, and character design. However, many users report significant performance issues, including frequent lag, low frame rates even on mid to high-end hardware, graphical glitches, and lack of optimization, which detracts from the experience despite the game's visual appeal. Overall, while the art direction is widely admired for its beauty and mood, the technical side of graphics requires substantial improvement.
- “It is gorgeous, with a very specific art style that works very well, a lot of mystical, dark, dramatic visuals, and I love the extensive folklore and characterization of Baba Yaga.”
- “The nature looks so real, the graphics make it look so alive in ways I've seen AAA games fail.”
- “The graphics are stunning and original.”
- “The game is a little confusing at first and has some annoying glitches as well as kinda bad graphics at times but the story and the overall environment is so much fun.”
- “The graphics are very barebones even at the highest settings, and this should not struggle to run on a 3080+i5 13600k.”
- “The game is so poorly optimized at the moment that my rtx 3060ti is maxing out at 97% on mid graphics and at 87% on low graphics.”
gameplay
315 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
The gameplay of the game is charming and cozy, centered around building and decorating a magical chicken-legged hut, with intuitive mechanics for crafting, gathering, and questing that many players find enjoyable. However, it suffers from clunky building controls, especially roof construction, repetitive tasks, limited content, and frequent bugs and optimization issues that affect smoothness and save reliability. Despite these flaws, the game’s unique aesthetic, relaxing vibes, and potential keep players engaged, especially those who appreciate creative building and folklore-inspired atmospheres.
- “Despite the bugs, I find myself wanting to explore more, figure out the mechanics, constantly redesign my house, and drawn back to the simplicity of this game.”
- “The gameplay is intuitive and cozy, with simple mechanics for gathering, questing, and decorating, but it’s the atmosphere that really makes Reka special.”
- “The mechanics are very simple to use, each town is a little different than the last to keep it fresh, and the house decorating is just ~chefs kiss~.”
- “Also no autosave, it does prompt you to save every 25 mins, but I fell through the janky RNG landscape and no unstuck button so had to reload and lost 19 mins of dull, repetitive gameplay that was the final straw for me and I just couldn't bear to do again.”
- “Gameplay becomes really jittery and janky after about ten minutes of play (consistently, not depending on which computer I play on), which is difficult to enjoy.”
- “I really like the premise of this game but unfortunately I'm convinced it will never leave "early access." Building your home is clunky and awkward, quests bug out constantly, it never saves my gameplay properly, and there are times when I enter a new area and the entire game just crashes.”
stability
220 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is currently very buggy and unstable, with frequent quest-breaking glitches, missing or floating objects, performance issues, and occasional crashes that significantly hinder progression and immersion. While some bugs can be mitigated by restarting or reloading saves, the overall experience is marred by numerous technical problems typical of an early access title. Despite this, players appreciate the concept and atmosphere, hopeful for future improvements from ongoing developer support.
- “However, the game has a lot of potential and I hope when I come back to it again, we will have a more bug-free game to enjoy.”
- “While it's not bug-free and has quite limited content due to early access, it does many things just right.”
- “And when I say bugs, I don't mean minor glitches, I mean I just played the second map of the game for two hours not realizing that there is an entire village that did not spawn.”
- “Right now, this game is far too buggy (quests not triggering, not updating, getting stuck...) and the visual bugs also break the game (items appearing below the terrain, inaccessible).”
- “I have found there to be many visual glitches, and even more quest-related issues (such as missing or inaccessible dialogue, people or animals not even appearing, floating items, etc) that make sections of the game impossible to complete.”
atmosphere
212 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
31%
1%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its unique blend of cozy, spooky, and witchy vibes rooted in Slavic folklore, enhanced by stunning art, evocative music, and immersive world-building. Players highlight its moody, autumnal aesthetic and engaging ambiance that balances mystery and warmth, making it perfect for relaxed exploration and storytelling. Despite some technical issues, the atmosphere remains the game's standout feature, drawing players into a richly atmospheric and magical experience.
- “Reka is definitely graphically and atmospherically the most beautiful game I have ever played in several decades.”
- “One of the biggest positives is the atmosphere and the soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere is a perfect blend of slightly spooky but immensely cozy.”
- “Even if it does contribute to the vibe of the game, sadly the way it's done, with the foggy atmosphere, makes things blurry or completely obscured if not in the light.”
- “At times, Reka creates an atmosphere that feels bleak, cold, and sometimes a little spooky.”
- “The atmosphere is there, but the actual substance of the game is not.”
music
185 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
37%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and haunting qualities, perfectly complementing the immersive atmosphere, stylized visuals, and folklore-inspired setting. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the game's cozy and mystical vibe, though a few mention occasional silence or abrupt transitions that somewhat detract from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a major strength that enriches storytelling and player immersion.
- “The music is beyond perfection, and the entire game is steeped in folklore and ancient magic.”
- “The sound design and music are fantastic, the devs did a really really good job of setting the atmosphere, you feel like you're in it and you don't want to leave it.”
- “The atmosphere, the music, the visuals, the story!”
- “Game is definitely too silent, background music gets boring really fast.”
- “I didn't expect it to have voices yet or variations in the characters outside of baba, so that's fine, but barely any music occurred, barely any sound effects occurred, wild glitches happened numerous times, and the game stops after you have been to two places.”
- “Only other real complaint is-- I wish there was more music, or music that played more regularly.”
optimization
165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
58%
32%
The game's optimization is widely criticized for poor performance, including frequent stuttering, low and unstable frame rates, and high hardware usage, even on high-end PCs. Although the visuals and concept are praised, players often find the game nearly unplayable due to these issues. The developers are aware and working on improvements, but as it stands, the game requires significant optimization before it can be comfortably enjoyed.
- “So many new additions as well as decent optimization since launch (previously 30-40fps at 720/1080p low on both an RTX 2060 & Arc B580), and I am so excited to finally have a stable 60fps on high!”
- “Runs smoothly on Steam Deck with out-of-the-box settings and it’s a nice low-stress cozy vibe.”
- “While a seemingly cute experience, the performance is abysmal.”
- “By far the worst optimization I've seen in a game in years.”
- “The premise is interesting, the setting and gameplay loop work well, but the whole game is terribly unoptimized and even on the lowest settings it is constantly very noticeably stuttering when performing any action.”
- “It's so poorly optimized even on the lowest possible settings I often run around with only 10 fps.”
grinding
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
6%
88%
Grinding in this game is generally moderate and non-intrusive, appealing to players who enjoy cozy, relaxed gameplay without excessive fetch quests or repetitive tasks. Some find certain aspects like resource gathering, building mechanics, or questing a bit tedious or clunky, but overall, the game avoids heavy grinding and offers enjoyable farming and customization without feeling like a typical grind-heavy farming sim.
- “I'm usually not a huge fan of games where you get to build your base and what not because I'm not very creative but this was a lot of fun building a house and it's not grindy at all which is nice.”
- “Not tedious, and it doesn't corner you into a path as far as I've seen.”
- “No grinding.”
- “Because the map is mostly uninteresting, and most of the tasks are fetch quests, exploring the map and running back and forth between quest markers can be tedious.”
- “Limited ingredients, recipes, building mechanics are largely superficial without depth, and gameplay complexity is limited and grindy without much benefit except maybe for wood.”
- “Overall, if you have extra money and have no problem just mostly farming the same quests, villages, and supplies, then I would say go for it.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional experience through its magical storytelling, cozy autumnal atmosphere, and heartfelt music, evoking nostalgia and cultural appreciation. Its wholesome, witchy vibe combined with crafting and exploration offers a soothing, slow-paced adventure that resonates personally with many players. Overall, it masterfully balances eerie and comforting tones, creating a uniquely enchanting and meaningful journey.
- “They have made a gorgeous game not only visually, but emotionally and in storytelling as well.”
- “I cried at some points as the music and art style bring the storytelling to life in a way that feels magical all on its own.”
- “On a more personal level, it felt heartwarming to find some decorations very reminiscent of what I saw in my great grandparents' house while growing up.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its blend of sassy, lighthearted, and occasionally spooky elements, drawing heavily on Slavic and Baltic cultural themes. Players find the witty dialogue, quirky character interactions, and even amusing glitches contribute to a cozy and enjoyable atmosphere. Overall, the humor is seen as a perfect complement to the game's exploration and mythology-rich world.
- “Also, Baba Jaga is sassy and hilarious.”
- “So much fun and such a cool world to explore, I love the dialogue and humor, the perfect cozy game that's not another farming sim.”
- “If you love Slavic/Baltic culture, Halloween, autumn, mythology, exploration, and good humor - it's a no-brainer buy for a relaxing evening.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The character development is praised for its strong art direction and appealing designs, especially unique characters like the sassy Baba Yaga. However, customization options are somewhat limited, with requests for more features such as multiple tattoos, costume changes, and more diverse body types. Overall, the character design contributes positively to the game's atmospheric and immersive experience despite minor imperfections.
- “The art direction and character design is great and I'll be really happy when you can change costumes in game.”
- “Baba Yaga character design and dialogue is great - love an old sassy witch.”
- “Reka is incredibly atmospheric; with beautiful graphics, music, character design, world design, writing, lighting, physics.”
- “The character design, though limited for now, could be improved with more options, such as adding weight customization for more diverse body types.”
- “It would be nice to be able to attach more than one tattoo to characters to allow for greater personalization.”
- “While the graphics aim to resemble a fairy tale, certain aspects like the character design feel off and detract from immersion.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is currently limited due to the game's early, less playable state, but users are hopeful that upcoming updates will enhance the experience and increase replay value.
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization is heavily criticized as a cash grab, with many players finding it frustrating and requiring excessive patience or spending to access the premium designs showcased in advertisements.
- “Avoid the cash grab.”
- “Needless to say, this game is a cash grab.”
- “If you plan on making simple designs, it's not that frustrating, but to get to the designs advertised in the ads, for now, you must be armed with a lot of patience.”