Reliefs The Time of the Lemures
- October 14, 2023
- Sylvain Abrial
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Get on itch.io Store"Reliefs: The Time of the Lemures" is a first-person exploration, puzzle, and adventure game set in a semi-open world inspired by the Calanques region in France. Traverse enchanting environments on foot or horseback, climb ruins of ancient Roman temples, and solve puzzles to understand the purpose of your journey. The game features vertical and dynamic gameplay, detailed and monumental Roman ruins, and a unique and heavy sound environment.
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Reviews
- The game features a beautifully immersive world steeped in Roman mythology, with impressive environments and dynamic lighting that enhance the exploration experience.
- Traversal mechanics are simple yet effective, allowing for enjoyable parkour-guided platforming that keeps players engaged in the exploration.
- Despite its minimal storytelling, the game offers a deeply personal and introspective experience, making it a unique journey of self-discovery.
- The game suffers from a lack of clear story and character development, leaving players wanting more narrative depth.
- There are technical issues and bugs present, including a 'scenery helpers' feature that can detract from the experience, although it can be disabled.
- Many players feel the game was released too early, with significant content and polish still needed to reach its full potential.
- story16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and lacks clarity, with reviewers noting that while it features ancient Roman mythology, it does not provide a clear narrative or character goals. Despite this, players find themselves immersed in the beautifully designed world and engaging gameplay mechanics, which compensate for the storytelling shortcomings. Overall, while a more developed story would enhance the experience, the existing elements still create an enjoyable and introspective journey.
“Although minimal on story, characters, and dialogue, I was still deeply drawn into the world and found it simultaneously exciting and meditative to navigate.”
“It doesn’t do anything never seen before, but its strength lies in perfectly mixing the ingredients it works with: the gorgeous semi-open world, the simple but effective traversal mechanics, the parkour-guided platforming sitting at the heart of its progression, the ancient Roman mythology behind its minimalist storytelling (telling a Roman story based on something other than their military might or technological advancements is a breath of fresh air in the world of video games!), the grandiosity of the world design (they had to compensate with something, of course, and that they totally did, Roman ruins never looked that imposing before!), the highly introspective exploration (you may not be knowledgeable of the Lemuria festival, I wasn’t before I played the game, but it was such an enlightening experience learning about it and seeing it masterfully transposed into game design).”
“A better told story would have been nice, although not required; I think the game is worth playing already with what's in there.”
“Another thing I could have wished for is for a clearer end-goal and a more explicitly told story.”
“The game apparently has a story, but it was never clear to me what that was—nor what my character's ultimate goal was.”
“There's very little story going in and throughout.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a strong focus on exploration and traversal, set within a beautifully designed semi-open world inspired by ancient Roman mythology. While it doesn't introduce groundbreaking mechanics, it effectively combines simple parkour-guided platforming with introspective storytelling, creating a memorable experience that balances familiarity with fresh elements. Players can expect a lack of combat and complex puzzles, instead enjoying a fluid progression that keeps the gameplay engaging.
“But it has a very pure focus on the gameplay and a clarity in the vibe, which makes it a pretty memorable experience despite those issues.”
“It doesn’t do anything never seen before, but its strength lies in perfectly mixing the ingredients it works with: the gorgeous semi-open world, the simple but effective traversal mechanics, the parkour-guided platforming sitting at the heart of its progression, the ancient Roman mythology behind its minimalist storytelling (telling a Roman story based on something other than their military might or technological advancements is a breath of fresh air in the world of video games!), the grandiosity of the world design (they had to compensate with something, of course, and that they totally did, Roman ruins never looked that imposing before!), the highly introspective exploration (you may not be knowledgeable of the Lemuria festival, I wasn’t before I played the game, but it was such an enlightening experience learning about it and seeing it masterfully transposed into game design).”
“Don't expect any combat or myst-style 'I spent 2 weeks solving this' puzzles; instead, the gameplay is mostly based around exploration and traversal.”
“Gameplay and vibe-wise, Reliefs sits somewhere between Myst and Shadow of the Colossus.”
“If I ever felt a mechanic or puzzle was starting to outstay its welcome, it would soon be finished and something fresh would take its place.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is minimal, primarily featuring ambient sounds, but it shines during key moments with a powerful soundtrack that enhances the emotional weight of those scenes. This approach, combined with the rich atmospheric elements inspired by Roman mythology, creates a deeply immersive experience. Overall, the music effectively complements the game's environment and narrative.
“The music also deserves mention: the game is mostly silent except for ambient noises, but the soundtrack comes in perfectly during special moments, making them feel weighty and tremendous.”
“The music also deserves mention: the game is mostly silent except for ambient noises, but the soundtrack comes in perfectly during special moments, making them feel weighty and tremendous.”
“The music also deserves mention: the game is mostly silent except for ambient noises, but the soundtrack comes in perfectly during special moments, making them feel weighty and tremendous.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is richly crafted, drawing heavily from Roman mythology and architecture, which enhances the immersive environments. Dynamic lighting, ambient particle effects, and a compelling soundtrack further contribute to its depth, creating a captivating experience in a post-Roman world.
“It's steeped in Roman mythology and imagery, architecture, and inscriptions that add depth to the environments, in addition to the dynamic lighting, lush ambient particle effects, soundtrack, and generally rich atmosphere.”
“Atmospheric puzzle exploration platformer set in times after the collapse of Rome.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by a slow start, which frustrates players and evokes feelings of nostalgia for outdated technology, such as dial-up modems. This delay detracts from the overall engagement and emotional connection to the game.
