Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches

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Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is a single player puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by Arberth Studios and was released on May 15, 2014. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches" is a first-person horror adventure game set in a remote Welsh farmhouse. Players must uncover the dark mystery behind the ghostly apparitions haunting the home, using investigative skills and interacting with eerie manifestations. The game features a Welsh folklore-inspired storyline, offering a tense atmosphere and challenging puzzles.

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Single-Player

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches screenshot

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 202 reviews

story54 positive mentions

graphics16 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story that draws from Welsh mythology, providing an engaging narrative experience.
The atmosphere is well-crafted, creating a spooky and immersive environment that enhances the gameplay.
The puzzles are challenging and require logical thinking, making for a rewarding experience for players who enjoy deep exploration.

Navigation controls are clunky and outdated, making it difficult to move around and interact with the environment.
Many puzzles are cryptic and require a lot of backtracking, which can lead to frustration and confusion.
The graphics and overall presentation feel dated, which may detract from the experience for players accustomed to modern standards.

story
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
47%
8%
The story of "Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches" is a blend of compelling elements drawn from medieval Welsh mythology, featuring an intriguing plot centered around an ancient curse and a haunted family. While many players appreciate the depth and atmosphere of the narrative, some criticize the writing quality and the overwhelming amount of reading required, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the story is engaging but marred by gameplay issues and pacing that may leave some players feeling disconnected.
- “The story, even if it is not very credible, is integrated with cultural themes (medieval Welsh mythology) that pushed me to delve deeper.”
- “The storytelling is excellent, and even if the interface is showing its age it still is a good game.”
- “The story is very engaging, and the puzzles are 'realistic' in that they are never obvious.”
- “The story left a lot to be desired, and what little you get simply comes from far too much reading, so by the time you get to story text that would be interesting, you are just so tired of filler text that you don't care enough to read it.”
- “What could have been an astonishing spooky mystery story turned into a hardly believable fantasy novel with zero hand-holding, which all-in-all became boring really fast.”
- “And when you finally grind through this process and progress the story towards its conclusion, the ending is also a real let-down.”
graphics
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
55%
24%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers noting a resemblance to titles from the 90s and early 2000s. While some appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and find the visuals charming, others criticize the low resolution, poor optimization, and dark environments that hinder visibility. Overall, the graphics are described as simple and lacking polish, with a mix of decent elements overshadowed by technical issues and a dated presentation.
- “I don't know why this particular style of pre-rendered graphics with its low-res textures and occasional animations makes me happy, but it does.”
- “Graphics: beautifully rendered.”
- “I haven't seen such quality graphics and controls on a point-and-click since the late 1980s.”
- “Graphics are calling for the 90's.”
- “Visuals and sound: the graphics are not good by today's standards, and apparently not by 2008's standards either.”
- “While the game was published in 2008, even for the time the graphics are not very good at all (remembering Far Cry 2 is also from 2008!).”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The music in "Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches" is largely minimal, with most of the game lacking a soundtrack, though the music that is present is well-crafted and fits the story scenes. While some players appreciate the atmospheric sound and the occasional music puzzles, others criticize the sporadic and sometimes mismatched timing of the music, with a few noting that it feels dated or poorly produced. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the narrative but is not a central feature of the gameplay experience.
- “The music is reserved only for story scenes, but what is available is well-made.”
- “I like the music, and the story is excellent!”
- “+ good story-driven point and click game that is tied into Welsh legends with great ambient music.”
- “Most of the game has no music.”
- “Music is almost non-existent and when it's there, it feels like MIDI made by a single person over a weekend...”
- “Just be warned, the music from the final cutscene is terrible.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
60%
27%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it outdated and tedious, often describing it as dull and slow. While the story is compelling and the atmosphere is praised, the mechanics can be frustrating, particularly with item collection tied to specific triggers, leading to potential gameplay halts. Overall, the gameplay is seen as rough around the edges, with some recommending the game only at a discount.
- “Old-fashioned gameplay where your environment consists of photographs, but it has a very nice atmosphere.”
- “The gameplay is also quite decent even in 2020; orientation may be a bit challenging in the beginning and some of the mechanics, but that's all.”
- “Mechanics: objects are easy to select and mostly easy to figure out how and where to use.”
- “However, the gameplay itself is tedious.”
- “Gameplay dull and slow and there is no music at all.”
- “The game has this really terrible mechanic of not letting you pick up items until specific triggers are set.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
11%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of pleasant and slightly creepy elements, drawing players into a rich narrative influenced by Welsh mythology. While some jump scares are present, they generally enhance rather than detract from the immersive experience, making it enjoyable for fans of atmospheric point-and-click adventures. Overall, the combination of sound, visuals, and engaging puzzles contributes to a compelling and emotionally resonant environment.
- “The atmosphere is great; it's fun to explore the grounds, there are three or four jump scares, and at some point, you immerse yourself really deep in the story.”
- “This game has a good atmosphere tinged with unease and spookiness, as well as a story that pulls from the rich Welsh mythology, and the puzzles are a nice challenge.”
- “[Cool setting, isolated and spooky atmosphere, rich and varied material to sift through.]”
- “Nonetheless, the game developers tried to compensate for that with the plot, atmosphere, and puzzles.”
- “And even though I used a walkthrough, it didn't feel like I lost any of the emotion and atmosphere of the game.”
- “Well, I really can't judge the game negatively; I enjoyed it because I like this kind of game with static screens, just like Darkling Room hidden jewels (Barrow Hill, etc.), but the atmosphere is different.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with clunky controls and frustrating navigation that detracts from the overall experience. The repetitive nature of sifting through numerous diary entries, many of which are uninteresting or blank, adds to the monotony, making the gameplay feel laborious. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant drawback.
- “However, the gameplay itself is tedious.”
- “Controls are a mess, navigation is tedious.”
- “This game is very tedious.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by several glitches, including disappearing inventory items and menu issues that can necessitate restarting from a previous save. Players have expressed frustration with events that can reverse due to actions taken out of order, highlighting a lack of reliability in gameplay progression. Overall, while the game has potential, its stability issues significantly detract from the experience.
- “This is actually a decent game, but there are glitches that can require you to restart your game (at least from a previous save).”
- “Words are not enough to express my dislike of this game - glitches that cause part of the menu to poof for good; events that seem to undo themselves because you did something out of order... the simple fact that you can do some things out of order is annoying because there are so many you can just not do until the game deems it time.”
- “A few glitches, like inventory objects disappearing.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing excessive heat on users' computers, with one reviewer noting that it consistently reached 60°C despite being a static point-and-click game with subpar graphics. This level of performance is deemed unreasonable, especially compared to similar titles that do not exhibit such issues.
- “One thing I don't get though is optimization: the game made my computer hit 60°C permanently, which is not much, but enough to make my cooler stay on constantly. It definitely seems unreasonable seeing as it's a static point-and-click game with bad graphics. I've played many games like this, and this has never happened.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its quirky and unexpected elements, often drawing comparisons to other titles featuring supernatural themes. Players find the comedic aspects to be both amusing and engaging, enhancing the overall experience.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally perceived to have little to no replay value, with multiple users expressing this sentiment.
- “Arguably no replay value”
- “Arguably no replay value”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply immersive, particularly due to the haunting atmosphere created by repetitive whispering voices, which enhances the overall spooky experience.
- “It was quite spooky with the whispering voices saying 'Rhiannon' over and over again, but that only made me feel more immersed in the game.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is praised for its depth and natural integration, with a significant amount of backstory that enhances the overall narrative.
- “There is a huge amount of backstory and character development, and every single piece of it feels natural.”

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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches review
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60%

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13h Median play time

11h Average play time

8-14h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is a puzzle game with horror theme.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 11 hours playing Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches was released on May 15, 2014.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches was developed by Arberth Studios.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is a single player game.

Similar games include Goetia, The Eyes of Ara, Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder, Black Mirror, The Painscreek Killings and others.

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