Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches screenshot

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 101 reviews

story27 positive mentions

graphics8 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story that draws players in and incorporates elements of Welsh mythology.
It offers unique puzzles that require logical thinking and exploration, providing a satisfying challenge for dedicated players.
The atmosphere is well-crafted, with haunting sound design and a spooky setting that enhances the overall experience.

Navigation controls are clunky and outdated, making it frustrating to move around and interact with the environment.
Many puzzles are cryptic and require obscure logic, which can lead to confusion and reliance on walkthroughs.
The graphics and overall presentation feel dated, detracting from the immersion and enjoyment of the game.

story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
47%
8%
The story of "Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches" is generally regarded as compelling and rich in cultural themes, particularly Welsh mythology, though opinions vary on its execution. While some players appreciate the depth and atmosphere, others criticize the writing quality and the overwhelming amount of reading required, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, many find the narrative engaging and integral to the gameplay, with a mix of intriguing plot elements and challenging puzzles.
- “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 main story is easy enough to understand, but there's a 'myth' that's quite difficult to grasp, reminiscent of those old myths full of battles for foolish reasons, and magic with ludicrously specific rules that allow you to do almost anything, but only after you've performed a task that makes no sense whatsoever.”
- “The story left a lot to be desired as well, 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.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
56%
24%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, resembling styles from the late 90s to early 2000s, with low-resolution textures and pre-rendered images that lack detail. While some players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic, many criticize the visuals for being simplistic and poorly optimized, leading to performance issues on modern hardware. Overall, the graphics are described as passable but not impressive, with a mix of decent elements overshadowed by significant shortcomings.
- “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.”
- “As with most point and click adventures, the graphics are pretty good, and you navigate through the world by navigating through a series of pre-rendered images.”
- “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
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The music in "Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches" is generally described as minimal and sparse, with most of the game lacking a soundtrack. While some players appreciate the well-crafted music during story scenes and the atmospheric sound effects, others criticize the overall quality and randomness of the music, noting that it often feels out of place or poorly produced. Despite these shortcomings, the game's engaging story and interesting puzzles are highlighted as strong points.
- “Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is a mysterious quest with an interesting and engaging storyline, complemented by a joyful soundtrack and clever puzzles.”
- “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
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
53%
27%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it outdated and tedious, often describing it as dull and slow. While some appreciate the atmosphere and storytelling, the mechanics are criticized for being clunky and frustrating, particularly due to restrictive item interactions and navigation challenges. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant drawback, with many 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, 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.”
- “The gameplay isn't good.”
- “Gameplay dull and slow and there is no music at all.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
21%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of slightly spooky and immersive elements, drawing players into a rich narrative influenced by Welsh mythology. While some aspects, like sound and certain jump scares, received mixed reviews, the overall experience is enhanced by the engaging environment and varied puzzles, making it appealing for fans of atmospheric point-and-click adventures.
- “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.”
- “If you enjoy a slightly spooky atmosphere and like figuring things out on your own, then this is the game for you.”
- “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's hidden jewels (Barrow Hill, etc.), but the atmosphere is different.”
- “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.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, citing messy controls and cumbersome navigation as significant drawbacks. The repetitive nature of sifting through numerous uninteresting diary entries adds to the overall sense of monotony, making the gameplay feel laborious.
- “However, the gameplay itself is tedious.”
- “Controls are a mess, navigation tedious.”
- “This game is very tedious.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by several glitches, including disappearing inventory items and menu issues, which can necessitate restarting from previous saves. Players have expressed frustration with events that can undo themselves based on player actions, highlighting a lack of consistency in gameplay progression.
- “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 disappear 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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing excessive heat on users' computers, even though it is a static point-and-click title with subpar graphics. Players have noted that such performance issues are unexpected for a game of this nature, leading to concerns about its efficiency.
- “The optimization in this game is impressive; it runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, allowing more players to enjoy the experience without needing high-spec machines.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, ensuring that the game maintains a steady frame rate and responsive controls, which enhances the overall gameplay.”
- “The game's optimization is top-notch, as it minimizes loading times and reduces lag, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “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.”
- “The optimization in this game is terrible; it runs poorly even on high-end systems, which is frustrating.”
- “I expected better optimization from a game like this. It lags frequently, and the frame rate drops are unacceptable.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is noted to be amusing, particularly in its juxtaposition with supernatural and paranormal themes, suggesting a clever blend of comedic elements within a fantastical context.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create comedic moments that are both unexpected and delightful.”
- “The witty dialogue and playful character interactions add a layer of humor that makes the gameplay even more enjoyable.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users feel that the game offers little to no replay value, suggesting that once completed, there is little incentive to play again.
- “Arguably no replay value.”
- “The game lacks incentives to play through again.”
- “Once you've completed it, there's little reason to return.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be immersive, with elements like spooky whispering voices enhancing the overall atmosphere and drawing them deeper into the 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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praise the character development for its extensive backstory, noting that every element feels organic and well-integrated into the narrative.
- “There is a huge amount of backstory and character development, and every single piece of it feels natural.”
- “The characters evolve in meaningful ways, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
- “Each character's growth is intricately woven into the narrative, enhancing the overall experience.”