Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
- May 15, 2014
- Arberth Studios
- 13h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features an interesting story that incorporates Welsh mythology, providing a rich narrative experience.
- Puzzles are challenging and require logical thinking, making the gameplay engaging for fans of the genre.
- The atmosphere is well-crafted, creating a spooky and immersive environment that enhances the overall experience.
- Navigation controls are clunky and outdated, making it difficult to move around and interact with the environment.
- Players cannot collect items until they are needed, leading to tedious backtracking and memory strain.
- The game contains a significant amount of text to read, which can feel overwhelming and detracts from the gameplay experience.
- story35 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story is a central element of the game, drawing from Welsh mythology and featuring a mix of supernatural and contemporary themes. While many players find the narrative engaging and atmospheric, opinions vary on its execution, with some criticizing the writing and puzzle integration as convoluted or lacking depth. Overall, the story is seen as interesting but not without its flaws, often requiring players to pay close attention to details to fully appreciate its richness.
“The storytelling is excellent, and even if the interface is showing its age, it still is a good game.”
“Engaging story line.”
“The story was interesting, and I didn't mind at all reading the letters, diaries, clippings, emails, etc. In fact, you have to read them or you will miss something vital!”
“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.”
“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.”
“My first issue with the game is its lackluster writing, especially the Welsh legend that forms the basis of the whole plot of the game.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s, with low-resolution textures and pre-rendered visuals that may appeal to some nostalgic players. However, many users report issues with visibility and optimization, leading to performance problems on modern systems. Overall, while the graphics may not meet contemporary standards, they still provide a certain charm that some players find enjoyable.
“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.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed it - thank you very much:) the graphics are perfect and the puzzles were challenging.”
“Graphics: beautifully rendered.”
“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.”
“I haven't seen such quality graphics and controls on a point-and-click since the late 1980s.”
- music12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally sparse, with most gameplay lacking a soundtrack, though the available pieces are well-crafted and contribute positively to the atmosphere. While some players appreciate the ambient music and its connection to the story, others find it inconsistent and poorly timed, with a few tracks feeling out of place. Overall, the soundtrack is described as limited but effective in enhancing the narrative experience.
“The music is reserved only for story scenes, but what is available is well-made.”
“The soundtrack is good, but really scarce.”
“+ good story-driven point and click game that is tied into Welsh legends with great ambient music.”
“Most of the game has no music.”
“Gameplay dull and slow and there is no music at all.”
“It features a soundtrack that feels like it was written in the eighties with a weird out of place synthetic electric guitar that doesn't fit with the rest of the game.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it tedious and outdated, while others appreciate its decent mechanics and atmosphere. Many noted issues such as slow pacing, challenging orientation, and frustrating puzzles that can disrupt the experience. Overall, it seems to offer a modest experience, best enjoyed 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.”
“Recommend but at a discount only; about 5-8 hours of gameplay, great storytelling, annoying puzzles.”
“However, the gameplay itself is tedious.”
“First of all, it's largely outdated, the graphics, the gameplay, etc.”
“Gameplay is dull and slow, and there is no music at all.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of unease and spookiness, enhanced by its rich Welsh mythology and engaging sound design. Players appreciate the old-fashioned gameplay and static screens, which contribute to a captivating and immersive experience, despite some criticisms of the music. Overall, the atmosphere is a strong point, making it appealing for fans of atmospheric point-and-click adventures.
“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.”
“Old-fashioned gameplay where your environment consists of photographs, but it has a very nice atmosphere.”
“[Cool setting, isolated and spooky atmosphere, rich and varied material to sift through].”
“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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, citing messy controls and difficult navigation that detract from the overall experience.
“However, the gameplay itself is tedious.”
“Controls are a mess, navigation is tedious.”
“This game is very tedious.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have expressed concerns about the game's optimization, noting that it causes their computers to run unusually hot, even for a static point-and-click title with subpar graphics. This has led to persistent cooling fan activity, which many find unreasonable for the game's graphical demands.
“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.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be amusing, particularly in its juxtaposition with supernatural and paranormal themes, adding a layer of comedic contrast that enhances the overall experience.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game experiences occasional stability issues, including glitches such as disappearing inventory objects.
“There are a few glitches, like inventory objects disappearing.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to progress.”
“I've experienced several bugs that disrupt gameplay and immersion.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the game offers little to no replay value, suggesting that once completed, there is little incentive to play it again.
“Arguably no replay value.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel redundant.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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.”
