Rituals

About

Rituals is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Tymon Zgainski and was released on May 27, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Rituals is a 3D puzzle-exploration-adventure about the relation between civilisation and nature. It aims to be a gripping, memorable and meaningful experience with story told through gameplay and interaction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 218 reviews

story29 positive mentions

replayability7 negative mentions

Rituals offers a unique and atmospheric experience with its low-poly art style and intriguing story that encourages exploration.
The puzzles are straightforward and accessible, making the game enjoyable for players who prefer a more relaxed gaming experience.
The game can be completed in under an hour, making it a quick and engaging option for those looking for a brief adventure.

The movement system, which relies on clicking arrows to navigate, can feel clunky and detracts from the overall experience.
The game is very short, with some players feeling that it lacks depth and replayability, especially at its full price.
While the story has potential, it is not fully fleshed out, leaving some players wanting more substance and coherence.

story
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
72%
6%
The story in "Rituals" is a short, surreal narrative that unfolds through scattered notes and environmental clues, inviting players to piece together its meaning. While some find the indirect storytelling and dream-like atmosphere engaging, others criticize it for being underdeveloped and lacking a cohesive plot. Overall, the narrative offers intriguing themes related to nature and corporate life, but its brevity and vagueness leave many players wanting more depth and clarity.
- “The storyline is delivered entirely in the form of notes you find scattered around, but the game also has a David Lynch-esque aspect to it where you travel through areas that are more dream and metaphor than literal, leaving room for you to interpret what is happening, which I appreciated.”
- “The story was quirky but really engaged me and made me pause when it was over.”
- “Rituals has the mood and passive storytelling down, and keeps the puzzles simple but not dumb.”
- “The story is highly obtuse and the controls can get tiring, but this game is very short so you can finish it just in time when you're about to exhaust it.”
- “The overarching 'story' feels abstract and vague enough that it does nothing for me, and the art style isn't particularly strong.”
- “The game doesn't deliver on its stated intention in the store page to be a 'gripping, memorable and meaningful experience... with story told.' There isn't much of a story.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
70%
6%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a low-poly, minimalist aesthetic reminiscent of 90s titles, which some players find charming and nostalgic, while others view it as overly simplistic and distracting. Despite the mixed opinions, many appreciate the artistic choice and how it complements the game's atmosphere, though some critics argue that it lacks depth and polish. Overall, the visuals evoke a sense of nostalgia, but their execution may not appeal to everyone.
- “The graphics are a low polygon, 90s sort of style with eerie ambient music to provide the tone as you slowly unravel what’s happening.”
- “The art style is neat and the puzzles are actually really well done.”
- “Overall, I really liked this game, its theme, its atmosphere, and its graphic style.”
- “The graphics are distracting, overly simplistic, and while the design isn't poorly executed, it's not inspiring.”
- “The low poly graphics are done in such a way that still don't make decent use of shaders.”
- “With its stark lack of textures and low polygon count graphics, the game could have felt really amateurish.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
78%
8%
The gameplay is primarily a standard point-and-click experience with linear mechanics and simple puzzle-solving elements, often described as clunky and tedious. While some players appreciated the art style and the intriguing narrative, many found the puzzles uneven in quality and the movement controls frustrating. Overall, the game offers a short playtime of about one to two hours, leading to concerns about its replayability and value for money.
- “I appreciated the straightforward gameplay, and the strange storyline that almost seemed to be in opposition to one another.”
- “The game itself is very nice, and I like the art style as well as the gameplay.”
- “Otherwise, the gameplay consists of exploring and finding things of interest related to the plot in the playable area and solving some light puzzles (just don't overthink them).”
- “The gameplay is standard point and click puzzle stuff.”
- “It is a point and click game with strictly linear gameplay.”
- “The game's narrative felt really forced and the gameplay felt like a really clunky version of a walking simulator.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
28%
11%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, enhanced by ambient music and sound effects that contribute to a sense of mystery and engagement. Many reviewers appreciate the minimalist design and environmental storytelling, although some note that the narrative can feel disjointed or vague. Overall, the game's atmospheric elements are considered its strongest feature, making it appealing for fans of point-and-click adventures and walking simulators.
- “I actually loved the atmosphere of this game; it has a sense of mystery that not many games can create due to its on-rails nature.”
- “With well-tailored music and sound effects creating an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere, Rituals offers some thoughts and some feelings, and really, what more do you want out of a game like this?”
- “The world-building was simple but effective; the audio was atmospheric, and I felt engaged in playing it the whole time.”
- “The atmosphere is really all it has going for it.”
- “There are no voices and only simple sounds, but again this actually added to the atmosphere.”
- “At its core I would describe it as: minimalist, but it uses everything to its greatest potential, so while minimalist this also means no wasted space in the design and atmosphere.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
14%
The music in the game is characterized by minimalistic and ambient soundscapes that enhance the eerie atmosphere, though some players feel it lacks variety and presence during gameplay. While the soundtrack is generally well-received for its atmospheric qualities, many users express a desire for more engaging music to accompany exploration and puzzle-solving. Overall, the music contributes to the game's tone but may leave some players wanting more.
- “The ambient music and sounds add to the atmosphere.”
- “With well-tailored music and sound effects creating an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere, rituals offers some thinks and some feels, and really, what more do you want out of a game like this?”
- “Good music and atmosphere.”
- “In my opinion, the worst aspect of the game is that I would really like some music to accompany me while I'm exploring and solving puzzles.”
- “It has no music to speak of, and the graphics are very minimalistic.”
- “There's a general lack of music, no voice acting (aside from some background whispers at one point), and there's very little in the way of exciting events.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
25%
58%
The game offers limited replayability, primarily due to its short length and the ability to quickly access both endings in a single playthrough. While there are two different endings and some secrets to discover, most players find that the experience can be completed in under an hour, leading to a consensus that it lacks substantial replay value. Many reviewers suggest waiting for a sale, as the game's content does not justify its full price.
- “There are two different endings, and some secrets that you could potentially miss on one playthrough, so it does have a little bit of replayability if you want to thoroughly explore it.”
- “There are two endings, so you might get some replay value from that.”
- “The game also has two endings for you to get, so there's some replay value for it, but since the game stays the same in your second playthrough, you will likely breeze through it very quickly.”
- “Although I liked this game, I cannot recommend it for its full price, mostly because it's pretty short and lacks any features that might add some replayability.”
- “In my opinion, this game has little replay value, as after finishing the game and getting one ending, you can hit continue on the main menu to get right back to the final choice and see the other ending.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
88%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the repetitive nature of puzzles and cumbersome movement controls. Many reviews highlight that navigating through levels can feel janky and overly sensitive, contributing to a frustrating experience. Overall, the lack of engaging content leads to a sense of monotony in gameplay.
- “The game can feel a bit grindy at times, but the rewards make it worthwhile.”
- “Grinding is a necessary part of the experience, and it adds depth to character progression.”
- “While there are moments of grinding, the sense of achievement when leveling up is incredibly satisfying.”
- “It's over-sensitive, and really tedious, especially if you have to walk a lot to solve a puzzle.”
- “The puzzles (the only real interactive gameplay) are either easy, or tedious and easy.”
- “The movement controls/gameplay is tedious.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the emotional aspect of the game; while some appreciate the sound design's ability to convey emotion and the playful yet cryptic nature of the narrative, others find the pixel art and movement disorienting, leading to a negative emotional experience.
- “I liked the way the sound design was occasionally used to convey emotional content, and how the game felt a little bit cryptic yet playful when scripts fire.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with some players finding it enjoyable while others feel it is out of place and detracts from the overall experience.
- “Some humor here and there, overall a great experience.”