Riverhill Trials
- April 12, 2018
- Watercolor Games
Get on SteamRiverhill Trials is a challenging 2D platformer that tasks players with navigating through treacherous environments. With its unique art style and tight controls, the game offers a satisfying experience for fans of the genre. Players must collect riverwater to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of Riverhill's villagers.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful visuals and a pleasing soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- Despite its flaws, the game offers a unique experience with challenging platforming that can be rewarding for players who enjoy exploration.
- The developers are actively engaged with the community and have made improvements based on player feedback, showing potential for future updates.
- The platforming mechanics are often clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including laggy controls and poor collision detection, which detract from the overall enjoyment.
- The game lacks a comprehensive options menu and customization features, limiting player control over settings like audio and sensitivity.
- music22 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its soothing and immersive qualities. While some players appreciate the soundtrack's integration with the game's visuals, there are suggestions for improved audio controls to balance music, sound effects, and voiceovers. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“Overall though, I'd say the game has more ups than downs, and is worth playing for the music and visuals alone.”
“The stunning visuals and nice music make for a great experience.”
“The music is extremely soothing and further helps you to get into that feel of immersion.”
“Or if there are any, they are completely drowned out by the music.”
“Music sounded like a weekend project without proper goal.”
“One of my friends wished there was an option to turn off voice or individual sliders for music and voice.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and stylized design, creating a visually stunning atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the vibrant colors and artistic quality, although some feel that the gameplay may be overshadowed by the emphasis on visuals. Despite occasional performance issues, the graphics are considered a significant highlight, making the game worth playing for its aesthetic appeal alone.
“Very beautiful visuals and awesome music.”
“Overall though, I'd say the game has more ups than downs, and is worth playing for the music and visuals alone.”
“The stunning visuals and nice music make for a nice experience.”
“Pretty colors, but not pretty graphics.”
“That being said, the game feels like more of a showcase for the graphics than an actual game.”
“Like he built the game around the graphics rather than at the same time.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Riverhill Trials is criticized for being stale and lacking variety, with many reviewers describing it as an unfinished walking simulator that poorly integrates platforming mechanics. While the game features beautiful environments, it suffers from broken mechanics, bugs, and a lack of engaging gameplay elements, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Some acknowledge the challenge of the platforming sections, but overall, the gameplay feels disjointed and underdeveloped.
“Platforming gameplay is very challenging from the start and it gets even harder as you progress, but it makes you feel good every time you surpass an area.”
“The gameplay seems more like something the developer thought of later on rather than planned to make all along.”
“I only played for a short while, but had a decent amount of issues with bugs, along with some quality of life issues and some more general gameplay design issues.”
“Gameplay is a bit stale and could use more variety.”
“Feels like an unfinished walking simulator with bad platforming mechanics stapled on.”
“Broken engine translates to bad gameplay.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players praise its good visual quality and overall optimization, others criticize it for clunky performance and slow responsiveness, particularly noting issues with the narrator's performance.
“Very good optimizations.”
“The game looks very good, is optimized pretty well, and feels like it should be great.”
“Really good optimization.”
“It's clunky, it has bad performance, and it's super slow.”
“The only thing that breaks said immersion is the poor performance of the narrator; though, luckily, he doesn't talk a lot.”
“Narrator's poor performance.”
- humor5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the funny voiceovers and find them enjoyable, others feel that the humor can come off as forced and not particularly effective. Overall, the voice acting adds a light-hearted touch without overshadowing the gameplay, but there is a desire for more comedic content.
“The exploration is quite linear, the voice acting in the game doesn't take center stage like a typical walking simulator, and is not too serious or trying too hard to be funny either, but gives the player some basic motivation and connection to what's going on.”
“I read all the reviews and I was a bit skeptical, but all the bugs people complained about have been fixed. I enjoyed the music and the voiceovers; it is funny and to the point, and it looks very, very good—what the heck, better than Zelda and Firewatch!”
“The voiceover and subtitles are pretty funny; they could've had more.”
“It feels like forced comedy, which makes it not funny at all.”
“The jokes fall flat and often feel out of place.”
“I expected more clever humor, but it mostly relies on clichés.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by several small glitches and technical issues, with players expressing concerns about the lack of developer support for potential fixes. While these bugs do not significantly hinder gameplay, they remain a notable aspect of the experience. Overall, the game is considered playable and enjoyable despite these stability concerns.
“The platforming, quality control, and the general technical side of this game are the weaker points. The developer hasn't shown up for some months now, so it's not clear if any of the bugs and glitches are going to be fixed.”
“There's still glitches here and there, which I relay to the devs as I find them, but it's very much playable and enjoyable.”
“Still a lot of small glitches, though I haven't found anything game-breaking since the lightning-fast patch after my last review.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as relaxing and visually appealing, with some users appreciating the background music that complements the experience. However, there are criticisms regarding the overall engagement and precision of movement, leading to a sense of boredom for some players.
“The background beats blended seamlessly into the atmosphere, enhancing the experience throughout the hour.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world with every detail.”
“The haunting sound design and visuals create a captivating atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
“I really tried to enjoy it, but it's just boring, and the movement is not precise. The visuals are quite pretty though, and the atmosphere is relaxing.”
“The few background beats blended well into the atmosphere for the hour or so.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story aspect received mixed feedback, with some users appreciating the scenic setting and feeling that the lack of a substantial narrative contributed to a dreamlike experience, while others noted the absence of a story altogether.
“I loved the scenery and setting. While there wasn't much story, I think it really did not need it; it felt more like a nice, shortly-lived dream.”
“I loved the scenery and setting, and while there wasn't much story, I think that it really did not need it. It felt more like a nice, shortly-lived dream.”
“- no story”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game showcases impressive visual finesse and effort, it may not resonate emotionally with all players, particularly those who struggle with its platforming mechanics. However, for dedicated platformer fans who enjoy collecting elements within the game, it offers a rewarding experience at an affordable price.
