Röki

Backed by a gorgeous hand-drawn art style and enhanced by incredible sound design, Röki is a magical and touching adventure that will have you captivated until the very end

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"Röki" is a modern adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore, where players join Tove on a journey through a wintry world filled with strange creatures and ancient puzzles. The game features a rich cast of 'creepy-but-cute' characters and a unique take on Nordic folklore, as players explore a living fairy tale forest and search for long-forgotten items to save Tove's family. With its atmospheric exploration and touching narrative, Röki offers a contemporary fairy tale for all to enjoy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,159 reviews

story508 positive mentions

grinding54 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and graphics that create an enchanting atmosphere.
Heartfelt story that explores themes of family, loss, and acceptance.
Engaging puzzles that are challenging yet logical, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Controls can feel clunky, especially with the lack of a mouse cursor for inventory management.
Some puzzles require excessive backtracking, which can become tedious.
Unskippable dialogue and animations can interrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
957 mentions
53 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The story of Röki is a deeply emotional and beautifully crafted narrative that explores themes of family, loss, and grief, intertwined with elements of Scandinavian folklore. Players embark on a heartfelt journey as Tove, a young girl searching for her kidnapped brother, encountering various mythical creatures and personal challenges along the way. While the storytelling is praised for its depth and charm, some players noted pacing issues and lengthy cutscenes that could detract from the overall experience.
- “Röki tells a touching story about family and loss spiced up with northern folklore.”
- “The story is beautiful and touching, something that would stand by itself, like in a comic.”
- “Step into a magical world of Scandinavian folklore and experience a heartwarming story of a family lost and regained carefully handcrafted by the Polygon Treehouse that will not fail to tug at your heartstrings.”
- “The storyline is extremely disappointing, filled with clichés.”
- “The story is predictable.”
- “The story is just bleeaaahggh… it got old real fast.”
graphics
323 mentions
71 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Röki" are widely praised for their beautiful and charming art style, which effectively captures the essence of Scandinavian folklore. Players appreciate the colorful, cartoony visuals that create an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the storytelling and emotional depth of the game. While some find the graphics simplistic, they are generally considered a strong point that complements the overall experience, making it a visually appealing adventure.
- “Röki's got a lot going for it with its beautiful art style, cool puzzles, and a story with many layers.”
- “The graphics are stunning, the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, and you will absolutely fall in love with the story.”
- “The art style is gorgeous and the story was well-constructed and engaging.”
- “The graphics are kind of boring, not worth mentioning.”
- “The visuals look like a mobile game, but there are loading screens.”
- “First impressions weren't great (art style aside), but gosh, once it gets going, it really is fantastic.”
music
242 mentions
62 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience and emotional depth of the narrative. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the charming art style and engaging story, creating a magical ambiance that invites players to immerse themselves in the game world. While some found the music occasionally repetitive, it generally serves to enrich the gameplay and evoke a strong emotional response.
- “The atmosphere created by the art and music in the game makes me want to revisit, and my incomplete badge and collectibles sections of the journal give me a reason to replay.”
- “The music is soothing, and the story is touching.”
- “The soundtrack adds such a nice tone to the incredible overall design and art; it's fitting and immersive.”
- “The music isn't necessarily mind-blowing, but it really helps guide you into the immersive state.”
- “The soundtrack is fitting but some tracks get repetitive, though never to the point of being distracting.”
- “The only (but really little) disappointments for me were the music (sometimes not fitting) and some of the puzzles (breaking the adventure game flow).”
gameplay
237 mentions
32 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a blend of point-and-click mechanics and 3D exploration, featuring a mix of simple yet engaging puzzles that often require players to gather and combine items. While many players appreciate the charming atmosphere and emotional storytelling, some criticize the slow pacing and clunky mechanics, particularly the reliance on keyboard controls instead of mouse interactions. Overall, the gameplay is generally enjoyable and accessible, though it may feel tedious at times due to excessive dialogue and backtracking.
- “The gameplay is enjoyable; it's a well-done point-and-click style puzzle-adventure game.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack created a magical ambiance, while the gameplay balanced exploration, puzzles, and emotional connection.”
- “The gameplay consists of solving puzzles, mostly combining items and using them on the right spots.”
- “The game is unbelievably slow-paced, the handling of your items, crafting, and overall mechanics feels really clunky.”
- “What further slows the gameplay down, straight up bordering on interrupting it unnecessarily, are the incessant dialogue box pop-ups.”
- “The worst offender here is gameplay; many items blend into the background, so much so that a highlight feature was added but still cannot bring forth some of the most minute ones. This, combined with the absence of a quick travel option and the slow nature of it, makes it a bore.”
emotional
218 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Röki" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling, which explores themes of family, loss, and grief, often resonating deeply with players. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, with several players noting that they cried during pivotal moments, particularly related to the characters' struggles and relationships. The combination of beautiful visuals, a touching narrative rooted in Scandinavian folklore, and engaging puzzles creates a memorable emotional journey that captivates and enchants players.
- “What a wonderfully emotional adventure!”
- “Röki tells a touching story about family and loss spiced up with northern folklore.”
- “The story is beautiful and touching, something that would stand by itself, like in a comic.”
atmosphere
77 mentions
70 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its enchanting and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful art and a captivating soundtrack that evokes a sense of wonder and nostalgia. Players appreciate the game's ability to convey emotional depth through its atmospheric design, which draws heavily from Scandinavian folklore and mythology. Overall, the combination of visuals, music, and storytelling creates a magical experience that keeps players engaged and eager to explore further.
- “The atmosphere created by the art and music in the game makes me want to revisit, and my incomplete badge and collectibles sections of the journal give me a reason to replay.”
- “The art style and atmosphere are absolutely beautiful.”
- “However, if you’re looking for a game with more complex, logic-based puzzles and don’t have a soft spot for the game’s Nordic, fairytale-like atmosphere, this might not be your cup of tea.”
- “The mystical atmosphere that leaves you in wonder - yet never feeling completely safe - is just executed so well.”
- “Surprisingly, though, despite the fairy tale atmosphere of this game, it also touches on some adult topics, such as loss, pain, and guilt.”
grinding
54 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious, particularly due to excessive backtracking, slow movement, and repetitive puzzle-solving mechanics. While some puzzles are engaging, many reviewers noted that the experience can become frustratingly monotonous, especially in the latter parts of the game where the lack of fast travel and the need to explore every inch of the environment contribute to the tedium. Despite these drawbacks, some players still appreciated the overall adventure and story, though they acknowledged the grinding nature of the gameplay.
- “My only complaint is the very tedious boring ending that was just clicking and running and having to watch all the credits to get the ending you want after all that.”
- “The whole running around and around and around and around over the same spots/routes is tedious and sucked the fun right out of the game for me.”
- “I had high hopes for it based on its demo, but playing the full game felt more tedious than most point & click games, particularly if you find yourself holding down run or spamming the ping objects button to find the pixel-sized collectibles.”
humor
22 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as charming and often whimsical, with moments that elicit genuine laughter, such as quirky character interactions and amusing animations. While some players noted a lack of consistent comedic dialogue, the overall experience is enriched by funny quests and endearing character traits, creating a balance of humor, emotion, and intrigue. Despite some repetitive sound effects, the game's ability to blend humor with heartfelt storytelling has resonated positively with many players.
- “The mother turning around every single cut-scene and then her nose bleeding just made me laugh.”
- “Röki turned out to be funny, charming, fun, and emotional all in one package, and I couldn't have asked for anything more from it.”
- “The story is in turns funny, wondrous, and dark.”
character development
16 mentions
38 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and integration of side stories, with many reviewers highlighting the memorable character designs and the emotional resonance of themes like fatherly love. The visuals and art direction are consistently described as beautiful, enhancing the overall storytelling experience, though some character designs may be unsettling for sensitive players. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate strong narrative and character development over action.
- “This game is a beautiful game with great visuals and amazing character designs and world development.”
- “Love that there are side stories with character development and the hint of Norse mythology in the creatures.”
- “He offered some truly wonderful character development, as well as bringing an aspect of fatherly love into the gaming scene that you very seldom see in games, or media as a whole.”
- “However, I can't fully recommend it for kids (at least squeamish or sensitive ones), given that a few of the scarier creature/character designs nearly gave me nightmares myself, including humanoids with bleeding eyes (ugh!).”
- “Character design is like YouTube advert animation; not that it's bad, just a bit basic.”
- “Love that there are side stories with character development and (as someone from the US) the hint of Norse mythology in the creatures.”
stability
9 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by occasional bugs and glitches, including freezing issues and erratic character movements, which can disrupt gameplay but are generally manageable. While some players found these technical problems to be a nuisance, they did not significantly detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is playable, though it may require some patience due to its quirks.
- “Just a few caveats: there are some bugs that freeze the game (nothing blocking, just force quit and restart), but it's a nuisance, and one timed puzzle that is troublesome.”
- “That being said, it can be a bit buggy sometimes; like one time I went into a new area and went flying.”
- “Drawbacks: some segments of the game felt a bit drawn out/slow (lots of walking back and forth or just drawn-out walking segments), which took away from the overall feeling of engagement with the game at times; a few glitches such as the character disappearing into the ground or floating into the sky if I was holding the shift key while moving into some areas, or the camera being set in a fixed position where I could not see the character. These were fixable but may have caused me to panic if I wasn't experienced with such things.”
optimization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its excellent performance and lack of bugs, with users reporting a smooth experience. However, some players noted that mouse and keyboard controls could be better optimized, suggesting a need for improved point-and-click functionality.
- “There's also 0 bugs to ruin your experience and performance was great.”
- “Performance is great and ultrawide works with a simple fix.”
- “Game performance was great; no technical blimps.”
- “Controls aren’t optimized for mouse and keyboard, and there shouldn’t be any reason why developers can’t add point-and-click mouse control.”
- “Performance and technical issues.”
- “Performance - I didn't have a single issue, period.”
replayability
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through hidden collectibles and achievements, appealing to players who enjoy exploration. However, some users feel that the short playtime limits overall replay value, suggesting that once completed, many may not return for another playthrough.
- “As I said, a single playthrough will be 10 hours or less, but there is replay value in terms of hidden collectibles and a few interesting achievements.”
- “Nice replay value.”
- “Overall, I really enjoyed it - but I will say I think there's basically no replay value. It's short, and once it's done, I don't think most people would play again.”
- “Like I said, a single playthrough will be 10 hours or less; but there is some replay value in terms of hidden collectibles and a few interesting achievements.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for being a cash grab, with misleading advertising that emphasizes cut scenes over actual gameplay. Reviewers feel that the game lacks depth and innovation, suggesting it was poorly tested and designed primarily for profit rather than player experience.
- “Lazy, un-playtested, uninspired cash grab of a console port.”