Secrets of Rætikon

About

Secrets of Rætikon is a single-player 2D open-world game where you explore the Alps and uncover the mysteries of an ancient culture. Flight mechanics allow for bird-like exploration, and interactions with wild animals and ancient contraptions drive the game's emergent ecosystem. The game features a level editor and easy sharing of custom levels via Steam Workshop.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 132 reviews

graphics32 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game features a stunning and unique art style that captivates players.
The flying mechanics are enjoyable and provide a sense of freedom while exploring the world.
The game offers a charming atmosphere with engaging interactions with wildlife and environmental puzzles.

The controls can be unintuitive and frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve.
The game lacks a map, resulting in excessive backtracking and tedious gameplay.
The ending is widely criticized for being unsatisfying and leaving players feeling disappointed.

graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
35%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning and unique art style, featuring a 2D polygonal design that resembles paper craft or origami, complemented by bold shapes and vivid colors. Many players find the visuals to be a highlight, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some users express frustration with technical issues and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that while the graphics are beautiful, they do not compensate for other shortcomings in the game.
- “Graphically, Secrets of Raetikon truly shines.”
- “It combines bold shapes with strikingly vivid colors to create a genuinely unique and appealing aesthetic.”
- “The art style is absolutely gorgeous.”
- “I can't really recommend this game for anything else apart from the aesthetic.”
- “However, if, just like me, you got charmed by the trailer and the graphics, then you might be deceived as well.”
- “However, you try running this game (you would think its graphics would not cause much lag) on the lowest graphics setting, only the bare minimum amount of processes going, on high performance, and the game crashes when I try to press a button on the main menu!”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by tight controls and fluid mechanics, allowing players to easily navigate the colorful world as a bird while engaging in a straightforward loop of collecting shards and solving puzzles. However, many players find the experience becomes tedious due to linear progression, backtracking, and a lack of clear guidance, which can detract from the overall enjoyment despite the game's aesthetic appeal. While the flying mechanics and exploration are praised, the gameplay can feel artificially elongated and frustrating, leading to mixed feelings about its depth and engagement.
- “It's tight, the bird is easy to control, the game is straightforward, it's bright, it's colorful (for the most part), with fluid gameplay and a nice game loop - collect the shinies, unlock the big shiny at a shrine, traipse back across the game world as every creature of the land is making a beeline for you and your big shiny, and throw the big shiny into your home base.”
- “The gameplay loop is more or less: as a bird, explore > find shards > use shards to get crystal > carry crystal back to the start of the game.”
- “The flying gameplay and physics is really satisfying, it feels lofty and fast all at the same time.”
- “It looks pretty, but the gameplay becomes a chore after a while.”
- “The gameplay is tedious and artificially elongated with travel time (which you have to be active for and so conscious of every damn flap of your birdman's wings).”
- “The main reason I disliked it was because it gives the impression of being a casual indie game with unique and pleasant graphics and minimal content, but then creates an open world that albeit eventually connects together still provides a very tedious and boring gameplay for retrieving items back to the beginning.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of a coherent overarching plot, with many players finding it confusing and underdeveloped. While there are elements of backstory revealed through rune stones, the effort required to decipher them often feels unrewarding, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction with the narrative. Some players appreciate the mystery and potential of the world, but overall, the storytelling is seen as a weak aspect of the game.
- “The story is pieced together by collecting runes to decipher ancient tablets, a gimmick that my kids and mother both enjoyed as they worked together to crack the code.”
- “I have the feeling that this game is going to tell us a wonderful story through a wonderful world.”
- “There is so much mystery about the story and the runes and what is actually going on in the alps.”
- “With regards to the storyline, there is no real overarching plot.”
- “There is no meaningful narrative or plot in the world you're in.”
- “There's backstory here to find, but no real story to explain the gameplay, which perhaps helps to explain why the ending is so unsatisfying.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
53%
16%
The music in "Secrets of Raetikon" is generally praised for its calming and haunting qualities, complementing the game's beautiful visuals and art style. While some players find the soundtrack unique and fitting, others note that it can become repetitive and lacks memorability. Overall, the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, though opinions vary on its long-term appeal.
- “The soundtrack also deserves an honorable mention as it provides some nice instrumental tracks which help provide a theme to each territory.”
- “The music is very unique and calming.”
- “A stunning game with highly original art, game design, and beautiful music.”
- “The music is not memorable; it stays at a nice slow pace and never offends.”
- “The art and music evoke a joyous mood, but the gameplay is tedious, frustrating, and completely out of place.”
- “Music can get repetitive and dull over time.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
8%
17%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its beautiful art and captivating exploration, creating a serene yet immersive experience. Players appreciate the combination of stunning visuals, a sense of mystery, and a believable ecology that enhances the exploration of a lost civilization. Overall, the atmosphere is described as magical and reminiscent of a children's book, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Very beautiful and atmospheric exploration game where you fly through an open world, collecting ancient artifacts and unraveling the tale of a lost civilization, while also slowly altering the world around you.”
- “A refreshing combination of nature, a beautifully calm atmosphere, simple controls and great movement styles, this is truly one of the best games I have played in a very long time and hits a niche that is very underserved in the gaming industry.”
- “The entire atmosphere and art style feel like a children's book mixed with cave paintings mixed with origami.”
- “The entire atmosphere and art style feel like a children's book mixed with cave paintings and origami.”
- “It's reminiscent of the atmosphere in Journey.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the lack of defensive options and the lengthy travel times required for item retrieval. While the game's aesthetic and music are praised, the gameplay is criticized for being artificially prolonged and lacking engaging content, leading to a sense of boredom during exploration. Overall, the experience is marred by repetitive tasks and significant penalties for failure, detracting from the enjoyment of the unique visuals.
- “Despite the interesting aesthetic and concept, this game quickly becomes very tedious.”
- “The gameplay is tedious and artificially elongated with travel time (which you have to be active for and so conscious of every damn flap of your birdman's wings).”
- “The main reason I disliked it was because it gives the impression of being a casual indie game with unique and pleasant graphics and minimal content, but then creates an open world that, albeit eventually connects together, still provides very tedious and boring gameplay for retrieving items back to the beginning.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The humor in the game is hit-or-miss; while some players appreciate the jokes, particularly those that playfully target the player, others find them lacking in clarity and depth. The emotional range elicited by the game—from laughter to sadness—suggests that its humor can be impactful, even if not universally understood. Overall, the humor may resonate differently depending on the player's engagement with the story and gameplay.
- “But the funny thing is, this unexplained goal is something I want to achieve when playing.”
- “There is also something to be said about the emotions this game sparked in me, which range from laughing obnoxiously loud to feeling super depressed because I accidentally killed a little critter.”
- “Sure, it can be interesting to have a joke at the expense of the player, but if the other party can't figure out the joke and you don't explain it to them, then it's not funny or 'deep.' I just sort of shrug my shoulders at this part; there wasn't enough of a story to be meaningful.”
- “The humor often feels forced and lacks the cleverness that would make it enjoyable. Instead of laughing, I found myself rolling my eyes.”
- “While the game tries to be funny, most of the jokes fall flat and come off as cringeworthy rather than entertaining.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Overall, user feedback on stability is mixed; while some report a buggy experience, others note the absence of noticeable glitches.
- “The game is incredibly buggy.”
- “There were frequent crashes that disrupted gameplay.”
- “I experienced numerous stability issues that made it hard to enjoy the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been heavily criticized, with users reporting significant lag and crashes even on the lowest graphics settings and minimal background processes. Many feel that the performance issues are unacceptable, especially when compared to other games like Minecraft, which are considered better optimized.
- “However, I tried running this game (you would think its graphics would not cause much lag) on the lowest graphics setting, with only the bare minimum amount of processes running and on high performance, and the game crashes when I try to press a button on the main menu!”
- “Minecraft is better optimized than this!”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-received but lacks significant replayability, suggesting that players may not find enough incentive to revisit it after completing it.
- “Great game, not much replayability.”