The Rewinder

About

The Rewinder is an adventure puzzle game based on Chinese mythology. You play as Yun, the last known Rewinder, who can communicate with spirits and explore other people's memories to alter the past.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 622 reviews

story194 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story steeped in Chinese mythology, with emotional depth and well-developed characters.
The puzzles are engaging and offer a good level of challenge, complemented by a unique rewind mechanic that enhances gameplay.
The art style and music are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive atmosphere that draws players into the game's world.

The game is relatively short, leaving some players wanting more content and a more developed narrative.
Some puzzles can be poorly explained or confusing, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The English localization has issues, including minor translation errors and some text that isn't translated, which can detract from the overall experience.

story
372 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
47%
1%
The game's story is widely praised for its engaging narrative, rich in Chinese mythology and emotional depth, though some players noted it starts slowly and can feel short or underdeveloped in parts. Many appreciated the intertwining character arcs and the philosophical themes, while others pointed out translation issues and a lack of interaction with the world that could enhance the storytelling experience. Overall, the combination of compelling storytelling, beautiful visuals, and thoughtful puzzles creates a memorable experience, making it a solid choice for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “I highly recommend this game not only for the beautiful graphics, but for its exposition of folklore and for its compelling story.”
- “The concise yet touching story unfolds with multiple plot twists and highlights, drawing players deeper into its fantasy world.”
- “The rewinder is a carefully crafted, human story about karma, love, and memory.”
- “The storytelling is too slow and doesn't grip you; your character moves slowly, you need to try clicking on everything to see if you can interact with it, the puzzles are basic, and the memories mechanic is poorly done.”
- “The overall experience can be completed in 3-4 hours, and I think some parts of the story fall a bit short.”
- “However, the story is a bit short and a bit weak, but it sure has its moments.”
music
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
36%
3%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beauty, cultural depth, and ability to enhance immersion, particularly through its atmospheric and poetic qualities. However, some players found certain tracks repetitive and annoying, which detracted from their overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's artistic presentation and narrative engagement.
- “The music is wonderful and adds to the immersion.”
- “Beautiful music and stunning visuals impressed me, even before the engaging storyline kicked in.”
- “The story and art style blend together harmoniously with the music and audio, creating a supernatural, yet vaguely familiar world.”
- “Music is very repetitive and annoying as it plays on the shortest loop one can think of and the scenes drag on.”
- “Music and the slow replay of each scene is what made me lose my interest and patience.”
- “The soundtrack reminds me of ancient Chinese melody.”
gameplay
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
45%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique time rewind mechanic that many players find engaging, though opinions vary on its execution and complexity. Puzzles are generally well-designed, offering a balance of challenge without being overly difficult, and the overall experience is enhanced by strong narrative elements and appealing visuals. However, some players feel the gameplay can be too linear or simplistic, with certain mechanics underutilized, leading to mixed feelings about its depth and replay value.
- “Relatively simple gameplay, but the puzzles are challenging and there's a completionist aspect to the game.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are great too—the rewinding mechanism really brings the story to life—and the puzzles are just hard enough that you have to pause and think instead of floundering about, completely lost.”
- “Beautiful graphics, lovely music, unique gameplay, and a nice variety of puzzles that are just the right level of difficulty.”
- “Yet, gameplay is not at all what I would expect in such a game.”
- “The storytelling is too slow and doesn't grip you; your character moves slowly, you need to try clicking on everything to see if you can interact with it, the puzzles are basic, and the memories mechanic is so poorly done.”
- “The main negative for me though is that the gameplay is mostly not interesting.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
30%
3%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their gorgeous art style, impressive pixel graphics, and atmospheric visuals that beautifully complement the engaging storyline and folklore elements. Many reviewers highlighted the harmonious blend of art, music, and cultural themes, creating a captivating experience that enhances the gameplay. Overall, the visuals are described as stunning and well-polished, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “I highly recommend this game not only for the beautiful graphics, but for its exposition of folklore and for its compelling story.”
- “Beautiful music and stunning visuals impressed me, even before the engaging storyline kicked in.”
- “What really makes it stand out though, is the excellent art style and artistic direction.”
- “I was hesitant at first because (1) I find some pixel graphic games to be an excuse to be lazy with the art (even as someone who played original pixel graphic games from way back when).”
- “I wanted to like this game and there's plenty to like, such as the graphics and general mythological vibe.”
- “I originally played the demo and thought it was alright although aesthetically pleasing, but after playing the entire game I really had fun figuring out the puzzles and seeing the character development!”
emotional
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its deep emotional impact, captivating atmosphere, and touching narrative, often evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Its storyline, enriched with traditional Chinese cultural elements and mythology, draws players into a heartfelt journey that explores love, sacrifice, and the interconnectedness of characters' lives. While some reviewers suggest that the storyline could be further developed, the overall emotional engagement and investment in the characters are consistently highlighted as standout features.
- “This is the only game I've ever played that made me cry.”
- “A well written, deep, and emotional story that had me totally invested in completing the story and saving as many people as I could.”
- “Along with the main character's journey, I got to know the villagers of the Reed River village; everyone has their own story, and it's pretty emotional to see how our actions can entirely change their lives.”
atmosphere
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
12%
2%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its deep emotional resonance, captivating visuals, and unique charm, creating a memorable experience that blends story and art seamlessly. Players appreciate the beautifully drawn graphics, atmospheric soundtrack, and the intriguing blend of traditional elements that evoke a sense of mystery and nostalgia. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's strongest aspect, enhancing the enjoyment of its puzzles and narrative.
- “Charming puzzle game with a super unique atmosphere I haven't found anywhere else, truly a gem of a find!”
- “Imbued with various traditional Chinese elements, The Rewinder successfully constructed an atmosphere lingering between a bucolic dream and a diabolic nightmare, in which several underlying romantic stories gradually take their shapes in a simple nonetheless heart-wrenching manner.”
- “Everything together sets a beautiful scenery and atmosphere which is definitely this game's strong suit.”
- “Imbued with various traditional Chinese elements, The Rewinder successfully constructed an atmosphere lingering between a bucolic dream and a diabolic nightmare, in which several underlying romantic stories gradually take their shapes in a simple, nonetheless heart-wrenching manner.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game largely tedious, with many puzzles feeling repetitive and lacking coherence within the story. While some puzzles are praised for their cleverness and appropriate difficulty, the overall experience is marred by tedious dialogue and classic puzzle types that detract from the enjoyment. The game is seen as a missed opportunity, as it could have been great with better pacing and more engaging content.
- “Outside the rewinding, I just got tedious puzzles that were embedded into normal working objects that made no sense.”
- “This was a near miss of a game that could have been great but ended up mostly tedious.”
- “A lot of the dialogue can't be sped up and gets tedious to listen to, especially when you are replaying scenes over and over to find out where you missed that last flower that you can't find.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as subtle and well-integrated, enhancing the story's complexity without overshadowing its serious themes. Players appreciate the unexpected comedic elements, which add a layer of charm to the mysterious narrative, reminiscent of works like "Mushi-Shi." The absence of extensive voice-over, aside from the opening cutscene, allows for a unique comedic experience through character sounds and situational humor.
- “The devs also clearly have a great sense of humor that's subtle and never ruins the more serious themes.”
- “There is no voice-over besides the opening cutscene and some funny sounds for several characters.”
- “And once it does – you’ll be surprised not just with the overall quality and complexity of the story, but also with unexpected humorous bits and a sudden realization that this whole Chinese reincarnation business sounds really cool, soups of forgetfulness and gigantic spider-women and all.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers solid replayability through multiple endings and a collectible system involving flowers found throughout the chapters. While some players find the overall length a bit short, the quality of the experience and the incentive to collect items enhance its replay value.
- “A little short but with nice replayability, using the multiple endings for the memories and a cool collectible system in the form of flowers you get through chapters.”
- “Time length feels right and has replayability for collectibles.”
- “I can see the price being off-putting for the length and lack of replayability, but when the quality itself is there, I don't really care.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game is praised for its impressive character design and strong focus on character development, with players enjoying the narrative-driven experience despite the relatively easy puzzles. Many found that the character growth added depth to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The puzzles are relatively trivial, so don't come in expecting to be challenged, as it is a story and character development-driven game.”
- “The puzzles are relatively trivial, so don't come in expecting to be challenged as it is a story and character development-driven game.”
- “I originally played the demo and thought it was alright, although aesthetically pleasing, but after playing the entire game, I really had fun figuring out the puzzles and seeing the character development!”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is praised for its attention to detail, showcasing vibrant environments filled with dynamic elements like animals, weather effects, and interactive scenes. However, the reviews do not provide specific feedback on performance issues or technical optimization, focusing instead on the immersive visual experience.