The Riese Project - Prologue
- August 1, 2023
- Real Invented Studio
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Riese Project - Prologue" is a playable introduction to an intriguing game, where you delve into the mysterious underground of the Owl Mountains as Anna, uncovering World War II secrets connected to the real-life "Riese Complex." Engage in a thrilling adventure, solve puzzles using a unique in-game phone hint system, and capture images with a camera feature to unravel the truth in this immersive experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics that create an immersive experience, showcasing the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5.
- The atmosphere and story are intriguing, with engaging puzzles that challenge players without being overly difficult.
- The integration of mobile device interactions adds a unique layer to gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game suffers from significant optimization issues, making it unplayable on many systems, even high-end rigs, due to stuttering and visual artifacts.
- Voice acting is often criticized as dull and unconvincing, detracting from the narrative experience.
- Gameplay mechanics are clunky and unintuitive, with awkward interactions and a lack of clear guidance on objectives, leading to frustration.
- graphics110 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning realism and immersive quality, particularly in VR mode, showcasing impressive lighting and detail. However, many users have noted significant performance issues, requiring high-end PCs to run smoothly, and a lack of graphical options has been a common frustration. While the visuals are often described as breathtaking, some players have experienced graphical artifacts and performance-to-quality ratios that feel unbalanced, indicating a need for further optimization.
“The Riese Project Prologue - the most perfect graphics in a VR game.”
“Damn, as for a VR game, the graphics are stunning. Loved the puzzles and can't wait for a full version.”
“Graphics are great with real-time lighting, dynamic shadows, and a very high polygon count. I've taken several screenshots while wearing the index.”
“However, there were game-breaking visual artifacts with the normal graphical settings on my RTX 3070, so it was only playable for me with the lowest graphical settings called 'potato'.”
“The graphical problems inside the game (known problem with artifacts on my right eye) make it nearly unplayable.”
“Graphics are bad, feels like I am playing a mobile game.”
- story80 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing and mysterious, with players expressing a desire to learn more about the characters and plot as they progress. While some find the narrative vague and confusing, particularly regarding character relationships and motivations, others appreciate the unique storytelling elements and the potential for deeper exploration in future updates. Overall, the story is seen as a compelling aspect that enhances the gameplay experience, despite some initial clunkiness and the need for patience in puzzle-solving.
“The story and the general flow of the game is intriguing.”
“I look forward to continuing the story of the very cute protagonist as she unravels the mystery of what happened to her grandfather.”
“In this prologue, you have unique narrative storytelling with these creepy VHS tapes, and I just want to hear more about this mystery.”
“The story is very vague from in-game clues and dialogue.”
“It's not a horror game, but some might feel vibes of horror, maybe because it's mysterious and kind of just drops you in the middle without a story, but that adds to the mystery of it all.”
“This game is all about a story that you must have patience for because in order to progress in the story you must solve puzzles.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a mix of interesting mechanics and significant rough edges, with many users noting its slow pace and basic interactions. While some puzzles are enjoyable and not overly challenging, issues like bugs, linear progression, and invisible walls detract from immersion. Overall, there is potential for improvement, and players are hopeful for future enhancements to the gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is slow, but it's fun. Puzzles are not crazy hard; there were a couple of places I felt stuck, but overall I can't complain.”
“Looks nice with some interesting mechanics.”
“I am very much looking forward to seeing where the story is going and what enhancements to the gameplay the developer can make.”
“Gameplay has a lot of rough edges.”
“Other than that, there's not really much here when it comes to interaction or gameplay.”
“The linear gameplay of being locked by specific triggers sometimes gets in the way of immersion, such as not being able to open a hidden door in the closet before you open the safe, even when you clearly see there is a hole in the wall behind the closet. It could be fixed by locking the closet with some commentary like 'I'm not gonna dig through his closet', and then auto-unlocking it when it's needed as a hiding spot. Another pretty annoying thing is the presence of invisible walls; would it be so complicated to put some actual visible obstacles instead?”
- optimization30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players experiencing severe performance issues, including stuttering and shaking visuals, even on high-end hardware like the RTX 4090 and GTX 4080. While the graphics are praised for their quality, the performance-to-graphics ratio is deemed inadequate, leading to a frustrating experience that requires extensive tweaking of settings for smoother gameplay. Overall, players express hope for future updates to improve optimization and enhance the gaming experience.
“It's clear a lot of development work has gone into this and the storyline is intriguing, so I look forward to the finished game which will hopefully allow more time for both Unreal and the developer to better optimize the performance.”
“Performance is fine at 1.5x render scale on RTX 4090 using Rift-S and the game looks good.”
“You may need to spend some time finding the best settings for graphics: getting optimal performance is paramount to enjoy the game for immersion and presence.”
“I can't play because of bad optimization - image stuttering all the time.”
“Performance sucks (on a 4090...) shading is completely messed up and movement feels weird.”
“Game is unoptimized garbage!”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics and engaging historical setting, effectively enhancing the mystery and story. While some players note issues with controls and performance that detract from the overall experience, the compelling voice acting and music contribute positively to the immersive environment. Many users express excitement for the full release, hoping for improvements that will further elevate the atmospheric quality.
“Very atmospheric mystery in an interesting historical setting.”
“This game really is beautiful and very atmospheric; can't wait for the full release now!”
“Great atmosphere; the story seems gripping so far, and the graphics are brilliant if you can get it to run on high.”
“This needs more polish; it detracts from the atmosphere of the game.”
“I might refund, but will be happy to buy the game on release if they fix most of the things, because I really like the atmosphere and setting.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as hit-or-miss, with some writing feeling amateurish, yet there are standout moments that are genuinely funny, particularly highlighted by the character "Mr. Snail." The voice acting enhances the comedic elements, contributing to an overall sense of potential in the game's humor.
“Definitely has a lot of potential; the voice acting is really nice and often funny.”
“The writing is occasionally a bit amateurish, however, sometimes it is even funny (Mr. Snail!).”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of effort to progress. Additionally, the clunky controls contribute to a frustrating experience, making tasks feel tedious and challenging.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The controls were also clunky, a bit tedious and annoying at times (being able to play the piano with the finger was more overwhelmingly difficult than solving its puzzle).”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for more immersive emotional engagement through improved object interaction, specifically wishing for tangible feedback and resistance when touching items, as the current experience often feels disconnected.
- music2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, contributing significantly to the immersive experience alongside the voice acting.
“I love the music; it perfectly complements the atmosphere of the game.”
“The soundtrack is incredible and really enhances the overall experience.”
“The voice acting and music create an immersive environment that draws you in.”
