The Rig
- June 26, 2020
- Sunset Division
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"The Rig" is a first-person shooter game set in a remote research facility in the Arctic. Players must uncover the truth behind a mysterious disaster, battling both hostile creatures and human opponents. With a strong narrative focus and a range of weapons to choose from, "The Rig" offers a thrilling sci-fi adventure. Note: This summary is based on general information available about the game and may not fully capture its specific features or gameplay.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus VR
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of classic sci-fi noir, enhancing the overall immersion.
- Voice acting and sound design are of high quality, contributing to a rich narrative experience that encourages exploration.
- The game offers multiple endings and dialogue choices, adding a layer of replayability despite its short length.
- The game is very short, with most players completing it in under two hours, leaving many feeling unsatisfied with the abrupt ending.
- Puzzles are overly simplistic and often provide excessive hints, which detracts from the challenge and engagement.
- Performance issues, including bugs and awkward physics interactions, can disrupt gameplay and diminish the overall experience.
- story50 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its immersive atmosphere, character development, and intriguing sci-fi elements, while others criticize it for being too short and lacking depth. Although the narrative builds well towards the end, many feel it serves more as a setup for a larger story rather than a complete experience, leaving them wanting more. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy story-driven games with puzzles, but expectations should be tempered regarding its length and complexity.
“Beautiful, atmospheric, story-driven sci-fi adventure with excellent music and voice acting.”
“The rig is a great story, well told and with lovely artwork.”
“Story -- the story itself is clearly the first part of a larger narrative, and the world and character building it established left me intrigued and looking forward to a (hopefully longer, much longer!) follow up -- especially as how the game has two endings, setting up significant differences in how a sequel would proceed.”
“Unfortunately, since the runtime is only one hour, the story doesn't get fully fleshed out.”
“The story could have been more fleshed out.”
“This feels more like a pilot to a longer series than a complete game and I sincerely hope the developers consider extending the gameplay, maybe even making it episodic.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as stylish and immersive, with a notable low-poly art style that enhances performance, reminiscent of the Blade Runner aesthetic. While many players appreciate the visuals and voice acting, there are concerns about optimization and performance issues, particularly with hologram effects and character detail. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point for an indie title, despite some inconsistencies in quality and performance.
“Voice acting is superb, graphics are really stylish and I liked how they looked.”
“Every environment you visit looks like something out of Blade Runner, and the low-poly art style works really well for this kind of game.”
“For an indie game, I was really impressed with the graphics.”
“Very immersive even if it's painfully indie with its graphics, poor optimizations, and a few strange control issues.”
“My only real gripe was performance issues on my GTX 1060 and the lack of any graphic options in the settings.”
“The visuals are decent and there is some neat tech on display, but the performance is awful in the presence of any hologram effects and the character models and world are woefully poorly detailed.”
- optimization11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems and during graphically intensive scenes. While updates have improved performance and added graphical settings, many users still report crashes and dips in frame rates, indicating that optimization remains a concern for a substantial portion of the player base. The low poly art style helps with performance, but the lack of detailed graphics and control issues detract from the overall experience.
“Performance was acceptable; 60fps on a 3600/1080 rig.”
“Low poly art style (good for performance).”
“-- the developers have made some nice performance optimizations since my original review, and have added some additional graphical quality settings that should help most users fine-tune performance to better suit their hardware.”
“Very immersive even if it's painfully indie with its graphics, poor optimizations, and a few strange control issues.”
“I initially gave this a negative review because of terrible performance that made it unplayable.”
“The visuals are decent and there is some neat tech on display, but the performance is awful in the presence of any hologram effects and the character models and world are woefully poorly detailed.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful, cinematic quality, enhanced by excellent music and voice acting, creating a captivating noir experience. Players appreciate the immersive setting and engaging narrative, which complement the logical and enjoyable puzzles. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making it a memorable and promising indie title.
“Beautiful, atmospheric, story-driven sci-fi adventure with excellent music and voice acting.”
“Go into this looking for an atmospheric noir experience and it will not disappoint.”
“I took my time looking in every corner and absorbing the atmosphere.”
“I'm only keeping it because I think it was good and I want to see more from this developer, hopefully something with a similar atmosphere and a little longer.”
“For the very little time I played, I was mesmerized and the game showed promise, story and atmosphere-wise.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it is too short, leaving them wanting more depth and content. While the immersive story and visuals are praised, the gameplay mechanics, including puzzles, are seen as simplistic and lacking in challenge. Overall, players feel the game resembles a pilot episode rather than a complete experience, suggesting a desire for extended or episodic content.
“VR escape room gameplay wrapped in an immersive story.”
“Gameplay is fun and visually it's really pretty.”
“This is the second problem you will encounter while playing the game, the gameplay is too short; it gives you just enough time to become invested in the characters, their backstory, and motivations before it comes to a grinding stop and the end credits roll. This feels more like a pilot to a longer series than a complete game, and I sincerely hope the developers consider extending the gameplay, maybe even making it episodic.”
“The gameplay is too short; it gives you just enough time to become invested in the characters, their backstory, and motivations before it comes to a grinding stop and the end credits roll. This feels more like a pilot to a longer series than a complete game, and I sincerely hope the developers consider extending the gameplay, maybe even making it episodic.”
“The gameplay is too short; it gives you just enough time to become invested in the characters, their backstory, and motivations before it comes to a grinding stop and the end credits roll. This feels more like a pilot to a longer series than a complete game, and I sincerely hope the developers consider extending the gameplay, maybe even making it episodic.”
“This mechanic tells you every 5 seconds.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the story-driven sci-fi adventure experience. Reviewers highlight the excellent soundtrack, particularly noting the impressive scoring and memorable opening theme.
“Beautiful, atmospheric, story-driven sci-fi adventure with excellent music and voice acting.”
“The music soundtrack is also good.”
“There's some nice scoring in this one, especially the opening theme.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through dialogue choices and multiple endings, which is appreciated given its short average playtime of 1 to 2 hours. However, some users feel that overall replayability is limited.
“The dialogue choices and multiple endings add significant replayability, which is very welcome in a game as short as this (an average playthrough seems to last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on how much you feel like exploring).”
“Dialogue choices and multiple endings add some replayability, which is very welcome in a game as short as this (an average playthrough seems to last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on how much you feel like exploring).”
“On the other hand, don't expect any form of replayability or anything.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional impact of the game's ending to be significant, evoking feelings reminiscent of intense moments from beloved narratives like "Firefly." The culmination of the story is seen as a rewarding payoff for the player's journey, leaving a lasting impression.
“The ending is well worth the effort - it made me feel a little like Mel in Firefly at the end of one of their more dangerous missions.”
“The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making their struggles feel personal and relatable.”
“I was genuinely moved by the story; it left a lasting impact that I couldn't shake off for days.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players feel that the game's short length leads to a frustrating grinding halt in the narrative, leaving them wanting more time to engage with the characters and their stories. Many suggest that the developers should consider extending the gameplay or adopting an episodic format to enhance the experience.
“The gameplay is too short; it gives you just enough time to become invested in the characters, their backstory, and motivations before it comes to a grinding stop and the end credits roll. This feels more like a pilot to a longer series than a complete game, and I sincerely hope the developers consider extending the gameplay, maybe even making it episodic.”
“Grinding in this game feels tedious and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged. Instead of feeling rewarding, it often feels like a chore that detracts from the overall experience.”
“The constant need to grind for resources and experience points takes away from the enjoyment of the game. It feels like a time sink rather than a meaningful part of the gameplay.”
