The River

About

The River is a single player action game with fantasy and drama themes. It was developed by bokchoi and was released on June 9, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

You wake up in the void, with no memory other than the deep sense that something horrible has happened to you in life that has left you in limbo. Can you find your way back to the living to make things right? Should you? Welcome to my first visual novel / game project, The River. I actually made something! This is my very first attempt at making a game, as well as my first second earnes…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 43 reviews

story17 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful and striking black-and-white art with effective animations that enhance the narrative.
The music and sound design are somber and fitting, contributing to the overall emotional atmosphere.
The story is touching, contemplative, and explores deep themes like life, death, and the afterlife in a moving way.

The gameplay is minimal with no real interactivity, choices, or puzzles, making it feel more like a visual novel or digital book rather than a game.
The story is short, somewhat predictable, and often explained too plainly without enough subtlety or depth in character development.
Audio issues include the dialogue text sound being excessively loud and unable to be adjusted, which detracts from the experience.

story
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
41%
9%
The story is generally praised for its emotional and somber exploration of life, death, and human nature, with well-crafted dialogue and a strong atmosphere enhanced by art and music. However, many find it predictable, somewhat rigid, and overly straightforward, with limited character development and a short length that leaves some narrative potential untapped. Despite these critiques, the story remains engaging and memorable for most players.
- “Beautiful storytelling, art, music, everything.”
- “A wonderful short story about life, death, and the cycle of harm.”
- “I truly feel that this game is the epitome of art and while it is linear, I never wanted to wander away from the next beat of the story.”
- “This point-and-click e-book is presented with garbage monochrome pixel art and, of course, the plot and subject... yes, you guessed it, this is a high school anime club dropout fan-fiction about the author and his imaginary girlfriend experiencing the afterlife, which is extremely cringey.”
- “The story beats are obvious and not really interesting, with the bulk of the plot having occurred off-screen and told to you secondhand.”
- “I think the characters had more potential, but the story came across as a little rigid and telegraphed because it largely focuses on the details of the plot and not on the nuances of the characters.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
The game's graphics feature a distinctive monochromatic, minimalist art style that effectively complements its dark, narrative-driven atmosphere. Though simple, the visuals and animations are praised for their emotional impact and creative composition, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
- “Wow, the graphics, the animation, the music - the whole work is very touching and effective for such a short title.”
- “I really liked some of the animations you did and various tricks with the scene composition, as well as the progression of the visuals like the character shape or the colors at the end.”
- “The art style stands out with its monochromatic simplicity, the soundtrack is quietly somber, and the game ends before wearing out its welcome.”
- “The river is really a narrative dark story rather than an actual game, with excellent and very atmospheric monochrome pixel graphics and sound.”
- “Graphics are really simple, but for this format it works very well.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, somber, and fitting soundtrack that enhances the storytelling and art style. Some users note creative variations in the main theme during encounters, though a few mention volume issues with the music resetting or being too loud. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's emotional and atmospheric impact.
- “The music and art are a big plus for the game; I especially appreciate every encounter including a variation of the game's main theme depending on who you met and when you met them.”
- “Wow, the graphics, the animation, the music - the whole work is very touching and effective for such a short title.”
- “That was a good story, nice music, and I like the dark art style.”
- “Get used to it... no matter what you set your music slider to, it simply reverts to maximum volume once the next scene loads (including if you mute it).”
- “It's too loud in relation to other sounds.”
- “You hear that music in the trailer?”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience through its touching story, impactful music, and expressive animation, effectively exploring themes of memories and death despite its short length. While somewhat predictable, it remains a deeply resonant and moving visual novel.
- “Wow, the graphics, the animation, the music - the whole work is very touching and effective for such a short title.”
- “Felt emotional while reading through the story.”
- “Short, but really emotional visual novel game about memories and death.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is essentially nonexistent, consisting only of clicking through poorly written text without any interactive or engaging elements.
- “There isn't any actual gameplay here, just clicking through some of the worst writing to insult the concept of literature.”
- “There's no gameplay.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its dark, narrative-driven tone, enhanced by excellent monochrome pixel graphics and immersive sound design.
- “The river is really a narrative dark story rather than an actual game, with excellent and very atmospheric monochrome pixel graphics and sound.”