The Rivers of Alice: Extended Version
- November 16, 2015
- pequeño salto mortal
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"The Rivers of Alice: Extended Version" is a surreal, point-and-click adventure game that follows Alice as she confronts her fears in the form of mysterious characters and puzzles. The game features beautiful watercolor, ink, and pencil-drawn images and a moving soundtrack by Spanish indie-rock group vetusta morla. With 10 characters, 20 puzzles, and over 1500 art-filled illustrations, players will be immersed in Alice's strange and wonderful world.
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Reviews
- Beautiful art style and a lovely soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Challenging puzzles that can be rewarding for players who enjoy point-and-click adventures.
- A surreal and immersive atmosphere that captivates players and encourages exploration.
- Puzzles can be frustratingly obtuse and often require a walkthrough to progress.
- The story is weak and lacks depth, leaving players unsatisfied with the narrative.
- Repetitive music and sound design can detract from the experience, with some puzzles being overly difficult due to audio issues.
- music25 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and quality, often described as a highlight that enhances the overall experience. However, some players find it repetitive or difficult to engage with, particularly in relation to the music puzzles, which can be challenging for non-musicians. While the soundtrack is celebrated for its dreamy and relaxing qualities, there are criticisms regarding certain tracks being abrasive or overwhelming, and a lack of options to adjust the music settings.
“Cute and beautiful game, every time I play it I feel myself getting carried away by the dreamy music.”
“The music is the highlight, though.”
“A very lovely game, amazing soundtrack and gorgeous art!”
“Music puzzles are hard for normal people.”
“If you are not a musician, it is difficult to identify the sounds.”
“Some of the songs are basically just loud noise, and there is no option to turn the music off.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and surreal aesthetic, featuring beautifully crafted 2D artwork that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the stylized visuals and the lovely environments, which contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere, despite some concerns about its short length relative to its price. The combination of stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack creates an immersive journey for players.
“This point-and-click adventure takes place in a lovely world crafted with a charming art style and displayed through a wonderful journey; I can't speak highly enough of the places you go and the things you see.”
“Highly stylized with beautiful artwork and a lovely soundtrack, The Rivers of Alice is, as much as I hate to admit it, simply far too short for its price.”
“The only thing that kept me sane throughout playing this was the beautiful soundtrack and the stunning art style.”
“The 2D art style of this game reminds me of a flash game I played a while back that was similar to this.”
“The controls of the game are similar to Fran Bow, except this one has a completely different art style.”
“Music >>>>>>>> aesthetics >>> puzzles >>> story”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story in the game is widely criticized for being weak and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment over its minimal presence and incoherence. While the music and art are praised, they do not compensate for the frustrating puzzles and the absence of a compelling narrative, leaving players feeling unsatisfied with the overall experience.
“I personally like to enjoy these games while catching all the small details and the storylines at the same time.”
“For a point-and-click adventure, I expect puzzles and/or story to be at the top of that list.”
“I wished some of the areas were longer so we could experience the music; I didn't get the story when I finished the game, which is rare. I tend to overanalyze almost every game I play! I don't think this game is deep, but it was a lovely experience, and that's okay.”
“The story is also pretty non-existent.”
“The puzzles are quite unbalanced and sometimes annoying; the plot development is weak and the idea behind the game is not well expressed.”
“The story does not make sense, and it is not meant to.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its unique blend of abstract art and a touch of creepiness, creating an engaging experience that many players find enjoyable. Despite some puzzles being sluggish and obscure, the overall ambiance is compelling enough to encourage replayability. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently described as wonderful and immersive.
“But I love games like these; it has such a wonderful atmosphere.”
“They both had an atmosphere of abstract art combined with doodling, with a little bit of creepiness added to it.”
“The game was a bit too short, but I think I'll play it again in the future just for the atmosphere.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is marred by frustrating glitches, particularly with puzzles like the Rubik's cube and wire puzzle, which can lead to significant time loss due to resets. While the game is appreciated for its artistic value, it does not offer substantial gameplay innovations or revelations.
“I literally spent almost 2 hours of my total 5.5 hours of gameplay on the Rubik's cube and wire puzzle, which was mostly due to the columns glitching and also due to the fact that when you exit to look at the schematic, the whole thing resets.”
“I literally spent almost 2 hours of my total 5.5 hours of gameplay on the Rubik's cube and wire puzzle, which was mostly due to the columns glitching. Additionally, when you exit to look at the schematic, the whole thing resets.”
“I recommend this game, but just as a piece of art; do not expect any gameplay revelations here.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to wonky controls and confusing navigation, which detracts from the overall experience and makes progressing feel more frustrating than challenging.
“The controls are wonky and spatially wrong on some screens, making it difficult to figure out what to do next (and not necessarily in a good, challenging puzzle way). Walking from screen to screen becomes tedious.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily driven by the need to achieve three specific accomplishments, two of which can be completed during the initial playthrough with assistance.
“There's little replayability beyond wanting the three achievements that require a second playthrough, and two of those can be completed on the first playthrough with some assistance.”
“The game lacks significant replay value, as most of the content feels repetitive after the initial playthrough.”
“Once you've experienced the story, there's not much incentive to go back, making the replayability quite low.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, particularly noting that glitches hindered progress in specific areas, such as the metal monster zone, making it impossible to complete.
“The glitches in this game made it impossible to complete the Metal Monster area.”
“I encountered frequent crashes that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
“The game is riddled with bugs that severely affect its stability.”
