Act Normal Games has marketed Rauniot as an adventure that’s set in a broken world, and follows the isometric magic of point-and-click games. To my surprise, Rauniot seldom limits itself by that medium. Instead, it makes use of rich and heavy storytelling, awe-inspiring voice acting, and explorative gameplay that kept me engaged for hours.
Even though the game is primarily in Finnish, the lack of English voice-acting never truly made a dent in my experience. Rather, it brought about the importance of out-of-body experiences that have been lacking in so many games lately, especially ones that try to tell a heartfelt story.
Rauniot successfully brought me back to the simpler times of gaming. Playing through its heartfelt yet thrilling adventure made me think of a childhood when diving into a book under a cozy blanket would teleport me to a different realm.
Rauniot comes out on PC on April 17.
A Point-And-Click Puzzle-Solver That Makes for a Reflective Adventure
If I had to remark on a single aspect that makes Rauniot so well-designed, I’d highlight the point-and-click input. It is truly everything the devs needed to execute their heavy ideas. The world of Rauniot is complicated as is. It’s the year 1975, and humanity is barely making sense of the world anymore. Between stories of betrayal and psychotic behavior that are now normalized, the game finds its way of expressing it ever so gently.
You play as one of the survivors of this post-apocalyptic world, and her perception of things in her vicinity makes the dialogue feel somewhere between heavy and humorously dark. Even when she’s lying on the ground, almost dead, she looks up at the sky and thinks of birds as the last free creatures. Despite being free, they must be stupid to come to such a place.
It’s not just her though. In my playtime, I crossed paths with some fascinating personalities who shared their struggles and what exactly keeps them going. Some are looking for love (despite the harsh conditions), and some are doing their best to just survive.
Come for the Setting, Stay for the Nostalgic Art
Isolation and humanity are essential themes in Rauniot, and you’ll never miss out on this thanks to the well-written dialogue and voice acting that feels at home with the game’s dark atmosphere.
Speaking of which, Rauniot’s art is something that will stay with you even after you’re done playing. It feels like a game that’s fresh out of an artist’s sketchbook, who also happens to deeply reflect on the aftermath of war. Even if you’re standing still, you can hear the dark undertone of a post-apocalyptic Northern Finland here.
The moment you right-click, you gain access to all the tools you’ve acquired so far, a map that helps you fast-travel, and a couple of essential pieces of information. All of this builds and evolves the more you play, depending on where you are in the narrative.
At times, Rauniot also feels like an isometric walking simulator, letting you take a backseat and observe what’s happening around you.
Is Rauniot good?
Rauniot is one of those experiences where you get exactly what you signed up for. That, to me, is a well-executed game. However, this is not one of your older Fallout games where combat and RPG mechanics are essential. Instead, this will feel like an isometric version of a game like Oxenfree that you can play without even using your keyboard.
I’m someone who loves reading and taking my time through a game’s narrative. That’s what made Disco Elysium feel so enriching. If you’re like me, you’ll absolutely adore Rauniot. But, if you’re someone who is waiting for action sequences to happen on a regular basis, you should consider twice before getting into this one.
In this game, ‘combat mechanics’ are simply dialogues and choices. You can come back to certain parts of the map, explore an area better, and learn new dialogues. These are simple ways the game tries in order to build complexity. And, to me, it just works.
Rauniot is going to take a small but important part of my psyche, when I look back to games that felt like short stories, staying with me like thought-provoking memorabilia.
8/10
