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The story is as full of holes as a bullet ridden block of Swiss cheese.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Myst is the eternal high point of puzzle adventure gaming. Many other games try hard to live up to the Myst mystique and Rhem is no exception to the rule.

Heading off into the industrial wasteland of Rhem, I had flashbacks of Riven, but had to remember that this game came from an independent developer and I would have to try to give it a fair shake knowing that there would be some substantial differences. So, back from Riven memory lane, I was now heading off into Rhem territory.

The story is pretty basic. It lacks some of the finer points needed to fully understand the whys and wherefores of the whole journey, but the gist is good enough to grasp the basis for your mission. You are transported to Rhem along a trail way system. Why you are headed there is not addressed, but I must say I was bugged by the fact that I was headed off to some strange land and I couldn’t fathom why I was going. I then wondered if I had perhaps gotten on the wrong tram, but I digress…

In Rhem, I discovered that I was searching for pieces of a letter left by a man named Kales. Kales had left me a message stating that if I could find the pieces of the letter and get it to his brother Zetais, that he would help me get back to my world. According to Kale’s letter there were evil people that needed to be prohibited from obtaining the information supplied in the letter.


ALL ABOARD! Ticket for one to the Rhem light Zone…

Rhem is a first person pure adventure. The graphics are mostly 2D static backgrounds with a lot of visual texturizing, something that seems a bit overdone but is bearable. Graphics are not what you would get on a high budget release and are grainy, but again, this is a one man show and as such the graphics are passable.

Once inside the gates of Rhem, the player will discover a world of metal stairs, with multitudes of walkways and passages that make up the maze-like, industrial structure of Rhem. It is quite easy to get lost in the large number of pathways inside. There are also numerous puzzles throughout the game.

It is well advised to take copious notes if you intend to get through the game or you might just end up stuck in Rhem permanently, or at least find yourself with a pounding headache from having smashed your head against the wall in frustration. I filled up almost four pages of notes, and in the places where I decidedly got lazy and slacked off, I inevitably ended up with some sizeable lumps on my own noggin’.


Inside the deep state of Rhem

There is no music in Rhem. What it does have is lonely, ambient sounds that set the tone for the mood, like boards creaking, water running, and wind blowing, that are all appropriate to the environment. Additionally, there are no other characters in the game with the exception of one man that you briefly encounter. The story in Rhem is as full of holes as a bullet ridden block of Swiss cheese, and this just happens to be one of those Swiss cheese holes in the story…

The Mystery man says that he has to leave Rhem immediately and that had you arrived earlier you might have been able to accompany him, but it is now too late and he can’t take you with him. From there he proceeds to steal your tram, leaving you alone and stuck on Rhem for the rest of the game.

The story never addresses who he is/was and why he left you behind. (Did I mention that I don’t like Swiss cheese?) After haphazardly wandering around in Rhem for quite a while I eventually stumbled upon Kale’s note. Kale’s note indicated that I might run into others in Rhem.

My mind churned with questions, wondering why others would be there and how they ended up in Rhem. But alas, after searching high and low, there were no others there… {Sticks cheese blocks with holes on fingers and wiggles them around to amuse self.}

The game’s interface is easy to use, at least if you aren’t wearing cheese on your fingers. The movement and interaction are all done via the mouse. There isn’t any inventory to carry around other than the pieces of the letter that you collect, and in my case, the cheese that has gotten stuck under my fingernails from trying to use the mouse while wearing the cheese blocks. {Takes warm cheese blocks off fingers, smashes them together like play-dough and feeds cheese to dog.} Games are easy to load and save via the key controls or a menu bar and there are an unlimited number of save slots.

The game play is not linear and allowed me to go from place to place in a random order. I enjoy that kind of freedom in my games, as it seems to be a more reality-based experience. The cursor in Rhem is unique, in that it allows the player to turn a corner in one step rather than step forward, click directionally, then move. This, however, did not make up for the miles and miles of walking back and forth from one location to the other.

Had I used my United Mileage card I would have racked up enough miles to purchase two first class tickets around the world. There isn’t any nifty magical key that will transport you to the specific location you desire. With the multitude of exits and entrances, pathways, and buildings, you may find yourself on a good hike wandering around until you figure it all out.

The puzzles in Rhem had me on edge even before I started the game, having heard of their difficulty. Once I actually attacked the puzzles, I found them to range from fairly easy to others that were indeed difficult. Most of the puzzles were unique and well thought out, with clues that ranged from obvious to subtle, and switches and levers, colors, patterns, and symbols that must be figured out. For the most part, I enjoyed the puzzles in the game.

There are no timed puzzles and direct mazes or slider puzzles but some are mathematically based ones that need to be worked out, and therein lies my pain…{Squinches up nose at rank smell suddenly remembering dog is lactose intolerant and is now emanating hot gasses.} Oh yeah, remember the ditty about the miles? Well let me say that this is the area for racking em’ up.

Some of the puzzles require several trips back and forth across the vast wilderness, and sometimes it would seem that the puzzles include just finding the area you need to go to, so wear some comfortable shoes with thick soles.

The layout of the building and roads are directionally accurate as you traverse the pathways and go through buildings, but it really would have helped to have some sort of directional guide or main map to tell you which way was North and South as they all ended up as North in my directionally-impaired estimation.

{Eyes burning and tearing up, gets ready to scoot dog outdoors; unfortunately, it is pouring rain. Throws block of cheese on ground and furiously jumps up and down on it while muttering a few choice phrases, then settles back down at desk donning an Israeli gas mask.}


R.E.M., Rhem, the technical differences

Rhem comes complete on one CD now (it used to be on three) and is a hybrid for PC and Mac. It utilizes QuickTime 4 or higher and runs at an optimal setting of 640x480 resolution with 16-bit color.

Initially, when I received Rhem from Got Game, the company sent me a burned CD copy. After installing the game, I had hours upon hours of problem after problem and by this time my hair was in short supply. The game had a mind of its own, deciding not to allow me to save my game, bring up a menu, or exit the game at random intervals.

I was literally “stuck inside Rhem” a far more realistic experience than I cared for it to be. Still, I pushed onward, saving every two seconds and regretting it when I didn’t, and sometimes not even getting the choice to do so.

The game would arbitrarily freeze up at points and I would once again find myself floating down the river called S.O.L. So I did the smart thing any reviewer would do and I contacted Got Game’s tech support. Well, it would seem that Got Game has better things to do than to support the game they sell, so ignore my plea they did (and did it well).

Irritated into further action, I finally got a hold of the developer, Knut Mueller, from Germany, who was nice enough to ship me another disk, an original this time. The unfortunate consequence of this situation is that I do not know if these are bugs that exist in the US version or if it was just a defective burn.

The next time around with the original disk of Rhem was like playing a completely new game. I didn’t experience any freeze-ups and I was able to save and exit without any heartache, and like magic, the space bar pulled up the menu title bar as it was supposed to do. Thank goodness for small miracles.


The end of the line

Rhem never did clear up many of the questions left begging in my mind (and weighing on my dog’s guts), and I was left wondering “who” the evil people were that Kales was afraid would get the letter. How did he know I wasn’t one of them? Where is Kales anyway and how did he escape Rhem? How was I supposed to deliver the letter to his brother now that I had it in my possession? Maybe we will get more information in Rhem 2 when it comes out, but for now I guess I have to live with the questions and the aftermath of all those Swiss cheese holes…

Rhem is a good game for those who are looking for a puzzle challenge. For those who like character interaction or are ready for an in-depth story to immerse themselves in, Rhem will not suffice. And if you are one of those individuals who played Myst or its follow-up games in the series and found that you did not like them, then I can assure you that Rhem isn’t for you. Those who did will find some enjoyment in playing this title.

Gamers who decide to buy Rhem need to remember that its quality will not rival Riven, but it does stand on its own and provides plenty of hours of good puzzles.

Hmmm, I seem to have this odd craving for a Swiss ham on rye…


Review by Michelle Whicker.