Röki

Backed by a gorgeous hand-drawn art style and enhanced by incredible sound design, Röki is a magical and touching adventure that will have you captivated until the very end

Röki is a brilliant and emotional adventure that will appeal to all lovers of adventure games and well-told stories in general. The mature themes are handled in such a wonderfully appropriate way that it would make a perfect family game, and I loved the time I spent with Tove. Rather than a flatpack indentikit product, this is a game that has all the hallmarks of true artisanal craft and skill.

I’ve been looking forward to Röki ever since my husband, fellow WTMG staff member Jordan Hawes, came back from E3 2019 raving about it. He knows how fond I am of point-and-click adventure games, harkening back to my childhood days of playing the King’s Quest series over and over. While not typically a fan of that gaming style himself, he saw something special in Röki and suggested I try it when it released. Well, the time has finally come and I couldn’t be more enamored with it.

As the first showing for Polygon Treehouse, Röki is an incredible first impression. While it doesn’t innovate much within the genre itself, it excels in the areas that matter, and it absolutely delivers the kind of experience you would be looking for from an adventure game.

When all is said and done though, Röki is a lovable game with deep storytelling, and while the mechanics behind crafting and puzzle-solving isn’t my cup of tea, the narrative and art are. This game offers beauty in its design and emotion in its narrative. At only 12-15 hours of playtime, this is an easy game to pick up and play through.

Röki is the heartfelt story of a family divided, and a lesson about trust, family, and strength. It preserves the magic and message of the folk tales it draws inspiration from.

An adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore, Röki is the first release from UK developers Polygon Treehouse. Fusing old-school point-and-click gameplay with a contemporary twist, Röki sets out to modernise the genre and tell a touching and fantastical story. Add a log to the fire, slip on your favourite booties, and settle in for a cosy and twisted tale…

But the game never felt like it was an exercise in arbitrary brute-force or anything of the sort. The word I keep using and keep coming back to is welcoming. This is a game that feels welcoming, inviting you to explore and try new things and stop back in for a carefully told and lovingly crafted narrative.

While Röki doesn’t do anything particularly new or interesting, it does present a gorgeous world and introduces those unfamiliar with many myths and legends to learn more about.

Throughout the game, I really became attuned to Tove and what she was going through. This isn’t simply a fairytale that’s meant to instill a lesson or behavior but rather a journey of self-discovery and understanding. Tove learns to face her past and be okay with what happened and who she is. Overall, it becomes less of a story about Tove and more of a story about her family and families in general. And it’s truly a beautiful one.