Röki is a game that addresses death, family relationships, and, consequently, the impact of death on family relationships. The game addresses these issues from a child's perspective, constantly conveying a heartache feeling. The story develops along with the maturation of the character's relationship with the death of Eva, Tove's mother. This development is very well written and very beautiful, but it doesn't make the game cozy because it constantly hurts. Despite not being a cozy game, it is indeed a peaceful game, as the characters' maturity makes them come to peace with themselves. And we have the opportunity to experience their whole process of maturation.

We can better appreciate the game if we think about what it would be like if it had gone down a different path. Imagine that Eve hadn't died, but was in the forest helping to restore it. Or that she had some relationship with the Jötnar, and that she had needed to fake her death for some reason. The characters would never have the chance to develop. Fortunately, the game took the story in exactly the opposite direction.

By making Eva's death something definitive and real, the game allowed Tove and Henrik to develop. At the beginning of the playthrough, I didn't know how Henrik would behave throughout the story. I was afraid Henrik was a character who could only be happy again if Eva appeared alive somehow. That was not the case. He became a healthier person, and his participation in the third chapter was incredible. Playing with father and daughter explored very well the feeling of family unity, and how it is fundamental to overcoming past shared traumas.

Röki made me reflect on why the study of literature at school doesn't treat video games with the same care as it does with books. Röki, as well as What Remains of Edith Finch, contributed greatly to the literature on death, leaving nothing to be desired compared to great classics such as The Death of Ivan Ilych. Röki is a game that helps us mature our relationship with death and appreciate what we have while we have it.

When people talk about "Hidden Gems", I never played a game that I thought truly met that description. But now, I've got one. Roki is a beautiful game, and one I was surprised to like so much.

The Story takes center stage here, and I thought it was really beautiful and touching. Tove's quest to find her little brother Lar's is one of Love and Bravery, and the quest along the way to find him is magical. The game starts off slow, but once Roki destroys your house and takes Lar's, it just gets rolling after that. The story of the Guardians is also very saddening, and the main antagonist, Rorka, just wanting to give her son (Roki) a better life is commendable, but the children she sacrifices for him is what makes her actions unacceptable. Ending was really nice, ended well for all Characters, including Rurka, who went back with her Guardian Siblings.

The Game itself seams to tell a lot of its story through the world around you. Lots of intelligently designed areas with lots of little details that do a great job telling a story without the player having to see any cutscenes or dialogue.

Characters were so well designed, and the game does such a good job with making you care for them. Tove, Lar's, Papa, Tove's Mom, The Trolls, the Guardians, Rorka, Roki, that Squid guy, that Giant Frog mom, the Alchemist Mushroom, etc., all very creative and interesting, with stories to tell and puzzles for you to solve.

I thought Tove was a great protagonist. She was very courageous and selfless, all to save her brother. She deals with a lot of her past mistakes, as we see in her flashbacks. She learns to forgive herself, and saves Lar's. Truly a great character.

Gameplay itself is point and click puzzles. I found it to be very satisfying, though it could be at times bit tedious, especially in Chapter 3. Chapter 2 wasn't very tedious, even though there was still a lot of backtracking, you could teleport with the Mother Tree and her Children trees. Chapter 3, though a lot shorter, there is a mechanic between Tove and her father in which you swap between the characters to solve puzzles to be able to get to Lar's. However, you do this is a big castle, and go from loading screen to loading screen with both characters for each room. It was still fun, but at times annoying. If you didn't have to see a loading screen every time you entered or left a room, it would be so much more fluid.

The art style is usually what catches my eye with these smaller games. This game has one of my favorite art styles I've ever seen in a game. Can't say enough, just really beautiful stuff.

Speaking of beautiful, the Music is fantastic. Sets the atmosphere the devs were going for. Has a very mystical feel to it, just as the world Tove lives in does. They did such a good job with it, really enjoyed it.

The games biggest problems that I already touched on, is the Loading screens and Backtracking. The Loading screens aren't long, but there is a lot of them, especially in Chapter 3. Same with Backtracking, Chapter 3 has the worst of it. It brings the game down a bit, but It really isn't that bad, just a bit tedious at times.

Roki should've gotten more praise. More people should have played it. Despite some Puzzles that were a little weird, Loading screens, and some Backtracking, this was a wonderful experience. Great Story, Puzzles, Characters, Music, and a fantastic art style. If you like Puzzle games, beautiful stories, or videogames in General, I'd give this game a try.

Score: 4.0/5
Letter Grade: A-