Travel between realities, find your path and uncover the beauty of being alone in Rumbral the new release from OSEA Innovations. We got out hands on the game to try out to see wether the puzzles were brain melting or a walk in the park. Rumbral is currently available on Steam for £12.99.
If you’re looking for other games to add to your library, you can check out our other reviews here.
Let’s get ready to Rumbral
Gameplay
If you have ever played games like Little Nightmares or Limbo, then you’ll know exactly what you’re getting with Rumbral. The entire world expands to the right alongside a few puzzles. All seems normal at first until the main character comes into contact with some red goo. After stepping into this goo, you are transported to an alternate reality back in time where areas haven’t been reduced to rubble. It’s a really cool mechanic and the loading screen between the times is really well done. It also helps that the game isn’t that big so you’re not stuck loading for extortionate lengths of time.
Rumbral’s biggest weakness, unfortunately, is its story. There is little to no explanation for why the world is the way it is. Items you find throughout the game give small insights into the lore but not enough to fully explain anything. The ending is rather abrupt as well. With so little context to work with, I’m not sure whether that was the ending I was meant to expect or whether to be outraged over the development of the story. I’m a big fan of games where you have to piece together the story bit by bit with a few context clues but Rumbral provided little and expected a lot from the player with uncovering the plot.
Ultimately, Rumbral feels like an empty game. With one enemy that appears for a couple of chapters and then disappears there’s a lot of just running to the right until there’s a loading screen. The puzzles do take up a bit of time but I would have liked just a little bit more from it.
Puzzles
In the Steam description, Rumbral defines itself as a puzzling platformer and that is exactly what it is. However, the puzzles aren’t really that difficult and it isn’t anything that you haven’t seen before. One of the puzzles is focused on turning on switches to open a door. It’s not a simple thing, though, as turning one on changes the state of one of the other switches. It’s a puzzle that’s been in a million games before so it isn’t difficult to figure out. Rumbral, however, goes one step further and draws arrows pointing at which switch is affected. It takes away the fun of figuring it out for yourself.
Other puzzles make the most of the shifting mechanic, causing you to go back and forth through the goop. These puzzles were much more enjoyable with a few red herring puddles that you don’t actually need. The game would have benefitted from making more out of these as they were definitely the mroe memorable moments of the game.
Graphics & Audio
Rumbral is a beautiful, atmospheric game. A lot of the areas do feel tense and add a sense of mystery. However, the further you get into the game it becomes increasingly apparent that there actually isn’t a lot going on. Aside from the setting there isn’t much to comment on and its the same for the audio. There are a few pleasing sounds such as pushing the boxes over stones but aside from ambient noises there’s not much to say. This works in Rumbral’s favour as it really enhances the empty, alone feeling the game is pushing.
Longevity
It took me 89 minutes to complete my first run of Rumbral and honestly I don’t feel any need to go back to it. For £12.99, it isn’t enough game or replay value to warrant the price tag. Was it a nice little adventure? Without a doubt. There is a wonderful atmosphere but as mentioned, the lore doesn’t have enough focus. There are no alternative endings or different enemies to face. Aside from a few items to collect to unlock more vague lore which doesn’t really give you any answers.
Final Thoughts
Personally, Rumbral feels like it’s trying to be a little too gentle with the players. It relies heavily on curiosity and trusts the player to put the work in. For some it would definitely work but it just feels like there isn’t enough substance to push that curiosity further. There is a focus on the lonely feeling but the game isn’t long enough to make the most of it. The part I keep getting stuck on as well is that you can rush through this game in 45 minutes but it still has the £12.99 price tag. In the grand scheme of things that isn’t a lot, especially when AAA games are charge £70 for 8 hours. However, the lack of replayability doesn’t do it any favours. Ultimately, I’ve given Rumbral the Thumb Culture Bronze Award. This isn’t a bad game, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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