Rime

It’s near damn crazy to me that this is technically a 4–5 hour game… because I’ve put 60+ hours into it just walking around, replaying moments, sitting with the music, and just existing in its world.
The tower isn’t just a tower. The island isn’t just an island. It’s a mind trying to survive loss.
When the truth settled in, it didn’t feel like a twist for shock value. It felt heavy. Real. Human. And now that the initial shock has passed, I’m just… grateful I got to experience it.
It’s rare for a game to say so much with so NO dialogue. The world building, the symbolism, the music — it all works together quietly. No overexplaining. No forcing emotion. It just lets you feel.
9.5/10

6/10
RiME is a very casual-friendly exploration/puzzle game with some minor platforming elements and no combat of any kind. Tasked with controlling a boy washed up on a mysterious island, the player begins trying to uncover the secrets of the island's ancient technology, the forlorn spirits that you encounter in increasing numbers, the fox leading you along on your journey, and the shadowy figure watching you from afar, while also trying to figure out the boy's own past.
As I said, the game is very casual-friendly. RiME allows you to experiment and try different things, as failure (falling from a tall cliff, drowning, etc.) has you respawning very close to where your adventure briefly left off. There just isn't a ton to experiment with, however - most puzzles pretty clearly have only one solution, and progress through the game's beautiful and interesting environments is deceptively linear, though collectibles that help tell the game's silent story are hidden in side-paths and dead-ends. I don't play many of these sorts of games, and I honestly found the game bordering on being boring after a couple hours of exploration, as it didn't feel like puzzles or exploration were varied enough through the first two of the games five "stages". If it weren't for the fact that I was playing casually on my Steam Deck while hanging out on the couch, I probably would've bailed.
RiME definitely gets more interesting as the game carries on, though. I found levels three and four to be much more interesting. This was in part because they were shorter, but also because the environments became more interesting, hinting towards a darker secret at the heart of what had been a relatively cute and consequence-free adventure on the island to that point. The story comes to a powerful conclusion, and it's a worthwhile and moving climax that I'm actively working to avoid spoiling here. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite sure that I was interpreting the ending correctly at first, in large part because the game didn't quite lay enough foundation along the way. Once I checked the main menu after finishing the game, it was much more clear (a very clever piece of work by the developers), but the uncertainty in the moment of what I just experienced did blunt the impact of that experience.
Overall, Tequila Works aimed for something quite ambitious here, and I think they hit more often than they missed. RiME is a good experience to share with someone in your life that isn't much of a gamer, or if you really enjoy this sort of mellow exploration with moderate puzzle solving. While I would've preferred something with more engaging exploration or puzzling, I've got a lot of respect for what Tequila Works' ambition in telling this story, and it impressed me by the end.

Review from 2018:
More of a walking sim that I had anticipated as I thought there would be more puzzles in the game, there were a few inventive puzzles though not enough, the games story didn’t really grab me because it isn't until the end that you have an idea what is really going on, the game looks great however

RIME let's you experience the 5 stages of grief in such a respectful, meaningful and understandig way. It gives another perspective to it. Amazing gameplay and storyline! Really knows how to pull you into the story and built connection with your characters you meet along the way.
Sometimes the controls on the desktop are a bit funky when you've got your preset camera angles in some parts of the game. But other than that very enjoyable!

This is the first Game in my Life that touched my Heart to the Point where I just Cried at the End Credits and sat there without a Plan what to do. It is a Truly touching and Sad Story paired with a beautiful Art Direction and an Amazing Soundtrack. This is not only a Recommendation but a Request to play this Game and experience this Heartbreaking Story.

Can't put into words how much I love this little game. It could be frustrating at times, but what game with puzzle-focused gameplay isn't sometimes? But anyway.
I give this two big thumbs up. It's pretty, it's fun, and it'll have your emotions by the throat by the end.

I"m doing my 4th play through. I love this game. So relaxing with the fantastic music. Extremely emotional. Even though I know the ending, it's just about "being there", going through the story again. Unfortunately, Tequila Works has gone belly up. I was hoping for a sequel. Too bad. It's hard to find a game that touches you so much.