Reliefs The Time of the Lemures

It doesn’t do anything never seen before, but its strength lies in perfectly mixing the ingredients it works with: the gorgeous semi-open world, the simple but effective traversal mechanics, the parkour-guided platforming sitting at the heart of its progression, the Ancient Roman mythology behind its minimalist storytelling (telling a Roman story based on something other than their military might or technological advancements is a breath of fresh air in the world of videogames!), the grandiosity of the world design (they had to compensate with something, of course, and that they totally did, Roman ruins never looked that imposing before!), the highly introspective exploration (you may not be knowledgeable of the Lemuria festival, I wasn’t before I played the game, but it was such an enlightening experience learning about it and seeing it masterfully transposed into game design). It’s also a highly personal experience. You don’t take a single step outside yourself the entire game, it’s just you and your horse (or not even your horse if you want to be all alone) on a solitary journey of soul-searching and self-discovery that may ultimately turn out to be something you, the [spoiler]lonely[/spoiler] man sitting in front of the computer, have in common with the [spoiler]lemure[/spoiler] protagonist on a deeper and more meaningful level than it initially appeared. The game is desubstantialized and hieratic enough that [spoiler]even if you don’t see it as the journey of a lost soul into the realm of the dead[/spoiler] you can also[spoiler]/still[/spoiler] take it as a spiritual experience: a pilgrimage to the statues of long forgotten Roman gods. Nobody does that kind of thing anymore, so we must, at the very least, thank Calepin Studio for the opportunity.

Game started out rough and needed TONS of work. Glad I came back!!! It's taken a 180 and I give the Dev's cuddo's. Much more work to be done, but the game is definately on the right track. Keep up the good work Dev's!!!!! I'm following this game :)

tldr: The Talos Principle and a climbing simulator get married, settle down, and have a game who's not really all that into puzzles, but LOVES climbing all over temples to mythological gods. ★★★★☆ [hr][/hr] The developer has constructed a gorgeous world that's extremely entertaining and sometimes challenging to navigate; climbing all over the surroundings, swinging on ropes... the whole world is a massive jungle gym. [i]Reliefs: The Time of the Lemures[/i] has only a few puzzles, and they're easy to solve for an adventure gamer who often has to refer to guides. This time, no guide, no problem. (THANK YOU, developer!) Definitely recommend -- but don't expect Talos, no matter how much it resembles it visually.

"On insiste sur le fait que le jeu soit au tout début de son Early Acces, et ne reflète en rien ce que proposera la version finale." Relief est un jeu d'exploration / puzzle, qui consiste à se balader dans des ruines, tout en résolvant des énigmes, comme trouver un moyen d'atteindre certaines structures, en craftant des flèches grappin pour monter en haut d'une ruine ou jouer avec le jour et la nuit. Relief a tout de même un bon concept, car il mélange l'exploration, mais aussi le crafting sans jouer sur le côté survie, que l'on voit généralement dans les jeux qui proposant de la création d'objets. Tout ce que vous allez crafter, servira à résoudre des énigmes et avancer dans ces ruines. Divers endroits du jeu, vous proposent un écran, vous montrant ce qu'il faut créer et surtout les matériaux nécessaires. Vous avez aussi quelques petits collectibles en plus, que vous trouverez lors de votre balade. Vous aurez une carte à reconstituer, mais aussi une fresque. Nous n'avons pas réussi à trouver les autres objets à collecter, pourtant ce n'est pas faute d'avoir cherché. Logiquement nous suivons un être bleu turquoise, qui nous montre le chemin à prendre, mais au bout d'un moment celui-ci disparaît, donc on ne sait pas si c'est logique ou pas, mais au cela nous trouble un peu une fois que l'on se retrouve seul. Certains chemins ne sont pas vraiment bloqués, et sans créer l'objet nécessaire, on arrive tout de même à continuer. Est-ce aussi un bug d'Early où juste une manière de dire, qu'on n'est pas obligé de remplir certains de nos objectifs pour parcourir certains lieux ? On pense que des’énigmes ne sont pas terminées, car beaucoup sont très facilement contournables, et ce n'est pas le but recherché. Le jeu est très jolie et propose un monde ouvert très ancien style Romain. De plus l'ambiance est apaisante. On est au calme, mais on aimerait tout de même une petite musique ou quelques bruitages supplémentaires, histoire qu'on ne s'endorme pas après 1 heure de jeu. En bref, on n'a pas énormément de chose à dire sur Reliefs pour l'instant. Même si on a compris le concept que recherche le développeur sur ce jeu, on remarque très vite que l'idée finale n'est pas encore poussée. C'est d'ailleurs pour cela que le jeu est en Early Acces. Reliefs reste un jeu calme, mais peut être un peu trop. On a tout de même hâte, de suivre l'avancée de l'Early, car l'idée est très bonne, mais il va falloir l'exploiter un peu plus pour en faire un jeu original et attirant. Note de la rédaction : 5/10 - Un projet ambitieux, mais il y a encore du travail.

TLDR: Incredible game, I really enjoyed my time with it. 100% worth playing. Reliefs is a game for explorers. If you enjoy the exploration element of games like Myst, Shadow of the Colossus, and Assassin's Creed, you'll find a lot to love here. I found myself constantly looking around, awed by the scale and beauty of the environments that I was traversing. Gameplay and vibe-wise, Reliefs sits somewhere between Myst and Shadow of the Colossus. Don't expect any combat or Myst-style "I spent 2 weeks solving this" puzzles, instead the gameplay is mostly based around exploration and traversal. You'll search for ways to progress through the environment, jumping across ledges and swinging on ropes along the way. The paths are often cleverly hidden, requiring you to think hard about where the next step could possibly be. There are also some traditional puzzles that'll have you flipping switches and such, some of which are huge and impressive in their own right. The pacing is excellent. I often got stuck just long enough to get a satisfying feeling when I figured out the next step. If I ever felt a mechanic or puzzle was starting to outstay its welcome, it would soon be finished and something fresh would take its place. The music also deserves mention: the game is mostly silent except for ambient noises, but the soundtrack comes in perfectly during special moments, making them feel weighty and tremendous. Reliefs punches way above its weight class, with environments that rival AAA titles. There's certainly some indie jank to it, but it's a very solid game that never broke or crashed. I loved my time with it and I hope many more people get to enjoy it as I have.

It is pretty janky, and it has a 'scenery helpers' feature on by default which kinda ruins the experience (thankfully it can be disabled). But, it has a very pure focus in the gameplay and a clarity in the vibe, which makes it a pretty memorable experience despite those issues. Good antidote if you're bored of conventional stuff, as I am.

When I purchased this game, I wasn't sure what to expect—because of negative reviews—but once I started playing, it far surpassed all my expectations. It's been in Early Access for a couple of years, but always showing good, steady progress, and now—when finally done and released—the wait has very much been worth it. If you ever played this while still in Early Access and felt a bit underwhelmed, I recommend replaying and see the game in its full glory. The game is like a mix of [i]Rhem[/i] (plus acrobatics), [i]INFRA[/i] (with a smaller scope), and what I always wished [i]Tomb Raider[/i] could have been like with only the actual tomb raiding, the environmental puzzles, the climbing, and the exploration (no combat nor any hostile NPCs). This game had everything I'm looking for in a good puzzle exploration game. Almost. A better told story would have been nice, although not required; I think the game is worth playing already with what's in there. I had a great time. The various climbing moves were easy to understand and get into. The keyboard shortcuts can be customized (I rebound "interact" to 'E' and "torch" to 'F' as I found that to be easier). Bonus points for giving me the option to turn off the HUD completely and also hide all the neon paint. For me, that makes the exploration so much more rewarding. I did miss interacting with one important item (because I hid the HUD), but that's (mostly) on me. I could have wished for no invisible walls and more exploration rewards—although I also get why these walls were added; as it is, the game has a reasonable scope for a one-person dev team. Had it been bigger, we might not have seen it released for long and the environments are already pretty big. Another thing I could have wished for is for a clearer end-goal and a more explicitly told story. The game apparently has a story, but it was never clear to me what that was—nor what my character's ultimate goal was. Every time I opened a chest, I expected something to read, maybe something to explain why I was here, but nothing; the chests offered nothing of value. Despite a few shortcomings, I am still fully recommending the game, because I had a lot of fun climbing, jumping, mantling, rope-swinging, riding around exploring, and solving puzzles. This is what the game was all about for me.

this game looked really cool and i was excited to play it, however when i got into it the game constantly crashed and when i did finally get to the point where i could actually start playing the game one of the first platforms i jumped on wasn't solid and i fell through the floor and got stuck under the map. what made this more frustrating is that i was streaming at the time. it seems like the devs have a really interesting idea here i just wish the game was stable and far less glitchy. for what you get with the game in its current state it is very over priced and im just glade i was given a key to stream with rather than paying for it. will revisit it in a few months to see if things get better, best of luck guys.

11 years in the making and you can definitely tell this was a passion project by a indie developer to the amount of care and scope that went into it. I really had a lot of fun with it! Some of the landscapes were MASSIVE to travel through to get from one point to another to solve a large scale puzzle so you'll need that horse in some areas. The only small bug I had was with the horse clipping and a patch is coming to fix it. There's about 7+ hours of travel, puzzles, and just chillin' enjoying the amazing structures/landscapes that the dev built. It was really relaxing, easy on the puzzles and worth the play though. The only tough puzzle is a single one involving bells and roman numeral math. There's very little story going in and throughout. No notes to read, etc. Just you and the environment to enjoy. :)

If you’re willing to look past certain issues, you will discover a hidden gem every indie fan should experience. The story doesn't give you a lot. You play as a Roman soldier dispatched to a long-forgotten location. It's unhelpful that you have to read the content on Steam's page to comprehend what's going on and what your motives are. Long story short, you were sent to there to perform some kind of ritual that will help you against the Barbarian invasion. The goal of the game is to create an atmosphere and explore an unknown world. You have all the time in the world because no one is chasing you or trying to kill you. Despite the absence of death, you can still jump off a cliff or fall from huge heights. Fortunately, you'll recover right at the nearest safe area. Saving happens automatically, but it does an excellent job of keeping your progress safe. The graphics are exceptional for an indie game. It creates a universe that calls to be visited. Despite the fact that you're essentially exploring ruins, the experience isn't dull or monotonous. You will see temples with statues, structures, beautiful vistas and massive figures carved into the walls. There are no voices in the game, although they aren't necessary. Atmospheric sounds also contribute much to the attractiveness. Winds sweeping down the canyon, birds tweeting, and an epic piece of music when you find something magnificent. However, you will only appreciate it if your hardware can handle everything set to the best quality. Anything less would detract from the experience and make the game look unappealing. This, of course, comes at the expense of optimization. Don't get me wrong, it's still quite good, but there's a distinct lack of fluid movement and what feels like a lag every time you move the mouse. Given the game's dimension, some clipping issues are understandable. There's a closed door you can walk through, for example, and one spot where you can go straight through architecture. One of the biggest frustrations is almost useless horse that often gets stuck in rocks or obstacles. Since you need to return to the main menu to fix this, it’s much easier to just run to your destination. Despite the general impression of a walking simulator, the game has much more in common with platforming games. You can not only run and jump, but also execute more complex movements like wall-jumping and climbing. This is extremely effectively done because your character will usually grip onto edges and climbable vines on his own. A grappling bow is your primary tool for overcoming numerous traversal challenges. It lets you shoot an arrow with a rope at any wooden object. The cursor changes to indicate when this is possible. Furthermore, you can place more ropes at once. You can use the rope to climb higher and swing on it to reach something further away. However, there were times when I just leaped into a rope and it didn't work. I eventually discovered that I kept failing because I was running. You also have a torch to help you see in the dark. It will never run out and requires no fuel. It appears to be magical because you can throw it and then have it materialize in your hand with the push of a button. Another amusing thing happens when you drop it and look at your shadow; when you move between the bow and free hands, you'll notice that your character's model changes. You progress through the game by following a linear path. Your main objective is to find glowing mysterious orbs that open the doors to next location. Although there are loading screens when entering a new place, they are quick and do not ruin the fun. It should be noted, however, that there are very rare invisible walls preventing you from deviating from the main path. Because parts of the game take place outside, you can go wherever you like. However, there is little purpose in doing so because all that can be found are rocks, nature and high cliffs. The only exception are hidden statues of gods that can be hard to find. This only matters if you’re into achievements. Since you can return to these levels, achievements can’t be missed. I appreciate that you may choose how you want to play it. The default settings assist you in playing the game by painting the path blue and yellow. If you believe that this is interfering with your immersion, you can turn it and other features off at any moment. While traversal challenges are fine, there is no assistance available during logic puzzles. For a positive example, there are interesting stages where ride a horse between aqueducts to restore water flow and move bridges. And the puzzle in the huge caverns where you have to bounce light off mirrors to bring it to the center is one of the best I've seen. But on the negative: I had a problem with the bells, the first real puzzle, in which you must ring them in the correct order. I learned that I had already tried the correct pattern after searching for the answer online. However, because the bell clapper did not move all the way, the game marked it as wrong order. Fortunately, this is the only problematic puzzle. In the end, the game is an amazing accomplishment. It takes hours to beat and there are no game-breaking bugs or major glitches. I simply couldn’t stop playing it because I wanted to know what I was going to discover next. One of the best surprises I’ve had in months.