RHEM IV: The Golden Fragments SE

Finally after years of anticipation one of the RHEM games has been released onto the Steam platform. For those that are unfamilar with the franchise it has long been synonymous with outstanding point & click puzzle adventuring. The most apt comparison for the series is the MYST franchise that has been developed by Cyan and published by Broderbund. This, the fourth and most recent release has you on a journey to collect all nine of the golden fragments in order for you to gain your safe release in the outside world. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that the objective is nearly enough for those of you who haven’t played the previous RHEM games and who therefore wont understand how important this objective is. This leads me to my first and really only major problem that I have with the game on Steam. This fourth episode was released in September, 2010. That means that the title is now over half a decade old. With a game that old I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t put the entire RHEM franchise onto Steam at once. It’s not as though it’s a recent or new release that you can use to test the waters. Yes the other games are supposedly available from the RuneSoft online store (the shop link on the RHEM trilogy page appears to be missing to me) and are available on Amazon but Steam players are traditionally a loyal bunch who will want to have all four of the games on their Steam account or not at all. I tend to believe that unless the game finds itself bundled that by only having the single game available on Steam people wont take as much interest in the game – and the series – as they perhaps should and that overall copies sold will remain low. I really do believe that whoever decided to put just the fourth game on Steam has done themselves a disservice by ignoring the other games. They may be old but RHEM IV is already a very old game in the eyes of many Steam players so that is not a valid reason. I would also suggest to the developer, Knut Mueller, that now that you’ve taken to putting a game on Steam that you consider making the most out of what the platform can offer you. You could try adding some achievements into the game. The puzzles in your game are of the caliber of difficulty that an extrinsic reward, in the form of an achievement, would be greatly appreciated after some of them. Furthermore, if you’re trying to increase sales then adding trading cards would be a deft and quite welcome addition. There are people who buy games purely for the fact that they drop trading cards. While I have read that some developers find this to be a disappointing fact I’ve not once read of a complaint about the extra revenue that it has helped them create or the fact that it has opened their game up to a player base that may never have considered their game for purchase previously but who have discovered a game as a result and now list it among their favorites. Another, relatively minor issue, that I have with the game is that because it is a dated game that if you play in full screen mode should you want to tab out of the game you’re going to find that the dimensions of your screen do not change from the enlarged size that the game requires. This is a grievance for those like myself who constantly tab in and tab out of games either to work, to take notes or for some other purpose. The solution, surprisingly, to this is to play the game in ‘windowed’ mode. This mode doesn’t actually show me the game in a windowed version but rather a full screen mode but alt-tabbing out of the game window doesn’t keep the rest of the screen enlarged. However, I do believe that the actual picture becomes smaller. The black square is present regardless. The RHEM games and this fourth episode is absolutely no different thrive on their puzzles. The story to a large extent revolves around them. They are some of the toughest that have been successfully developed in a video game. Players will go through entire notepads worth of paper typing up solutions. Those who enjoy this type of hard working logical puzzle craft will be in pure gaming bliss with this game and the others in the franchise. It makes it an easy game to recommend even if you haven’t played the other games in the series. However, I would absolutely recommend that you play those games before this one even if you can theoretically play this game without having played them. Understanding the lore and the game world will give you a greater appreciation of the game that you are playing. I also believe that having played the previous games will give you a greater understanding at how to accomplish some of the more difficult – and boy are they difficult – puzzles in the game. There are a lot of puzzles in the game and each of the titles, including this one, are lengthy. Fans who play through the entire game will certainly feel as though they have gotten their monies worth out of it. If you’re a puzzle fan then you need to play at least one RHEM game. Given that this is the first one on Steam then make it this one and if you find yourself loving it as much as its sizeable fan base already does then get the collection – hopefully when Mueller or RuneSoft add it to Steam. For more Steam reviews and our popular multiple daily giveaways visit http://www.steamified.com/ You can always join us on Steam at http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Steamified

One of my top 5 favorite adventure games of all time, below only Myst, Riven, and RHEM III. Seriously, this game is great. The only thing you need to know about it beforehand is that, like the rest of the RHEM games, it's extremely difficult. RHEM is a series for people who have an eye for detail and are diligent notetakers, so if that doesn't sound appealing to you, you probably won't enjoy this game. But if does, buy it, grab your notebook, and make yourself a pot of coffee (or tea!) for some quality adventure gaming.

I would highly recommend this game !! It was so much fun. The puzzles are hard because you have to figure them out, not because they just don't work. They all work. Get a huge notebook and take lots of notes and be very organized.

While not for everyone due to the high bar of difficulty Rhem IV and the Rhem games in general are some of the most pure puzzle experiences you can get. The difficulty is a necessary element for these games to feel so satisfying - they drop you into a world that you slowly unlock over time - finding a new area wouldn't feel rewarding if getting to it was easy. Every puzzle has a hint for it somewhere across the map, and the puzzles require some creative thinking to solve, but when you enter a complex code into a console and click the button to open a door, when the door slides open, it is a feeling only a Rhem game can evoke. Rhem IV has one of the most non linear maps in the series, as well as one as probably one of the series' hardest puzzles, but it also ends up being one of the best. The extra content included in this special edition is also a nice treat, extending the game for a few more hours and terraforming some of the map in such a way so that it feels like the content was supposed to be there all along.

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This one of the best puzzle adventure games to play. It has beautiful graphics and cleaver puzzles. It is fun to play. 5/5 star rating. 2 thumbs up. Kudos to Knut Müler for making an awesome game.

The biggest accomplishment this game has is it's puzzle design and the variety there of. You'll be challenged in every area of your brain. The game(s)(all four do this pretty well imo) don't get old for me because just about every puzzle you come to next is different from the last one, at least in some way. And most of them are really good; some mind blowingly clever, and difficult! Be prepared for a challenge even if you're a seasoned puzzler. And have a pencil and plenty of paper handy. The graphics are pretty good imo, I like the art style and overall the aesthetics are very nice. The storyline might be very lacking but the most enjoyable part of the game for me was progressing through it so that never really bothered me. This type of game doesn't really need a story for me to enjoy it. The reward is the sense of accomplishment you get after thinking about a problem really hard and solving it.

I'm a Myst Lover and also love RHEM series very much. Unlike Myst, not so dreamlike scenary, not so romantic music there. But It's not the point. In RHEM, I'm sure that you can concentrate and enjoy challenging puzzles to the full. Each game in the series is independent and you can play 4 without playing the previous ones. Starting from 1 may help you to get used to some "RHEM"ish thing, but I don't mean that 1 is easier than 4. (When I played 1 for the first time, I had no idea to do at all.) Obsere carefully up and down, left and right. Are you stuck? Observe again! Have fun! Have lots of a-ha experiences!

[h1]TL;DR Got to a puzzle area, think the puzzle was impossible, put game aside, tried again a few days later, put aside, resisted looking at walkthrough, tried once more, had 'eureka' moment, solved this puzzle, repeat.[/h1] Played this nearly 10 years ago on CD-ROM. Bought it again from Steam to do the puzzles one more time. Vaguely remembered the puzzles, had to look at the walkthrough for only one puzzle. Still took me 30 hours to solve it. You know you've been playing Rhem games too much when IRL you walk down the street and see a building with a clocktower, and think "the clock must be a clue to a puzzle!" This was the fourth game of the Rhem/Lisssn series and the first to have a Special Edition ported to Steam. You walk around a large, abandoned complex solving puzzles. Most of the fun is figuring out just what the puzzles are in the first place. Each puzzle brings you a little bit closer re-starting the systems in the complex and finding a way out. There is no real dialog, just puzzles. This game doesn't support SteamSynch. The graphics are dated, the colors are muted (it is an abandoned, dilapidated complex) and there is limited animation. But this is a game for puzzles. There's very little hand holding here -- you really need to walk around and explore the game world. Walk around, find clues, conclude that the puzzle is not solvable, spend a few days thinking it over, finally have a "eureka!" moment. Taking notes and mapping are essential (and the twists and turns in the game world make mapping more challenging, even with the compass). The puzzles do not have directions spelled out -- most of the fun is figuring out just what the puzzle is in the first place. None of the Rhem games have jump scares, nudity or violence. They are puzzling fun for all ages. This is probably the best implementation of the Rhem series. Although sometimes you feel railroaded when walking around, with a limited choice of movement options. But if you look everywhere at the world around you, then you'll find your way. There are only a few bottlenecks that require you to solve one puzzle before you can find new ones. And once you figure out what to do with the black crystal, the possibilities open up tremendously. The Steam Special Edition has two sets of added clues which lead you to a new game area, at least several more hours of good quality puzzles. Probably a better value on sale, but either way you get your money's worth. If you enjoyed the original, definitely try the SE. Hints for the novice: 1. Look around everywhere, something big might just be under your nose or above your head 2. Doors are big clues, how do they open and what's on the backside? 3. Memory is unreliable, keep a notebooks with maps and screenshots [b]4. Don't blink![/b]

Massive puzzle game with endless frustration and pain. Makes Myst series look like games for babies.