The Rig: A Starmap to Murder

Cute prelude. Where's the game?

Not keen. It is too short, and at times I had some really uncomfortable performance difficulties on my system, which is actually the most powerful consumer system available (3090 & 10900k 64gbram, HP Reverb G2). That means that you will have performance problems too. The script is great, along with the acting, but the story needed more time to get going.

I have very mixed feelings about this game. On the whole, I recommend it, because it's entertaining enough and it's clear that a lot of effort was put into making this game. However, it does have some glaring issues that might be a deal-breaker for some people. [b]The good:[/b] [list] [*] The game is beautiful. Every environment you visit looks like something out of Blade Runner, and the low-poly art style works really well for this kind of game. You can interact with almost anything you find, often with amusing results. [*] Both the sound design and the voice acting are really well done, practically movie quality. It encouraged me to explore every corner and inspect every object, just to find out what the various characters would say about it. [*] Dialogue choices and multiple endings add some replayability, which is very welcome in a game as short as this (an average playthrough seems to last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on how much you feel like exploring) [/list] [b]The mediocre:[/b] [list] [*] The story is just sort of... there. It's not bad, and it does its job getting you from one place to the next, but there's nothing particularly memorable about it. If you're a big fan of noire-style stories you might enjoy it anyway. I felt like there was a bit of wasted potential here. Every mention of [spoiler]the AI refugees[/spoiler] was like a glimpse into a much more interesting story that we never got to see. [*] Too much hand-holding. Most of the puzzles are laughably easy, and you're barely given any time to figure things out yourself before you get a voiceline telling you how to solve it. [/list] [b]The bad:[/b] [list] [*] Bugs: this game has them! Sometimes objects will get stuck inside other objects if you move them too fast. There's a point where [spoiler]something in your ship is on fire[/spoiler] and the screen flashes red, but in my case it would get stuck like that, making it impossible to see anything, until I restarted the game. It seems to be random whether it will get stuck or not. [*] The physics are very wonky, and something as simple as setting down an object on a flat surface might cause it to fling itself into the void, never to be seen again. Particularly annoying when it happens to anything you need to progress, as this will force you to reload from a previous checkpoint to be able to continue. Thankfully, checkpoints are plentiful, so you won't lose too much progress. [/list] [b]TL;DR:[/b] It's alright, if a little rough around the edges. Worth the price of admission if you like science-fiction, film noir, or you just want a casual adventure game with interesting environments.

It's a beautiful game. I'm stuck at Dixon's birthday though. Can anyone help? I know the birthday (to avoid a spoiler - i found it on the back of a photo). I've tried putting it in several times in 4 formats MMDDYY DDMMYY YYMMDD YYDDMM with no luck. Only feedback: I could have done without the fly and the rats. Otherwise I hope you will come out with other chapters.

The game is very short, I took my sweet time looking at everything and finished it in 2 hours. I did enjoy playing detective and solving the basic puzzles. The voice acting was excellent and the world was full of things to examine. If you can get this game for 5 to 10 dollars on sale somehow, I would say purchase it. Otherwise, it's just too short for the money you pay.

I can't believe how few reviews there are for this little gem! The Rig is a great story, well told and with lovely artwork. The puzzles are not very difficult, but that is a good thing because that means they don't detract from the overall flow while simultaneously providing immersion. It is true that the game doesn't last longer than a movie - but then again it doesn't cost more than a movie either. Whereas I certainly wouldn't mind a longer adventure, I think what is here is great and well worth the money!

Going to echo what other reviewers have said - this feels like the prelude to a game. It's short and the story is very thin, so unless you really take your time taking in the environment there's not much to get out of The Rig. I've played similar VR games that were cheaper, or free - and I've played similarly priced ones that had much more content.