Rauniot is an Atmospheric Trek Through the Finnish Wasteland
Got the wasteland itch? Rauniot, an isometric point-and-click adventure game set in an apocalyptic Finland is here to potentially scratch it. Developed and Published by Finland-based solo developer Act Normal Games, Raunoit is an adventure game offering intriguing puzzles with classic gameplay sensibilities steeped with a grim and gritty atmosphere.
The year is 975 and a devastating natural disaster has pushed civilization to the edge. Widespread riots and massive conflicts have decimated the planet. Entire continents have been submerged in the ocean. Heavy pollution blocks the sky. That is the world you step into as Aino.
We recently had some hands-on time with Rauniot. The game feels right at home for fans of the point-and-click adventure genre. Most of our time was spent searching the game’s detailed environments for items to aid in traversing derelict buildings and solving puzzles. Rauniot is a slow-paced game in both how the narrative presents itself and the animation speed of the game. The pacing feels intentional, a method with which to deepen your immersion in the world, something that is echoed by the Finnish voiceover.
Being a point-and-click adventure game, you would not be surprised to learn that everything centers around the mouse. A single click brings up your backpack menu, which lets you open your inventory, read your diary, and access the pause screen to save. One handy feature in Rauniot is the ability to open your diary and fast travel to any area on the map you’ve been to. This eliminates a lot of walking when the need to backtrack arises.
While the backgrounds look nice and are highly detailed, they are at times a little too detailed, in that I had a hard time discerning which elements I could interact with and which were purely decoration. This led to some confusion as well as a lot of “pixel-hunting” while I was playing. This comes with the territory when playing an adventure game, but it would be nice if the intractable items could stick out just a bit more.
One thing that stood out to me in the early playtime was the cutscenes. They were visualized in a surrealist and stylized fashion that made them quite intriguing and investing. The presentation in general has a distinct style with dialogue scenes that are almost animated in a stop-motion style, lending well to that classic feel the game is going for. Thought that can also be to its determinant at times as the commitment to its narrative structure can feel meandering.
Rauniot is available now on PC via Steam, GOG, and Green Man Gaming. If you are a fan of classic adventure games or if what I described above sounds interesting to you, be sure to check it out. Watch the game’s release date trailer here.
