Rauniot [Review]
Rauniot tells us a story set in a post-apocalyptic Finland.
Credit: Act Normal Games
Set in post-apocalyptic world where a massive natural disaster and nuclear fallout brought about the collapse of civilization in 1975, Rauniot is an isometric point-and-click adventure game filled with strange characters amid a bleak reality. Think Mad Max but as a cold detective in northern Finland.
Rauniot begins with protagonist Aino arriving at an abandoned gas station on her search for a nuclear train that’s rumored to be intact, part of secretive pre-disaster project called F.O.R. Her partner Toivo scouted ahead, but they lost contact and his tracks end there. Now she must investigate to discover what happened to Toivo and find whether the project was real.
Credit: Act Normal Games
To move the plot forward, you’ll meet and talk with a handful of idiosyncratic characters who will usually demand you complete favors or bring them items in exchange for information. Not much happens and you don’t get much insight into Aino or Toivo until close to the end of the game. Aino is cold and mostly emotionless, handling every situation stoically; I wish she was more engaging as a protagonist aside from the few glimmers of wry humor we get from her. However you do learn about the other characters and their relationships as they cope with living in the post-apocolypse, and they prove to be more interesting until an end-of-game reveal that should have come far sooner. There’s a huge missed opportunity there in terms of Aino’s character development.
Credit: Act Normal Games
Most cutscenes are presented by showing a close-up of Aino’s or another character’s face in a narrow mail-slot over a black screen. This gets old quickly, especially since the timing between lines of dialogue or “shot” transitions is incredibly long and unnatural. Every scene and individual line feels like it takes an eternity to get through.
Gameplay is straightforward. You click to move around the environment and right click to access your inventory, notebook, or the game menu. Selecting an inventory item and then clicking on an object in the world will use the item there. Conversations are handled through dialog prompt selection menus. Your notebook is a repository of character details, clues you picked up, and sketched out maps that allow for fast travel—a feature I appreciated in particular.
Credit: Act Normal Games
Other than item-based puzzles, Rauniot has several button or switch puzzles and code deciphering puzzles. Though some puzzles are challenging, none are unfair. Sometimes the information needed is subtle but it’s always present. In reality, what makes the game much more frustrating than it needs to be is the pixel hunting. Items you need to find are often very small and blend too easily into the environments while having very precise mouse detection areas, so they’re easy to miss. The issue is made worse if you’re playing Rauniot on a Steam Deck. The game should have included the ability to highlight interactive items.
Credit: Act Normal Games
The game performs excellently in the Steam Deck’s native 1280x800 resolution. With the Deck connected to my 4K TV, the game continued to run at a smooth 60fps at full 3840x2160 resolution.
I hope that Rauniot developers Act Normal Games make a sequel to the game, because the story feels like just the beginning of a larger narrative. They’ve certainly created an interesting world and I’d like to spend more time in it.
Rauniot is available now on PC (Steam / GOG / Green Man Gaming).
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
