Iam of the opinion that those with face tattoos have given up on life. They’re living in the present and haven’t contemplated their future, job interviews, romance, and potentially having a face that makes babies cry. In Rauniot, there are no babies. They’ve been eaten.
This is the harsh reality of a Cormac McCarthy-inspired post-apocalyptic world that doesn’t take place in the distant future but, instead, the past. Unfortunately, the setting is in 1970s Finland. Not only will afros and flares not see the light of day, but saunas, too. Damn it with our stereotypes.
Here’s one piece of reality: the Finns have a wicked sense of humour. From the hilarious Kimi “I was having a shit” Räikkönen to the excellent Palm Beach, Finland, their no-nonsense comedy is prevalent in Rauniot. Despite the bleak future and dried-out sepia tones, Act Normal Games often induces laugh-out-loud laughter through subtle, amusing dialogue and hints of sarcasm.
Rauniot Review – A Man And His Horse
In 1975, a catastrophic nuclear event all but wiped out civilisation. If the warheads or subsequent riots didn’t kill the people, they died from famine, radiation poisoning or various mutations. Humanity will often find a way to survive. So, some groups that provide and protect are formed, of which protagonist Aino is a member.
That part about face tattoos and giving up? Aino has a massive skull tattoo on the left side of her face. She’s got a job in said group, there are no babies, and pending she finds the man with the nice ass who rides a horse, her future in Rauniot is positive. Egg on my face.
But first, she has to find them. While I’ll be shouting superlatives about Rauniot because it can be played entirely in the Steam Deck, among other things, everything is tiny and blends in with the environment. There are no modern hotspots either, so expect to exercise your eyeballs.
The Future’s Bright (As An Idealist)
After some fantastic cinematics accompanied by some equally delicious metal riffs, Aino arrives at an abandoned garage and is greeted by a delightful blow-up doll to welcome her after kicking her car door so she can exit it.
Rauniot is an isometric point and click adventure that is very much a presentational experience throughout. Initially, I was impressed by the animated letterbox close-ups of Aino when she spurts a bit of dialogue, though I was perplexed as to why there was an option to skip it. Then it became frequent, and seemingly, a mechanic was there for show.
Wrong.
These cinematics segue into immersion and are all part of the storytelling. I often forgot where I was as I was so engaged in the experience, even if it was more of a spectator at times. The level of production is comparable to Beautiful Desolation—what with the excellent animation, cutscenes, and voice acting—in this case, in Finnish. I think they did a good job, though, in translation, some of the wording and omission of grammatical terms make it clunky in places.
Welcome Back, Sierra
As a point and click adventure, Rauniot employees and the inventory system can be toggled via Aino’s backpack of goodies. There’s a map with fast travel, ammo count, and a notebook with Post-its about what she has learned thus far, notably from NPCs. It has to be noted that the UI here is impressive.
Even on the Steam Deck, it’s effortless to navigate, and the illustrations accompanying Aino’s profiles are wonderful. My only beef is the pixel hunting for items buried in browns and greys, only highlighted by washed-out yellow highlights. At least there’s death should you make a mistake, Sierra style, plus choices matter, as do the lives of the people you meet.
How about Rauniot’s puzzles? Very good. Though this comes under the umbrella of a point and click, it isn’t of the illogical model of combining random items in the hope that it works, but lots of switches and decyphering. The interactions make sense, and the puzzles are comprehensive and challenging, pending you find all the items required. From my perspective, it’s the story, characters and high-calibre presentation throughout that maketh the experience – the puzzles and humour are simply the cherries on top of a cracking game.
Rauniot Review Summary
We reach our conclusion: Is Rauniot worth it? 100%. On paper, this sounds bleak; the tones—both visually and conceptually—are stifling, yet why is this so good? The storytelling, the cinematics, the UI, the logical puzzles, the wit… all of those tick the boxes. Additionally, Aino has changed my stance on face tattoos. Her pithy remarks, resilience, and ‘can-do’ attitude make her an essential companion in a post-apocalyptical world.
