Aah, the gripping noir movies of the 40s and 50s. They offered suspense, a dark story, were filled with intrigue, had a flawed main character, and often bleak endings. Aah, Renoir, the game. Well, it offers only some of the aforementioned things… ‘Let it go, kid, it’s a simple multi-OS platformer!’
Renoir, developed by Black Wing Foundation and published by 1C Company, is a 2D puzzle-platformer with a paranormal vibe to it. You are a detective, killed in action, but your vengeful spirit lives on to solve the mystery of what is going on (*cough* “Murdered: Soul Suspect” *cough cough*).
It’s been a while since I had the chance to write a proper review about a game, and I am glad Renoir is the game that brings me back. First of all, it is a flawed game, for a variety of reasons. Secondly, it is also a potentially good game, for another set of reasons. Here’s why.
Renoir is an atmospheric game. It is set in a black-and-white world, reminiscing old noir films – read: shadows, thunderclouds, rain, gloom. The game runs on the Unreal 4 engine technology, but sadly contains a couple of clipping problems which make characters ‘float’ above the ground. Although the characters are ghosts, it still is weird that some of them walk on the earth while others float mere centimeters above it. Also, it does not look like anything that runs on the U4 engine, but more like a game that should be played on tablets only. It’s strange that the developers chose to show the Unreal engine logo in the beginning, even though the gameplay does not look anything like it. Weird choices.
This brings me to the next aspect of the game. You play as Detective Renoir (what’s in a name…), who is killed while solving a case which led him to a cemetery. You start your second life as a ghost, but tasks from the past still have to be completed. While you make your way towards… a place (I didn’t really know where I was going the first half hour of the game), you get to learn the basics of your life in the gritty beyond. Rule number 1: avoid artificial light (no idea why). If you step into a beam of light, you die. Rule number 2: your ghostly companions can ignore rule 1. Why? Beats me! Rule 3: you need the help of other ghosts that you can possess (but HOW?) throughout the game to solve puzzles. You do this by ‘recording’ (ugh I give up trying to make sense of this) their actions and then playing them again while you are controlling your character. I’d say this is a form of the ‘time stop/time freeze/slow time’ mechanic that enables two characters to complete certain actions simultaneously.
The gameplay itself is quite fun, though. Some puzzles are quite challenging, and the change of scenery also offers plenty of opportunities. Sadly, the pace of the game is all wrong. There is one thing that a story-driven puzzle-platformer shouldn’t do, and that’s to rely too heavily on puzzles. I want to explore that world, not go from puzzle to puzzle. Story and gameplay should blend, not be two separate things. I don’t want a cutscene as a reward for solving a puzzle. That’s just lazy.
Story-wise, the Kickstarter trailer (https://ksr-video.imgix.net/projects/1761936/video-557611-h264_high.mp4) offers more than the introductory cinematic in the beginning of the game. What’s even more appalling is that the beginning of the game is entirely different! Other than that, Renoir has a basic hint of a story, fuelled by the classic noir Hollywood movies. Without spoiling anything (what’s to spoil?), it seems as if the developers just watched a lot of noir and then came up with a ‘master’ videogame screenplay that contains all of the best things they had seen in the movies. Such a shame, as there is nothing original about it all. I want more! I want the game that was presented in the Kickstarter trailer!
Also, what kind of name is Renoir? I mean, come on. Seriously? Why is the detective’s first name not “Pierre-Auguste”? Why isn’t he a hobbyist painter? Why does he have a last name thRat is a laughable direct link to the style and atmosphere of the game? I DON’T KNOW! I have the feeling that the developers had a couple of good ideas, but sadly could not deliver on them. Well, guess what. They only received a small amount of money on Kickstarter, barely scraping together a quarter of their funding goal. I guess funding ran dry, and corners had to be cut, resulting in a game that does not deliver anything it promised. It was released on multiple platforms (the title screen actually states ‘exit to your OS’) for a whopping 20 euros/ 21 dollars. WHAT THE S**T!
In the end, it’s very simple. This game does not deliver. It had a lot of potential, even though it stole/copied from Murdered: Soul Suspect. It could have focused more on an original story, being more Sin City than Dead Detective: The Soap Opera. It could have focused more on explaining why certain mechanics are in the game, and why these mechanics have limits for the main character, but not for the ‘ghost shells’ that you can possess. It could have had a better name too.
Forget it, gamer, it’s not Chinatown: The Game.
| The Good: | The Bad: |
| + Potential | – Overpriced wasted potential |
Final Score: 2/5
