I’ve never been one for extreme levels of national (or, in this case, regional) pride. However, I always get excited when games from the Antipodes make a splash on the international stage. The buzz around New Zealand-developed Reverie has been significant and, understandably, the game has been on my radar for months. I was delighted to have the opportunity to review it, and even more delighted to find that my favourite neighbours are actually making some pretty sweet games.

Developer: Rainbite

Publisher: Rainbite

8.5 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $12.99

Reverie is an action-adventure game that takes place on Toromi, a fictional island plagued by the restless spirits of Heke and his three brothers. According to the in-game legend, Toromi was pulled up from the sea by Heke, who was then thrown overboard by his jealous brothers. Of course, the brothers’ restless spirits are now unsettling the island. Over the course of the game, you explore Toromi, freeing the spirits and bringing peace to the island once more.

Reverie’s base gameplay may be familiar as it draws clear inspiration from core entries in the Legend of Zelda franchise. For example, the game’s linear progression relies on the acquisition of specific items (such as a yoyo or a shovel), while the dungeons offer a variety of puzzles, enemies, and boss fights. The whole experience is cosy and moderately nostalgic. The vibrant pixel graphics are simply delightful, and throughout it all, a fantastic, light soundtrack maintains this atmosphere.

This puzzle stumped me.

Reverie plays like a leisurely trip down memory lane, and the gameplay is never too difficult. Nevertheless, there are moments that offer a bit more of a challenge. For example, while combat starts out simple, additional enemies and limited health drops make for a challenging experience by the end of the game. Similarly, early puzzles are straightforward, while at least one of the later rooms had me stumped for a good twenty minutes. All the same, you never feel as though the game’s various challenges are impossible. Solving the puzzles simply relies on careful observation and a dash of lateral thinking; the answers are always within reach.

Aside from the generally solid gameplay, though, Reverie is otherwise delightful. It’s positively brimming with cultural references and hallmark Kiwi humour, including some friendly jabs at us Australians. Some of the references, such as the infamous laser kiwi, are distinctly antipodean, but many are bound to be appreciated by players the world over. I laughed more in my playthrough of Reverie than I have playing any other game in years, which is telling since I do like to pretend that I’m dead on the inside.

The laser kiwi: a national icon.

While Switch players continually bemoan the lack of a proper achievement system on the console, the Reverie: Sweet As Edition for the Switch sidesteps the issue by offering in-game achievements in the form of collectible stamps. Like everything else in the game, these are whimsical and charmingly off-beat. For example, there’s an achievement for using wheelie shoes inside your house. Notably, a handful of the achievements did trigger off at the wrong time, but largely the system worked well. However, you can only review your achievements by returning to your home base and examining the physical stamp book. I question whether it might have been more user-friendly to include achievements in a menu that you could access at any time. Nevertheless, I appreciated the achievement system and was glad for its inclusion in the game.

As far as content goes, though, it doesn’t stop there. There are collectible feathers of birds native to New Zealand, as well as a variety of hidden locations to explore. These range from a creepy underground rugby hideout to the home of a sentient microwave. In short, Reverie offers plenty of content, but it does so without ever feeling overwhelming. The game is large enough to offer a real sense of exploration but contained enough that 100% completion is achievable for anyone within about seven or eight hours of gameplay.

Lots of native birds feature in Reverie.

Nevertheless, as much as I enjoyed my time with Reverie, a handful of issues took some of the shine off the experience. By the end of the game, the six dungeons do start to feel a little samey, but the game is short enough that this never becomes a significant issue. Similarly, for a game that was otherwise relatively user-friendly, the inability to cycle through the menu in both directions seemed a little odd.

More notably, it seemed curious how easy it was to get stuck – we’re talking “no in-game way to un-stick yourself” stuck – in the dungeons, for example, behind lasers or sets of pillars. Thankfully, there’s an easy workaround. When you save and quit from within a dungeon, you’ll start back at the dungeon entrance. It’s simple, if a little frustrating.

Unfortunately, though, this was what led me to discover just how alarmingly easy it is to overwrite your save file. As I described on Twitter, when I was about four hours into my playthrough, I had trapped myself in a dungeon with no escape. I saved, quit, and pressed A a couple of times to get through the menu and open up my file. As I found myself watching the opening sequence for a second time, my heart sank. The damage was done; I had selected new game (rather than load game) in my haste to return to playing. While it was my fault for not double-checking which option I had selected, it did make me think about the game’s user-friendliness. Something as simple as a warning when you’re about to do something silly (like overwrite a save file) can really change your experience of a game.

There’s no escape! And no, that’s not a figure of speech. There’s literally no way to get out of here.

However, in the grand scheme of things, Reverie’s flaws are minimal. The game is technically robust, the controls are smooth, and the game handles well. While core gameplay may be familiar in some ways, the excellent humour and a handful of new mechanics ensure it never feels dry, dull, or boring. Indeed, Reverie is charming, delightful, and hilarious from start to finish: a worthwhile addition to your collection.

Thanks for reading! Have you played Reverie? Give us your thoughts in the comments or come on over to our Discord to chat! In the meantime, check out our brand new Nindie Nexus Merch Store. We’d love to see you repping your favourite Nindie site! Otherwise, check out Tom’s review of the fantastic Evoland. And, as always, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter – you can find me here.