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Genre: Adventure Developer & Publisher: Grundislav Games/Application Systems Heidelberg Released: March 27, 2025 Requirements: OS: Windows 7 or later Processor: Pentium or higher 1.2 Ghtz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: 1280 x 720 32-bit color DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 5 GB available space
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By flotsam
Grundislav Games/Application Systems Heidelberg Meet Harley Leger, on board the 7:43 No.57 ‘Maverick’ train from Pierre to Rosewater, unencumbered by baggage of all sorts, and packing a little hope in the name of a journalistic opportunity at the Rosewater Post. A sleepy out of the way place, the so-called Rosewater welcome committee suggests a far less laid-back adventure awaits. Which proved prophetic. In my first hour of game time I saw a person thrown out a window, broke into a blacksmith, survived a bar room brawl and watched a wild west show. Plus joined a treasure hunt and secured the job at the paper. Plus learned a fair bit more about Harley. Not too shabby if you ask me. From the maker of Lamplight City, Rosewater is set in the same alternate 19th century world, and while you don't need to have played the previous game (I haven't), there are references to earlier events from the get-go, so having played it might add a little something to your appreciation. I mentioned a treasure hunt and it’s the impetus for leaving Rosewater, along with a posse of companions. First among them is ‘Gentleman’ Jake Ackerman, frontier showman and the subject of Harley’s first journalistic assignment. Which is how she eventually ends up on Lola’s steam driven wagon, on her further way west to El Presidio. About the middle half of the game takes place on and off the wagon. Whilst onboard you can get to know your four fellow companions better, or just read books and play cards. Off the wagon - Lola likes to stop and sometimes has no choice - you will engage in a variety of big and little (some of them randomly generated) side quests. The onboard stuff matters. How you relate to your companions will determine how certain things play out, and how you might be able to influence how they play out. So too the off-wagon stuff. By way of example, one action I engaged in quite late in the game with one character meant that a potential puzzle solve down the track with that same character was no longer available. Many conundrums offer a number of ways they might be solved, and these might not even be apparent on a first play through. Some sequences can also apparently be skipped, Harley choosing not to help when offered the opportunity. I engaged in everything that was offered to me, and chose the empathetic or polite response rather than a dismissive or downright belligerent one when given the choice, so can’t tell you anything more about how being ornery might affect things. It is though a very good reason to play again. Importantly, you won’t get locked out of a necessary solution by any particular choice. There is always an answer at hand, even if it is a tad less refined than, say, picking a lock. I did think the various side quests were a bit of a mixed bag, particularly the less elaborate ones (e.g., find and gather the appropriate plants). Some also involved some little mini games (e.g., hunting, trick shooting) that didn’t appeal but which again could be worked around. And at least one I played just seemed a bit silly narratively, but perhaps that just says more about me. Much more satisfying were the more elaborate set pieces, and those that focussed on one of the travelling companions. With respect to the latter I got a ‘Magnificent Six’ Steam achievement for getting all the companion excursions in one playthrough, so I clearly did something right. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed those vignettes, not least because they provided additional layers of characterisation. I also enjoyed Harley’s diary. Good journalist that she is, she takes notes, and a new entry in her diary was always worth a read. Plus it served as a ‘previously on’ tool should one be needed. As well as engaging with your fellow companions while on board the wagon, your journey will be punctuated by evenings around a campfire. It's another opportunity to deepen your character engagement. Despite what I said about the parts being a mixed bag, I liked how the wagon journey was put together. You could say it felt a little disjointed, but the trail west is a surprising place, and the ‘hasten slowly’ aspect helped provided an immersiveness that would have been lacking by a more hurried approach. I liked too that this was not a rootin’ tootin’ gunslinging western adventure. While there was a shoot out or two, it was first and foremost about the people, primarily those with whom you travel but also those you meet. Traditional western tropes aren’t ignored, and all the various bits were wound up into a satisfying whole. Which isn’t to say that the crazy scientist underground lab military co-opted alternate energy theme isn’t a bit out there! Rosewater isn’t a hard game, but I did access a walkthrough to keep things moving. Most of my stuckness was about what to do next, but the relatively self contained nature of (most) locations assisted. Building weird contraptions out of inventory items is thankfully not a thing. Everything is voiced and the acting is top notch. Ditto the sound and visuals, and rotoscoping is used to help flesh out the character realisation. Cutscenes play throughout. The game is completely point and click, save for a few keyboard commands (e.g., H highlights hotspots). Hovering the mouse over a hotspot will produce an icon indicating what you can do there. You collect and use inventory items, and gather information to solve a few other puzzles. Conversations provide triggers to being able to move on, and it is wordy (in a good way), so be prepared to chat and read stuff. The game autosaves but you can also save at will, and a Steam post indicates there are 50 save slots. Another post from the maker indicates a first playthrough might last 15-20 hours but 30 might be needed for a completionist run through. Rosewater isn’t perfect, but I thought it was a very satisfying adventure. I played on: OS: Windows 11, 64 Bit Processor: Intel i7-9700K 3.7GHz RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4 32GB Video card: AMD Radeon RX 580 8192MB
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