XING: The Land Beyond - Rainforest Demo

It’s easy to lose focus when you are designing an adventure game, because there must be a balance between puzzles, level design and graphics. Action is important as well, but only if you decide to include any. Hence, it’s possible to avoid the subject entirely, as it was the case with the Myst series, which focused on tranquility and great level design.

XING: The Land Beyond - Rainforest is a first-person adventure game that also focuses on puzzles instead of action and fast-paced gameplay, which is a great thing to see nowadays. In fact, you can easily forget yourself and just relax while you admire the breathtaking views, especially since the game supports virtual reality devices.

The story puts you in the role of someone who just died, yet it would appear that death is not the end at all. Instead, the next world is even more beautiful and complex than this one, but it would appear like you are trapped. Hence, your goal is to regain your freedom and help others do the same along the way by solving puzzles and asking the spirits for help when you are stuck.

As far as the gameplay is concerned, you can either use the keyboard & mouse combo or opt for a controller, although it all depends on your personal preference. Naturally, things are much more exciting in VR, since you can look around and experience the environment much more personally. However, the puzzles are the same regardless of how you choose to play, and they can be pretty challenging most of the time.

The graphics are stunning as well, courtesy of Unreal Engine 4. Every piece of the islands you visit has been modeled with care, and there’s plenty to look at no matter where you turn your head. It’s also very easy to differentiate between objects, which comes in handy when you need to use items in order to tackle puzzles.

All things considered, XING: The Land Beyond - Rainforest is incredibly calming and beautiful, which is exactly what you want from a puzzle game about death and tranquility. The riddles are quite ingenious as well.