Presenting Gameffine’s Rosewater review

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Rosewater subverted all my expectations. I expected Francisco González’s Western adventure to be a gritty, run-of-the-mill Wild West tale filled with cowpokes, rattlesnakes, and chewing tobacco. Instead, I got a wholesome road adventure that masterfully demystifies the West, deconstructs archetypes, and effortlessly shifts its tone faster than Raziel shifting through realms of Nosgoth. 22 hours later, I wrapped up my one-and-a-half playthroughs in total awe and admiration for what transpired on my screen. Boys and gals, I present to you Gameffine’s Rosewater Review.

Not That Wild West

The very first thing one might notice when booting up Rosewater is its peculiar setting. Set in the same universe as Lamplight City, Rosewater’s rendition of Americana is both similar and different. Set in an alternate 19th century where the American Revolution didn’t happen, leading to the creation of a new nation, Vespuccia following British colonial rule. While Lamplight City was heavily inspired by Steampunk literature and iconography, Rosewater is a curious mix of classic and revisionist Western with the aforementioned themes, while disregarding pulp elements widely prevalent in the genre. However, this does not mean that one needs to have played Lamplight City to enjoy Rosewater. While the latter does have several references to its predecessor, Rosewater’s story is pretty much self-contained.

Rosewater begins with Harley ‘Spitfire’ Leger, retired pugilist and jack of all trades, arriving in the quiet town of Rosewater, Western Vespuccia, to begin anew as a journalist in the local paper. Her first task? To interview gunslinger extraordinaire and Wild West legend Gentleman Jake. One thing leads to another and Harley is offered to partake in a dangerous treasure hunt courtesy of Jake. Harley, Jake, and his assistant Danny Luo are soon joined by the Mexican revolutionary Filomeno ‘Phil’ Marquez, medic Nadine Redbird, and wagoner Lola Johnson. What follows is an arduous trip across Western Vespuccia in their quest to reclaim the lost fortune of scientist Dr. Bennet Clark filled with twists, turns, gunfights, mysteries, and wholesome bonding moments.

By far, the strongest element of Rosewater is its storytelling and characters. By setting the game in an alternate history, the game presents a cast of multi-cultural, colorful characters and events without having to account for historical accuracy (which seems to be a point of controversy these days). Developer and writer Francisco González effectively blends a wide variety of themes and tones using a straightforward treasure hunt story beat. It wouldn’t be a reach to call the game an anthology of mini-stories, as Harley and her party will come across the good, the bad, and the ugly side of the Western frontier in their journey. From friendly cultists to weird tales of romance and hauntings to your standard Western shootouts, Rosewater has it all. It’s truly a masterclass in blending the deadpan serious with the outright bizarre.

Throughout my Rosewater review, I was glued to the screen thanks to how well-written and likable the main cast is. Usually, what happens in games with a large party of main characters is that not all of them get the same amount of screen time or love. This is not the case in Rosewater. All five of our beloved rogues are treated equally, with each of them having relatable backstories and motivations and all of them get their moment to shine. While the narrative is a lot lighter-themed when compared to Lamplight City, the game can get pretty dark and emotional when it wants to be. Without spoiling much, I’ll just say that there was a particular moment in the game that came out of nowhere and had me teary-eyed. If there is one complaint I have regarding the narrative, it’s that the last act of the game is very brief compared to the rest of the game and quite tame in comparison.

An Ode to Those Who Came Before

Lamplight City was a love letter to Gabriel Knight and a pretty sweet one at that. Rosewater, by comparison, is a more traditional point-and-click adventure, heavily inspired by Lucas Arts classics. Thus, the open-ended design of the former is replaced by a linear but engaging quest design, cleverly addressing its predecessor’s criticisms of locking the player out of desirable outcomes. Rosewater instead presents the player with a plethora of mini-adventures in the form of scenarios, most of which can be solved in multiple ways and often have different outcomes based on your choices. These scenarios are randomized, ensuring that subsequent playthroughs remain fresh. Moreover, upon completing the game, a New Game+ mode becomes available, which lets the player customize which scenarios they’d like to encounter. A neat option, I’d say.

Almost all the crucial elements of the genre are present in Rosewater and are streamlined for the better. The puzzles present in the game are clever and require the player to employ their problem-solving and rational thinking skills, but at no point do they become frustrating or obtuse. The inventory system also received a makeover and avoided the genre’s hallmark feature of “stacking so many random things in the inventory and seeing what sticks”. The point-and-click exploration and puzzle-solving are so intuitive and fluid that everything sticks well like hot glue on the human body.

Oh and did I mention Rosewater’s obsession with attention to detail? Many non-obligatory unique dialogues and interactions are there to enrich the storytelling. It feels like everyone has something unique to say about literally every item Harley picks up. Harley’s Diary deserves a special mention in this context. The diary is so verbose and rich with details of her travels and the people she meets. What’s crazy is that at barely any point does the game require you to consult the diary to progress. The entire system exists as a nice little piece of worldbuilding. Furthermore, there are plenty of mini-games and activities to break up the pace, and above all else, to make the point-and-click gameplay more interactive. Shooting bottles out of thin air, fishing, and hunting, Harley is a jack of all trades. Even if you mess these up, Rosewater doesn’t give you a ‘Game Over’ screen but progresses the narrative through alternate paths. I had a blast while doing the Rosewater review just going back to older save games and experimenting with different choices to see all the ways the narrative branches out.

Looking and Sounding the Part

Our Rosewater review won’t be complete without mentioning the gorgeous visuals and audio design of the game. Francisco’s masterpiece (yes, I’ve spoken) is rich with detailed and colorful background art and well-animated Rotoscope characters. There are even closeups cutscenes that provide a cinematic feel to the game, without taking away from its retro aesthetics. I must say that some of the backgrounds are a bit too clean and smooth when compared to the character sprites, but that’s just a personal preference and in no way a detriment to the game’s visual quality.

Then there’s the sound design. Rosewater features an ensemble cast including (but not limited to) Cissy Jones (Firewatch, Call of the Sea) Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead), and Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2). The voiceover is top-notch, perhaps the best ever for a game of this type and adds so much to the cinematic ambitions of Rosewater. The music by Lamplight City composer Mark Benis is another high point of the game. Without a doubt, Rosewater will be an audio-visual treat for fans of the genre.

Real Talk

This Rosewater review alone should speak volumes of how memorable of a game Grundislav Games has cooked up. It would be an understatement to say that Rosewater is the best point-and-click adventure game I’ve played this decade (Dreams in the Witch House being a close second). The wholesome, choice-driven narrative, its cast of colorful and relatable characters, and clever puzzles make Rosewater a tour de force of the genre.

FINAL SCORE: 97/100