Lisssn

I'm amazed. An 80-year old with memories of Rhem, I am confused, charmed, nostalgic and wonderstruck by this game. It's way beyond my puzzle skills, yet I'm still able to stumble around and open a few doors and explore exciting places. It's an A+.

[h1]Got to a puzzle area, insisted the puzzle was impossible, put game aside, tried again a few days later, put aside, resisted temptation to look at walkthrough, tried once more, had a 'eureka' moment, solved the puzzle, repeat[/h1] This is like the classic Rhem series but music puzzles are the primary focus (not a surprise since Knut Müller is one of the devs). The musical puzzles are nice, and you might learn something about music by playing this game. No dialog and interaction (but there are areas where you need to hear spoken clues). Stereo hearing is essential -- you might need to figure out the direction a sound is coming from. And look *everywhere* for clues. There is a game map and compass (essential since the game world is huge). Some puzzles require items/hints that are all the way on the other side of the game world (so an "impossible" puzzle might just need something you'll get later in the game). Although the art is not HD and the colors are limited, this doesn't affec...

I adore the RHEM games so was excited to give this one a try while I wait for the next installment. Unfortunately, while I did complete the game and enjoyed some of the puzzles, I wouldn't recommend it for most players. [list] [*]I found the sound-based puzzles to mostly be pushovers. Maybe it's because I have some background in music, but some of them were almost jokes. High note or low note? Sound coming from left ear or right ear? Quarter note or half note? Play back the series of 3 notes!...they were more like music theory exercises in elementary school than puzzles. [*]One of my favorite things about RHEM games is that there are no instructions on how to complete puzzles. You have to figure out not only how to complete a puzzle, but what the puzzle even wants you to do. In this game, literal step-by-step diagrams are posted throughout, which is no fun. [*]The UI felt far more clunky than it does in the RHEM games. There is no "go around the corner" option, the cursor...

All the other reviews so far are right on: this is a moderately difficult, engaging game that can't be done in one sitting (at least for me!). If you liked the RHEM series, this is a great interim pursuit while we wait for RHEM V (Hint hint!). I am going to gift the Steam game to several of my students who need to build confidence in their problem-solving abilities. It's worked before with Rhem I and IV. I forbid their use of a walkthrough, though. It's like physics: if you look up the answer, there's no motivation to actually understand what's going on. It's definitely worth the price. Efforts like this need more support.

An educational puzzle game aiming to teach the player how to listen. While having fun solving very diverse puzzles, you will be able to learn some rudiments of music theory (notes, rhythm, musical instruments, compositors from the baroque era...). The musical and rhythm puzzles integrate repetition in their resolution allowing you to train/practice your hearing and understanding of rhythm duration. But Lisssn is also a game where you need to take your time exploring. Very similar to his big brother Rhem (from the same developer), it is a huge maze of puzzles where clues and objects you would need to solve puzzles and advance in the game can be found all around. A detailed map of the maze is included in the game, helping to keep track of where you have been and could go next. In all, it is a very original work where you will be able to say that you learned something new after completing the game. I am looking forward to the sequel!

I love this game, and love RHEM series. No way to stop playing until i completed the game and solved all puzzles. I want a continuation, and also RHEM 5.

In the past, I've extolled Knut Müller's Rhem series while criticizing the sound/plot/graphics that nearly topple the games into the thumbs-down bin. Their world and puzzle designs are so strong, so inspired, that they overcome their numerous shortcomings. Unfortunately, Lisssn is not likewise redeemed. It focuses on primitive sound and music puzzles many of which are far more basic than you'd expect in a game that celebrates Classical music's masters. Nonetheless, most require multiple consecutive solves to prove that you've grokked that simplicity. So you're left with the same Knut faults, some even more explicit, without the same beauty of complicated puzzle exploration and discovery to pull the experience out of the abyss -- an abyss plagued by an unexplained race of cartoon guide aliens to truly muddle the tone. Nostalgia for Rhem and other Myst-clones prodded me reluctantly through the finish line, and there are, along the way, brief moments of fun even for those not in t...

Really unique ideas for an adventure game, this was exactly what I was looking for. It's not all sound-based, I think the non-sound puzzles are alright (at worst a bit confusing until you poke around enough, the first room is a really bad example of this) but the actual sound puzzles I mostly enjoyed. There's good ideas, but this is definitely more a recommendation for adventure game lovers and music puzzle enjoyers. These days headphones are so common, but there's still a kind of accessibility issue with requiring stereo. The first stereo puzzle is a bit murky with very short cues, but the other stereo puzzles I felt like were still possibly solvable in mono and otherwise were made more interesting by the use of stereo. Remember this is an old game with no autosave. The game crashed for me while doing the crystal gate puzzle.

Very good game. Easier than the Rhem series. Perfect first game for gamers not familier with games like Myst.

I bought this game because I love the Rhem series. Knut's work is easily recognizable in a lot of the environment and puzzles. There are also some fun non-Knut-like contributions to be spotted in both the environment and the game-play (e.g. little monsters, scary sounds in the cemetery). Lisssn is a lot smaller than a typical Rhem game. Also, a map of the entire game is included from the very start. The puzzles can be divided into logical, item collecting, and musical. There is no story. The idea for this game is great : learning something about music. The music puzzles were great fun, and took me back to evenings spent at the music school as a child. I think that for me, if the game would have focused even more on music/sound/rhythm/history, I would have liked it even better. The only negative : I have spent over 20 hours in the game, but I haven't finished it; 2 cards are missing from my inventory. I will definitely replay this game in the future (once I have forgotten most of...