The real-world sensibility does come with the slight complication of only being able to pick up an item when you have a known use for it. Since there is no feedback when looking at objects, this can lead to thinking an item is useless, instead of just taking it and keeping it around like you would in most adventures, even if it’s a very practical item. An example of this is finding an oil can, but in order to even take the oil, your character will first need to have “looked at” (up close, not simply spotting it yourself in the background environment) the object requiring it. In some ways this is a good thing, in that it makes you think more about how puzzles can be solved, instead of just collecting tons of stuff and endlessly clicking random combinations to find the right solution. On the other hand, it ensures additional backtracking to get items you may have already passed by and figured you’d need eventually, making it more annoyance than strategy. There are a lot of objects to collect in the game, but since you can't take everything right away, you won't end up with too much of a backlog at any one time, particularly when most of the stuff you carry is discarded once you've used it.

The graphics in Rhiannon are fairly basic. Not a lot of detail is shown, and there are few of the fancy dynamic lighting or environmental effects you might find in most recent games, though the rippling pond water is surprisingly appealing. The game is entirely set within the grounds of the farmhouse, with the main house plus a few outbuildings and separate areas of wooded paths being featured. Although occasionally host to paranormal cinematics – weird visions and mystical events – the environments are otherwise rather everyday and drab. That's not to say the art is bad, it's just not great or particularly diverse. There are also very few animations, with doors magically opening when you click on them and objects appearing instantly in place when you put them down somewhere. This is obviously because the developers didn't want to show the protagonist on-screen, but it further contributes to the feeling of emptiness and lack of immersion in the game world.

Music plays only when something noteworthy is happening, and is done in an orchestral style that works reasonably well. In fact, it occurs so rarely that you know something important to the plot is happening when you hear a tune. Sounds are subtle but used to good effect, with doors clicking, machinery clunking and so on. This is a lonely deserted farmhouse, so there's understandably not going to be a lot of noise, but that makes them all the more noticeable when you hear them. The voice acting is decently done, but there is extremely little of it in the game, with only a few recorded messages and a voiceover at the end of the game to be heard, along with the occasional ghostly howl.

But while the game’s production values are less than impressive, which can be expected given the small three-person team behind Rhiannon, its plot is definitely its strongest point, particularly the parts where you find out more about the mysteries and history of the house. Even I, who had a full Welsh-language and literary education, wasn't completely familiar with the Mabinogion. The game isn't likely to leave you totally fluent in its tales, but at least it'll give you some insight into an unfamiliar and interesting mythology.

The story itself unfolds through emails, letters and diaries found in the house that establish the background. Through these means you’ll be introduced to characters from a number of different periods: a man and woman from the turn of the last century, a woman from the ‘60s, and a few from modern day. These writings are all well done, with the tone appropriate to each character who wrote them, and they combine to effectively create empathy for Rhiannon and motivation to help rid her of the curse she suspects she's under.

Although essentially a “haunted house” adventure, it’s important to note that Rhiannon plays out more like a supernatural fantasy mystery than horror. Its fantasy elements come from the mythical prince and magician theme, and while the game does have a creepy atmosphere at times, there's nothing overly gruesome or shocking. That’s not to say there are no spooky, finger-down-the-spine type moments, however, like the ghostly apparitions appearing and begging to be set free from the curse. The game comes with a Teen rating, though, which makes sense, since there's nothing here too likely to upset even the most faint-of-heart. In fact, the eerie parts are so few and far between that looking on this as a ghost story isn't entirely accurate, as the purely magical parts far outweigh the creepy ones. The plain graphics and samey environments also detract from the atmosphere, making it hard to really get too spooked.

There is much to be commended about this game for such a small first-time development team, but overall I couldn’t help but be disappointed with Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches. The actual writing and mythology behind the game are intriguing and well-presented and the puzzles are generally interesting, but even accepting the lower production values as unavoidable, the samey, lifeless environments, awkward navigation, and a total lack of interactive feedback lead to the game not being as enjoyable to play as it could have been. If you're a fan of anonymous first-person games or unusual mythologies, you may very well enjoy the game for its good points, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.