Rain World PC Review

Rain World doesn’t really tell you much, leaving you to fend for yourself in its ruthless world. You’re a Slugcat who got separated from its family and that’s about everything you know. Bits and pieces of what the controls are end up being given by a yellow bug, which happens to also be the only companion you get, who you can end up eating by accident. As you make your way through the many metrodivania-style rooms, you’ll begin learning things about the world. You’ll likely encounter your first enemy, you’ll evade it and then you’ll die to another. You’ll learn to use Slugcat’s limited moveset in order to survive. When it comes to offense, you can pick up certain items and throw them at foes, however, don’t expect them to do much. Most of the time, survival is a matter of outsmarting the enemy.

One of the first foes you encounter is clumsy in movement due to the heavy heads attached to their otherwise nimble bodies. I learned this after being chased by them around a system of pipes, only to have one fall through a gap. In this way, the slightest slope can provide just enough height to jump over a foe and run away. What’s interesting about Rain World is the fact that enemies don’t home in on you as soon as you enter the same area as them. At times, I didn’t encounter them until I ran into their habitat, where they were sleeping. Being chased by a number of enemies, I hid in a crack in a wall. After a minute or so of trying, they just gave up, returning to the room they came from.  In order to get noticed, you need to tip them off on your location, either by running too closely to them, or by allowing them to see you. This makes it so that, despite having just three actions, your means of survival multiply through all sorts of subtle elements. There’s also a sense of an actual, living world in Rain World.

Other creatures aren’t the only thing that can kill you. I learned this the hard way as the screen started going gray and shaking. This usually signifies that rain is drawing nearer. Rain acts as something that constantly spurs you on as, you’re only ever safe from it in waterproof hibernating chambers, that also acts as the only save points. These chambers are scarce and are mostly found by accidentally stumbling upon them. This is one of the elements that will divide players the most. Upon dying, and you will die countless times as you learn how to adapt to your environment, you’ll be sent back to the last hibernating chamber, losing all progress. Because of this, I spent a good couple of the first hours trapped around the same small cluster of rooms, not quite figuring out how to progress. Dying also becomes crushing as it sets you back on a symbol clock the game uses. These symbols are required to move through to certain areas. Upon hibernating, you move up one symbol. Death brings you down one step.

Every new room or area I discovered did bring with it a sense of fulfillment, as did learning how to handle new foes. Rain World’s environments have a strange sense of corroded beauty to them. Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to navigate tight paths as you can’t clearly tell where you are, or where a junction can be found. Rain World also stands as an achievement in animation. Every creature has its own weight and means of moving around, which also makes the world feel quite alive. These particularities are also transmitted well visually, as Slugcat will squeeze through tight spots in a liquid-like manner, while other foes will stumble around, or have a certain quantity of momentum behind their movements.

I’ll happily admit that Rain World kicked my ass unlike any game I’ve played in recent memory. This happened, undoubtedly, because even as I progressed, the difficulty didn’t seem to go down and going back to a hibernation chamber from 30 minutes ago ate through my patience a little too quickly. We are, undoubtedly, talking about a game that will appeal to a certain, persistent and difficulty-oriented niche of players. However, Rain World deserves praise when it comes to world-building, visuals, atmosphere and animation quality. It’s simply not a game that’s to be approached with the idea of finishing it, I find. The key to successfully seeing Slugcat’s adventure through is getting in its skin. The moment you accept that you’re just another critter trying to survive and hopefully reunite with its family, is the moment you’ll be able to enjoy the title properly. As long as you can push through the frequent setbacks that death brings with it, Rain World will be a great experience of survival and discovery in a world that’s quite unique. If, on the other hand, you’re set on completion over experience, Rain World will pour buckets of frustration on your head.

Bogdan Robert, NoobFeed
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