It all starts with a rainy night, a boy
who stayed home looks out his window to see a little girl, but she's
not any old girl, she's see through almost ghostly, she's running
through the streets follwed by an 'unknown' equally ghost like but
far more menacing creature. The boy follows them through a giant set
of doors. On the other side the boy loses his form like the girl and
is left alone is this dark world. Alone in the RAIN.
I feel i should start this review by
stating that I've literally no idea how to class this game genre wise.
Some would say its a survival horror for reasons ill get to in a
minute but i don't think so, closest i could manage is that its a
puzzle-adventure game. That might seem quite broad but Rain doesn't
really fit neatly into genres just like some other indie titles in
recent years, Unfinished Swan or journey comes to mind for instance.
Rain might not have the sheer beauty or artistry that these games
have but it does have that something that can make game good.
You see you play as the boy who can
only be seen in the rain, with shelter and indoor areas rendering him
basically invisible for all but his foot steps. The boy wishes to find
the girl, but she is constantly pursued by the unknown a ghostly
figure that wishes to eliminate not just the girl but the boy as well.
The unknown isn't the only creature to inhabit this world there are
dog like creatures that will chase you on site, giant elephant
creatures that are docile but will shelter you for easy stealth, and
little things that are hard to describe but they will attack anything
and kill it, both you and the other creatures, but the consistent
evil to this game is the unknown and his unflinching hunt for you and
the girl, that's where you could say its a horror survival in a loose
kind of way, he does follow you, music shifts to a darker tone, the
tension gradually builds while he keeps his pace as he chases you and
let me tell you it does get tense. The unknown is not a character to be
trifled with.
Rain which was developed by Playstation C.A.M.P, Acquire and SCE Japan Studio has its light moments too
as meet the girl and run together through the streets the is a
childish joy to it. You help each other out to avoid the creatures
and the unknown and you get attached to her and when catch glimpses
you rush to catch up with her and that for me is why its more an
adventure than anything else. It is an adventure for this boy through
this dark world to find the girl, when you are together you struggle
together to escape his world and be free of the unknown.
Now the game does have puzzle elements to
it but i didn't really find them to be puzzles, more like tasks to be
completed really and that was one of the few failings in the game for
me. The game offers up puzzles but the solution is either pointed out
or its pretty obvious but i don't think the focus of the game is
supposed to be the puzzles or the minimal amount of platforming it
has. Its all about its story and the way it chooses to tell it and it
tells it well.
This story was straight forward but it
had its goals, it had (for me) its edge of the chair tension, and it
had a decent resolution. The game also has a good soundtrack and
soundscape and they use them both to great effect. It was like
remembering when you were a kid you could hear the rain outside, it had
that kind of relaxing ethereal nature to it but it was also dark and
your imagination took hold and even though you were told there wasn't
any monsters, you knew they were there even if you couldn't see them
and that's what rain is being child and wondering at the world outside
and adventuring into it with your innocence but coming out the other
side better.
So the result of the game is this
Its a game worth
playing.
It doesn't outstay
its welcome and tells its story well
interesting rain
mechanic with great sound design
could be better
with its use of the rain mechanic
puzzles aren't
really puzzles
colour of whole
game is monotone but that's just being finicky.
FINAL SCORE
8 out of 10
Review Written by Eric Higgins
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