Rain World from developer Videocult and publisher Adult Swim Games is a project that three of years ago had a successful Kickstarter campaign. As is sometimes the case, the game missed its initial December 2014 target release… well, by two years and change. It is now finally available on PlayStation 4 so that you can help a particular slugcat to survive in a cruel world. Want to learn more? Then read our Rain World review!
The first thing you will learn about as soon as you gain control of your slugcat is the game’s control scheme. You move the slugcat with the left analog stick, and you can activate your map with the R1 button. The Square button is for picking up stuff and eating what you can, while the Circle button is for throwing things. Finally, the X button will let you jump around. If you find a gap that is too long for a regular jump, hold down on the left analog stick and hold the X button to charge up for a longer power jump. As you can see, the game is easy to control, which is definitely a plus.
After a long period of rain, the dry season is here. You must search for food to keep you alive and to be able to eventually hibernate. Sounds simple, right? The problem is that you’re in a very dangerous place at a very dangerous time and will end up running into some very dangerous creatures. Rain is also very bad, so if it’s about to rain, you better find shelter right away! Rain is deadly in this world – massively powerful enough to crush your bones. You need to eat at least four food units to hibernate, but if you’re lucky enough you can eat an extra three units to make the next hibernation cycle easier to trigger. Once you hibernate, you “raise” your level, and must repeat the process as you explore your current location for new food to be able to hibernate enough times to migrate to new locations.
If you are killed by one of the predators, you’ll be taken back to the last spot where you hibernated, and you will be brought down by one level. You need to watch out for the color of predators so that you can know what you’re up against. For example, a large lizard with a green head will viciously try to kill you in a single bite, but if you can find some higher ground, you’ll be safe. On the other hand, if you run into a lizard with a pinkish head you better run as fast as possible because it will give chase as it climbs posts and vines in the area to try and reach you.
Rain World includes a full trophy count with a Platinum. Due to the game’s nature, it’s not possible to get all trophies in a single run, so if you want that Platinum for your collection, you’ll need to do more than one run as you focus on some of the requirements. The game’s difficulty will also sometimes get in your way if you’re not careful, so you should always be on high alert. There are 21 trophies to unlock before you get the Platinum, so it’s a long and hard road to that 100%.
Rain World is certainly one of those “love it or hate it” type of release where the premise is either going to strongly resonate with you, or you’re going to abhor it and not want to play it again. The game’s presentation is top-notch, and its gameplay mechanics feel tight and to the point, but this might not be enough so save it in your eyes. Did I have fun with it? Yes. Is it a flawed release that could have been made a tad less difficult? Definitely. Is this a must-have game on PS4? Hard to say. But I’m sure that if you play the game you won’t forget about it anytime soon.
Disclaimer
This Rain World review is based on a PS4 copy provided by Adult Swim Games.
