Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns is a fast-paced bullet hell that puts you in the role of a man sitting on a chemical toilet, fighting his way out of his worst nightmares. Learn more in our our Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns review!
There isn’t really much of a story attached to the game, but a brief introduction shows you the game’s character as he goes to get a unicorn flavored ice cream. Suddenly, he needs to go to the bathroom, and the only place close enough for his urge is a chemical toilet. As he does what he has to do, the toilet goes flying off into the sky, and his quest to fight off his greatest fears will begin.
The game is a vertical shoot ’em up bullet-hell, although the bullet-hell part is only present during boss fights. As you start the game, you only have access to the first world out of the five the game offers. Each of the worlds has a total of five levels to complete, with the first, third, and fifth ones having a boss at the end. Each level plays in the same way, as you have to defeat waves of enemies coming from the top of the screen towards you.
To defeat enemies, all you have to do is press or hold down the X button and shoot your bullets as you move around the screen. Defeated enemies will drop diamonds, which you can collect to slowly upgrade your weapon to shoot more bullets. You also gradually build up a special attack that you can unleash with the Square button that fills the screen with a rainbow, killing all enemies in sight and making all the bullets coming at you disappear. The bosses of the first and third levels will also provide you with a side ally, shooting as you shoot to provide a larger range of attack. There are also a few power-ups that enemies will randomly drop. The magnet will attract diamonds towards you for an easier collection, the bullets power-up will double up your firepower, and finally, the shield will provide you with an extra hit.
Visually, the game has some unicorn-style colorful visuals that are okay but quickly become redundant. There is also an icon in the bottom left that shows you when you can unleash your special attack that’s displayed over the game area, making for some rather frustrating moments where you get hit by a bullet since you didn’t see it hitting you under this.
As I played through the first level, I was enjoying myself because of the theme of the world. The first one, named OMG, has you shooting at different religious entities with some big shots as the bosses. Rather original and, to be honest, the fun continued through the four other levels that were “Influencerama” with a Youtuber as one of the bosses, “Political Drama” with some big names from the politics for its bosses, “Outraged & Offended” with a Flat Earth boss, and “Entertainment Corp.” that closes things with Nikky Mouse as the final boss.
Unfortunately, the fun stopped pretty much after the first world. All other worlds were basically the same thing all over again, only with different skins on the enemies but with the same behavior. The bosses were different, but that was the only difference. And the fact that you have only one hit (unless you find a shield) and have to start the world all over if you die makes for some frustrating moments (especially considering that icon in the bottom left I mentioned before). The joystick to move was also incredibly sensitive, which can cause issues in a game that features lots of bullets to avoid.
As for the trophies in Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns, completing the five worlds will give you all the trophies you require for the Platinum. You get a trophy for defeating each of the game’s bosses, and then one for each power-up after you use it ten times. The only trophy that could potentially be missable is the one for killing at least 450 enemies in a run, but if you shoot stuff on sight, you should easily get it in the last world.
Final Thoughts
Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns had it all with its title, but it, unfortunately, fails to deliver an overall enjoyable game. Sure, the bosses are funny to see, but that’s pretty much the only thing I enjoyed while playing.
PSN Price: $6.99
Disclaimer
This Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Fantastico Studio.
