A Slugcat with a yearning to survive and explore. Results in a pretty good arcade survival game. Rain World brings new meaning to the survival genre. It even contains elements of horror that leave you wanting more.

Rain World Review

Title: Rain World
Platform: PC, PS4 [Reviewed]
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Videocult
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
Players: 1
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Price: $19.99

Slugcat All by Himself

Rain World at first glance is weird. But the game is so much more than that. The story follows a slugcat getting separated from his family after a violent storm. Slugcat’s goal is to find his family. While also avoiding dangerous enemies and even the rain itself. This is of course done by interacting the environment, and becoming a master at Slugcat movements.

Slugcat is vulnerable to almost everything except falling. This also includes evading various dangerous predators like Color Lizards and Venus Trap like plantlife. Players can’t really outright kill anything. Just, merely distract or knock out enemies for a certain amount of time. Useful items like spears and rocks allow Slugcat to make a quick get-away, or give time for you to plan out the next move. The game is very blunt about it’s objective. Something you only find out by playing more and more.

What makes the game so incredible is that it grants vast amounts of freedom. Offering only the simplest of introductions, it quickly allows the player to have full freedom in discovering the world and it’s resources. Giving players choice in what path they go down. If one path doesn’t work, they have over five different others to go through. Keeping players interested, and wanting to come back for more.

Puzzles and Hibernation

A subtle, but equally important event is hibernating. Players must also feed Slugcat. If not, they can’t progress through areas of the game that involve mysterious symbols. These mysterious symbols are keys to a puzzle linked within Slugcat. Players must capture bats or eat fruits, in order to gain enough orbs for hibernation. The more orbs you obtain in one day, the less time you have to waste in getting orbs for the next day.

Hibernation is like the level up system for Slugcat. Serving as checkpoints or shelters from big natural events. However, players must be careful in avoiding the rain. Whether it’s linked to the trauma of losing its family, or because of its small stature, the rain is a big danger. So, make sure Hibernation occurs in safe areas.

A Weird Art Style

The artstyle of Rain World is a big highlight. It’s probably what will make players curious about the game the most. One of the things I loved about Rain World, is how great it looks on the Playstation 4, and how distinct each color is despite them being on a monotone level. The other enjoyable moment was during streaming, how so many of my viewers enjoyed watching the game and stayed because of how different this game is. Not only because of its art style, but also because of the survival aspect as well.

Pros

Unique type of survival game that really shows the vulnerability of the character.

Interesting Art Style

Challenging, fun, and well balanced

Cons

Laggy Controls cause some problems

The short jump distance causes some places to be almost impossible to get to

Overall Score: 8.0 Out of 10. This game is honestly one of my favorite games on PS4. The game is both tense and relaxing. Although trying to survive and get through the levels is challenging. Simple, yet complex too. I’d recommend this to just about anyone. Especially those who enjoy Survival Games.