Rain (video game)
| rain | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) |
Acquire SCE Japan Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Yuki Ikeda |
| Designer(s) | Tomoharu Fujii |
| Artist(s) | Seiichi Terashima |
| Composer(s) | Yugo Kanno |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
Rain (stylized as rain), also known in Asia as Lost in the Rain[2], is an adventure video game developed by SCE Japan Studio published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 video game console. The game was first revealed at Gamescom and was released as a digital download on the PlayStation Network in 2013. While the digital version is available in all regions, the games physical disc based release was limited to in Japan, with only Japanese language options, and a Hong Kong and Taiwan release containing English and Traditional Chinese language options.[3][4] This last version is the only way to acquire an English language copy of the game in physical form, making it a sought after collectible.[5]
Plot
Rain takes place in a town loosely inspired by mid-twentieth century Paris, and follows a young boy. In the opening of the game, he is stuck in bed at home. During the day he stares out of his window and sees an invisible girl in the rain who is given form by the rain casting a silhouette around her. She stares at him for a brief second before being chased away by something huge and menacing that is also invisible.
Curious, he follows the two down an alleyway, whereupon exiting through a pair of large doors, the day suddenly turns to night and the town is now deserted, occupied only by strange invisible beasts that roam the streets. The boy also realises that he himself is invisible; given form by the rain casting a silhouette around his body.
With the way back closed, he attempts to find the girl, who is still pursued by the beasts; referred to as the Unknown. Using any means to shelter from the rain, the boy evades the creatures that prowl the streets and alleyways, yet the girl proves ever elusive.
Finally after missing his chance at a church being renovated, he then follows her into the grounds of a disused factory and finally makes his presence known to her. They escape together, but neither is able to hear the others voice. Regardless, they continue on through the town while being pursued by the Unknown.
As the game progresses, the children become aware that each has a visible doppelganger asleep in their respective homes. The girl attempts to awaken her other self; and while doing so begins to become visible again. But before she can finish, she is chased away by the Unknown.
The boy follows, and upon exiting her house, discovers that the town has completely restructured itself into a castle maze-type layout, that is afloat on water with nothing visible on the horizon. He eventually reunites with the girl and the two flee from the ever-pursuing Unknown.
Drawn to a strange light at the edge of the Unknown’s domain, the two arrive in an alleyway with the light seeping in through the very doors the boy had passed through when entering the world of the night. Exposure to the light suddenly weakens the Unknown and the children, seeing this, open both doors, causing it to collapse upon the ground.
However they realise they cannot leave as without the rain, they have no physical form. Instead they drag the Unknown out into the light and close the door on it, leaving themselves trapped in the world of the night. Suddenly the Unknown bursts through the door and collapses onto the boy, slowly crushing him with its weight. Unable to free him, the girl abandons him and heads straight to his home. There she yells at his window in the hope to awaken him, and succeeds as he becomes visible and vanishes, leaving her still trapped and alone.
As with the opening; the closing is depicted through watercolour painted stills. The boy awakens in his bed in the day and immediately sets off across town, retracing his steps to the girl’s home. Standing outside below her bedroom window he attempts to awaken her the way she awoke him, with success as she appears on her bedroom porch. The game ends with the two reuniting on the street outside her house underneath a rainbow.[3][6]
Gameplay
Rain is an adventure game in which the player takes up the role as a young boy who is invisible and can only be seen when standing in the pouring rain. When walking under shelter outside the rain, the boy cannot be seen and can only be tracked by his watery footprints. The player utilizes the visibility of the boy, and other creatures, in the rain to solve various puzzles and tasks throughout the game.[6]
Music
The game's theme song is "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy from Suite bergamasque, and is arranged by the game's composer Yugo Kanno and sung by Connie Talbot.[7]
Reception
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The game has received mixed to positive reviews in its release. It received an aggregated score of 72/100 on Metacritic based on 77 reviews.[8] Daniel Krupa of IGN rated the game a 7/10, praising some of the game's mechanics but said "Rain creates a distinctive heartbreaking atmosphere, but fails to develop it into a more engrossing experience."[11] Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot gave the game a 7.0 as well, praising the gameplay, music and some of the puzzles, saying "Rain uses chilling atmosphere and a heartfelt story to draw you in to this fantastical world", but criticized some of the mechanics of the puzzles.[10] Brittany Vincent of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 3/5, saying "There's the potential for a beautiful journey here, but Rain seems to be too content to wallow in its melancholy to create any real engaging gameplay."[13] Philip Kollar of Polygon gave the game an 8.5, stating "Rain pulls strong emotion out of its simple mechanics."[12] Christian Donlan from Eurogamer rated the game a 6/10, while praising its lighting and atmosphere, he criticized the poorly-paced story and the repetitive plot, as well as the game for not being challenging. He called the game "a missed opportunity".[9]
References
- ↑ "E3 2013 Impressions of Rain - Blog by Eatpi - IGN". Ca.ign.com. 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
- ↑ "Lost in the Rain Out on 3rd October with Pre-order Offers - PlayStation Blog - Asia | Hong Kong". Blog.asia.playstation.com. 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
- 1 2 "Rain - PlayStation 3". IGN. 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ↑ "Sony Japan unveils two new PS3 IPs, 'Rain' and 'Puppeteer'". Videogamewriters.com. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ↑ "Rain (Lost in the Rain) physical copy, English and Chinese language version". Play-Asia. 2016.
- 1 2 "PlayStation 3’s Newest Art Game: Rain". IGN. 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ↑ Watts, Steve (22 August 2013). "Rain falling on PS3 on October 1". Shacknews. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- 1 2 "rain Critic review". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
- 1 2 Donlan, Christian (2013-10-01). "Rain review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
- 1 2 "Rain Review". GameSpot.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- 1 2 Daniel Krupa. "Rain Review". IGN. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- 1 2 Kollar, Philip (2013-08-01). "Rain review: how to disappear completely". Polygon. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
- 1 2 Vincent, Brittany (2013-08-01). "Review: Rain". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
External links
- Official website (Japanese)
- Screenshots and info - PlayStation Blog