Game Name: Rain<\/p>\n
Platforms: PlayStation 3<\/p>\n
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment<\/p>\n
Developer: SCE Japan Studio<\/p>\n
Genres: Adventure<\/p>\n
UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013<\/time><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\nRain<\/em>\u00a0is immensely depressing. It\u2019s only fair to warn you that like the sodden world you\u2019ll spend a good few hours in your joy will be dragged to the bottom of the well, crippling even the most stringent optimist with melancholy. No matter how hard you try, how far you run, you\u2019ll remain alone. The darkness never relents, attempting to engulf you at every possible moment. The monsoon pours down continuously in this miserable world and the fleeting moments of hope are dashed faster than it takes for a drop to hit the ground.<\/p>\nThere are glimmers though, those cursory junctures where all does not feel lost and solitude is dispelled for the briefest of occasions. When you, the boy, and the girl you so desperately try to find are together it lights a spark in your heart, one that promises that everything will be okay. Yet, those promises are swiftly extinguished time after time as you\u2019re separated by an Unknown entity \u2013 something is hunting you and it just will not let up.<\/p>\n\u00a0This SCE Japan developed is tremendously difficult to play, not because there\u2019s anything disgustingly awful about the gameplay, just that it is so draining. Time after time I thought I\u2019d scaled the hopeless mountain, that everything from here on out would be uplifting, but it just knocks you down again and again; it\u2019s brilliant really. With a heart-wrenching melody, no voice work and just a some text on-screen,\u00a0Rai<\/em>n manages to evoke such a powerful emotional response.<\/div>\n\nIts artisticness stretches from the wonderful soundtrack to the beautiful yet gloomy environments, constantly drenched in the downpour. Despite its lack of colour, the realm you\u2019re in has a charm to it that\u2019s entrancing; the way the rain shapes you and your enemies, the footsteps that appear when you\u2019re invisible, even the deserted nature of the world populated with scattered bottles and discarded chairs. There\u2019s always that continuing reminder that you\u2019re alone and it\u2019s crushing.<\/p>\nThe rain also acts as the core gameplay mechanic as well. When you stand out under the clouds your form is visible but when you shelter your figure is lost and you\u2019re hidden to those that want to cause you harm. It\u2019s an ingenious system so it\u2019s hugely disappointing that it\u2019s never fully utilised. There are puzzle elements mixed in with the platforming sections but they never challenge nor is it ever progress beyond what feels like the opening few stages.<\/p>\nAt only eight chapters\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0isn\u2019t the longest of titles but it feels underdeveloped and lacking in substance beyond the wonderful atmosphere. In most areas of the gameplay it is severely inadequate and the archaic implementation disrupts it frequently. Having to press circle to ascend a ladder or crawl under a space feels like technical limitations rather than clever design decisions to set the pace; ultimately it feels outdated. Stealth elements are used well but also underused and never require more than a seconds thought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOther than creating the right atmosphere Rain\u2019s visual positives end there. Animations are clunky, textures are poor, character models vastly too simplistic and graphically it never impresses. This wouldn\u2019t be a problem if the gameplay was something to shout about but it\u2019s a facile attempt. Misdirecting baddies with sound by jumping in puddles, becoming partially visible thanks to mud and hidden enemies attempt to give an otherwise droll interaction set some live but never muster more than a whimper.<\/p>\nRain<\/em>\u00a0has to polarised sides. On the one hand it\u2019s an emotional tale that, upon completion, is clever and expertly executed despite its dispiriting nature. How friendship, fear, hope and grieve were all created using so little is mightily impressive, but almost everywhere else Rain disappoints. There is no depth to the gameplay and little enjoyment to be found from it \u2013 and despite unlocking \u201cmemories\u201d for a second run there\u2019s little incentive to do so.<\/p>\nAs a work of art,\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0borders on exceptional. It keeps pushing you until you feel as though you\u2019re going to break before hitting you with a punchline that sets it all into place. As a game though, it is distinctly lacking, woefully inept and vastly outdated. There is little that holds your interest to play and it sadly would\u2019ve been far better without a controller of any sort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n
Rain<\/em>\u00a0is immensely depressing. It\u2019s only fair to warn you that like the sodden world you\u2019ll spend a good few hours in your joy will be dragged to the bottom of the well, crippling even the most stringent optimist with melancholy. No matter how hard you try, how far you run, you\u2019ll remain alone. The darkness never relents, attempting to engulf you at every possible moment. The monsoon pours down continuously in this miserable world and the fleeting moments of hope are dashed faster than it takes for a drop to hit the ground.<\/p>\nThere are glimmers though, those cursory junctures where all does not feel lost and solitude is dispelled for the briefest of occasions. When you, the boy, and the girl you so desperately try to find are together it lights a spark in your heart, one that promises that everything will be okay. Yet, those promises are swiftly extinguished time after time as you\u2019re separated by an Unknown entity \u2013 something is hunting you and it just will not let up.<\/p>\n\u00a0This SCE Japan developed is tremendously difficult to play, not because there\u2019s anything disgustingly awful about the gameplay, just that it is so draining. Time after time I thought I\u2019d scaled the hopeless mountain, that everything from here on out would be uplifting, but it just knocks you down again and again; it\u2019s brilliant really. With a heart-wrenching melody, no voice work and just a some text on-screen,\u00a0Rai<\/em>n manages to evoke such a powerful emotional response.<\/div>\n\nIts artisticness stretches from the wonderful soundtrack to the beautiful yet gloomy environments, constantly drenched in the downpour. Despite its lack of colour, the realm you\u2019re in has a charm to it that\u2019s entrancing; the way the rain shapes you and your enemies, the footsteps that appear when you\u2019re invisible, even the deserted nature of the world populated with scattered bottles and discarded chairs. There\u2019s always that continuing reminder that you\u2019re alone and it\u2019s crushing.<\/p>\nThe rain also acts as the core gameplay mechanic as well. When you stand out under the clouds your form is visible but when you shelter your figure is lost and you\u2019re hidden to those that want to cause you harm. It\u2019s an ingenious system so it\u2019s hugely disappointing that it\u2019s never fully utilised. There are puzzle elements mixed in with the platforming sections but they never challenge nor is it ever progress beyond what feels like the opening few stages.<\/p>\nAt only eight chapters\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0isn\u2019t the longest of titles but it feels underdeveloped and lacking in substance beyond the wonderful atmosphere. In most areas of the gameplay it is severely inadequate and the archaic implementation disrupts it frequently. Having to press circle to ascend a ladder or crawl under a space feels like technical limitations rather than clever design decisions to set the pace; ultimately it feels outdated. Stealth elements are used well but also underused and never require more than a seconds thought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOther than creating the right atmosphere Rain\u2019s visual positives end there. Animations are clunky, textures are poor, character models vastly too simplistic and graphically it never impresses. This wouldn\u2019t be a problem if the gameplay was something to shout about but it\u2019s a facile attempt. Misdirecting baddies with sound by jumping in puddles, becoming partially visible thanks to mud and hidden enemies attempt to give an otherwise droll interaction set some live but never muster more than a whimper.<\/p>\nRain<\/em>\u00a0has to polarised sides. On the one hand it\u2019s an emotional tale that, upon completion, is clever and expertly executed despite its dispiriting nature. How friendship, fear, hope and grieve were all created using so little is mightily impressive, but almost everywhere else Rain disappoints. There is no depth to the gameplay and little enjoyment to be found from it \u2013 and despite unlocking \u201cmemories\u201d for a second run there\u2019s little incentive to do so.<\/p>\nAs a work of art,\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0borders on exceptional. It keeps pushing you until you feel as though you\u2019re going to break before hitting you with a punchline that sets it all into place. As a game though, it is distinctly lacking, woefully inept and vastly outdated. There is little that holds your interest to play and it sadly would\u2019ve been far better without a controller of any sort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
There are glimmers though, those cursory junctures where all does not feel lost and solitude is dispelled for the briefest of occasions. When you, the boy, and the girl you so desperately try to find are together it lights a spark in your heart, one that promises that everything will be okay. Yet, those promises are swiftly extinguished time after time as you\u2019re separated by an Unknown entity \u2013 something is hunting you and it just will not let up.<\/p>\n
Its artisticness stretches from the wonderful soundtrack to the beautiful yet gloomy environments, constantly drenched in the downpour. Despite its lack of colour, the realm you\u2019re in has a charm to it that\u2019s entrancing; the way the rain shapes you and your enemies, the footsteps that appear when you\u2019re invisible, even the deserted nature of the world populated with scattered bottles and discarded chairs. There\u2019s always that continuing reminder that you\u2019re alone and it\u2019s crushing.<\/p>\n
The rain also acts as the core gameplay mechanic as well. When you stand out under the clouds your form is visible but when you shelter your figure is lost and you\u2019re hidden to those that want to cause you harm. It\u2019s an ingenious system so it\u2019s hugely disappointing that it\u2019s never fully utilised. There are puzzle elements mixed in with the platforming sections but they never challenge nor is it ever progress beyond what feels like the opening few stages.<\/p>\n
At only eight chapters\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0isn\u2019t the longest of titles but it feels underdeveloped and lacking in substance beyond the wonderful atmosphere. In most areas of the gameplay it is severely inadequate and the archaic implementation disrupts it frequently. Having to press circle to ascend a ladder or crawl under a space feels like technical limitations rather than clever design decisions to set the pace; ultimately it feels outdated. Stealth elements are used well but also underused and never require more than a seconds thought.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOther than creating the right atmosphere Rain\u2019s visual positives end there. Animations are clunky, textures are poor, character models vastly too simplistic and graphically it never impresses. This wouldn\u2019t be a problem if the gameplay was something to shout about but it\u2019s a facile attempt. Misdirecting baddies with sound by jumping in puddles, becoming partially visible thanks to mud and hidden enemies attempt to give an otherwise droll interaction set some live but never muster more than a whimper.<\/p>\nRain<\/em>\u00a0has to polarised sides. On the one hand it\u2019s an emotional tale that, upon completion, is clever and expertly executed despite its dispiriting nature. How friendship, fear, hope and grieve were all created using so little is mightily impressive, but almost everywhere else Rain disappoints. There is no depth to the gameplay and little enjoyment to be found from it \u2013 and despite unlocking \u201cmemories\u201d for a second run there\u2019s little incentive to do so.<\/p>\nAs a work of art,\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0borders on exceptional. It keeps pushing you until you feel as though you\u2019re going to break before hitting you with a punchline that sets it all into place. As a game though, it is distinctly lacking, woefully inept and vastly outdated. There is little that holds your interest to play and it sadly would\u2019ve been far better without a controller of any sort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Other than creating the right atmosphere Rain\u2019s visual positives end there. Animations are clunky, textures are poor, character models vastly too simplistic and graphically it never impresses. This wouldn\u2019t be a problem if the gameplay was something to shout about but it\u2019s a facile attempt. Misdirecting baddies with sound by jumping in puddles, becoming partially visible thanks to mud and hidden enemies attempt to give an otherwise droll interaction set some live but never muster more than a whimper.<\/p>\n
Rain<\/em>\u00a0has to polarised sides. On the one hand it\u2019s an emotional tale that, upon completion, is clever and expertly executed despite its dispiriting nature. How friendship, fear, hope and grieve were all created using so little is mightily impressive, but almost everywhere else Rain disappoints. There is no depth to the gameplay and little enjoyment to be found from it \u2013 and despite unlocking \u201cmemories\u201d for a second run there\u2019s little incentive to do so.<\/p>\nAs a work of art,\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0borders on exceptional. It keeps pushing you until you feel as though you\u2019re going to break before hitting you with a punchline that sets it all into place. As a game though, it is distinctly lacking, woefully inept and vastly outdated. There is little that holds your interest to play and it sadly would\u2019ve been far better without a controller of any sort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
As a work of art,\u00a0Rain<\/em>\u00a0borders on exceptional. It keeps pushing you until you feel as though you\u2019re going to break before hitting you with a punchline that sets it all into place. As a game though, it is distinctly lacking, woefully inept and vastly outdated. There is little that holds your interest to play and it sadly would\u2019ve been far better without a controller of any sort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
As a work of art – exceptional. As a game – woefully inept. Game Name: Rain Platforms: PlayStation 3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: SCE Japan Studio Genres: Adventure UK Release:\u00a0October 2, 2013 Rain\u00a0is...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5024,"parent":10,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onehitpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}