The humble Slugcat (the adorable furry creature at the heart of the Rain World) has long been one of my white whales. Since 2017, I have made several attempts (and failed) to master the art of survival in the uncompromising world of Slugcat. downpour, finally clicked. In addition to being a gigantic expansion for a thorny survival simulation platformer, the Downpour expansion goes a long way in making the original game more accessible and less intimidating after five years of development — It overwhelms me again and again before unleashing sequel-worthy fresh scares on me.
Rain World was the very definition of a cult hit. It was met with significant confusion initially (our own Shaun Prescott’s review is one of the few truly positive ones), but it’s easy to see why so many bounced back.Rain The World is a talkative, uncommunicative beast. Between constant time pressure (racing body-shattering rainstorms) and unpredictable, untethered AI, many players fascinated by cute alien animals find themselves cold, wet, miserable, I was left confused.
Rain World has found an audience at the intersection of nature documentary fans and fans playing the STALKER survival mod.
and died. frequently.
Rain World is a game of often striking beauty, with detailed pixel art backgrounds populated with procedurally animated, physics-driven creatures. It feels like a living alien world with a complex ecosystem. Unfortunately for his player-controlled Slugcat, this is nature without limits, red teeth and claws and plenty of ways to die. It’s a really difficult game, but it’s a captivating one to live in, and the promise of discovering another strange new environment (filled with new ways to devour like crazy) and a little more unraveling of the story are worth it. , led the brave souls to fight. Who found the game they’ve been hooked on for years.
As such, Rain World has found an audience among nature documentary fans and fans playing the STALKER survival mod. While many tapped out before discovering Rain World, have Stories and conversations, those who persevered found a game of amazing depth. Rain World has an amazingly complex AI (all creatures have complex drives and reactions), hidden systems such as creature taming, simple controls but highly technical gameplay. It has a morally troubling storyline that revolves around the cycle of movement, karma and death and rebirth.
A single playthrough could last dozens of hours, and thanks to the game’s web of unpredictable systems, no two adventures were exactly alike. It felt almost endless. largely.
deluge yourself
For some, it still wasn’t enough. Deep wells of lore have dried up, landscapes have become all too familiar, and once-terrifyingly majestic creatures have become predictable. I started working on creating a tool and extending it. More playable creatures, more environments, more art and music. Many have drawn fan art and written large-scale fiction based on stories of alien transcendence.
Although many mods have been released in the last five years (mostly Community Hub RainDB), the most awaited was the humblely titled More Slugcats.This started out as an attempt to add some new playable creatures with interesting abilities, but then expanded in scope. Nearly 40 Modders, it is the central pillar of the downpour. The collaboration was organized by original developer Videocult and reactivated after reclaiming the rights to Rain World from original publisher Adult Swim.
Rain World Remix is a free upgrade to the original game from the two lead coders of More Slugcats and will be released with paid DLC. By default, Rain World is rebalanced to be easier to understand (via additional info, tips and tutorials) and a little less random, but fully customizable. Get your feet wet, with a dizzying array of buttons, toggles, and variables to tailor the game to your liking, plus accessibility like the ability to slow down the entire game like Celeste You have options.
Joining Rain World is a lot less intimidating than it was at launch. I still have a lot to learn, Full spoiler tagged wiki When Useful technical guide If necessary. The original game serves as a warm-up for Downpour split into three modules (More Slugcats, Expedition, Jolly Co-op).
go to the abyss
By adding five new characters with completely different abilities and five linked stories that span generations, more Slugcats could easily pass for a full sequel.you can To force unlock something like this early, Downpour recommends completing the original story first. Adds new environments with their own ecology, creatures, aesthetics and music. More Slugcats includes a challenge mode with 70 short score chase levels (perfect for practicing combat and dodge) and a free-form view of the world from afar, or possessing creatures to see what life is like. We’ve also added a Safari mode that you can savor.As raft Also mirosbad.
The additional Slug Cat and its strange powers change the game more than you might expect. Five powerful mutants never thought of mass production: too strange to live, too rare to die:
round gourmand You need extra food to survive, but the calories are sent to your brain so you can combine items to create new equipment and cook more nutritious meals. You can also swing your weight around in combat to dive into enemies and damage or stun them.
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of craftsman Violence incarnate. It is immune to explosive damage, can create bombs, and can rocket jump through the air organically.Unfortunately, it begins in a run-down city full of unfriendly neighbors who are unhappy about sharing their lawn with a living explosion. trickle There are very few drawbacks. It’s not truly amphibious, but it’s faster than average and agile, and it’s almost as good in the water as it is on land. Its main quest is a race against time, as rainfall becomes more frequent each time it hibernates.
of spear master A strange mouthless vampire mutation. To feed, it extends its spear-like tentacles from its tail and pierces them, sucking the life out of its prey.These infinite bone spears can also be thrown into walls or climbed, giving them great mobility, but you’ll need to hunt live prey to survive. teeth saintIts grappling hook tongue is the most agile of all (and is also fun to use), but it is frail, half-blind, and has such weak limbs that thrown spears harmlessly roll to the ground. It also starts with starvation and freezing to death, so… good luck?
unfathomable depth
All eight Slugcats are expedition, a semi-roguelike survival sandbox that lets you live the life of a slugcat without worrying about plot. In addition to basic survival, this mode assigns both random and handcrafted missions, rewarding success with points to spend on perks, score-doubling difficulty boosts, and other goodies for future runs. give. Judging by Steam reviews, some players have spent hundreds of hours playing vanilla Rain World. You can see them crossing over to their four-digit obsession here.
The final part of the package is Jolly Co-op, which turns Story Mode and Expedition Mode into a local multiplayer game for up to 4 players. While there’s no true online multiplayer (though future mods won’t tell), Rain World supports Steam Remote Play Together, so distance isn’t an obstacle. Unlocking all characters completely changes the game. A single slug is easy prey. Four are fluffy, sickening nightmares.
heavy rain tremendously A huge package and a new beginning for Rain World. Now, with built-in mod support, Steam Workshop integration, and better tools in circulation, fans who have maintained Rain World for many years now have a glorious new foundation and fresh blood to join them. I got a lot of it. Even after a dozen hours of playing, it feels like you’ve barely explored the pouring shallows, but go in. The water is clean and just a little noodle.
