Rain World (PC)

You live in a world that is – to you and your fellow critters – unimaginably vast and incredibly dangerous. Sometimes, you'll have to defend your life from glowing alligator-like “dragons,” or from larger and stranger things right out of H.R. Giger's playbook, but, above all else, there is one omnipresent threat that all life must fear: the coming of the rains. 

You can explore, find food to eat (and store away a little extra to prepare for hibernation), and try to make progress in your quest to become reunited with your family However, every few minutes, you see and hear the warning signs: The skies rumble, the screen shakes; shortly thereafter, a few raindrops begin to fall. Then, many more, and more still. The shower becomes a storm, and the storm, a cloudburst, then a violent torrent, obscuring vision and quickly drowning any small, nearly-defenseless critters who happen to get caught in its path. Unfortunately, YOU are one such critter: a slugcat.

This is Rain World, developed by Videocult and published by Adult Swim Games. The story is presented mostly via cutscenes (and, later, bits of lore), allowing you to fill in the blanks as you progress. You play as a slugcat who was separated from their family during a migration. Your purpose is to reunite with your family before getting drowned by a storm or eaten by the nearest raging monster/plant/whatever. 

A small, glowing, mobile tendril-thing acts as a tutorial on movement, long jumps, places to go, etc, though its guidance is sometimes much more useful than others. It does this with no text; it simply projects little holograms indicating button inputs, warnings about enemies, and directions on how to reach the nearest hibernation shelter – one of the few places where you can safely wait out the horrible storms and take a rest.

In terms of controls, keyboard or controller both work fine. Some movements (such as long-jumping) take a little getting used to, but the simple and direct controls are otherwise easy to master. You basically have left, right, climb and descend (poles), jump, grab (food or weapons), eat, and throw. You can carry up to two items at once, and even swallow certain non-food items for later use (ewww...). Throwable objects such as rocks and spears can be used as weapons to slow down – and eventually even kill – the glowing monstrosities that are coming after you, desperate for a slugcat soufflé. I's even possible to tame a monster, if you so choose, and have a few hours to kill making friends. If the monsters cannot get to you easily, they will gleefully fight one another to see who gets the honor of the kill, and most of them are just as capable as you are of navigating the seemingly post-apocalyptic wasteland you find yourselves in. 

On top of all that, the need to keep moving – whether to escape predators or to avoid the torrential rains – is nigh-omnipresent, providing an impetus to get your fuzzy little slugcat ass in gear. 

The visuals in Rain World are some well-done, 2-D poly graphics. The atmosphere is dank and damp (literally) with almost too-realistic water. The game does a superlative job of making you feel like a tiny little critter in a huge, unforgiving world ... which is exactly what you are and where you are. The whole thing feels like a modern take on the graphics from games such as Flashback: The Quest for Identity and Out of This World/Another World. It plays much like they do, as well. The music is predominantly atmospheric, adjusting based on the current circumstances. It does its job quite well.