The world of rain

Why are we playing video games? You can answer this question in different ways, but, by and large, if you generalize, leaving, in the brackets of particularly, such as professional e-sports, then first of all, in order to experience vivid emotions and feelings inaccessible in real life, whether it is joy and satisfaction from the victory of a particularly complex boss in Dark Souls or loneliness and the existential horror of a person, an incredible waypost -apocalyptic future at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in SOMA .

However, the more we play and the more often we experience a monotonous game experience, the weaker the emotions. This is how our brain works: thanks to emotions, we cut off and better remember the important information for us, and when there is no need to remember and active work, emotions are fading. It is for this reason that many people who have a solid game experience have a loss of interest in games, who rarely can offer truly fresh experience. In addition, here we are faced with another problem, the root of which is all the same: if something new appears, then our brain is very reluctant to spend on studying this energy, if only it does not matter for us so much as to immediately cause a sufficiently strong emotional response. Otherwise, it is necessary to make strong -willed efforts, while the more we invest, the more valuable the object to us is to which they were directed for us.

About the problems of game journalism

Rain World came out in the spring of 2017 and turned out to be almost unnoticed. A few critics who still drew attention to the game reacted cool to it, and the average assessment of Metacritic amounted to 59 points – praised a beautiful picture, but complained about high complexity, the absence of sane learning, unjust death and unreasonable management. When you read these reviews, the question is constantly spinning in your head: and their authors at least tried to figure out the game?

Nick Rowen (Nic rowen) from Destructoid In his article, he is asking why he should understand the game if she is so unfair and inaccessible to him. If it were a review of a simple player, then there would be no problem, because the player really should not understand if he does not want to, but Nick Rowen is a professional critic who literally asks why he should do his job. Other reviewers who set low grades are not so frank in their statements, but their unwillingness to delve into the game obviously.

Alas, game journalism standards are extremely low. Critics, it seems, often do not at all realize their responsibility. However, game journalists are not at all unique here, so it would be unfair to blame for unprofessionalism only their.

Nick Drake (Nick Drake), one of my most beloved musical performers, did not find understanding with his contemporaries, so he died at the age of 26 from an overdose of amitriplin – a cardiotoxic antidepressant, which he took from a prolonged depression, which developed against the background of the complete failure of all his albums, which was also facilitated by cool reviews of critics. Only decades later his music gained wide recognition, and he himself began to be called a genius. Surely you yourself can remember a couple of such stories.

And the movement in your brain sends you out into the rain.

In the case of the gaming industry, it is the most vulnerable to indie developers who do not have large marketing budgets, as a result of which they can only rely on players, critics and streamers. Fortunately, unlike the works of Nick Drake, Rain World found its audience during the life of its creators, and bad grades did not prevent the game from becoming a cult in narrow circles and eventually gather a strong community around itself, thanks to which a major addition of Downpour was even released at the beginning of the year . The Internet saved the situation!

Development history

The development of Rain World originates in 2011, when the Swedish artist Joar Jacobsson (Joar Jakobsson) began working on the prototype of the system of movements of the future game, originally planned as a small project, the development of which would not take much time. Joar was playing in his free time from the main job, while studying programming at the same time.

I would say that in the spectrum between art and programming there are many solutions that can be non -partial if you are only an artist or programmer. Even if you are incredibly good in something, you can miss the opportunities that are at the junction of these directions.

Joar Jacobsson

In early 2012, the main concept of the game has already taken shape. In the role of a small animal, the player was supposed to survive in a simple ecosystem, which, in addition to him, included a small flying creature that he hunted for, and a predator standing at the top of the food chain, who hunted for the player, while predators were planned to make several types, each of which would have unique features of behavior.

Around the same time, a composer https://nonukcasinosites.co.uk/review/vipzino/ joins the project to work on sound to the project James Terrien (James Therrien), which later began to be responsible for the narrative, Levele-design and marketing. Together with James, his girlfriend and his girl Lydia Esrig (Lydia Esrig). Later, the artist joined the development Allegra Nordern (Allegra Northern).

Production gained momentum, combining the development of the game with the main work became more and more difficult, so the question arose about financing. In early 2014, it was launched Kickstarter-The campaign, during which the team managed not only to collect the right amount, but also attract the attention of the publisher in the person Adult Swim Games, who proposed to publish the game and additionally finance the development if there is such a need. The contract was signed, and the nameless team officially became a studio Videocult.

The scale of Rain World grew and it became obvious that the engine Adobe Director, on which the game was developed, no longer fit, so it was decided to transfer it to Unity. Joar Jacobsson had to not only deal with the new engine, but also completely rewrite the game code in another programming language that he had to study from scratch.

In total, the development of the game took 6 years, during which Joar and James led a detailed girl, in which you can find a lot of interesting information, which can be very useful for beginner developers.

The world of rain

It is difficult to write about Rain World, but not because there is nothing to say, but because any specificity about this game will take the pleasure of studying a unique and not similar world, the device of which is best comprehended on your own. Remember what you felt when you first launched the game of the Souls series – Rain World will be about the same. This is the same fresh game experience that requires certain efforts to overcome the entry threshold.

Campaign

In the original game, three campaigns are available for different slurry, which differ in both complexity and history.

The standard level of complexity. On the release of the game, it was the only affordable campaign. I recommend for the first passage.

Low level of complexity. Less food is required, and the number of hazardous creatures is reduced on locations. In many ways, he repeats the campaign of the surviving.

High level of complexity. This campaign becomes available after passing the game for the surviving or monk. More food is required, but the opportunity opens to eat large prey. Increased speed of movement and damaged damage. New types of creatures appear. Significant differences in the plot, which determine an additional complexity modifier, which I will not disclose.

Gameplay

The opening video of the survivor.

By the will of the occasion, the young sludshot is separated from his family is left alone in a dangerous and unfamiliar world. In the first five minutes, you will be trained in the basics of management, show that food and refuge are good, and the rain is very bad, after which you will find one on one on this world, just like sludshot, the management of which you took on yourself – now you are a single whole. It will be difficult to survive.

Rain World stands on two whales – advanced artificial intelligence and procedural animation, which are inseparable from each other and actually make up a single whole, since animations directly depend on AI. A similar approach makes the world of the game truly “living” and unique-you will not see this anywhere else. Without any exaggeration, in Rain World the most “living” AI, which can be seen in games today. Not suitable for a studio of four people, is it not so?

As in real life, sometimes what is happening in the game is very chaotic and not always lend itself to complete control;No matter how well you play, there is always a chance that something will go wrong, and this is also facilitated by the specific physics of the character. As mentioned above, the game uses procedural animations, which, of course, are not bypassed by sludge, which means that the environment affects the character much stronger than in conditional Super Mario, Therefore, one hundred percent control is fundamentally impossible. In addition, although the plyards are half and the cat, but on the other half – the mucus, and therefore does not have any superpowers, except rationality, and this is completely reflected in management. But there is nothing wrong with that! It would be strange to demand from Gran Turismo Simplicity and accessibility Need for Speed.

At first, at first it seems inconvenient, and the character is too “heavy”, you get used to it quite quickly, and when you get used to it, you begin to enjoy it, after which the understanding comes that it should be in this game. Moreover, the depth of the mulm is simply phenomenal-there is an 88-page guide on the Internet dedicated exclusively to the subtleties of management. GIT GUD!

The complexity of the game organically follows from the general concept, it is not created artificially. The ecosystem lives its own life, and you are only part of it, while very insignificant. Like you, creatures here survive: they hunt, they themselves become prey, compete with each other and scatter from all their feet in their shelters as soon as they notice the approach of the rain. Like you, they make mistakes, and this world rarely forgives them.

Of course, Rain World knows how to frustrate the player. To make you easier at the first stages, I can say one thing: the fines for death are far from as terrible as it might seem at first glance, so try to relate to failures easier.

Narrative

As for the plot filling, Laura and other narrative – all this is. Believe me, the game may amaze.

Presentation

The game looks just great and sounds! I already mentioned that Joar Jacobsson is an artist? The combination of high detail, multi -layer rees and complete dynamic lighting makes the picture shocking, especially in dynamics. Needless to say, you yourself have already seen and heard in the videos! Here’s another one for you.

The video capture is carried out in resolution of 720p using the Share function on PS4. In fact, the picture is much more clear.

According to Joar, graffiti influenced the visual style (in the game they are full!), old black and white cartoons and concrete jungle Seoul, in which he studied by exchange.

The game sounds as it should! The sound landscape perfectly immerses in the world and creates the desired atmosphere, and the sounds of creatures are easily read and remembered.

Music in the game causes persistent associations with the genre IDM, In particular with the label Warp Records, on which such performers are produced as Autechre, Plaid, Aphex Twin And Boars of Canada. Not the most standard choice for a game soundtrack, but a similar style fit into the game just fine. Listen yourself!

If I managed to interest you, then do not watch anything else and do not read – I already told and showed too much.

The world of rain is harsh and is in no hurry to reveal its secrets, but if you have the strength to become part of it, then it will forever remain in your heart.