Превосходная история об отношениях мальчика и девочки. Трудно сказать, когда в играх рассказывалась более красивая и чистая love story. «Мир двоих не понять миллиардам» - пишут в сопливых пабликах «ВК» в качестве подписи для смазливой картинки обнимающейся пары. Разработчики Rain рассказывают поражающую своей простотой и наивностью историю так, как не могут сказать ни одни слова, и показать ни одна фотография. Чем меньше метафор и намеков - тем лучше. SCE Japan Studio самым доходчивым языком повествуют детскую и трогательную романтическую историю, в которой есть все: и Он, и Она, и все то, что Они чувствуют. Rain, притягивает, с ней хочется быть как можно дольше - идея здесь даже слишком явная, но игра обязательно затронет ваши эмоции. Пока в высокобюджетных блокбастерах решаются очередные судьбы мира и предотвращаются войны за нефть или, для разнообразия, за обладание ядерным оружием, в Rain все намного скромнее. Мальчику всего лишь очень понравилась Девочка. Вдруг за Девочкой начинается охота - непонятные существа, именуемые Тьмой, стремятся поглотить ребенка. Наш паренек, как настоящий герой, тут же бросается на помощь вечно убегающей подруге, с которой он еще даже и не знаком. Ах да: персонажи, как и враги, невидимые. И это, опять же, простая и гениальная находка разработчиков. На элементарной идее выстроен отличный платформер с потрясающим визуальным стилем, причем некоторые геймплейные моменты обыграны крайне интересно. Единственная возможность видеть Мальчика и монстров Тьмы - выйти под дождь. Он тут идет всю игру, и спрятаться от него, тем самым став невидимым, можно под любым навесом. В таком случае ориентиром оказываются мокрые следы, и поначалу это необычно: определять местоположение героя по одним только шлепкам его ног. Со временем добавляются новые условия, процесс становится труднее. К примеру, грязные участки на уровне. Испачкавшись, легче передвигаться по закрытым помещениям, где нет дождя. Но при этом враги мигом заметят разгуливающую грязь и набросятся на героя. Такая особенность, как невидимость героя и врагов, легла в основу прекрасного платформера, в котором заскучать не получится при всем желании. Головоломки достаточно простые, они рассчитаны на логику, а не быстроту реакции или умение долбить по кнопкам. Несмотря на подчас динамичные забеги по уровням, игра по большей части расслабляющая и медитативная, но имеет вполне затягивающий геймплей. Это не бродилка, типа Journey, в которой разработчики выпускают игрока в пустыню с надеждой, что вы найдете в игре глубинный смысл. Здесь все понятно от первого и до последнего кадра, отчего Rain поражает в самое сердце. Игра пропитана светлой грустью и романтикой, теми самыми настоящими чувствами. Достаточно лишь присмотреться - найдутся все основные этапы отношений, как подростковых, так и «серьезных». В одном эпизоде Мальчик спасает Девочку от монстров - а та, чертовка, убегает, не заметив или не захотев заметить помощи. Но герой продолжает в прямом смысле слова бегать за Девочкой, постепенно подбираясь все ближе и ближе к ней, пытаясь спасти ее и заявить о себе. А дальше они, наконец, встречаются, и приключение продолжается, показывая их чувства друг к другу. Игра постоянно комментирует происходящее в прошедшем времени - но не настолько депрессивно и жестко, как в Max Payne. Лаконичные пояснения работают на атмосферу и добавляют отчаяния. Когда Девочка в очередной раз ускользает из-под носа, Мальчика по-настоящему жалеешь. И продолжаешь опасное путешествие, потому что повелось так - Мальчики бегают за Девочками, и никак не наоборот. Такой наивной (в хорошем смысле) истории не было уже очень давно, и особенно приятно, что разработчики выпустили такую игру среди моря мейнстрим проектов. Отличный визуальный стиль создает свое, особое настроение Rain. Ливень может быть и спасением для героя, и главным врагом. Дождь здесь - еще один главный герой, который задает тон всей игре и управляет происходящим. Если бы не он - Мальчик и Девочка вообще не увидели бы друг друга, а теперь капли предательски выдают героев, заставляя их убегать от Тьмы. Противники, кстати, опасны, и права на ошибку нет. Если заметили и добрались до героя - гарантированный перезапуск. Наш протеже абсолютно беззащитен. Их можно рассматривать как естественные препятствия, возникающие в человеческих отношениях. Зубастые, вооруженные твари не остановятся ни перед чем, чтобы разлучить героев - разве таких нет в реальной жизни? Игра прекрасно демонстрирует эмоции Мальчика. Как он отчаянно пытается добраться до Девочки, готов пожертвовать собой ради ее спасения, как идет вперед несмотря ни на что, даже не зная, взаимны ли чувства - такого больше нет ни в одной игре. Если абстрагироваться от замысла разработчиков и рассматривать Rain как платформер, то здесь есть несколько недочетов. Со временем новые приемы заканчиваются, и без того простые задачки можно проходить с закрытыми глазами - их механизм заучен наизусть. С появлением второго играбельного персонажа геймплей не особо меняется, никакой особой тактики не добавляется - просто головоломки отныне затачиваются под прохождение двумя героями. Здесь нет задачек, над которыми приходилось бы сидеть в недоумении пару часов. Спустя несколько неудачных попыток игра услужливо предложит подсказку. В данном случае рассказываемая история намного важнее соревновательного элемента, поэтому Rain не напрягает и не бросает вызов умениям игрока - она затрагивает его чувства, рассказывая наивную историю подростковой любви.

Rain in many ways reminds me of a new-school twist on Ico. You play as a young boy who’s stumbled into a strange, twisted alternate dimension of mid-20th century Paris, after he chases after an invisible girl in the rain and must now escape this haunted reality with the girl while avoiding shadowy creatures in the torrential downpour. Much of the early to mid-game involves staying outside of the rain and tiptoeing around puddles to avoid loud splashing sounds to sneak past these invincible monsters or luring them with visible dolls and sudden noises to create paths for yourself and your companion. It’s an interesting subversion to the player’s potential discomfort, since you’re safest while invisible but also have to carefully watch and plan your movements because you won’t be able to easily tell what you’re doing (relying on slow and steady footprints) unless you choose to make yourself seen again and risk attack. Fortunately, the girl’s AI doesn’t need constant attention either, as the AI will respond accordingly to your own actions and move/create cover to shield from the rain and provide other distractions when necessary to help you along your way without much hesitation or questionable pathing.

Unfortunately, this approach gets thrown out the window as the game begins to wrap up. From chapter 7 and beyond, the introduced stealth and puzzle combinations give way to pure platforming “run right rapidly” action. While it's not the first time that you’re exposed to chase sequences, the previous chase sequences were spaced far apart enough to where they never got too tedious, and there’s not much of a break between the chases in the last third of the game. By this time, the giant monster chasing you has also somewhat outstayed its welcome, and instead of feeling like this mysterious, malevolent force, it now feels more akin to a DnD mob boss that got revived by a Dungeon Master for one too many cameos after its supposed “death.” As a result, the final moments of the game seem far too unwilling to capitalize on the earlier calculated and thoughtful stealth-puzzle sequences and resort to sluggish and overused escape segments. It’s not a great feeling that a good chunk of the game feels this exhausting to see through to the end, and this weakness is exacerbated considering that the whole game can be beat in less than four hours.

As it stands, I think Rain has some great ideas at play, and a fantastic melancholic yet nostalgic atmosphere from the weathered architecture and warm streetlights in the never-ending storm. I do feel however, that there is a lot of squandered potential, from certain ideas that just aren’t used often enough (such as utilizing more dirty puddles to negate stealth from dirt stains, and deep puddles to force players to cleanse dirt and become invisible once more while creating risk via sudden noises), to a lack of hidden areas that could have been used as a vessel for additional environmental storytelling and potential secrets for those who are willing to explore more, to a somewhat unnoteworthy soundtrack that’s mostly propped by ambient downpour noise. I also question if the white text narration was necessary to tell the story, as I feel like the developers could have fully committed to the minimalist approach and handled the narrative via character gestures and shifts in the eerie surroundings. As pointed out by ToasterNinja, there’s not much replay value to be found either, since the post-game memories added for a new playthrough either add very little backstory or just sum up plot points instead. I suppose you could do worse for PS3 exclusives, and the distinct setting and carefully scripted stealth-puzzles more than do their part to establish memorable moments; I just wish that the game was a fuller and more realized experience with a bit more meat on the bone to really live up to the shadow of the greats it was inspired by.

Rain is one of those games that hit all the right notes for me personally in terms of audio-visual presentation as well as themes. The game has a number of flaws when it comes to the gameplay and some of the simplistic design choices that would have, under any other circumstances, received a lower review/rating if it wasn't for its excellent presentation and themes.

The European 1920s/30s setting along with the night time and rain effects create a great charming yet intriguing setting that involve our two protagonists, a boy and a girl, who cannot talk to each other but rather use gestures and emotions to convey what they trying to do or communicate.

Gameplay can be calming or stressful depending if you are exploring, solving puzzles, or trying to use stealth to go around enemy creatures. The soundtrack in this game does a great job of adding to the experience by offering calming piano pieces to suspenseful tunes when appropriate. It is worth pointing out that some of the puzzle are on the simplistic side and the gameplay doesn't ever shine or offer anything outstanding but since the game is on the short side, this doesn't become a huge issue and the game never overstays its welcome.

Overall, I think Rain might not be for everyone but I know it was for me since it hit many notes in terms of its presentation and setting, making it one of my all-time favorite PSN games.

a story adventure game developed by Japan studio in 2013

you play as boy traversing a Erie an rain soked city trying to save a girl and in part yourself from ghostly creatures that are hunting you

the boy and the girl are only visible to these creatures if they're in the rain, if they go under cover where the Rain doesn't fall they'll become invisible and be protected

it was released only for the PS3 and on the PSN store as a digital download

it was a lovely small indie game and if you can find a way to play it somewhere then it's worth it

At a glance it would be easy to dismiss Rain as a pretentious arthouse walking sim. Thankfully that isn't the case, I was pleasantly surprised at what Playstation Camp created here.

The first thing about Rain that will stand out to the player is the visuals. In terms of fidelity and art direction, it's one of the PS3's best.

Rain soaked streets and buildings glisten in the moonlight, all wet floor surfaces have impressive real time reflections, textures are phenomenal. Bricks show signs of erosion and moss, metal surfaces convey realistic rust.

The city the game takes place in is based on mid twentieth century Paris, and the fantastic lighting (complete with excellent god rays and particle effects) convey a tense-comfy atmosphere.

The art direction feels straight out of a European oil painting. With the translucent enemy fiends blending in perfectly with the mid century Paris aesthetic.

The gameplay is very basic, and for some, I could see them dropping the game due to this lack of depth. But the gameplay is competent enough to not be infuriating or pretentiously shallow. But half of what you'll be doing leaves much to be desired.

The majority of the game will be spent avoiding fiends. Players will have to utilize innovative stealth such as using their invisible status in dry areas, making noise via splashing in deep puddles, or picking up objects while dry.

Within one minute of discovering Rain's approaches to stealth, the simple but brilliant ways it implements it naturally with the setting will be apparent.

It makes perfect natural sense for an invisible character to have no presence while dry, and the level design naturally draws your eyes to the dry areas with out feeling hand holdy.

Held objects realistically bob and weave while dry, and the AI will only attack the object when you drop them. Which makes any repeat attempts far less frustrating than they could be.

Splashing in deep puddles alerts fiends to your location, but it can also provide relief by removing any mud that the player acquires by stepping in muddy puddles, which makes you 100% visible till clean. This forces the player to stop and think when dirty and weigh the risks instead of just rushing through.

The best puzzles in the game have the player utilizing all three of these stealth mechanics to handle fiends in a variety of clever ways, like luring termites to devour a wolf, or tricking a rhino like fiend into smashing a door.

Unfortunately this is where the strength of the gameplay ends. The other half of the game is filled by very bare bones, automatic platforming sections. You'll be climbing ledges, giving your companion a boost by pressing circle, making basic leaps, and pushing objects in one direction.

It's baffling that the polish from the stealth was never applied to the platforming, as the latter being as good as it is would make the player think this would be the case.

This is exacerbated in the last two chapters of the game. As you'll simply be chased by the main antagonist for 90% of the chapters duration and the stealth only accounts for 5% of that playtime. Compared to the fun stealth sections of the previous six chapters, this is an odd design choice.

I can sort of see where the devs were coming from with this approach, as the way story has been told up to this point conveys that the main antagonist has taken it upon himself, and only himself, to kill both children. But the lack of stealth and over abundance of auto platforming makes these last two chapters a chore rather than a tense final stretch.

The "final boss" is the cherry on top of this disappointment. As you simply close two doors and that's it. It feels like the devs needed a bit more time to flesh out the gameplay. As the last two levels come off as rushed.

I was very impressed with the level design (For chapters 1-6). The game is conveyed through beautiful, stylish fixed camera angles that make the linear levels feel gigantic and sometimes oppressive.

The angles always guide you in the right direction with out telling you exactly where to go, this is especially helpful after chapter select is unlocked, which also unlocks collectable memories. Because then the player can seek out previous dead ends where they'd assume said memories are. Showing just how smartly made the fixed angles are.

As for the memories themselves, they aren't worth exploring for unfortunately. They are simply tiny Jpegs with some minor backstory attached. While the first twelve memories feel somewhat worth it to find as they give background info on the two main characters, the next twelve are just bullet point summarizations of the plot. Making these feel bloated and tacked on.

The main story its self however is quite good.

There is no voice acting, the story is instead told through on screen text during gameplay and body language during cutscenes. This approach is refreshing, as poor voice acting could have ruined the tense atmosphere the game is conveying.

The onscreen text feels not only natural to the world, but also conveys hints of what to do next with out feeling handholdy.

However, this is contradicted by the hint system, as failing a segment 3 times will pop a hint prompt at the bottom right corner. Which will tell the player exactly how to pass a scenario.

I don't see the point in including this aside from not being confident enough in the player to be smart enough to figure it out on their own. The onscreen text already helps the player just enough with out being condescending, so this contradictory mechanic clashes badly with both the story and gameplay.

Rain deals with some relatively heavy topics. Isolation, terror, and dread are all apparent when being stalked by the main antagonist and his fiends, but the story also has moments of calm serenity and down time. Even when playing the boring to play last two chapters, the story holds it own and will be the main incentive for most players to see it through.

The music is good, but only the main theme and the end credits song will stick out as memorable. For most of the game, you'll only hear the sound of rain, with music only playing in fiend encounters, or when the story moves forward.

The music being phoned in is disappointing given the composer, Yuugo Kanno, is a prolific composer in the anime industry. Having composed memorable tracks for Psycho Pass and Jojo's bizarre adventure. I was shocked when I found out it was him given his previous and contemporary work.

Overall, Rain is a solid, though heavily flawed addition to the PS3's exclusive library. The great story, beautiful visuals, and innovative stealth mechanics make this experimental little game worth it. Though Chapters 7 and 8, and the poor platforming and mostly serviceable music leave much to be desired.

7/10.