To those who call Rain World an intricate, immersive ecosystem, I largely disagree with that sentiment. Even without figuring out how creatures and mechanics behave; there's weird stuff like swaths of a region with nothing for Lizards to eat, evenly-matched secondary consumers capturing and eating each other (what a way to cycle energy throughout Earth), and small-scale regions that feel too much like obstacle courses.
The praise given for the sense that the game world isn't about you... that doesn't resonate with me, either. Sure, you're a One-Hit-Point Wonder who should generally avoid bigger animals, but you're also the smartest and most dexterous thing that moves in the abandoned facility. Figuring out how various items work, what the wildlife is like, how to best explore the various environments... the world may seem desolate, but your lost little musteloid has every chance to thrive, or even make new friends.
In response, I was told to "imagine what's behind the curtains" of the game. I'd say that's its own reason why I recommend Rain World and its Downpour DLC. The worldbuilding of the remaining ecosystem is extremely fun to theory-craft about, especially with Downpour's new creatures, four brand-new locations, and special variants of existing regions.
Downpour's been said to feel more akin to a traditional video game, a front on which its new slugcat classes deliver. Gourmand is suited for slower exploration, but can demolish anything with its slam attacks and some game-breaking crafting. Artificer's movement is extremely fun, if you're willing to pit yourself against the Scavengers whose loathing is normally a cruelty penalty. The water-adapted Rivulet is, at heart, Survivor on cocaine, Survivor on marijuana, and Survivor on antidepressants.note Also an amount of blood doping you really shouldn't try at home. If Hunter is a special hard mode, Spearmaster is Harder Than Hard, but surprisingly sick to learn. And Saint uses a better grapple tongue as the one strength it needs to evade its predators, circling back to the fearsome core gameplay, without the ease of Monk's campaign.
With the advent of Steam Workshop mods and the base game's Remix accessibility options, Rain World's flaws are so shored up that there's no better time to see it for the good game it is. And if you're looking for that ol' Crapsack World angle of the base game... guess which Downpour campaign has a surprise for you.
VideoGame Rain World: Downpour: a beautiful addition to a half-baked 'ecosystem'
To those who call Rain World an intricate, immersive ecosystem, I largely disagree with that sentiment. Even without figuring out how creatures and mechanics behave; there's weird stuff like swaths of a region with nothing for Lizards to eat, evenly-matched secondary consumers capturing and eating each other (what a way to cycle energy throughout Earth), and small-scale regions that feel too much like obstacle courses.
The praise given for the sense that the game world isn't about you... that doesn't resonate with me, either. Sure, you're a One-Hit-Point Wonder who should generally avoid bigger animals, but you're also the smartest and most dexterous thing that moves in the abandoned facility. Figuring out how various items work, what the wildlife is like, how to best explore the various environments... the world may seem desolate, but your lost little musteloid has every chance to thrive, or even make new friends.
In response, I was told to "imagine what's behind the curtains" of the game. I'd say that's its own reason why I recommend Rain World and its Downpour DLC. The worldbuilding of the remaining ecosystem is extremely fun to theory-craft about, especially with Downpour's new creatures, four brand-new locations, and special variants of existing regions.
Downpour's been said to feel more akin to a traditional video game, a front on which its new slugcat classes deliver. Gourmand is suited for slower exploration, but can demolish anything with its slam attacks and some game-breaking crafting. Artificer's movement is extremely fun, if you're willing to pit yourself against the Scavengers whose loathing is normally a cruelty penalty. The water-adapted Rivulet is, at heart, Survivor on cocaine, Survivor on marijuana, and Survivor on antidepressants.note If Hunter is a special hard mode, Spearmaster is Harder Than Hard, but surprisingly sick to learn. And Saint uses a better grapple tongue as the one strength it needs to evade its predators, circling back to the fearsome core gameplay, without the ease of Monk's campaign.
With the advent of Steam Workshop mods and the base game's Remix accessibility options, Rain World's flaws are so shored up that there's no better time to see it for the good game it is. And if you're looking for that ol' Crapsack World angle of the base game... guess which Downpour campaign has a surprise for you.