TysonJ Rain World Review

The devs set an irresistible challenge, but don't fulfil their end of the bargain. I saw the bad reviews, but also noted this game had a cult following so thought I would try it out. I played a few minutes and there was enough there to make me want to purchase and play more. I quickly began to find the game frustrating and ended up not completing it, and it is very rare for me to not finish a game. The game is brutally difficult to the extent that nearly every mistake is punished by death. Unfortunately, perfect play will still not allow you to progress the game, in particular in the later areas. So the game rewards perseverance rather than skill. It is frustrating that the developers have made a game that demands perfect gameplay, yet they have not bothered to design the game in a way that allows you to progress even if you play perfectly. Whilst playing, your only exit can be blocked by multiple lizards where I would say it is impossible to progress. Going another way is not the option, as many regions are linear, so you just have to do a suicide rush to the exit (and die) or go back to your hibernation point. The problem with the latter option is that many regions have limited food options, so doing so just leads to a prolonged drawn out death. The vultures will fly and chase you whilst you dangle from poles, the only way to escape is to drop down, but then the vulture swoops down regardless to get you, and once you are down the bottom, there is certainly no way to get back up again. I don't think the game respects your time. You can spend time learning the game and getting good at it, only to not get anywhere during a 2 hour gaming sessions as the game randomly decides to spawn all the lizards by the only exit. I have been angry at game developers before, but I don't think I've been so angry as I have been with this game. I think they feel they have made a new Hollow Knight or something, but they just churned out a bad game. I would get a refund if I could. It is disappointing when you play a badly made game but it's simply annoying to play a game where the devs think they have made a masterpiece but not bothered to put any polish on the game. The devs are the Tommy Wiseau of gaming and Rain World is The Room. Time spent: around 20 hours Completion (estimated): 70% - note: my only 'did not finish' game of 2025 Platform: PS5