Rain World

This game is amazing. But it's not for everyone.
This is not a review, this is a warning.

If you are looking for a fun game that is easy to pick up, don't play this game.
This game is meant for people who have patience and are willing to put up with esoteric controls and vague goals.

But if you put up with it and wade through all the obtuse controls and vagueness, you will find that this game is a gem not usually talked about. The story is incredible and the environments look amazing.
The ecology is incredible as well and the world feels alive.

And after some more time, the controls will feel buttery smooth and everything will be clear in hindsight. You'll be able to understand how the game works through careful observation and experimentation.

If you need help, there's wonderful people over in the Rain World discord that are willing to help and guide you through the game.

this game provides the same euphoria one would feel from shoving a fork in an outlet or throwing a toaster in a bathtub.
Not only are you fighting the predators actively trying to eat you, you are also fighting yourself cause your damn sluggish cat can sometimes have the dexterity of a lobotomized squirrel.
This game somehow managed to have both the most beautiful scenery and world i have seen yet at the same time i came across the most horrifyingly put-together amalgamations of human imagination which make up the ecosystem of this game
The AI of the creatures in this game can be best described as a dude given 12 beers, LSD and car keys. The creatures genuinely do the stupidest shit and somehow manage to get away with it purely because you wouldn't expect them to be THAT DUMB. The amount of times I have found myself dying laughing at a creature falling out of the sky for no apparent reason, or crashing out because those same creatures falling out of the sky managed to somehow land directly on top of me, pluck me off a perfectly good pole and run off with my dead body is incredible.
This game can be your greatest friend, or your worst nightmare. The world and lore are much deeper than you would expect from a game about a silly slugcat with lanky arms. Explore freely and you will eventually find what you're looking for; there are tons of different pathways and routes around the map. The game will start off confusing at first, but you will get the hang of it pretty quick.
easy 11/10, and i haven't even started the dlc yet. Please play this game it is a life-changing experience

Rain World is a masterpiece. I am not using this word lightly, this game has undoubtedly been a huge influence on my life.

Anyway, onto the game itself.
In Rain World, you play as a small animal - a wet and pathetic little otter thing called a slugcat - surviving in the ruins of an alien world. This is a world of derelict structures and burgeoning ecosystems, a world that is dead and yet so very alive. The line between ruin and nature is blurred into insignificance, as new life grows from a heap of decay. Rain World's beautiful pre-rendered environments convey the experience of a small, nimble animal extremely well. Cities are shown not through living spaces but basements, alleyways and storm drains. Pipes and rusted rebar scaffolds are not background objects but core geometry features of level design. Rain World thus has a wonderfully fresh take on ruined environments.

The gameplay itself is wonderfully unorthodox. While it takes some of the bare bones of a metroidvania, its progression is almost incomparable. The slugcat does not gather upgrades, and has every ability from the start. Instead, Rain World's progression is based on exploration and knowledge alone.

Rain World's story is one of the best I have ever seen. I can't really elaborate, as it's best experienced yourself. I could say a lot about it, but nothing that does it justice.

So overall: pretty nice game. you should play it.

trying to write something serious and actually meaningful without sounding corny is much harder than i thought but here we go

I got rain world on the same day that i truely gave up on life, the timing of this was like a prophecy come true, I couldn’t have asked for a better coincidence. I never realised it, but the game was an exact representation of what i was going though. Trying and trying again, against all odds. Even though there were complaints, the struggle was the entire point. Recovering from such a deep part of your life portrayed as an innocent creature in a world full of hazard and endless worry. But the extreme journey is well above worth it. Even though I had to take a complete reroute of the entire game because I didn't understand how to get to the end, the ending sequence is something I’ll never forget. How rewarding it feels, it wants to make me cry. I’m not saying that Rain World saved my life, but it sure made it feel like a story. And the last theme: “Deep Light” means so much to me. I can’t listen to it without feeling sorry for myself on how i felt in those depressing months, and thanking that I’ve recovered. I never knew a video game could mean so much to me!! I’m so thankful that I got to experience this game in such a sad yet perfect time in my life. Thank you ever so much Rain World :)

This is the best game I've ever played.
You either put the game down after a couple of hours, assuming it's boring and repetitive, or you play a little longer and get hooked. Once you're hooked, it only gets better, and you can never get enough. You complete every campaign multiple times, finding something new and appreciating the intricate details, outstanding world-driven storytelling, beautiful artstyle, enchanting music and unique creatures! The list goes on forever!
Please try Rainworld. And if this or one of the other amazing reviews persuades you to give it a shot, dont go in expecting a big, overstimulating AAA title. Rainworld is its own thing. You will get frustrated and you will die, you're supposed to. The more you play the more you understand; it just takes a little patience to make the snowball big enough for it to roll down the hill :)
This game conveys emotion in a special way, and I guarantee that it'll have an impact on you. I'll never forget Rainworld, its an irreplaceable gem.

Absolute vibe
Theoretically, this game is Stray getting Dark Souls's difficulty, Hollow Knight's atmosphere and Spore's simulated ecosystems.
Practically, the experience is so unique it's insulting to compare it to anything.
and then there's the visual style

scug go wawa. lizard kill scug. game punch me emotionally. game good.