Rainswept

Insanely well made game! My only gripe being that I wish there was more in depth case solving with the notebook that you fill out. Awesome art style with stunning visuals, well crafted and interesting characters, gripping story, strings you along despite the rather linear storyline, little touches here or there that make certain interactions so much more enjoyable. What's not to love?

What an absolutely lovely game. It's very easy and there aren't really puzzles in the traditional point-and-click sense, but that's fine because what the game excels at is story. Dialogue choices do somewhat shape the story, though, and can lead to different outcomes. There are also a lot of extra characters around town who you can get to know a bit or help out in different ways, which is interesting.
The character animation is a bit weird, but it has its charm, especially since the overall visual design is well done. Pineview is very atmospheric. Most importantly, the story is good and the characters are deep. You get to know the victims well. The dev really knows how to tell a story and how to use visuals to send an even more powerful message. Really a great game.
(PS: disregard my playtime. I mostly played in offline mode, so it didn't get logged. I fully played the game.)

First play through, I was feeling kind of iffy about the game. It was a lot of story back and forth, but the ending and finding out what happens made the game all worth it. The story it tells and the lessens it teaches you, it even made me cry a little at the end. Going back in for a second play through to complete all the achievements.

the game initially caught my eye with the classic detective outfit and word rain in the title. but it turned out to be so much more than that. i wept at the end. then replayed for another ending ,bracing myself for more drama. and wept again.thank you!

if you think the graphics are ugly, wait until you realize the utter ugliness of LIFE ITSELF

It's a good game with a nice (but maybe a bit forgettable) story. You can finish it in one sitting, but be ready for some bugs and glitches.

The strongest element of the game is definitely the story-line of a relationship falling apart. The couple arguing is so visceral and real, you start to feel their own emotions throughout it. It's a great depiction of a relationship where it's clear the couple love each other, but can still be incredibly toxic, while also not necessarily being abusive.
This leads into the main message of the game, the importance of not keeping things behind close doors. It does not judge those who struggle opening up or being secretive, but makes clear that it's necessary, as to prevent anything terrible down the line. And it's just as important to reach out to those you think may be struggling.
The game is rather linear, which makes sense for a story-driven visual novel, but it's not a genre I care for. Especially since it seems like it's going to be more open with subplots ala Night in the Woods, but keeps you rail-roaded.
Rainswept suffers from quite a few graphical glitches that, while not game breaking or detrimental, was distracting.
The biggest problem of the game is the main story-line, because the plot of a tortured detective beating himself up over the death of his wife, is rather cliche. It also has some sexist undertones, as the dead wife is an example of Women in Refrigerator, and the other major female characters mostly play support to male characters. While Blunt brings up her job aspirations on occasion, and her trauma with her father, her main role is still being Michael's confidant. Diane gets explored the most, but all of that is filtered through the perspective of her boyfriend, where we make his choices and know his thoughts, but never hers. All the women are tied back to their relationships with male characters, whereas the male characters have meaningful connections with both men and women.
And finally the game's trigger warning at the beginning only covers depression and suicide, whereas the mentions of CSA and domestic violence do not get brought up.
I do recommend it, and I'm interested in seeing what this developer does next.