Developed by Videocult and published by Akupara Games, Rain World: Downpour is a brand-new DLC for the critically acclaimed Rain World released back in 2017. Back when it was released, Rain World was a unique title because some liked it and some did not like it however those players who liked it enjoyed every last bit of the game. That is because Rain World is a title that is not like your typical survival game and with the release of its brand-new Downpour DLC, we are here to see how can the developer make a good game even better, if possible. This is our review of Rain World: Downpour in which we use spears to kill spiders and try to survive the harsh conditions with death around every corner.
Downpour brings ten brand-new worlds for you to explore and each of these brings its own unique set of challenges, creatures, and more for you to explore. Each of the new levels looks unique and completely different from the other ones and also they are extremely big to explore. Keeping in view the traversal and other challenges that the original game had, Downpour seems to be a little softer on this side as traversal is not as hard this time around as that of the original title. Even with their own unique visual aesthetics and environments, each and every level fits right into the mix that was introduced in the base game and they do not feel like something out of the game. Each level also brings its own unique set of characters or creatures as you might call them that you will need to avoid however everything seems to be much easier this time around. This might be because of the new slugcats introduced with the Downpour DLC because this time around, you are not completely helpless in a savage ecosystem and have certain tricks up your sleeve as well.
Now moving to the main stars of the DLC, Downpour brings five more slugcats to the game and each of them comes with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. This is already more than what the base game offered making Downpour even better to own if you have the base game. With these new slugcats, it goes to show that the slugcats are now adapting to the brutal environment and these new ones have adapted in different ways to survive. For example, The Saint has an extremely long tongue that you can use to swing around the levels, opening even more traversing opportunities which were unavailable in the base game. With The Saint, you can reach distant ledges, objects, and platforms easily making escaping from predators much easier as compared to before.
If you prefer a more offensive slugcat, you can go for The Artificer who has adapted to fighting using pyrotechnics and explosives. No matter what comes in your way, you now have a solid chance of defending yourself against them with your new skills and abilities. Similarly, if you prefer staying underwater, you can play as Rivulet who has adapted itself to stay underwater for longer periods of time.
Finally, you have The Gourmand who can combine different ingredients and make things while The Spearmaster uses his own body to produce spears and use them in combat. Each of these new slugcats comes with its own campaigns that are designed in areas suited for their skills and give you a chance to explore the new slugcats and their skills properly. The game does not really guide you in this aspect, so you are on your own to explore them at your own pace.
One new feature of Rain World: Downpour that I was unable to check for this review was the new co-op feature which is because it is only possible because of Remote Play. Downpour adds the ability to jump into the world of Rain World in four-player local co-op mode where you can jump into the game with your friends. In-game interactions include communication through in-game gestures, piggyback rides, food bars, a Pup/Old mode, and more. Downpour also brings with it Steam Workshop which will allow players to submit their own creations to the game as well. Adding Steam Workshop basically means that you have given a game indefinite life since it keeps getting new content with regular updates. In the future, we can expect to see more types of slugcats and levels arrive in the game made by players.
If you want to take a break from the insanity of the main campaigns, you can try out different additional modes for trying out your slugcat skills. Downpour adds three new modes to the game including Expedition, Challenge Mode, and Safari Mode. The Challenge Mode is the ultimate test of your skills where you must try your best to complete a set of challenges already defined by the developers. Each room brings a new challenge so you will need to quickly learn and adapt in order to complete them.
The Expedition Mode drops you anywhere in the world with a random task every time that you must complete in order to win the mode. These modes are an excellent addition to the game because you will eventually need a break from the main campaigns and while you might not be able to complete all of these, they are still a good addition to the game. At the time of writing this review, I have to complete most of the challenges as you might have guessed, they are not easy to complete.
Another important aspect of the new DLC is the soundtrack and since the original game boasts such an amazing soundtrack, I am happy to see that Downpour does not disappoint as well. The music is still dynamic and changes with the area and goes up and down according to the current scenario in the game. You can easily say the music is fairly up-to-par with the base game if not better.
Rain World: Downpour builds upon everything that made the original Rain World such a unique title and I am happy to see that it brings with it one element that was crucial for the first’s success: the lack of information. Yes, Rain World: Downpour adds five new slugcats to the game and it gives you a hint about what they can do but how you can do them? You have to figure out everything yourself and depending on your skill set, you will take your own time in understanding everything. You may work out things in mere minutes or it might take you hours to find out everything. The same goes for the remaining new mechanics that you have to experience and learn yourself. The new modes offer a good change of pace if you want to tackle the game without the fear of losing the progress of your main game.
Final Verdict:
Downpour takes on the grim and complex environment of the original Rain World game, adds tons of new content into the mix with new gameplay mechanics such as 4-player co-op, and delivers an experience that is hard to forget. Depending on your playstyle, Rain World: Downpour can keep you busy for around 30 – 40 hours without any questions asked and this is just the DLC of a game which is astounding because we hardly expect this level of depth and content from a DLC. It is dark, it is brutal, and it is filled to the brim with new content. If you played the original Rain World when it was released, you will love the new Downpour DLC, and you will be really impressed at the new mechanics and content packed in it. Highly recommended for new and old players alike.
Final Score: 9.5/10
