:Rain World

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Rain World is a two dimensional (2D) survival-platformer where the player controls a "slugcat", a white creature visually similar to a cat and slug. The slugcat uses spears and debris to defend itself from predators in the ruined and obtuse ecosystem, where its animation is generated in real time through procedural animation.{{Cite web |last1=Hawkins |first1=Janine |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Rain World review |url=http://www.polygon.com/2017/3/27/14951492/rain-world-review-pc-windows-ps4-playstation-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329173512/http://www.polygon.com/2017/3/27/14951492/rain-world-review-pc-windows-ps4-playstation-4 |archive-date=March 29, 2017 |access-date=March 27, 2017 |work=Polygon}}{{Cite web |last1=Skrebels |first1=Joe |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Rain World Review |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/27/rain-world-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329101913/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/27/rain-world-review |archive-date=March 29, 2017 |access-date=March 27, 2017 |work=IGN}}{{Cite web |last=Wilde |first=Tyler |date=September 4, 2015 |title=Rain World's simulated ecosystem reacts to your choices |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-worlds-simulated-ecosystem-reacts-to-your-choices/ |access-date=March 17, 2025 |website=PC Gamer}} As part of a nonlinear game, the slugcat freely crawls through pipes and passages that span across over 1,600{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=March 8, 2017 |title=Rain World, the survival-platforming story of Slugcat, comes out this month |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-the-survival-platforming-story-of-slugcat-comes-out-this-month/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}} screens shown individually; each screen spawns various creatures that wander around the region.{{Cite web |last1=Caldwell |first1=Brendan |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Wot I Think: Rain World |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/27/rain-world-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328021050/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/27/rain-world-review/ |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |access-date=March 27, 2017 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}{{Cite web |last1=Parkin |first1=Simon |date=March 29, 2017 |title=Rain World review |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-03-29-rain-world-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418162614/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-03-29-rain-world-review |archive-date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2017 |work=Eurogamer}} The slugcat can jump, swim, and climb poles to avoid enemies while foraging for sparsely placed food, which must be consumed to hibernate in scarce, designated safe rooms. Hibernation spots serve as checkpoints where the player returns to after death; if the player does not reach a shelter before the end of the cycle,{{efn|1=Days are called "cycles".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQpVPCTpf5s&list=PLtprfKoHown6h9kIloI-CnzNj194X1uZs |title=PSX Exclusive Interview - Rain World |date=December 11, 2016 |last=GameOctane |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=1:45}}}} rain will come, crushing or drowning the slugcat in the ensuing flood.

Upon death, the slugcat loses one "karma". Karma is gained upon hibernating, and the player can prevent one loss of their current karma level by eating a yellow karma flower. The flower appears in set locations and is re-planted wherever the slugcat dies while under its effects. The slugcat must meet a specific karma level to pass through karma gates, which lie at the borders of the game's regions, allowing further progression.{{Cite web |last1=Concepcion |first1=Miguel |date=March 31, 2017 |title=Rain World Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rain-world-review/1900-6416648/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418084743/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rain-world-review/1900-6416648/ |archive-date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2017 |work=GameSpot}}{{Cite web |last=Kunzelman |first=Cameron |date=March 31, 2017 |title=Rain World is Unique and Beautiful, But Inaccessible |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/rain-world/rain-world-is-unique-and-beautiful-but-inaccessibl |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=Paste Magazine}}

Predators range from camouflaged carnivorous plants to large vultures and Komodo dragon-like lizards. Many enemies can kill the slugcat in one attack, and some species have different variations, such as the different colors of lizards, which all have unique characteristics.{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=Brendan |date=March 30, 2017 |title=The deadly creatures of Rain World - a bestiary in GIFs |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-deadly-creatures-of-rain-world-a-bestiary-in-gifs |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}} All creatures possess dynamic behavior and wander perpetually in the game's world independently from the player, occasionally battling and hunting each other; without a set path for predators to explore, the player is usually faced with problems they cannot avoid.{{Cite web |last1=Priestman |first1=Chris |date=March 27, 2017 |title='Rain World' Is Like 'STALKER' but a Platformer and You're a Rodent |url=https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/rain-world-is-like-stalker-but-a-platformer-and-youre-a-rodent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328110316/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/rain-world-is-like-stalker-but-a-platformer-and-youre-a-rodent |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |access-date=March 28, 2017 |work=Waypoint}} Players are mainly expected to evade predators{{Cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Dave |date=January 22, 2014 |title=Rain World: a ray of indie sunshine in a murky January interview |url=http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/22/rain-world-a-ray-of-indie-sunshine-in-a-murky-january-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202180203/http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/22/rain-world-a-ray-of-indie-sunshine-in-a-murky-january-interview/ |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |access-date=March 28, 2017 |work=VG247}} but are able to injure and kill them by hitting various weak points with spears. The slugcat may carry three items at a time; two in their hands and one in their stomach. When throwing an item, the slugcat will use its right hand first, and can swap the items' places. Some foods grant status effects when eaten, such as slowing down time.

Along with the default slugcat, the player may instead choose to play as the Monk and Hunter slugcats. As the Monk, creatures are less aggressive and the slugcat needs less food to hibernate. The Hunter, a carnivore with a bigger appetite, must also compete with more powerful and hostile creatures. Other game modes also include a multiplayer arena mode, where up to four players battle each other, and a sandbox mode, where players can freely spawn objects and creatures from the game.{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=Brendan |date=June 30, 2017 |title=Rain World expansion to bring easy mode & multiplayer |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-world-expansion-to-bring-easy-mode-multiplayer |access-date=April 2, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}

Rain World{{'s}} post-apocalyptic setting is destroyed by ecological catastrophe and illustrated in pixel art. As a form of environmental storytelling, the game's narrative is told through its environment,{{Rp|location=9:19}} dreams during hibernation, and holograms from a worm-like creature that monitors the slugcat. The game offers little to guide the player, apart from the worm creature that directs the player towards nearby food and story-related events; this assistance becomes rarer as the game progresses. The player may also view a map to check their progress in the large in-game world.{{Cite web |last=Purslow |first=Matt |date=December 31, 2015 |title=Rain World trailer reveals slugcat's memory map |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/rain-world/rain-world-trailer-reveals-slugcat-s-memory-map |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=PCGamesN}}

File:Rain World Downpour Promotional Resized.jpg

Rain World has two downloadable content packs (DLCs), the first being Downpour and the second being The Watcher. Tripling the game's world's size, the Downpour expansion adds five slugcats and ten regions, accessed separately from the original game's content. Each slugcat features a different set of abilities.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Graham |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Rain World: Downpour will bring co-op, mod support and new slugcats in early 2023 |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-world-downpour-will-bring-co-op-mod-support-and-new-slugcats-in-early-2023 |access-date=March 29, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}{{Cite web |last=Ollie |first=Reynolds |date=June 16, 2023 |title=Rain World: Downpour DLC Promises More Brutal Gameplay This Coming July |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/06/rain-world-downpour-dlc-promises-more-brutal-gameplay-this-coming-july |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Nintendo Life}} The Spearmaster can create an infinite amount of spears, though penetrating other creatures is the only way it can receive food. The Rivulet, a semiaquatic slugcat, has an overall increased agility, but must deal with more frequent rain. The Gourmand requires a tremendous amount of food to survive, but has access to a crafting system. The Artificer can jump twice and create explosives, but is constantly plagued by tribes of ape-like "scavengers" that hunt them. The Saint has a grappling tongue that gives them large amounts of mobility, but is unable to throw spears or eat meat.

Downpour also adds three other game modes: Safari allows players freely spectate the ecosystem without worry and control any living creature within it. Challenge mode provides 70 unique scored challenges with preset objectives. Expedition is a semi-roguelike with random missions that award experience points upon completion.{{Cite web |last=Couture |first=Joel |date=April 13, 2023 |title=Channeling calm and creating new ways to play in Rain World: Downpour |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/channeling-the-calm-and-the-co-op-in-rain-world-downpour |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=Game Developer}} Downpour's release was also accompanied full local-coop functionality and the free Rain World Remix upgrade, which added accessibility options, ways to customize game difficulty, and better modding support so that players may modify the game.

The Watcher DLC adds the eponymous slugcat, multiple new regions, and creatures.{{Cite web |last=Allsop |first=Ken |date=March 29, 2025 |title=Masterful, unique Metroidvania Rain World is back with a brand new DLC |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/rain-world/the-watcher-dlc |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=PCGamesN}} The content pack's additions are significantly larger than the original game.{{Cite web |last=Peachey |first=Jack |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Rain World Developer Says The Watcher DLC is 'Significantly Larger Than The Original' |url=https://gamerant.com/rain-world-watcher-dlc-size-scale-big/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Game Rant}}

A family of slugcats are struck by the rain. They become separated from one of their children{{Emdash}}the player's slugcat{{Emdash}}as it is flushed away into the decaying remnants of an industrialized ancient civilization, now long abandoned.

Eventually, the slugcat stumbles upon Five Pebbles, a massive, infected, semi-biotic supercomputer called an "iterator". After climbing above the clouds and traversing through his megastructure, the slugcat meets his avatar. Pebbles explains that, like all living things, the slugcat is trapped in a cycle of death and rebirth. He infers that the slugcat wants it to end and directs it to a place where it can free itself from the cycle. Following his guidance, the slugcat travels underground and enters a sea of "Void Fluid" where it can "ascend".

More information about the setting can be obtained by bringing pearls—that contain logs and other information—to another damaged iterator named Looks to the Moon, whose structure had collapsed and submerged into the shoreline.

Rain World is developed by Videocult, an indie group made up of Joar Jakobsson and James Therrian (also known as James Primate).{{Efn|Sources variate between "James Therrien" and "James Primate":}} Jakobsson served as the game's artist, designer, and programmer, while Primate wrote the game's soundtrack, handled the studio's business, and designed levels; this became Primate's first experience developing gameplay. Before creating Rain World, Jakobsson was a graphic designer in Sweden who taught himself how to animate sprites. He had no industry experience and played few games when development began in 2011. Jakobsson started with a sketch of an animal and posted development updates on his YouTube channel, with one YouTube commenter dubbing the creature a "slugcat".{{Cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=January 17, 2014 |title=Slugcats and survival: staying alive in the darkness of 'Rain World' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/17/5316926/rain-world-slugcat |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=The Verge}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJcMVRDGsvU |title=GAU Indie Exclusive: Rain World Interview Part One |date=March 5, 2014 |last=GAU Studios |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=4:25}} Jakobsson had an interest in abandoned environments and what they reveal about the people who occupied them. Partly inspired by his feelings of foreignness while living as an exchange student in Seoul, South Korea, a core idea was to recreate the life of "the rat in Manhattan". This rat understands how to find food, hide, and survive in a subway, but does not comprehend the subway's structural purpose or why it was built. Around this time in 2012, Primate found the game on an Internet forum for indie games. He sent Jakobsson 12 tracks as a successful pitch after experiencing a nightmare where "the game came out and was filled with garbage music".

{{Quotebox

| quote = I wasn't prepared for any of it! I have never made a video game before and I was a graphic design student and I was winging it the entire time!

| author = Joar Jakobsson

| source = interview with the Independent Game Developers' Association (2021){{Rp|location=23:17}}

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Originally, Rain World was conceived to be a single-room multiplayer platformer where the player would hunt one prey as they run from one bigger predator.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0etc3epB_28 |title=Videocult Devs Interview // Six One Indie Showcase |date=September 19, 2024 |last=Six One Indie |type=Video |access-date=April 2, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=5:05}} The game strayed from that initial vision as it was expanded, taking many "unexpected twists and turns", but had always retained the concept of the slugcat{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Dave |date=January 20, 2014 |title=Rain World console editions a possibility, dev discusses Slugcat character |url=https://www.vg247.com/rain-world-console-editions-a-possibility-dev-discusses-slugcat-character |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=VG247}} and the "grimy, wet industrial environment". Jakobsson and Primate hoped that players would similarly feel as if they were close to making sense of the game's abstraction of an industrial environment without fully understanding. Jakobsson did not intend for the game's extreme difficulty which resulted in its mixed reception.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlMTnuGGNxM |title=Dev on air - "The Design and Creative Processes Behind Rainworld" w/ Joar Jakobsson |date=January 26, 2021 |last=International Game Developers Association |first= |author-link=The Independent Game Developers' Association |type=Video |access-date=April 1, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=12:00}}

{{Quotebox

| quote = So instead of the AI creatures just existing as a player obstacle, they exist in their own right, they exist there for themselves.

| author = Joar Jakobsson

| source = interview with Game Developer (2017)

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Jakobsson designed Rain World{{'s}} enemies to live their own lives, in which they hunt for food and struggle to survive, rather than serve as obstacles for the player. Enemies dynamically wander around without a set path,{{Cite web |last=Priestman |first=Chris |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Crafting the complex, chaotic ecosystem of Rain World |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/crafting-the-complex-chaotic-ecosystem-of-i-rain-world-i- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515012000/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/crafting-the-complex-chaotic-ecosystem-of-i-rain-world-i- |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |access-date=April 3, 2024 |website=Game Developer |language=en}} and in final playtests a week before release, the developers noticed how some players became more or less interested in the game based on how lucky they were with enemy behavior. When inquired, Primate explained that he disliked traditional enemy behavior that solely acted as an adversary to the player, preferring the predators act like hungry animals in a real ecosystem likewise to that of the slugcat, eliciting empathy in the player.{{Cite web |last=Lemon |first=Marshall |date=May 3, 2016 |title=Rain World wants you to feel bad for killing its hungry enemies |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/rain-world-wants-you-to-feel-bad-for-killing-its-hungry-enemies/ |access-date=March 28, 2025 |website=Gamesradar+}} In a Playstation Blog post, Jakobsson added that the creatures in the ecosystem "are also individuals that can learn to recognize you". He took this concept into account when developing the scavengers in particular; they are initially distrustful of the slugcat, but eventually ally with it once trust is established.{{Cite web |last=Hillier |first=Brenna |date=January 16, 2017 |title=Rain World's ecosystem includes terrifying vultures and stilt-legged jackalopes, which will observe your actions and remember you |url=https://www.vg247.com/rain-worlds-ecosystem-includes-terrifying-vultures-and-stilt-legged-jackalopes-which-will-observe-your-actions-and-remember-you |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=VG247}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Q42qvDzqk |title=PAX East 2016: Rain World (Gameplay - Review - interview) |date=April 24, 2016 |last=Dubl day |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=8:28}} Placed near the bottom-middle of the food chain, the slugcat is intended to avoid combat while evading enemies through stealth and flight.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Andy |date=March 12, 2015 |title=Rain World video shows more of gorgeous stealth platformer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-video-shows-more-of-gorgeous-stealth-platformer/ |access-date=March 28, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}}

The game was initially written in the Lingo programming language before switching to C# early on with its own independent game engine. Jakobsson's levels are made by hand in a standalone level editor. The designer brushes recurring, cloned elements, such as plants and chains onto the map, as well as combining and processing shadows. At one point, the original release of Rain World was planned to include a multiplayer mode with separate story and custom modes upon release.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLjRFJnO5k0 |title=GAU Indie Exclusive: Rain World Interview Part Two |date=March 11, 2014 |last=GAU Studios |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=7:14}} The development team crowdfunded some development costs via Kickstarter in early 2014 and quickly surpassed its goal, being greenlit in five days and picked up by Adult Swim Games;{{Cite web |last=Corriea |first=Alexa Ray |date=April 14, 2014 |title=Adult Swim Games bringing stealth platformer Rain World to PS Vita |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/4/14/5613996/adult-swim-games-bringing-stealth-platformer-rain-world-to-ps-vita |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Polygon}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkkmfzGCVEw |title=PAX East 2014: Survival of the Slugcat in Rain World |date=April 13, 2014 |last=Destructoid |author-link=Destructoid |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=2:14}} By early 2015, about four years into development, the team had switched to the Unity game engine and released a test version of the game to its Kickstarter backers.{{Cite web |last1=Priestman |first1=Chris |date=January 18, 2015 |title=Try To Avoid Becoming Someone's Next Meal In Platformer Rain World |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/18/try-to-avoid-becoming-someones-next-meal-in-platformer-rain-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219130409/http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/18/try-to-avoid-becoming-someones-next-meal-in-platformer-rain-world/ |archive-date=December 19, 2015 |access-date=July 23, 2017 |work=Siliconera}} A seven-minute trailer was released by the end of the year.{{Cite web|last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=December 30, 2015 |title=New Rain World trailer shows off seven minutes of gameplay |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/new-rain-world-trailer-shows-off-seven-minutes-of-gameplay/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}}

Though Rain World{{'s}} soundtrack was originally chiptune,{{Cite web |last1=Webster |first1=Andrew |date=February 21, 2017 |title=How the composers of Rain World created an alien soundscape using old cans and pipes |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/21/14685358/rain-world-game-junk-audio-soundtrack |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401185723/http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/21/14685358/rain-world-game-junk-audio-soundtrack |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |access-date=March 29, 2017 |work=The Verge}} Primate felt that "arcade bleeps and bloops and retro concepts" did not fit with the naturalistic mood of the game, and instead aimed for a more "moody, immersive atmosphere". The final product resulted in a low-fi and electronic soundtrack. He and his musician partner Lydia Esrig turned to field recordings of urban ambiance for both the soundtrack and sound design, along with litter and metal for otherworldly sounds. Primate aimed for the music to approximate the game's eclectic visuals, which mix industrial, science fiction, jungle, and various architectural elements.

Without dialogue or narration, Rain World's story was partly communicated through its soundtrack to contribute to its environmental storytelling.{{Cite web |last=Couture |first=Joel |date=February 18, 2018 |title=Road to the IGF: Videocult's Rain World |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/road-to-the-igf-videocult-s-i-rain-world-i- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403180027/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/road-to-the-igf-videocult-s-i-rain-world-i- |archive-date=April 3, 2024 |access-date=April 3, 2024 |website=Game Developer |language=en}} The beginning of the game uses primitive drums based on the slugcat's feelings of fear and hunger, while transitioning to describe new areas. Rain World has over 3.5 hours of recorded music across 160 tracks. When the slugcat is chased by a predator, between eight and twelve tracks will simultaneously layer to create ambiance and respond to the slugcat's in-game context, which Primate names "threat music".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkfgScp-440 |title=Rain World Gameplay {{!}} PAX East 2017 (PC/PS4) |date=March 16, 2017 |last=NobleGames |type=Video |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=YouTube}}{{Rp|location=0:24}} Although, while the creatures of Rain World are animals like the slugcat, the torrential rain was designed to represent "oblivion incarnate", a threat no creature could survive against. To contribute to this, a collection of sampled rainstorms with varying intensity layer up as the rain develops. The storm's climax introduces pipe organs that give a "totally biblical wrath-of-god vibe".

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| image1 = Rain World logo – PS4 Store hero.jpg

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| footer = Promotional art pre-release

| align = left

}}

Videocult announced they were in the last phases of development in early 2016{{Cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Graham |date=January 6, 2016 |title=Rain World Video Shows Maps, More Physics Wonder |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/01/06/six-minute-rain-world-trailer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110173817/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/01/06/six-minute-rain-world-trailer/ |archive-date=January 10, 2017 |access-date=March 27, 2017 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}} and posted another trailer on December 5.{{Cite web|last=Sykes |first=Tom |date=December 5, 2016 |title=New Rain World trailer sneaks out of the PlayStation Experience |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/new-rain-world-trailer-sneaks-out-of-the-playstation-experience/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}} The animation of Rain World was popularized on social media{{Cite web|last=Ellison |first=Cara |date=March 20, 2013 |title=Drip Feed: Rain World |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/drip-feed-rain-world |access-date=April 2, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}{{Cite web|last=Caldwell |first=Brendan Caldwell |date=January 16, 2017 |title=Rain World's slippery Slugcat is coming to PC this year |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-worlds-slippery-slugcat-is-coming-to-pc-this-year |access-date=April 5, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}{{Cite web|last=Donnelly |first=Joe |date=January 17, 2017 |title=Rain World GIFs show gorgeous world and a giant bird of prey |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-teases-new-gif-tastic-visuals/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119172013/https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-teases-new-gif-tastic-visuals/ |archive-date=January 19, 2017 |access-date=April 5, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}} in praise of what IGN attributed to its "uncanny fluidity", contributing to the game's popularity pre-release. Primate specifically noted one GIF that was posted on Twitter and retweeted over 15,000 times, though this popularity didn't contribute to Rain World's sales.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Caty |date=October 24, 2018 |title=How GIFs Have Changed Gaming |url=https://www.vg247.com/how-gifs-have-changed-gaming |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=VG247}} A final trailer was posted on March 8, 2017, revealing its release date to be on March 28 for PlayStation 4 and Windows, and to be published by Adult Swim Games.{{Cite web |last=Hillier |first=Brenna |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Watch Rain World's opening cinematic now so you can get in on the ground with this week's indie darling |url=https://www.vg247.com/watch-rain-worlds-opening-cinematic-now-so-you-can-get-in-on-the-ground-with-this-weeks-indie-darling |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=VG247}}{{Cite web |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |date=March 14, 2017 |title=Rain World to drop this month on PS4 and PC |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/rain-world-to-drop-this-month-on-ps4-and-pc |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=Eurogamer}} Previews compared Rain World{{'s}} design elements to other video games, including the difficulty of Super Meat Boy (2010), the environment and soundtrack of Fez (2012),{{Cite web |last=Peel |first=Jeremy |date=March 13, 2017 |title=Survival platformer Rain World is coming out like umbrellas in a downpour on March 28 |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/rain-world/rain-world-release-date |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=PCGamesN}} and the puzzle-platforming of Metroid and Oddworld.{{Cite web |last1=Narcisse |first1=Evan |date=March 14, 2015 |title=Natural Selection Has Been Very Kind To Slugcat. Now You Need to Help. |url=http://kotaku.com/natural-selection-has-been-very-kind-to-slugcat-now-yo-1691458983 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209182540/http://kotaku.com/natural-selection-has-been-very-kind-to-slugcat-now-yo-1691458983 |archive-date=February 9, 2017 |access-date=March 27, 2017 |work=Kotaku}}

After its release, the game received an update to alleviate its high difficulty in reaction to the game's reception.{{Cite web |last=Foxall |first=Sam |date=April 8, 2017 |title=Rain World's first patch fixes several design oversights, like slugcat's tiny lung capacity |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/rain-world/rain-world-patch-101-difficulty-fixes |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=PCGamesN}} Another major content update was planned for release later in 2017. The update was slated to include the local multiplayer arena mode, featuring over 50 new rooms, and the Monk and Hunter, which make the game easier and harder respectively.{{Cite web |last1=Prescott |first1=Shaun |date=July 30, 2017 |title=Rain World expansion will usher in difficulty options and multiplayer |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-expansion-will-usher-in-difficulty-options-and-multiplayer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213082016/http://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-expansion-will-usher-in-difficulty-options-and-multiplayer/ |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017 |work=PC Gamer}} The update eventually released in beta in November for Windows{{Cite web|last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=November 29, 2017 |title=Rain World's difficulty-changing update is now in open beta on Steam |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-worlds-difficulty-changing-update-is-now-in-open-beta-on-steam/ |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}} and finished officially on December 11, 2017;{{Cite web |last1=Therrien |first1=James |date=December 11, 2017 |title=UPDATE: Rain World 1.5 |url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/312520/announcements/detail/1482112225747905423 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212082944/http://steamcommunity.com/games/312520/announcements/detail/1482112225747905423/ |archive-date=December 12, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017 |work=Steam}} the update was also ported to PlayStation 4 on December 21, 2018.{{Cite web |last1=Romano |first1=Sal |title=Rain World PS4 update to add new modes and multiplayer on December 21, limited run physical edition announced |work=Gematsu |date=November 29, 2018 |url=https://gematsu.com/2018/11/rain-world-ps4-update-to-add-new-modes-and-multiplayer-on-december-21-limited-run-physical-edition-announced |language=en-US |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024231218/https://www.gematsu.com/2018/11/rain-world-ps4-update-to-add-new-modes-and-multiplayer-on-december-21-limited-run-physical-edition-announced |url-status=live }} Following speculation in January 2018,{{Cite web |last=Reseigh-Lincoln |first=Dom |date=January 23, 2018 |title=Rain World's Developer Is Gauging Interest For A Potential Switch Port |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/01/rain_worlds_developer_is_gauging_interest_for_a_potential_switch_port |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=Nintendo Life}} Videocult and Adult Swim Games ported Rain World to the Nintendo Switch on December 13 in the United States and December 27 in Europe.{{Cite web |last1=Romano |first1=Sal |title=Rain World now available for Switch in North America, launches December 27 in Europe |work=Gematsu |date=December 13, 2018 |url=https://gematsu.com/2018/12/rain-world-now-available-for-switch-in-north-america-launches-december-27-in-europe |language=en-US |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024235412/https://www.gematsu.com/2018/12/rain-world-now-available-for-switch-in-north-america-launches-december-27-in-europe |url-status=live }} Limited Run Games released a physical edition for PlayStation 4 later that month.

{{Quotebox

| quote = Wanting more, fans picked Rain World apart, produced mod tools and set to work expanding it. More playable creatures, more environments, more art and music. Many drew fanart and wrote extensive fiction, building on its story of alien transcendence. Downpour is the result of those efforts.

| author = Dominic Tarason

| source = PC Gamer Downpour review (2023)

| width = 26em

}}

In January 2022, due to conflicts with Adult Swim Games, Videocult announced that Rain World would be published by Akupara Games from then on after a prolonged legal dispute.{{Cite web |title=Rainworld Ready to Live Again with More Slugcats Mod Becoming Official |last=Cunningham |first=James |date=January 29, 2022 |url=https://hardcoregamer.com/news/rainworld-ready-to-live-again-with-more-slugcat-mod-becoming-official/418021/ |website=Hardcore Gamer |language=en-US |access-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818054656/https://hardcoregamer.com/news/rainworld-ready-to-live-again-with-more-slugcat-mod-becoming-official/418021/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=DeWitte |first=Joel A. |date=March 13, 2024 |title=WB Retiring Adult Swim Games - News |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/66596/wb-retiring-adult-swim-games |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Nintendo World Report}} On March 28 of that year, a DLC was officially announced, to be published by Akupara Games.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/rain-world-downpour-teaser-trailer |title=Rain World: Downpour - Teaser Trailer - IGN |date=March 28, 2022 |type=Trailer |access-date=April 3, 2025 |via=IGN}} Titled Rain World: Downpour, it adds five new slugcat characters with their own storylines, over 1000 new rooms across ten new regions, and three new game modes.{{Cite web |last1=Chalk |first1=Andy |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Rain World is getting 5 new Slugcats in surprise Downpour DLC |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-is-getting-5-new-slugcats-in-surprise-downpour-dlc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213082016/http://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-expansion-will-usher-in-difficulty-options-and-multiplayer/ |archive-date=December 13, 2017 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |work=PC Gamer}} Downpour is an expansion of the "More Slugcats" mod and was developed by 40 community modders over the course of 5 years.{{Cite web|last=O'Connor |first=Alice |date=March 29, 2022 |title=Rain World adding new areas and slugcats in Downpour expansion |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-world-adding-new-areas-and-slugcats-in-downpour-expansion |access-date=April 3, 2025 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}} It was released for Windows on January 19, 2023{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Rain World DLC 'Downpour' launches January 19, 2023 for PC |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/10/rain-world-dlc-downpour-launches-january-19-2023-for-pc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029233654/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/10/rain-world-dlc-downpour-launches-january-19-2023-for-pc |archive-date=October 29, 2022 |access-date=October 29, 2022 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}} and consoles on July 11, 2023.{{Cite web |date=July 11, 2023 |title=Rain World: Downpour - Official Console Reveal Trailer |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/rain-world-downpour-official-console-launch-trailer-idxbox-showcase-july-2023 |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=IGN}}

According to lead programmer Andrew Marrero, development of Downpour had started before the Monk and Hunter update released. A major theme of the DLC was the passage of time and how the hostile world transforms as new catastrophic events occur, placing the five slugcats' environments across different periods of time. Marrero intended for the Challenge mode to teach players the game's mechanics. The structured challenges with pre-determined tasks act as an easier practice than the "spontaneous challenges" of the unpredictable main gameplay. Lee Moriya, the creator of the Expedition game mode, said that the given quests encouraged players to do things they wouldn't have done normally and rewarding them with experience points. Marrero created Safari mode to allow players to observe the simulated ecosystem without the stress of surviving or being pursued.

On March 28, 2024, the development of a second DLC titled Rain World: The Watcher was announced with a teaser trailer, featuring new regions, creatures, and a playable slugcat named the Watcher, also being dubbed the Nightcat.{{Cite web |last=Serin |first=Kaan |date=March 29, 2024 |title=While Hollow Knight hopefuls wait for Silksong, another modern Metroidvania classic gears up for its second massive expansion |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/while-hollow-knight-hopefuls-wait-for-silksong-another-modern-metroidvania-classic-gears-up-for-its-second-massive-expansion/ |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=Gamesradar+}}{{Cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Graham |date=March 30, 2024 |title=Rain World is getting a new DLC starring the mysterious Nightcat |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-world-is-getting-a-new-dlc-starring-the-mysterious-nightcat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401172021/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-world-is-getting-a-new-dlc-starring-the-mysterious-nightcat |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |access-date=April 1, 2024 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Rain World DLC 'The Watcher' announced |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/03/rain-world-dlc-the-watcher-announced |access-date=March 29, 2025 |website=Gematsu}} The DLC released on March 28, 2025{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=Brendan |date=September 20, 2024 |title=Rain World's new slugcat will explore icy wastes and desert sands as The Watcher DLC gets a release date |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-worlds-new-slugcat-will-explore-icy-wastes-and-desert-sands-as-the-watcher-dlc-gets-a-release-date |access-date=September 21, 2024 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}} with content adapted from community mods.{{Cite web|last=Bolding |first=Jonathan |date=March 31, 2025 |title=Cult classic Rain World has dropped a new expansion about its most mysterious slugcat yet |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/cult-classic-rain-world-has-dropped-a-new-expansion-about-its-most-mysterious-slugcat-yet/ |access-date=April 2, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}}

{{Video game reviews

| MC = PC: 66/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/rain-world/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Rain World for PC Reviews |work=Metacritic |access-date=April 26, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515051435/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/rain-world |archive-date=May 15, 2018}}
PS4: 59/100{{Cite web |title=Rain World critic reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/rain-world/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4 |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Metacritic}}
{{abbr|NS|Nintendo Switch}}: 71/100{{Cite web |title=Rain World critic reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/rain-world/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=Metacritic}}

| GSpot = 5/10 (PS4)

| IGN = 6.3/10

| PCGUS = 80/100 (PC)

| Poly = 5/10 (PC)

| NLife = 7/10 (NS){{Cite web |title=Mini Review: Rain World (Switch) - A Gorgeous Yet Cruel Survival Platformer |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/rain-world |last=Eker |first=Nathanial |date=December 31, 2018 |access-date=April 3, 2025 |website=Nintendo Life}}

| OC = 43% recommend{{Cite web |title=Rain World Reviews |url=https://opencritic.com/game/4111/rain-world |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=OpenCritic}}

| NWR = 6/10 (NS).{{Cite web |last=Olivo |first=Matthew |date=January 17, 2019 |title=Rain World (Switch) Review |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49394/rain-world-switch-review |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Nintendo World Report}}

}}

The game, before obtaining cult status{{Cite web |author1=Dominic Tarason |date=January 19, 2023 |title=Fans of survival sim Rain World have spent 5 years making an expansion so big, it's practically a sequel |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/fans-of-survival-sim-rain-world-have-spent-5-years-making-an-expansion-so-big-its-practically-a-sequel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401133037/https://www.pcgamer.com/fans-of-survival-sim-rain-world-have-spent-5-years-making-an-expansion-so-big-its-practically-a-sequel/ |archive-date=April 1, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}} and a modding community, received mixed reviews on its release, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.{{cite web |title=Rain World for PC Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/rain-world/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515051435/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/rain-world |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |access-date=April 26, 2020 |work=Metacritic}} Reviewers praised the original game's art design and criticized the harshness of its gameplay mechanics, particularly its unpredictable deaths, ruthless enemies, and time-consuming hibernation requirements, while Downpour was well received. 43% of critics recommended the game according to OpenCritic. Reception on The Watcher is minimal, so this article does not cover it.

Rain World{{'s}} gameplay frustrated reviewers, who often descended into apathy. Considering the immediate kills, infrequent checkpoints, frequent repetition, crushing rain, inexplicable enemy movements, and clumsy controls, IGN wrote that the game's challenging elements taken alone would be "tough but fair", but when considered together, "the odds are stacked so high against the player that it risks toppling the entire structure of the game". Though Game Informer recognized the game's intent to simulate the slugcat's suffering in a punishing, mysterious environment, the lack of assistance and terrible controls ruined that intent; they did not complete the game to provide a score.{{Cite web |last=Marchiafava |first=Jeff |date=March 31, 2017 |title=How Rain World Botches Extreme Difficulty |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/31/how-rain-world-botches-extreme-difficulty.aspx |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Game Informer}} Reviewers were bored by the repeated navigation of rooms with random enemies after each death, which tempered their urge to explore. Polygon{{'s}} reviewer was miserable following the loss of her multi-hour progression. She wrote about futility as a central tenet of Rain World, and felt that she was not given the proper tools to survive. Critics especially lamented how the slugcat's jerky animations and imprecise throwing mechanics led to many unwarranted deaths, with Rock, Paper, Shotgun comparing hypothetical instructions for those throwing mechanics to a "bizarre legal document".{{Cite web |last1=Prescott |first1=Shaun |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Rain World review |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331034902/http://www.pcgamer.com/rain-world-review/ |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=March 28, 2017 |work=PC Gamer}}

{{Quotebox

| quote = I haven’t finished Rain World. I know I won’t finish Rain World. And a not insignificant part of that is because I just do not enjoy playing Rain World.

| author = Janine Hawkins

| source = Polygon review (2017)

| align = right

| width = 28em

}}

Multiple reviewers concluded that while some hardcore players might enjoy the tough gameplay, Rain World excluded a large audience with its design choices, as its choice of emergent enemy strategy would feel unfair to most players. Paste compared the controls to Devil May Cry due to their required specificity which would've frustrated even the most experienced of gamers, especially in partnership with the game's checkpoints. Rock, Paper, Shotgun called the checkpointing among the worst in modern platformers, and its challenge, unlike the similarly punishing Dark Souls, without purpose. Rain World{{'s}} karmic gates, which require players to have a positive hibernate to death ratio, were arbitrary goals "disrespectful" of the player's time, according to GameSpot. Making players trudge through an area a dozen times, IGN argued, is "antithetical" in a game in which exploration itself is the reward. In contrast, PC Gamer{{'s}} reviewer, with time, began to see Rain World{{'s}} cumbersome controls less as "bad design" than as "thematically appropriate", given the game's intent to disempower the player. Though Rain World was a "beautiful, forward-thinking game", Paste concluded it should've been more accessible in regards to the game's "puzzles" that gave only "half of the pieces."

Some critics fondly recalled serendipitous in-game encounters as they learned the game environment's unwritten rules.{{Cite web |last=Priestman |first=Chris |date=December 21, 2017 |title=The best games of 2017: Rain World |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/rain-world/the-best-games-of-2017-rain-world |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=PCGamesN}} Not knowing how foreign figures would react, Rock, Paper, Shotgun{{'s}} reviewer treated new encounters as puzzles. This led to moments of fearful scrambling across a room to avoid a new, encroaching enemy type, and discovering that other enemies are harmless if left alone. Rain World was abundant with opportunities for a player to demonstrate ingenuity, according to GameSpot, whose highlights included making a mouse into a dark room's lantern, using weapons as climbable objects, and luring enemies into battle to distract from the slugcat. PCGamesN believed this factor was lacking in mainstream gaming, highlighting that "learning how to manipulate and criss-cross the behaviours of Rain World’s menagerie" resulted in exhilaration. Nintendo World Report, who reviewed the game in January 2019, believed the unpredictable creature behavior deserved its "own level of praise" which differentiated it from the "typical goombas" of other games.{{Cite web |last=Olivo |first=Matthew |date=January 17, 2019 |title=Rain World (Switch) Review |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49394/rain-world-switch-review |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Nintendo World Report}} Those critics considered these mysterious, perceptive interactions to be among the game's best features.

{{Multiple image

| direction = vertical

| image1 = Rain World animation - Blue Liz sm.gif

| alt1 = The slugcat swims from a pursuing blue lizard

| footer = Rain World received early attention for the "uncanny fluidity" of its animations

| align = left

| image2 = Rain World animation - Mimic (shortened and resized).gif

| alt2 = A camouflaged carnivorous plant attempts to grab the slugcat

| total_width = 180

}}

During development, Rain World animations became popular on social media for their "uncanny fluidity", which reviewers continued to praise at release. IGN described the slugcat's animations as beautiful and reactive to the angle and physics of movement, from clinging to poles to squeezing through ventilation. The reviewer said it was among the best aesthetics in a 2D game, with each screen showing abundant detail and meticulous craft. Eurogamer described the "naturalist movement" of both the slugcat and predators as pleasing. Kotaku had much anticipation for the game's graphics{{Emdash}}especially with the "pixellated cuteness that is the slugcat"{{Emdash}}despite falling into frustration like that of their colleagues.{{Cite web |last=Fahey |first=Mike |date=March 28, 2017 |title=Rain World Broke Me |url=https://kotaku.com/rain-world-broke-me-1793743223 |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Kotaku}} Nintendo Life{{'s}} review in 2024 found the game repetitive, but believed its graphics were "unique and stunning" enough to redeem itself. The graphics were more interesting than beautiful to Polygon{{'s}} reviewer, who also praised the limited color palette's role in distinguishing the slugcat, prey, and enemies from the environment.

{{Quotebox

| quote = There is so much beauty and intrigue and diversity of life in Rain World. It’s a pity the game doesn’t want you to see any of it.

| author = Brendan Caldwell

| source = Rock, Paper, Shotgun review (2017)

| align = right

| width = 22em

}}

While some may compare the game's aesthetic to that of Limbo (2010), Rock, Paper, Shotgun felt that Rain World had more in common with Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee{{'s}} (1997): both featured dark yet attractive worlds, scary yet fascinating characters, frequent inter-enemy conflict, and frustrating controls. Rain World successfully depicted "the cruel indifference of nature", according to GameSpot. Its imaginative and compelling landscape{{emdash}}surreal inhabitants in a bleak, alien atmosphere{{emdash}}recalled the spirit of games like BioShock (2007) and Abzû (2016), in which the reviewer was too attracted to the artistic detail to contemplate the credulity of the man-made environment. Paste and Eurogamer drew connections to Tokyo Jungle (2012), which featured parallel themes of a savage ecosystem in a post-human environment. Calling it one of the best games of 2017, PCGamesN was also pleased with the game's narrative, describing how the game's "gruelling survival story" turned into "a sci-fi epic that has you meditate on both the futility and beauty of life". In a review of Downpour, PC Gamer summarized Rain World as a "truly daunting game, but a mesmerizing one to inhabit".

{{Quotebox

| quote = It's harsh and fascinating world has strayed with me in a way few games do. I sometimes look back on that review with a tinge of regret, feeling like I was unable to fully meet the game on its own terms. Then again, this was before developers Videocult pumped a bunch of updates into it and added that nice easy mode for sufferers like me. Some day I'll go back.

| author = Brendan Caldwell

| source = Rock, Paper, Shotgun announcing The Watcher{{'s}} release date (2024)

| width = 24em

}}

Downpour was well received by Rock, Paper, Shotgun and PC Gamer. PC Gamer explained how the DLC's easier accessibility made the game "finally click." According to them, the new content was a "monstrously huge package" and a "new beginning" for Rain World in prediction of future community mods. Rock, Paper, Shotgun said the gameplay experience was less confusing than the original game due to the build-up of guides, as well as enjoying the new game modes which allowed new ways of approaching the game. Comparing the expansion to Stray (2022), they enjoyed the immersion of the new slugcats and their struggles to survive, but still considered its difficulty unfair. The reviewer recognized that the unexplained gameplay was one of Rain World{{'s}} core elements, and concluded that Downpour reintroduced Rain World as "one of gaming’s most fearsome and unpredictable beasts".{{Cite web |last=Chatziioannou |first=Alexander |date=January 20, 2023 |title=Rain World's Downpour DLC cements it as a fascinating and underrated beast |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-worlds-downpour-dlc-cements-it-as-a-fascinating-and-underrated-beast |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721232320/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rain-worlds-downpour-dlc-cements-it-as-a-fascinating-and-underrated-beast |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}}

Rain World was nominated for "Best Platformer" in PC Gamer{{'}}s 2017 Game of the Year Awards,{{cite web |date=December 8, 2017 |title=Games of the Year 2017: The nominees |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/nominees-pc-gamer-goty-2017/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106065910/http://www.pcgamer.com/nominees-pc-gamer-goty-2017/ |archive-date=January 6, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=PC Gamer}} "Best Platformer", "Best Art Direction", and "Most Innovative" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.{{cite web |date=December 20, 2017 |title=Best of 2017 Awards: Best Platformer |url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Platformer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231213750/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Platformer |archive-date=December 31, 2017 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=IGN}}{{cite web |date=December 20, 2017 |title=Best of 2017 Awards: Best Art Direction |url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Art_Direction |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216180159/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Art_Direction |archive-date=December 16, 2017 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=IGN}}{{cite web |date=December 20, 2017 |title=Best of 2017 Awards: Most Innovative |url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Most_Innovative |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102075437/http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Most_Innovative |archive-date=January 2, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=IGN}}

It was also nominated for the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World at the New York Game Awards 2018,{{cite web |last=Whitney |first=Kayla |date=January 25, 2018 |title=Complete list of winners of the New York Game Awards 2018 |url=https://www.axs.com/complete-list-of-winners-of-the-new-york-game-awards-2018-127527 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127084050/https://www.axs.com/complete-list-of-winners-of-the-new-york-game-awards-2018-127527 |archive-date=January 27, 2018 |access-date=January 27, 2018 |work=AXS}} and for "Excellence in Audio" at the Independent Games Festival Competition Awards.{{cite web |last=Faller |first=Patrick |date=January 5, 2018 |title=Independent Games Festival Awards Nominees Announced |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/independent-games-festival-awards-nominees-announc/1100-6455924/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107042859/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/independent-games-festival-awards-nominees-announc/1100-6455924/ |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |work=GameSpot}}{{cite web |last=Whitney |first=Kayla |date=March 22, 2018 |title=Complete list of 2018 Independent Games Festival Awards Winners |url=https://www.axs.com/complete-list-of-2018-independent-games-festival-awards-winners-129025 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083156/https://www.axs.com/complete-list-of-2018-independent-games-festival-awards-winners-129025 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |access-date=March 22, 2018 |work=AXS}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite AV media |title=The Rain World Animation Process |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVntwsrjNe4 |date=July 15, 2017 |last=Game Developers Conference |first= |type=Video |author-link=Game Developers Conference}}
• {{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6djnt8J7jT8 |title=Let's Talk about some Rain World Audio: Deluxe Edition |date=March 22, 2017 |last=Videocult |type=Video}}
• {{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8iJpFFmIN0 |title=Rain World Downpour Reinvents an Ecosystem |date=February 10, 2023 |last=Curious Archive |type=Video}}{{Refend}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://rainworld.miraheze.org/wiki/Rain_World_Wiki Official wiki]

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