<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2017	O
survival	B-Application
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Videocult	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Adult	B-Application
Swim	I-Application
Games	I-Application
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
late	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
assume	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
slugcat	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
elongated	O
felid-like	O
creature	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
tasked	O
with	O
survival	B-Application
in	O
a	O
derelict	O
and	O
hostile	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
little	O
explicit	O
guidance	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
survive	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
the	O
intention	O
of	O
the	O
developers	O
,	O
who	O
wanted	O
players	O
to	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
rat	O
living	O
on	O
subway	O
tracks	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
learn	O
to	O
survive	B-Application
in	O
an	O
environment	O
without	O
grasping	O
its	O
higher-level	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
its	O
art	O
design	O
and	O
fluid	O
animations	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
brutal	O
difficulty	O
,	O
inconsistent	O
save	O
points	O
,	O
and	O
imprecise	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2023	O
,	O
a	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
pack	O
titled	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
:	O
Downpour	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Release	O
is	O
expected	O
for	O
Switch	O
,	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Xbox	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
character	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
slugcat	O
"	O
,	O
uses	O
spears	O
and	O
rocks	O
to	O
survive	B-Application
in	O
a	O
hostile	O
,	O
ruined	O
,	O
and	O
obtuse	O
2D	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
setting	O
is	O
destroyed	O
by	O
ecological	O
catastrophe	O
and	O
illustrated	O
in	O
pixel	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Downpour'''s	O
release	O
was	O
accompanied	O
by	O
the	O
free	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
Remix	O
upgrade	O
,	O
which	O
added	O
accessibility	O
options	O
and	O
ways	O
to	O
customize	O
game	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
it	O
reaches	O
Five	O
Pebbles	O
,	O
a	O
massive	O
decaying	O
supercomputer	O
,	O
and	O
meets	O
the	O
AI	O
's	O
robotic	O
avatar	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
creating	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
,	O
Joar	O
Jakobsson	O
was	O
a	O
graphic	O
designer	O
in	O
Sweden	O
who	O
taught	O
himself	O
how	O
to	O
animate	O
sprites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
began	O
with	O
a	O
sketch	O
of	O
an	O
elongated	O
cat	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
named	O
"	O
slugcat	O
"	O
by	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
viewers	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
character	O
has	O
no	O
official	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jakobsson	O
designed	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
enemies	O
to	O
live	O
their	O
own	O
lives	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
hunt	O
for	O
food	O
and	O
struggle	O
to	O
survive	B-Application
,	O
rather	O
than	O
serve	O
as	O
obstacles	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enemy	O
placements	O
are	O
randomly	O
generated	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
final	O
playtests	B-General_Concept
a	O
week	O
prior	O
to	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
noted	O
how	O
some	O
players	O
became	O
more	O
or	O
less	O
interested	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
luck	O
of	O
their	O
enemy	O
spawns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
one	O
point	O
,	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
included	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
separate	O
story	O
and	O
custom	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
early	O
2015	O
,	O
about	O
four	O
years	O
into	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
switched	O
to	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
and	O
released	O
a	O
test	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
its	O
Kickstarter	O
backers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primate	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
James	O
Therrien	O
,	O
wrote	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
soundtrack	O
,	O
handled	O
the	O
indie	O
studio	O
's	O
business	O
,	O
and	O
designed	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primate	O
first	O
found	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
an	O
indie	O
game	O
Internet	B-Application
forum	I-Application
and	O
sent	O
Jakobsson	O
12	O
tracks	O
as	O
a	O
successful	O
pitch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
music	O
is	O
low-fi	O
and	O
electronic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
lieu	O
of	O
traditional	O
character	O
dialogue	O
and	O
narration	O
,	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
story	O
was	O
partly	O
communicated	O
through	O
its	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
has	O
over	O
3.5	O
hours	O
of	O
recorded	O
music	O
across	O
160	O
tracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Animations	O
from	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
were	O
popularized	O
on	O
social	O
media	O
in	O
praise	O
of	O
their	O
"	O
uncanny	O
fluidity	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Videocult	O
,	O
published	O
by	O
Adult	B-Application
Swim	I-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
and	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	B-Application
on	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previews	O
compared	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
to	O
predecessors	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
difficulty	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Meat	I-Application
Boy	I-Application
,	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
of	O
Fez	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
puzzle-platforming	O
to	O
Metroid	B-Device
and	O
Oddworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
Videocult	O
and	O
Adult	B-Application
Swim	I-Application
Games	I-Application
released	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
platform	O
in	O
December	O
13	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Limited	O
Run	O
Games	O
released	O
a	O
physical	O
edition	O
of	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
later	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
Videocult	O
announced	O
that	O
due	O
to	O
publisher	O
issues	O
with	O
Adult	B-Application
Swim	I-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
now	O
being	O
published	O
by	O
Akupara	O
Games	O
after	O
a	O
prolonged	O
legal	O
dispute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
DLC	B-Protocol
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
by	O
Akupara	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Named	O
"	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
:	O
Downpour	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
contains	O
five	O
new	O
slugcat	O
characters	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
campaigns	O
,	O
over	O
1000	O
new	O
rooms	O
across	O
ten	O
new	O
regions	O
,	O
and	O
three	O
new	O
game	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
released	O
for	O
PC	B-Device
on	O
January	O
19	O
,	O
2023	O
,	O
while	O
console	O
release	O
dates	O
remain	O
unannounced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
,	O
before	O
reaching	O
cult	O
status	O
,	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
on	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
compared	O
its	O
savage	O
,	O
survival	B-Application
elements	O
to	O
Tokyo	O
Jungle.Rain	O
World	O
punishing	O
gameplay	O
frustrated	O
reviewers	O
,	O
who	O
often	O
descended	O
into	O
apathy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
wrote	O
about	O
futility	O
as	O
a	O
central	O
tenet	O
of	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
,	O
and	O
felt	O
that	O
she	O
was	O
not	O
given	O
the	O
proper	O
tools	O
to	O
survive	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
reviewers	O
concluded	O
that	O
while	O
some	O
hardcore	O
players	O
might	O
enjoy	O
the	O
tough	O
gameplay	O
,	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
excluded	O
a	O
large	O
audience	O
with	O
its	O
design	O
choices	O
,	O
as	O
its	O
choice	O
of	O
emergent	O
enemy	O
strategy	O
would	O
feel	O
unfair	O
to	O
most	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rock	O
,	O
Paper	O
,	O
Shotgun	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
checkpointing	O
among	O
the	O
worst	O
in	O
modern	O
platformers	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
challenge	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
similarly	O
punishing	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
,	O
without	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
karmic	O
gates	O
,	O
which	O
require	O
players	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
positive	O
hibernate	O
to	O
death	O
ratio	O
,	O
were	O
arbitrary	O
goals	O
"	O
disrespectful	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
time	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
GameSpot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Device
Gamer	O
reviewer	O
,	O
with	O
time	O
,	O
began	O
to	O
see	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
cumbersome	O
controls	O
less	O
as	O
"	O
bad	O
design	O
"	O
than	O
as	O
"	O
thematically	O
appropriate	O
"	O
,	O
given	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
intent	O
to	O
disempower	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
abundant	O
with	O
opportunities	O
for	O
a	O
player	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
ingenuity	O
and	O
improvisation	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
GameSpot	O
reviewer	O
,	O
whose	O
highlights	O
included	O
making	O
a	O
mouse	O
into	O
a	O
dark	O
room	O
's	O
lantern	O
,	O
using	O
weapons	O
as	O
climbable	O
objects	O
,	O
and	O
luring	O
enemies	O
into	O
battle	O
to	O
distract	O
from	O
the	O
slugcat	O
's	O
presence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
critics	O
considered	O
these	O
mysterious	O
,	O
perceptive	O
interactions	O
to	O
be	O
among	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
best	O
features	O
,	O
though	O
far	O
outweighed	O
by	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
punishing	O
game	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
development	O
,	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
animations	O
became	O
popular	O
on	O
social	O
media	O
for	O
their	O
"	O
uncanny	O
fluidity	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
reviewers	O
continued	O
to	O
praise	O
at	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
some	O
journalists	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
aesthetic	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Limbo	B-Application
,	O
Rock	O
,	O
Paper	O
,	O
Shotgun	O
reviewer	O
felt	O
that	O
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
had	O
more	O
in	O
common	O
with	O
Oddworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Abe	I-Application
's	I-Application
Oddysee	I-Application
aesthetic	O
:	O
both	O
featured	O
similarly	O
dark	O
yet	O
attractive	O
worlds	O
,	O
scary	O
yet	O
fascinating	O
characters	O
,	O
frequent	O
inter-enemy	O
conflict	O
,	O
and	O
frustrating	O
or	O
masochistic	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rain	B-Application
World	I-Application
successfully	O
depicted	O
"	O
the	O
cruel	O
indifference	O
of	O
nature	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
GameSpot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
imaginative	O
and	O
compelling	O
landscapesurreal	O
inhabitants	O
in	O
a	O
bleak	O
,	O
alien	O
atmosphererecalled	O
the	O
spirit	O
of	O
games	O
like	O
BioShock	B-Application
and	O
Abzû	B-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
reviewer	O
was	O
too	O
attracted	O
to	O
the	O
artistic	O
detail	O
to	O
contemplate	O
the	O
credulity	O
of	O
the	O
man-made	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
Platformer	O
"	O
in	O
PC	B-Device
Gamer''s	O
2017	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
Awards	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
Platformer	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Art	O
Direction	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Most	O
Innovative	O
"	O
in	O
IGN	O
's	O
Best	O
of	O
2017	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
