It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world
Rain World, a game about not getting eaten, is still coming along. I’ve got the gifs to prove it!
But first, writing on the PlayStation Blog, artist and programmer Joar Jakobsson put into words why this title continues to captivate us (and why, otherworldly visuals aside, it’s such a looker in motion). “With Rain World,” he said, “we are doing quite a lot of things differently from the standards of video games. As much as a game, we’ve built a kind of living ecosystem simulation where creatures exist independently of the player and autonomously search throughout the world for food and shelter.”
Citing examples of that design in practice, Jakobsson noted that “slithering neon lizards you encounter have brutally dangerous claws and teeth, but are also individuals that can learn to recognize you. The mighty vultures swooping down from above are fierce hunters of both lizards and slugcats, but they’re not mindless machines — if you wrong one it may decide to track you specifically and you’ll never again be able to pass under open sky without an anxious eye upwards. The scruffy scavengers rooting through the garbage heaps are distrusting and dangerous, but save one from the jaws of a vulture and you might make a friend, or eventually even gain the trust of the entire pack.”
Simply put, “the world and its inhabitants give you no special treatment,” and rather than growing more powerful, “you’ll gain knowledge about how other creatures work such as their hunting habits and tastes in prey.” Wonderful concept. I don’t mind waiting for a game like this to take its time.
With added context for the food chain’s inner workings, I think you’ll enjoy these gifs that much more.
Even the bugs in the first gif are well-animated!
Rain World: Surviving in a Living Ecosystem [PlayStation Blog]
