The way you describe the simple rules that lead to complex behavior reminds me of the game of life. Although it is called game of "life" I never got the feeling that the very stable or metastable objects formed out of pure randomness appear to be "real" or "living on your computer". However, in Rain World the creatures do feel that way. This is an idea that the gaming industry needs to expand on. We need to find more enhanced games of life!
Conway's game of life right? It is super interesting how complex things can get with such simple rule-sets though. I think a lot of what Rain World gets right is in the interplay between different creatures, all those rules playing off of one another really helps elevate the feeling that each of them are unique and playing a role in the overall ecosystem.
The game of life is an example of a system of cellular automata. Cellular automata, or more general agent-based models, have a lot of potential applications for indie game development.
I always saw the ending as a sort of paradise, the Survivor reaching a world where there are no predators. Nothing but you, other slugcats, and a tree and stones reminiscent of the one from the beginning where the family was safe. The slugcat is no longer alone, no longer hungry, no longer afraid. I like your interpretation as well, and I think either would be a valid way to see it.
Your interpretation is certainly a little happier for the survivor. But then I guess, without predators, and struggle, where would be the meaning to be found in such an existence? It is after all, the struggles and hardships we endure that give life it's meaning. I am excited to see what, if anything, Downpour does with the Lore. Fingers crossed we get some new information. Appreciate the comment and hope you are having a great day \o/
@@numenoduo Very true, I think at that point the meaning would be to connect with the others of its kind. the Monk's ending suggests it meets the Survivor, or at least there's a slugcat there as if waiting for it. Downpour could really add some wild things, especially with the Gourmand considering it's a glutton which, theoretically, should prevent it from successfully transcending. Too attached to mortal things, and such. I have had a good day, thank you! I hope you have one as well!
The fact alone that someone makes an over 1 hour long MOVIE about the spiritual aspects of Rainworld, pretty much tells what a masterpiece this game is...
Rain world has made me have a new outlook on life, but I can't quite put my finger on it. In a way it made me appreciate life more, and is probably my favorite game of all time.
@NumenoDuo obviously (: but ngl there are some things that I don't like, if I remember the game will now give you tips when you die or when you sleep in a cycle. these can be disabled but I think they are automatically turned on. Idk the special thing about rain world was that it barely taught you anything, I feel it would have been better if they just made the yellow overseer show you more things.
Thinking of a world where immortality is cheap and death is all the most ambitious want is mind-bending. Imagine explaining our ideas about life to a world like that?
I was always fond of the idea that the world this slugcat inhabits was the final sequence of a simmulation that Sliver of Straw needed to verify her theory. That our slugcat was the critical piece that overcame it's limits and surmounted the odds. Slugcats ascension, being plucked away from the simulation that birthed it, the verification that sent the triple affirmative. Rewriting her cellular matrix with slugcat as the base, allowing her own enlightenment. Just a fun idea
The introduction warning about going into the game blind is absolutely brilliant. I find that when my friends have learnt about a game from me, they will play it and find that it does not give the same sense of wonder it gave me. This is usually my fault because when I play games like Rain World I simply cannot help but talk about it. I do, however, recognise the fragility of this feeling so I have made sure to only use the internet to help me when I have literally no other option. Having beaten the game at 2:30am last night (I refused to go to sleep until I had finished it) I am now free to mercilessly study the lore behind this brilliant game, as I do with every game I love. 10/10 am about to hop back in immediately and play again as I am sure there are whole regions I have missed
This game literally makes me depressed that a small hybrid of a cat and a slug lost their family and a robot thing is in a box unable to move and is slowly rotting away from existence
Amazing video, putting together rly well so much of what makes Rain World amazing and worthy of going down in history. For me it really was one of the most spiritual experiences I had with video games. In any case, great work!
One of the best Rain World videos out there. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end, soothing voice, lots of thought and structure put in the script and revelant but not intrusive gameplay footage. Congrats on putting such a high quality first video essay, I can't wait to see more if you decide to continue creating these !
In my first playthrough I ended up in Canopies, spent upwards of 50 cycles trying to make my way through the entire region in a single cycle (The only shelters I'd found were the two right at the entrance from Industrial) and by the time I'd finally found a path through most of the region, had a cycle long enough to actually make the trek, and managed to avoid the hordes of lizards and vultures that appear on that path... I reached an essentially impassable gap (which is passable with movement tech but I was not aware of this yet) and fell to my death. It was super demoralising and I gave up there and then... Only to come back with a fresh start because I hate giving up, take a much friendlier route through the game (through Citadel lol) make it to that one place in Shoreline and realise that despite everything, I fricken love this game.
I've just started watching this video but before I resume it I wanted to say how glad I am that others had the same experience I had with this game, the ending caught me totally off guard and the way they build up to it is so incredible, not just the hours beforehand but you could say the entirety of a playthrough is like a glacial build up to the end of the game. When I got to the end and finished the game it was like I just learned some profound lesson, I have never had an experience like that with any game and like most people who have played Rain World I've played a lot of different games. Rain World totally changed my mind about things like immersion and story telling in games, it was so good that Rain World can only ever be experience properly as a computer game, hopefully other developers take lessons from this one.
I think it is a symbolic representation of his home, absolutely , hence why it looks so much like the tree we see at the start of the game. However we are a long way from that place at the end of the game, surrounded by an empty expanse. Of course, it is all conjecture. I think either way we can agree the survivor made it 'home', whatever that may be =)
i think what really happened is that when you ascend, you dream about your deepest desire (in survivor's case, its to go back home) before you completely cease to exist
I know how annoying it can be when a video won't go away so I am very happy to hear it wasn't a waste of your time. I can't give you your sleep back but I hope it felt like a fair trade! Thanks for the words and hopefully you get a full night sleep tonight ;)
Absolutely beautiful piece that made me think about a lot of aspects of life, and learned the deepness of a game I've always wanted to know more about. I wish there were more vids by Numeno :( such good content.
The ending of this game absolutely killed me. In every way possible. I find it especially tragic how the ancients say that the whole purpose of the world is to transcend, yet more of the living world seems unbothered by the cycle. Only creatures that worry and think about their situation are affected by what the cycle does. Lizards, plants, and other creatures seemingly don't care about the cycle, so is transcendence really the ultimate goal of all life in the world, or is it only the made up goal of a long lost civilization of people. Even a conscience being like Moon herself, despite her terrible state, still wants to live on even knowing that the cycle exists. I think that's what makes the survivor and monk's stories so sad; that transcending is not only something that doesn't need to be achieved to be happy, but is also something that eliminates every and all forms of struggle from those who transcend. And living isn't living without struggle. Even worse, if the survivor had just waited for a tiny bit more time, maybe the monk would've found them.
Excellently written! It was the parallels with spirituality that really elevated RW for me. These are questions not typically explored in video games and the game handled the material so well.
@@johncronk8867 more so as the gourmands ending enables the monk and survivor to also return to their previous life instead. With a family of their own if you manage to keep them alive for the journey.
Two years later, I am still as fascinated of Rain World as I was when I first discovered it. Despite the fact, that I explored every little thing in the wiki, I am still finding small details and wonders in this game, still coming up with new lore theories, perspectives. This game is an absolute masterpiece, that changed my life forever.
Like I was casually watching and truly enjoying this epic video and then i saw 240 views?!? Man this is masterpiece.. Top quality video... This deserves so much more views and likes! Great work!
Incredible video, truly. Don't even know what to say besides thanks for making such a piece on the surprisingly deep silly slugcat game that is Rain World, can't believe this is your debut video. Your commentary and presentation style is really enjoyable and fun to hear, while still invoking some thought about what youre saying, even though I have been with the game for a long time, I haven't looked at some stuff in a way that you did, so it was nice to see. Hopefully we get something as incredible as base Rain World's world (hehe) and themes in Downpour, I really want it to be big story wise, not even really more of the same, I think it'd be sick if it explored some other themes while still keeping the identity of Rain World intact. And judging by the fact the original devs accepted the More Slugcats Mod's story in almost the entirety (iirc there were some slight tweaks and criticisms by the devs), I'm really curious and open to what's to come :)) Thanks again and good luck on your future projects!! (also you have a nice voice
Hey Nacu, thank you for saying that, it makes it worth all the work that went into it. Yea I am stoked for Downpour, I've tried to stay away from any spoilers since it was picked up by VideoCult to be official content. I think we'll get some interesting new locations and lore for sure. Also I'm glad you like my voice ha, I was worried no-one would be able to understand me \o/
It is nice to at times return to this age of the community, when I feel the spirituality and sense of journey was at its strongest This game, alongside the comic Stand Still, Stay Silent, is what inspired me to both consider the importance of spirituality in my otherwise atheistic life, and to also want to produce art for the rest of my life. Both were out around the time I was in early high school and I probably spent 20 hours just playing arena mode with my best friend of the time while getting annihilated in the story mode. Because the arena unlocks were in challenging areas of the world, I played the same 8 or so arenas with him that entire year or two
Fucking amazing video. I love seeing these new channels with completely flawless first videos. Keep it up man, I look forward to seeing your content in the future, whether it be about rain world, or something else.
19:50 Counterpoint: Hard games usually are hard because the act of overcoming the obstacle is difficult. Far too many times RainWorld is hard because you are punished for your death (which may be, as you said previously, undeserved) and you have to grind your karma level back to the top to proceed. It discourages taking risks and fights because it punishes you heavily for losing. I have no problems with hard games such as Super Meat Boy, because you can try over and over again and lose nothing. It opens up for player creativity. Rain world is not extremely hard, but its VERY punishing, and to many many players (me included) that's not fun at all.
I think that is fair criticism. I had many moments of frustration, especially during my first play-through. I can see what the dev's were going for with resetting karma levels but as you say, at times it can feel overly punishing and can detract from the enjoyment of the experience. And then there are more serious issues where you are put into situations where death is almost unavoidable, and I think that is just down to dev experience and the limited team size of VideoCult. I do think a lot of the satisfaction of RW, at least for me, comes from learning the world, the creatures and the movement system and seeing yourself progress in terms of how manageable the game becomes versus where you started from, all without giving you new abilities. It's a game that feels good when mastered, but the mastering itself can feel like an uphill battle. Taking the entire experience as a package though, there are very few games that were as rewarding to learn and explore and I think if you push through the initial struggle it gives you an experience that is wholly unique.
On the surface, grinding karma isn't that daunting, as you should be aware of where food could be, and you can often just get full in the first half of the cycle. Grinding up from 1 to 4 got old fast. I don't want every single death in my hard game to necessitate a 4 minute session to recover those lives.
Rain World is my fav game ever, so I've been watching a lot of videos of it, specially when I finished the game for the first time. This is the best video I've ever watched about Rain World so far. An amazing work, indeed!
Looking forward to more content from you! And, I'm seriously in love with this game. I have the feeling that its appreciation will slowly build into a monolith, and become a true classic despite its initial snubbing, kinda like 2001 A Space Odyssey
Plan to be doing a lil bit of analysis on the religion aswell as soundtrack of this beautiful game. Its very motivating to see other folks having a similar perspective on it all :)
1:20 rain world is one of the games where if you play blind, it’s incredible, but if you spoil yourself, you are guaranteed to have a less immersive experience tHan if you play blind, glad you put this warning, (though lots of people do for other games so I hope people trust the warning)
Rain world is over 6 years old now. I already feel slightly nostalgic for the earliest versions of the game, now that DLC has been added. Its a testament to the quality of the game that it has become more popular over time, rather than less (the normal cycle for most piece of medias, including video games). Its a 6 year old indie game that even before the addition of DLC back in January this year, people were still picking up. When i first bought it, i had no clue what it was. I had a few spare pounds on the switch eshop, so i looked for a cheap game and bought rain world. Christ is this possibly one of the most slept on games of all time, although at the same time it doesnt go out of its way to have any mass appeal.
excellent video. I've been refreshing on rain world videos in preparation for Downpour and this is one of the best. The game is like nothing else and as a gaming experience it is unmatched. One day perhaps everyone else will realise this.
@@numenoduo I never looked into the mods or into what Downpour exactly is (apart from obviously new Slugcats and areas) and I want to keep myself spoiler free and equally hyped for all of them :D
I would love to see a rain world downpour video like this I know it would be even more massive but I think It'd be really interesting to see your view on it.
This video is one of my inspirations for the video that I made about this game. And now, rewatching it, I cannot agree more with your statements at the end of the video. I mean, I heard them when I saw this for the first time and they were ominous about the journey I was about to embark on, but holy SHIT did I also not expect for it to take as long as it did even if I expected it to take long. But it was definitely worth it. I know it was worth it for me, and I hope it was worth it for you as well! Also I find it funny that my video's length is only one minute shy of yours, lololol!
What i like most about the game is just the simple fact that you get to be part of the ecosystem. And i mean truly part of it, most games just make you play out the role of a living creature in the form of quests and in doing so kinda ruin what they are attempting to do. But in Rainworld its just a given, right down to the suffering part, and i love it.
This was a wonderful video to come across as ive started really learning about rain world. Due to disability stuff, i cant actually play the game but i CAN watch a lot and learn, so i am sadi cant experience it like most players can, but...at least i can enjoy insightful videos like this! Curious Archive's videos on its ecosystem are what got me to check it out in the first place! Also, considering this video is from 2022, i was wondrring if you've considered doing a follow up for Downpour? There seems to be so many quality of life improvements that kinda address at least some of your issues. I'm also very interested to hear a more spiritually minded analysis of its revelations, especially considering saint and artificer's campaigns and what happens with the iterators. They really really moved me in a way i wasnt expecting, but i havent seen many people talking about like..the thematic elements??? Have you given any thought to it or not?? Just wondering! Regardless, a great video and im glad i stumbled across it! P.s did you figure out spore puffs can one shot all centipedes, spiders, and dropwigs?? You didnt mention it so fhfh
This is such an incredibly well made essay. I recently got into Rain World thanks to the praise of content creators like Htwo, and was hoping to find an in-depth video analysis of the game like this. Thank you.
Thx you for this nice moment. Keep going man you are very VERY talented. I love and hate this game so much haha and we can hear your passion for the nuances of this game. I have click the bell and can't wait to see more of your content !
@@numenoduo Not yet because of lack of time for a moment (Beeing a dad haha) But I have watch some footage to get the taste, it look amazing. In particular the coop experience
Hey there, I just wanted to say I found your video really enjoyable. I feel like the "video-essay" format can be a bit oversaturated in some cases but you really stood out to me, great voice, great structure, very listenable. I'm sure this was quite the big project to get done and I think it really paid off! Definitley looking forward to future content from you! Cheers
Really great video, I'm surprised it doesnt have more views! One thing though, im pretty sure the angelic thing at the end of the ascension cutscene is a representation of the tree the slugcats originally came from, which is also seen at the very start of the game
Glad you enjoyed it. Yea, I think it is the tree, or at least a symbolic representation of the tree. Which would make sense, as the tree could be a symbol for 'home' whilst also serving as the singular made up of the multiple - Everything stemming from one original source. It ties in nicely with the whole idea behind returning to source and escaping material reality. But of course, in the end it comes down to our own interpretation.
@@numenoduo thats true! I guess i never really thought about it that way. Do you have any speculations on specifically the hunter's ascension aswell? It is slightly different from the others.
Curious Archive did a video on this game and now I can't get enough of it. IDT I'd enjoy the gameplay difficulty, but the lore, flora and fauna are so intriguing! Great video so far, though I'm only halfway through.
the only "new ability" you gain is bio-luminescence by way of eating a neuron fly from lttm or fp, however this is more of a quality of life thing as you can trade or steal a lantern from scavs, or with the new downpour dlc, just make one as gourmand.
I'm so impressed you managed to still fall in love with the game after getting locked into the noob trap region. I hear most people quit the game after becoming stuck there.
Few minutes in and I already know I will love the video !! I have played the game already and I agree so much this game deserve to be experienced blind ! A little contradiction is the fact that while saying that you are spoiling visually the game like mad !! May be its a bit sad for people new to the game. Anyway lets go back to enjoy the vid
Ha, true! I did consider giving the spoiler warning before gameplay footage, but I settled on only showing footage from officially released trailers/marketing material. A tricky line to walk for sure.
11:41 I think it makes sense that the monk can't read data pearls but yea I would have liked to see something take their place whether it was different collectables or even a new iterator to meet. Not finished watching but great content so far.
WOW 2000 views, no fucking way. Great video man, please keep it up, I assure you you'll get rewarded for your effort. The spiritual parts were especially interesting. I love how you speak about your trip/s, I myself am looking forward for my first psychotropic experience whenever I feel ready. Much love and keep it up!
Thanks Brando! Yea, it's never a good idea to rush into such things, but when the time is right things will just fall into place. Enjoy your adventures! I'm sure it'll be a blast.
Game is great mate, I'm in the industrial complex snd farmed the Hunter, Saimt and Survivor achievements. I found a scavanger stronghold, stealing its pearls and going to give it back to them for the chieftain trait. but the scavangers only pop up from time to time.
Been hyperfixated on Rain World ever since I watched a streamer's highlights. Sad, I know, but I was one of the players who gave up on the game because they felt it wasn't for them. I've been watching reviews and gameplay of Rain World because I just can't get enough of it right now. I thought this video was quite long, but considering the small subscription number and likes (which surprised me), I decided I'd leave a comment with a short review of the video. I think the video was pretty good in terms of joining a review and a small guide of the game; however, I was expecting something different when I read the title, something closer to what was briefly mentioned about buddhism for example. Still, great video, and hope you get more views! Also, funny intermissions. Slugman.
Thanks Zither for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. I was trying to strike a balance, but this was certainly more of a game retrospective that a commentary of the spiritual themes in Rain World. Partly because a lot of what Rain World does touch on, it does so with a light touch and much of it is relevant to the game's lore rather than traditional spiritual teachings. Thank you for the feedback! I will keep it in mind for future videos!
The worst part of this game for me was the fact that my first playthrough was effectively ruined by me going outskirts-drainage-subteranean. I realized this was the wrong direction to go, and then couldn't get into shoreline since I didn't know about jet fish. I don't know why they made the way the filtration I'm drainage not only available, but also easier than the intended route of garbage wastes. This is the only time where something like this is likely to happen, besides maybe going from chimney to sky islands.
At first your voice seemed quite hard to understand, but after a while it wasnt a problem anymore and i understud everything. Even tho english is not my native. But as an entry essay it was amaizing. So even if there is space for improvment if you would want to make more content like this, I wouldn't take the critique too hard. As first video, it was really good after all :)
With an opening like that, now I have to get the game and play it myself. Only recently heard about this game through hype for the dlc so I know nothing other than people say it's good and its consistently good ratings. I'll see for myself soon😁
Ooh same thing happened with me, I got Downpour trailers just flooding my recommended page for a while, and Rain World was just 8 dollars on Steam so I just picked it up without much thought, one of the best decisions of this year!! (I'd suggest it :D)
You are in for a good time. I hope you can let us know how you find it, I would love to hear your thoughts on it after you've spent some time with it. Thanks for the kind words Nick.
@@numenoduoI'm a bit backed up with games to complete, so it may be awhile until I get to this game and complete it. I'll be sure to come back to this video to post my thoughts after completing it.
I one of does people where, after I play a game once and it doesn't have any meaningful gameplay value, I generally won't play the game again. The best examples where dark souls remastered and dark souls 3, I played them the way I wanted and got the endings I wanted as well. After that I never felt interested to go back in and play a different way, since what I will fight is the same boss in the same place. But Rain world is the only game that, when I search for tips/lore I stop myself from finding out fully what happens, I got to Shoreline and the moon place first and I'm still confused if that's the first thing your supposed to see. So I decided that I will play all the slugcats the game as.
One of the great things about RW is how open ended it is. You are free to make your own path towards the inevitable end that waits for us all. I am happy to hear you are enjoying the game, it is a excellent experience.
22:00 First time I played, over the span of 8 hours or so, I missed moon by 1 map, got completely lost, actually found the depths, got insta killed by a guardian and then found out through google that I was just "Not supposed to be there" yet so I uninstalled. That was like 3 years ago lol. Came back for the DLC but there is a limit to how much "indie purist fun" you can get out of being completely lost and having to backtrack through hours of progres before its annoying.
I've seen/heard a lot of comments saying it was a misstep for Rain World to make gameplay so punishing. I totally agree the bullshit deaths can be frustrating and demoralizing, especially within a gaming culture that prizes power building through system mastery (*within* within a species that basically yeeted itself beyond the typical life struggle into a mode where we can thrive and progress). That RW is frustrating and unfair is 100% true. But I disagree that it's a problem or a flaw. I think it's a beautifully brutal reflection of reality. For most organisms, life *isn't* a power fantasy and never will be. You struggle just to stay in place, beings get things "undeserved" all the time, and so much is up to random chance. Shit happens. The end. How many would-be heroes with game-changing genes have been laid, only to be crushed before they could ever hatch?
That's a great comment. It highlights the nuances and choices that have to be made when reviewing a game. For instance, your point on the at times brutality of life. Were video cult attempting to evoke that feeling? Maybe they were. But does it translate over to an enjoyable gameplay experience? Obviously it's subjective but I think enough people don't enjoy it for it be called a resounding success. How do we judge games, as art. as gameplay providers, as narratives etc. Truthfully it's all of them. And when one aspect negatively impacts another, I think that's where valid criticism is justified. But again, it's just my 2 cents. Thanks for the reply o/
@@numenoduo Good point about intent! I don't know if the game devs wanted that unfairness frustration, or if they would rather have created a "classically fun" experience. So the game could be flawed OR successfully executing on unusual values, depending on what they intended. And I think it's totally possible for it to have different levels of success in the creators' eyes vs the audience's. Btw, I love your videos, and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughtful replies to comments!
I somewhat agree that making lore more visible and "up-front" for newer player would've been a good move, however, how to actually make it more transparent without ruining the immersion and world the game already built? More iterators? This requires a fitting place for it in the world, since lore-wise iterators weren't usually built as close to eachother as moon and pebble. Make iterators/echoes talk more? 5p has his own matters to attend to, and making him explain the fundamentals of the world he's in to some random (albeit intelligent) critter doesn't really make any sense story-wise whatsoever. And moon, well, you could add more pearls, i suppose, but that doesn't really fit new players very well. I believe that the approach developers went with is best for the game and it's atmosphere. It's not necessary for players to know all the ins and outs of the story, however, there's also nothing stopping them investing more time into game if they wish for more, and game very strongly hints that there's more to what iterators are actually telling to you.
True. I think it would be difficult. I think even something as simple as having some contraption in each shelter, or a couple of shelters that could read data-pearls for you would go a long ways to making the lore/story components more accessible. I wouldn't want the game to be an open book, mystery after all is intriguing. But I've spoken to a lot of people who had no idea what was going on and that isn't an ideal place to be either. Somewhere in the middle for sure. I'm interested to see if there is any change in approach come Downpour considering it wasn't made by official dev's (official at the time!)
@@numenoduo "Shelter reader" could work, however when you bring pearls to moon, she doesn't just read information on them plainly, but also explains the player it's contents. Most of the lore is conveyed by moon directly, just with the use of pearls, and not by pearls themselves. Also, not all of them contain plain text, there are schematics, genomes and even feelings. I am not sure how to portray that without drawing an image for every non-text pearl (which is a lot of work) and just showing the contents may not help player with lore at all at this point, since player will most likely have no idea what image portrays without further explanations either way. If thay contraption will also be able to, let's say, analyze pearls and describe it's contents with readable language, then it may be somewhat immersion-breaking. Consider the amount of self-maintence iterators should perform to stay functional throughout all those cycles, and that they're the only functional remnants of the old world, encountering such complex structure intact (and considering that there should be quite a bunch of them to make lore actually accessible) is not very believable. Honestly, this lore issue is mostly a distance issue. Most players don't bring pearls to moon because she's very far away. If she would've been either closer to center of the map, or there would be some kind of free fast travel option (turbo-pipes, mayhaps?), this problem would've been much less apparent.
@@dannadx3840 for fast travel, how about something I call “Nomad Paths.” (Named just now). Not necessarily pipes, but something you can use to travel across the map at the cost of food pips-it’s one long, uninterrupted trek, after all.
@@dannadx3840 random idea: the ability to access a room behind moon that has the pearl reader which displays the contents of it. Inside is the overseer beckons you to place pearls in there.
When I first started the game, I saw the difficulty setting as a class choice. (I also thought the monk was entirely vegetarian so picked survivor bc I didn't want to deal with that lol)
I’m not usually one to comment, but this was an OUTSTANDING video I watched from start to finish. Would you be open to doing a similar video about a game called Outer Wilds?
I am glad you enjoyed it. I loved Outer Wilds. Really incredible game. The expansion/dlc was brilliant too! I would love to do a video on it. I am working on another project atm but it's on the list.
I think it comes down to how familiar you are with the world. I know on my first run through the rain killed me a good number of times. Once you know where most of the shelters are it becomes a lot more lenient for sure.
![[OLD] A (not so) Brief History of the Ancients | Rain World Downpour Lore](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tptVamYBXnw/mqdefault.jpg)
slugman
I liked the scene when slugman said "It's sluggin' time" and slugged everywhere, truly a spiritually enlighting moment of this retrospective.
SLUGMAN ‼️
Sluggin’
There's no need to feel down
I said Slugman!
The way you describe the simple rules that lead to complex behavior reminds me of the game of life. Although it is called game of "life" I never got the feeling that the very stable or metastable objects formed out of pure randomness appear to be "real" or "living on your computer". However, in Rain World the creatures do feel that way. This is an idea that the gaming industry needs to expand on. We need to find more enhanced games of life!
Conway's game of life right? It is super interesting how complex things can get with such simple rule-sets though.
I think a lot of what Rain World gets right is in the interplay between different creatures, all those rules playing off of one another really helps elevate the feeling that each of them are unique and playing a role in the overall ecosystem.
The game of life is an example of a system of cellular automata. Cellular automata, or more general agent-based models, have a lot of potential applications for indie game development.
I always saw the ending as a sort of paradise, the Survivor reaching a world where there are no predators. Nothing but you, other slugcats, and a tree and stones reminiscent of the one from the beginning where the family was safe. The slugcat is no longer alone, no longer hungry, no longer afraid.
I like your interpretation as well, and I think either would be a valid way to see it.
Your interpretation is certainly a little happier for the survivor.
But then I guess, without predators, and struggle, where would be the meaning to be found in such an existence? It is after all, the struggles and hardships we endure that give life it's meaning.
I am excited to see what, if anything, Downpour does with the Lore. Fingers crossed we get some new information.
Appreciate the comment and hope you are having a great day \o/
@@numenoduo
Very true, I think at that point the meaning would be to connect with the others of its kind. the Monk's ending suggests it meets the Survivor, or at least there's a slugcat there as if waiting for it.
Downpour could really add some wild things, especially with the Gourmand considering it's a glutton which, theoretically, should prevent it from successfully transcending. Too attached to mortal things, and such.
I have had a good day, thank you! I hope you have one as well!
@@sparkedfires I’ve seen 2 unique ends for Artificer and 1 for Gourmand. I really hope there’s a third for Artificer.
@@johncronk8867 I can't wait until Downpour comes to Switch, for right now I'm just avoiding any coverage of it like the plague.
The fact alone that someone makes an over 1 hour long MOVIE about the spiritual aspects of Rainworld, pretty much tells what a masterpiece this game is...
when i finished the game, it felt like something clicked in my head. i've enjoyed my life a lot more after the experience.
That's awesome to hear! =)
Try psychedelics
@@pepe-je2jz Genius!
same
I was stuck, and am soooo happy I made progress!
Rain world has made me have a new outlook on life, but I can't quite put my finger on it. In a way it made me appreciate life more, and is probably my favorite game of all time.
Are you excited for Downpour in Jan?
@NumenoDuo obviously (: but ngl there are some things that I don't like, if I remember the game will now give you tips when you die or when you sleep in a cycle. these can be disabled but I think they are automatically turned on. Idk the special thing about rain world was that it barely taught you anything, I feel it would have been better if they just made the yellow overseer show you more things.
@@numenoduo I take back what I said the dlc is AMAZING.
@@Poopfan101 It's really good! It's also really brutal!
Thinking of a world where immortality is cheap and death is all the most ambitious want is mind-bending. Imagine explaining our ideas about life to a world like that?
An hour's worth of listening to someone talk about the lore of Rain World's spirituality?
Yeah I got time
Thank you for giving me some of your most limited resource. I hope it didn't feel wasted.
I was always fond of the idea that the world this slugcat inhabits was the final sequence of a simmulation that Sliver of Straw needed to verify her theory. That our slugcat was the critical piece that overcame it's limits and surmounted the odds. Slugcats ascension, being plucked away from the simulation that birthed it, the verification that sent the triple affirmative. Rewriting her cellular matrix with slugcat as the base, allowing her own enlightenment.
Just a fun idea
The introduction warning about going into the game blind is absolutely brilliant. I find that when my friends have learnt about a game from me, they will play it and find that it does not give the same sense of wonder it gave me. This is usually my fault because when I play games like Rain World I simply cannot help but talk about it. I do, however, recognise the fragility of this feeling so I have made sure to only use the internet to help me when I have literally no other option. Having beaten the game at 2:30am last night (I refused to go to sleep until I had finished it) I am now free to mercilessly study the lore behind this brilliant game, as I do with every game I love. 10/10 am about to hop back in immediately and play again as I am sure there are whole regions I have missed
Thanks for the comment and GJ getting through to the end. Tis no easy feat \o/
This game literally makes me depressed that a small hybrid of a cat and a slug lost their family and a robot thing is in a box unable to move and is slowly rotting away from existence
The wonders of life. Don't be sad. Embrace the sorrow.
Amazing video, putting together rly well so much of what makes Rain World amazing and worthy of going down in history. For me it really was one of the most spiritual experiences I had with video games. In any case, great work!
Thank you for the kind words =)
Yea I think if Rain World hits you in the right place it can be a very impactful experience.
Best of vibes to you!
One of the best Rain World videos out there. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end, soothing voice, lots of thought and structure put in the script and revelant but not intrusive gameplay footage. Congrats on putting such a high quality first video essay, I can't wait to see more if you decide to continue creating these !
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the very kind words. Another video \o/ hopefully soon! Best of vibes to you!
Thank you for this video. It was a joy to listen to while I chugged through the endless cycle of mortal toil we call 'household chores'.
Dishes aren't going to do themselves '-'
In my first playthrough I ended up in Canopies, spent upwards of 50 cycles trying to make my way through the entire region in a single cycle (The only shelters I'd found were the two right at the entrance from Industrial) and by the time I'd finally found a path through most of the region, had a cycle long enough to actually make the trek, and managed to avoid the hordes of lizards and vultures that appear on that path... I reached an essentially impassable gap (which is passable with movement tech but I was not aware of this yet) and fell to my death.
It was super demoralising and I gave up there and then...
Only to come back with a fresh start because I hate giving up, take a much friendlier route through the game (through Citadel lol) make it to that one place in Shoreline and realise that despite everything, I fricken love this game.
always cool to see a rain world video, especially one this long and thorough
Thanks Fren!
I've just started watching this video but before I resume it I wanted to say how glad I am that others had the same experience I had with this game, the ending caught me totally off guard and the way they build up to it is so incredible, not just the hours beforehand but you could say the entirety of a playthrough is like a glacial build up to the end of the game. When I got to the end and finished the game it was like I just learned some profound lesson, I have never had an experience like that with any game and like most people who have played Rain World I've played a lot of different games. Rain World totally changed my mind about things like immersion and story telling in games, it was so good that Rain World can only ever be experience properly as a computer game, hopefully other developers take lessons from this one.
Btw that being at the end is their home tree from the beginning, not some weird creature. He finally made it back home.
I think it is a symbolic representation of his home, absolutely , hence why it looks so much like the tree we see at the start of the game.
However we are a long way from that place at the end of the game, surrounded by an empty expanse.
Of course, it is all conjecture. I think either way we can agree the survivor made it 'home', whatever that may be =)
i think what really happened is that when you ascend, you dream about your deepest desire (in survivor's case, its to go back home) before you completely cease to exist
@@colfy3961 good idea
this video stuck around in my recommended page for weeks, and I'm glad it did- Best 73 minutes of lost sleep I've ever had
I know how annoying it can be when a video won't go away so I am very happy to hear it wasn't a waste of your time.
I can't give you your sleep back but I hope it felt like a fair trade!
Thanks for the words and hopefully you get a full night sleep tonight ;)
Absolutely beautiful piece that made me think about a lot of aspects of life, and learned the deepness of a game I've always wanted to know more about. I wish there were more vids by Numeno :( such good content.
Thanks for the kind words my friend. Hope life is treating you good o/
The ending of this game absolutely killed me. In every way possible.
I find it especially tragic how the ancients say that the whole purpose of the world is to transcend, yet more of the living world seems unbothered by the cycle. Only creatures that worry and think about their situation are affected by what the cycle does. Lizards, plants, and other creatures seemingly don't care about the cycle, so is transcendence really the ultimate goal of all life in the world, or is it only the made up goal of a long lost civilization of people. Even a conscience being like Moon herself, despite her terrible state, still wants to live on even knowing that the cycle exists. I think that's what makes the survivor and monk's stories so sad; that transcending is not only something that doesn't need to be achieved to be happy, but is also something that eliminates every and all forms of struggle from those who transcend. And living isn't living without struggle. Even worse, if the survivor had just waited for a tiny bit more time, maybe the monk would've found them.
Excellently written!
It was the parallels with spirituality that really elevated RW for me. These are questions not typically explored in video games and the game handled the material so well.
The Gourmand’s unique end in Downpour would be exactly what you’re looking for, then.
@@johncronk8867 more so as the gourmands ending enables the monk and survivor to also return to their previous life instead. With a family of their own if you manage to keep them alive for the journey.
Two years later, I am still as fascinated of Rain World as I was when I first discovered it. Despite the fact, that I explored every little thing in the wiki, I am still finding small details and wonders in this game, still coming up with new lore theories, perspectives. This game is an absolute masterpiece, that changed my life forever.
And the Music... Ohhh the music...
I feel like I experienced this game differently and unlike others who took weeks and even months for me this game clicked right away
Like I was casually watching and truly enjoying this epic video and then i saw 240 views?!? Man this is masterpiece.. Top quality video... This deserves so much more views and likes! Great work!
Hey I'm just glad you enjoyed it =) We all gotta start somewhere. Thanks for the kind words!
Incredible video, truly. Don't even know what to say besides thanks for making such a piece on the surprisingly deep silly slugcat game that is Rain World, can't believe this is your debut video. Your commentary and presentation style is really enjoyable and fun to hear, while still invoking some thought about what youre saying, even though I have been with the game for a long time, I haven't looked at some stuff in a way that you did, so it was nice to see. Hopefully we get something as incredible as base Rain World's world (hehe) and themes in Downpour, I really want it to be big story wise, not even really more of the same, I think it'd be sick if it explored some other themes while still keeping the identity of Rain World intact. And judging by the fact the original devs accepted the More Slugcats Mod's story in almost the entirety (iirc there were some slight tweaks and criticisms by the devs), I'm really curious and open to what's to come :))
Thanks again and good luck on your future projects!!
(also you have a nice voice
Hey Nacu, thank you for saying that, it makes it worth all the work that went into it. Yea I am stoked for Downpour, I've tried to stay away from any spoilers since it was picked up by VideoCult to be official content. I think we'll get some interesting new locations and lore for sure.
Also I'm glad you like my voice ha, I was worried no-one would be able to understand me \o/
It is nice to at times return to this age of the community, when I feel the spirituality and sense of journey was at its strongest
This game, alongside the comic Stand Still, Stay Silent, is what inspired me to both consider the importance of spirituality in my otherwise atheistic life, and to also want to produce art for the rest of my life. Both were out around the time I was in early high school and I probably spent 20 hours just playing arena mode with my best friend of the time while getting annihilated in the story mode. Because the arena unlocks were in challenging areas of the world, I played the same 8 or so arenas with him that entire year or two
Fucking amazing video. I love seeing these new channels with completely flawless first videos. Keep it up man, I look forward to seeing your content in the future, whether it be about rain world, or something else.
Thank you dude, I'm just happy you enjoyed it. Good vibes to you \o/
This needs a follow up after downpour and the Saint implications on the lore.
19:50
Counterpoint: Hard games usually are hard because the act of overcoming the obstacle is difficult. Far too many times RainWorld is hard because you are punished for your death (which may be, as you said previously, undeserved) and you have to grind your karma level back to the top to proceed. It discourages taking risks and fights because it punishes you heavily for losing.
I have no problems with hard games such as Super Meat Boy, because you can try over and over again and lose nothing. It opens up for player creativity.
Rain world is not extremely hard, but its VERY punishing, and to many many players (me included) that's not fun at all.
I think that is fair criticism.
I had many moments of frustration, especially during my first play-through. I can see what the dev's were going for with resetting karma levels but as you say, at times it can feel overly punishing and can detract from the enjoyment of the experience. And then there are more serious issues where you are put into situations where death is almost unavoidable, and I think that is just down to dev experience and the limited team size of VideoCult.
I do think a lot of the satisfaction of RW, at least for me, comes from learning the world, the creatures and the movement system and seeing yourself progress in terms of how manageable the game becomes versus where you started from, all without giving you new abilities.
It's a game that feels good when mastered, but the mastering itself can feel like an uphill battle.
Taking the entire experience as a package though, there are very few games that were as rewarding to learn and explore and I think if you push through the initial struggle it gives you an experience that is wholly unique.
On the surface, grinding karma isn't that daunting, as you should be aware of where food could be, and you can often just get full in the first half of the cycle. Grinding up from 1 to 4 got old fast. I don't want every single death in my hard game to necessitate a 4 minute session to recover those lives.
Great Video! Surprised this channel has so few subscribers. I hope you’ll be able to grow quickly.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The future will be what the future will be \o
waiter! waiter! another hour long video essay about a game I love, please!
Underrated, actually underrated.
Better than being overrated '-'
@@numenoduo True. Like Artificer.
*Gourmand Is best downpour character*
@@shreyaspamaraju262 I really enjoyed the rivulet campaign. I am getting murdered a lot with spear master though.
I’m so happy that the rain world fan base is expanding it’s such a good game, but it has such a small fan base
You could write a book. You’re so poetic & talented & I love you.
I have! It's terrible.
Rain World is my fav game ever, so I've been watching a lot of videos of it, specially when I finished the game for the first time.
This is the best video I've ever watched about Rain World so far. An amazing work, indeed!
\o/ I am happy you enjoyed it!
Looking forward to more content from you!
And, I'm seriously in love with this game. I have the feeling that its appreciation will slowly build into a monolith, and become a true classic despite its initial snubbing, kinda like 2001 A Space Odyssey
I hope so. Looking forward to seeing what VideoCult come up with next.
Plan to be doing a lil bit of analysis on the religion aswell as soundtrack of this beautiful game. Its very motivating to see other folks having a similar perspective on it all :)
I look forward to seeing it, if you decide to publish it!
DO IT!
This viedo definetly should have more views / attention
Rainworld follows the exact same path of a Psilohuasca bad trip
"Until next time, maybe"
Wow, I love that. That seems like an outro one would say regularly, but I'm new here. I love it all the same.
3:01 don’t forget stabbed by a scavenger unless you have *P E A R L*
Or repeatedly knocked out by bricks to the head '-'
Great vid, man
Thank you dude.
11:44
As of Downpour as long as you have the DLC active Monk will now find colored pearls just like every other Slugcat
it makes sense couse monk is like a few cycles after survivor probably
1:20 rain world is one of the games where if you play blind, it’s incredible, but if you spoil yourself, you are guaranteed to have a less immersive experience tHan if you play blind, glad you put this warning, (though lots of people do for other games so I hope people trust the warning)
Absolutely, such a big part of the game is discovery.
This game has begun rotting my brain slowly
You’re a genius in video design.
I wonder if you will continue this since the new downpour dlc has added new lore and slugcats
The green one in particular comes to mind
I hope to at some point. Life has been funny as of late.
Oh boy that green boi
Rain world is over 6 years old now. I already feel slightly nostalgic for the earliest versions of the game, now that DLC has been added. Its a testament to the quality of the game that it has become more popular over time, rather than less (the normal cycle for most piece of medias, including video games). Its a 6 year old indie game that even before the addition of DLC back in January this year, people were still picking up.
When i first bought it, i had no clue what it was. I had a few spare pounds on the switch eshop, so i looked for a cheap game and bought rain world. Christ is this possibly one of the most slept on games of all time, although at the same time it doesnt go out of its way to have any mass appeal.
excellent video. I've been refreshing on rain world videos in preparation for Downpour and this is one of the best. The game is like nothing else and as a gaming experience it is unmatched. One day perhaps everyone else will realise this.
Counting down the weeks until Downpour
your channel will definitely explode. Beautiful video ❤
And left as ashes and ruin? O.o
All that and even a DLC on the horizon, thank you so much for this video!
Downpour is so close! Only a few more weeks. What slugcat are you looking forward to most trying out?
@@numenoduo I never looked into the mods or into what Downpour exactly is (apart from obviously new Slugcats and areas) and I want to keep myself spoiler free and equally hyped for all of them :D
I would love to see a rain world downpour video like this I know it would be even more massive but I think It'd be really interesting to see your view on it.
You go first
@@numenoduo good game.
beautiful video and spectacular analysis. i'd b really interested in hearing your thoughts on downpour, especially saint's campaign.
There is a lot to unpack. I hope to explore it all at some point.
This video is one of my inspirations for the video that I made about this game. And now, rewatching it, I cannot agree more with your statements at the end of the video. I mean, I heard them when I saw this for the first time and they were ominous about the journey I was about to embark on, but holy SHIT did I also not expect for it to take as long as it did even if I expected it to take long. But it was definitely worth it. I know it was worth it for me, and I hope it was worth it for you as well!
Also I find it funny that my video's length is only one minute shy of yours, lololol!
That's awesome to hear.
I will set aside the time to watch your video and let you know what I think. Looking forward to it!
What i like most about the game is just the simple fact that you get to be part of the ecosystem. And i mean truly part of it, most games just make you play out the role of a living creature in the form of quests and in doing so kinda ruin what they are attempting to do. But in Rainworld its just a given, right down to the suffering part, and i love it.
This was a wonderful video to come across as ive started really learning about rain world. Due to disability stuff, i cant actually play the game but i CAN watch a lot and learn, so i am sadi cant experience it like most players can, but...at least i can enjoy insightful videos like this!
Curious Archive's videos on its ecosystem are what got me to check it out in the first place!
Also, considering this video is from 2022, i was wondrring if you've considered doing a follow up for Downpour? There seems to be so many quality of life improvements that kinda address at least some of your issues. I'm also very interested to hear a more spiritually minded analysis of its revelations, especially considering saint and artificer's campaigns and what happens with the iterators. They really really moved me in a way i wasnt expecting, but i havent seen many people talking about like..the thematic elements???
Have you given any thought to it or not?? Just wondering! Regardless, a great video and im glad i stumbled across it!
P.s did you figure out spore puffs can one shot all centipedes, spiders, and dropwigs?? You didnt mention it so fhfh
This is such an incredibly well made essay.
I recently got into Rain World thanks to the praise of content creators like Htwo, and was hoping to find an in-depth video analysis of the game like this. Thank you.
You should watch Jimmy McGee’s video on it as well. It’s just as good as this. ua-cam.com/video/STZ5NM8C_SU/v-deo.html
No, thank you!
Listening to this while walking to the train station, and I just felt a single drop of rain fall on my shoulder
It was fate clearly.
Thx you for this nice moment.
Keep going man you are very VERY talented. I love and hate this game so much haha and we can hear your passion for the nuances of this game.
I have click the bell and can't wait to see more of your content !
Stoked to hear you enjoyed it! Have you managed to try out Downpour yet?
@@numenoduo Not yet because of lack of time for a moment (Beeing a dad haha)
But I have watch some footage to get the taste, it look amazing. In particular the coop experience
certainly spiritual and for sure a really good video
You need to do another because of all the stuff in downpour, I didn’t think that the saints ending would make me tear up, but it did😅
Hey there,
I just wanted to say I found your video really enjoyable.
I feel like the "video-essay" format can be a bit oversaturated in some cases but you really stood out to me, great voice, great structure, very listenable.
I'm sure this was quite the big project to get done and I think it really paid off! Definitley looking forward to future content from you!
Cheers
Thanks for the very kind words. I am glad you enjoyed it much as I enjoyed reading your comment ")
Excellent video! Really well done. ^_^
Appreciate it and glad you enjoyed.
Really great video, I'm surprised it doesnt have more views!
One thing though, im pretty sure the angelic thing at the end of the ascension cutscene is a representation of the tree the slugcats originally came from, which is also seen at the very start of the game
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yea, I think it is the tree, or at least a symbolic representation of the tree. Which would make sense, as the tree could be a symbol for 'home' whilst also serving as the singular made up of the multiple - Everything stemming from one original source.
It ties in nicely with the whole idea behind returning to source and escaping material reality. But of course, in the end it comes down to our own interpretation.
@@numenoduo thats true! I guess i never really thought about it that way. Do you have any speculations on specifically the hunter's ascension aswell? It is slightly different from the others.
Curious Archive did a video on this game and now I can't get enough of it. IDT I'd enjoy the gameplay difficulty, but the lore, flora and fauna are so intriguing! Great video so far, though I'm only halfway through.
It is worth checking out, it might turn out you really enjoy the challenge.
the only "new ability" you gain is bio-luminescence by way of eating a neuron fly from lttm or fp, however this is more of a quality of life thing as you can trade or steal a lantern from scavs, or with the new downpour dlc, just make one as gourmand.
Wait thats permanent?
I'm so impressed you managed to still fall in love with the game after getting locked into the noob trap region. I hear most people quit the game after becoming stuck there.
I had a persistent "friend" who kept pushing me to keep going.
@@numenoduo Ha! Well glad someone kept you to it
I ended up there early in my play-through and was convinced there must be some ability or item I need to unlock before I could explore it.
There is no words to describe how cool this video and rain wold truly is I gotta subscribe this video was to good
Thank you Siveth \o/ Not long until Downpour now!
@@numenoduo I can't wait till downpour releases!! And your welcome!
Few minutes in and I already know I will love the video !!
I have played the game already and I agree so much this game deserve to be experienced blind !
A little contradiction is the fact that while saying that you are spoiling visually the game like mad !! May be its a bit sad for people new to the game.
Anyway lets go back to enjoy the vid
Ha, true! I did consider giving the spoiler warning before gameplay footage, but I settled on only showing footage from officially released trailers/marketing material. A tricky line to walk for sure.
@@numenoduo Ooh good point so if its already in the trailer, good middle ground !
Amazing video!
thank you for all your hard work.
And thank you for watching!
I have 200 hours in this game and I still didn’t know I could pacify the bees with spore puffs
Oh no, I stole that moment of discovery from you '-'
and as rainworld does, i got HARASSED by a king vulture and a veriety of spiders on my way to deliver a pearl.....this damn game. i love it.
11:41 I think it makes sense that the monk can't read data pearls but yea I would have liked to see something take their place whether it was different collectables or even a new iterator to meet. Not finished watching but great content so far.
Meeting another iterator would be very cool. Who knows, maybe in Downpour we'll see another.
if im not mistaken,its pretty much confirmed (theres even like a 3 second gif footage i think)
@@pesimistr104 Oh really? I have stayed away from looking at any footage. Can't wait to play it.
@@numenoduo Would be cool :D
WOW 2000 views, no fucking way. Great video man, please keep it up, I assure you you'll get rewarded for your effort. The spiritual parts were especially interesting. I love how you speak about your trip/s, I myself am looking forward for my first psychotropic experience whenever I feel ready. Much love and keep it up!
Thanks Brando! Yea, it's never a good idea to rush into such things, but when the time is right things will just fall into place. Enjoy your adventures! I'm sure it'll be a blast.
@@numenoduo thanks man! Much love 🤟🏽
The most unbelievable part of the video is you saying Subterranean is your favorite. I'm not sure if you're even human anymore
I like to suffer, what can I say.
We all return to Source
Much truth.
awesome video, and i only just started playing the game
I'm very glad you enjoyed the video and please let me know how you enjoy the game!
Game is great mate, I'm in the industrial complex snd farmed the Hunter, Saimt and Survivor achievements. I found a scavanger stronghold, stealing its pearls and going to give it back to them for the chieftain trait. but the scavangers only pop up from time to time.
Been hyperfixated on Rain World ever since I watched a streamer's highlights. Sad, I know, but I was one of the players who gave up on the game because they felt it wasn't for them. I've been watching reviews and gameplay of Rain World because I just can't get enough of it right now. I thought this video was quite long, but considering the small subscription number and likes (which surprised me), I decided I'd leave a comment with a short review of the video.
I think the video was pretty good in terms of joining a review and a small guide of the game; however, I was expecting something different when I read the title, something closer to what was briefly mentioned about buddhism for example. Still, great video, and hope you get more views!
Also, funny intermissions. Slugman.
Thanks Zither for taking the time to watch and leave a comment.
I was trying to strike a balance, but this was certainly more of a game retrospective that a commentary of the spiritual themes in Rain World.
Partly because a lot of what Rain World does touch on, it does so with a light touch and much of it is relevant to the game's lore rather than traditional spiritual teachings.
Thank you for the feedback! I will keep it in mind for future videos!
@@numenoduo All the luck to you! Thanks for your reply :)
The worst part of this game for me was the fact that my first playthrough was effectively ruined by me going outskirts-drainage-subteranean. I realized this was the wrong direction to go, and then couldn't get into shoreline since I didn't know about jet fish. I don't know why they made the way the filtration I'm drainage not only available, but also easier than the intended route of garbage wastes. This is the only time where something like this is likely to happen, besides maybe going from chimney to sky islands.
Just finished watching your video man, truly great stuff. Are you planninf on doing one like this for downpour?
Thank you dude. Maybe, one day, perchance.
At first your voice seemed quite hard to understand, but after a while it wasnt a problem anymore and i understud everything. Even tho english is not my native.
But as an entry essay it was amaizing. So even if there is space for improvment if you would want to make more content like this, I wouldn't take the critique too hard.
As first video, it was really good after all :)
Ha. That's the Scottish accent for you. Even I don't understand myself sometimes ;)
No bad feelings! And thank you for your kind words.
@@numenoduo Hehe
No problem
Oh, I got stuck on DS too, for 17 hours... because I did not know wall jump...
17 hours?! You have the patience of a saint.
@@numenoduo hehe rain world Saint.
With an opening like that, now I have to get the game and play it myself.
Only recently heard about this game through hype for the dlc so I know nothing other than people say it's good and its consistently good ratings.
I'll see for myself soon😁
Ooh same thing happened with me, I got Downpour trailers just flooding my recommended page for a while, and Rain World was just 8 dollars on Steam so I just picked it up without much thought, one of the best decisions of this year!! (I'd suggest it :D)
You are in for a good time.
I hope you can let us know how you find it, I would love to hear your thoughts on it after you've spent some time with it. Thanks for the kind words Nick.
8 bucks is such a steal!
@@numenoduoI'm a bit backed up with games to complete, so it may be awhile until I get to this game and complete it. I'll be sure to come back to this video to post my thoughts after completing it.
I’d love to watch this based on the presentation. But I still need to finish out rain world, I think I’m close
Now that I’ve finished it. I can say that this is quite an excellent video essay on rainworld.
@@tomnookem6575 Awesome! What did you think of it?
I one of does people where, after I play a game once and it doesn't have any meaningful gameplay value, I generally won't play the game again.
The best examples where dark souls remastered and dark souls 3, I played them the way I wanted and got the endings I wanted as well. After that I never felt interested to go back in and play a different way, since what I will fight is the same boss in the same place.
But Rain world is the only game that, when I search for tips/lore I stop myself from finding out fully what happens, I got to Shoreline and the moon place first and I'm still confused if that's the first thing your supposed to see.
So I decided that I will play all the slugcats the game as.
One of the great things about RW is how open ended it is. You are free to make your own path towards the inevitable end that waits for us all.
I am happy to hear you are enjoying the game, it is a excellent experience.
22:00 First time I played, over the span of 8 hours or so, I missed moon by 1 map, got completely lost, actually found the depths, got insta killed by a guardian and then found out through google that I was just "Not supposed to be there" yet so I uninstalled. That was like 3 years ago lol. Came back for the DLC but there is a limit to how much "indie purist fun" you can get out of being completely lost and having to backtrack through hours of progres before its annoying.
It's a fine balance for sure. I think RW manages it mostly, but it can trip over itself from time to time.
Spot on.
Thanks Crag \o
I've seen/heard a lot of comments saying it was a misstep for Rain World to make gameplay so punishing. I totally agree the bullshit deaths can be frustrating and demoralizing, especially within a gaming culture that prizes power building through system mastery (*within* within a species that basically yeeted itself beyond the typical life struggle into a mode where we can thrive and progress). That RW is frustrating and unfair is 100% true. But I disagree that it's a problem or a flaw. I think it's a beautifully brutal reflection of reality. For most organisms, life *isn't* a power fantasy and never will be. You struggle just to stay in place, beings get things "undeserved" all the time, and so much is up to random chance. Shit happens. The end. How many would-be heroes with game-changing genes have been laid, only to be crushed before they could ever hatch?
That's a great comment.
It highlights the nuances and choices that have to be made when reviewing a game.
For instance, your point on the at times brutality of life. Were video cult attempting to evoke that feeling? Maybe they were.
But does it translate over to an enjoyable gameplay experience? Obviously it's subjective but I think enough people don't enjoy it for it be called a resounding success.
How do we judge games, as art. as gameplay providers, as narratives etc. Truthfully it's all of them. And when one aspect negatively impacts another, I think that's where valid criticism is justified. But again, it's just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the reply o/
@@numenoduo Good point about intent! I don't know if the game devs wanted that unfairness frustration, or if they would rather have created a "classically fun" experience. So the game could be flawed OR successfully executing on unusual values, depending on what they intended. And I think it's totally possible for it to have different levels of success in the creators' eyes vs the audience's.
Btw, I love your videos, and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughtful replies to comments!
I somewhat agree that making lore more visible and "up-front" for newer player would've been a good move, however, how to actually make it more transparent without ruining the immersion and world the game already built?
More iterators? This requires a fitting place for it in the world, since lore-wise iterators weren't usually built as close to eachother as moon and pebble.
Make iterators/echoes talk more? 5p has his own matters to attend to, and making him explain the fundamentals of the world he's in to some random (albeit intelligent) critter doesn't really make any sense story-wise whatsoever. And moon, well, you could add more pearls, i suppose, but that doesn't really fit new players very well.
I believe that the approach developers went with is best for the game and it's atmosphere. It's not necessary for players to know all the ins and outs of the story, however, there's also nothing stopping them investing more time into game if they wish for more, and game very strongly hints that there's more to what iterators are actually telling to you.
True. I think it would be difficult. I think even something as simple as having some contraption in each shelter, or a couple of shelters that could read data-pearls for you would go a long ways to making the lore/story components more accessible.
I wouldn't want the game to be an open book, mystery after all is intriguing.
But I've spoken to a lot of people who had no idea what was going on and that isn't an ideal place to be either. Somewhere in the middle for sure.
I'm interested to see if there is any change in approach come Downpour considering it wasn't made by official dev's (official at the time!)
@@numenoduo "Shelter reader" could work, however when you bring pearls to moon, she doesn't just read information on them plainly, but also explains the player it's contents. Most of the lore is conveyed by moon directly, just with the use of pearls, and not by pearls themselves.
Also, not all of them contain plain text, there are schematics, genomes and even feelings. I am not sure how to portray that without drawing an image for every non-text pearl (which is a lot of work) and just showing the contents may not help player with lore at all at this point, since player will most likely have no idea what image portrays without further explanations either way.
If thay contraption will also be able to, let's say, analyze pearls and describe it's contents with readable language, then it may be somewhat immersion-breaking. Consider the amount of self-maintence iterators should perform to stay functional throughout all those cycles, and that they're the only functional remnants of the old world, encountering such complex structure intact (and considering that there should be quite a bunch of them to make lore actually accessible) is not very believable.
Honestly, this lore issue is mostly a distance issue. Most players don't bring pearls to moon because she's very far away. If she would've been either closer to center of the map, or there would be some kind of free fast travel option (turbo-pipes, mayhaps?), this problem would've been much less apparent.
@@dannadx3840 for fast travel, how about something I call “Nomad Paths.” (Named just now). Not necessarily pipes, but something you can use to travel across the map at the cost of food pips-it’s one long, uninterrupted trek, after all.
@@dannadx3840 random idea: the ability to access a room behind moon that has the pearl reader which displays the contents of it.
Inside is the overseer beckons you to place pearls in there.
When I first started the game, I saw the difficulty setting as a class choice. (I also thought the monk was entirely vegetarian so picked survivor bc I didn't want to deal with that lol)
1:02:20 what is the music playing here called?
All the music is from the official OST.
Stargazer
As of Downpour, there are more parts to this game.
So much parts, many such new stuff.
This is one of my favorite analysis of Rainworld. Do you plan on doing anything with Downpour?
Thank you and who knows.
it rains
And when it does, it pours.
Well heck. Now i have to stop watching, a minute in, and go play rain world
Did you play it? Did you?!
i love your voice
Thanks, I speak it myself =)
52:18 man i hate shitted citadel
Far better name for it. Too many shadows. And legs.
Shiddidel
Honestly imagine having a pet slugcat.
What would you call it?
I’m not usually one to comment, but this was an OUTSTANDING video I watched from start to finish.
Would you be open to doing a similar video about a game called Outer Wilds?
I am glad you enjoyed it.
I loved Outer Wilds. Really incredible game. The expansion/dlc was brilliant too!
I would love to do a video on it. I am working on another project atm but it's on the list.
Tbh, the only time that the rain timer feels genuinely unfair is in farm arrays
I think it comes down to how familiar you are with the world. I know on my first run through the rain killed me a good number of times. Once you know where most of the shelters are it becomes a lot more lenient for sure.