I have not been this happy playing a demo in a long time! Rain of Reflections, by Indie studio Lionbite Games, is another surprise August hit that I have had the good fortune to try out. While this is just a demo for chapter one of the game, it does just what a demo should – it leaves the player wanting more! If you like classic point-and-click action games (Sam and Max, Monkey Island, King’s Quest, and Telltale games before 2011) mixed with a bit of X-COM styled turn-based strategy, read on to see why this is definitely a must-see upcoming game!
Rain of Reflections takes place in a futuristic city following a cataclysmic battle with a robot uprising, where there has been no human birth by natural pregnancy in generations…until now. As Wilona, the brilliant scientist daughter of the head minister of current humanity, you will venture off to cure the human race’s infertility…but you must succeed in getting by your mother’s personal escort sent for you first. Besides interacting with the environment in classic adventure gaming manner by clicking on every possible object you can spot, the dialogue is also a bit more in depth, and rather than repeat lines over to you, they will react based on how you speak to them or whether or not you help them out. Remnant of Telltale’s latter years with the “X will remember that” interactions, but a little more immediately consequential, such as bluffing your way past other apartment citizens so as to not make them alert the escort to your presence.
The other half of the gameplay is the “Encounter system” where you must use your wits, and Wilona’s high-tech, battery-operated cloaking jack to sneak past enemies. It is very reminiscent of X-COM with your action limitation per character per turn, in this case, two action units, and it was a nice surprise for me in an adventure game that I was already surprised to play. In addition to both these forms of moving around the environment, both sections involve hacking minigames, three each as of now – one involving the momentum of a ball, one matching geometric shapes and one tracking down a comms station with a cylindrical waypoint (it reminded me of the Batman: Arkham games). As Wilona is a brilliant scientist, she can hack into hallways doors, aforementioned communication systems, and even some poor dope’s taxi cab! It is yet another simple, yet fun and challenging gameplay element added into the title.
The game looks gorgeous as well, as the characters are animated well and the environments, and overall ambiance was excellent in evoking the feel of a futuristic city where everything is not as utopian as it first appears. Adventure games are often defined by how memorable and engaging their worlds are, and Rain of Reflections is no slouch in this department.
Rain of Reflections’ demo was a fun surprise for the often-underutilized adventure game genre that some may argue has long since passed its golden age. While that may be true, nothing is forgotten as long as it is cherished, and the developers at Lionbite Games clearly show a passion for the genre. My only complaint, and it is really more of a compliment, is that I really want to see what happens next! Rain of Reflections is set to come out on September 20th on Steam, so hopefully I will get my chance then. If you love a good adventure game as well as turn-based strategy gameplay and a dystopian setting, definitely check out Rain of Reflections!
Check Out the Rain of Reflections Chapter 1 Video:
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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