Rainswept Review

Walk a mile in the shoes of Detective Stone as he investigates a murder in Pineview

Category: Review
Written by: Cindy Kyser on April 5, 2019
Developed by: Frostwood Interactive
Published by: Frostwood Interactive
Release Date: February 1, 2019
Genre: Narrative Point-and-Click Mystery
Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Steam Linux

The year is 1996 and Detective Michael Stone has arrived in the town of Pineview to help local authorities investigate a crime. A young couple, Chris and Diane, have been found dead and local law enforcement is on the scene. All are convinced they are looking at a classic case of murder/suicide.

Stone has a hunch that there is more to the story than meets the eye. He lights another cigarette and sets out to investigate, accompanied by policewoman Blunt. This requires evaluating the evidence, exploring the town, talking with residents, and following up on leads. You have a map of Pineview which provides a handy reference. There is no hopping between locations. Played from a 3rd-person view, you move Stone and Blunt through town by reading street signs and reviewing the map, as needed. As a result, it is a “you are there” experience and you begin to recognize landmarks in the neighborhoods and learn your way around Pineview.

Our detective is a man with a troubled past and Rainswept includes his journey to the edge of madness as he faces his personal demons. As the investigation proceeds and more details emerge, the game begins stepping through the lives of the victims. We see how Chris and Diane met, how their relationship progressed, and how things began to unwind. Rainswept takes you on a multi-threaded parallel journey, through the past and the present.

Most of the story is told through dialog which appears on the screen without voiceovers. The absence of voiceovers was a “plus” for me, as I could read the dialog and focus on the sound effects and the music tracks. There are opportunities to choose your next topic and/or your next action. In other cases, you click through conversations between characters. Navigation consists of walking right or left across each scene and clicking to interact with or examine an active object. Interacting with a person triggers a conversation. To save time, you can use the shift key to run.

There is a journal to track your current tasks and notes relating to the investigation. On occasion, you pick something up for a specific purpose, but inventory is not part of this game. I admit that I enjoyed stepping away from the traditional “find and use” paradigm. I should also note that the game has no puzzles and the game structure is somewhat open. At no time, did I feel forced down a specific story path and I never got “stuck.” If I ran out of things to do, I simply returned to the hotel and gave Stone a rest!

Rainswept has a unique look and feel. The artwork by Armaan Sandhu, coupled with the music by Micamic, come together to create a lovely game world. The characters are a bit blocky and move in an (almost) robotic manner. Rather than detracting from the game, this adds to its charm. The characters move against beautifully drawn 2D backgrounds and the cut-scenes are so rich in terms of color and texture that I found myself saying “Wow!” more than once.

Rainswept is a complex story with quite a few moving parts. Although there are fun moments (like dancing at a nightclub or making wardrobe choices), it is a poignant tale that made me a bit sad. The ending brought home the fact that, for many of us, this journey called life can cause some bruising along the way. Some of us take our knocks and keep moving forward, doing the best we can with the hand we are dealt. For others, the traumas of the past can resurface with devastating consequences.

I would recommend Rainswept to adventurers who enjoy a good story and are willing to step into the shoes of Stone and Blount for a touching look into the human condition.

Grade A

+ Unique graphics, coupled with a lovely sound track, create a game world that is a delight to spend time in + Absence of voiceovers lets you read at your own pace and enjoy the original music + Complex story and well-developed characters should touch the heart of even the most jaded gamer – If reading and walking are not your cup of tea, then this game may not be for you

Trailer:

Windows 7
1.7 GHz Dual Core
4 GB RAM
Intel HD 4000
1103 MB Storage

Mac OS X 10.8
1.7 GHz Dual Core
4 GB RAM
Intel HD 4000
1103 MB Storage

SteamOS + Linux
Ubuntu 12.04 / SteamOS 2.0
1.7 GHz Dual Core
4 GB RAM
Intel HD 4000
1103 MB Storage