Detective Michael Stone arrives in the small town of Pineview to assist the local police force with a seemingly simple case - A couple is found dead in their kitchen. The locals believe it to be a case of murder-suicide, their speculation fueled by rumors of the turbulent nature of the couple's rela...
Detective Michael Stone arrives in the small town of Pineview to assist the local police force with a seemingly simple case - A couple is found dead in their kitchen. The locals believe it to be a case of murder-suicide, their speculation fueled by rumors of the turbulent nature of the couple's relationship.
Is it just small-town gossip, or is there some truth to the rumors?
Help Detective Stone, assisted by the driven and empathetic Amy Blunt, discover the truth behind Chris and Diane's story. But be warned: the further he pursues the case, the more his own past shall come back to haunt him. And the closer his sanity will be pushed to the edge.
Rainswept is an adventure game - A murder mystery dealing with themes of love, relationships and unresolved trauma. It's being developed by Frostwood Interactive, a studio found by Armaan Sandhu. The soundtrack is being composed by Micamic, the composer behind Harvester Games' excellent 2012 indie title "The Cat Lady"
As Detective Stone, explore the beautiful town of Pineview, talk to the many locals, interview suspects, dig through the victims' pasts and try to piece together the story behind Chris and Diane's brutal deaths.
Also play as Chris and experience his story with Diane - joining them in key moments of their lives together as they meet for the first time, get to know each other and fall in love.
Featuring:
An emotionally captivating story set in an immersive and atmospheric game world
A wide cast of characters with deep histories, meaningful motivations and distinct personalities
Very good narrative experience, if that's what you're looking for. If I compare this game to others in the "interactive books" genre I'd say it's a notch above average in terms of story and atmosphere. I could take points off for not being a "puzzle adventure game" in the true sense but the game doesn't need it. I'm glad they didn't add meaningless puzzles just for the sake of it. Treat this like a good book and have fun living it through the eyes of the main character.
If you like heavily story focused games with a minimal gameplay, this one might be for you. The game takes place during several days. Every day consists of getting dressed, drinking coffee and finding a person you need to talk to. That's it when it comes to a gameplay.
However, what matters here the most is the story. Don't expect any spectacular criminal investigation. It's a down-to-earth tale about a tragic crime that could happen anywhere. That's what makes it so good.
The characters are also realistic. The main hero isn't Sherlock Holmes. He is smart, just not on superhero level. And he doesn't deal with a crazy serial killer or a criminal mastermind, just ordinary people. Yes, sometimes very flawed people, but still believable characters.
If you like detective stories and don't mind minimal gameplay, it's worth trying out.
It's been a long time since I've been so moved by a video game. Armaan Sandhu's writing is poised and contains just the perfect amount of pathos. Even though it's a subject that's been approached many times, the story doesn't resort to tropes or make caricatures out of its characters. They are very human and it's difficult to say that one person is bad while another is good.
Even the way a lot of the difficult subjects are handled is very mature and sensitive. There's a lot of trauma here, and none of it feels like it's only been included as a plot device. There's also some humour, too, and it can be a welcome addition to the otherwise very heavy yet realistic depictions of people living with trauma.
I can definitely see the disappointment shared by people who expected an adventure game because it is mostly not. It's an interactive fiction game at best.
There are some minor complaints: the game mechanics can be very buggy at times, and grammatical/punctuation errors and localisation problems exist. I believe this story is supposed to be set in America, but the characters speak in UK vernacular.
However, these problems weren't distracting enough for me to stop playing, or be thrown off.
Coupled with the great writing is Micamic's gorgeous score—I think it best shines in the flashback scenes with Chris and Diane.
And it's graphically beautiful, too. The camera often zooms out to show the grandeur of Pineview and all the douglas-fir surrounding the town. There's often rain, and traversing the town is never a chore because it feels like you're actually visiting a small town somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.
Overall, I understand that it's not for everyone. But if you are even remotely interested in experiencing a story about trauma, loss, grief, and—ultimately—hope, please give this a try.
Interesting 2D Flash looking side-scroll style. Minimalist art is pretty good but largely confined, even hampered, by the animation style. Music is good, but endless character dialog is entirely in text. Mouse & key point and click. No pad support. A very long mystery that involves manipulating a 2D neurotic detective as he and his female assistant wander around, sometimes seemingly half lost in a large 2D "small town" interviewing many, many characters. Returns to where you save & exit, which is a plus. (Far too many games don't nowadays.) Interspersed with a lot of flashbacks and other cinematic techniques that sometimes work and other times just postpone an inevitable plot twist. Gives the player choices through the dialog sometimes, but most lead in the same linear direction. I'm guessing there is only one possible ending. I ran the whole game, so I was entertained, but it wasn't the Twin Peaks it wanted to be or even a spooky Rusty Lake puzzle-mystery (I highly recommend all Rusty Lake puzzles, BTW.) I did not guess who done it, but given the clues, maybe no one could.
The game is very centered on storytelling and I liked a lot because it's a good story.
It's pretty much on rails and scripted with not much sense of freedom to explore. It's kind of a visual novel. If you like this kind of game, this is for you.
I rated it 4/5 because your choices may not change much of the behavior of the main character. Then, you may feel like a spectator observing the main character. Still, the story made it worth for me.
