Rain98 is a visual novel that makes use of two of the most popular genres: romance and horror. Even though titles like Doki Doki Literature Club popularized the idea of dating sims with “unconventional” twists, Rain98 isn’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes. The elements of dating sims and horror stories are both central to the game’s identity.
The setting is both simple in its explanation and absurd in its content. The protagonist is a young adult from 2025 who suddenly finds himself in a room similar to his own, only far more “retro.” The heroine, Reina, is a mysterious woman who soon asks the invader in her home to help her end the world. The insoluble combination of mundane and fantastical is the novel’s most striking feature.
More than just the plot, Rain98 also has a strong sense of visual identity. A lo-fi aesthetic to evoke some of the late nineties features and a cold, somber color palette to match the story’s tone. The minimalist text boxes also ensure very little can disturb the intended feeling of every scene. It’s a game with a strong artistic style; it’s a perfect use of 3D for dynamic scenes while maintaining the look of 2D sprites.
Despite the potential for a plot that is heavily influenced by the player’s decisions, the game instead aims for a fixed ending. Player choices can change certain events or maybe miss a few entirely, but the story is ultimately on rails. However, Rain98 isn’t a kinetic novel either. You do have choices to make, and Reina’s reactions to them can cause slight variations.
More important than that, it is a visual novel with a degree of interactive gameplay. You have minigames that serve as “part-time jobs,” something that already breaks from the usual kinetic formula. The “gameplay loop” per se involves a stamp card with 100 entries, a structure somewhat familiar for dating sims. These serve as the main tracker for your progress across the story. These are the memories Reina needs to unlock some manner of frightening power.
For those a bit more familiar with VN lingo, Rain98 is shaping up to be a unique take on the utsuge subgenre. It’s a story designed around despair and loneliness, yet it took quite a few elements that wouldn’t normally be considered a good fit for it. I’m curious to see how the horror side of the equation can evolve. So far, all we’ve had are teases that something dark lurks beneath the endless rain, but our morbid curiosity compels us to discover “who” is behind it even if we know that the end goal isn’t pretty.
This is the debut title for the indie studio C#4R4CT3R, and you can check the conversation around the game on the developer’s official Discord. Rain98 will be launching later this year on Steam, with more information on possible console ports after the PC release.
