Rain on Your Parade

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Rain on Your Parade is a family-friendly Puzzle game of sorts where players take on the role of a mischievous cloud generally looking to ruin everyone’s day and eventually make it to the fabled, legendary land of Seattle. This game was released on multiple platforms in 2021, including Nintendo Switch.

As you might gather from the description, this is a game that is very much tongue-in cheek, with a lot of comic potential, and in that regard it does not disappoint, not only providing plenty of glee at being a general nuisance and wreaking havoc on poor, unsuspecting humans, but also in making all sorts of cultural references and jokes, many of these references to other videogames. I’m tempted to give a few examples here, but I’ll refrain in order to give you the chance to discover these jokes for yourself.

Much as the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, the presentation likewise is pretty lighthearted and not looking to impress graphically. Your cloud is apparently made out of cardboard, and objects within the levels often seem made out of various household objects like paper towels or sponges, and while the simple shapes used here aren’t impressive, I can say that this game does make good use of lighting to give everything a feel of real physical objects. Overall, the simple 3D visuals here, while not impressive, do a good job of conveying the idea that the events of the game are perhaps a child playing around with bits and pieces from around the house, enacting some fantasy. It works well enough for the tone of the game.

These visuals are accompanied by a soundtrack that’s not especially memorable, but does the good job of fitting the theme of a given level, whether that level is just a lighthearted romp, or perhaps a parody of a specific videogame. One thing of note in the sound department are the high-pitched screams of the “hoomans”, which are amusing, but perhaps not as amusing as regular screams might have been.

As for the gameplay itself, it’s fairly simple, but benefits from the different levels throwing a lot of variety and different goals at the player. Players start out only able to use a limited amount of rain to soak whatever’s beneath them, but gradually gain the ability to sap up other substances to use to solve puzzles, make lightning strikes, and so on. In addition, the goals vary pretty wildly, and some will require a little thinking to figure out how to perform a given task. This variety really helps to keep things interesting.

As far as complaints go, the main complaint I can think of here is that the game isn’t especially complex or difficult, meaning that while kids may thoroughly enjoy this game, older players may feel themselves wanting for a greater challenge. Also, a few level goals are easily messed up, and the game doesn’t make it as easy to restart a level as it should be.

While Rain on Your Parade may be more of a lighthearted romp than a serious challenge, it is nevertheless a delightful one, and one that is absolutely filled with great humor and a lot of variety. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys the mischievous fun of a game like Untitled Goose Game, Rain on Your Parade is absolutely a game you should give a look at, as it has some surprising similarities to that game.

tl;dr – Rain on Your Parade is a family-friendly Puzzle game where players use a mischievous raincloud to wreak havoc on the lives of “hoomans”. This adorable game has a great sense of humor, makes all sorts of clever cultural references, and has a lot of variety. It’s not especially challenging, but it’s still plenty of fun, especially for players who glee at being the cause of chaos.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Winner:

Most Original – While there were a lot of creative games this year, Rain on Your Parade was truly unlike anything I can think of. This is a Puzzle game that has players playing as a mischievous rain cloud trying to ruin everyone’s day. Yet despite the unusual premise, this is a very accessible, easy-to-play game that both kids and adults should be able to enjoy. This is absolutely a unique game well worth trying out.

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Funniest Game, Best Misc. Game

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