Rain World won over fans of indie games back in 2017 with its unique environments, procedural creature animation, and dynamic world. Now VIDEOCULT is back with a new expansion, poised to take Rain World to new heights.
Rain World‘s creature AI and setting, as well as its solid core gameplay and storyline, put it on the map when it was released back in 2017. Following the success of its 2023 Downpour DLC, VIDEOCULT is rolling out a new addition to the title in the form of The Watcher DLC. In an interview with Game Rant, VIDEOCULT co-founder James Therrien spoke more about how the upcoming DLC came to fruition.
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VIDEOCULT Co-Founder Talks New Rain World DLC, The Watcher
The Watcher’s New Protagonist and Gameplay
Q: How does playing Nightcat compare to the other Slugcats?
A: Nightcat?? We don’t know them. This is The Watcher era! Our protagonist on this journey is a bit more timid and aloof. They’ve seen things, and things have seen them. I think it will be a fresh and resonant experience.
Q: Other than “Nightcat,” how else does the gameplay of The Watcher distinguish itself from base Rain World?
A: There are some significant, and I’d say pretty novel, evolutions to the gameplay and mechanics. But the fun will be in determining how deep it goes, so I don’t want to say too much. Or anything at all really.
Q: What new challenges has The Watcher DLC presented, if any?
A: The Watcher was an absolute joy to work on. The biggest challenge was cramming all the ideas and content we had in before some sort of reasonable deadline, and we only SORTA accomplished that. It looks like there’s going to be a few post-release updates and some final reveals when it releases on console.
Q: How did the development of The Watcher compare to Rain World’s previous Downpour DLC?
A: Great question! The Downpour DLC was largely fan-developed mods, most significantly the More Slugcats Mod, that were taken onboard by Akupara and Videocult, the modders hired etc., and developed further into what became the Downpour DLC. The Watcher is pretty cool in that it’s an entirely new narrative developed from the ground up by a team made from the original Rain World devs, devs from Downpour, and other talented modders. It’s the best of all worlds!
Q: Rain World’s procedural animation is one of its most impressive attributes. How has this process evolved since launch, including with this DLC?
A: Thank you! Hopefully, it’s a bit less buggy? But no promises there. With procedural animation, I think a lot of it is learning the circumstances in which it will work the best and which to avoid: the limitations basically and how to show its strengths. Since it is still such a rare thing, and it’s so case-by-case in terms of implementation, there’s no real understanding of best practices unless you really get in there and see what works and what leaves a lizard spinning on top of a pole. But we’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now, so hopefully we’ve learned something.
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The Scope of Rain World’s The Watcher DLC
Q: The beasts of Rain World are known for their complex behavior sets, emphasized by the game’s procedural animation. What’s the process for creating one of these creatures, and how does the team ensure new creations fit the existing world?
A: Now this is a DEEP question which goes into both procedural animation and modular AI. Joar and I actually did a GDC talk, and Joar recently gave an hour-long lecture at the University of London for the AI and Games conference, on exactly this. So I’d suggest readers search out GDC’s ‘The Rain World Animation Process’ (or any of the longform YouTube videos on the subject) if they want to get some real notes.
As far as ensuring that new creations fit into the existing world, that’s a bit easier. Aesthetics for sure, but mostly it’s about understanding the nature of the game, and respecting the agency of the creature and its interactions with the ecosystem. One of the joys of working with a team made from RW modders is that they’ve all lived in this ecosystem for like 10,000+ hours each, so they just KNOW. I’ll get the final say and direct things one way or another, but they hardly ever miss.
Q: How much new content will The Watcher add to Rain World in terms of new features and playtime hours?
A: That’s a bit hard to know until we see how fans actually play it, but in terms of the physical size, it’s significantly larger than the original Rain World. The amount of new creatures, art, and assets is staggering. Like I’m going through the audio now, and there’s like 180+ new music files, 500+ new sfx. In terms of new content, it’s BIG.
The Watcher’s Impact on Rain World’s Story
Q: The Watcher DLC is using some ARG techniques in its marketing, which has become increasingly common in the indie sphere. Why was this direction chosen for Rain World, and is it something the team plans to continue?
A: I mean, it’s well-known that Rain World fans are complete psychos, and it’s insanely fun to watch them tear apart mysteries and vague insinuations. But I also think it just works really well for marketing a game that’s concurrently deep in development. It allows you to show things that are works-in-progress in a way where it’s understood by the fans that this isn’t The Final Version or even necessarily canon to the game world. As developers, we can feel less cagey about it, and fans get to see cool BTS DVD-extra level stuff. I think it’s fun!
Q: Can players expect any big lore revelations in this DLC? Can you hint at anything fans should look out for in this regard?
A: Oh absolutely. But fan-lore has sort of taken its own direction and given its own importance to things, so it’s going to be really interesting to see. I think a major difference between original work and fan work is that fan work seeks to sort of double down on the known and answer questions based on what’s assumed of the text, whereas original work seeks only to find its own resonance. The Watcher is my attempt at making a Rain World for people who have already played Rain World. I want people to be hit sideways.
Q: What new region are you most looking forward to seeing players take on, and why?
A: Oh, I’d love to answer this in 6 months. There are so many great moments and revelations. Suffice to say, I WILL be watching your Let’s Plays.
[END]
- Released
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March 28, 2017
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
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Videocult
- Publisher(s)
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Akupara Games, Adult Swim Games