https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVMdR-D3LA0&list=PLIb_a695uFXA61Ix1PVty8eRprhN2IKaZ&index=1
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[h1]Overall Rating - Seriously Flawed ★★☆☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
At a passing glance, Raining Blobs (RB) could come off as a Puyo copy, but the gameplay is more complicated than matching four pieces together. Instead, it plays more like Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo for the PSX, where any amount of pieces can be destroyed, but only by an activating piece. Even that isn't exactly the same, as RB requires two activators to trigger the destruction of pieces, instead of only one. It may seem insignificant, but this makes the game more difficult, as it adds another variable you have to keep track of, and requires constant double-checking.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
There are four game modes in RB, one of which I'll save for a later section. In Arcade Mode, your objective is to make it to level 100, with levels increasing as you clear blobs. For Puzzle Mode, the field has blobs scattered around, and using only one piece, you have to clear the entire screen. Again, your aim is to beat 100 rounds. A key problem is one piece limits how many unique puzzles can be made, and it becomes repetitive. Another problem is that all the pieces fall constantly, so you have to solve each in a short time limit. Both of these constraints go against the spirit of most puzzle modes, which tend to focus on complex set-ups with precise solutions. Unlike the other modes that stop after you reach an objective, in Endless Mode it only stops when you quit, or your pieces reach the ceiling. You can play either by yourself or vs mode.
What I think hurts the game most is an insufficient learning curve. Unless you're already quite good at RB, which is unlikely with its unique mechanic, you'll get destroyed by AI that's supposed to represent the baseline. I beat tournament mode on normal difficulty, using nine continues, but I felt overwhelmed and panicked. It wasn't uncommon for me to set off what felt like a great play that should devastate the opponent and still lose, while winning rounds where I thought I did terribly. To be fair, I don't have the same level of experience in RB as I do other puzzlers, but I have very little sense for how my opponent was doing, and what I did that worked well, or didn't.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2069851622
[h1]Controls[/h1]
One positive about RB is that you can play with either a keyboard or controller, and I found the controller functioned just fine. Oddly enough, one of the face buttons is used to bring up the menu. Aside from that though, everything about the controls made sense to me.
[h1]Story [/h1]
The mode I haven't yet addressed, Tournament Mode, would more accurately be Story Mode, based on the opening and ending scenes, and how you progress against all the other characters. Either way, you'll select one of the nine characters, and subsequently beat all the others. However, though it puts up the general presentation of a story, all that really carries it is some trash talk. After beating the last person, your character does something nice for the others, and they're all friends again. As far as I can tell, the reason they fought in the first place is because a robot woman wants to break up their friendship, because... robot logic? I suppose it could be argued this is the reason for calling it Tournament Mode[/b], but with all the hallmarks of a story that's simply underdeveloped, I think it's been named oddly.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2069851453
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
RB's visuals is made up of pixels, and most things look pretty good. The nine different backgrounds make good use of color, and the titular blobs look fully round, and are shaded. However, I don't think the characters look great. In spite of having different hair color and outfits, their designs blend together to me. For instance, they all appear to be the same height, age, similar body shapes, skin tones, etc. There isn't enough here to showcase their personalities or passions, such as a more developed story mode or voice acting, so they don't stand out strongly amongst one another. Many puzzlers have excelled in this department, while RB seems drab by contrast.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
I really like the soundtrack in RB. Most of the songs have a nice blend of percussion and upbeat rhythms. The basis of the music makes me think of earlier console chiptunes, and it gives the music a 'funky' vibe I enjoy. There's not much to comment on regarding SFX, but nothing struck me as an annoying sound.
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 When selecting a game mode, it's possible to change the rules and mechanics. One variant makes it a Puyo game, and the other reduces the number of activators from two to one.
🌟 If you had the right set-up for it, in theory you and seven other people could play all at once locally, or use remote play.
🌟 It's very easy to quit out of a game you've started in order to reset or switch to a different rule-set or mode.
[h1] Cons [/h1]
❌ As you get into higher levels in arcade and puzzle mode, the girls start posing provocatively, and revealing more of their bodies. It'd be PG-13, if that, but it's needless and cheapens the game, especially with an all-female cast.
❌ When completing chains, though you'll see numbers flashing on the screen, it doesn't hype the moment up as well as other puzzlers do. Bust a Move 4 is a great example of this.
❌ I'm not sure how the damage output works in Versus Mode. Is it better to build one massive blob of a single color and burst it, or several small groups in a longer chain?
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 If you have problems solving Puzzle Mode, play against the AI, as you can watch and copy them. This is certainly easier said than done with how quickly they move, but it's a theoretical strategy.
🔍 With how difficult the AI is, I'd suggest starting on Easy difficulty.
[h1] Final Thoughts [/h1]
Unfortunately, the impression I get from RB is that at a certain point, instead of fully developing the content in a way that would make sense, it simply ended at some point. For instance, the scant amount of dialogue and story points presented in Tournament Mode. It's not like it's difficult programming-wise to flesh out the personalities of the characters you make, or add more exposition so we have any idea what's going on in the story. If you're craving a puzzler with something new to offer, RB's unique mechanics may satisfy that urge, especially when looking at Steam exclusively. Plus, in RB's defense, it has been made by a single person, whereas the other games I'm referencing have been made by teams. However, it shows the importance of fine-tuning the details, and making sure all elements are well polished. Overall, I think it's lacking in key areas for me to recommend this title.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - RB is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
