Rain on Your Parade [Nintendo Switch] | REVIEW

How many times has a bad bout of weather ruined your day? I’ll always remember a rainstorm spoiling a day out to Alton Towers for me when I was younger, whilst countless barbeques, parties, and even weddings that I’ve attended have seen rain near enough ruin the day. I’ve never once considered that the rain clouds have INTENTIONALLY gone out of their way to cause this distress, but Rain on Your Parade – the unique video game from the team at Unbound Creations that casts you in the role of a rain cloud – has changed my mind. It turns out that rain clouds are absolute b******s, but hey, at least it’s fun to take on the role of one…

Rain on Your Parade is told in the form of a bedtime story, with a Dad telling his kid about a mischievous cloud known as Cloudy and the countless showers that he brings upon the land. You’d think Cloudy is the villain in this tale, but no, he’s actually the hero, and yes, you’ll be playing as him as he looks to stop the villainous Doctor Dryspell. It’s an utterly absurd tale really, but it’s packed to the brim with charm throughout and adds an unexpected but appreciated sense of context to all of the rainfall you’ll be unleashing across the land.

The core gameplay loop of Rain on Your Parade revolves around completing objectives across its fifty levels by unleashing adverse weather effects in each area. This starts out as just rainfall, but you’ll soon get access to snow, lightning, and tornadoes that each change up the environment in a multitude of ways. Of course, whilst no one really wants to see rain, there will be times when the weather you unleash can prove useful; rain is perfect for putting out fires and growing crops, lightning can cause fires, whilst tornadoes can be used to launch objects across the level, just to name a few of their uses. Each of these weather effects ties into the game’s objectives and bring with them plenty of clever ways to progress, with some creative thinking demanded of the player if they want to complete every objective in the game.

It sounds absolutely bonkers, and that’s because it is. Rain on Your Parade is by no means a game that takes itself seriously, but it’s all the more enjoyable for it. Best of all, it has plenty of references to pop-culture across its levels, with homages to both iconic video games and TV shows to be found – it’s fun picking up on these easter eggs, with one stealthy romp in particular standing out as a favourite of mine. All of the levels are well-designed though and bring with them enough variety (and absurdity) to ensure that the simple yet satisfying process of playing as a rain cloud remains utterly engrossing.

And that’s it, really. Rain on Your Parade doesn’t try to overcomplicate the experience in any way, but instead just gives you a rain cloud and lets you do your own thing. It might sound like it could make for a hollow experience that lacks depth, but I still found myself chuckling aloud at all of its creative antics by the team I reached the ending.

It doesn’t grow old, but rather keeps introducing fun levels full of bonkers tasks to ensure that there’s a big smile on your face from start to end. It shouldn’t take more than five-hours to complete everything in Rain on Your Parade so it’s not the meatiest of games, but those hours will be filled with so much enjoyment that it’s hard to complain too much.

Those who want an extra challenge when they have beaten the game may be tempted by ‘Sun Mode’ – a harder difficulty level that sees you competing against the sun and its rain-ruining rays during levels. I’ve not spent a whole lot of time in this mode yet, but it’s certainly a lot more challenging and adds an extra sense of urgency to the experience. It shows that there’s replayability here even after you’ve beaten all of the game’s objectives, so completing all of the main levels doesn’t have to mean that your time with Rain on Your Parade is over.

One thing that I have to mention before ending this review is the customisation, with the player able to not only decorate Cloudy but also draw his own little face. It’s an incredibly cute feature that I found myself playing around with a lot longer than I expected, whilst unlocking new customisation items by clearing objectives just added an extra incentive to uncover everything that each level had to offer. It’s perfect for young ones to play around with if they decide to give the game a try and just adds an extra dose of charm to the already wonderful experience.

Developer: Unbound Creations
Publisher: Unbound Creations
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Click here to visit the official website.