A Year Of Rain
- March 13, 2020
- Daedalic Entertainment
Get on Steam"A Year of Rain" is a real-time strategy game set in a harsh, war-torn world where players must fight for survival. Choose from three factions and build, gather resources, and recruit units to conquer enemies in campaign or skirmish modes. The game emphasizes team play, with each player selecting a role to unlock unique technologies and coordinate with allies. Work together to break the cycle of violence and create a paradise amidst the desolation.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a beautiful art style and solid graphics that evoke nostalgia for classic RTS games like Warcraft 3.
- The campaign features great voice acting and an interesting story, providing a good amount of content for players.
- The game has potential for fun co-op gameplay, allowing players to team up and strategize together.
- The game suffers from horrible pathfinding issues, causing units to get stuck and making gameplay frustrating.
- There is no save functionality during missions, forcing players to restart lengthy campaigns if they make a mistake.
- The game has been abandoned by the developers, leaving many bugs and issues unresolved, which significantly detracts from the overall experience.
- story164 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of "A Year of Rain" has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and character development, while others criticize its pacing and lack of depth. Many users express frustration over the absence of a save feature during missions, leading to repetitive gameplay when mistakes occur. Overall, while the story shows potential and features good voice acting, it feels unfinished and is marred by technical issues and uncreative mission design.
“The story definitely had a lot of love put into it, but I feel the pacing was weird at times and some of the acting wasn't the greatest.”
“The style, the story, and overall art of 'A Year of Rain' was really interesting.”
“Each chapter was fresh, innovative, and filled with story, dialogue, and great action.”
“The story seems competent at first, but while playing you get the feeling there is something missing, like they just made a skeleton and forgot to put on meat.”
“What is clearly some enthusiastic and talented voice acting is misused on somewhat tired dialogue and vague suggestions of the barest semblance of a cohesive story.”
“The game is not enjoyable enough to tolerate the shallow story, nor is the story deep enough for me to tolerate the unenjoyable game.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many praising the art style and aesthetic, often comparing it to classics like Warcraft 3 and Torchlight. However, players have noted significant performance issues, including lag and poor pathfinding, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are considered polished and appealing, they are seen as needing further optimization to match the gameplay quality.
“I like the setting, the factions, the graphics.”
“Visuals are really polished as well with a nice variety of different environments and occasional cutscenes in key moments.”
“The graphics are pretty slick and have a nice aesthetic to them.”
“And visuals aren't even finished: the fog of war has clear edges and looks like a placeholder.”
“I don't think the graphics justify the poor performance either.”
“The graphics are terrible on my 1920x1080 monitor.”
- gameplay60 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has been widely criticized for being unrefined and plagued by technical issues, including poor pathfinding and control mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the potential and enjoyable elements reminiscent of classic RTS games like Warcraft 3, many feel that the game remains unfinished and lacks the polish expected from a completed title. Despite its engaging story and co-op features, the persistent bugs and balance issues have led to a generally negative reception regarding gameplay.
“Fun gameplay, enough for me to finish the campaign on hard.”
“It has fun storytelling that my friend likes and great gameplay elements.”
“Gameplay felt smooth and polished and the plot developing in the background and character dialogues definitely made it interesting to progress.”
“Gameplay wise, it's the dumpster fire behind your local Denny's.”
“While it apes the same basic gameplay premise of a hero-led army limited by supply and the pretense of base-building, the absolutely abysmal control scheme, input delay, intolerable pathing and terrain occlusion issues mean that a Year of Rain is nothing short of a chore to play at the best of times.”
“Some serious gameplay issues, some of which I feel should have been addressed before the game even left closed beta.”
- optimization28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with players reporting choppy performance, especially in larger-scale scenarios and specific maps like the ice map. Many users feel that the graphics do not justify the poor performance, and there are notable problems with pathfinding and AI. However, there is some optimism as the developers have prioritized addressing these issues in their roadmap.
“Okay, so as it is in its current state today, the game needs a lot of optimization to be anywhere popular or competitive.”
“That said, when I checked the roadmap, I am happy to see that both pathing and optimization are on the 'top priority' list, so this brings comfort.”
“Things that need to be addressed are indeed the pathfinding (characters and minions tend to block each other pretty easily, so going melee with lots of units makes not a lot of sense) and the performance of bigger-scale scenarios.”
“I don't think the graphics justify the poor performance either.”
“Poor optimization also appears to be another issue in campaign specifically.”
“Okay so, as it is in its current state today, the game needs a lot of optimization to be anywhere popular or competitive.”
- stability20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with multiple users reporting significant bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge the potential for improvement given its early access status, many express frustration over the game's current state, likening it to a "buggy mess." Overall, players recommend caution before purchasing due to these stability issues.
“The game is a buggy mess and the community is dead.”
“Played a few games and even though it's buggy or incomplete yet the gameplay is there, so what a waste of a game with potential.”
“I know the game just came out but it's too buggy.”
- music12 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality, contributing positively to the overall presentation alongside voice acting and artwork. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, enhancing the campaign experience despite the game's unfinished state and other gameplay issues. Overall, while the music is well-received, it is overshadowed by significant gameplay shortcomings.
“A great game which had lots of potential... sadly it's abandoned... even though it's always worth trying games out and checking what they have to offer, for this game surely has an amazing campaign, with great voice acting along with music!”
“Surprisingly good and funny game, where it is sadly visible that the game is unfinished (when you finish the campaign and find out there are no others and the story stays unfinished) but good for some weekend playing with friends, nice soundtrack.”
“I like the overall presentation of the game: clear interface, good voice synchronization, the soundtrack.”
“While the presentation of A Year of Rain is spot-on (graphics, full voice acting, cutscenes, soundtrack, gorgeous artwork), the bad AI makes interestingly designed missions blander than they should be. The pathfinding is a constant bother, and the lack of any save system means you'll play a multi-stage mission for 30+ minutes, only to have one of your hero units get killed, resulting in mission failure.”
- humor4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally perceived as generic and unfunny, particularly in the campaign, which feels unfinished. However, some players find moments of unexpected humor, making it enjoyable for casual play with friends, complemented by a nice soundtrack.
“Surprisingly good and funny game, where it's sadly visible that the game is unfinished. When you finish the campaign and find out there are no others and the story stays unfinished, it's a bit disappointing. But it's still good for some weekend playing with friends, and it has a nice soundtrack.”
“The humor in this game feels generic and unfunny.”
“The campaign lacks any real comedic value; it's just generic and unfunny.”
“I found the humor to be completely generic and not funny at all.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, although they appreciate the co-op approach and the developers' efforts to simplify certain elements of traditional RTS gameplay.
“Tedious.”
“I love their co-op approach, and how they want to simplify some aspects of RTS games that are a little tedious.”
“Tedious.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with many users noting that its short duration of around 8 hours significantly diminishes the incentive to play again.
“The game has no replay value and is way too short for its own good; 8 hours for an RTS?”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong negative sentiment towards certain developers known for exploitative monetization practices, often labeled as "cash grabs." Players are advised to be cautious and avoid games from these developers to prevent poor experiences.
“Keep this in mind and stay away from some of the worst devs in the industry when they release their next cash grab.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While players express frustration with technical issues like poor pathing and low framerates during larger battles, many still feel a sense of potential in the game, indicating an emotional investment that keeps them from seeking refunds despite their grievances.
