Absent in the Rain

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Absent in the Rain is a single player action game with romance and anime themes. It was developed by D10RAMA and was released on October 13, 2022. It received very positive reviews from players.

Mysterious senpai. A murder case that is crowded with the world. And a huge fish shadow swimming at my feet... If all of them were connected together and surrounded me like a ring. What should I do?

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Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews

story29 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game offers a beautifully melancholic and atmospheric experience enhanced by its monochrome art style and subtle, effective soundtrack.
Characters and their unique dynamics are well-crafted, delivering a bittersweet and thoughtful story that resonates emotionally with players.
Despite being short and free, it presents meaningful themes, intriguing symbolism, and an engaging narrative that encourages reflection.

The writing quality is inconsistent, with some players finding the dialogue awkward, translation literal, and the story feeling rushed or unfulfilling.
The gameplay is minimal and mostly involves reading through extensive text, with little interaction or player agency.
Some narrative elements and endings feel ambiguous or underdeveloped, which may leave players confused or wanting more depth.

story
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
54%
4%
The story is generally praised for its compact, bittersweet, and atmospheric narrative that effectively evokes mood through its melancholic tone and thematic depth. While some find it intriguing with poetic and unpredictable elements, others feel it is too short, underdeveloped, or lacking compelling characters, which detracts from emotional engagement. Overall, it suits players looking for a brief, moody visual novel experience with a focus on ambience over traditional plot depth.
- “The narrative is so compact that discussing it in any detail invites spoilers, yet it unexpectedly fulfills the mission of telling a holistic story despite its brevity.”
- “It's a straight-forward story that touches on the notion of morality, making tough decisions towards those closest to us, and does so in a way that's poetic and easy to keep up with, despite a few localization issues, though these can largely be forgiven as everything is still coherent and the point comes across loud and clear.”
- “The story was interesting with its sudden twists and turns throughout.”
- “Your enjoyment of this game depends almost entirely on whether you can piece together a complete story in your mind using these keywords.”
- “The characters are not compelling at all and the story just falls flat on its face. Interesting premise, I guess, but I literally have no reason to care about anyone here and the game expects me to; I have no reason to care about them or their relationship.”
- “Then I skipped through the story hoping it would grab me somewhere along the way, but no matter where I skipped to, the writing felt awfully written.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique, monochrome, manga-inspired art style that effectively creates a melancholic and atmospheric mood. The visuals, combined with the sparse yet impactful music, enhance the narrative's emotional depth and distinct aesthetic, making the art a standout feature despite its simplicity.
- “The melancholy vibe paired with the monochrome visuals and piano tracks just complements each other so well.”
- “The graphic design is quite nice and there was clearly a lot of love poured into the CGs and the short animation at the start.”
- “"Absent in the rain" casts a captivating spell with its unique art style, drawing players into a world where mystery lurks around every corner like a curious bear sniffing out honey.”
- “The game’s visuals are simple, but they create a strong mood.”
- “The sparse but impactful music added to the game's atmosphere, and the artwork, despite its monotone palette, created a captivating, gloomy tone.”
- “The melancholic vibe of the game pairs really well with the black and white art style but I can't help but feel the ending B was a bit rushed compared to ending A.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
35%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its melancholic, atmospheric, and reflective qualities, perfectly complementing the gloomy visuals and enhancing the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that deepens immersion and leaves a lasting emotional impact. Some note the sparse but impactful use of music adds to the game's distinctive tone, though a few mention occasional absence of music in certain areas.
- “Great story, beautiful visuals, phenomenal music.”
- “An amazing short story, gloomy colour and atmosphere, melancholic music, perfect for rainy days.”
- “Good storyline, good illustration, masterpiece soundtrack = great atmosphere.”
- “My only gripe is the lack of music in areas of the visual novel, which you will pick up on if you start this visual novel.”
- “Just look like Saya in The Song of Saya.”
- “I do not understand a thing but it's fine, love the OST and the art.”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
21%
11%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its artful, melancholic tone enhanced by a greyscale palette and a haunting, well-integrated soundtrack. It creates a deeply immersive, reflective mood that often overshadows the narrative, making the experience more about emotion and ambiance than plot complexity. This distinctive, quietly atmospheric style is a standout feature that resonates strongly with players.
- “The game spares no effort in building this atmosphere, convincing even a pragmatist like me to accept their bond.”
- “An amazing short story, gloomy colour and atmosphere, melancholic music, perfect for rainy days.”
- “Loved all of the art and the music, it all created a really good atmosphere that was quite engaging.”
- “The sparse but impactful music added to the game's atmosphere, and the artwork, despite its monotone palette, created a captivating, gloomy tone.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The gameplay is minimal and primarily involves clicking through dialogue and light exploration, focusing more on storytelling than traditional interactive mechanics. While some find it lacks depth and polish, others appreciate the subtle interaction used to uncover the narrative.
- “Sometimes, a game doesn’t need big action sequences or complex mechanics to make an impression.”
- “This isn’t a game you play for traditional “fun.” The gameplay is light, focusing on exploration and interacting with elements in your environment to piece together a larger story.”
- “Gameplay and interaction”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game can be excessively time-consuming, often requiring multiple playthroughs or significant effort to progress. The slow pacing and repetitive actions may feel tedious, especially for players not accustomed to this style.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, be that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or 2001: A Space Odyssey or Twilight (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
- “The dialogue is wordy and can be tedious if that's not the type of game you're looking for—I think it works here, as the two main characters talk a lot about very little, being too shy to communicate their true feelings.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users found the emotional aspect of the game to be impactful and varied, with moments that are both touching and wholesome. The extra scene after completing both endings is especially praised for its humor and heartfelt content. The experience evokes strong emotions, ranging from sadness to a sense of emptiness.
- “Well worth the time, and at times touching beyond my expectation - I love it!”
- “Don't forget to check the extra scene from the contents after you do both endings; it's funny and wholesome.”
- “One made me cry and the other made me feel empty.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as funny and wholesome, particularly highlighted in an extra scene unlocked after completing both endings.
- “Don't forget to check the extra scene from contents after you do both endings, it's funny and wholesome.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model involves a non-refundable Steam Direct fee, which can only be recouped after the product earns at least $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue from Steam store sales or in-app purchases. This system may impact developers' initial investment recovery.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Absent in the Rain is a action game with romance and anime themes.

Absent in the Rain is available on PC and Windows.

Absent in the Rain was released on October 13, 2022.

Absent in the Rain was developed by D10RAMA.

Absent in the Rain has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Absent in the Rain for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Absent in the Rain is a single player game.

Similar games include Ballads at Midnight, The Monster Inside, The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns, Marie's Room, Trick and Treat - Visual Novel and others.

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