Mr. Rainer's Solve-It Service

About

"Mr. Rainer's Solve-It Service" is a post-horror text adventure set on HJÖ, home to hjörians and their symbiotic raincoats. As a new Solver, ÜLAR must tackle problems and uncover the truth behind mysterious voices while exploring, making choices, and playing 8-bit minigames. With a haunting original soundtrack and over 1200 hand-drawn illustrations, this game features multiple endings for a unique experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Mr. Rainer's Solve-It Service screenshot

99%

Audience ScoreBased on 154 reviews

story15 positive mentions

monetization2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful art and a captivating atmosphere, with a unique color palette that enhances the overall experience.
The worldbuilding and character development are exceptional, providing a rich and immersive narrative that encourages exploration and interpretation.
The soundtrack complements the emotional depth of the story, creating a haunting ambiance that resonates with players long after finishing the game.

The story is relatively short, leaving players wanting more depth and closure regarding the characters and plot.
Many players found the narrative confusing and difficult to follow, with important elements left ambiguous and requiring multiple playthroughs to fully understand.
The lack of a chapter select feature and a back button can hinder the experience, making it challenging to revisit specific scenes without starting over.

story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
48%
9%
The game's story is characterized by its beautiful art and evocative world-building, though many players find it short and somewhat difficult to follow. While the narrative is rich with themes of tragedy and surrealism, it often prioritizes atmosphere and emotional resonance over a clear plot, leaving some players feeling disconnected from the characters. Overall, the storytelling is praised for its depth and creativity, making it a compelling experience for those who appreciate abstract narratives and immersive settings.
- “While the setting and most of its people are portrayed to nail the vibe of an alien dystopia, Ülar (the protagonist) is written in a way that helps to ground the story amongst the surreal and sci-fi aspects.”
- “Amazing story, masterful world-building, all with a soundtrack and visuals of unprecedented quality.”
- “Love the alien anthropology approach to a story about familiar themes like climate collapse, identity and consumerism, political and social stasis, self-help and cultism, sedatives, and the internet.”
- “The plot of the game is very difficult to discern, especially if you only play through it once.”
- “The story feels as if it's constantly jumping around from one unfinished thread to the next.”
- “There is very rarely any sense of finality because of how the story threads run into and over each other without letting the first one finish.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
24%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a captivating ambiance that enhances the emotional depth of the story. Composed by Kai Engel, the soundtrack is described as haunting and evocative, perfectly complementing the game's unique art style and narrative. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and a powerful soundtrack significantly elevates the gaming experience, making it a standout feature.
- “The music serves as fantastic ambiance; so much so that when I played the Hello Charlotte DLC (a different game by the same developer) and realized it had no music, I opened the game files and had Mrss’s soundtrack on shuffle the entire time.”
- “A beautiful, sad, and horrifying short story with an amazing soundtrack.”
- “Kai Engel's soundtrack fits the narrative; the tracks are all laced with emotion like arsenic.”
- “I do appreciate the clear effort put into the art and soundtrack though.”
- “The story is great, definitely worth a replay or two, and the music and art make the game more than worth it.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their unique and beautiful art style, characterized by a limited yet effective color palette of red, white, black, and grey that enhances the surreal horror experience. Reviewers commend the game's aesthetic, noting the captivating artwork and fitting soundtrack that contribute to its memorable presentation and immersive world-building. Overall, the visuals are described as stunning and meticulously crafted, appealing to fans of 2D art styles.
- “It is absolutely drenched in love and care, noticeable by its memorable and beautiful art style, its fitting and cold soundtrack, and captivating and unique writing that permeates throughout the entirety of this truly wonderful game.”
- “Beautifully visceral and confounding, with a great art style to match.”
- “The artwork is absolutely stunning, as well as the music.”
- “Amazing story, masterful world building, all with a soundtrack and visuals of unprecedented quality.”
- “But, if you are interested in the art style, then maybe consider trying out Hello Charlotte and Tomorrow Won't Come for those without ████████.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay is characterized as a blend of absurdist comedic visual novel elements with light puzzle mechanics, primarily serving to enhance the narrative experience. While some players find the gameplay somewhat confusing, others appreciate the unique integration of puzzles and the overall aesthetic, highlighting the game's strong artistic and sound design. Overall, it offers a distinct and enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its quirky style.
- “Overall, I would say this is a potent if strange short game with neat gameplay elements.”
- “The game is for the most part an absurdist comedic visual novel, only interrupted by some light puzzle gameplay whenever your personal value is too low.”
- “The formal and mechanical stuff is also super cool; I've never seen bitsy math puzzles embedded into a Twine game before, and the very brief point-and-click sequence really makes me want to see what can be done within those confines.”
- “I also think that, after playing the devs' other games, their strong suit is definitely writing and not gameplay, so I’m glad that the story was put front and center instead.”
- “The game is, for the most part, an absurdist comedic visual novel, only interrupted by some light puzzle gameplay whenever your personal value is too low.”
- “Great sound design and art, but the gameplay is a bit confusing.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its masterful execution, featuring rich themes, stunning art, and deep world-building that create an immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the heavy symbolism and existential undertones, making it a standout in the visual novel genre. Overall, the combination of captivating characters and a compelling soundtrack further enhances the game's atmospheric appeal.
- “If you enjoy games with heavy symbolism, outstanding atmosphere, and a touch of existentialism (all in a short few hour package at that), this game is for you.”
- “It's definitely more in the visual novel/interactive comic category than I expected, but the atmosphere, themes, art, world-building, and characters more than make up for it.”
- “Absolute masterclass in atmosphere, and one of my personal favorite visual novel-esque games I've ever had the pleasure to experience. Coming back to play through again after about a year, and I am still loving it.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartfelt and sincere storytelling, evoking a wide range of emotions and featuring complex character relationships, particularly within its unique single-sex society. While it may not be the personal favorite of some players, it is recognized as one of the developer's most accomplished works, delivering significant emotional impact.
- “An amazingly heartfelt and sincere short story.”
- “This game made me feel six hundred billion trillion emotions.”
- “Plus, there's the classic fujoshi-isms of the game here, the single-sex society of Hjorians and their various dramatic and emotional entanglements.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a blend of adorable and whimsical character designs, featuring amusing elements like "funny little horned men" and quirky "raincoat people." While the humor can sometimes be challenging to follow, it adds a charming and lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
- “The art ranges from adorable and funny to breathtaking, and the character designs are simple without risking players struggling to distinguish them. (And even if you do, the inclusion of a character index has you covered.)”
- “A game of pain, the beauty of the ephemeral, and funny raincoat people.”
- “It can be a little hard to follow at times, but it's got funny little horned men, and they're all cute as heck.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization in this game is integrated through ads and QR codes, which some players find engaging as they contribute to the worldbuilding and narrative experience. While the game is a small text adventure with charming characters, the presence of ads may detract from the overall immersion for some players.
- “The worldbuilding is expansive as well - all the info that was squeezed into just some QR codes, ads, and dialogue was more than enough for me to become attached to the raincoat-hjorians as beings.”
- “A small cute text adventure game with cute characters about less cute subjects. If you have a spare night and want to read some ads from a different world (the game also contains a main story), then it's perfect for you!”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is praised for its charming and diverse art style, featuring designs that are both simple and distinctive, ensuring players can easily identify characters. The inclusion of a character index further enhances accessibility, making it easier for players to engage with the story.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character as their stories unfold.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each decision feel impactful and meaningful.”
- “The diverse range of character backgrounds and personalities adds so much depth to the gameplay experience.”

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