Mr. Rainer's Solve-It Service
- February 21, 2022
- etherane
"Mr. Rainer's Solve-It Service" is a nostalgic, point-and-click adventure game. Help Mr. Rainer solve a variety of mysteries and puzzles in different locations and time periods. With its unique art style and immersive storyline, this game offers a delightful and challenging experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
Reviews
- The game features stunning art and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- It offers deep world-building and complex themes that resonate with players, making it a thought-provoking experience.
- The characters are well-developed and memorable, contributing to an emotional and immersive narrative.
- The story can be confusing and difficult to follow, leaving players with more questions than answers.
- Some players may find the gameplay elements underwhelming, feeling more like passive storytelling than interactive gameplay.
- The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more time to explore its rich world and characters.
- story27 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its heartfelt and evocative narrative, rich world-building, and strong visual design, creating an atmospheric experience that resonates with themes of tragedy and identity. However, some players find the plot difficult to follow, with many character arcs feeling underdeveloped and a sense of disjointedness in the storytelling. Overall, while the game offers a unique and engaging story, it may require players to piece together elements for a deeper understanding.
“The themes, the visual design (the color palette especially), the worldbuilding and its specific tone and scope, the atmospheric soundtrack, the never-ending reincorporation of ambiguous (yet probably purposeful) visual motifs and symbols, the consistent degree of mystery that the story retains throughout its runtime - all these elements these two games more or less have in common, and they use them to achieve a similar effect.”
“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 story feels as if it's constantly jumping around from one unfinished thread to the next.”
“At many points it feels less as if I'm actually making any decisions and more like I'm being dragged along for a story that I don't have any control over.”
“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.”
- music18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in these games is consistently praised for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the overall narrative and worldbuilding. Composed by Kai Engel, the soundtrack is described as fitting, evocative, and polished, contributing significantly to the game's unique tone and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the synergy between the music and visual design, noting that both elements are crafted with care and attention, making them standout features of the games.
“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.”
“The music does a good job at setting the tone for every scene, and the art is extremely pretty.”
“Kai Engel's soundtrack fits the narrative; the tracks are all laced with emotion like arsenic.”
“The soundtrack is fitting but ultimately cold, lacking the warmth and engagement that could elevate the experience.”
“While I appreciate the effort put into the art and soundtrack, they don't quite resonate with me as much as I hoped.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their stunning and memorable art style, which is complemented by a fitting soundtrack and captivating writing. Reviewers highlight the unique presentation and masterful world-building, noting that the visuals and music contribute significantly to the overall experience.
“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.”
“Its unique presentation is quite enjoyable and the artwork and music are fantastic.”
“The artwork is absolutely stunning, as well as the music.”
“The graphics are underwhelming and fail to meet modern standards.”
“The art style feels outdated and lacks the polish expected from a game released this year.”
“While the story and characters are engaging, the visuals leave much to be desired.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its masterful integration of themes, visual design, and worldbuilding, creating a consistent sense of mystery and existentialism. The atmospheric soundtrack and the use of symbolic motifs further enhance the immersive experience, making it a standout title for fans of deep, symbolic storytelling. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to evoke strong emotions and a captivating ambiance within a concise playtime.
“The themes, the visual design (the color palette especially), the worldbuilding and its specific tone and scope, the atmospheric soundtrack, the never-ending reincorporation of ambiguous (yet probably purposeful) visual motifs and symbols, the consistent degree of mystery that the story retains throughout its runtime - all these elements these two games more or less have in common, and they use them to achieve a similar effect.”
“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.”
“If you enjoy games with heavy symbolism, outstanding atmosphere, and a tang of existentialism (all in a short few hour package at that), this game is for you.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its heartfelt and sincere storytelling, evoking a wide range of emotions and dramatic entanglements, 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 most accomplished works by the creator, leaving a lasting 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 one here, the single-sex society of Hjorians and their various dramatic and emotional entanglements.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a unique blend of absurdist comedic visual novel elements and light puzzle mechanics, featuring innovative bitsy math puzzles and a brief point-and-click sequence. While some players find the gameplay a bit confusing, the overall experience is enhanced by great sound design and art, making it enjoyable and engaging.
“Overall, I would say this is a potent if strange short game with neat gameplay elements.”
“The formal and mechanical aspects are 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.”
“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.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a blend of whimsical elements, such as quirky characters like horned men and amusing visuals like "funny raincoat people." While the narrative may be somewhat challenging to follow, the overall charm and cuteness of the characters contribute to its comedic appeal.
“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.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
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. While the game is a small text adventure with charming characters, the presence of ads may detract from the experience for those seeking a more immersive storytelling without interruptions.
“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, then it's perfect for you!”