Pluviophile

About

"Pluviophile" is a single-player adventure game with exceptional visuals and an awesome soundtrack, offering a slow-paced, atmospheric journey through a rainy wilderness. Accompanied by a poem from Julius Cawein and an original score by Pınar Karabaş, the game provides a immersive experience of tranquility and introspection. Progress is saved at the start of each chapter, making it easy to take breaks during this short, but impactful journey.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 148 reviews

music34 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and calming atmosphere create a relaxing experience.
The soundtrack is soothing and complements the visuals well, enhancing the overall immersion.
Great value for the price, offering a short but enjoyable walking simulator experience.

The game is very short, lasting only about an hour, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Graphical issues such as texture pop-in and flickering can detract from the visual experience.
The gameplay is linear and can feel restrictive, with some players finding the flower-collecting mechanic tedious.

music
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and beautiful qualities, often described as soothing piano compositions that enhance the serene atmosphere of the lush environments. While some players found certain transitions jarring or intrusive, the overall sentiment is that the soundtrack effectively complements the gameplay, creating a relaxing experience that many enjoyed. The combination of ambient sounds and music contributes to a melancholic yet enchanting ambiance, making it a highlight for those who appreciate a tranquil walking simulator.
- “Roam through lush forests and beautiful countryside, accompanied by the music of Pınar Karabaş and the sound of lightning and thunder heard in the distance, conveying an underlying sense of mystery just waiting to be explored.”
- “The soundtrack is haunting and mostly soft piano pieces.”
- “A truly pluviophile experience, beautiful music, calming sounds - a peaceful forest walk with delightful pictures.”
- “I ended up turning off the music as I felt it was intrusive.”
- “Short and sweet walking simulator with gorgeous, rain-drenched autumnal scenery (the graphics, while of somewhat low resolution {1200x800 max}, are exquisite), middling music, and banal poetry.”
- “However, there were two very clunky moments, one where a transition in music created the most abrupt tonal shift since you surface as Raiden in MGS2, and the other was the least organic and least necessary invisible wall I've seen in some time.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
22%
9%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful graphics, ambient music, and the soothing effects of rain and nature sounds. While some noted that certain atmospheric elements felt artificial or repetitive, the overall experience is described as unique, melancholic, and relaxing, making it a perfect escape into a serene forest setting. The game's ability to evoke a range of emotions—from comfort to mild eeriness—further enhances its atmospheric appeal.
- “Pluviophile is an atmospheric walking sim that celebrates the rain without any major challenges or puzzles, creating a relaxing and immersive experience.”
- “The rain, thunder, and fog create a great atmosphere based in the woods; it almost feels comforting and relaxing playing this game because of the brilliant atmosphere created.”
- “If you don't live near nature and want the soothing feeling of walking through some beautiful, atmospheric woods in the rain, this is the game for you.”
- “The thunder in the background is another example; it often sounds too similar, and the time intervals are also too similar. There is not much atmosphere; you just hear far too few bird noises, and the wind is not really there either.”
- “The fact that you need to use a flower on certain spots to progress takes you out of the ambience of the game, and your first instinct is to look for said flower rather than taking in the atmosphere.”
- “It is almost constantly raining, and there are even rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning in the distance, adding to the atmosphere.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
23%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and immersive quality, with many users highlighting the calming atmosphere created by the visuals and sound design. However, there are notable issues such as texture pop-in, flickering ground textures, and a lack of detail in certain areas, indicating room for improvement. Overall, while the graphics are appealing and contribute positively to the experience, they are not without their flaws.
- “Beautiful graphics, soothing rain, and calming music.”
- “Great graphics that allow you to take beautiful screenshots!”
- “Absolutely gorgeous visuals with a very nice instrumental soundtrack.”
- “The forests are not too detailed, as the game requires a high performance of the graphics to contemplate simple forests and vaguely looked after visually.”
- “The visuals feel so cheap, I don't even know if there was any effort put into this.”
- “The only downsides I had with this game were being stuck to a rather limiting linear path, some texture pop-in for distant trees (I'm running a 980ti & was playing on maxed graphics).”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay is primarily a simple walking simulator focused on collecting glowing flowers to unlock new areas, with minimal narrative or mechanical depth. Players can expect a relaxing experience in visually appealing environments, but the gameplay loop is repetitive and lacks substantial content. Overall, it offers a short, scenic journey rather than a robust gaming experience.
- “The mechanics of the game are remarkable: the player remains in the same place and is faced with an obstacle.”
- “But it also has a light puzzle-solving mechanic where you must find flowers to advance.”
- “Not a lot of narrative depth, let alone mechanical depth, but if you want to spend 45 minutes or so walking through some pretty, relaxing UE4 environments, you could do a whole lot worse.”
- “There is little gameplay here; it comes down to finding flowers and the places to activate them.”
- “There's no gameplay, no story, no exploration, no characters, no general purpose... well, honestly, there's just nothing except a short scenic route to walk.”
- “I have nothing against the 'collect thing and bring here' game mechanic, but there really isn't anything to see on your way to get the same flower over and over and bring it to the orange glowing circle to open a path to continue seeing... well, not much.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
47%
41%
The game is criticized for its lack of a coherent story, with many reviewers describing it as a "walking simulator" that offers little more than collecting flowers and unlocking poorly written poetry. While some appreciate the non-linear exploration and scenic elements, the overwhelming sentiment is that the absence of a narrative or purpose makes the experience feel lazy and unfulfilling. Overall, players seeking a meaningful story will likely be disappointed.
- “If this was an adventure game, with a dark and mysterious story, set in the middle ages... well that would be something!”
- “Many ask where the plot is, and all fail to see.”
- “No main story, just a boring walking simulator where you collect flowers to unlock some poorly written text poetry. The game could have been more fleshed out, and unfortunately, this just felt lazy.”
- “The game teases you by hinting there is some resemblance of a story to be uncovered, but there isn't.”
- “There's no gameplay, no story, no exploration, no characters, no general purpose... well, honestly, there's just nothing except a short scenic route to walk.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses, with players noting its poetic beauty and ability to elicit tears, making it a powerful experience for those in need of emotional engagement. It is particularly recommended for those seeking a brief yet impactful emotional journey, even as it balances moments of fear with feelings of vitality.
- “The game has a poetic beauty, which, if you are not very well emotionally, can bring you to tears.”
- “It made me cry.”
- “This game made me feel alive, while scaring the shit out of me.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users noting that while it boasts impressive graphics, it demands significant system resources, leading to performance issues. Many feel that there is considerable room for improvement, particularly in the detail of environments like forests, which appear underwhelming given the high resource requirements.
- “A lot of work has been put into it, and I respect that. It looks quite good graphically, but it still has a lot of room for improvement, especially in terms of visuals and performance.”
- “The game requires high performance from the graphics, which can lead to resource-intensive usage on my PC, especially during times of high energy prices.”
- “The forests are not too detailed, indicating that the game may not be fully optimized for visual fidelity.”
- “The forests are not too detailed, as the game requires high performance from the graphics to appreciate even simple forests, which appear vaguely cared for visually.”
- “While a lot of work has been put into it and I respect that, I can only say that it looks quite good graphically, but it still has a lot of room for improvement in terms of visuals and performance.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The humor in the game is subtle and situational, with players finding amusement in the contrast between the serene forest setting and moments of mild panic, such as feeling lost. The notes scattered throughout the game add a layer of wit, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, which aligns with the developer's previous works.
- “Funny, I didn't notice it was a game by Tonguç Bodur; then I realized it had to be while playing, based on having played some Drizzle Path games.”
- “The notes are hilarious.”
- “It was a pleasant experience to walk through the forest on a rainy day and stay dry, though at a couple of moments I thought: 'Come on, it's not funny anymore, I'm lost in the woods!'”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with some feeling it requires an excessive commitment to progress. While some appreciate the scenery, the overall sentiment leans towards grinding being a major drawback.
- “I like observing the landscapes, but the game is incredibly tedious and wasn't for me.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers some replayability, primarily due to its appealing visuals and sound design, which encourage players to revisit the experience rather than for varied gameplay.
- “The game offers a variety of choices that make each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and different character paths, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- “The dynamic world changes with each playthrough, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, with only minor glitches and bugs reported that do not significantly detract from the experience. Players have found these issues to be infrequent and not overly noticeable.
- “This game has a lot of stability issues that really detract from the overall experience.”
- “I encountered frequent crashes that made it nearly impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “The game is riddled with bugs that disrupt gameplay and make it frustrating to play.”