A big thank you to Frostwood Interactive for the review copy!

In the beautiful and peaceful town of Pineview, Chris and Diane are dead in what looks like a murder-suicide. Detective Michael Stone is put on a case that looks to be open-and-shut. At a glance, the case seems simple, but little things don't add up. Will Michael find the truth or undo himself in grief before can he see the case through? Is there even something hidden that needs to be found, or is all as it seems?

Rainswept is a murder mystery where the detective, with the help of Officer Blunt, finds clues about what happened that rainy night on October 7th and the events that led up to it. While the controls can look overwhelming at first, most of it simplifies to using 'A' and 'D' to move left and right and mouse clicks to investigate and interact. All the other controls are explained as the game progresses. The player takes the role of the detective, but Chris is also playable when the people of Pineview recall the events leading to the day.

The goal as the detective is to solve the murder by asking questions, examining evidence, and making accusations. All the important questions must be asked and evidence must be found before the story can progress. In addition to his goal, he will also face obstacles such as people hindering his work and slowly losing his sanity. The goal as Chris is to prevent his relationship with Diane from falling apart.

The story, art, and music all work together to tell the emotional story of regret, broken dreams, and hope. While the experience was great, the gameplay was a bit lacking. The content of the gameplay is just walking left and right, clicking clues, solving a few easy puzzles, and occasionally making choices that slightly change the story. Wrong guesses about the clues I had on hand seemed to make no difference in the big scheme of things. The only choice that mattered was one near the end, which determined the ending.

The story is well written and designed, as it kept me guessing whether the crime was really as it seems or if Chris and Diane were actually murdered by someone else. The music is great, plentiful, and matches the story nicely. Graphics consist of 2D minimal vector art style. The art style is simple but contains all the details necessary to make scenes beautiful. Animations are smooth. Close up facial details look a little bit off at times. Controls are simple enough, with no issues. As far as I could tell, there were no bugs or glitches in my playthroughs.

One of the first things the game shows is a warning that it contains references to topics such and suicide and trauma. The story has a variety of issues, such as Diane's rape as a child and teen, Chris and Diane's sexual relationship outside of marriage, and an instance of domestic violence. The detective is constantly seen smoking, and in one instance, gets drunk with police buddies. Swearing is seen throughout the story, including using God's name in vain. Diane encourages Chris to borrow a boat without permission. Michael talks to the spirit of his dead wife at night and she tells him to join her so they can be together. The murder scene and autopsy contain blood and gore and the conversation goes into detail.

As a game, Rainswept is okay at best. As an interactive story, it is wonderful. The game tells a story of people trying to live life after losing the one they love, and despite sounding dark, remains uplifting at times. I wouldn't recommend Rainswept to people looking for a game to play. If the story and theme are what interests you and the moral issues don't deter you, this game might be worth picking up.

-Sorrel