Bloody Hell, Silksong's Still Missing? Xbox Game Pass Just Unearthed a Metroidvania Masterpiece You've Missed
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
While we collectively await Silksong's elusive arrival, Jeff unearths Rain World on Xbox Game Pass, a brutal yet beautiful Metroidvania that trades power fantasies for pure survival, promising a uniquely satisfying challenge.
Right, so we're all still collectively holding our breath for *Hollow Knight: Silksong*, aren't we? It’s been… a while. Like waiting for a particularly potent spell to finish brewing, except the cauldron’s just bubbling away, mockingly, daring you to peek. We're in peak Metroidvania purgatory, mate, and the anticipation is reaching critical mass.
But while we're stuck in this sort of anticipatory limbo, Xbox Game Pass, in its infinite wisdom (and perhaps a touch of digital chaos), has just dropped a game that might just scratch that Metroidvania itch in a gloriously brutal way: *Rain World*. This deep dive was inspired by a cracking feature originally published on Eurogamer, and fair dinkum, it's a story worth telling.
Back in early 2017, the gaming cosmos aligned and dropped two very different, yet equally captivating, Metroidvania experiences. We had *Hollow Knight* in February – an instant classic that's now etched into the very fabric of indie gaming legend. And then, just a month later, this scrappier, weirder, utterly mesmerising game called *Rain World* slithered onto PC and PS4. While *Hollow Knight* went on to global superstardom, *Rain World* made its splash in a much more subtle, perhaps even mysterious, way.
You know those early internet GIFs, mate? The ones that just *pop* with an undeniable vibe? *Rain World* was one of 'em. Long before its launch, social media feeds were awash with mesmerising clips of its unique protagonist, the 'slugcat,' performing these incredibly fluid, procedural animations. Slinking up walls, sliding through pipes, peeling itself off surfaces, cramming into tiny nests – it all looked so… wet and alive. The world itself, a collapsing, post-industrial ecosystem brought to life with jagged, fluid pixel art, just begged for exploration. Those GIFs did their job on me; I was utterly captivated and couldn't wait to dive into its peculiar depths.
I’ve always been a bit baffled as to why *Rain World* didn’t capture the wider public's imagination quite as much as its insectoid contemporary. It shares that same core DNA: deep exploration, a focus on survival, and a penchant for implicit, environmental storytelling. Both games plonk you into a doomed, lonely world as set dressing, inviting you to piece together its tragic history. But here’s the kicker, and where *Rain World* truly diverges from the *Hollow Knight* experience: combat.
Forget the satisfying swordplay and nail-whacking prowess of the Knight. In *Rain World*, combat is something you *desperately* want to avoid. Your slugcat is not a miniature god-king of a forgotten realm; it’s a soft, squishy, and perpetually vulnerable creature. You'll use debris, chuck spears – anything to defend yourself – but the overwhelming sense here is one of predator versus prey. And guess what? You are *not* at the top of the food chain. This re-wires your brain if you're used to Metroidvanias where you eventually become an unstoppable force. Here, flight is almost always preferable to fight.
The rhythm of *Rain World* is a slow, hard-won dance. Finding spots to hibernate – which also serves as your save point – is a monumental task. You need to gather enough food to replenish your energy and safely tuck away. And let me tell you, when you finally manage to tease out one of those cosy nests from the labyrinthine world design, and your slugcat curls up, safe and sound? Fair dinkum, it’s more satisfying than finding a bonfire in *Dark Souls*. Really. It’s that primal sense of security, that fleeting moment of peace after a harrowing journey.
Progression itself is gated by a system that throws another curveball at you: 'karma'. You lose it upon death (sound familiar, *Dark Souls* fans?), and you need a certain amount of it to pass through 'karma gates' into new areas. This leads to utterly terrifying, deathless runs across vast stretches of the map. You can’t just muscle your way through; you need to memorise threats, master the incredibly nuanced, procedural animations of your slugcat, and be ridiculously responsive. It's slugcat-nip for a specific kind of platforming sicko, that's for sure.
And the enemies, mate? They don’t just stay put on their little screens. Predators wander independently, caring precisely zero about your struggles. You might slink into an area only to find two colossal lizards locked in a teeth-and-fang brawl, squabbling over territory. I still remember one exasperating attempt to pass a karma gate, blocked by an enemy that kept stumping me. On my very last, desperate run, I entered the screen… and it was just *dead*. Presumably taken out by something even bigger and scarier. That's it, I thought. That's an all-timer, right there.
*Rain World* also takes a wonderfully mystifying, three-tiered approach to its backstory. You'll piece together the tragic narrative of this watery hellhole mostly through environmental clues, glimpsing a world that once was amidst the urban decay. When you hibernate, your slugcat will dream, offering little snifters of backstory. And there are holograms dotted about, giving slightly less obtuse hints about the events that led to the current desolate day. Your only guide, if you can even call it that, is a weird little worm creature that generally points you towards bigger story beats. If you like waypoints, handholding, or a clear-cut quest log, mate, this game is definitely not for you. It trusts you to be curious, to dig, to piece it all together like a digital wizard reading tea leaves.
The result is a game that genuinely emulates the feeling of survival, of being the ultimate underdog. Yes, you can hunt, eat, and, if you're lucky, survive. But you are always, *always*, being hunted. It reminds me more of the *Oddworld* games in its difficulty and tone than any direct Metroidvania stablemate. In *Hollow Knight*, you're destined for greatness, capable of overcoming anything. In *Rain World*, you're soft, tasty, and vulnerable, and often find far more success in a panicked flight than in a courageous fight. It re-maps your brain, especially if you grew up on a steady diet of *Metroid* and *Castlevania*, and represents one of the lesser-explored, but utterly essential, peaks of the modern Metroidvania renaissance. I genuinely reckon it’s as vital an experience as *Hollow Knight*.
It probably would have seen far more initial success if it hadn't launched right alongside its nigh-perfect rival, that's for sure. But the fact that it’s now available on Game Pass? That’s brilliant. It means this little miscarriage of cultural justice might just be rectified, at least to some degree. It’s only 3.5GB, too. Seriously, mate, give it a download, and put at least an hour or two into it. Sometimes, it feels bloody good to know that no matter what life throws at you, you’re capable of surviving. And surviving *Rain World*? That’s a badge of honour right there.
Tags: Metroidvania, Indie Games, Xbox Game Pass, Survival, Rain World
Original article: Eurogamer