How can an indie game about a thing called a Slugcat have the best digital ecosystem ever? It doesn’t even have most of the earth creatures. This blog will probably fall on the eyes of very few so, if you are here then thank you.

I am going to be writing this blog about digital ecosystems and games that have good ones. This will mostly consist of open world RPG games. I have gotten the Information for this blog from three Curious Archive videos. This blog specifically will be a less in depth look at the Ecosystem in Rain World including some of the creatures in the game and how they will interact with the world around them.

Rain World is a 2D side scroller open world rpg about surviving the rain of the world. The rain in this world comes down with such force that it floods the land and requires the player to go and hibernate until it is over. I think that Rain World has the best digital ecosystem in gaming.

Background

The Main character of Rain World is a creature known as a Slug Cat. This creature is able to climb, crawl, eat small bugs, and throw spears. Although they are easily killed by almost everything else in the game.

One great thing about Rain World is how it does its animation. This is the case because each creature uses procedural animation meaning that its movement is created on the spot. The Second thing is the AI each creature uses is unique to that creature. This paired with the animation can lead to some unique results you only find in Rain World.

The last thing is that the world is rendered even when you are not looking. This means that you can stubble upon a fight that you have no influence on.

The First Creatures

Let’s take a look at the most basic enemies: the Lizards. Each of the nine Lizards has a special ability that makes it different to face off. On top of that each lizard is assigned a personality using six different variables. If one of the lizards is to grab you. They talk you back to their den and if another lizard passes by then they will try to steal you and so you can potentially escape. Also, if you regularly feed a lizard it will begin to like and follow you.

The next thing you will meet is the Vulture. A giant bird with massive wings that will hunt the player down. They can be scared off by standing your ground and throwing spears at them. Sometimes they will even drop their mask. This is helpful as if you use the mask then other creatures will run away in fear.

The Water Creatures

As you make your way underground you are dropped into the underground sewers. These sewers are full of leeches that will latch onto the player and drag them to the bottom of the water. If enough leeches grab you then you will drown. The next thing you will meet are Squidcadas. These flying creatures will hover above the water, wait for a leech, grab it, fly off and eat it.

The next thing you stumble upon are garbage worms. Long heads that stick out of the muck. They will snatch the spears straight out of your hands. You are then dumped out into the sea where you discover a new species of leech. The coastal leech is bigger, stronger, and more aggressive. This is not the only danger out here in the sea.

You will also meet the Salamanders.These guys hunt in packs both on land and in the water. They are also closely related to the Lizards. The final thing you will meet out at sea is the Leviathan. A biomechanical beast that can and will catch up to the Slug Cat in seconds and swallow them whole.

This part of the game is full of diverse and interesting life that is constantly interacting with itself.

The Scavengers

The Scavengers are hyper intelligent for something in this time. Each Scavenger has its own personality like the lizards do except more extreme. This leans into the reputation system that they have. 

This determines how the Scavengers will react to the Slug Cat. This can be affected by the actions of the player, like giving a Scavenger a present, paying the toll on one of their toll passages, or by buying from one of the merchant shops that they have set up. These shops sell some of the most useful stuff in the game. 

You will want to keep this reputation up because if you don’t then they will send out a group looking to kill you.

“Five Pebbles”

Did you really think the Slug Cat and the Scavengers were the only intelligent life still around, because in the ruins of the Ancients that lived here before you can find Five Pebbles.

Five Pebbles is an AI that is the size of a building. You only meet the puppet at the end of the string. The AI is described as being god-like when compared to the Slug Cat. The AI alters the Slug Cat and gives them the ability to understand the Ancient’s language and talk to Five Pebbles.

The summit

As you finally make your way to the summit figuratively and literally of this journey you encounter one last problem. Worm Grass. Worm Grass is a plant that if you touch it it will begin to kill you. Thankfully the answer to your problem is right there. The Rain Deer. This is a tall creature that is immune to the Worm Grass so you take the Rain Deer as a ride to the other side of the grass.

Even though you have come all this way you are still just as fragile as in the beginning. You may be riding the Rain Deer, but you are still just a part of the ecosystem, and this relationship would still go on without you.

The other Slug Cats

The “story” you were just told is from the main story, but later the game released other Slug Cats. Each of these has a few quirks that make their play through different. So, If you want to know how the main story ends or the story of the other Slug Cats then you will have to wait until next time I post.