While it was also available to play on the show floor, the only offsite demo appointment I had during PAX East this year was to play Rain98, and it was more than deserving of it. It was a good thing I had time to chat with the game’s director, because boy, did I have questions! Luckily, the director of C#4R4CT3R, the indie studio responsible for developing the game, was there on-hand to chat after I completed the demo.
A rainy time in 1998 with creepy vibes
Rain98 is a visual novel with a lo-fi soundtrack that surprisingly goes quite well with its gloomy and dark anime theming that sort of gives it a Kakegurui feel–just replace all the red in that anime with blue. Most of what we did in this demo was interact with the environment, which did a solid job at making the game seem more mysterious. It’s hard to tell whether this kind of mysterious feeling was intended in the demo, but it was fun to have nonetheless.
Not much is known about the protagonist you’re in control of aside from the fact that he’s from modern day 2025, and he was transported to an apartment in 1998 in the presence of Reina. Hardcore anime fans will recognize her as a possible tsundere–for the uninitiated, tsundere is term used to describe a female character with a cold and typically negative temperament, with the possibility of warming up to the protagonist later.
Reina definitely has that tsundere vibe, if not much darker.
Her face, serious. Her eyes, distant. She has the look of someone that can probably kill us at any time, but she’s talking to us, so that’s meaningful progress, right? Is this a dream? How did we get here? How do we get out of here? Again, so many questions.
A visual novel that isn’t afraid of discomforting depths
Everything I did in this demo was scripted, with no room for much agency. In fact, the most “freedom” I had was when the game gave a wide view of the apartment with icons indicating items I can interact with or learn more about. A balcony window, a broken TV, a digital pet, a weird-looking plushie named Burby, and Reina herself. Upon examining those, the demo moved on.
Eventually, Reina put me to work. After I cleaned her room, she expressed her version of gratitude and said I earned a sticker on her Angel Passport, a sheet with 100 spaces for squares that when filled, the world ends. So that’s where you’re going with this… (I don’t know where we’re going with this).
I then had another opportunity to examine the stuff in her room, but it was to no avail. Even looking at Burby didn’t lead anywhere since I was stuck behind the demo. After talking a bit more with Reina, we moved on again.
The vibes are both chill and creepy at the same time.
This is where things started to really get weird and unexplainable. I played two minigames seemingly to make our protagonist some money. One required me to put items into gachapon capsules. I was being timed and scored, and I scored no points. The game didn’t really explain what I had to do. After that, I had a limited number of turns to recreate a photo in a grid-based minigame using beads. I failed this one too, but at least I scored some points and made SOME money. That was a rough out, but it was these kinds of things that make me more curious for next time.
We ended the demo after a conversation in the laundry room led up to one of the most curious moments in the entire demo. After completing the laundry, I had to put Reina’s socks on her feet. As you’d expect, this led to a creepy close-up of her legs — I mention this detail not because they looked a certain way (she has nice legs), but to give the general vibe of the awkwardness of the moment. I used the mouse to guide the socks up her calves, and if you go too high, she’d let you know. They have to go on perfectly, with no signs of being unfurled. It was really easy to do, albeit discomforting.
What a way to end things.
A short talk with C#4R4CT3R’s Shoon T
As mentioned, I had the opportunity to interview Shoon T, a developer at C#4R4CT3R and the director of Rain98. The following are summarized answers to the questions I had, as the interview was obviously in Japanese with the assistance of an interpreter.
Hell yeah, I asked about this.
Danreb Victorio, SmashPad (SP): Okay, so I gotta ask about this one because it definitely was a little weird and uncomfortable, but can you talk about the part where we had to put socks on Reina? Was that a situation of attraction between the protagonist and Reina?
Shoon T (being translated): (laughs) Yes, I knew that would be… interesting to players. It could definitely be interpreted that way, but the intention of the socks was to show the level of where the two individuals were at. (puts hand up high). This is Reina. (lowers the hand). This is the protagonist.
SP: Can we talk about why, specifically, the protagonist comes from 2025 to 1998? Why those years?
Shoon T: I think those time periods share the same atmosphere. In 1998/1999, the century is ending and another is about to begin. There was a feeling that people couldn’t have hope and they were scared about the future. We think that people in Tokyo now have the same emotions and the same feelings now (vs. what they were in 1999). So when people from the present day go back to that time period, we were interested in exploring how the protagonist would feel, learning that a girl he’s in front of would try to make the world end. That interest eventually turned into this game.
On the age of the protagonist, and where this demo falls in the actual game.
Shoon T: This demo takes part in the early to middle part of the game. The protagonist is in his early 20s–he just entered the social community, and he has some feeling of loneliness inside and he doesn’t have any dreams.
This made no sense to me, and I’m looking forward to getting another shot at this minigame.
SP: Alright, last question. What was I supposed to do in that capsule minigame? I didn’t score any points!
Shoon T: That part is very difficult and we think we should update it (to make it more digestible to players). First, you open the capsule, and then you put the items and cards inside.
SP: Ohhh gotcha! I thought it was just one thing and I couldn’t close any of them. So color didn’t matter either, I’m assuming.
Shoon T: This is how the protagonist earns money, which you can use later in the game. You can use it to bring Reina to game stores, eat with her, and other social activities.
Reina gives me the Go-Go Yubari vibes, and I’m all for it.
SP: Thank you so much for your time. This game came highly recommended from friends who tried it at Tokyo Game Show, so I’m looking forward to more updates!
Shoon T: Thank you for playing our game!
Rain98 is my Game of the Show
When I left the appointment, the interpreter asked me if I thought this game would end up being really popular in the west. That’s a really tough question to answer, especially as someone that really only has experience with well-known visuals novels–the Ace Attorneys of the world, Doki Doki Literature Club… it depends on what their bar of popularity is.
What I told her is that the main thing I’d be looking for is if the game gets a console release. At the appointment, I played with a keyboard and mouse. I think the style of this game really lends itself well to the Switch, so I told her if they bring the game to Switch, it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.
Anyway, Rain98 is slated for release on PC via Steam sometime this year. We just don’t know when yet, but we’ll definitely be looking forward to it. From the lo-fi beats, to the vibes of modern Tokyo, to its more casual anime tones, there’s really a lot to look forward to here. But what really interests me is the potential in these mysteries. Who exactly is Reina? Is she a family friend? A ghost, perhaps? There are so many directions a game like this can go, and seriously — I can’t wait.
Me, Rain98 Director Shoon T, and “Murby.”
Thanks once again to C#4R4CT3R for talking to me as well as Daniel Bloodworth from Ukiyo Studios for setting this up!
Yes, I said “vibe” six times. 92 more to go.
Editor’s Note: I mistakenly called the plushie Burby. Its name is actually Murby. We’ve since corrected every mention of the cute little… thing.
While it was also available to play on the show floor, the only offsite demo appointment I had during PAX East this year was to play Rain98, and it was more than deserving of it. It was a good thing I had time to chat with the game’s director, because boy, did I have questions! Luckily, the director of C#4R4CT3R, the indie studio responsible for developing the game, was there on-hand to chat after I completed the demo.
While it was also available to play on the show floor, the only offsite demo appointment I had during PAX East this year was to play Rain98, and it was more than deserving of it. It was a good thing I had time to chat with the game’s director, because boy, did I have questions! Luckily, the director of C#4R4CT3R, the indie studio responsible for developing the game, was there on-hand to chat after I completed the demo.
A rainy time in 1998 with creepy vibes
Rain98 is a visual novel with a lo-fi soundtrack that surprisingly goes quite well with its gloomy and dark anime theming that sort of gives it a Kakegurui feel–just replace all the red in that anime with blue. Most of what we did in this demo was interact with the environment, which did a solid job at making the game seem more mysterious. It’s hard to tell whether this kind of mysterious feeling was intended in the demo, but it was fun to have nonetheless.
Not much is known about the protagonist you’re in control of aside from the fact that he’s from modern day 2025, and he was transported to an apartment in 1998 in the presence of Reina. Hardcore anime fans will recognize her as a possible tsundere–for the uninitiated, tsundere is term used to describe a female character with a cold and typically negative temperament, with the possibility of warming up to the protagonist later.
Reina definitely has that tsundere vibe, if not much darker.
Her face, serious. Her eyes, distant. She has the look of someone that can probably kill us at any time, but she’s talking to us, so that’s meaningful progress, right? Is this a dream? How did we get here? How do we get out of here? Again, so many questions.
A visual novel that isn’t afraid of discomforting depths
Everything I did in this demo was scripted, with no room for much agency. In fact, the most “freedom” I had was when the game gave a wide view of the apartment with icons indicating items I can interact with or learn more about. A balcony window, a broken TV, a digital pet, a weird-looking plushie named Burby, and Reina herself. Upon examining those, the demo moved on.
Eventually, Reina put me to work. After I cleaned her room, she expressed her version of gratitude and said I earned a sticker on her Angel Passport, a sheet with 100 spaces for squares that when filled, the world ends. So that’s where you’re going with this… (I don’t know where we’re going with this).
I then had another opportunity to examine the stuff in her room, but it was to no avail. Even looking at Burby didn’t lead anywhere since I was stuck behind the demo. After talking a bit more with Reina, we moved on again.
The vibes are both chill and creepy at the same time.
This is where things started to really get weird and unexplainable. I played two minigames seemingly to make our protagonist some money. One required me to put items into gachapon capsules. I was being timed and scored, and I scored no points. The game didn’t really explain what I had to do. After that, I had a limited number of turns to recreate a photo in a grid-based minigame using beads. I failed this one too, but at least I scored some points and made SOME money. That was a rough out, but it was these kinds of things that make me more curious for next time.
We ended the demo after a conversation in the laundry room led up to one of the most curious moments in the entire demo. After completing the laundry, I had to put Reina’s socks on her feet. As you’d expect, this led to a creepy close-up of her legs — I mention this detail not because they looked a certain way (she has nice legs), but to give the general vibe of the awkwardness of the moment. I used the mouse to guide the socks up her calves, and if you go too high, she’d let you know. They have to go on perfectly, with no signs of being unfurled. It was really easy to do, albeit discomforting.
What a way to end things.
A short talk with C#4R4CT3R’s Shoon T
As mentioned, I had the opportunity to interview Shoon T, a developer at C#4R4CT3R and the director of Rain98. The following are summarized answers to the questions I had, as the interview was obviously in Japanese with the assistance of an interpreter.
Hell yeah, I asked about this.
Danreb Victorio, SmashPad (SP): Okay, so I gotta ask about this one because it definitely was a little weird and uncomfortable, but can you talk about the part where we had to put socks on Reina? Was that a situation of attraction between the protagonist and Reina?
Shoon T (being translated): (laughs) Yes, I knew that would be… interesting to players. It could definitely be interpreted that way, but the intention of the socks was to show the level of where the two individuals were at. (puts hand up high). This is Reina. (lowers the hand). This is the protagonist.
SP: Can we talk about why, specifically, the protagonist comes from 2025 to 1998? Why those years?
Shoon T: I think those time periods share the same atmosphere. In 1998/1999, the century is ending and another is about to begin. There was a feeling that people couldn’t have hope and they were scared about the future. We think that people in Tokyo now have the same emotions and the same feelings now (vs. what they were in 1999). So when people from the present day go back to that time period, we were interested in exploring how the protagonist would feel, learning that a girl he’s in front of would try to make the world end. That interest eventually turned into this game.
On the age of the protagonist, and where this demo falls in the actual game.
Shoon T: This demo takes part in the early to middle part of the game. The protagonist is in his early 20s–he just entered the social community, and he has some feeling of loneliness inside and he doesn’t have any dreams.
This made no sense to me, and I’m looking forward to getting another shot at this minigame.
SP: Alright, last question. What was I supposed to do in that capsule minigame? I didn’t score any points!
Shoon T: That part is very difficult and we think we should update it (to make it more digestible to players). First, you open the capsule, and then you put the items and cards inside.
SP: Ohhh gotcha! I thought it was just one thing and I couldn’t close any of them. So color didn’t matter either, I’m assuming.
Shoon T: This is how the protagonist earns money, which you can use later in the game. You can use it to bring Reina to game stores, eat with her, and other social activities.
Reina gives me the Go-Go Yubari vibes, and I’m all for it.
SP: Thank you so much for your time. This game came highly recommended from friends who tried it at Tokyo Game Show, so I’m looking forward to more updates!
Shoon T: Thank you for playing our game!
Rain98 is my Game of the Show
When I left the appointment, the interpreter asked me if I thought this game would end up being really popular in the west. That’s a really tough question to answer, especially as someone that really only has experience with well-known visuals novels–the Ace Attorneys of the world, Doki Doki Literature Club… it depends on what their bar of popularity is.
What I told her is that the main thing I’d be looking for is if the game gets a console release. At the appointment, I played with a keyboard and mouse. I think the style of this game really lends itself well to the Switch, so I told her if they bring the game to Switch, it’s definitely within the realm of possibility.
Anyway, Rain98 is slated for release on PC via Steam sometime this year. We just don’t know when yet, but we’ll definitely be looking forward to it. From the lo-fi beats, to the vibes of modern Tokyo, to its more casual anime tones, there’s really a lot to look forward to here. But what really interests me is the potential in these mysteries. Who exactly is Reina? Is she a family friend? A ghost, perhaps? There are so many directions a game like this can go, and seriously — I can’t wait.
Me, Rain98 Director Shoon T, and “Murby.”
Thanks once again to C#4R4CT3R for talking to me as well as Daniel Bloodworth from Ukiyo Studios for setting this up!
Yes, I said “vibe” six times. 92 more to go.
Editor’s Note: I mistakenly called the plushie Burby. Its name is actually Murby. We’ve since corrected every mention of the cute little… thing.
by Danreb Victorio
