Hydro-Eclectic: Raindrop Looks Surreal, Dark, Pretty


I am afflicted with Stalkeritis, so when games pop-up with a vague hint in a Stalkery direction I get a bit excited and need to lie down until my blood pressure normalises. Raindrop looks to be sort of broadly thematically similar with that grim Ukrainian treasure: a survival game set in a post-collapse world following an “event”, where secrets are covered in rust and weeds, and you need to scavenge to survive. That was always what brought me into the world, and the rest was just detail. Amazing, gorgeous, terrifying detail, but nonetheless it was on top of what I wanted out of the game. Watch the teasers below and see if you get the same reaction I did. And if you do, you should probably see the doctor

Aside from the teasers, all we have to go on is the developer’s brief precis:

Revolving around a horror themed storyline, the chilling and breathtaking atmospheres will keep you inching around each corner while uncovering the hidden truth behind the complex and its inhabitants. Scavenge items to build objects in order to piece together complex puzzles, or dangerous death traps. Gather hints and schematics to unveil rewards and information. Survive both the haunting environment and your own battered sanity.

But the trailers, despite not showing anything of the game systems described above, are super atmospheric. No hint of gunplay or chat with others, but I still like the direction they’re taking.

Teaser 1

Teaser 2

The teasers are in anticipation of a Kickstarter beginning on October 10th, so let’s all keep an eye out for that.

38 Comments

  1. 25/09/2013 at 17:14 ShowMeTheMonkey says:

    Yes please.

  2. 25/09/2013 at 17:24 KingFunk says:

    Is it made by citizens of the former USSR? The world needs more Stalker/Metro/Cryostasis and it seems you need to be from those cold, harsh climes to do it…

    • 29/09/2013 at 04:43 default_name says:

      Nihad Jakupovic is a Yugoslavian name and Yugoslavia is very close spiritually to the USSR.

  3. 25/09/2013 at 17:27 Meat Circus says:

    Rain makes all games better.

    Sentient, evil rain doubly so.

  4. 25/09/2013 at 17:28 Geger says:

    S.T.A.L.K.E.R.? Is that you?

  5. 25/09/2013 at 17:31 Keyrock says:

    Watch the teasers below and see if you get the same reaction I did.

    I got a raging boner, does that qualify, Craig?

  6. 25/09/2013 at 17:32 slerbal says:

    I hope we have the option to have all the dialogue in Russian :)

    • 25/09/2013 at 20:11 Lev Astov says:

      Yes, we definitely need Russian dialogue!

    • 26/09/2013 at 04:59 Talksintext says:

      Or at least poorly translated English spoken brokenly by Russians, which is just as awesome. Worst thing CoP did was fix the English language.

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        29/09/2013 at 05:17 Don Reba says:

        Or at least poorly translated English spoken brokenly by Russians

        It always seemed to me that publishers were the only people who ever thought this was a good idea.

  7. 25/09/2013 at 17:46 nothingfaced says:

    Yes, works for me. Looking like a better gig than Surviariumiummyium.

  8. 25/09/2013 at 17:54 GamesInquirer says:

    I’m thinking open world Amnesia rather than STALKER.

  9. 25/09/2013 at 18:00 DrollRemark says:

    Not a fan of that player voice. Looks very pretty though.

  10. 25/09/2013 at 18:25 hamburger_cheesedoodle says:

    I was hoping for a silent protagonist. Silent protagonists are the best protagonists (in video games).

    • 25/09/2013 at 19:26 Kubrick Stare Nun says:

      I fear that this protagonist might suffer from a serious case of James Hellerism, the main symptom being that he can’t say anything other than “what the fuck” and “what the hell”.

  11. 25/09/2013 at 18:29 Ross Angus says:

    I’ve been hurt before. I want to believe, but …

  12. 25/09/2013 at 18:41 HighHill says:

    If this might turn out somewhat single player Stalker-like I will have to kickstart it really hard.

    BTW: Who made the music in the first trailer? I need to know!

    • 25/09/2013 at 19:21 forddent says:

      I am seconding the call for who in the world did the music in the first trailer. Quite the catchy tune.

      • 25/09/2013 at 20:44 VelvetFistIronGlove says:

        Top comment on the video’s youtube page:

        Nihad wrote, played and created the song specifically for the teaser, so it’s untitled. We will release a link soon for a free download of the track.

        • 25/09/2013 at 21:43 HighHill says:

          Thank you Velvet! Shame on me for not making that much effort myself.

    • 25/09/2013 at 21:57 caff says:

      I like the music in both trailers. With sound off, or a completely different track, it could feel like an entirely different game. I hope they keep it and make it more Lynchian.

  13. 25/09/2013 at 18:54 Morte66 says:

    Looks nice, if a bit overly-painterly. I hope that’s the trailer, it’s not what the actual game looks like.

    The music is not moody like stalker, especially the first stalker (call of pripyat wan’t quite as good). Music is so important in an atmospheric game.

    Do we know what sort of game it is? Adventure, FPS, storyline, sandbox…?

    • 26/09/2013 at 05:01 Talksintext says:

      Also, I hope it’s stereo music like in SoC, so when you move your head the music shifts as though it’s locational. That was one of the little nuances that made that game so amazing. And that the music included wild distant environmental sounds.

  14. 25/09/2013 at 18:58 Safilpope says:

    Well just to be pedantic; anything ending with itis is generally not blood pressure related. Stalkeritis would refer to swelling of the… stalk? Oh, uhh.. erm, ok that might affect your blood pressure…

  15. 25/09/2013 at 19:01 muffinmonkey says:

    Ladies and Gentlemen… It’s not zombies.

  16. 25/09/2013 at 19:21 Synesthesia says:

    Fantastic music in the first trailer! Anyone know who that is?
    Also, all of my yes. I want to believe!

  17. 25/09/2013 at 19:26 schanze says:

    For the curious: The newspaper is dated 1962 (I think… couldn’t make out the rest).
    The headline: “нло парит над городом! продолжительностью в полчаса, а затем улетает…”
    “UFO hovers over the city! [For?] a period of half an hour, and then departs…”

    Edit: It’s March 1962.

    • 27/09/2013 at 23:45 kud13 says:

      “UFO floats over city! Duration of half an hour, then flies away”.

      Sentence is choppy, you wouldn’t really start a sentence with “duration” in Russian.

      Still, as far as pseudo-Russian goes, i’m fairly impressed.

  18. 25/09/2013 at 19:28 Kubrick Stare Nun says:

    Looks Mirror’s Edgey/Outlastish. I love it already!

  19. 25/09/2013 at 21:57 SillyWizard says:

    Reminds me of the big floppy ball chasing ol’ dude in The Prisoner.

  20. 25/09/2013 at 22:43 Jakkar says:

    Er… Hm. They do not understand The Zone, clearly. I should go and read Roadside Picnic to them while they sleep.

  21. 25/09/2013 at 23:21 Stevostin says:

    I would support it just for the music alone.
    I would support it just for the STALKER vibe.
    I would support it just because that’s the best forest i’ve seen in a game.

    Oh well. Guess I will support it then.

  22. 25/09/2013 at 23:59 Sublime50lbc says:

    Reminds me more of a first person Alan Wake for some reason. Except more from the early builds of that game and less like what it eventually became.

  23. 26/09/2013 at 01:40 Runs With Foxes says:

    Hope it’s not another walking simulator.

  24. 26/09/2013 at 04:23 Sharlie Shaplin says:

    More S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is good for business!

  25. 26/09/2013 at 10:27 Contrafibularity says:

    Looks good and does a few things right, but I see this hinging on the quality of its puzzles and challenges, although it looks to be worth it just exploring these landscapes, I hope it’s as open-ended as it appears to be, or at least as interesting.

  26. 26/09/2013 at 18:10 Artfunkel says:

    The game started out as a mod. Lots of material behind that link for anyone interested.