Rain98 is a visual novel set in rain-soaked Tokyo during 1998, following a nameless protagonist who becomes entangled in a plot to destroy the world. The game draws aesthetic and thematic inspiration from the late-1990s anime Serial Experiments Lain, adopting its distinctive visual style and sense of existential dread. The demo reveals a narrative centred on depression, nihilism and the search for meaning in a world that feels broken beyond repair.
The player character is a deeply troubled man from the present day who is transported back to 1998, where he encounters Reina Amehara, a young woman who calls herself the Angolmois—a reference to Nostradamus's apocalyptic predictions. The two strike an unlikely partnership, united by their shared despair about the state of the world. Though they initially clash, they agree to work together toward a singular goal: ending everything. Both characters struggle with suicidal ideation, and the game does not shy away from these heavy themes.
Setting and Historical Context
The choice of 1998 Japan as the game's backdrop is deliberate and thematically rich. The year falls within Japan's "lost decades," a prolonged period of economic stagnation that profoundly shaped the nation's culture. This era produced some of the most unsettling and anxiety-ridden works in Japanese media, including Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and All About Lily Chou-Chou. Rain98 taps into this same vein of Heisei-era ennui, capturing the particular flavour of despair that defined the period.
The time travel premise creates an intriguing dynamic: both the protagonist and Reina are trapped in worlds they find unbearable, separated by decades yet united in their inability to accept their circumstances. The demo does not resolve how these two characters from different eras will reconcile their shared alienation, leaving that exploration for the full game.
Gameplay and Features
Beyond its narrative framework, Rain98 incorporates various minigames to break up the visual novel experience. These include rhythm game sequences reminiscent of Dance Dance Revolution, virtual pet mechanics similar to Tamagotchi, and fighting game segments inspired by Tekken, among others. The demo includes a stylish sequence in which the player lights a cigarette for Reina, showcasing the game's attention to atmospheric detail. Notably, the game includes a self-insert mechanic where players enter their own name, though doing so triggers a game over and an achievement—a subversive twist on the typical visual novel convention.
The full game runs approximately three hours, though the demo covers only about one hour of content. This suggests substantial depth and branching paths to explore. Rain98 is scheduled to launch by the end of the year on Steam, with the aesthetic and thematic promise of delivering a complete meditation on despair, time, and the desire to unmake the world.
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