Rain World, released in 2017, is a survival platformer that stands out for its innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create an environment where creatures dynamically interact as prey or predators towards the player. These creatures also interact with each other even when they are off-screen from the game, providing a sense of a living, highly interactive world. This system, coupled with other unique implementations, makes Rain World a distinctive and captivating gaming experience.
The main innovation of Rain World lies in the way it uses AI to control its creatures. Each creature in the game has multiple randomly selected personality parameters, resulting in unpredictable and varied behaviors. In addition, creature animations are procedurally generated, adding to the feel of an organic and ever-changing world.
The game world is divided into "quarters", each of which can be in a "realized" or "abstract" state. This system allows the game's internal systems to know when they need to simulate a creature altogether or just simplify its movements and behaviors. In this way, Rain World creates the illusion of a living ecosystem that is constantly discovered by the player. Each agent in the game is perpetually influenced by their random values and interactions with other creatures, even when out of the player's field of vision.
Finally, we can say that Rain World is a unique game because of its way of using AI, unlike other platform games that apply procedural generation to randomize levels or item positions, Rain World uses these methods to create a dynamic and unpredictable experience, making it a unique work in the gaming industry.