Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan | |
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Skybound Games | |
Platform(s) | |
Release | October 5, 2021 |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a 2021
Plot
Rainbow Billy, a
Gameplay
The game is split between open-world exploration and symbol-matching combat. The player sails between islands surrounded by dark water Each island has emotions and animal allies to collect.[3]
The combat involves non-violent minigames which represent empathetic conversations.[4] Each enemy has symbol-based health, and the player must select allies with the corresponding symbols in queues.[5] The player's health is represented by morale. Once the enemy's health symbols are filled, the battle ends, with non-boss enemies joining the player's roster.[6] Allies have skills, which are activated if they are the first in their respective queue, such as staying in the queue for an extra turn.[3]
The game features a diverse cast of 60 animal allies, all of whom have backstories leading to developing unhealthy coping mechanisms.[7] The player can feed them fish and give them requested items, which unlock their backstories and level them up, granting them additional symbols for battle.[6]
Development
The game was developed by Montreal, Canada-based company ManaVoid Entertainment. The game uses binaries such as black and white to symbolize diversity and inclusion. The team chose to make the protagonist Billy non-binary, despite nobody on the development team being gender-diverse, and consulted with Annie Sansfacon, a professor on transgender children and their families, to accurately portray Billy as a character.[1]
Reception
The game received mostly positive reviews according to Metacritic,[8][9][10][11] and strong reviews according to OpenCritic.[12]
The game was praised for its colorful graphics and unique combat, but was criticised for lacking consequences and oversimplifying the difficulty of mental illnesses,[6][7] as well as the repetitiveness of the game's elements.[13]
References
- ^ a b Kassam, Iman (11 October 2021). "Montreal game designer launches Rainbow Billy featuring a non-binary lead character". CTV News. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Quick, Will (5 October 2021). "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan Review". TechRaptor. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Perry, Kurt (5 October 2021). "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan review -- A tale of friendship". PC Invasion. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Van Der Veld, Izzy (28 January 2022). ""The Game Is For Everyone," Rainbow Billy Developers On Using Games To Elicit Empathy". TheGamer. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Gipp, Stuart (7 October 2021). "Review: Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan - A Novel And Very Twee Paper Mario-Alike". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Fanelli, Jason (21 October 2021). "Rainbow Billy: The Curse Of The Leviathan Review - Rainbow Connection". GameSpot. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b Hart, Aimee (5 October 2021). "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan believes in the perfection of imperfection". Gayming Magazine. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan". Metacritic.
- ^ "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan". Metacritic.
- ^ "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan". Metacritic.
- ^ "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan". Metacritic.
- ^ "Rainbow Billy: The Curse of Leviathan Reviews". OpenCritic. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Bagdasarov, Garri (6 October 2021). "Rainbow Billy: The Curse Of The Leviathan Review (PS4) - A Heartwarming And Charming Adventure Bogged Down By Repetition". PlayStation Universe. Retrieved 22 June 2023.