'Rain98': Fin-de-siècle Tokyo, crafted with rainy-day sentiment and Lo-Fi

📢Game Title: Rain98
Developer: C#4R4CT3R
Key Tags: #Adventure, #Romance, #Story, #1990s
Tokyo, 1998. Endless rain and a girl who wishes for the end of the world. The fate of the world rests in the hands of two lonely souls

‘Rain98’, presented by C#4R4CT3R—an indie game publisher and development label based in Shibuya, Tokyo—has arrived at BIC 2026.

The number ’98’ refers to the game’s setting: Tokyo in 1998. From the moment you start, you are instantly immersed in late-90s nostalgia, from the neon-drenched streets of Shibuya and the constant ringing of mobile phones to the ambient noise of arcades and the Lo-Fi soundtrack layered beneath the sound of rain.

The game immediately captures the player’s attention with ‘Amahara Reina’ (voiced by Rio Tsuchiya), a girl with a mysterious and dangerous allure living in a cold, dark, blue-toned room. With her suicide attempts, smoking, deadpan expression, and icy tone, she is clearly not an easy character to approach. Yet, much like Madoka Higuchi from The Idolmaster—voiced by the same actress—you find yourself drawn to her, wondering if there are complex emotions hidden beneath that cynical exterior.

Players, who find themselves unexpectedly in 1998 Tokyo and inside Reina’s room, must prepare for a bizarre ritual to save the world from destruction. You must work hard to earn money to support Reina and carefully manage her happiness. The daily routine features familiar elements rendered in a simple point-and-click style, such as capsule toys, beads, and arcades. While you can enjoy the nostalgia of the 90s by strolling through the old city and playing various minigames, one wrong move that angers her can lead to unspeakable, horrific consequences.

As the story progresses, the game leans heavily into psychological thriller territory, where the boundary between reality and fantasy blurs. As the protagonist’s health deteriorates and memories grow hazy, terrifying hallucinations take hold, all while Reina continues to hide something. This leaves you constantly questioning whether the events unfolding before you are real or merely tricks of the mind. The secret ritual centered on Reina, combined with the presence of other entities slowly closing in on the protagonist, creates a persistent sense of suspense that makes even mundane moments feel unsafe, punctuated by what feel like subliminal signals.

The soundtrack, which heightens this atmosphere, is another essential element. The diverse Lo-Fi tracks, which evoke the damp, melancholic mood of a rainy Tokyo, call to mind the analog records that saw their heyday in the 90s. The melodies, subtly woven into the sound of rain and ambient effects, drive the game’s unique mood. Interspersed throughout are stylized, fetishistic sequences that serve as sharp, jarring accents.

With its distinct atmosphere and charm, ‘Rain98’ was named ‘Best of Show’ at PAX East 2026. Building on this momentum, it has also received acclaim at Bilibili World and ChinaJoy. Having carved out a unique niche with its blend of retro-romanticism and ‘menhera’-style psychological horror, ‘Rain98’ is a title I highly recommend experiencing firsthand at BIC 2026.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of NC AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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