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Play Overview
Rainbow Billy (2021): The Curse of the Leviathan is a role-play adventure where you save the world from colourless darkness. Unusually, battles are won through listening and conversation rather than traditional attacks. It combines the excitement and strategy of Paper Mario with a clever focus on personality foibles, empathy and growth in a deeply insightful game that doesn't feel educational (but is).
Play involves running and jumping around to explore the world, find treasure, hop from island to island in your boat and fish for eclectic items to help power up your friends. When you encounter one of the 60 colourless creatures, a battle ensues to help set them free from their blinkered view of themselves, other people and the world. You build a team of whimsical creatures by helping them come to terms with who they are and the personalities they have put on to cope with the world: anger, fear, pride, strength and even manliness.
Along with the listening and talking aspects of these encounters, you call on your team of friends to send over shapes that match what you know about this new creature's personality. This pattern matching is joined by simple Rock Band (rhythm), Arkanoid (bat and ball) and Asteroids (dodge the discs) challenges to get each set of shapes to hit their target.
It's child-friendly but has surprisingly deep writing. The conversations that ensue during each battle are crucial to how things play out but are also engaging (and painfully honest) therapy sessions. Although there is whimsy aplenty, it avoids feeling overly woke by not easily ducking emotions and not quickly moving beyond personality hang-ups.
As the developer puts it, "Rainbow Billy tells a universal coming-of-age story about dealing with changes in the world and accepting ourselves and the others around us. Sometimes it only takes a conversation, empathy, and a new point of view to make a world of a difference."
Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked Rainbow Billy 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated today.
Play involves running and jumping around to explore the world, find treasure, hop from island to island in your boat and fish for eclectic items to help power up your friends. When you encounter one of the 60 colourless creatures, a battle ensues to help set them free from their blinkered view of themselves, other people and the world. You build a team of whimsical creatures by helping them come to terms with who they are and the personalities they have put on to cope with the world: anger, fear, pride, strength and even manliness.
Along with the listening and talking aspects of these encounters, you call on your team of friends to send over shapes that match what you know about this new creature's personality. This pattern matching is joined by simple Rock Band (rhythm), Arkanoid (bat and ball) and Asteroids (dodge the discs) challenges to get each set of shapes to hit their target.
It's child-friendly but has surprisingly deep writing. The conversations that ensue during each battle are crucial to how things play out but are also engaging (and painfully honest) therapy sessions. Although there is whimsy aplenty, it avoids feeling overly woke by not easily ducking emotions and not quickly moving beyond personality hang-ups.
As the developer puts it, "Rainbow Billy tells a universal coming-of-age story about dealing with changes in the world and accepting ourselves and the others around us. Sometimes it only takes a conversation, empathy, and a new point of view to make a world of a difference."
Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked Rainbow Billy 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated today.
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Play Style
This is a Battle, Communication, Rhythm, Role-Play and Sequencing game with Adventure, Collecting, Narrative, Platform and Traversal elements. This is a single-player game.
You can play this game in the following styles:
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 12 hours and 14 hours to complete. It will take longer to find all 60 of the creatures. Also, more methodical readers will take a bit longer. It will take about 30 hours to see everything.
Benefits
This game is good if you want to:
- Play games good for autistic diversity
- Play your first action game
- Play your first role play game
- Muck about on the water
- Generate oxytocin
- Play unusual games with your family
This game has helped players develop their Belief as part of the following pathways:
Age Ratings
In addition to the official ratings, it's worth noting there are characters in the game who bully, have uncontrolled anger, are victims of anxiety and fear, don't like their bodies, and threaten the player with violence. These encounters are resolved through non-violence and conversation. The big bad enemy is a devil/demon-looking snake.
Skill Level
8+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Younger players may need help with some of the platforming jumps, time-based puzzles and extensive reading, but will enjoy deciphering each character's hang-ups. It's a great way to teach healthy civic space and playground kindness.
Our Game Pathways reveal how 47-year-olds play this game:
- 47-year-old: Unpicking Problems and Making Connections
Costs
Game Details
Release Date: 05/10/2021
Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One
Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Battle, Communication, Rhythm, Role-Play, Sequencing (Adventure, Collecting, Narrative, Platform and Traversal)
Accessibility: 32 features
Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Hand-Made
Developer: We Are Mana Void (@WeAreManaVoid)
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