A relationship’s colours stand out against a backdrop of falling snow in Rainbow Bridge.

Quick​ ​Summary

Rainbow Bridge is a two-room parser game. Gabriel (the angel) and his boyfriend Demeter are enjoying spending some time together, but their holiday is cut short due to an emergency at Gabriel’s workplace. In order to head back, he needs to charge his sceptre with the seven colours of the rainbow.

What’s Interesting About Rainbow Bridge?

You’re getting ready to leave, but you seem to have misplaced your keys. Your partner’s staying home, so they try to read a book while you look, but they’re secretly thinking of places you might have left them – if you ask they’ll help out, but they’re not in a rush for you to leave, not when you won’t be back for a while. This isn’t the kind of scene you find in a game (except maybe in a clunky early-game QTE tutorial), yet here is a game that is just that. While it’s not novel to say ‘small intimate moments convey a lot about characters and their relationships’, I want to appreciate it when it happens, especially in video games. Besides, there aren’t enough romances like this one around.

Explaining silly-sounding things with mild embarrassment to a loving partner. It happens.

My Play

Rainbow Bridge is short, simple, and pleasant. I tried it while I was playing through (almost) all of the games in last year’s IFComp, and it was as though I released a breath I was unknowingly holding in. The simplicity of the game, and the fact that I was searching for colours, helped me picture the scene in my mind – I wonder what colour the armchairs are? Burgundy, like the bedspread, okay. They almost match the rug, don’t they? While I liked plenty of other games in the comp too, I didn’t hear much about Rainbow Bridge, so I’m giving it some time in the spotlight. Also of note, I rarely try commands like ‘kiss’ – when does it ever feel appropriate? – but it felt like the relationship was there in Rainbow Bridge, that a goodbye kiss before leaving for work would be welcome.

If you want to spend some time in a cozy, snowy cabin, try Rainbow Bridge on IFDB! (In case you’re new to IFDB, once you follow the link, click ‘Play-Online’ to try it)