Rainbow Gate review for PC

As some readers know, I’m no stranger to “mascot horror.” Between Five Nights at Freddy’s, Poppy Playtime, Indigo Park, and Finding Frankie, I’ve spent plenty of time in the genre partly because my 9 year old loves it, and partly because I’ve grown to appreciate how these games mix tension, puzzles, and chase sequences. So when Rainbow Gate popped up, pitching photorealistic visuals and night-vision survival horror in the Outlast vein, paired with an animatronic mystery, I was in.

For the first few hours, the game genuinely impressed me. The visuals are the clear standout, and  ran smoothly throughout my playtime. Movement is responsive and clean, with a simple vault mechanic that helps the game keep momentum during chase segments. It’s a small thing, but in a genre built around sprinting, hiding, and quick decisions, solid traversal matters and Rainbow Gate mostly nails it.

As you move deeper into its toy factory and amusement-park spaces, the game leans harder into a darker tone than many mascot horror peers. Chases often end brutally, and the jump scares are less “boo!” and more “you’re dead” though they rely on the same kill animation often enough that the shock value fades over time. Another more mature tone is the dialog heard from the animatronics which is very mature and unexpected. Some even gave my son and I “Ayo” moments. Something about a carrot and where to put it. I digress…

That fading impact is the biggest issue overall: repetition. The core loop of explore, solve a puzzle, trigger a chase, repeat starts to become predictable, and the animatronic threats never become especially memorable. Some puzzles are clever, and a few had me stuck longer than I expected (in a good way), but the story didn’t grab me because it feels too close to the genre’s familiar playbook.

The bigger issue is the enemy cast: the animatronics aren’t especially memorable, and the story didn’t hook me the way the best games in the genre do. It’s not that Rainbow Gate is broken or poorly designed,  it’s that it often feels like it’s following well worn tracks instead of carving out an identity of its own.

One quick note: the Steam page mentions the use of AI elements, including audio. That disclosure didn’t determine my opinion of the game, but as someone who works in music, voice, and sound design, it did stand out especially when “sound design” is used as a headline feature. There are zero voice actors credited which leads me to the assumption AI was used for this as well.

Ultimately, though, Rainbow Gate succeeds or fails on its moment to moment play, and that’s where it lands as a unique entry in the genre. If you’re looking for a stable, smooth running PC mascot horror game with a strong opening and a handful of enjoyable puzzles and chases, Rainbow Gate is worth a look at the right price. Just know it doesn’t evolve much past its first impression. This is a good placeholder until Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5.

Note: 7EVIL Studio provided us with a Rainbow Gate code for review purposes.