Rainveal

Inspiration

What if your weather app was secretly lying to you? We got obsessed with this idea - hiding a mystery game inside something as mundane as checking the forecast. The rain isn't just rain. The clouds mean something. We love immersive theater and ARGs, so we thought: why not make people question everything they're looking at?

What it does

Rainveal looks like a normal weather app. But click around enough and you'll find yourself investigating the disappearance of a pianist named Aurelia Moreau. An AI detective helps you explore crime scenes, break piano keys, and piece together clues. Then comes the twist: it was all fake. The whole investigation was a staged performance. The weather app? That's the theater. The clues? Props. Your AI helper? An actor. And you? You were cast the moment you started playing.

How we built it

Built with Next.js 14, React, and TypeScript Gemini AI runs two characters: Inspector Gemini (your investigation buddy) and Captain Claude (who reviews your final theory) We engineered prompts so the AI actually evaluates whether you figured out all 5 pieces of the solution Lots of interactive stuff: clickable hotspots, scratch-off mechanics, weather animations Used localStorage to track what you've found and unlock new scenes The progression is deliberate - find the hidden note → UV sun glows → call sheet appears → submit your case

Challenges we ran into

Getting the difficulty right was brutal. Too obvious and the mystery sucks. Too hard and people rage quit. We also spent forever tweaking Captain Claude's prompts so he'd only say "you solved it" when players actually got everything. Oh, and figuring out when to reveal that your AI helper was fake the whole time? That timing had to be perfect or the whole story falls apart.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The moment players realize Inspector Gemini is listed on the production call sheet as "The Investigator"? Chef's kiss. We're also really proud of how Captain Claude can tell what piece of the puzzle you're missing and nudge you toward it. And honestly, using the UV index as the final unlock just feels right.

What we learned

AI makes a surprisingly good storytelling tool if you give it the right constraints. Also, mysteries are HARD. You need every single element to serve the story. Reveal the twist too early and nobody cares. Too late and they've already given up. The sweet spot is letting players feel smart for figuring it out.

What's next for Rainveal

More cases with different twists. Maybe branching paths where your choices matter. Multiplayer mode so you can investigate with friends. We want the AI to generate dynamic clues based on how you're doing. And if we're dreaming big? AR features where you scan real objects to find hidden evidence.