Piova is a small town where it never stops raining. It is also home to a prestigious music school, the Scuola Comunale di Musica. Chris Vertin is a seventeen-year-old musician who plays the Fortelle, a piano-like instrument. He has left his home town and his old sweetheart to pursue his musical studies, and shares his room with a tiny music fairy only he can see and hear. The final examination is ahead, and Chris must find a vocalist to perform with him. The search leads to emotional complication the young man was not prepared for.
Symphonic Rain is a visual novel with rhythm game portions. Most of the game consists of still screens accompanied by text, the player's input being reduced to choosing one of the few available locations within the school building to venture to, and occasional decision-making that branch the storyline. The rhythm game segments are dictated by the plot; the player has to press the corresponding letter on the keyboard at the right moments to match the musical rhythm of the song. The player's performance is evaluated, and the story proceeds towards different endings depending on it. The rhythm game is also accessible as a separate mode from the main menu.