“Always wanted to play as a hard-boiled rabbit? Then we have the game for you.” This is the clear message that Rusty Rabbit delivers with its title screen, right from the get go. In his leather jacket, smoking a carrot, protagonist Stamp would have been right home in a Like a Dragon game. He does end up eating the carrot in the end, but who can blame him? He’s a rabbit after all.
While Stamp’s characteristics can be grasped in an instant, as a game, Rusty Rabbit is a bit more difficult to explain. As Stamp, you explore a vast 2D environment with plenty of obstacles and enemies on the way. However, Rusty Rabbit relies too much on player choice to call it a Metroidvania. There are a wide array of abilities ranging from speed boosts to wall climbing, and in certain instances these need to be utilized in the right way in order to progress. That being said, many of the game’s challenges don’t have a single answer and can be overcome by using the weapon or ability that the player feels like using at that moment. Even when I was fighting a boss right after obtaining a new weapon type, that boss could be defeated with any weapon.
Rusty Rabbit is set in a post-apocalyptic world that was previously inhabited by giants (that’s how the rabbits refer to humans), but the giants are long gone. For some reason, the rabbits survived and created their own civilization. The stories of Peter Rabbit, an ancient document left by the giants, functions as their bible.
Stamp often heads into a place left by the giants that is called Mt. Chimney. Here, he mounts a mech-like vehicle to collect the junk that can be found in this multilayered place. Rusty Rabbit’s main gameplay loop consists of exploring Mt. Chimney, and then heading back to your base to sell or use your collected junk to upgrade your mech.
The drill is the only weapon that Stamp can use in the beginning of the game. Reaching new locations by digging deeper and deeper can at times feel reminiscent of SteamWorld Dig. However, Stamp will obtain a gun, sword and hammer as you progress through the game. Stamp’s equipped weapon type can be changed with the push of a button at any time, making it possible to adjust to situations or enemy types. An enemy that shoots projectiles might be best defeated by attacking it from a distance with your gun, while digging downwards goes faster with the drill. That being said, during my playtime, I found myself going back to the sword way more often than other weapon types. Rusty Rabbit’s game design encourages you to play however you want. Each weapon type has many different variations which can also be upgraded, so it will be interesting to see to what extent you can customize them according to your preference.
Apart from weapons, Stamp can learn a wide array of abilities as well. By the time that air-dashes and wire action are unlocked, some moments of Rusty Rabbit do feel like a Metroidvania. A skill panel that allows you to upgrade Stamp’s stats as you level up exists as well, which should allow players to customize the hard-boiled rabbit to even further extents.
I got to try out the game’s first boss as well. At this point, many of Stamp’s abilities were not unlocked yet. The battle quickly became a simple hit-and-retreat repetition as I aimed at the boss’ head and then took my distance each time. The boss’ lack of attack patterns didn’t help either. An instant-kill attack felt especially cheap, partly because Stamp was still lacking significant abilities to dodge attacks. Whenever I was cornered against a wall, I wasn’t sure how the game wanted me to overcome the situation. Rusty Rabbit’s controls can feel a bit slippery as well, which made the boss fight feel frustrating. The development team told me they are still working to improve such issues.
As you progress through Mt. Chimney, story scenes frequently occur as well. For a 2D action game like this, Rusty Rabbits seems to be quite eager to deliver a compelling story. The reason behind Stamp’s journey is gradually revealed, and a colorful cast of characters are introduced along the way. The world the rabbits inhabit has more lore than you would think, although maybe this is no surprise when you take in account the involvement of anime scenario writer Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Psycho-Pass, Fate/Zero). The game depicts the darker side of civilization, with elements such as a priest who is only interested in money, and the rabbits’ equivalent of swear words are actually relatively benign words found in their cherished bible, Peter Rabbit.
Apart from Mt. Chimney, a random dungeon will be unlocked as well. While entirely optional, the dungeon is a welcome feature for players who want to customize and level up Stamp and his weapons and abilities to the max. The random dungeon consists of multiple biomes, and the player progresses through multiple areas with one of the main bosses waiting for you in the last area.
Stamp lives in a small, snowy village that functions as Rusty Rabbit’s hub area. While Mt. Chimney and the random dungeon play out in 2D, the hub area has depth that allows Stamp to move in and out of the screen. Besides obvious features such as selling your collected junk at an item shop or upgrading your mech at Stamp’s garage, the area also has a bar and diner that add to the village’s sense of life. At these facilities, optional character events can be unlocked and side quests can be obtained.
While rough around the edges in some places, Rusty Rabbit has a charming setting and will likely stick with players that are into 2D action games with an emphasis on freedom. The game is still in development, so let’s hope for an even more polished final project with a hop in its step.
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