Surprisingly, Rusty Rabbit isn’t a game about a malfunctioning toy for adults. Instead, it’s the tale of Rusty Stamp, a loveable, Wolverine-voiced, floppy eared scamp, who pilots his mech to dig through ancient tunnels on a mission to uncover valuable scrap.
Best described as a 2D Metroidvania, Rusty Rabbit has the labyrinthine maps to explore most associated with the genre. However, each map is divided into numerous dungeons, with plenty of teleporters to return Rusty to his garage. Here Rusty can tinker with his mech, turning all that loot he’s been gathering into new upgrades; bigger guns, rocket boosters, better drills, you get the idea. Due to the segmented structure of its dungeons, along with ample save points, Rusty Rabbit is nice and accessible, making it an ideal for Metroidvania newcomers.
Rusty spends most of his time drilling through blocks to progress through a level. Initially this is rather dull, our hero forced to demolish blocks one at a time in a dreary fashion. To be honest, this state of affairs goes on rather too long, and the pacing of the game suffers as a result. However, stick with it and the game will open up, allowing Rusty to set off chain reactions to satisfyingly destroy vast swathes of blocks, or boost himself like a rocket through walls of scrap, the controller vibrating as the player steers Rusty like a guided missile. This makes for some enjoyable puzzles that tickle the brain pleasantly, even if all too often your objective is little more than ‘find the key card to open the door’.
Story-wise this is charming stuff, Rusty is an engaging lead, chatting away to the player like a classic film noir Private Investigator. Sometimes he can be too verbose, taking an age to explain even the simplest situations, particularly when recounting his unlockable series of backstory monologues. Still, hammering the skip button will soon see you through the most wearisome moments. Where the script and story glows are in the character interactions between Rusty and the loveable band of treasure-hunting bunnies he meets on his expeditions. An eccentric yet endearing gang of misfits, the way they melt Rusty’s stone-cold heart over the course of the game is surprisingly moving.
Combat is Rusty Rabbit’s weak point. Fighting Rust Bots mostly amounts to little more than Rusty standing in front of his foe, the player holding down the button until their death occurs. It’s very difficult to discern if Rusty has been hit or not, the only visual reaction being the slow depletion of his health bar. All of the dynamic movement and momentum of the exploration is lost, resulting in static and tedious fisticuffs.
Matters are made worse by how much combat Rusty Rabbit forces upon you, demanding you clear an area of enemies before being allowed to finally leave. You’d think gunplay would improve matters, but most of the cannons are so ineffectual that they go unused, resulting in all-too-frequent combat that is a trudge to get through. Thankfully, combat is easy, so you won’t get stuck, you just won’t have much fun getting through it.
Overall though, there’s plenty here to keep you playing, with dashings of charm, some great exploration, engaging puzzle solving, and a welcome gentle difficulty to see you hopping though to the game’s conclusion.
