[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #216 [/url]<-- [i]New review every week[/i][/code]
[h1]”THE RATS OF US- OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!"[/h1]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2928743254
[u]Here's The Thing:[/u]
You are an ordinary rat, let’s call you “B-rat”, a lucky-enough rodent who manages to seek shelter from a full-on snowstorm. You are just about to count your blessings, but soon regrets the decision because as it turns out, there’s also a maniac on the loose! Let’s hope they’re a vegetarian or a pacifist~
[h1]! DISCLAIMER ! [/h1]
Before I officially begin, I just want to disclose that I am so worn out from reviewing games, and back-to-back mind you, that are obvious “clones” of other prominent titles. Whether it be in terms of gameplay style, appearance, story, or even all three… But man, some of them do it so well! Like today’s review!! Okay, that’s all-
[h1][u][+] PROS;[/u][/h1]
[h1]:) RATTY OR NOT, HERE I COME~[/h1]
If you have encountered[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/424840/] Little Nightmares (LN)[/url] prior to this, then you can skip the review entirely! Because it’s LN in the flesh… except it’s that of a rat’s. What does this amount to? Scurrying in a wholly 3D environment, hightailing it from a Debilitas-lookalike along with some other hostile critters, and getting around obstacle courses of not-so-effective traps like a lab rat- HEY!
Identical to LN, just no stealth whatsoever, there are collectibles as well in the form of delicious cheese sneakily tucked away by other less lucky rodent relatives or… predecessors? Nabbing them grants you an equally *cheesy* reward; achievements! Should you perish, you’ll either respawn pretty close to where you got offed, or maybe you take on the role of a different rat? They all look the same to me, I’m not a rat-cist…! Besides, the checkpoints are as frequent as bad dreams, so you’re in good hands!
With just a singular outcome, the whole rat race of an escape will last two hours at most! True to the LN spirit, there’s even an achievement for the crazily devoted players which requires finishing the game without any deaths! No other notable replay value aside from achievements, unless you count going in to admire that little pudgy face and its tiny series of steps~
[u]TIPS:[/u]
1) The achievements hint as to where the cheeses can be found!
[h1]:) UNSQUEAKABLY CUTE… LIKE A LAB-RAT-DOR!!![/h1]
If it’s not obvious by my last sentence- I don’t know whether to embrace B-rat in my palms, tear its face off, or skin it alive… all out of love & cuteness! With the most adorable idle animation ever- it’s literally just a rat being and acting like a rat, but…mmm! Someone keep it away from me.
For real though, the graphics weren’t lacking in any way! The three main chapters, each with their own standout set pieces didn’t come off “level-esque” at all, in fact they added to the overall artificial sensation. The same vibe you would get coming from a controlled environment! A dank and long-abandoned basement, a “shop” floor with a bunch of kennels in disuse and yet no dogs, and a still tidy and perfectly working laboratory!?
The audio design fared better than I had hoped for especially with [b]Silent Hill[/b] industrial sounds. Also, atmospheric filler tracks, tailor-made themes, and grating sound effects all very reminiscent of that damned franchise casually inserted like it’s no biggie! That is just messed up, consider me a fan~
[h1]:) THIS AIN’T RATATOUILLE! OR IS IT? WELL, THERE IS A LOT OF EATING.[/h1]
Following in the footsteps of a certain- wait, what am I doing? You know we’re talking about LN still…! Yes, it employs an unhealthy amount of implicit storytelling whereby it conveys both past as well as present events (what the heck, future as well) by immersing you in its grime, parading its horrific environments, and not even a single word is uttered in the 1.5 hour adventure. I know we’re working with animals here and how it is a given that it’s impossible for them to even speak a vowel, but come on, that’s pretty impressive~
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2928742465
[h1]:) PRAY. TO. CHEESE-US.[/h1]
The horror doesn’t simply rely on and take advantage of the “little vulnerable being in a big bad world” setup. Correction, it did, but it opted for something way smaller; a defenseless rat! And by that logic, everything seen from its piercing round eyes will appear to be more magnified in size! Granted, the plot is animal rights centric, which is bound to have you shed a tear or two to the average viewer.
And even open entire floodgates of sympathy to those who may have a pet hamster or something similar. However, the real gut punch came from me (and on some level, people) not being able to relate to what the rat’s gone through! And would anyone truly care about the state in which a rat ends up? They’re disease-carrying vermin, and treated as pest!
Remember the implicit storytelling I mentioned? This is only conjecture, but if you inspect the protagonist B-rat carefully, like at any time during exploration. You’ll notice its appearance yield some clues that point out how it may actually be an escaped [spoiler]test subject[/spoiler] from the very same abominable grounds you’re forced to secure an exit out of. It’s not like the rat can just adjust its whiskers and tell us what’s happened to it! And that breaks my heart so much… I will never look at a rat in the same way. Lastly, there’s probably a sequel incoming, y’know, due to the LN comparison~
[h1][u][-] CONS;[/u][/h1]
[h1]:( THERE’S ALWAYS A CAGE, ISN’T THERE…?[/h1]
You would think for a game that emulates LN in just about every way; it would be a no-brainer for it to go the extra mile in order to capture the same quality of camerawork & gameplay. But sadly, that’s not the case, for we are stuck with stuffy, almost “pinched out” close-up shots, and unhelpful angles that make depth perception an ordeal! It made sense for [b]Six[/b], because she was wearing a hood (and other strange face coverings). Here? Not so much! Not at all!!
It's slightly more tolerable when you play with a gamepad, what with the right analog stick dedicated to panning the camera. On keyboard though, it's just so silly, since it's never explicitly made clear anywhere that the arrow keys actually perform the very same function of shifting the camera! Not in the "controls", nor at any point in the game for that matter. So, anyway, one full playthrough later- I tried to make up for lost time, and long story short I ended up getting nauseous anyway…
Another thing, I feel I am obligated to expose is the jump strength. I’m telling you, regardless of how much pressure you exert, or how much you actually need to get over a small gap, B-rat will jump like a puppeteer is stringing it along at full force… Lastly, the darkness is an unadjustable nightmare, and the inconsistently out-of-focus backgrounds have you get your hopes up for nothing when you discover, time-and-time again, that you cannot go past a certain area!
[h1]BUGS:[/h1]
x Various instances of the rat model walking on air, and the animations becoming janky.
x Clipping issues that bypasses the need to even get around obstacles. Just jump over!
[h1]NITPICKS:[/h1]
~ More than a few not-very-obvious invisible walls…
[h1]"SO CLOSE TO A PERFECT RAT-ING~"[/h1]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2928741537
[u]Last Words?[/u]
Morose & tragic TAIL that makes for a spot-on horror short, but I’ll settle for a game too. While it finds the cheese from being in the same vein as Little Nightmares, it winds up in its own hole~
[h1]8.4 / 10[/h1]
[quote]Shoutout to [code][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116/]Indie Gems,[/url][/code] for GEMME-ing a key! Follow them here right now for more well, y’know~[/quote]
