Rules & Rodents

good vidsmith turns out to be good vidconsmith

purchased in order to prevent the impending 500 original fart collection jokes - imagine my PLEASANT SURPRISE when the game also happens to be very good! i am still awaiting my 1 ice slizer joke in the mail

100%'d it. Cute, short, puzzling little game that's simple in the first half, teases your brain in the middle, then can get pretty brutal at the end. Very heavily trial-and-error focused in the sense that sometimes dying actually makes the puzzles easier for some stages, but DEFINITELY not all of them. Even the costumes for 100% worlds are cute, but in the choices you have there, there is a surprising lack of festive spirit. AND A LACK OF FESTIVE SPIRIT MAKES ME ICE SLIZER

Okay I bought the game, now where are my Ice Slizer jokes?

It is at times like these I reflect on the words of John Milton. "Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell; And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still threatening to devour me opens wide, To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven." (Paradise Lost, Book IV, Lines 75-78) We have, perhaps, taken for granted the suffering we endure, and not long considered if that suffering is all that we may ever endure. I find myself wondering if John Milton saw in the Great Rebellion of his time some presentiment of the tyranny we would later be compelled to endure. Or perhaps already he was familiar with the OFC. We will never know. What we do know is that under those spiritless conditions, and while ill and blind and suffering, Milton still found the strength to compose an ode to beauty and morality, to futile resistance and hubris. I do not know if my small stand here will turn the tide. It seems impossible odds that I could even lessen the flow. But just as a mouse finds itself driven by instinct to survive even when trapped beyond hope of escape, I find myself driven to purchase this game. I have seen but a glimpse of the snowy paradise that awaits us, and lived so long in a world polluted by the OFC, that I cannot believe this purchase will make a difference. I make it anyways. And by the grace of the lord, the game is fun. Buy the game. The puzzles are all delightful, and not one is like another. It never aggrieved me overmuch. Enjoy it, and the slizer it brings, while you can, for there is beauty in the struggle, even if it must end in a fall. Another day, another taste of damnation granted at the hands of the OFC. I will leave you with one more excerpt, for the season. "And teach us further by what means to shun The inclement seasons, rain, ice, hail, and snow! Which now the sky, with various face, begins To show us in this mountain; while the winds Blow moist and keen, shattering the graceful locks Of these fair spreading trees; which bids us seek Some better shroud, some better warmth to cherish" (Paradise Lost, Book X, Lines 1062-1068)

Short Puzzle Game. Only starts to feel difficult in the 2nd half, but it had enough interesting ideas that I feel like I got my money's worth. Do it for Ice Slizer.

Here he comes now, The Big Rat that makes all the rules. Whatever his rules touch Turns to pawns in his clutch. He's too much. You're Mr. Mouse. Whatever you touch Molds the rules of his clutch. 2much Don't expect Baba is You-tier logic rewriting puzzles here: you just collect rules from spellsheets spread across puzzles which are bound to one of six buttons, and you can have one movement rule plus one passive effect active at any one time. They're relatively simple (for example, you'll be routinely swapping out your own ability to move so an enemy can move and hit a switch for you), but the stages make good use of them and do a great job of slowly introducing new mechanics so the player isn't overwhelmed right off the bat. All this is done without a shred of text outside the title and credits either. Everything is conveyed through visuals and audio cues, and you will need both of these because the game is very fond of spreading isolated chunks of level across the screen and stuffing them with enemies and switches which affect other parts of the stage. This works out just fine in most stages, given the game's relaxed pace, but the later boss stages often have so much going on that you're grateful for every bit of help the sound effects give you. Is it a stellar classic of a puzzle game? No. It's a rat-sized puzzle game with fun, well-animated designs and mechanics that don't overstay their welcome for a mouse-sized price. Give the demo a nibble and see if it charms you; it did me.

A fun little puzzle game about controlling the level and the enemies within it in order to reach your goal. It does a good job of exploring its concept and mechanics without lingering on any one long enough to let them grow stale. Great rats too! I should also note that after I bought this my Ice Slizer order (which I was worried wouldn't arrive in time for the holidays) showed up the next day.

Cute rodent game with some clever puzzles, it is rather forgiving since most puzzles don't require a specific sequence or a strict time limit. However, this can make it a little too easy at times, even when collecting all the cheese. Also a little disappointing that the demo is already almost half the game, though the price isn't unreasonable for the content. Would like to see a content update or sequel with more puzzles and hopefully a level editor, maybe additional challenges in the form of minimum number of moves and speed.

Super amazing game, really love the premise and how creatively levels are made. I'm honestly surprised a puzzle game this fun isn't bigger, I hope this game gets the credit it deserves someday. I will say that although I like the simple aesthetic and the "show dont tell" approach to explaining things, the 4 cheese shows up so rarely and honestly I have no idea what triggers it. I thought, based on the first appearance, that it appears if you get 4 rats on the same tile. But the next time I see the 4 cheese (5-4 I think?) I got 4 rats on the same tile and nothing. I got 5 rats on the same tile too, just to be certain. I moved this pile of rats around to no luck, so I am short 1 cheese of completing the game and have no clue what I'm doing wrong. Otherwise, I think this game's biggest strength is how whenever I fail, I feel like it's totally my fault because the mechanics are so well explained and without fringe cases.