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The Star
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Review: 'Rusty Rabbit' a refreshing but dull take on a 'Metroid'-style game
For hard-core gamers, Takaya Kuroda's voice should sound familiar, though his name may not ring a bell. The Japanese voice actor brings Kazuma Kiryu to life in Like a Dragon and Yakuza . His work is heard in dozens of other video games and anime, but his deep and intimidating timbre is so distinct that fans immediately recognise him. It's one of the reasons that Rusty Rabbit piqued my interest when it was first unveiled. When I heard Kuroda's voice coming out of the mouth of an anthropomorphic rabbit, I had to play the game. Initially, the campaign seems to follow the typical Metroidvania formula. Players take on the role of Stamp (voiced by Kuroda), a scavenger who digs through the ruins of Smokestack Mountain, using a mech he calls Junkster. A different postapocalypse He earns a living by finding screws, bolts and other parts in a postapocalyptic world where rabbits have inherited the Earth. Humanity has mysteriously disappeared and the bunnies evolved and developed a civilisation in the ruins. Stamp's home base is Brass Village, which is equipped with small-town amenities such as a bar, hardware store, diner and church. Initially, the campaign seems to follow the typical Metroidvania formula. The creatures have set up a curious civilisation with a religion based around the adventures of Peter Rabbit. Players start off delving through a dungeon fighting rust beasts, when Stamp runs into a ragtag group of youngsters who call their gang BB. He helps them, and in the process, his Junkster is destroyed, and he has to rebuild it and make it more powerful in a campaign where he constantly runs across the youngsters. As a grizzled veteran, he aids them when he can, but as he dives deeper in the ruins, players discover more about Stamp and his lost daughter. Slowly, the plot changes from a simple rebuilding mission into a rescue coated in a nefarious conspiracy. An unusual structure The narrative isn't the only unconventional element. The story also reinforces Rusty Rabbit's novel structure. Normally, Metroidvania titles are lonely experiences where the protagonist adventures across the map, acquires new powers and uses those abilities to access gated-off areas. It's contemplative, almost like a solitary meditation about personal growth. When I heard Kuroda's voice coming out of the mouth of an anthropomorphic rabbit, I had to play the game. Rusty Rabbit is different because it's centred on a town, and Stamp is a character that's introduced as an isolated old man set in his ways. That perception changes as players venture into Smokestack Mountain, which is divided into more than 10 zones. Stamp traverse these dungeons, which feature plenty of save points and portals that return him to the village. Players don't wander a wide-open map, but rather they pick a location and explore it before moving on. They'll scavenge junk to sell and level up Stamp so he acquires more skill points. He'll also find blueprints that allow him to build more powerful weapons with scrap. Because players operate in manageable chunky zones, it makes backtracking to unlock a new area more efficient. The structure also helps the campaign feel less lonely. Heading back to Brass Village is a requirement as players need to buy supplies and turn in quests at the Bar. Stamp can also chat up the locals at the Diner to earn more credits and unlock more Blueprints. As they interact with the inhabitants, players discover the lore in dense conversations. The hardest part of Rusty Rabbit is figuring out where to go next after finishing one objective. It shows that Stamp isn't a recluse, but part of a fabric of that society. He also takes on the role of the responsible adult watching over the young members of BB while also discover clues to the whereabouts to his estranged daughter. Not all the strands of the drama work, but it does enough to suck players into Rusty Rabbit's spell. Role-playing game elements and challenge The role-playing game elements work similarly, becoming a hook that pulls players through the campaign. Every dungeon dive makes players feel as though they're progressing and strengthening Stamp, through experience points. Players acquire them by drilling through rock and defeating enemies, levelling him up with skill points. Although the structure and approach is clever, the rest of the campaign feels rote. Players have four distinct weapons that are needed to unlock different parts of Smokestack Mountain. Players will power up these weapons and gain new abilities that make traversal easier, further opening up areas to explore. Meanwhile, each zone is punctuated by boss fights that are unspectacular and fail to present much challenge, especially when players can buy potions. Players don't wander a wide-open map, but rather they pick a location and explore it before moving on. The hardest part of Rusty Rabbit is figuring out where to go next after finishing one objective. Players can end up lost, unaware of what to do with a new ability, especially after the campaign broadens. A better way to track areas like the snapshot feature in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown would have been helpful. Nevertheless, Rusty Rabbit does present a refreshing approach to the genre but lacks a compelling vision to make it standout, even with the mesmerising voice of Kuroda. – Bay Area News Group/Tribune News Service
Newsweek
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
INTERVIEW: This Legendary Anime Writer Turned Peter Rabbit into a Mech Game
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Gen Urobuchi has had a long and storied career. You might know him for his work as the writer of Madoka Magica, a delightful anime that offered an incredible twist on the magical girl genre, or the 2012 cyberpunk psychological thriller Psycho-Pass. You might even know him for his work on the tokusatsu show Kamen Rider Gaim, or the deeply weird puppet series Thunderbolt Fantasy. Most recently, though, Urobuchi-san has been hard at work on Rusty Rabbit, a curious new metroidvania game inspired by a surprising source. Rusty Rabbit takes place in the far future, long after humans have become extinct. Rabbits have become the dominant species on Earth, and have built up cities and societies on top of the ruins of the old planet. Like humans, the rabbits have their own culture and religion, and that religion is built on a classic series of books: Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit. A painting from Rusty Rabbit parodying The Creation of Adam, with Peter Rabbit in place of Adam. A painting from Rusty Rabbit parodying The Creation of Adam, with Peter Rabbit in place of Adam. Nitro Plus Peter Rabbit himself is presented as a Jesus-like figure, with his countless fables documenting his frequent victories over the evil Mr. McGregor, a farmer in Potter's books but akin to the devil in Rusty Rabbit. It's a clever analog, presented well in-game, and it makes sense, too — of course rabbits would look to classic literature, seemingly left behind by unknown forces, to find their place in the world. Urobuchi-san says that it was an obvious inspiration for Rusty Rabbit, largely in part due to how ubiquitous Peter Rabbit is around the world. "I chose [Peter Rabbit] because I believe it's arguably the most globally resonant rabbit tale ever told," Urobuchi-san tells us. "I honestly think there's a real possibility this picture book could be excavated from the ruins of a post-apocalyptic world." A large, ornate puppet from the Thunderbolt Fantasy project of a man holding a fan in traditional garb, adorned with Gen Urobuchi's signature glasses. A large, ornate puppet from the Thunderbolt Fantasy project of a man holding a fan in traditional garb, adorned with Gen Urobuchi's signature glasses. Photo provided by Gen Urobuchi It's not just rabbits and carrots on display in Rusty Rabbit, as its main character, Stamp, rides around in a mechsuit, smashing his way through old ruins with drill hands and rocket thrusters. The story goes that Urobuchi-san was inspired one day when scrolling through Twitter, where he stumbled upon a photo of a Sylvanian Families figure in a toy mech. We weren't able to confirm that story when talking to him, but I don't see any reason to doubt it, and that inspiration is on clear display in-game. Just about every character in Rusty Rabbit looks like they were plucked off the shelves of a Sylvanian Families display, and they're delightfully adorable. That cutesy appearance is offset by Stamp's character — he's a washed-up, middle-aged scavenger whose best days are long behind him. He's kind, and helps those younger than him when they're in a pinch, but he has no patience for youthful nonsense. He's been at the scavenger game for a long time, so he knows a thing or two, and he doesn't mind passing on a few tips here and there if anyone's around to listen. It's a stark difference from most of Urobuchi-san's main characters, who skew young and inexperienced. Because of this, Urobuchi-san had to take an entirely new approach when writing Stamp. "This project took a completely new approach, so it was a creative breakthrough for me as well," he says. "Younger characters tend to observe things from a grounded, eye-level perspective and serve as drivers of the story, while older characters often take a bird's-eye view and act as guides. That's the key difference in their narrative roles." Stamp in his mechsuit cutting through vines in Rusty Rabbit. Stamp in his mechsuit cutting through vines in Rusty Rabbit. Nitro Plus That new approach extended beyond just writing Stamp's character, too, since writing a game is very different from writing an anime or TV series. Urobuchi-san has dabbled in games before, but has primarily focused on visual novels up until now. Rusty Rabbit sees the player in a much more active role, exploring and writing their own story alongside Urobuchi-san's. "Stories in animation unfold automatically on screen, so the audience bears no responsibility for how events play out," Urobuchi-san explains. "But in games, the player is the one moving the story forward. That makes them a kind of accomplice with the creators. That's why I try to avoid endings that are overly tragic or absurd." Urobuchi-san is a busy man, balancing his duties on Rusty Rabbit, the creation of new episodes of Thunderbolt Fantasy, and the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime, for which he's composing music, but he's still managed to avoid his various projects overlapping too much. He even finds time to play games between it all, which he says is his favorite form of entertainment — depending on his mood, he'll play just about anything, including racing, action, and puzzle games. His love for games is evident in Rusty Rabbit, which I've sunk more than a few hours into. It's a very good metroidvania with some fantastic storytelling, satisfying exploration, and some genuinely fresh and inventive gameplay ideas that I've not seen in the genre. There are some places where it's a bit rough around the edges – combat can be a bit hit and miss – but it's well worth playing for fans of cute little rabbits, Urobuchi-san's writing, and metroidvanias. "I was pleasantly surprised by how powerful the combination of character design and music turned out to be — it exceeded my expectations," Urobuchi says about the final product, before imploring players to explore every nook and cranny of the game. "This is a story-rich game, not just in the dungeon but scattered throughout the world. I hope players take the time to dig into the lives of the villagers in Brass Village and enjoy every corner of the setting." Rusty Rabbit is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC.
