Rusty Rabbit seems to be an odd platformer on the floor, however dig just a bit deeper and you will find that this sport has lore created by considered one of anime’s most celebrated creators. Gen Urobuchi created the idea and script of this wild post-apocalyptic journey, and it is no shock the story is so deep when you think about this man is probably going behind a few of your favourite anime.
From Psycho-Cross to Destiny/Zero, his portfolio spans throughout genres, and Rusty Rabbit positively is not the primary online game he is labored on. Mixed with the gifted builders at NITRO PLUS, NetEase, and writer SoFun, Rusty Rabbit is a sport that provides a complete bundle each in story and in gameplay.
To that finish, we received a preview of Rusty Rabbit at Summer time Recreation Fest. Whereas viewing a gameplay demo managed by considered one of its builders, we additionally had the prospect to speak to Urobuchi-san himself and study extra in regards to the origins of this journey title.
It is a Scrapper’s Life in Rusty Rabbit
Gamers take management of the rabbit hero, Stamp. He is a gruff, down-on-his-luck rabbit that scraps for a dwelling in a harsh, post-apocalyptic world. Noticeably, the world — enveloped by one other ice age — is one with out people because the apex species; after a sequence of occasions, the rabbits are actually on the prime of the meals chain.
Although it was a hands-off demo, I used to be capable of verify the gameplay loop of Rusty Rabbit. On one hand, you may have the floor and city that acts as a hub of types, and on the opposite, Stamp goes underground to scrap junk present in ruins, all of the whereas combating enemies in his method.
The underground segments intrigued me, as its maps are laid out like a Metroidvania, which implies there’s going to be some complexity to the extent format. By extension, we are able to anticipate finding upgrades for our mech, so ultimately you may unlock issues like a grappling hook to accompany beginning weapons like a drill and shotgun.
After a quick demonstration of stage layouts, we see Stamp tackle a boss — some form of hellish excavator machine that is out for his blood. After what appeared like a chaotic ordeal, Stamp makes it out secure. If this combat was any indication, we are able to anticipate different bosses to function like they often do in Metroidvanias, utilizing overwhelming assaults and patterns in an try to defeat the participant.
Gen Urobuchi on Rusty Rabbit’s Wacky Lore
The principle focus of my presentation and interview was in regards to the lore, of which there’s a lot to digest. Urobuchi-san is understood for writing brutal tales the place characters are expendable and nobody’s life is definite, so Rusty Rabbit is a nice departure from such themes.
For instance, there is a creation fable on the earth of Rusty Rabbit. Urobuchi-san describes it as this “Ebook of Genesis” for the sport’s world — a narrative surrounding Peter Rabbit and an evil human named McGregor. Peter Rabbit leads his variety to salvation after defeating McGregor, thus resulting in a brand new period for rabbits.
There’s greater than meets the attention to the world of Rusty Rabbit, and solely by taking part in by way of will gamers uncover the reality of the world. In fact, there is a story surrounding Stamp and the characters he meets alongside his method. Stamp has household points and must cope with that as he scraps away in these ruins.
“The principle story is definitely fairly poignant,” stated Urobuchi-san. “One of many core themes is this concept of what it means to age, and move on. So, that alone could be actually actually heavy, and we did not need the entire sport to really feel heavy, so we counter-balance that with lovely characters and comedian reduction.”
There’s additionally a large number of different characters showcased throughout the presentation, a lot of that are voiced by an all-star solid of Japanese seiyuu. The designs of stated characters are colourful and their outfits convey their personalities properly, although we did not dive into element on precisely who they had been. Promise of factions are certain to brighten up the story as gamers progress.
How Did Rusty Rabbit Start?
In a stunning pivot from lore, I realized extra about Rusty Rabbit’s origins as a sport itself. Urobuchi-san is clearly a multi-talented man, as improvement for Rusty Rabbit started with a prototype he conceived throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This all started once I requested a easy query: why rabbits? Urobuchi-san holds up his telephone to indicate me the wallpaper, exhibiting me a rabbit and a steampunk mech.
“I really take pleasure in messing round in Unity as a pastime. I discovered this sculptor’s murals and I noticed this and thought ‘Wow, I could make a doujin sport out of this.'”
It is a great factor when artists encourage artists, and this was the catalyst that went on to grow to be Rusty Rabbit. Urobuchi-san went on to indicate me a prototype of Rusty Rabbit on Unity. I acknowledged the acquainted, Metroidvania-like stage design and naturally, the rabbit. He defined the prototype was created through royalty-free belongings on Unity.
“Because of that,” stated Urobuchi-san, “I used to be capable of talk my imaginative and prescient and concepts for a sport to NetEase very simply due to how straightforward it was to assemble a prototype.”
Ultimately, this venture turned one thing extra. Urobuchi-san is not any stranger to sport improvement (totally on the narrative facet), having written, directed, and supervised fairly a number of visible novels and video-game variations of his work, however Rusty Rabbit is one thing a bit completely different from the norm.
“I believe discovering Unity and realizing I can really develop one thing by myself was an enormous leap in that path,” stated Urobuchi-san.
Urobuchi-san pitched Rusty Rabbit to NetEase with this prototype, and it led to the venture being recreated in Unreal Engine, backed by a full improvement workforce.
Every part about Rusty Rabbit is shaping as much as be a shock hit. The fervour from Urobuchi-san and the sport’s builders is clear, and the premise of the lore has me hooked. I am excited to seek out out extra and discover out simply how deep the rabbit gap goes.
Rusty Rabbit was previewed at Summer time Recreation Fest Play Days courtesy of NetEase.
