Rusty Rabbit seems to be an bizarre platformer on the floor, however dig just a bit deeper and you will find that this recreation has lore created by one among 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-Move 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 proficient builders at NITRO PLUS, NetEase, and writer SoFun, Rusty Rabbit is a recreation that provides a complete bundle each in story and in gameplay.
To that finish, we obtained a preview of Rusty Rabbit at Summer season Recreation Fest. Whereas viewing a gameplay demo managed by one among its builders, we additionally had the possibility to speak to Urobuchi-san himself and be taught 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 collection of occasions, the rabbits are actually on the prime of the meals chain.
Although it was a hands-off demo, I used to be in a position to 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 manner.
The underground segments intrigued me, as its maps are laid out like a Metroidvania, which suggests there’s going to be some complexity to the extent structure. 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 type 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 count on different bosses to function like they often do in Metroidvanias, utilizing overwhelming assaults and patterns in an try and defeat the participant.
Gen Urobuchi on Rusty Rabbit’s Wacky Lore
The primary focus of my presentation and interview was in regards to the lore, of which there’s a lot to digest. Urobuchi-san is thought for writing brutal tales the place characters are expendable and nobody’s life is for certain, so Rusty Rabbit is a nice departure from such themes.
For instance, there is a creation fantasy on the planet of Rusty Rabbit. Urobuchi-san describes it as this “E-book of Genesis” for the sport’s world — a narrative surrounding Peter Rabbit and an evil human named McGregor. Peter Rabbit leads his sort 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 enjoying by means of will gamers uncover the reality of the world. In fact, there is a story surrounding Stamp and the characters he meets alongside his manner. Stamp has household points and must cope with that as he scraps away in these ruins.
“The primary story is definitely fairly poignant,” mentioned Urobuchi-san. “One of many core themes is this concept of what it means to age, and go on. So, that alone could be actually actually heavy, and we did not need the entire recreation to really feel heavy, so we counter-balance that with lovely characters and comedian aid.”
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 mentioned characters are colourful and their outfits convey their personalities effectively, despite the fact that 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 shocking pivot from lore, I realized extra about Rusty Rabbit‘s origins as a recreation itself. Urobuchi-san is clearly a multi-talented man, as growth 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 point out me the wallpaper, exhibiting me a rabbit and a steampunk mech.
“I really get pleasure from messing round in Unity as a passion. I discovered this sculptor’s murals and I noticed this and thought ‘Wow, I could make a doujin recreation out of this.'”
It is a fantastic factor when artists encourage artists, and this was the catalyst that went on to grow to be Rusty Rabbit. Urobuchi-san went on to point out 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 by way of royalty-free belongings on Unity.
“Due to that,” mentioned Urobuchi-san, “I used to be in a position to talk my imaginative and prescient and concepts for a recreation to NetEase very simply due to how straightforward it was to assemble a prototype.”
Finally, this mission grew to become one thing extra. Urobuchi-san isn’t any stranger to recreation growth (totally on the narrative aspect), having written, directed, and supervised fairly a couple of visible novels and video-game diversifications of his work, however Rusty Rabbit is one thing a bit totally different from the norm.
“I feel discovering Unity and realizing I can really develop one thing alone was an enormous leap in that route,” mentioned Urobuchi-san.
Urobuchi-san pitched Rusty Rabbit to NetEase with this prototype, and it led to the mission being recreated in Unreal Engine, backed by a full growth staff.
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 search out out extra and discover out simply how deep the rabbit gap goes.
Rusty Rabbit was previewed at Summer season Recreation Fest Play Days courtesy of NetEase.