Rusty Rabbit seems to be an strange 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-Cross to Destiny/Zero, his portfolio spans throughout genres, and Rusty Rabbit undoubtedly 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 recreation that gives a complete package deal 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 concerning 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 residing 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 at the moment are on the high of the meals chain.
Although it was a hands-off demo, I used to be in a position to confirm the gameplay loop of Rusty Rabbit. On one hand, you might 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 preventing enemies in his method.
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 format. By extension, we are able to look forward to 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 degree 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 protected. If this battle was any indication, we are able to anticipate different bosses to function like they normally do in Metroidvanias, utilizing overwhelming assaults and patterns in an try to defeat the participant.
Gen Urobuchi on Rusty Rabbit’s Wacky Lore
The primary focus of my presentation and interview was concerning 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 delusion on this 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 form 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 via 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 should cope with that as he scraps away in these ruins.
“The primary 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 recreation to really feel heavy, so we counter-balance that with cute characters and comedian aid.”
There’s additionally a large number of different characters showcased throughout the presentation, lots of that are voiced by an all-star forged of Japanese seiyuu. The designs of stated characters are colourful and their outfits convey their personalities properly, despite the fact that we did not dive into element on precisely who they have been. Promise of factions are positive to enliven the story as gamers progress.
How Did Rusty Rabbit Start?
In a shocking pivot from lore, I discovered extra about Rusty Rabbit‘s origins as a recreation 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 after I requested a easy query: why rabbits? Urobuchi-san holds up his cellphone to indicate me the wallpaper, exhibiting me a rabbit and a steampunk mech.
“I really get pleasure from messing round in Unity as a interest. 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 turn out to be Rusty Rabbit. Urobuchi-san went on to indicate me a prototype of Rusty Rabbit on Unity. I acknowledged the acquainted, Metroidvania-like degree design and naturally, the rabbit. He defined the prototype was created through royalty-free property on Unity.
“Due to that,” stated 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 simple it was to assemble a prototype.”
Ultimately, this challenge turned one thing extra. Urobuchi-san isn’t any stranger to recreation improvement (totally on the narrative facet), having written, directed, and supervised fairly a couple of visible novels and video-game variations of his work, however Rusty Rabbit is one thing a bit totally different from the norm.
“I believe discovering Unity and realizing I can really develop one thing alone was an enormous leap in that route,” stated Urobuchi-san.
Urobuchi-san pitched Rusty Rabbit to NetEase with this prototype, and it led to the challenge being recreated in Unreal Engine, backed by a full improvement crew.
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 season Recreation Fest Play Days courtesy of NetEase.