Rusty Rabbit

Rusty Rabbit is a standard Metroidvania that doesn't stray far from the formula, but surprises with lots of customisation and light social sim elements. It's worth playing for its protagonist alone (in the Japanese dub at least), a cute rabbit with the stern vocals of Kazama Kiryu.

Developer SoFun has crafted an endearing and occasionally hilarious world full of mystery, which even after credits roll feels poised for bigger things. However, at launch, the game feels noticeably slow and the visuals seem compromised on Switch, which brings borderline sluggishness occasionally into frustrating territory. By no means a dealbreaker, and not necessarily a barrier to the dozens of hours of fun gameplay you can find, but we hope to hear of some updates that make exploring Smokestack Mountain as enjoyable as it should be.

At the same time, this game might make you think about what you find important in your own life, or what it might be like to grow up seeing the world differently than people older or younger. This one is gonna stick for a while.

Rusty Rabbit needed a tune-up, but there's still some treasure to find in its scraps.

Rusty Rabbit is a story-focused, level-based Metroidvania, which admitted isn't really how Metroidvanias tend to work.

Rusty Rabbit is an interesting title, with a strong plot in a colourful world. However, the gameplay and dialogue can drag at times.

The tough mechanized rabbit will win your sympathy and bring action and fun in a nice way. But you may also have problems, especially with mastering the controls.

I enjoyed my time with Kiryu Stamp and the Ice Age II freezing boogaloo. I love the world building done here for the fact that only rabbits survived everything. No foxes, no wolves, just rabbits. It’s honestly clever with the fact that if you visit the church, you can learn the stories they have turned into a faith. Like seriously, you need to invest in getting the cost to get each story unlocked. It’s a bloody hoot. While everything about the game is amazing to me, the only thing that holds me back from giving this game the Thumb Culture Platinum Award is the game handling. I died too many times because the Junkster jumped too high or far, meaning that I either land improperly or slid off the blocks. I’m willing to revisit my review if those issues are resolved. Now, go out there and enjoy the junk out of this game. I give Rusty Rabbit the Thumb Culture Gold Award

Rusty Rabbit is a bittersweet experience. While there are glimpses of potential in some of the mechanics, the obvious shortcomings in the movement and combat systems undermine the overall enjoyment, relegating it to a title to be tackled lightly. Be aware that the game is far from perfect!

Among metroidvania titles available, Rusty Rabbit holds its own, though it falls short of its contemporaries due to the disruptive flow of cutscenes and narration. Its controls could be more fluent and responsive, but the dense atmosphere and writing carry the weight of the experience, making it memorable and interesting enough to stand out from the crowd in a saturated genre.