So I Tried... Rocket Rats

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. A few weeks ago, we welcomed two young rats to the family, Cinnamon and Churro, so I decided to look for a game featuring these clever rodents, and I found Rocket Rats. 

What I thought it was

I thought it was a typical roguelike, one that has our rats on a moon fighting off waves of space-themed enemies like stars, other moons, and planets. Your rat stands in the centre of the playable area as these "enemies" attack them. As you defeat foes, you will get to select between four cards to unlock temporary upgrades for your gear that last for your run, like increased fire speed, the amount of damage your shots inflict, or extra hearts for your rat. Once you run out of hearts, your run is over, and you can try again or go back to the base to spend the cheese you collected on permanent upgrades.

What it actually is

Rocket Rats is a bullet-hell game that increases in intensity with each wave. Each stage is full of adorable enemies that look insanely happy, and you try to take them down before they hit you. There are 30 waves of enemies to complete your run and unlock new upgrades and characters as you progress. After each wave, you get to select a power-up from four options that can be levelled up, making them more powerful as you go. 

You will have to figure out the perfect mix of upgrades that work for your play style. Do you want more ammo, would you rather deal more damage with each hit, or is it better to get poison or lightning attacks? It’s this strategy that makes Rocket Rats so addictive to play. If you get a game over, you can spend the cheese that you earned from defeating enemies on power-ups for your rat, or on their skill tree to give you special things like an extra card for the beginning of your next run, or an automatic poison attack. 

Will I keep playing it

Hell ya! Rocket Rats is full of strategy, cute-looking enemies, and a variety of upgrades to collect. Plus, there is a speedrun timer if you want to challenge yourself, and there are six different rats to unlock, like a soldier, plague doctor, or a nerd with glasses, each having their own abilities and stats. This game has so much personality and is so fun to play! I can’t wait to get all the characters unlocked and try them all to find my favourite.