Rusty Rabbit Review

There’s an old saying that when the world comes to an end, the only animals left will be cockroaches. However, what if I told you that it will instead be full of talking, scrap-obsessed rabbits instead? Well, that’s the plot of developer NITRO PLUS’ latest game, Rusty Rabbit. The question for us today is whether this is a burrow you want to explore or if it would be better to stay in the warren?

As I said, Rusty Rabbit takes place long after humans are long gone. Instead, after a new ice age, the latest species to hold dominion over the world is rabbits. You take on the role of Stamp, an old salvager, known as a Rust Digger, with his trusty mech Junkster. Stamp spends his days salvaging the massive factory complex known as Smokestack Mountain. However, a new group of young rabbits known as the “BBs” appear, and together the group will explore deeper than ever before.

The plot is certainly interesting, with Stamp acting as the older voice of reason for the new group while they also teach him a thing or two. Each of the characters is well written, and there’s a sense of mystery behind what happened to all the humans, plus Stamp's own tragic backstory. These plot points are told through conversations alongside cryptic messages found on the machines. It’s an interesting journey to go on that fills you with that constant sense of “just a little more” as you delve deeper. 

The actual gameplay of Rusty Rabbit is a side-scrolling adventure that has you jump and fight through the scrap and Rust Devils: robotic creatures that infest Smokestack to feed on scrap. However, Stamp isn’t the most physically imposing specimen; he’s only a wee bunny after all. This is where Junkster comes into play, as he uses the mech's weapons and other hardware to journey through the levels.

The aim of the Rusty Rabbit is exploration; essentially, you’ll spend your time exploring the areas of the mountain, collecting scrap. You’ll then use it to upgrade Junkster to better explore. These upgrades take the form of new equipment, each of which affects both combat and junk collecting. 

For instance, the basic claw can attack but also dig through dirt and blocks of metal (more on them in a bit) to find anything interesting. You’ll be collecting basic scrap, like screws or springs, as you go, but the real treasures are often hidden in hard-to-reach places. Combat, meanwhile, is usually a lot simpler, as the goal is to hit the enemies while avoiding getting hit. There’s a fair variety of Rust Devils, a decent selection of weapons, but the basic enemies never really feel like an obstacle. 

Instead, the big challenge comes from the larger beasts, which take the form of giant angry construction equipment. These boss fights can be complex, with a focus on finding a way to hit the enemy's main weak point to daze them, then go in for massive damage. They’re fun, plus you can replay them after you defeat the first creature.

As you fight enemies, you’ll also level up and earn skill points that can be used to unlock a variety of different upgrades and boosts, as well as new navigation tools. Honestly, the actual number of skills available is a bit daunting at times, plus some of them do feel less necessary than others. You’ll also find modules that you can use to improve Junkster with more attack energy, as well as resistance to certain status effects or improved defence. 

While it all sounds very complicated on paper, Rusty Rabbit is, in essence, very simple to understand. There is a lot to figure out at the start; it all comes together pretty well, but bits of it do feel a bit superfluous. 

However, nothing is perfect, and some noted issues with Rusty Rabbit could affect your experience. Firstly, the game does take a while to actually get going, while some of the dialogue (though well-voiced) can be a bit plodding. There’s also not much reason to go off the beaten path, as it were. Don’t get me wrong, the actual maps are big, but the issue is that you don’t get much for exploring beyond more of the same junk. 

Thankfully, part of this is hidden by just how pretty some of the levels look, especially if you like that kind of steampunk factory design. Everything is colourful, plus all the rabbits have a sense of character to them. The music is also pretty great and fits the world well, although none of them are bops that you’d want to hear on repeat. The thing that lets the game down in this regard is that many of the areas you’ll visit all look very similar, alongside the number of scrap blocks, which all start to look the same after a while. 

The scrap blocks are, honestly, a little odd in several different ways, really. You remember I mentioned digging? Well, these are the main things you’ll be destroying as you wander around the map. The issue is that doing so offers XP, which means levelling is much easier than you would initially think. This is part of the reason that there are so many skills you can unlock. 

The metroidvania-style 2D action game has seen a bit of a resurgence of late, and while Rusty Rabbit isn’t the peak of the design, there’s something here for those who like the concept. However, the issues might just hold back a few of the die-hard fans looking for the next Prince of Persia or Metroid.