No idea why rabbits have taken the spotlight lately, but here we are. Ever caught yourself in one of those whimsical daydreams where nature’s furry critters rule the world? No? Just me then? Well, Rusty Rabbit from NITRO PLUS and NetEase Games kinda dips into that with its 2.5D side-scrolling action adventure, which throws you smack into a frozen-over Earth that’s been deserted by humans—or apparently, “giants.” (Seriously, I laughed out loud when I read that.) They fled to who knows where and left behind a landscape of giant ruins. Fascinating, right… or is it just me going off on another tangent?
Anyway, our bunny protagonist, named Stamp, is smack in the middle of all this. Stamp’s like the everyday ‘Joe’ you might find down the lane, but with bunny ears and a penchant for digging up rust. Big ol’ Smokestack Mountain is his playground, a treasure trove of the giants’ past, where rust diggers—like Stamp—muck about looking to strike gold, or rust, I suppose. I’m not sure why, but there’s something wildly entertaining about a rabbit in a humanoid post-apocalyptic world. Pixels well-spent.
And then there’re these “BBs” he runs into, and I’m thinking, “What’s gonna happen now?” They’ve probably got some tricks up their sleeves and soon, surprise-surprise, Stamp’s hopping along with them. But, plot twist (or maybe not), it ain’t all about junk anymore. Turns out, there’s a D-TAM gizmo echoing with the voice of his daughter—yes, Stamp’s a papa. Emotional, right?
Hang on, I’m getting ahead of myself. So there’s this mech, Junkster, a hunk of scrap Stamp’s patched up like your grandpa might do with a vintage radio. You navigate with the left analog stick. And true to the whole Metroidvania vibe—gosh, aren’t we all obsessed with that genre lately?—you lose most of your abilities right off the bat and then crawl your way back, kicking and screaming. Jump, double jump, attack, dash—you know the drill (pun sorta intended). Everything with their own buttons to press because let’s be honest, button mashing reflects how I deal with life every so often.
Scattered around are items, and you can smack the L1 button to fix your mech up when it’s taken a beating. A swipe at your DualSense’s Touchpad brings up a menu of sorts—map, goodies, that kinda stuff—with what you could probably call a ‘shopping list’ of quests and skills.
Back in the quaint Brass Village, it’s all about trading stories at the diner, chit-chat at the bar, or literally surrendering all your hard-earned coins for mysteries from some priest named Bower. Yes, Bower. What’s with the rabbit-themed names turning up in the darndest places? Just me pondering again.
Oh! There’s this moral thing about hunting down achievements—collector’s angst, they call it. Plenty of trophies to hunt for—bronze, silver, gold—ticking all the boxes, if you’re into that sort of thing.
To wrap this up—though, I’m likely rambling again—Rusty Rabbit is not just a game; it’s like peeking through a kaleidoscope where ancient landscapes meet bizarrely charming critters trying to piece together their world. But maybe that’s where the magic is. Who knew hopping into the tiny shoes of a mechanical rabbit on a deserted but packed world could be so enlightening? Plop on your couch this April 17 on a PlayStation 5, for about twenty bucks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—it’s a weird ride.
