![]() There’s a litany of other minor frustrations, like unnecessary perma-deaths when falling down some pits and Wu Yun’s incredibly frustrating sarcastic comments every time you die (‘Have you considered NOT failing?’ - hilarious, thanks mate). But here, when a boss fight was telegraphed (by way of the room you’ve just entered being red on the mini-map), I was just thinking ‘Oh cool another boss fight, this will be fine’, and nine times out of ten, it was. ![]() Normally when you come across a boss in a metroidvania (or indeed any game), there’s an element of preparing and stocking up on vital health items. However, the bosses in Curse of the Sea Rats are so straightforward that I didn’t even need to break stride. I don’t like ridiculously hard bosses, but I still like a challenge. The bosses are also quite uninspiring and criminally easy for a metroidvania. And two, it means that, despite how uninspiring as the static sword-jabbing is, it actually gets the job done pretty well, so there’s not much incentive to use the magic powers. This has two outcomes first, it means you’re unlikely to switch characters because getting one character up to full strength is pretty easy. There are magic abilities too which are somewhat more exciting, but what with it being rather easy to farm the souls-like levelling up currency, you’ll have your chosen character to be pretty strong, pretty quickly. ![]() The combat is pretty one-note as most character’s static attacks involve jabbing the nearest enemies with your sword or staff or whatever weapon they have. Sounding and looking like a turn of the millennium game can certainly be viewed as a positive, but sadly Curse of the Sea Rats also plays like one in some aspects. Voice acting is an impressive inclusion.This dovetails perfectly with the art style, which makes for a vibrant and visceral experience. There are also a number of moodier, more brooding tunes for the boss encounters. There’s everything you’d expect some sea shanties and plenty of upbeat ditties right out of the late 90s/early 00s Rare play book. In line with the pirate theme, the soundtrack in Curse of the Sea Rats is awesome. It took me back to the good old days of playing as Sonic and Tails, and for a metroidvania, it was a refreshing and original take on the genre. There’s also the option to play local co-op, which I tried with my wife and it was an absolute blast. Sadly, there are no traversal benefits or attributes between each character which makes the character switching system in Curse of the Sea Rats less nuanced than, say, Astalon: Tears of the Earth, but they each have different combat styles, meaning you can pick which character suits you. Wu Yun also allows you to redeem a souls-like currency to use in upgrading each character’s defence, attack and magic powers. More on those multiple playable characters you can switch between them at save points which are marshalled by the mysterious Wu Yun. Sure the script is a bit hammy at times, but it makes for a welcome change to relying on drab dialogue boxes. Each character has full voice acting which is impressive for an indie title. You can choose to play as one of four rats (Douglas, Buffalo, Akane, and Bussa) as you hunt Flora Burn and her piratey crew along the way. Amidst all of this, the captain’s son, Timothy, has also been kidnapped by the mysterious Flora Burn. The story follows a group of human pirates who have been mysteriously transformed into rats. Admittedly, the metroidvania formula is a tough one to crack in such a crowded genre, but Curse of the Sea Rats certainly has the potential to be worth the wait! The GoodĬurse of the Sea Rats is a pirate-themed ratoidvania (a term coined by the developer Petoons Studio, not me), with a cartoony art style. A lot has happened and changed since then, but one thing remains my thirst for a good metroidvania! My thirst has been quenched all too infrequently recently, with some hits like Aeterna Noctis, Souldiers and Ghost Song, but also quite a few misses too that have been middle of the road. Looking back at messages with our editor, I first put my hand up for Curse of the Sea Rats back in January 2021. We're partnered with Skillshare, where you can do unlimited online courses that'll help you create art, make games, and even help you with school/university! Click here for a free 1 month trial.
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