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- Reviewed by: Mark Goninon
- Developer: invent4 Entertainment
- Publisher: Strategy First
- Release Date: 20 July 2009
- Time played: 0.5 hours (INCOMPLETE)
I've got so many games in my Steam library nowadays that it's becoming hard to track how I acquire certain games, although I do believe I managed to get this one as a freebie and it's thanks to Mix-Master, so once again, thank you for your generosity mate :).
However, let me start by saying this isn't the sort of game I'd normally purchase of my own volition as I dislike games that are violent for the sake of being violent, but incidental violence is okay. The game would appeal to anyone who likes solving physics based puzzles or Rube Goldberg Machines though as there are 10 types of rats and 10 items you can use to build contraptions over 44 maps. While I don't mind puzzle games I can't say I've ever really played The Incredible Machine or any of its clones so the closest experience I have to playing a game like Bad Rats is probably Lemmings: but that game is all about rescuing the eponymous lemmings whereas this one is all about killing cats.
So do I like Bad Rats? Yes and no...
What I like:
It's actually not a bad game
As mentioned, the game is similar to The Incredible Machine and Lemmings and these games are classics. So the gameplay part of the game isn't too bad. Basically, you're given a whole bunch of different rats, such as a rat who can blow objects horizontally or one that can vacuum objects off the ground; you also get access to a variety of objects like planks, barrels and balloons. Your goal is to get a ball from one side of the room to the other, where there will usually be some kind of lethal device, such as a guillotine, microwave or gun, and this is what you'll use to kill the cat, the objective of each level.While the first few levels are rather easy and you can even get hints on how to go about them, it eventually starts becoming more difficult and you actually only have a limited time to solve all the puzzles; once your time is up it's game over – just as well you can save and restore the game then!
Funky soundtrack
The game has actually got a pretty funky and bluesy soundtrack. It is so cool, but why on Earth does it accompany a game about rats killing cats?Steam achievements and Trading Cards (CHECK)
For such an old game, it actually manages to have Steam achievements and Steam Trading Cards which I'm sure makes it more appealing to the Steam fanbois out there.Cheap
"I'D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR!"What I dislike:
"11 different and bloody deaths for cats"
Yep. I'm not making this up; what you see there is one of the touted "features" of the game. If your reaction to that is "AWESOOOOOME" then you're probably going to love this game. If you're like me though, you're probably going "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Violence against cats – Australia says no!" or something along those lines. There is the option to tone down the violence but just as it is in the "Itchy and Scracthy" show from The Simpsons, the game is all about how creative you can get with killing cats: Can you get cats to explode? Check. Can you slice them up with a chainsaw? Check. Can you nuke them to a crisp in a microwave? Check. Etc. etc.Very primitive graphics
Considering the game is about 7 years old, it probably comes as no surprise that the graphics look dated although even by 2009 standards they seem primitive. It is an indie game though, so you can't expect too much :).Score – 6/10 (Not Bad – except for the rats)
Bad Rats is a very affordable physics puzzle game with 44 levels to play on and usually multiple ways to achieve your objective… which involves killing a cat – AND it all goes downhill from there. If you're a fan of the "Itchy and Scratchy" show off The Simpsons or you just really, really hate cats and would enjoy seeing them blown up, microwaved, eviscerated, etc. you'll probably find Bad Rats hilarious. Otherwise, the violence kind of detracts from the fact that the game is actually quite competent as an Incredible Machine clone.Is the game worth $0.99 USD?: Yes, provided you enjoy (or can tolerate) killing cats in a myriad of violent and bloody ways.
If you like this game, you might like…
[ LINK: Official Bad Rats: The Rats' Revenge website ]
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