Gaming Writer Jake Riley-Cross finds that this raiding simulator and roguelike fusion is worth jumping into
Unlike most other terms, raids are fairly well-defined in the gaming scene. MMO activities reserved for endgame, requiring the coordination of sometimes tens of players to clear encounters and defeat raid bosses. They may even have unique mechanics that can completely end runs if players fail to execute their roles.
Players travel through stages as one of ten playable classes (‘rabbits’)
Raids often house powerful (sometimes exclusive) loot, and are therefore the source of extremely rewarding and satisfying in-game content. However, there are challenges outside of the raid itself, such as the time investment to reach this stage. Finding groups to play with is similarly difficult, especially if some players are less experienced.
Rabbit and Steel is mino_dev’s answer to these problems: a raiding simulator and roguelike fusion, inspired by MMO battle systems. Played solo or with up to three other players, players travel through stages as one of ten playable classes (‘rabbits’). There are five stages per run with a unique and challenging area boss at the end of each.
The game’s music is sublime, apparent from the very moment it begins. Each composition has an ‘action’ and ‘calm’ variant that plays in and out of combat respectively, always complementing the mood. Personal highlights include the Scholar’s Nest and Emerald Lakeside themes, with a 3/4 time signature and catchy vocals respectively.
Almost mirroring the music, the gameplay itself refuses to get stale. Replayability mainly takes the form of increased difficulty, fusing bullet hell elements and MMO-style raid mechanics. Bosses have unique abilities, such as tethering players to teammates or memory minigames via telegraphing attacks while time is paused.
Attack patterns feel like bite-sized puzzles to solve
In contrast to most bullet hells, attack patterns feel like bite-sized puzzles to solve. Slow projectile speed and lengthy telegraphing balance the additional cognitive load of skill rotations and boss mechanics.
After several runs in the same difficulty, the ‘discovery’ phase runs dry quickly. Bosses perform the same attacks and it does not take much playtime to unlock all playable rabbits and item sets. However, this does not necessarily hurt the gameplay quality or challenge. Regardless, a large update is soon due to add even more content to the game.
Solo attack patterns are more intense, whereas mutiplayer requires more coordination
Interestingly, bosses have different attacks for whether the player is playing solo or multiplayer. Solo attack patterns are more intense, whereas mutiplayer requires more coordination in player positioning. In practice, multiplayer feels marginally easier than solo, since players can revive shortly after death if others are still alive. However, that is not to say the game is ever too easy. The jump from normal to hard difficulty is nightmare fuel aplenty.
Each rabbit has four unique skills, and four gems per skill to augment their effects. These help each playthrough feel unique alongside the various items accumulated per run. Gems of the same colour seemingly synergise with one another, but players can still find success by mixing and matching.
A good combination of gems and items can make players feel powerful, rewarding their understanding of their class and build. This may the ‘yin’ to the ‘yang’ of an underwhelming build, but the game nonetheless embraces huge numbers of damage.
Most skills have a shared global cooldown between them, so each rabbit has a general strategy for optimal DPS. The game rewards such strategy, as currency and experience points are tied to time taken to win battles.
Rabbit and Steel is an excellent substitute for the raiding experience, wrapped up nicely in a roguelike format. Naturally, it does not perfectly replicate the essence of MMO raids, especially with a lack of permanent loot and smaller battle scales. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful experience for those up for a challenge or needing a vessel to test teamwork skills.
Rating: 8/10
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