Review: Rusty Rabbit Feels, Well, Rusty

The big selling point in Rusty Rabbit is that Gen Urobuchi is involved. You probably know him for his work on Fate/Zero, Kamen Rider Gaim, Psycho-Pass, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, andSaya no Uta. I hate to disappoint, for those looking for some sorts of amazing twists and storylines, but what we experience here is just fine. Oddly enough, much of the deeper cuts and actually fascinating writing comes when Stamp is at his workbench, crafting upgrades. Which I appreciated! It ended up being an unexpected bonus when making things and suited the situation. I enjoyed the story and Stamp as a character, but I didn’t find it as memorable as any of the other Urobuchi works I mentioned above. 

Likewise, the gameplay isn’t remarkable either. It’s weird and I’m not sure if it is intentional, but Rusty Rabbit feels clunky. The controls aren’t as smooth and fluid as I’d expect from a Metroidvania game. They’re jerky instead, and I really needed to take time to adjust to how jumps and dashes feel compared to other games. (Especially when it comes to positioning and landing on platforms.) I found it especially uncomfortable when I needed to face enemies, most notably the bosses. The more I played, the more I felt it is a deliberate (and bad) decision on Nitro Plus’ part to emphasize we’re in the Junkster mech piloted by an old man and not an agile, combat-ready bunny. But it makes the encounters less fun, especially since ones that aren’t bosses look and feel repetitive too. 

As for the exploration, the control scheme coupled with rather straightforward maps mean Rusty Rabbit feels quite tedious. Your goal is to go through weaving dungeons left behind by a mystery race (that isn’t all that mysterious) collecting what was left behind by destroying blocks. Aside from the actual story-based dungeon, there’s a randomized one. But… since the actual resource gathering isn’t much fun and I didn’t like piloting Junkster, I felt no need to explore it beyond a few tests so I could say that I did. 

Also, as much as I enjoyed the asides that would come up when crafting, actually building up Stamp and Junkster is tedious too. You gain experience from defeating enemies and digging through the junk found in levels. However, the general digging means it feels so tedious as you gradually level up, and none of the upgrades in the skill tree felt exciting or inviting since the combat and exploration didn’t captivate me. 

It doesn’t help that the dungeons and enemies don’t even look inviting. The rabbit characters themselves are great! I really loved their designs. I’d even call many of them charming, though Stamp is my favorite. But everything else feels so bland. The enemies aren’t exciting. Smokestack Mountain’s locations are boring. These parts look dated compared to the scenes when the rabbits talk about the mysteries of their world, learn about the past, and deal with more minor situations.

Considering Rusty Rabbit got delayed to 2025 to improve things like gameplay, it’s disappointing that the finished product is so disappointing. I appreciate the tone Gen Urobuchi went with and feel like Stamp is a good character, but the gameplay is a real letdown. What’s here is pretty tedious though, and I get the feeling you’d need to really like Urobuchi’s work or fall in love with Stamp to commit to it.

Rusty Rabbit is available for the Switch, PS5, and PC.