The term “Metroid” has grown to almost sacred status. Of course, that’s mostly due to a couple of very impressive games, a genre indie games that thrive. Curse of the Sea Rats, the latest adventure in this category, puts you in the role of a rat and progresses across a large map in order to break the curse that has turned you into a rat. While it took time to get started, I was still pleasantly surprised at how entertaining the game was in the end, as even though the game hit a few hiccups and dropped it a few tiers, it was still fun to play.
You become a mouse, more specifically a pirate mouse, which is the most brilliant theme I’ve found because the mix here is perfect and allows for a lot of great design. In order to break the curse, you must rescue the captain’s kidnapped daughter, so begins a journey through countless rooms, the map quickly becomes your best friend, showing you forward through the level, and of course sometimes even backwards. Because if there’s one thing Metroid is known for, it’s that you can’t get past certain passages you’ve already seen before going any further into the game.
The same applies here, especially with the possibility of a double jump that allows you to reach rooms that were previously inaccessible. Overall, I think the maps and navigation are well designed, but not perfect. Some unnecessary backtracking when you die is mostly the game’s big problem, and having to run back into a room to try a boss or passage again becomes very frustrating. There’s also a balance issue with the game that becomes apparent after a few hours. The hero, or rather each selectable hero, since there are four, has a skill tree, and until you fill that tree, enemies and bosses are much more challenging than late game. Once you’ve mastered some skills, the difficulty in the game drops dramatically. Most of the game’s bosses are child’s play, and the only way the game creates some challenge is through classic scenarios where a failed jump kills you instantly.
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The frustration of having to move through a bunch of rooms becomes more and more palpable. Also, the same goes for getting to the in-game store, where you can buy items, and since the places are scattered at fairly long intervals, there’s no way to get back to where you originally teleported, even if you could buy a handy whistle to teleport back there.
The environments you walk through are really nice, and I’m impressed with the variety on offer. It was a great environment, both in terms of design and visual effects, and I was able to do the credits largely because of the environment that was provided. Because even though the map is one big interconnected maze, it varies in a good way. Even the music manages to enhance the atmosphere, but small negative accusations have to be made for the annoying sound effects when the rats are forced to scream every time they jump or hit. I also have to sadly point out that the game crashes quite often, and since I’ve made it clear that going back through levels is frustrating, it’s of course all the more annoying when the crashes happen.
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Besides some platform jumping, there’s a lot of action here. The screen is full of enemies, and there are also many boss fights. Like much of the game, everything is well done but lacks real finesse. Enemies are varied, but are often more of an annoyance than a fun challenge. Likewise, the controls aren’t precise enough that platform jumps can be annoying. Many of the game’s boss fights are good, but the game’s greatest satisfaction lies in exploration, thanks to the many exciting and beautifully designed environments.
Curse of the Sea Rats has many good qualities that make it a good game, and if only a few of its flaws were cleaned up, it could definitely be a game not to be missed. There are a few too many moments that hold it back from really standing on its own, but since I’ve played a lot over the past few days, it’s clear that it’s a really fun adventure in many ways. Polish it up a bit more, and Petoons Studio will be the winner here.
