WAR RATS: The Rat em Up
" Nostalgic action-strategy with tower defense and run-and-gun depth but buggy and unbalanced "
WAR RATS: The Rat em Up Review
WAR RATS: The Rat em Up is a charming indie 2D side-scrolling shooter and tower defense hybrid that evokes nostalgia for classic flash games from Newgrounds and Armor Games. Players command rat armies in a gore-filled, humorous world with a distinctive art style and catchy soundtrack. The gameplay loop involves buying weapons, defending bases, and progressing through campaigns, with additional modes like Horde and Skirmish adding replayability.
While the game’s passion and creativity shine through, some players report bugs, balancing issues, and difficulty spikes that hinder progression. Friendly fire mechanics and resource management add strategic depth but can also lead to frustration. Performance dips occur during intense battles, even on high-end hardware. Despite these flaws, many players find the game addictive and worth its price, praising its atmosphere, humor, and nostalgic feel. The developer’s dedication is evident, and the community looks forward to future updates and content expansions.
Highlights
Players consistently praise the game’s nostalgic flash game vibe, blending tower defense with run-and-gun mechanics effectively.
The art style and animations are described as cute, detailed, and full of personality, enhancing the game’s charm.
The soundtrack and rat-themed humor receive high marks for adding to the immersive and entertaining experience.
Gameplay depth from weapon unlocks, upgrades, and strategic friendly fire is appreciated by fans of challenging 2D strategy games.
The campaign and additional modes provide several hours of engaging content for players looking for a fresh, indie tactical shooter.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include bugs and glitches such as UI freezes, ammo purchase screen lockups, and mouse focus issues that occasionally cause player deaths.
Players note performance problems during heavy battles, with frame rate drops even on powerful PCs.
Difficulty spikes and unbalanced upgrades create frustrating progression walls, sometimes requiring repeated retries or deliberate deaths to farm resources.
The friendly fire mechanic can be overly punishing, causing accidental kills of teammates and turrets.
Some find the game’s grind and resource economy unintuitive, with limited incentive to replay earlier missions or optimize inventory management.
Pros
- • Nostalgic flash game style with modern polish and depth.
- • Charming, detailed art and animations full of personality.
- • Catchy, high-energy soundtrack enhances gameplay immersion.
- • Engaging blend of tower defense and run-and-gun mechanics.
- • Strategic friendly fire adds meaningful challenge and tension.
- • Humorous rat-themed writing and entertaining cutscenes.
- • Multiple modes including campaign, Horde, and Skirmish.
Cons
- • Bugs such as UI freezes and input issues disrupt gameplay.
- • Performance drops during intense battles even on high-end PCs.
- • Steep difficulty spikes hamper smooth progression and enjoyment.
- • Friendly fire can be frustratingly punishing and unpredictable.
- • Resource economy and upgrade costs feel unbalanced and grindy.
- • Limited ability to replay earlier missions for farming resources.
- • Inventory management and upgrade system can be unintuitive.
Rating Criteria
The rats told me to make this game. Run and gun alongside your troops in the Great Rat War against the vile TechnoRat armies. Recruit units, build structures, collect gear and upgrade your weapons to turn the tide of battle in your favor. The TechnoRat is all consuming!