Developer: Pufferfish Digital
Publisher: EastAsiaSoft
Platform: Switch (2), PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: Switch 2
Rat Protocol – Review
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. The previous budget puzzle game from EastAsiaSoft that we looked at, Secret Paws: Cozy Apartments, strayed away from the 50-puzzle structure of games like GluMe or 1 Catline. The latest addition to the lineup, Rat Protocol, is a return to familiar form, at least in terms of pacing. Is there a pleasant surprise hiding behind our sense of familiarity, or do we smell a rat?
Story
Our story begins with an incident in a laboratory, which sees a lab rat accidentally gain extraordinary intelligence and strength. The attending scientists see this as an opportunity and decide to put their inadvertent creation through a series of increasingly elaborate tests. You are that rat. The premise, which definitely has that Saturday morning cartoon feel, sets up a light-hearted, slightly silly narrative framework where you attempt a lengthy escape across a maze of laboratory test chambers packed with hazards and security systems. Although Rat Protocol isn’t a narrative-heavy game, this setup provides an enjoyable motivation to push forward through the puzzles without pretending to be a complex story.
Graphics
When it comes to graphics, Rat Protocol tries to strike the right balance between a colourful, expressive aesthetic and the necessary readability for its puzzles. A key highlight here is the functional color-coding of lasers, switches, explosives, and hazards, which ensures players can focus on puzzle-solving rather than deciphering visual clutter. Even so, Rat Protocol manages to pack in plenty of charm. Small, expressive animations help give our rat protagonist plenty of character as he scurries through the facility. The game embraces a less-is-more philosophy, with the retro pixel art remaining clear and readable even when multiple mechanics occupy the same screen. Because of the inherent simplicity of both the visuals and the mechanics, Rat Protocol’s performance is flawless as well.
Sound
The cartoon aesthetics belie a minimalist soundscape. Upbeat electronic melodies provide a relaxing backdrop. The tunes are non-intrusive, and more importantly, non-distracting, helping to maintain player concentration during extended puzzle sessions. Elsewhere, Rat Protocol’s soundscape feels perhaps a bit too subdued. Voice acting is non-existent, as is ambience. Sound effects are kept to the bare minimum.
Gameplay
Beneath Rat Protocol’s laser-filled death trap environments, you’ll find mechanics that are much older than what you’d expect from a state-of-the-art laboratory setting. This is a classic Sokoban-style puzzle game. As our little rodent friend, your task is simply to navigate a series of compact puzzle rooms. Each room has a number of key cards. Collect all of these and the door to the next room opens. This is, of course, easier said than done, as grabbing key cards requires you to bypass hazards, activate switches and clear obstacles. This includes pushing different crate types, including basic wooden crates, “immortal” blue metal crates, and volatile TNT crates into holes, acid, or in front of laser grids. Later levels introduce frictionless ice floors, conveyor belts, and even a portal system powered by pushable batteries that double as weights for pressure pads. Rat Protocol’s defining mechanic introduces a holographic duplicate rat that mirrors your every movement. Solving puzzles with your holographic clone requires tracking both rats simultaneously to prevent one from stepping into danger while maneuvering the other.
Overall, Rat Protocol’s puzzle design emphasizes logic and observation over brute forcing. We found that the best way to tackle the more complex-looking rooms was to break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. Both the pacing of the puzzle complexity and the overall difficulty of the game are excellent. The game is also very forgiving, as there is no time limit or move counter, so you can take your sweet time figuring everything out. In terms of difficulty, Rat Protocol is perhaps best suited for players who are looking for a medium-level puzzle challenge. The puzzles never feel unfair or obtuse, but there are some brain teasers in its lineup. Diehard Sokoban enthusiasts may find Rat Protocol overly easy, but the average player will definitely be satisfied with what’s on offer here.
That’s not to say that Rat Protocol doesn’t drop the ball here and there. The game’s built-in “Undo” function only reverses a single step, making it pretty much useless, especially in stages with conveyor belts, where objects simply drift away. Resetting a stage is more tedious than it could be, requiring you to pause the game and navigate a menu. Additionally, object-to-portal interactions are overly simplified, as pushing a block into a portal yields no unique or remarkable results. Secrets or alternate puzzle solutions would’ve been a welcome addition here, especially given that the game is so short. Most of EastAsiaSoft’s €4.99 puzzle releases have a runtime of between one and two hours, and that’s the case here as well, but additional modes that do indeed introduce a time or move limit would have helped with increasing Rat Protocol’s longevity.
Conclusion
We’ve been reviewing quite a lot of EastAsiaSoft’s bite-sized puzzle games over the past few months, and we’ve all approached them in the same manner for consistency reasons. It’s important to keep in mind that although most of them are similar in terms of length and pricing, their quality can vary greatly. While they share the same publisher, each of these games comes from a different developer. Rat Protocol is definitely one of the better options out there. It’s not perfect, but if you’ve been keeping an eye on this specific part of EastAsiaSoft’s catalogue, then this is definitely one we’d recommend over the others.
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