Curse of the Sea Rats

An epic hand-drawn Ratoidvania

***Curse of the Sea Rats*** is a Ratoidvania indie game developed by Barcelona-based Petoons Studio and published by PQube. The game was released on April 6, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It received critical praise for its artwork, but technical issues and problems with game balance were cited as negatives.

## Story

Set along the Irish coast in the year 1777, Curse of the Sea Rats tells the story of David Douglas, Buffalo Calf, Bussa, and Akane Yamakawa – prisoners of the British Empire who have been transformed into rats by the notorious pirate witch, Flora Burn. In exchange for their freedom, the unlikely heroes are tasked with hunting down the evil witch and defeating her diabolical crew. Will they uncover the mystery behind the ancient curse and regain their human bodies?

### Endings

The endings are connected to two main conditions:

* **One: Freeing the Mysterious Pirate from the clutches of Short Fuse Jones**
* **Two: Collect all golden tooths from Flora's crew and obtain Smiley Sam**

#### Coward Ending

If the player don't accept deal with Blacksmith, the player will go back to prison and let Timothy died in the hands of Flora Burn.

#### Bad Ending

After the player defeat Flora Burn, it's settled the trap and fail capture the witch who is gonna away, and left Timothy trap in The Ring Crystalized forever, if the player could not rescue Mysterious Pirate.

#### Mediocre Ending

If the player rescuing Mysterious Pirate after defeat Short Fuse Jones, he will come to rescue Timothy and returns his father and giving the player, The Serpent Ring. However, after defeat Flora Burn in second encounter, the player failed stop Flora Burn after floating ship to the sky, if the player could not summon Smiley Sam with golden tooths.

#### True Ending

If the player summon Smiley Sam with golden tooths, he joined with the player to get revenge on Flora Burn after betrayal. In this fourth ending, the player must face against Long Fuse Jones after fail to catch The Eye of the Serpent during battle against Flora in second encounter. After defeat Long Fuse Jones, Wu Yun appeared again and restoring his full power after retrieve the ring, they turned all four heroes into human again, and then two halves of The Eye of the Serpent has separated in each location. After that, four heroes must going to part their paths; David Douglas staying in Ireland for adventures, Akane Yamakawa reports to Shogun in Japan alongside Buffalo Calf, and Bussa returns his home country to save his people.

In after-credits, Ancestral Amulet, the half of The Eye of the Serpent, somewhere in the unknown location, is taken by the silhouette figure, remaining what will happen next.

## Gameplay

A pirate witch transforms all the people on a prison ship into a rat. The ship's captain offers to grant amnesty to four of the prisoners if they defeat the witch. *Curse of the Sea Rats* is a Metroidvania game where players fight enemies across 2D platforms. Each of the four playable characters has their own set of unique skills, and up to four players can play at once. Players can switch between the characters at set points in the game. The art is hand-drawn.

## Characters

### Playable

* David Douglas - American settler, recently enlisted in the Continental Army to fight against the British Empire.
* Akane Yamakawa - Japanese onna-bugeisha, warrior of the shogun in a secret mission in America.
* Bussa - Fugitive slave from the island of Barbados, leader of a group of rebels against slavery.
* Buffalo Calf - Cheyenne Hunter, arrested while releasing horses from an English detachment while soldiers dept.
* Mysterious Pirate [Hardcore Solo Mode only]

### Bosses

* Fatso
* Krabawaki and King Clapper
* Murat Reis
* Sharpie the Sharp
* Rama Cinnamon and Banana
* Freddie Eightfingers
* Fatsie (w/ Fatso)
* Short Fuse Jones
* La Chusa
* Lighthouse Keeper
* Necromancer
* Raven Morrigan
* Morrigan
* Flora Burn (First encounter)
* Mamma Ratelli (Secret)
* Flora Burn (Second encounter)
* Long Fuse Jones (Final Boss)

### NPCs

* Admiral Benjamin Blacksmith
* Timothy Blacksmith
* Major Mallory
* Robert Garfield
* Walter
* Wu Yun
* Serpent of the Ring
* Dolores
* Smiley Sam

## Voice Actors/Actresses

### English

* Atilla Akinci - Murat Reis, Poker Sailor
* Adi Alfa - Fatsie
* Dani del Amor - Drunk Singers on Pirate Song
* Anita Kyoda - Sharpie the Sharp, Mariah, Dolores
* Felicity Alexa - Buffalo Calf
* Andrew Chan - Wu Yun
* Marine D'Aure - Rama Cinnamon & Banana
* Marilena Gant - Timothy
* Mikee W. Goodman - Short Fuse Jones, Krabawaki & King Clapper, Necromancer, Serpent of the Ring, Major Mallory, Basecamp Guard, Prisoners of the Dog, Drunken Pirates, O'Brien Bagpipe Ghost, Amelio, Royal Marine, Drunk Singers on Pirate Song
* Tegen Hitchens - Flora Burn, Mamma Ratelli, Blocking Specter
* Jafro - Bussa
* Naomi Miller - LaChusa, Morrigan
* Will De Renzy-Martin - David Douglas, Smiley Sam. Fatso, Freddy Eightfingers, Robert Garfield, Benjamin the Blacksmith, Leprechaun, Marco, Charlie Styles
* Ev Ryan - Granny Malone
* Lex Sharp - Admiral Blacksmith, Lighthouse Keeper
* Karin Tomoeda - Akane Yamakawa
* Roberto Vivancos - Mysterious Pirate, Drunk Singers on Pirate Song
* Jonathon West - Bored Sailor, O'Sullivan Bagpipe Ghost, Dan Black, Landsman Rogers, Walter

## Soundtracks

*Curse of the Sea Rats/Original Soundtrack*

## Trailers

```

```

## Development

*Curse of the Sea Rats* was crowdfunded in 2020 and became one of the most successful video games of the year. It was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S on April 6, 2023.

## Reception

*Curse of the Sea Rats* received an aggregate Metacritic score of 59/100 on Switch, 66/100 on PC and 63/100 on PS5, all indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In a December 2022 preview, *Hardcore Gamer* said "it shows incredible promise so far" and praised the voice acting, animation and visuals. After its release, *Slant Magazine* criticized the game's humor, calling it unfunny and out of place in what seems to be meant as a challenging game. They also felt the game did not use its concept or differentiate the protagonists enough. Commenting on the game balance, they said that the bosses were frequently too easy, yet the other enemies could sometimes defeat the protagonists with ease. *Pocket Tactics* praised the graphics but said that the game's difficulty will likely put off casual fans, and input delays on the Switch will frustrate hardcore gamers. *NintendoWorldReport* said the game "has a lot of potential, but the samey characters and bugs hold it back". *Digitally Downloaded* wrote that the game's audience is limited to those who "like the idea of quirky rats and humour to go with their challenging and unforgiving platforming".

## References

* Curse of the Sea Rats is inspired by great Metroidvania games like Bloodstained, Guacamelee, and Hollow Knight. The game is influenced by games such as Diablo, Indivisible RPG, Path of Exile, and the Street Fighter saga.
* It represents the intersection between video games and animation, from the foundational art of Don Bluth in Dragon's Lair to the perfect mix between art and gameplay in Aladdin's Classic by Disney.