Rusty Rabbit's Mech is at the Heart of its Story

A 2.5D sidescrolling action platformer from the minds of visual novel game studio Nitroplus and veteran anime writer Gen Urobuchi, Rusty Rabbit sees players take control of a bunny named Stamp and his powerful mech he calls Junkster. Rusty Rabbit takes place in a world where all humans have left Earth, leading to rabbits replacing them as the planet's dominant species. Stamp is known as a "rust digger" who excavates the massive human junk pile known as Smokestack Mountain in search of his estranged daughter.

The Best War Games recently spoke with Urobuchi, who provided insight into some of Rusty Rabbit's narrative details, Stamp and Junkster, and the electric group known as the BBs. Urobuchi has 15 years of anime writing experience to his name, and although Rusty Rabbit is his first-ever action game, it seems that storytelling expertise is still shining through.

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By Eli Hughes

Rusty Rabbit Features Only One Playable Mech for a Reason

It's no surprise that Rusty Rabbit players will have access to several upgradeable tools and weapons throughout the game that will help them take down enemies and carve out paths to progress through the game's stages. Some of these weapons include a blade and a shotgun, as well as a drill and a hammer. Mech-based games like this typically allow players to try out different mechs and loadouts that can provide a number of different playstyles, especially with the various tools and weapons at play. When asked about whether Rusty Rabbit would feature more than one playable mech, however, Urobuchi had a different idea in mind.

"Without giving away too many story spoilers, I can say this game is not only Stamp’s story—it’s also the story of Junkster. Junkster is Stamp’s one and only companion throughout the game, and I hope players will discover the reason for that bond as they play through the adventure."

Urobuchi is committed to having Junkster be Rusty Rabbit's sole playable mech in service of the game's narrative. With Stamp and Junkster's bond given such importance at the core of Rusty Rabbit's story, it will be interesting to see how Nitroplus develops said story and ensures fun gameplay all the same. Having the aforementioned weapons and tools be upgradeable, as well as different environmental gameplay mechanics the stages might offer, could be enough to help keep combat and exploration fresh.

Rusty Rabbit is Home to a Host of Fun Characters

While Stamp and Junkster will be at the heart of Rusty Rabbit's narrative, there are still a host of other zany characters players will be able to meet on their trek up Smokestack Mountain. The BBs are a motley crew of six rust diggers that will serve as allies on Stamp's journey. When asked more about them, Gen Urobuchi stated that this group of rabbits mainly serves the purpose of guiding players as they encounter new game mechanics in each stage.

"The BBs were a spontaneous creation for me. They weren’t part of the original concept but were added during development to explain stage mechanics. Due to the tight supervision schedule, I had to rewrite their entire story in a short time, which naturally pushed them toward more comical characterizations."

While the BBs may be "comical characterizations," it seems they offer plenty for the new player experience and could still play solid roles in the larger Rusty Rabbit story. Aside from the BBs, players will be able to visit a hub area called the Brass Village, which is home to its own set of characters who serve their own purposes. It's at Brass Village where players can visit a parts shop, a diner, a bar, and even a priest named Bower who can dish out information about Smokestack Mountain for a price.

While there's much more to Rusty Rabbit' s story than Stamp and Junkster, it's clear the two of them will take center stage. As Urobuchi stated, interested gamers will have to jump into Rusty Rabbit to learn more about the bond between Stamp and his mech Junkster when the game comes to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam on April 17.

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