Curse Of The Sea Rats
When it comes to variety, PQube has always experienced a wide array of publishers all over the world with various genres spread across. As with most of the developers featured here, we have looked at many of their titles. The next two titles we'll be looking at further encaptures the diversity in PQube's catalog.
First up is Curse Of The Sea Rats, developed by Petoons Studio who is best known, to me anyway, as the developers behind the critically acclaimed My Friend Peppa Pig. The developers have been creating games targeted toward children for a while now, including PJ Masks among others. The developers themselves had the potential to create a stellar and unique experience if given the chance to do so, which is where Curse of the Sea Rats comes in.
The gameplay is reminiscent of Castle Crashers in that up to four players can join the beat-em-up at any given time. Players can grow stronger and find loot as well as revive fallen teammates. That last bit is something that will happen is you will die. A lot. It's a title that punishes impatient gameplay. Enemies have distinct attack patterns, from lowly crabs to barrel-throwing rat bosses. It's up to the player to adjust and enter a dance with them.
This slow and patient gameplay coincidentally reminded me of a similar "Ratroidvania" known as Tails of Iron. The key differences between these two titles are that Sea Rats is rooted in the multiplayer co-op and easy to pick up gameplay. The latter is deeply rooted in storytelling. Overall, the game has the potential to be a fun time sink, especially with friends. Be mindful that you'll be humbled and die, a lot unless you learn Curse of the Sea Rats mechanics.
Curse of the Sea Rats is expected to release in 2022.
Super Bullet Break
Speaking of games that "require a huge time sink," Super Bullet Break is one that definitely creeps up on you. Of the two titles, I spent more time playing this not because it's mechanically deeper than Curse of the Sea Rats. It's a title that requires very little from the player initially, but it's addicting and fun, personally. It's an interesting premise as the main character is a gamer themselves. You are in control of hundreds of cards known as "bullets" and you must stop a killer A.I by defeating them in a video game world.
Each "game" can be considered a world, and within each game, there are several maps. Like most roguelikes, each map is randomly generated as well as the encounters. I mentioned yesterday how Power Chord proves that deckbuilding is a rising genre. Super Bullet Break takes that point and amplifies it with colorful graphics and, for lack of a better term, cute waifus.
Each "bullet" represents a video game character in-universe with each having a specific ability tied to them. Some heal and shield the main character while others do tons of damage to enemies. Eventually, I learned to combo bullets into others and chain combos. I made it to the first boss at the end of my first map and it's here the game still holds your hand. Due to the nature of roguelikes, the further you progress the more aggressive the game becomes.
I had more enjoyment learning what each ability did and planning in my head what to do next ahead of time. With a widespread release planned in the near future, it was a fun experience to try out Super Bullet Break and it is definitely something I would play in my spare time. My boss wouldn't mind if he saw anime girls on my screen anyway.
To Pieter, who sat with me through both titles, you have impeccable taste in games. Inertia Drift is one of my favorite titles to come from the publisher and I'm happy to have someone who agrees with me!