Rat Protocol is an enhanced Sokoban block pushing puzzle game published by EastAsiaSoft for $5. While pushing blocks is the main focus, the challenge grows progressively across 50 stages that will take approximately 90 minutes to clear.
Props must be given as there are some minor, but appreciated, story elements that connects each handful of stages. Playing as a rat that was injected with some experimental fluid, it is your job to grab all the key cards within each top-down grid-based stage and reach the exit. Every so often, a new hazard or gimmick is introduced through a cutscene from the scientists that were doing the experiments on you. It is a quick but charming way to remind the player there is, in fact, a story while offering a very simple tutorial on the latest gimmick. Even the one panel ending is humorous.
Although it starts simple enough, this blocking pushing simulator quickly becomes something more. Instead of just pushing blocks, eventually the player will need to manage lasers, acid baths, bottomless pits, switches, teleporters, slippery ice, and even duplicators. However, stages rarely combine more than a few of these obstacles in one stage so the challenge never reaches higher difficulties but remains even throughout.
Once feature that is welcomed but oddly not advertised is the “Y” undo button. Tapping this one button undos the most recent move and it came in handy more than a few times as it can sometimes be easy to overshoot one tile when moving in a hurry. I just wish it rewound more than one move. Plus, there is no insta-restart button; you need to press Start, then choose to restart the level if you realize you messed up and need to restart from the beginning. By no means is this the end of the world but this simple feature would have made the experience more intuitive as it is possible to soft lock yourself in just about every stage.
Visually, the presentation has been drawn with care as everything is composed of easy to see and understand sprites. For the most part, the soundtrack works too but sometimes the sound effects, like the grinding noise of the conveyor belts, can be grating when stuck on a level for minutes at a time. Still, for a $5 game, the overall presentation works well.
Rat Protocol is a Sokoban game that punches high for its weight class thanks to all the hazards and gameplay elements. While there is no replay value of any kind, the relatively easy 1,000 gamerscore and pleasant puzzle-based gameplay is hard to complain when the asking price is low.
SCORE: 7/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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