RatScum forming for upcoming PC release

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Hand-drawn rodent adventure about "loss, identity and belonging" coming soon to Steam

The title RatScum might sound more like a grimy exterminator sim, but it's actually the name of a thoughtful and surprisingly beautiful upcoming narrative adventure from indie developer Eclair Games.

In this game you actually play as a rat – but wait! It's not the "eeeewww" kind of rat, but the "aaaawwww" kind instead. An adorable little creature living in an old mansion-turned-run-down apartment on the outskirts of town, you suddenly wake up to find yourself lost and alone, deep in the sewers below. Now, "surrounded by the unknown" in a strange place where "every shadow conceals both danger and discovery," you'll have to make your way through "forgotten corners and unfamiliar spaces" in search of a way back home. Along the way you'll become "unlikely allies" with those trapped in "the cracks of a broken world where everyone is in desperate need of escaping from something." But beware, as there are dangers in the dark, and not everyone you meet is friendly and have the best interests of you and your fellow rats at heart. 

Thanks to RatScum's gorgeous hand-painted art style and "crumbling yet whimsical world," players can expect to find beauty "even in the filth and forgotten places." There will also be "something like peace" to experience in a "narrative adventure about loss, identity and belonging." The triumphs of this "strange little story" won't come easily, though, as you'll have to "scurry through vents and pipes, solve puzzles, befriend strange rats, and spy on the human tenants who share the building" in order to "uncover the stories whispered behind the walls." As a rat you have both advantages and disadvantages, with a heightened sense of smell but a small round body with no opposable thumbs. And of course, a "tiny rat brain" that requires player guidance to "think outside the box" as you "slink through the shadows, outsmart the traps, and use your power to navigate through this murky place." But whatever you do, do it quietly, as "most tenants don’t enjoy surprise visits from furry strangers." 

RatScum is still holed up in development, with no firm target release date announced just yet, but it is close enough now for wishlisting on Steam, where the game will be launched for Windows PC.