Rubato is “an experimental, 2D physics-based take on the collect-a-thon genre”, according to developer dconn, which doesn’t really do justice to the below trailer full of screaming skulls and Mode 7 first-person driving bits and fleeting Minecraft references and PS1-era dancefloors. I guess I’m too used to the watering down of “experimental” as a descriptor. The blurb doesn’t even communicate that you play as a frog. Seemingly. Fortunately, there is a demo. Please watch the trailer while I go play it.
Watch on YouTube
OK, I’m back from my brief demo time with some quick and dirty bulletpoints. It doesn’t feel appropriate to attempt a holistic account off the back of five minutes, but I would score those five minutes 8/10, if such things were permitted round these parts. It’s sort of a cursed Mega Drive romhack, but funnier. Anyway, here are those bullets.
- Press ESC button to start – sort of edgy!
- Banger Mega Drive-esque music
- Earth go boom
- fell into toilet
- toilet is a tutorial level
- tips given by smaller dancing toilet that looks like prehistoric Tumblr gif
- Frog is Sonic?
- I like Sognic’s rocking-chair movement
- Sognic can swing and throw 2D crates like some kind of golden era Flash puzzler
- Playing pool with planets?
- The Company?
- Space Police?
- Fell into Bakery
- Even bangerer music
- Press O to explode?
Rubato is out on March 20th. That much we can report with reasonable confidence. You can read more and try the demo yourself on Itch.io and Steam.
