Mad Rat Dead
| Developer(s) | Nippon Ichi Software |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Nippon Ichi Software (JP) NIS America (WW) |
| Release date | October 29, 2020[1] |
| Genre | Platformer |
Mad Rat Dead (マッドラットデッド) is a rhythm-based platformer game developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software in October 2020 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4[2]. The game features an all-original soundtrack composed by Camellia (かめりあ), DYES IWASAKI, a_hisa, Kazuya Takasu, and several artists in ZIZZ STUDIO accompanying its levels.[3]
Gameplay
During gameplay, you control the protagonist (the titular "Mad Rat") with directional inputs and four main actions: jumping, dashing, charging, and dropping. You can press the jump button while in mid-air in range of an enemy to perform a homing attack. All main actions must be timed to the beat of the music. Mad Rat can walk slowly without timed inputs.
If Mad Rat collides with an enemy, obstacle, or death plane, the player can rewind time to a number of points before the death to resume from. Rewinding time on command is also possible. Rewinding subtracts from the stage timer, which causes a game over if it ever reaches zero. Green triangular items can be collected to extend the stage timer.
Mad Rat Dead is divided into stages. Each stage has an associated song, although not all songs have associated stages (specifically the 6 songs added in the Volume 2 update and the credits song). In story mode, you must play a stage with associated song, but after unlocking a stage in free play, any stage can be paired with any unlocked song.
Performance on each stage is ranked based on three metrics: clear count (which is the time remaining on the stage timer), score (which measures hit accuracy), and combo (which is the number of actions performed consecutively without taking damage or rewinding).
Gameplay has two modes: Normal Mode and Hard Mode. Normal Mode is standard play, and Hard Mode adds multi-hits, requiring all connected notes to be hit in order to perform one action. Additionally, a toggle for the stage timer was added in an update.
Gameplay Video
Gameplay showing a Mad Rat Dead stage on Hard Mode.
Releases
| Date | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2020 | マッドラットデッド | Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 (Japan) |
| October 30, 2020 | MAD RAT DEAD | Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 (Worldwide) |
Trivia
- Mad Rat Dead received an update (1.0.2 worldwide, 1.0.3 in Japan) on all platforms that added six new songs, a toggle for the stage timer, and a results page.[4]
- Mad Rat and Heart are DLC characters in Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero, which is also published by Nippon Ichi Software.[5]