On Rusty Trails

About

In "On Rusty Trails," play as a shape-shifting robot named Elvis in a world suspicious of appearances. Adapt your look to manipulate the environment, solve puzzles, and avoid hazards in this comic-styled platformer adventure. Run up walls, across ceilings, and through lava streams in a visually dynamic world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Charming platformer with a striking art style and smooth controls, making for an enjoyable experience.
Creative level design that encourages speedrunning and exploration, with a unique mechanic of switching between two color states.
Engaging story elements and a whimsical atmosphere that enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Difficulty spikes can be frustrating and inconsistent, making some levels feel overly challenging compared to others.
Input bugs and graphical glitches can detract from immersion and overall enjoyment of the game.
The game is relatively short, with limited replayability and a lack of substantial rewards for completion.

gameplay
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
3%
The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring enjoyable platforming mechanics and a unique color-switching mechanic that adds depth to the experience. While some players appreciate the fluid controls and clever level design, others feel that the gameplay lacks innovation and can become repetitive, especially in comparison to other standout platformers. Overall, it offers a fun and engaging experience, though it may not fully satisfy those seeking more complexity or originality.
- “The platforming is very fun and has enough mechanics to stay interesting throughout.”
- “The gameplay consists of short but very clever and satisfying platforming challenges which keep the player interested and eager to learn.”
- “The mechanics are solid, and they are explored to their fullest throughout its fairly short runtime.”
- “While On Rusty Trails offers a well-thought-out story and unique aesthetic, the gameplay leaves far too much to be desired in an extremely competitive platformer genre.”
- “The second issue I have with the title is that its pretty graphics are a cover for some shallow gameplay; the mechanics are basic, introduced very slowly, and don't provide a ton of challenge when they are introduced.”
- “In case it’s not clear, the gameplay is fairly simplistic. Other than the switch-color mechanic, there’s really not much else to do in the levels.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
46%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique art style and beautiful visuals, creating an enjoyable atmosphere that complements the gameplay. However, some players noted issues with graphical glitches, a lack of variety in environments, and occasional blurriness, which detracted from the overall experience. While the aesthetics are appealing, they are sometimes seen as a mask for shallow gameplay mechanics.
- “A charming platformer with a striking art style and smooth controls.”
- “The artwork is beautiful and the game world amusing.”
- “The worlds look wonderful in a unique art style which, accompanied by an ambient industrial soundtrack, creates a dark and memorable atmosphere.”
- “Also, there were multiple graphical glitches like the text turning black, or the fade to black being the Steam logo.”
- “There isn't much variety in the graphics.”
- “The second issue I have with the title is that its pretty graphics are a cover for some shallow gameplay... the mechanics are basic, and are introduced very slowly, and don't provide a ton of challenge when they are introduced.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
8%
The story in these platformers is generally described as minimal yet charming, often serving as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the unique storytelling methods, such as environmental cues and comic panels, others find the narratives to be thin or overly simplistic. Overall, the stories are seen as enjoyable and fitting for the genre, with some intriguing themes and character arcs that enhance the gaming experience.
- “The story revolves around Elvis, who just had their house destroyed by a meteor.”
- “The story and world were interesting and unique enough to be a nice wrapper to justify the gameplay and your actions.”
- “Movement feels as fluid as Super Meat Boy, and the core mechanic of switching suits is used fantastically well and serves to drive both the story and the oddly poignant social commentary.”
- “The story is minimal, but fine for what it is, and so the only problem I have with the game are its two boss fights.”
- “The story is also very barebones, told through panels spread through the levels (very stylish ones!) and some hidden rooms.”
- “Charming and nicely crafted, but unspectacular platformer with some neat ideas slightly devalued by its overly politically correct story told via comic panels to get some German tax money.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and atmospheric qualities that complement the visuals and gameplay. While some players find the soundtrack to be great and fitting, others describe it as subtle or occasionally atonal, leading them to prefer their own music. Overall, the distinct style of the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though it may not always be memorable or epic during gameplay.
- “Great controls, great look, great music.”
- “Music was great and strange, typical of black pants games.”
- “The music complements the iron/metallic/machine-y theme of the game fairly well without overshadowing the sound effects!”
- “Music can be atonal, not to my tastes.”
- “The soundtrack here is more subtle and ambient, but never impressive.”
- “I just muted the soundtrack and had my own music playing.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing performance dips and input issues on certain levels, particularly on mid-range hardware. However, many players noted that performance improved over time, and the game provides detailed feedback on completion times and player performance. Overall, while there are initial optimization concerns, the experience can become smoother as players progress.
- “Since then, everything runs smoothly.”
- “At the end of every level, you get your completion time, your number of 'growbacks' (restarting from checkpoints), the number of tokens you saved, and a number corresponding to 'where you clocked in at,' aka your performance in relation to other players.”
- “On my rig, the performance sometimes tanked.”
- “The optimization of the game seems to be a little questionable, while the options and fullscreen didn't work.”
- “While performance dipped and I struggled with input dropping on certain levels, I never was too frustrated.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has very little replayability, primarily due to its short length of 3-4 hours and the absence of features like leaderboards that could encourage players to revisit levels for improved scores. While the existing content is enjoyable, the lack of additional challenges or incentives limits the overall replay value.
- “My problem with the game is twofold: first, it lasts about 3-4 hours total to complete with very minimal replay value.”
- “What’s already there is good, but an actual leaderboard for each level, preferably in the level select screen, would be great. I imagine it would add a fair bit of replay value (currently lacking) to the game for those who like to go back in time-trial style games to improve their score.”
- “Very little replayability.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its unique art style and ambient industrial soundtrack, which together create a dark and memorable environment. Reviewers appreciate the atmospheric gameplay and the non-traditional storytelling approach, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
- “The worlds look wonderful in a unique art style, which, accompanied by an ambient industrial soundtrack, creates a dark and memorable atmosphere.”
- “The game takes a very cool and atmospheric approach to the gameplay, and the non-traditional way it tells the story is excellent.”
- “It has a nice environment and atmosphere.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported several stability issues, including graphical glitches such as text turning black and unexpected visuals like the fade to black displaying the Steam logo.
- “There were multiple graphical glitches, such as the text turning black and the fade to black displaying the Steam logo.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced constant frame rate drops, which severely affected my gameplay experience.”