Ratopia

About

Ratopia is a single-player simulation game with phenomenal gameplay and compelling visuals. As the leader of Ratopia, you must supply jobs and services to your economically active ratizens, while also creating policies to tax and regulate their wealth. Embark on diverse adventures in the underworld to bring prosperity to the city, but beware of awakening apex predators. Beautiful music accompanies your journey as you create extraordinary policies and manage your ratizen population.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 310 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and engaging gameplay that combines elements of colony management and survival.
The economic system is unique and adds depth to the gameplay, requiring players to balance taxation and resource management effectively.
The game offers a fun challenge, with a variety of mechanics that keep players engaged and encourage strategic thinking.

Combat mechanics are unbalanced, with enemies spawning randomly inside the base, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The user interface and controls can be clunky, making it difficult to manage tasks efficiently, especially with a large number of ratizens.
The tutorial and explanations of game mechanics are lacking, leaving players confused about how to effectively manage their colony.

gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The gameplay of the game is described as interesting and addictive, with a charming aesthetic and complex mechanics reminiscent of titles like "Oxygen Not Included." However, players note that the game often lacks clear explanations for its mechanics, leading to confusion, particularly with controls and certain advanced features. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable, it can become clunky and overwhelming as the colony grows, suggesting a need for better scalability and interface improvements.
- “Extremely fun and difficult, the gameplay is addictive, the artwork is very pleasing; this game will make you forget the time, when you realize it's been 5 hours straight and you didn't even notice.”
- “Amazingly in-depth and complex mechanics I've never seen before in a resource management/colony builder game.”
- “The charm of the gameplay, music, and art style makes this one a good one to keep tabs on.”
- “The main change it needs to have is a more detailed explanation of the many mechanics, as I still have to guess how a few of them work.”
- “My problem is, even after approximately 4 hours of gameplay in the demo, that some mechanics are very complicated, unfair, or not intuitive.”
- “Ratopia has an issue with scalability, which means the gameplay is going to get more difficult, in a tiring way, as your colony grows bigger, with limited tools at the player's disposal to offset these changes.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
26%
13%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their adorable, cartoony art style that adds charm and appeal to the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the fantastic artwork and animations, noting that the cute aesthetic is a strong selling point, despite the game's underlying complexity and challenges. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's engaging and enjoyable experience.
- “Fantastic artwork and animations, and absolutely bursting with charm.”
- “The art style is adorable, and is probably one of the strongest selling points of the game.”
- “The rats and the art style deliver a very charming visual aesthetic.”
- “Don't let the cute art style fool you, this game has some issues that are more insidious than RimWorld.”
- “The art style is quite cute, but the AI can be frustrating, as it sometimes prioritizes decorating living quarters with dirt instead of completing essential tasks.”
- “While the graphics are charming, they may not meet the expectations of players looking for more detailed visuals.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
29%
18%
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its thematic elements and aesthetic appeal, with some tracks evoking nostalgia and enhancing the overall experience. However, several players noted issues with repetitive loops and distinct peaks that can detract from immersion, leading some to prefer quieter or custom music options. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's charm, its execution may not satisfy all players.
- “The music really encourages you to do your best, too.”
- “The animation, art, and music make this game an amazing experience. Definitely pick this game up when you have the chance; you won't regret it.”
- “Interesting gameplay, cute graphics, and an excellent soundtrack.”
- “The music has way too distinct peaks, making it obvious when it loops.”
- “Sound effects are decent, but you will want to turn off the music quite soon enough, as several relatively short loops do not really work.”
- “The music is thematic, which I'm not sure if I prefer as such or a little bit on the quieter side. It constantly shifts from day to night themes, which isn't bad, but I'd much prefer the day theme or my own music.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The story in this game is more engaging than in similar titles like Terraria, as it incorporates a narrative-driven approach with NPC interactions and quests. Players are drawn into the quest for an ideal rodent utopia, with various tasks and side quests that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the game offers a blend of base-building mechanics and a compelling storyline that keeps players invested.
- “[b]Ratopia[/b]'s charm hooked me, and I can't help but dive deeper into the quest for the perfect rodent utopia!”
- “It's like Terraria in many ways, but more story-focused with NPCs.”
- “It's definitely a base-builder forever-game, but if you got bored of Terraria because you never really had a country to manage, and RimWorld's storytellers are artificial enough to frustrate you, this might be a better fit.”
- “Its like Terraria in many ways, but more story focused with NPCs.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report minor bugs and glitches that do not significantly hinder enjoyment, others experience severe issues such as NPC pathfinding problems and game freezes that can lead to system restarts, making it unplayable for some before the first in-game year concludes. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from critical stability concerns.
- “In short, the game has potential, but its core features are so buggy as to render the game unplayable before the end of the first in-game year.”
- “And it ain't just the NPCs' AI and pathfinding that's buggy as hell.”
- “Game just freezes, and then my laptop just fully restarts abruptly.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Users express frustration with the game's tax system, noting it is poorly optimized as players must manually collect taxes despite having a dedicated building for this purpose. However, they appreciate the overall gameplay experience, highlighting good performance, cute graphics, and an excellent soundtrack.
- “Interesting gameplay, cute graphics, good performance, excellent soundtrack.”
- “I also think the tax system is horribly unoptimized. First of all, you have to manually collect taxes despite the tax office building supposed to be collecting them for you. You will end up collecting them yourself, even if you research the rat totem; you still have to walk by every single ratizen to make sure you collect everything back.”
- “This tip is a go-to for optimization; you don't have to do it like this.”
- “First 4 (two-story bed, hunting ground, slaughterhouse, performance hall) > stone materials (adding jails and warehouses) > regarding the speed of movement (platform + trackway and its sub-resources) > three types of fields and a dew-gathering machine > necessity.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the later stages of expansion where tasks like renaming laws and managing resources become less rewarding. Issues with inconsistent resource production, such as grain farming and rain collection, further exacerbate the grind, leading to frustration over food shortages. Overall, the experience can feel laborious and less engaging as players progress.
- “As you progress and build your rat kingdom, the later stages of expansion start feeling a bit tedious and less rewarding.”
- “Renaming laws, storage boxes, and buildings is a bit tedious; some texts are tiny but readable, and the biggest issue is that you can’t jump to ongoing events without connecting a mouse, as far as I know.”
- “I've tried grain farming, but rain collection is so inconsistent for producing water that I quickly find myself running out of food, and the farms themselves seem to produce less than wild grain over the same period of time.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development is praised for its cute and diverse designs, reflecting a thoughtful approach that enhances the overall experience through attention to detail in both visuals and sound effects.
- “The character designs are quite cute and diverse!”
- “There is a level of thought and attention put into it, from sound effects to character design, that creates a truly enjoyable experience.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with them.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that affect character growth throughout the game.”
- “The characters seem one-dimensional and their arcs are predictable, which detracts from the overall experience.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers a satisfying learning curve and significant replayability, though some users note limitations that may affect long-term engagement. Further evaluation of its replay value is anticipated once the game exits early access.
- “The game has depth, but it also has its limitations, and there is some replay value that will be reviewed once the game is out of early access.”
- “Super satisfying and engaging learning curve with tons of replayability.”
- “The game has depth, but it also has its limitations, and there is some replay value which will be reviewed once the game is out of early access.”
- “After completing the game, I found little incentive to play again; the lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel redundant.”
- “While the initial experience was enjoyable, the lack of new content or different paths makes it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by whimsical elements such as laughing flower powder and amusing characters like funny rats, contributing to an engaging and lighthearted gameplay experience. Players appreciate the playful integration of humor into various game mechanics and items.
- “The game features funny rats and engaging gameplay that keeps you entertained.”
- “The humor in the game is delightful, with quirky characters and amusing scenarios.”