Get on SteamIn Ratuz, a single-player Horror Stealth game, you must survive and escape a dark prison created by a science experiment gone wrong. Inspired by Inside, Another World, Blackthorne, and Prince of Persia, Ratuz features a cinematic platform of terror, tense atmosphere, abominable creatures, historical animations, pursuits, multiple endings, and puzzles. With its immersive sci-fi story, rich animations, and moments of stealth, Ratuz promises a unique and entertaining experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a fun and engaging retro art style reminiscent of classic platformers, with fluid character animations and a humorous tone.
- It offers a variety of endings and replayability, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes.
- The platforming mechanics are generally well-executed, providing a challenging yet rewarding experience for players who enjoy trial-and-error gameplay.
- The game suffers from frustrating design choices, such as unclear mechanics and forced deaths that can lead to a tedious trial-and-error experience.
- There are significant issues with level design, including poorly placed traps and a lack of meaningful feedback on what can kill the player.
- The storyline and character development are shallow, leaving many plot points unexplained and failing to create a compelling narrative.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of polished controls and frustrating mechanics that require better teaching and integration. Players experience a trial-and-error approach reminiscent of classic platformers, but the lack of clear guidance on certain mechanics can lead to confusion and frustration. While the game offers a humorous take on challenges, it often fails to effectively build on introduced mechanics, leaving players feeling overwhelmed rather than empowered.
“I was somewhat impressed with how well the game handles the transitions and polish of its controls and gameplay.”
“The gameplay of Prince of Persia, the style of your favorite '80s horror movies, and a variety of humorous ways to die.”
“Basically, you get shown a mechanic, and then slowly the mechanic is used with other mechanics, and you're expected to beat further areas with more mechanics slowly being added.”
“Some parts of the mechanics are extremely obnoxious and really need some good polishing.”
“The entire game is based on trial and error gameplay.”
“I feel that there are a couple of mechanics that the game doesn't teach you that would make a couple of sections less frustrating, such as crouching underneath eye parasites and silent landings.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark and ironic elements, often juxtaposing brutal deaths with absurd and meme-like comedic moments. Players appreciate the visual gags, quirky character interactions, and unexpected twists that turn seemingly dangerous situations into humorous experiences. Overall, the game successfully combines crude humor with entertaining easter eggs, making it a fun and engaging experience.
“It's a visually hilarious survival game.”
“But overall fun game, funny and some neat easter eggs!”
“The crude and dark humor is also a huge bonus to me.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their unique pixel retro art style, which many players find immersive and appealing. The grungy and messy aesthetic stands out in contrast to the more sanitized styles of other indie games, effectively conveying the brutality of the scenarios. Overall, the art style is a significant highlight, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and appeal.
“I am loving the pixel retro art style.”
“Art style is probably the thing that I liked the most about the game and what drew me to it in the first place.”
“It seems to take glee in showing the brutality of the scenarios, all with a very grungy and messy art style, which is refreshing to see in such a sanitized and disgustingly happy-go-lucky era where every other indie game seems to be inspired by either Steven Universe or Adventure Time.”
“It seems to take glee in showing the brutality of the scenarios, all with a very grungy and messy art style, which is refreshing to see in such a sanitized and disgustingly happy-go-lucky era where every other indie game seems to be inspired by either Steven Universe or Adventure Time.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered weak and underdeveloped, leaving many plot points unexplained and the backstory feeling shallow. While some players find the initial setup intriguing, the lack of a cohesive narrative and poor design choices, particularly regarding the endings, detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game's platforming and art style receive some praise, but the repetitive nature of gameplay and tedious puzzles hinder its potential.
“I would say the entertaining platforming, art style, animations, and plot setup are enough to give it a passing grade, though the absolutely abysmal design decisions for the endings, and the at-times repetitive nature of some of the platforming segments almost pushes it over the edge.”
“I guess story wasn't at the forefront of priorities for this game, as there isn't really any, so I shouldn't expect an answer for this. It's just so out of nowhere and leaves me bewildered.”
“The game has no real soundtrack, the backstory feels poor and shallow at best, and the puzzles are so tedious and unfulfilling, half of which you essentially need to die for or run back through half the map just to be able to complete them.”
“Beyond that, the storyline is okay, although it leaves a lot unexplained in the end.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability primarily due to its eight different endings and nine secrets to uncover, providing players with enough incentive to replay. However, aside from the endings, the overall replay value is considered limited, with each playthrough lasting about one to two hours.
“The really good point of this game is its replayability; it has 8 different endings.”
“This, alongside the 8 different endings and 9 secrets to discover, gives the game a good amount of replayability.”
“Other than the endings, there isn't a huge amount of replay value. Not accounting for deaths, each ending probably takes an hour or two to achieve.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while there are few glitches and generous checkpoints, players report significant bugs and clunky controls that detract from the experience. A notable issue involves being unable to re-enter a room after solving a puzzle, necessitating a checkpoint restore.
“Also, the controls are clunky, and generally the game is buggy as hell.”
“Still buggy and needs fixes.”
“There are few glitches to be seen anywhere, the only major one being in the lab when, after you begin solving the statue puzzle, I left, then tried to go back into the room, only I couldn't, so I had to restore a checkpoint, which was fine since the checkpoints in this game are numerous and generous.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating art style and ability to evoke strong emotions, including moments of suspense and surprise, such as being chased. Overall, it creates an engaging and immersive experience for players.
“I really loved the art and atmosphere in this game, and it made me jump in one moment by being chased!”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for its lack of a substantial soundtrack, with some users experiencing missing audio that required level restarts to resolve. Additionally, the overall backstory and atmosphere are described as shallow, contributing to a less engaging experience.
“I encountered missing soundtrack audio about three times, which forced me to restart the level to get it back. This was months ago when I last played the game, so hopefully, they have sorted this issue by now.”
“The game has no real soundtrack, the backstory feels poor and shallow at best, and the puzzles are so tedious and unfulfilling. Half of them require you to essentially die or run back through half the map just to complete them.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is highlighted by unique and engaging designs for both the monsters and the environments, contributing to an immersive experience.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unfulfilling, with a lack of engaging content and a frustrating requirement to backtrack extensively to solve puzzles. The absence of a compelling soundtrack and a shallow backstory further detracts from the overall experience.
“The game has no real soundtrack, the backstory feels poor and shallow at best, and the puzzles are so tedious and unfulfilling that half of them require you to die or run back through half the map just to complete them.”
