RATUZ

About

In 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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 102 reviews

humor20 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features a fun and engaging retro pixel art style that appeals to fans of classic platformers.
It offers a variety of humorous and gory deaths, keeping the gameplay entertaining despite its challenges.
The game has a decent amount of replayability with multiple endings and secrets to discover.

The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Many deaths feel unfair or unavoidable, often due to poorly designed level transitions and traps.
The lack of a level select or manual save feature makes replaying for different endings tedious and time-consuming.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
77%
14%
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 often feel overwhelmed by the lack of guidance on essential mechanics. While the game introduces new elements, it frequently abandons them too quickly, leading to a disjointed experience.
- “I was somewhat impressed with how well the game handles the transitions and polish of its controls and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay combines elements of Prince of Persia, the style of your favorite '80s horror movies, and a variety of humorous ways to die.”
- “Some parts of the mechanics are extremely obnoxious and really need some good polishing. I chose yes only because I'm an indie game dev too.”
- “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.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark and crude elements, often juxtaposed with brutal gameplay, creating an ironic and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the visual gags, funny character interactions, and unexpected twists, such as deadly traps disguised as decorations. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant highlight, contributing to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere.
- “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.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's graphics are celebrated for their immersive pixel retro art style, which many players find appealing and unique compared to the more sanitized aesthetics of contemporary indie games. The grungy and messy visuals effectively convey the brutality of the scenarios, providing a refreshing contrast to the typical cheerful designs seen in the genre. Overall, the art style is a standout feature that significantly enhances the gaming experience.
- “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.”
- “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.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The story in the game is generally considered weak and underdeveloped, leaving many plot points unexplained and feeling shallow. While some players find the initial setup and art style engaging, the lack of a coherent narrative and poor design choices, particularly regarding the endings, detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the absence of a soundtrack and tedious puzzles further contribute to the perception that the story was not a priority in the game's design.
- “I would say the entertaining platforming, art style, animations, and plot setup are enough to give it a passing grade.”
- “The storyline is okay, although it leaves a lot unexplained in the end.”
- “The backstory feels poor and shallow at best.”
- “I guess story wasn't at the front of priority for this game as there isn't really any, so I shouldn't expect an answer for this, but 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.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
13%
The game offers decent replayability primarily due to its eight different endings and nine secrets to uncover, which encourage players to explore various outcomes. However, aside from these elements, the overall replay value is considered limited, with each ending taking about one to two hours to achieve.
- “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.”
- “The game offers a significant replay value with multiple endings and secrets to explore.”
- “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.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits a mix of stability issues, with some users reporting significant bugs, particularly related to the statue puzzle in the lab that necessitates restoring checkpoints. While checkpoints are plentiful and helpful, overall control responsiveness is described as clunky, indicating that the game still requires further fixes to enhance stability.
- “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.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating art style and immersive environment, which effectively enhances the overall experience, including moments of suspense and surprise. Players appreciate how the atmosphere contributes to the game's emotional impact, making it both engaging and thrilling.
- “I really loved the art and atmosphere in this game, and it made me jump in one moment by being chased!”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game has been criticized for its lack of a substantial soundtrack, with some players experiencing missing audio that required level restarts to resolve. Overall, the musical elements contribute to a shallow backstory and do not enhance the gameplay experience, which is further marred by tedious puzzles.
- “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.”
- “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 it out by now.”
- “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 it out by now.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the character design, particularly for the monsters, is intriguing and well-executed, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of growth or narrative depth.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unfulfilling, often requiring them to backtrack extensively or die to progress through puzzles. The lack of a compelling soundtrack and 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, half of which you essentially need to die for or run back through half the map just to be able to complete them.”