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WAR RATS: The Rat em Up

The rats told me to make this game. Run and gun alongside your troops in the Great Rat War against the vile TechnoRat armies. Recruit units, build structures, collect gear and upgrade your weapons to turn the tide of battle in your favor. The TechnoRat is all consuming!

All Reviews:

Positive (31) - 96% of the 31 user reviews for this game are positive.

Release Date:

Apr 22, 2025

Developer:

wootusart Industries

Publisher:

wootusart Industries

	Interface	Full Audio	Subtitles
English	✔		✔

Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“As a solo dev, I would love to involve the players in shaping the game, especially when it comes to balancing. This kind of game can be very challenging for some players while for others it will be a breeze. I feel like Early Access would be a great place to get that balance right. I would also like people to be able to play the Singleplayer portion of the game without having to wait for Multiplayer to be finished.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I estimate that roughly 6 months from initial release, 1.0 will launch and the game will be out of Early Access. That does not mean that I will stop working on the game though! For as long as people are playing, I will take into consideration their feedback and add new content or update any areas of the game that might need that extra love.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The main difference will be that the full game will feature Multiplayer. Both co-op and pvp. I plan to have the classics: Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch as well as Conquest: which will essentially be the Singleplayer levels but 1v1. I also plan to release more single player content such as a Horde/Endless mode.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“On initial Early Access release, the game will feature the full Singleplayer campgain of WAR RATS: The Rat em Up. It will be the complete Campaign mode from start to finish as well as a Skirmish game mode where players can choose any map to play through. There will also be different campaign difficulties to choose from, 20+ weapons, 6 player skins and 20 different units. This will be the absolute bare minimum state that I will launch the game in.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“I may increase the price slightly after Early Access is over to reflect the value of the content that has been added.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“I am already taking player feedback into account from my social media accounts and through Steam and this will not change for the lifetime of the game. I will also most likely set up a Discord around the time of initial release so there's a main hub for people to engage with me and each other in.”

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Reviews

“The gameplay feels satisfying and enjoyable, and its systems are integrated well for the most part. Although it’s not in its full release yet, it manages to feel fairly polished.”
Screen Hype

BOX QUOTES

"Delicious Trash" - Rock Paper Shotgun

About This Game

Current Early Access Content:

FULL SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN
SKIRMISH MODE
20 DIFFERENT WEAPONS
20 RAT UNITS TO FIGHT WITH AND AGAINST
12 UNIQUE MAPS
5 PLAYER SKINS
3 DIFFICULTY MODES
IRON RAT MODE
RATS ALL OVER YOUR FAAAAACCEEEE

It's time for the rats... To WAR!

Sidescrolling shooter meets tower defense with a sprinkle of RPG elements. A hand-drawn rat-filled side-scrolling looter-shooter moba-lite 2D gore-fest inspired by that brutal 90s gaming feel of yore.

Set in a world where rats are the only form of life. Lead your troops to battle and retake the land of Ratopia from TechnoRat: A singular consciousness comprising cyborg rats that want nothing more than to consume all flesh and turn it to metal.

Inspired by games such as Kingdom: New Lands and Futurecop LAPD's Precinct Assault mode (now generally considered to be the first ever MOBA) delivered in a package that evokes the brutal, gory 90s gaming sprites of old, it's a non-stop bloody action game with lovingly hand-drawn art and animation.

Loads of weapons, enemies and loot to be had. You must manage and fight alongside your army to push back the tide of the enemy and get your Ratineer into their base. Sounds simple but it won't be easy.

KEY FEATURES:

Brutal 2D Shooting Action: Engage in brutal, fast-paced, strategic battles against hordes of enemies. (Did I say brutal enough yet?)
Recruit Troops: Going in alone is sure to lead to failure. Make sure you utilize your troops effectively or it's GG. Call in reinforcements at key times to turn the tide of battle in your favour.
Buy New Weapons and Gear: Earn credits (CHz) and upgrade at the shop (rat dealer) to give yourself an edge over the endless hordes that are only going to get stronger and stranger as you get closer to TechnoRat HQ.
Base Building: Build turrets, shrines, walls, resource generators and missile launchers to counter and overwhelm the armies of TechnoRat.
Roguelike Progression: You have one life to fight through each district and try to reach the TechnoRat HQ and shut them down permanently. On death, spend your hard earned CHz to upgrade your attributes to do better!
Iron Rat Mode: If you like a challenge, enable this toggle to turn your run even more hardcore! Start over at level 1 again if you die, but keep the core gameplay loop of upgrading with whatever you earned during that run.
Unique Art Style: Experience the world of Ratopia with graphics all hand-drawn by rat artist wootusart (Me!). (Meaning I am an artist who draws rats, not that I am a rat that is an artist. That would be crazy.)
Skirmish Mode: Select any map and just go at it, for practice or for fun. Or both!
Multiplayer (Coming Soon): Grab a friend and go rat-toe to rat-toe on any of the maps featured in the game.

The rats have whispered to me in the night that I must make this game. They demand it. I must obey. They scurry in my mind. I cannot sleep. I cannot rest. Until it is done.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

There are no humans featured in the game. The game is set in a world where every living creature is some kind of rat. All the violence and gore therefore is only of these animals. The game is also entirely hand drawn in a somewhat cartoony stylized look and so not photorealistic or 3D.