This may be an odd topic, but recently I’ve noticed quite a number of mouse/rodent themed games popping up. This is always excellent news in my unbiased opinion :3
I thought I’d mention some of them here.
–Currently available–
Small Saga - I’ve seen some gameplay of this online. From what I can tell, you play as a ragtag collection of rodents in turn based combat. The art style is cute, but I’m not yet sold on this one (I’ve got enough RPGs to play as it is!).
Of Mice and Sand - Somewhat reminiscent of SimTower or Fallout Shelter, you manage a desert crawler full of mice in order to survive against attacks and random events.
Backpack Hero - This is Resident Evil storage, the game. Your choice of what to pack and how you pack it determines your abilities in battle.
The Spirit and the Mouse - A charming 3D platformer in which the mouse protagonist has to power up a French village. Apparently it’s quite short, but I love the design of the mouse and environment in this one.
Tails of Iron - In this grimdark souls-like side scroller you chop up frogs to regain your title upon the Rat Throne. I’ve been tempted to get this game on several occasions, but I’ve heard mixed things. If it’s ever in a bundle I’ll grab it!
–Upcoming–
Whiskerwood - A mouse themed city builder that’s giving me Timberborn vibes. Sounds like you can eventually overcome your feline overlords? It remains to be seen if this game can set itself apart from the many other city builders out there.
Mina the Hollower - This is one I’m looking forward to! A 2D Zelda-like platformer made by the team behind Shovel Knight. I kickstarted this one a while ago now, and I’m pretty confident it’s going to be great.
Mouse: PI for Hire - I’ve seen several trailers for this one over the last year. DOOM/Quake type gameplay by the looks of it, but with a really neat 30s cartoon style.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo - Ok this might be cheating a bit, as apparently the protagonist is a bat. But they’re kinda ‘rodent adjacent’, right?? I love the look of the cute pixel art here with really colourful and expressive animals. Again, it seems like a 2D Zelda but perhaps with more of a platforming element. Is top down 2D platforming a thing? There’s a demo that I should really try out!
Have you played any of these or do you have any interest in the upcoming ones I mentioned? Let me know :3
Moss is also a very good VR game, I should play the 2nd.
Also ‘Ghost of a Tale’ is nice but the end feels rushed
I adore Moss so, so much! It’s an incredibly polished game, and Quill’s animations are ridiculously fluid and expressive.
Non-plot spoiler
The part(s? I don’t remember if there are more) where you get to high-five her was a fun little surprise, and one of my absolute favorite VR moments.
I remember seeing a trailer for Moss a while back. Such a cute mouse! If I ever get VR, I’ll make sure to grab that one.
I’ve always been on the fence about Ghost of a Tale. Whilst I love stealth games, something about the art style puts me off slightly. Perhaps I would enjoy it though… I should probably just give it a go!
Bad Rats
Rats feature heavily in the A Plague Tale series, although I would not say they have a pro-rodent bent.
I thought I’d like Tails of Iron, but its biggest issue is that it tries to forgo dialogue with mouse squeaks. It’s like nails on a chalkboard. I heavily suggest you watch the first few minutes of gameplay to figure out if you can endure it.
Tooth and Tail is a top-down realtime strategy game, with lots of rodent representation!
