On Rusty Trails review: a little less conversation

by Tre L.

Two years ago this month, I played Tiny and Big in Grandpa’s Leftovers for the first time. It was on sale on Steam for $3, which I didn’t have, so I worked out a deal with an internet friend to get it for me in exchange for Amazon store credit (which, oddly, was far easier for me to get ahold of back then than PayPal money).

Since then it’s become Probably My Favorite Game Ever (note the capital letters), so much so that I’ve kind of tried to turn myself into a “one-man fandom” for it. I’ve written about it, started a fanblog, drew a few doodles, and I’ve made it a priority to tell folks whenever it’s on sale, because it’s one of the few games I’ve come across that has been able to occupy my mind to the same kind of level as the Rayman series did before it (and Destiny afterward, to my simultaneous delight and chagrin).

So, fast forward to 2016. Black Pants Studio’s putting the finishing touches on their next big title, a new 2.5D platformer titled On Rusty Trails. I’ve been following the game’s development since it was publicly announced at the tail end of 2014, and I finally got the chance to try it out earlier this year during the game’s closed beta.

Now that the game’s hitting Steam and the Humble Store, I figured I’d share what I think!

The story goes like this: In a world populated by red/orange triangular robots and blue hairy folk, you are Elvis, an average pyramid person with a comfortable lifestyle and no worry in the world until a strange storm with corrosive rain leaves your home in shambles. With the warranty for the house in hand, you dash off on a frantic search to find a comfy place to stay.

It’s not going to be easy, though. The denizens of the world of ORT are in the midst of a bitter conflict with no end in sight, and this battle’s permeated to the very architecture of the places you’ll visit — being a Spike will forbid you from being able to use platforms made in the image of the Hairies, and vice versa. Luckily, early on Elvis finds the Shifty Suit, a nifty contraption that allows him to, well, shift between Spike and Hairy forms.

This gameplay mechanic sets the stage for the rest of the game, from its level design to the interactions Elvis has with the world around him. You’ll have to switch forms at a breakneck pace as our robot friend runs, jumps and occasionally flies through the game’s zippy levels.

ORT isn’t the first game or the first platformer to use a color-based system, but it still feels fresh despite that thanks to the detailed, smart presentation. Cheers from Spikes you see along the way will turn to jeers as you become a Hairy (and vice versa), and every shift has a visual impact on the scenery in a way that allows the player to really appreciate the contrast between the Hairy and Spike lifestyles that the game hints at through their respective buildings and platforms.

Pretty as the game is, though, you’re not going to want to always stop and smell the roses. From a pure gameplay perspective, On Rusty Trails is best played as a twitchy, edge-of-your-seat experience, and in that regard it is extremely satisfying. Black Pants have cited genre cornerstone Super Meat Boy as an inspiration for the game’s pace, and while ORT isn’t as punishing as Team Meat’s infamous platformer, the influence is quite clear. You’re probably going to die a lot, and that’s just fine.

It helps that there are regular checkpoints to keep yourself from losing too much progress, but if you’re HARDCORE they’re intended to be optional. (Didn’t always work out that way for me because I’d too often activate a checkpoint on accident, but I’m a wimp and used them pretty often anyway so it didn’t really matter.)

The war that the setting is based on is never particularly placed in the focus, but the player’s given enough context through the game itself that it’s not particularly needed. Propaganda litters the walls of levels with messages like “BEWARE OF SPIES” and “THEY ARE WATCHING YOU” warning the citizens of their enemy’s malice, protestors have presences with picket lines and signs, and explosive platforms are rigged to blow when you touch them while in the wrong color. (You’re expected to use this to your advantage after they’re introduced, too. It’s pretty rad.)

Instead of making the war a priority, the game uses the conflict to establish the importance of tolerating folks that aren’t like you. For every angry person or picket line you meet there’s someone out there who will give you a friendly wave regardless of your color, and every now and then you’ll see Hairy and Spike folk just hanging out, with nobody at each other’s throats. (There’s even a little star-crossed romance involved by the story’s end.)

So, does the game stack up to Tiny and Big? In a word: yes! In some more words, it’s much less experimental than T&B, but provides what ultimately proves to be an equally if not more enjoyable game, with a widened scope that leads to deeper themes within the story and a more satisfying length. (It hasn’t usurped its predecessor as Probably My Favorite Game Ever, however. Not that that’s a big deal, but still.)

SUMMING IT UP:

Black Pants Studio’s second major title is a triumph, and a worthy addition to the canon of twitchy 2D platformers.

It’s simple, but the plot is a cleverly executed way of presenting a moral with a great deal of relevance in the real world, and the actual gameplay puts a clever spin on enough established ideas to stand out. If you’re like me and have had it on your radar for a while now, you won’t be disappointed, and if you haven’t heard of it but love a great 2D platformer with a side of die-and retry, you’ll be right at home with it.

Disclosure: Because I was part of the beta testing for the game, I was provided with a copy of the game by Black Pants Studio, which I was then allowed to keep. I am listed in the game’s end credits as a beta tester under (kinda) my Steam name, “Apple-Tre.”