I have to admit, Rodent Rage! is not quite what I expected. When I saw it was another physics puzzle game with an emphasis on launching things at your enemies, I was sure I’d get to rage against rodents, and try to take them out, one by one.
Alas, that’s not the case. Instead, in Rodent Rage!, you are the rodents! You’ll spend the game fighting off scientists who have wronged you in terrible ways. You do this by launching timed bombs at the scientists, who are scattered through maze-like levels.
It’s not a bad concept, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. Shooting the missiles feels a little too stiff, for starters. Perhaps that’s because the other physics puzzle games I’ve played a lot, namely Stupid Zombie and Ragdoll Blaster 2, have a very light feeling to them. Instead, in Rodent Rage!, it feels like the bombs you fire must weigh a ton.
Then there’s the issue of the occasional unexploding bomb. Unlike other physics puzzle games, you only get one shot at a time. When your current bomb explodes, you can fire off another. There has been a time or two, however, where my thrown bomb never exploded. This is a minor inconvenience, as you just have to reset the level, but it would be much more irritating if you were on the cusp of beating a difficult level.
That’s not to say I hated Rodent Rage! Not at all! The graphics, especially the animations of your helper rodents, who are strewn throughout the level awfully close to the scientists, are more than passable. I’m not sure I want to see a rodent explode via a timed mine in real life, but in cartoon game form, it’s quite a sight.
The puzzles, too, seem trickier than your average physics puzzle game. Even a few of the early puzzles were surprisingly frustrating, which is a good thing in a world populated by some lackluster puzzle experiences.
There are better physics-based puzzle games available, but Rodent Rage! isn’t without merit. It’s rough around the edges, and you could use a few key fixes, but it’s not far from being a very good game.
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
