Game Review: The Rub Rabbits!

Game: The Rub Rabbits!
Console: Nintendo DS
Developer: Sonic Team
Release Date: 13th February 2006

As the sequel to Project Rub, 'The Rub Rabbits!' does a lot of things similarly to its predecessor. There's a story told through many different minigames and 4-koma style comic panels, there are games which use the microphone as well as ones which use the stylus and a couple of the games featured are variants of games already seen in Project Rub. The gameplay and progression through the game is almost exactly the same, and the visual style is also continued.

There are some differences however; the game is longer in terms of the number of minigames featured, but shorter in play time thanks to a far lower overall difficulty level. Many more of the games require one playthrough rather than several, although there still are a considerable number which have 5 parts. Once the game has been completed, an additional story is unlocked which consists of a few minigames from the main storyline, but no original content.

Another new feature of this game is that some games require the DS to be held sideways or even upside-down. The games which make use of different orientations are usually slightly more inventive and fun to play. Unfortunately the overall range and variation in games and gameplay feels as if it has diminished; without counting repeats of some games, there were still quite a few instances of similar concepts within the game's 40(ish) story mode stages.

While there's an abundance of extra features and modes in the game, none of them really have much depth. There's a multiplayer game which involves passing the DS whilst holding onto various buttons, a mode for two players to make a baby and check their compatibility (which seems like a fairly random addition to the game), a dress up mode for the female lead character and challenge modes where story mode stages can be replayed for high scores.

The plot of the game is slightly more sensible than the first game, though not by too much; after falling for the game's female lead, the player character must chase her, win her over and then attempt to protect her from the 'genius girl next door''s plot to kidnap and woo him. Each stage deals with a small part of the story and sometimes there are huge leaps between locations and events, but I doubt many players are into playing for the plot of this particular title. 

Once story mode is complete, players are able to play through it again in Hard and Hell modes. While these provide much needed challenge to the scenes, the game has low replay value due to the nature of the plot and minigames. It's possible to complete the game in a few hours, after which there's very little to do, and I'd imagine that another run through story mode isn't top of most people's list after beating the game. 

Graphically the game is very similar to Project Rub, with silhouette characters only distinguishable by their clothes and hair colour. Items and locations are nicely stylised and presented, and minigames are usually intuitive and easy to understand by design. Musically the title features many remixes of famous classical tunes, sung by a chorus of voices. These fit the mood of the game well, but are also likely to annoy players after a while.

Overall 'The Rub Rabbits!' feels incredibly close to the experience of the first game in the series; perhaps a little too much so. The low replay value and repeating of some minigames through the course of story mode contributes to its 'one-off' appeal, meaning that most players will run through the game once and never play again. If minigames are your thing however, and you enjoyed Project Rub and want more of the same, then this is the game for you!

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C