Rocket Rats is the latest indie bullet hell game from Brazilian developer Gagonfe. This survivors-like game pits you against waves of cheesy critters on the moon. You take control of a rat"”yes, you heard that right"”whose job is to extract cheese for your space base by blasting enemies with an array of weapons.

Gameplay

Starting from Scratch

When you begin, you only have one rat at your disposal, with no money or cheese for upgrades. The main hub offers limited options, but as you progress, you’ll unlock more tools to survive the chaotic battles ahead.

• Upgrade Station (Left): A computer where you can spend cheese on permanent stat boosts for offense, defense, and utility. However, you can only have one active selection per category at a time.
  

• Character Selection (Right): A cheese wheel where you can pick from any unlocked rats. Each rat comes with a personal skill tree. While you can unlock every skill, you can only have one branching path active at any given time.

• Rocket to the Moon (Center): The launchpad that takes you into battle.

Surviving the Swarm

Rocket Rats gameplay takes place on a single, small moon-based map, where movement space is tight. You likely won't last long on your first few runs. There are 30 waves in total, and after each one, you choose from upgrade cards to enhance your rat.

These cards offer various boosts, including:

• Increased ammo, critical damage, speed, and health
• Special abilities like lightning, poison, and a star buddy
• Rare cards that grant massive stat increases

Because the map is so compact, strategic upgrades are crucial. The best builds can deal enough damage automatically, reducing the need for precise maneuvering and making later waves feel more passive.

Returning to the hub after each run is needed to upgrade your rat and your main stats. These can provide a much needed boost for the next round. To unlock additional characters, you must level specific upgrade cards to their max (level VII) during a single run. This requires surviving long enough to have the opportunity to draw and upgrade the right cards.

Achievements & Replayability

All achievements in Rocket Rats can be earned in roughly 1-2 hours, depending on luck and build choices. While the game is enjoyable, the lack of maps makes it feel repetitive. The small play area becomes overwhelming by wave 10, limiting maneuverability and making survival more reliant on build optimization rather than skill. The best builds actually manage to do enough damage without even really having to play other then to select new cards after each wave.

Final Verdict

If you’re a Gamerscore or Trophy hunter, Rocket Rats is worth picking up for quick and easy achievements. However, for hardcore bullet hell fans, there are better options with more depth and replayability.

Pros:

• Fun, fast-paced gameplay
• Simple but engaging upgrade system
• Easy-to-complete achievements

Cons:

• Only one map, leading to repetitive gameplay
• Small play area limits movement
• Best builds minimize player interaction

Rocket Rats was reviewed on the Xbox Series X, with a review code provided by Gagonfe. The game releases on March 26 to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Microsoft Store and PS4.