Bad Rats

Bad Rats: The Rats' Revenge is a puzzle game from 2009, built around physics and created by Invent4 Entertainment. Across a series of levels, players position rats and fixed objects to steer a ball into a trap, which then kills a cat. The game was Invent4’s first release, launching on Steam on 20 July 2009, and later appearing on other services in 2010. At launch, it received no reviews, but retrospective pieces have heavily criticised its graphics, puzzle design, and physics.

Legacy

Its presence on Steam was unusual because Valve still hand-picked the platform’s catalogue at the time. Over time, it became a common gag gift on Steam, and by 2018, more than 400,000 users owned it. A sequel, Bad Rats Show, arrived on the seventh anniversary in 2016.

Gameplay

The gameplay resembles The Incredible Machine and Armadillo Run. In each level, the player moves and rotates a set of rats and static objects to guide a ball toward a trap. When the ball hits the trap, it activates and kills a nearby cat. The game includes a tutorial and two modes.

In Easy mode, the inventory is limited and the solution can be shown. Expert mode gives the player the full inventory—including all ten rat types—and no solutions. Hints are available in both modes.

Development and release

Invent4 Entertainment was an indie studio based in Porto Alegre, founded by Augusto Bülow on 4 April 2009. Bad Rats was its first game. Bülow came up with the concept, programmed the game, and designed the levels.

Carlos Alberto Kunkel Bülow created the 3D models and animations, while Mateus "Mes" Silva Brum provided graffiti imagery. Gustavo Bülow contributed additional art, and Márcio Stein handled music and sound design. A demo was released through the studio’s website on 20 May 2009, downloaded over 20,000 times by August, and an updated version came out in November.

The full game launched on Steam on 20 July 2009. It became available on the studio’s website in January 2010, and on GamersGate and Direct2Drive in February 2010. In April 2010, the company announced partnerships with Strategy First for North America, Akella for Russia, and Micromedia for the Netherlands.

Reception

In a 2015 retrospective, Kotaku’s Nathan Grayson called Bad Rats the worst game on Steam, criticising its “shoddy” puzzles and “inconsistent” physics. IGN’s Max Scoville and Brian Altano agreed later that year.