After the tremendous support from almost 6,000 backers, independent studio Petoons Studio has pledged nearly $275,000 from their Kickstarter campaign for the final development stages to Curse of the Sea Rats.
Set in 1777 Ireland, a pirate witch casts a curse upon a group of heroes that morphs them into rats. Composed with Don Bluth and Disney-inspired art and animation in 2D and 3D environments, up to four local players can team up to explore a non-linear adventure. Filled with wicked beasts, magic, puzzles, and secrets, Curse of the Sea Rats will follow a Metroidvania formula in the introduction of a “ratoidvania” genre. Travel alongside Douglas, Buffalo, Akane, and Bussa as they embark on a quest to rescue the Admiral’s son and defeat the fiendish pirate Flora Burn.
The official trailer presents its four main protagonists collecting loot from treasure chests, battling an array of epic foes with their distinctive weapons and abilities and interacting and trading with NPCs – all in hand-drawn animation. The forces of good and evil rats collide, sword and spell equipped until the screen turns into a title card for Curse of the Sea Rats.
With the game featuring multiple endings and 4-player co-op, it can be also be played through a single-player campaign with more than 12 hours of gameplay for just the main questline.
Curse of the Sea Rats is Petoons Studio’s follow-up project that succeeds Petoons, a party game that instituted some of the ideas for their pirate title.
Sergio Garcia, CEO at Petoons Studio, commented on the game’s expected release date, saying, “We are excited to launch this awaited adventure in the first half of next year”.
Curse of the Sea Rats will be coming to the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Be sure to check back soon on the title as it approaches 2021.