Rats and rodents are popular and well-recognized animals in numerous iconic and successful franchises across history in movies, video games, and animated series. Whether it’s the stand-out curved ears of Disney’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse orPikachu’s electrifying yellow cuteness in Pokemon, rodents can practically be seen everywhere. Game developer Petoons Studio recognized the appeal of rats and rodents, placing its hand-drawn animated rats front and center for its upcoming pirate action-adventure platformerCurse of the Sea Rats, even labeling the game a ‘Ratoidvania’ as its take on the popular Metroidvania genre.
InCurse of the Sea Rats, players step into the furry feet of up to four playable rat characters who become cursed by an evil pirate witch. Some of the game’s rodent characters are even inspired by real people in history as Game Rant learned in a recent interview with Petoons Studio co-founders Sergio Garcia and Dani Del Amor. Garcia and Del Amor explained why they chose rats alongside the game’s 2D animation hand-drawn art style embedded within 3D environments, in addition to what rats add to the gameplay experience.
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Rats, Character Movement, and Classic Disney Inspirations in Curse of the Sea Rats
Rats are special creatures for Petoons Studio, as the devs explained how they first came up with the idea for the game from a drawing of a mouse with a sword, as they ‘…really wanted to have something iconic and start from this idea’. Although they initially considered other types of rodent-related animals, like moles and flying squirrels, Del Amor explained that rodents were always the main focus owing to their connection to classic animated movies from the Disney catalog, includingunderrated Disney movieslikeBasil The Great Mouse Detective.
It was always about rodents because of the classic films. Also, we are very influenced by the classic movies of Don Bluth and Disney ones like BasilThe Mouse Detective. Mickey Mouse also. Rats have something special.
The iconic image of rats is highlighted by the choice of a 2D hand-drawn animation style, a decision inspired by the golden era of 2D animation of Disney and Don Bluth. As Garcia put it,
We went for the hand-drawn animation to grab the attention of the people because it’s kind of a lost art, now that everything is 3D. You can get amazing visuals with 3D, but there’s something magical about 2D hand-drawn art – stretching the characters, the actions, the expressions, and also, it’s an art.
The success ofstunning hand-drawn video games likeHollow Knightshows just how powerful and effective hand-drawn art styles can be in the age of 3D, withCurse of the Sea Ratsusing 2D hand-drawn animation on 3D backgrounds to create a magical feeling for players with “fluid” and “smooth” character movements. This unique movement extends to how the rats navigate the terrain, as they can also run on four legs, which the developers see as a unique, funny, and interesting inclusion when discussing the game’s mix of melee combat and long-range magic attacks. Being a swashbuckling 2D rat that also moves like a typical rat is all part of the fun experience of pirate rat life inCurse of the Sea Rats,with the developers explaining that a fun, enjoyable experience is their primary goal.
Rats and Pirates in Curse of the Sea Rats
Curse of the Sea Ratsis agame set in the 18th century, close to the golden era of piracy, and combines Petoons' love for pirates and rats in a fun and fitting way. Garcia explained how rats were also a natural choice for the game owing to the pun with the word pirate, as well as pirates being another of their many passions, influences, and another area of appeal for those who love to play pirate games.
We’ve always loved pirates so pi-rats, with puns and everything. It was very natural. In the beginning, it was like, let’s connect the things we love, and we’ll see where it goes.
The developers also explained how some of the characters seen in the game were inspired by real historical people, like the pirate witch Flora Burn who was a real pirate in the 18th century. One of the rat heroes Bussa, a fugitive slave from Barbados, is named after a historic man from the country. However, despite the minor historical influence, it’s clear the developers just want players to have fun and enjoy the adventure together, as they did say it was a very loose interpretation. The choice ofrats as pirate heroesshowcases this desire for fun and the unique preservation of a lost art loved for generations. It will be interesting to see where the fun inCurse of the Sea Ratstakes Petoons Studio next on its transmedia IP journey.
Curse of the Sea Ratswill release on July 23, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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