‘Ratshaker’ Is a Horror Game That Asks the Age-Old Question: “Who up Shaking They Rat RN?”

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but Ratshaker has a message that’s pretty apparent. It’s a game about shaking rats and tackles some incredibly deep and sensitive topics. Yes, the age-old question of “Who up shaking they rat rn” is still very valid. But I have to ask. How does one come up with such a premise, and why is this the best thing I’ve heard of this year?

Wait… What Happens in the game, Actually?

So, I gotta keep it real with you. I haven’t played Ratshaker yet. But, after stumbling across this bizarre game on my TikTok algorithm, it immediately caught my attention. The voice-to-speech screaming of the shaken rat had me buckled over in tears from laughing, and I knew I needed to research this one a bit more.

@hinukanyt

Supercharged virtual rat shaking from the horror game “Ratshaker”! I’ll never stop shaking my virtual rat! | #ratshaker #ratshakergame #letsplay #scarygame   #horrorgame #indiegame #foryou #cheapgames #forgamers #funnygamingmoments #hinukan #hinukanyt

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What I wasn’t expecting, however, were the “content warnings” posted on the Steam page. They’re even more of a wild ride than the premise of shaking a rat with a Stephen Hawking-esque voice to obtain information. From the Steam Page of Ratshaker, you can expect the following in your playthrough:

‘Content warnings include but are not limited to: 

Graphic content: blood, gore, domestic abuse, domestic violence, asphyxiation, strangulation, suffocation, murder, animal attacks.

Addiction and Substance Abuse: references to alcoholism

Mental Health: hallucinations, phobias, schizophrenia, implications of suicide‘

This begs the question: What the actual hell is going on in Ratshaker? Well, I need to find out at this point. From what the Steam Reviews are saying, Ratshaker is about an hour long and costs less than a cup of coffee from the corner store. I think I know what I’ll be doing this evening.

I’m all in on experimental indies like this. They’re what make the world go round. Ratshaker is one of those types of games that look as if they were tailor-made for me, bringing a concept I never knew I needed in a video game to life and breathing a breath of fresh air into the scene. I’m sorry, Pizza Tower, but there may be a new indie king in my heart if Ratshaker can deliver on its premise.

And, yes, it will be me who’s up shaking they rat rn.

UPDATE: ‘RATSHAKER’ HAS BEEN PLAYED AND COMPLETED

OKAY. So, I just need to say that I got into the Ratshaker craze before Markiplier. What a surreal thing to say, am I right? And now that I’ve played through and completed Ratshaker, I have THOUGHTS.

First off, it’s not an AI voice that gives this Rat their golden pipes. It’s X user @_Ptolemaeus_, lead character artist of Ratshaker. Secondly, I don’t know what I witnessed. I don’t know what I expected from a game of this caliber. But all of my expectations have been broken by this release.

I don’t know what to think after playing through Ratshaker. It’s a very unique blend of horror, mixed with absolute hilarity. I didn’t realize I could choke out the rat. I didn’t realize there were so many ways my omnipotent leader could die. But still, I persevered through until the end. And for that, I am thankful.

If you’re looking for something fun to lose a quick half an hour to, as well as a few nights of sleep? I highly recommend jumping into Ratshaker. It’s much more moody and atmospheric than I could have imagined, and I just can’t comprehend how this silly premise turned into something so terrifying.