Should you keep shaking this rat?

Tired of pests taking over your space? Say goodbye to them for good with RATSHAKER™, the revolutionary new way to deal with unwanted pests! Just take and shake, and RATSHAKER does the rest. No traps, no mess, no unmarked disposal barrels! With RATSHAKER, you take control! Feel the satisfaction of watching the meter rise as you shake that rat into submission. The more you shake, the closer you get to solving your problems for good. Fast-acting, easy to use, and highly effective, RATSHAKER ensures your space stays problem-free in no time.

Ratshaker is a very strange game. You shake the DualSense controller to shake a rat that you have in your hand by its throat, building up a meter and progressing the overall story. You will get to even start squeezing the life out of it, all at the command of the on-screen prompt. There are a few surprises here and there, like you get scolded by the prompter if you choose to actually kill the rat and it edges more towards horror as you progress.

I won’t give away the rest, but it’s definitely a strange one for sure. There’s definitely a darker meaning behind the game itself and your actions, whether it’s a metaphor or not, it definitely hints that your character is not a nice person. It’s one of those games that is open to interpretation, so you can decide if it has meaning or not.

The visuals are simple but effective. Framerate is smooth and I didn’t come across any glitches during the game, which is short overall.

The Verdict

Ratshaker is definitely weird. It does what it says, but it also leaves as many questions as answers when it comes to what its really all about.

Score: 7.0