Butch Grid is a freelance journalist who travels the galaxy in search of hot
stories, then sells them to the highest bidder. Computer hacking and
industrial espionage are among his many skills. When he stumbles across
accounts of citizens going missing on the remote planet Spigs, with a possible
link to the New Generation cybernetics corporation, he knows he could be onto
something big. Grid travels to the planet and takes a job as a ‘rat hunter,’
dealing with the local mutant insect problem. It’s the perfect cover for his
investigation, or so he thinks. Needless to say, Grid discovers more than he
bargained for.

Rat Hunter is a traditional first-person-shooter that firmly takes its
inspiration from Doom , Quake and other older titles. It’s all about fast-
paced shooting action and the design is kept intentionally simple. You will
gain no benefit from headshots, there’s no cover system and no iron sights.

There are a few wrinkles though, like the use of the Meqon physics engine,
which means that almost any object in the environment can be picked up,
carried or thrown. You can, for instance, pick up a table and use it as a
bullet shield; toss a chair at an enemy’s head if you run out of ammo; throw a
explosive barrel into a group of bad guys and then blow it up; or stack crates
to block doors or get to high ledges.

Other interesting details include the health system, which involves the oddly-
named drug, ‘Rum.’ Rum will heal you, but if you take too many doses in a row,
you’ll suffer an ‘overdose.’ This turns your vision into a highly-saturated
black and white and gives you a temporary burst of strength, allowing you to
rip enemies apart with your bare hands.

There are only two different types of ammunition (blue and yellow), each of
which is used for a different set of weapons. More powerful weapons eat more
ammo units per shot, meaning you might have to switch to something more cost-
effective when ammo is low.

As well as 19 levels of FPS action there is a 3rd-person driving section, in
which you race a buggy through the desert, blasting enemy cars and gun
emplacements.

The convoluted story is delivered through voice-overs, occasional ‘message
discs’ and flashbacks consisting of strange, somewhat disturbing images.

Rat Hunter