Rusted Moss is Hollow Knight with a bungee cord

In Metroidvanias, it’s often about the destination, not the journey.

You might find a new upgrade or a new area you haven’t explored before, and that’s exciting, but the path you took to get there just involved a lot of running and jumping, which isn’t very interesting. Newer examples, such as the Ori games and Metroid fearhave emphasized the importance of movement – that it should be as satisfying to travel the world as it is to find a new, shiny piece of treasure.

Rusty Moss follows the same model, giving you unparalleled control over how you progress through its labyrinthine world using a super fun (and sproingy!) grappling hook.

Developed by a core team of just three people, Rusty Moss offers a spin on fairytale folklore, with a post-apocalyptic, grungy vibe. The gameplay follows both And differs dramatically from the many Metroidvanias that preceded it. While it focuses primarily on 2D platforming – a long-held standard – it also introduces 360-degree aiming, a crucial element in both combat and traversal. There’s a constant reticle on the screen, which lets you fire missiles or loaded railgun shots in any direction, even while you’re moving. But that reticle also controls the aiming of your grappling hook, which quickly becomes its signature feature Rusty Moss.

Most video game grappling hooks are pretty predictable when it comes to getting you from one point to the next. Or they act like the hookshot in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timethat you send on a direct path to your target, or they act like the enter beam Supermetroidwhich offers more of an Indiana Jones style swing. Rusty MossThe grappling hook is somewhere in the middle. It has real elasticity, which means you get dragged faster to walls that are farther away.

A lot of Rusty Moss‘s platform puzzles revolve around the creative use of the grappling hook. In one puzzle, I had to jump off a cliff, fire my grapple into the air, and the momentum of the sprout to launch myself on a much higher platform. It required precise timing, not only in terms of when I shot the grapple, but also when I released it, to make sure I wasn’t still stuck by the time I reached maximum speed on my upward trajectory. Because these interactions aren’t standard, they can lead to frequent moments of trial and error where I tried to get the angle and timing just right. In the end, it felt great to capture the whole equation, but if you’re the sort who gets easily frustrated by platform puzzles like this, Rusty Moss offers a number of accessibility features to help you overcome the more finicky challenges.

I am also impressed with how Rusty Moss continues to settle for new ways to move through its world, many of which are never fully explained to the player. Some of the weapons at my disposal, like the shotgun and rocket launcher, have their own impact on my physical momentum, and I can use them to get some extra torque or lift on a tricky jump. While this seemed intimidating at first, after a few hours I was able to move through areas in seconds that previously took me minutes.

Due to the high skill cap on the mobility tools, the game’s developers have wisely built in a number of speedrunning challenges (all optional), allowing truly dedicated fans to show off their remarkable skills. Here’s just one example that blew my mind:

Rusty MossThe unique mobility options of ‘s can be overwhelming at first, but for those looking for a unique and challenging twist on the Metroidvania 2D platforming genre, this game may hook you faster than you might expect.

Rusted Moss wax released on April 12, 2023 on Windows. The game has been rated a Steam Deck. Vox Media has partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy here.