Rubinite review

Many modern games mistake punishment for depth. They throw things like bloated health bars, millisecond-based parries, and or outrageous amounts of enemy damage at players. The hope is all that perseverance is eventually rewarded. Rubinite, the debut effort from Taichung-based Cup Dog Games, seems to understands that challenge isn’t just about dying hundreds of times.

Instead, it’s about learning something every time you fail. Cup Dog’s dark-fantasy boss-rush action game can’t always embody this approach, and there will be moments that undoubtedly frustrate. But the aim is to make every encounter feel like a deadly duel rather than a test of patience often works.

Something’s Rotten in the Scarlet Kingdom

You play as the Ruby, a young princess with bunny years who’s clad in a crimson robe. She’s blessed, or perhaps cursed with red, radiant eyes that can revealing the weak points of her grotesque succession of opponents. Following the Scarlet Kingdom’s seizure by a mysterious witch, Ruby embarks on the journey home by defeating a procession of monstrous guardians standing in her path.

Yes, like many video games it’s yet another retelling of The Odyssey, that rarely surprises. But it doesn’t really need to. Rubinite keeps the storytelling brief, using just enough supporting characters and conversations to provide some context without interrupting the actions. Rubinite requires you to suss out the rhythms of your adversaries and too much exposition might have broke the flow.

Fortune Favors the Fearless

Fortunately, Rubinite distinguishes itself from it’s Soulslike peers when in combat. Comparisons to Sekiro seem are likely because of the precision required and presence of huge counters after defensive period. But mechanically, I’d argue that it’s closer to 2015’s Titan Souls than FromSoftware’s samurai epic.

Every battle revolves around Ruby’s focus mechanic. Holding the Focus button while aiming the right analog stick locks your attention onto a single boss while gradually charging up Marks. Given that perfect dodges can instantly provide a mark, success in Rubinite meaning finding that narrow window of opportunity. There’s while there’s a Story Mode and menu options to lengthen that opening, you’ll still have to work at it. The reward for staying out of danger is the ability to unleash a potent dash attack cuts slashes through your opponent, like a samurai might do in a shonen anime.

Naturally, there are a few additional nuances that bring risk/reward to the forefront. Standing close to monstrosities charges your attacks faster and brings you in range for melee-based attacks. But it also means threading impossibly tight gaps between sword swings, shockwaves, and projectiles. A giant wolf-like beast, for instance, constantly mixes lunging bites with sweeping claw attacks, forcing you to decide whether to remain within striking distance or play it safe and lose precious momentum. And given that a single-hit deducts health and resets your marks, Rubinite plays tough.

Purportedly, Every Giant Has a Weakness

Without a doubt, the bosses are the stars of the show. Each one introduces some kind of new mechanical twist instead of just flaunting a larger health pool or a larger damage output. Some disappear into darkness before striking from unexpected angles, while others fill the arena with hazards that test both your timing and ability to navigate under stress. Better still, their attack patterns rarely feel unfair. Death usually comes stems from your own hesitation or a mistimed dodge rather than unreadable animations or dubious hit detection.

Helping to maintain the game’s momentum are progression systems. Ruby gradually unlocks passive abilities through a skill tree by equipping talismans that can tweak your approach to combat. Some improve survivability, others beef up your dash attacks or encourage more aggressive play. Expectedly, these upgrades never spoil the intensity of encounters. Rather, they give you just enough flexibility to meet the bosses on your terms.

Beauty and the Beasts

Visually, Rubinite delivers a bit more that you might expect from a first-time indie studio. Expressively animated pixel-art characters are pleasing to the eye, with highlights that include Ruby’s attack sequences and boss introductions. The game’s massive monstrosities move with intimidating gaits, while crimson effects reveal their weak points. On a variety of different hardware, from a Steam Deck to a low-end laptop, the controls were consistently responsive. Consistently, those perfectly timed evasions deliver a satisfying sense of impact.

That said, Rubinite isn’t without some shortcomings. Ironically, for a game built around such dynamic combat, its optimal strategy might just be rooted in playing it passive. Since perfect dodges are the quickest way to build Marks, the safest approach entails waiting for bosses to attack instead of actively engaging them. Yes, you can dish out melee attacks, but they’re too weak and risky. Sure, you can play actively try to play aggressively, but I was far more effective being patient.

A Debut That Draws Blood

Still, those criticisms only mar Cup Dog Games’ otherwise glistening boss runs. Few studios have attempted an entire game built almost exclusively around these kinds of encounters. And even fewer succeed in actually making these showdowns feel memorable. Rubinite largely respects its players by demanding precision, observation, and patience rather than just lightning-fast reflexes. Here, defeats teach, upgrades are palpable, and most of all, victories feel like the result of your dedicated efforts. For a debut, that’s an impressive achievement. And I’m eager to see what Cup Dog’s encore plays like.

Rubinite was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.