Headcannon's weird physics platformer Rubato is out today

Rubato, a 2D physics-based collect-a-thon from solo developer dconn and publisher Headcannon, launched today for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The premise alone is enough to sell me on this one. The year is 12,012. A massive monopoly called GSSAI CO. has ruled the universe for centuries following a bioweapon disaster. The solar system has now been destroyed because one man screwed up a game of pool. You play as a frog tasked with fixing the entire galaxy. You do this by collecting items called Planet Bits and using your tongue to grapple through open, Metroidvania-style areas.

A very weird apocalypse

The launch trailer from PlayStation shows exactly what kind of chaos we are dealing with here. The physics-based movement looks incredibly fast. You can launch the frog across the screen with momentum-heavy swings and tongue grapples. The game breaks away from standard platforming pretty quickly. At one point, our amphibian hero is just casually driving a silver hatchback through a level.

The boss fights look completely unhinged. You have to fight a giant muscular head that slams the ground, along with a massive rabbit creature in a circus arena. The official store page promises five dense areas to explore. These range from a huge sprawling bakery to the world's most poorly planned city.

The game also carries a surprising T for Teen rating from the ESRB for violence, blood, and language. The official description hints at a plot that gets "really concerningly serious." The store page itself even asks if the developer is okay. I appreciate a game that leans fully into its own absurdity.

About the developer

The game was created by a London-based solo developer who goes by dconn. The official press kit describes dconn as a transdisciplinary developer who has "decided not to comment further and be obnoxiously mysterious". I respect the commitment to the bit.

Headcannon handled the console ports and publishing duties. The studio is best known for their development work on Sonic Mania Plus and Sonic Origins. They know a thing or two about tight 2D platforming physics. That makes them a perfect fit to bring a momentum-heavy game like this to consoles.

The PlayStation trailer specifically highlights PS5 and PS4 availability. The video title only says PS5, but the end card clearly shows the PS4 logo as well. Do not let the platform-specific marketing fool you. You can grab the game right now on Steam and the Nintendo Switch eShop. A demo is also available across all platforms if you want to test out the tongue-swinging physics before buying.

We see a lot of retro-inspired platformers around here. Very few of them let you fight a giant disembodied head while driving a compact car. I am absolutely going to play this over the weekend.