Rubato is “an experimental, 2D physics-based take on the collect-a-thon genre”, according to developer dconn, which doesn’t really do justice to the below trailer full of screaming skulls and Mode 7 first-person driving bits and fleeting Minecraft references and PS1-era dancefloors. I guess I’m too used to the watering down of “experimental” as a descriptor. The blurb doesn’t even communicate that you play as a frog. Seemingly. Fortunately, there is a demo. Please watch the trailer while I go play it.

OK, I’m back from my brief demo time with some quick and dirty bulletpoints. It doesn’t feel appropriate to attempt a holistic account off the back of five minutes, but I would score those five minutes 8/10, if such things were permitted round these parts. It’s sort of a cursed Mega Drive romhack, but funnier. Anyway, here are those bullets.

• Press ESC button to start – sort of edgy!
• Banger Mega Drive-esque music
• Earth go boom
• fell into toilet
• toilet is a tutorial level
• tips given by smaller dancing toilet that looks like prehistoric Tumblr gif
• Frog is Sonic?
• I like Sognic’s rocking-chair movement
• Sognic can swing and throw 2D crates like some kind of golden era Flash puzzler
• Playing pool with planets?
• The Company?
• Space Police?
• Fell into Bakery
• Even bangerer music
• Press O to explode?

Rubato is out on March 20th. That much we can report with reasonable confidence. You can read more and try the demo yourself on Itch.io and Steam.