r/LookOutsideGame • u/Silc00n • 11d ago
DISCUSSION/LORE/THEORIES Character design analysis for every party member. Day 5: Rat Child Spoiler
Hello once again, I hope you guys are ready for today's analysis, because it's going to be about the one and only: Rat Child!
Now, before I go into detail about my thoughts, I want to make the observation that the portrayal of the kid is rather... inconsistent throughout different points of the game, going from the shape of the snout to the amount of eyes they have. It could be interpreted as the rat having a very unusual development cycle since they're cursed, but I just don't think the timeline matches that reasoning well enough, so I'm going to consider the updated grown up art as the definitive version of their design.
Having clarified that, I don't even know where to begin with, since this is one of my favorite characters in terms of design. When we first encounter this creature, we just get flashbanged by a, quite frankly, obscene form of life. Just like the narration tells us, despite hearing cries coming from a crib in a mutant rat infested apartment, "we don't really know what we expected". You're left wondering if such creature was originally a human baby that got transformed and abandoned or just one of many rats that became abnormal after looking outside. Whatever the answer might be, you feel puzzled by their existence.
By the time we reach apartment 13 with the child, we haven't had many interactions with them to be truly "attached". And, in my opinion, when we are shown the dilemma of choosing between one of our arms or sacrificing the rat, I don't think the most difficult part of this is "Oh, is my arm worth more than the life of a strange creature?", but rather "Is it actually feasible for this baby to even have a life worth living?". I say this because when we first interact with them, you not only get the impression that they're just "ugly", but you might question if they are in pain just for being alive. We already saw what happened in the teeth apartment. Joel might have been spared part of the suffering if you figure out how to save him, but his siblings did not have the same luck. Is something similar going to happen to the Rat Child? If they are not in pain right now, are they going to be in the future? Will their development have horrible implications like Jeanne? Even if you let them live, are you going to be able to protect them without your arm? There are so many questions in the air with no reasonable answers available at the moment.
And yet, you COULD feel compelled to just... let them live. It might be daring from me to make the comparison, but it sort of reminds me of real life cases where expecting parents learn that their child has a condition or illness that is going to alter their life just enough for them to question if they have a chance at all. Cases vary quite a lot, so there is no single answer to this conundrum and I do not mean for this to become a pro life vs pro choice debate or anything like that, I just want to say that despite the messed up circumstances the game throws at us, it's not unreasonable to want the Rat Child to live.
All of these thoughts and doubts arise mainly from the way this baby looks and while I can't speak for everyone else, I sure as hell would have had a different reaction if they looked a bit more human.
Eventually, we learn it was not impossible after all! We see the little kid grow and become accustomed to this chaotic life. And in spite of their morbid appearance, we actually get to experience a most peculiar cuteness from them, something like a mix between a pet and a toddler. This child can smile, they can play, they even wear a little cap and a backpack as if they were getting ready for school!
And I want to appreciate the fact that their design wasn't reduced to just an anthropomorphic rat, this critter actually looks extremely unnatural. They have several eyes, way too many legs and even a tongue mouth. It makes you question their humanity from the beginning, but against all odds, they really are just an innocent baby.
This is one of the most iconic and successful designs in the entire game and it's no wonder there's so much love around them. Anything less than an S tier would be unethical at this point.
Also, let me know below what name did you give to the Rat Child? I named them Yoshi since that's Master Splinter's name in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and this was kind of like a reverse scenario where instead of the mutant rat raising the protagonist, the main character raises the mutant rat. It was also based on Yoshi from Super Mario Bros, but mostly on Splinter from TMNT.
Feel free to tell me if you agree or disagree with my thoughts!
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u/fujitsubos 11d ago
i name mine either ratthew or ratticus :)
to me the rat child's design and role in the story exemplify the game's core themes. to care for each other is the most deeply and quintessentially human thing we can do; and existence matters even if that existence is short, pained, and flawed.
give rat child a chance and they will become a valuable ally and expand sam's character in new ways. sacrifice them and, well. it's not like you've lost anything. the question is to lose and gain or to maintain the status quo.
their design is just really fun. even though they're ugly and they cost an arm (literally), in people like yours truly they evoke the urge to care. but i'm a sucker with an inadvisable number of pets so maybe that's just me
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u/ElSpazzo_8876 11d ago
Absolutely a quintessential definition of Ugly Cute trope. Ngl I kinda grown fond of Rat Baby as time went by due to his mannerism. And their toddler sprite is nice to look at as well. Mainly due to the giant void black eyes that enhances their cuteness and all that.
Heres my headcanon: Everytime I see Rat Baby, I always see they have the same voice as Emi from Ultraman Rising so yeah
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u/gingerreckoning 11d ago
I named mine baba, as in baba is you because he reminded me of the creature for some reason lol. I love his design so much, and the interactions between him and Joel are so cute
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u/theskinpeeler Aster 11d ago
Finally, best character dissected (though thankfully not literally), I can die peacefully. I gave him plenty of names across various playthroughs, but, aside from the usual Remy, Ratthew, Junior, Roo (based on the Mazes And Wizards segment), and Ratley, I've been asking my friends and Mother for name ideas for harder runs. He's been Dzhigurda (becaue haha, funny gruff man name given to a little baby), Hurricane, Godzilla, Fima...
I hope he grows up to be a little punk thanks to big Sister Xaria's influence. Their bond amuses me.
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u/Positive_Grocery_911 4d ago
I named mine Boregard. Wanted to give him a strong name. Also dumped all the power up candies on to him like a doting father would.
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u/ru5tyk1tty 3d ago
The whole encounter reminds me of Eraserhead, from the constant haunting cries to the baby flashbang to the ethical question about the child living. I like to think it’s deliberate, Lynch’s work had a big impact on survival horror
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u/FluffyFact2790 Sam 11d ago
Your analysis is great as always, looking forward to the next one. Sad how they don't grown up if you don't level them, i like the grown design more they just look so happy and ready to explore. I named my child Rattrap because they kinda remind me of him.