Montreal, Canada, December 13, 2024 | Alblune, the Montreal-based indie game development studio, is excited to announce its partnership with Rat Way Sanctuary. Based in Portland, OR, Rat Way Sanctuary provides advanced care and support to rats in need, utilizing community funding to help these animals in the Pacific Northwest region. Through this partnership, both parties are spreading the word about caring for these small animals–and solving a puzzle or two along the way.
Puzzles with Paws
Alblune is a two-person video game development studio located in Montreal. Their PC and console games combine the latest in game design with the team’s other love: rodents. Their first project, The Spirit and the Mouse, was released in 2022 and follows a tiny mouse around her quaint French village. Recently, Alblune announced Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, their latest video game launch coming early next year. Squeakross combines traditional nonogram puzzles with interior decorating, letting players solve puzzles to unlock furniture for their rodent friend’s new home!
Partnering with Rat Way Sanctuary
Leveraging their platform to spread the word about rodent rescues and proper care, Alblune has partnered with Rat Way Sanctuary to raise awareness for the non-profit’s efforts. Ray Way Sanctuary, based in Portland, OR, specializes in providing advanced care for the most vulnerable animals: seniors, rats with acute or chronic medical needs, and the behaviorally challenged. The Rat Way team provides a safety net for these animals and gives them a permanent home where all their needs will be met.
Rat Way Sanctuary is featured in Squeakross’s in-game mail system to share goodwill with rodent lovers and gamers alike. The sanctuary provides relevant facts and tips for caring for real-life rodents through the in-game mail. Both parties hope this will inspire players interested in supporting a relevant cause and inform them of the ways they can care for the small animals in their lives.
Alblune, followers of Rat Way Sanctuary on their social media, see this as a prime opportunity to educate their players on proper care for these animals.
We first heard about Rat Way Sanctuary from Instagram. We found them because some of the rat artists we were following made art for their merch! Naturally, being fans of rodents, it piqued our interest.
Their mission of rescuing and supporting rats who need continuous medical care is admirable! Rodent pets generally cost very little to adopt, but sometimes they can have challenging health issues that may cost a lot in the long run. I’m very glad there are sanctuaries like them willing to provide everything to their residents!
For us, it’s very important to increase visibility about these organizations and pet care in general. Many people don’t want to spend too much on vet bills or think it’s not worth it for smaller pets, but those lives are precious and deserve all the care! I hope our game will open up more people about how cute rodents are.
Rat Way Sanctuary hopes that Alblune’s considerate and positive representation of rodents will shed new light on these furry friends.
At Rat Way Sanctuary, our mission is to provide compassionate, quality care to the most vulnerable rats and advocate for ethical rat-keeping everywhere. We are a team of four highly dedicated humans with many years of experience and a passion for helping rats who need a little extra care and support. We specialize in providing advanced care for the most vulnerable animals: seniors, rats with acute or chronic medical needs, and the behaviorally challenged. We aim to provide a safety net for these animals and give them a permanent home where all their needs will be met.
We were very excited when the Alblune team reached out to us, wanting to include educational content in Squeakross! We are always thrilled to see positive portrayals of rats in the media. They are intelligent, loving creatures who do not deserve the negativity that often surrounds them. We are especially happy that the Alblune team is committed to providing accurate and helpful information on rat care, and we look forward to sharing our passion for rats with Squeakross players!
Information on Rat Way Sanctuary’s efforts and donation opportunities is available on their website. Alblune’s latest title, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, will be available early next year. A preview of the game is now available on PC and Mac!
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About Alblune
Alblune is a small indie game development studio composed of Alexandre Stroukoff and Luka Lescuyer. They released their first game, "The Spirit and the Mouse," on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation in 2022. Alblune aims to create non-violent, immersive games that can appeal to people of all ages. Obsessed with rodents, they also can't help but include their furry friends in their games.
About Rat Way Sanctuary
We are a team of four highly dedicated humans with many years of experience and a passion for helping rats who need a little extra care and support. We specialize in providing advanced care for the most vulnerable animals: seniors, rats with acute or chronic medical needs, and the behaviorally challenged. We aim to provide a safety net for these animals and give them a permanent home, where all their needs will be met. Our goal is to relieve some of the burden on the rescues in the PNW, allowing them to free up resources and focus on what they do best–matching pets with their perfect forever homes.