It's a Rage 2 Kind of Mood
Written for TurtleBeach
This past week Rage 2 was released on all major platforms, and with it came a shining example of iteration with a shift in tone not often seen in the video game industry today. You see, the first Rage game had something special, but it didn’t get the love it deserved due to an untimely mix of wrong mood and better competition. It was ahead of its time, and yet too late.
This time around, the folks working on Rage 2 would attempt to find a better showcase for the greatness within it. It was time to inject some chaos into a drab world and chalk the original outing up to a failure of mood.
POST-APOCALYPTIC SAD-FEST
Back when Rage 1 was released in 2011, the world was clamoring for spectacles. This is the same year that would see gamers get The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Portal 2, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It was just a poor moment to bring a post-apocalyptic sad-fest to the gaming universe.
So, how does a developer breathe new life into a beige game?
AVALANCHE STUDIOS
First, you start by inviting your friends over. In this case, those friends are the exemplary vehicular combat and open-world specialists from Avalanche Studios. This team would revolutionize the exploration and travel experience of Rage 2, making it a pertinent and enjoyable portion of the game.
BALANCING CHAOS
Once you’ve done that, you throw out your attempt to stay vigilant with seriousness, and fuel the party with just a touch of over-the-top chaos.
Every bit of magical marketing for Rage 2 has gone to great lengths to advertise their second at-bat as a whimsical and crazy open-world shooter, but coming into Rage 2 thinking it’s going to be all fun and games would do it a disservice. This game manages to strike a neat balance between somber tones and chaotic good. Somehow, Rage 2 avoids becoming too much like other goofy shooters, and maintains a meaningful tone in the actual story and world.
In recent news, Gearbox Software revealed to the world Borderlands 3, a game that has gone on to fully lean into their crazy antics. The collective behind Rage 2 could have easily made this design choice as well, but it would have suffered for it. Instead, they went after a solid mix of moods.
FUN ABILITIES
With the help of genetic augmentation, players can kit out their Ranger with the ability to double-jump, or hover in the air. You can have a force push ability, and even enter an Overdrive state that amplifies all of your damage, movement, and shooting speed. Partner these enhancements with upgradeable weapons and multiple arenas for chaos, and you’ve got yourself a fun vacation in the wasteland.
MUTANT BASH TV
One of those crazy treats found in the wasteland is the Mutant Bash TV arena, a wild reality television show that pits a contestant up against waves of mutans on a gradually rising difficulty scale. Before entering, you can apply varied challenges to your MBTV experience, like Rocket Launcher only, or Ranger Mode (Wingstick and Pistol), creating even more antics. Contestants can earn bigger prize pools by performing the most exciting action in the arena.
It’s opportunities, and design choices like MBTV that have been baked into the gameplay throughout the entire Rage 2 experience. It dusts off the old tomb and tells a fresh story in the Rage world by hurling spots of color onto an otherwise bleak post-apocalyptic canvas. These tiny moments of “wow!” are what make Rage 2 a game to be enjoyed for hours on end. Time will tell if the changes were enough to set Rage 2 apart, we can certainly say it went out of its way to add something new to the game.
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Footage and Stills - https://press.bethsoft.com
