The first Rage has an interesting place in id Software’s legacy.

It was supposed to be the next evolution in first person shooters, putting the newest version of id’s engine to the test with glorious open world, post-apocalyptic mayhem. It promised quite a lot, and expectations were high.

It was released to mixed reviews. Though it looked fantastic for the time, many found it overly simplistic and linear, and the acrimonious (and mostly unfair) phrase “tech demo” was heard frequently in critical discussion.

In retrospect, it was by no means a bad game, but it didn’t exactly set the world on fire when it was released in 2011. It’s been largely forgotten, especially when compared to other heavy hitting id franchises like Doom and Quake.

rage-2-hands-on-5.jpg That’s why everyone was surprised when Bethesda announced the title would be getting a sequel nearly a decade later. The creatively titled Rage 2 is aiming to be more in line with those original expectations, and to that end, id has paired up with seasoned open world developer Avalanche to help realize the initial vision.

In addition to a larger scope and more diverse combat, Rage 2 is also embracing a more over the top sensibility, as well as more of an emphasis on color and varied environments when compared to the dreary greys and browns of the original.

In many ways it’s a very different game than the original, and the marriage of open world expertise combined with the shooting id has always prioritized make for some interesting changes.

A colorful update

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One of the most clear changes is the tone, both visually and narratively. The original Rage played the post-apocalyptic scenario pretty straight. A comet hit the earth, and you survive on an Ark (think Fallout’s Vaults, only round,) only to emerge into the dusty wasteland filled with mutants and the worst of humanity.

Sound familiar?

Rage certainly didn’t push any new boundaries when it came to narrative, and the same is true in Rage 2. With the sequel however, there is significantly more emphasis on interesting characters, more diverse settings, and color to break up the bleak landscapes.

The explanation for the more verdant maps is the inclusion of “biomes,” essentially Arks that fell from space and seeded the world with life, bringing the previously arid environment some much needed variety.

According to Studio Director and longtime id alumni Tim Willits, this decision motivated them to continue to add color throughout the game. Now you’ll see neon smoke across the horizon, characters running around with brightly colored clothes and mohawks, adding an almost cyberpunk aesthetic to the previously familiar Rage color palette.

While these changes certainly set Rage 2 apart, I’m not a huge fan of the tone exemplified by trailers like this:

-but I respect the fact they are taking a risk, and am looking forward to seeing how it all ties together as a whole.

An open world Avalanche

The original Rage may have been a little too ambitious given the hardware limitations of the time. The original intent was a huge, varied post-apocalyptic open world with vehicular combat and massive spaces to explore, but that’s not the product we ended up with. Rage was riddled with load screens, and the vehicular combat sections, while fun, felt like an entirely separate game from the FPS action id Studios is known for. It felt compartmentalized in a way that didn’t serve the vision.

For everything Rage did right, it seemed like it wanted to be so much more.

Rage 2, on the other hand, appears to be a truly open world, where vehicular combat transitions seamlessly into visceral first person shooting and exploration of the large map. In almost every facet of Rage 2 you can feel the touch of Avalanche Studios, from the way the vehicles handle, to the over-the-top physics based powers and weapons.

Rage 2 is being created with Avalanche Studios' Apex game engine as opposed to id Tech, and it shows. This is an interesting partnership, and the results are a fascinating mix of the two developers footprints. Rage 2 is just as much Just Cause as it is the original Rage and Doom. How you feel about that combination will go a long way to whether or not this game is for you.

Regardless of your thoughts on Avalanche’s past work, there is no question that Rage 2 is an ambitious, intriguing, and technically proficient open world that is much closer to what the original title was hoping to accomplish.

Combat and weapons

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One of the game’s biggest strengths is the combat, as you’d expect from the creators of Doom and Quake. Shooting mechanics are solid all around, it wouldn't be an id game if it didn’t have the heavy, polished shooting mechanics we’ve come to expect, but it’s also punctuated by extensive physics based abilities that allow for some truly interesting combinations.

As you’ll see in the following gameplay video, you can create barriers, use telekinesis to throw people around, and, my personal favorite, leap into the air and slam the ground with enough force to propel everyone into the air and make short work of them with your numerous weapons.

This footage was provided by studio, but it does a great job of showing the diverse ways you can approach combat, as well as the new emphasis on color and visuals.

Though there have certainly been super powers in games before (think Bioshock or any Arkane Studios title) but they’re particularly satisfying here. Combine this with some very creative weaponry (my particular favorite being a gun whose ammo essentially acts as a miniature rockets that can propel your foe in a direction of your choosing) and you’re looking at some remarkably varied and engaging combat.

Anything can get repetitive eventually, and though the hour and a half wasn’t long enough to know if repetition will become an issue, having all these tools of destruction at your fingertips should go a long way toward relieving the combat fatigue that sometimes plagues open world titles.

A hopefully new world

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My time with Rage 2 was thoroughly entertaining, with the combat being a particular highlight. The world certainly feels more open and cohesive than the original, and I like to think this is what the original creators envisioned, at least from a technology perspective.

My only concern is that nothing I experienced felt particularly new. The aesthetics, despite the addition of color, are instantly recognizable post apocalyptic combat and vehicle tropes we’ve seen countless times since Road Warrior; see Avalanche’s own Mad Max for a clear example.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with using existing tropes, and pairing Avalanche’s open world shenanigans with id Studios’ polished shooting could certainly result in a heady brew of fun mechanics, but I’m hoping for more conceptually novel content from the finished product.

I doubt I even scratched the surface of what Rage 2’s world has to offer, so I have every reason to be optimistic.

Rage 2 is scheduled for release on May 14th, for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.