Sometimes it’s all right for developers to give up their babies. It just depends on whom they’re handing them to. When id Software let MachineGames work on “Wolfenstein,” the studio took the series to new heights.

With “Rage 2,” Avalanche Studio could be on the same trajectory. The original introduced players to a postapocalyptic earth that was hit by an asteroid. The disaster created a wasteland where survivors fought mutants and each other for limited resources. Players took on the role of Nicholas Raine, an Ark inhabitant who awakes years of the catastrophe. The Arks were a series of dwellings buried underground that were meant to keep people alive after the cataclysm.

Players had to defeat the greatest threat in “Rage,” which is the Authority, a corrupt cadre of Ark inhabitants who serve Gen. Martin Cross. The first game set the foundation, and it appears as if “Rage 2” is the game that will cash in on the rich world that id Software envisioned.

Set 30 years after the original, “Rage 2” is a game that stands on its own, according to Tim Willits, id Software studio director. Players take the role of Walker, a range from the settlement of Vineland. Players can make the protagonist a man or a woman. The Authority attacks the enclave, and being one of the survivors, players have to venture into the wasteland for revenge.

A NEW HERO EMERGES

Similar to the hero in the original, Walker has Nanotrites that give Walker special abilities. In “Rage 2,” those powers include a quick dash, a push, a ground slam, a vortex grenade and a shield. Players can combo these abilities to creatively kill their adversaries.

The combat is reminiscent of “Bulletstorm.” It’s quick and responsive, hallmarks of an id game. The abilities do have a cooldown, but it’s quick enough that players won’t have a problem spamming the moves or at least experimenting with them. Willits said the gunplay and powers are designed to bring players into the gunfights.

Players do have a Hyper Cannon, which is a rail gun, but they’ll have the most fun by engaging enemies up close. They also have the overdrive mode that powers up over time, and once activated, it gives players enhanced damage and quicker speed for a limited time.

The other part of the combat is the weapons, which have alternate firing modes. For example, the firestorm pistol can be rapidly fired and the bullets can then be exploded dealing more damage. The shotgun works normally when players fire from the hip but aiming down the ironsight activates a concussive blast that sends foes flying. The other notable weapon is a gravity gun that shoots darts and then lets players shoot a marker that attracts the darts and whatever object they’re stuck to. It’s a weapon that has potential for creativity and reminds me of some of the tools in Avalanche’s other franchise “Just Cause.”

(Interestingly enough, “Rage 2” is built on Avalanche’s Apex engine and not id Tech 6.)

As far as the campaign goes, veterans of the first game will notice returning characters or their offspring. They’ll still be battling the Cross and the Authority, but the world of “Rage 2” has drastically expanded. It’s a hugely open world with several different biomes. It won’t be limited to to desert wasteland. Players will see marshlands and forests, and each zone is filled with different postapocalyptic gangs.

Thankfully, players have several forms of transportation. There’s a gyrocopter for air travel. Monster trucks, cars and motorcycles allows players to cover the ground in a world that’s much larger and denser than the previous one.

EXPLORING THE WORLD

In the short time I played with the game, I explored the region around Wellspring. I visited the mayor, Loosum Hagar, who was having trouble with Klegg Clayton, one of the richest men in the wasteland who also happened to have a mysterious backer. Players have to investigate him, but to gain access to his club called the Winner’s Lounge, Walker has to become a winner.

This leads players to a series of missions where they have to participate in Mutant Bash TV (Yes, that’s apparently still around.) and the Chazcar Derby. These two missions offer a taste of the gameplay. Mutant Bash TV is a survival mode, where players enter different rooms, and they’ll have to defeat waves of mutants while avoiding dangerous obstacles. It’s a way to practice the combat combos that can make “Rage 2” addictive to play.

Chazcar Derby is a two-lap race and shows off the driving mehcanics. Don’t expect a sim racer. “Rage 2’s” driving mechanics has a gas button, a reverse button and hand brake. Players also have a turbo button to speed up, but taking corners can be awkward. It’s not intuitive and the oddly squirrelly racing will require adjustment time.

FRESH TAKE ON PROGRESSION SYSTEM

What’s interesting is how Avalanche is designing the upgrade system. It’s done through the three main dagger characters in the campaign: John Marshall, Loosum Hagar and Dr. Kvasir. Players fulfill missions and take out outposts and earn project points that they can use to buy upgrades from each dagger character such as the ability to analyze weak points in cars or knock grenades back at enemies.

It’s an interesting twist to the progression system. By tightly intertwining the progression to the missions, it pushes players to explore the world and tackle some of the side missions they may run across. There are different tiers for upgrades and I assume that accomplishing the missions for each dagger character will unlock more tiers.

Willits said players will be able to fill up each of the trees that are divided between the three character, but it will take a long time. In addition, the nanotrite powers have four levels and players can power them up with feltrite they collect.

The last notable element about “Rage 2” is that the Avalanche and id Software eased up on the seriousness of the original. In terms of tone, the game lies somewhere between “Borderlands” and “Mad Max.” It has fun characters, but they fit within the world without being over-the-top. It hits the right spot and makes the world and mythology of “Rage 2” something that players want to explore.

“Rage 2” is scheduled for release on May 14 on the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.