Heard about the game Rad but got no clue if it’s worth buying? Here are my thoughts on this title, which I grabbed a recent sale from Bandai Namco Entertainment.
So first things first. Rad was developed by Double Fine (Psychonauts, Costume Quest, Brütal Legend) and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It’s a roguelike game that takes place in a post-post-apocalyptic world. What does that mean? Basically, the world as we know it got destroyed, and during the rebuilding, they didn’t do too well, and everything went down the gutter once more.
Rad is the eightiest roguelike around
In Rad, everything screams 80s to the player, and it’s pure joy. The scenery is a bit of a mix between retro-futuristic surroundings and, of course, some outside areas with wildly mutated flora and fauna. The background music relies heavily on synthesizers and other style elements that give you an 80s feeling, and of course, you’ll deal with tapes, floppy disks, CRT TVs, and other technologic remains from this era.
But what is the game like? Like it’s the case with many roguelike games, death is somehow a part of the game mechanic. If the character dies, it’s permanently, but the next will directly take over, and you’ll be able to play once more. Some aspects of the progress will be saved, but others will be lost.
Looking for a roguelike with RPG vibe: Have a look at Moonlighter
Your character doesn’t level up in an RPG sense. Still, you benefit from the radiation of your surroundings and the creatures and develop some mutations from which some are more useful than others. Still, it’s pretty random how your character will develop. In addition to that, you can also sometimes have encounters that help you with the mutations to gain some perks, or you spend some of the game’s currency to buy gadgets at stores.
What do you need to do in Rad?
The game’s objective is to explore an area, activate a couple of machines, then access the boss dungeon, and if you’re lucky, you’ll survive and move on to the next area. You can deposit all the money you collect in between the stages in the scrap village’s bank and later take some out, in case you want to buy something, even after your character died. If you don’t do that, it will be lost with any death occurrence.
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It’s undoubtedly no AAA title and never aspired to be one, but it’s got sufficient story elements to send you on your path. It comes with great music, it has a pretty cool narrator, all gadgets and mutations are pretty funky, and the 80s vibe is really well done. I think with this title Double Fine did everything right, and if you’re in the mood for a roguelike game, you should definitely check at Rad.
If you want to get a better feeling for the game, you can also check out the video footage we prepared below.
YouTube: Let’s Play Rad [Gameplay, No Commentary]
Photo credit: All material shown is owned by Double Fine and Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Editorial notice: The author played the game for about 100 minutes before writing this review.
