Now, I’m not gonna claim to be the world’s biggest fan of rogue-likes. In fact, when I think about it, I can count on one hand the rogue-likes that I’d consider great. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Rogue Legacy, and Rampage Knights. There are more I need to delve into, but for now, those are the three I have incredibly fond memories of and considerable playtime in. Sadly for RAD, it won’t quite make my “rogue-likes I really like” list.
Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, RAD puts you in the shoes of a teenager who must venture out into the Fallows beyond your camp of survivors to try and restore life to this desolate world populated by mutants and monsters. You’ll often be met with failure, so you just take control of the next teen sent on their merry way.
As you play your character absorbs radiation to gain fantastical abilities, and these mutations are the most enjoyable aspect of the game in my opinion. They’re crazy and imaginative, and when you have a hybrid of powers at your disposal it can make for some incredibly unique combat strategies. As an example, in one playthrough I had bat wings and a buddy that could be made to explode, so I would throw the buddy at enemies and use my wings to get the hell away before I blew them up for massive damage. Besides your mutations, you also have a trusty bat to thwack and attack with, and a dodge roll to evade at a moment’s notice.
Each run follows a very set pattern. In world 1-1, you must trigger two switches to fight a boss and progress. In world 1-2, it’s three switches. Then world 2-1 has two again, but this time in underground dungeons. Then world 2-2 has three again. And so on. There isn’t much variety in objectives unfortunately. Without the massive range of powers, items, and random encounters with the local wildlife, each run would be a rather boring affair.
Once you start seeing repeated mutations it does start to feel a bit stale, but there is more than enough to do before you reach that point. You could stumble across a piece of lore, a mutant camp in the wasteland, shopkeepers, mini-bosses, teleporters. It’s impossible to predict exactly how a run will come together when you venture out from your small town.
And funnily enough, the small town turned out to be my favourite part of the game. It’s here that Double Fine’s world-building and writing really shines, as opposed to the rather basic combat gameplay out in the Fallows. In the town, there are unique and charming characters that’ll request you find a specific plant for them, or build their business around you purchasing items with your hard earned cassette tapes (cause the currency is tapes now, deal with it).
You get to return here between levels to save and take a break if you can’t keep playing, and I’m so glad they devoted so much attention to it. I had a great laugh attacking people just so they’d respond with a funny line telling me to back off. And the most impressive thing I found is that people will comment on the specific mutations that you currently have. There are dozens of mutations here, and still, the people have a line ready for them! It’s genuinely brilliant.
RAD is wrapped together beautifully with a neon 80’s flair that really brings the world to life as well. The soundtrack reminds me of music I’ve picked up from my parents, including one track that screams Take on Me by a-ha. The game is full of vibrant greens and purples especially, and the environments are populated with soda cans, retro TVs, and dusty old cars. You even acquire floppy disks to use as keys for chests around the map. Artifacts are inspired by this era as well, so you’ll find puzzle cubes and tape players to give you benefits like more info on your mini-map or double tape earnings.
The only place where RAD sadly falls apart for me is with combat difficulty. Your primary weapon, the bat, is useless compared to most mutations, and the mutations aren’t that much stronger. It’ll always take several hits to kill most enemies. And as soon as you have a long-range attack, most encounters become a case of keeping your distance and spitting projectiles. Short-range combat is simply too risky as most enemies attack with extremely quick telegraphing, leaving no time to react and dodge away. It’s better to play it safe, even more so when a run can take over an hour to complete and losses are so disheartening when you can practically taste the finish. I feel like extending attack telegraphs would help a lot with this, as I wouldn’t feel as terrified of approaching an enemy with my bat as opposed to taking the slower, safer approach which is remarkably less fun.
RAD is a blast to play for many reasons, but gameplay isn’t one of them. The rogue-lite nature discourages engaging in combat in the most fun way, instead promoting safe and often boring approaches. The interesting world, unique abilities, and frequent unlocks help a lot with the longevity but eventually, I can see myself even growing bored of those. There’s a lot I loved from the 80’s vibe to the bright colours and distinct art-style, but the gameplay just isn’t quite there for me, and that’s what is gonna keep anyone playing long after they’ve seen everything. With some re-balancing it could be great, but for now, it’s not bad, not rad either. It’s just kinda, OK.
A digital copy of RAD for PS4 was provided by the developer.
Find RAD on PS4 here: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0700-CUSA13879_00-RADTHEGAME000000