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RAD - Review Thread - Post-postapocalyptic roguelike from Double Fine (Steam/Switch/PS4/XBOX)

Cecil

Cecil

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,447
Reviews are coming in for RAD now, Double Fine's new roguelike game, that they've done with BandaiNamco. It's a post postapocalyptic setting, influenced by the 80's. Because of course it is.

It's been designed/lead by Lee Petty, of Stacking and Headlander fame.




CG Magazine - 9/10
RAD is a fun but challenging Roguelite with some incredibly clever and inventive twists on the formula, while staying true to the base mechanics of the genre. Catchy tunes, gorgeous visuals, and an addictive gameplay loop make for an excellent entry into the stable of games like Dead Cells. It doesn't break the mould but has plenty of innovative and unique qualities to allow it to stand on its own as a fantastic game.
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COGCOnnected - 88/100
RAD is a fun, weird, rogue-like game that is incredibly approachable for all players. Whether you love the challenge of sudden death or you just want to branch out, Double Fine has made a game that caters to both sides and has fun doing it. The heavily 80's inspired content is refreshing and quite enjoyable from the soundtrack and over-saturated colors to cassette tapes and floppy disks as currency.
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Destructoid - 8/10
I've had a lot of fun with RAD, even though I can tell I've really only scratched the surface. Trying to work with suboptimal body modifications is pretty funny in and of itself, and discovering new mutations and lore has been intriguing. I don't think any studio other than Double Fine could have made the post-apocalypse this entertaining.
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Shacknews - 8/10
RAD has a lot to offer, even to those who don't necessarily dig the roguelike genre. The 80s references are going to appeal to every adult of that generation, the world is a beautifully-imagined hellscape, and the controls are refreshingly easy to grasp. The latter certainly isn't perfect, as it'd be nice to be able to switch between items instead of having to drop one before picking something else up and using it. But for beginners, RAD is refreshingly simple to pick up and play.
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Playstation Universe - 8/10
RAD, simply put, is an excellent game. The roguelike elements stand out, especially the hub you upgrade and the bank for saving cash between runs. It makes sure every time you die; you feel you have progressed, even if it's just a little bit. Its music, graphics, and the presentation as a whole are superb.

The synth music and neon artwork scream 1980s and all the old tech makes an old man like me thrilled. Its environments are varied, as are its enemies and it will take you a while to see everything on offer. I'll be playing RAD for a long time to come and it could possibly take its place as my current go-to roguelike.
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Attack of the Fanboys - 8/10
Despite being pretty difficult, RAD is a great game with a fantastic sense of style and fun gameplay that helped make me less frustrated every time I was sent back to the start upon death. RAD's procedurally generated environments and radiation powers, among other things, makes each level interesting and unlike the previous encounter. Along with daily challenges that test your speedrunning skills or provide certain power-ups, there are even more reasons to keep coming back to the game.
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IGN - 7.6/10
RAD is deeper and more challenging than it looks, making it a super fun post-apocalyptic adventure that's always fresh.
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Game Informer - 7.25/10
Frustrating lows and and exciting highs are typical of the rogue-like genre, and in many ways Rad sticks close to the rogue script, but it does manage to set itself apart with its leveling mechanics.
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Techraport - 7/10
RAD is an odd one, no doubt about that. It takes Binding of Isaac-style gameplay but gives you a melee weapon to fend off the mutant hordes. Earning mutations is fun, but upgrades trivialize boss fights while normal enemies get stronger and stronger. RAD has a great world, but the tone wavers between wackiness and a somber quiet. RAD encompasses every Roger Corman post-apocalyptic B-movie movie rolled into one with a scoop of Turbo Kid, a sprinkling of Double Fine weirdness, and a drizzle of roguelite flavor. I can't hope to understand it, but I will be back for seconds.
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Gamespot - 6/10
There are certainly things that make fighting the good fight worth it. The story does take some subtle twists and turns as the largely teenage population of the hub world starts wondering about the point of all these legends. The boss fights get increasingly audacious in design as you go along. I'm still discovering new mutations even on the first upgrade after playing for hours. And despite an element of visual clutter, this is a compellingly colorful world to hang out in for a while. It's just that the joys of Rad require more work than necessary to obtain, and that work can feel awfully thankless at times. Double Fine's hyper-colorful take on an '80s synthpop apocalypse makes for some gratifying nostalgia at the best of times, but there's a reason why, eventually, we all moved on to grunge.
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Troll

Troll

Banned
Nov 10, 2017
3,278
Looking forward to it!
Can't wait to see whet they do with that Microsoft $$
 
Zlug

Zlug

Avatar Artisan
Member
Oct 1, 2018
2,312
Wait.....it's a roguelike?? And it's reviewing well on top of that...

Damnit, another game to buy eh
 

Deleted member 6235

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,447
Kyuuji said:
Which platform?
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PC

SpokkX said:
Does it run in 60 fps on xb/ps4?
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I'm terribly sorry, i'm not sure since i'm playing on PC.

spineduke said:
whats the closest thing this game reminds you of, gameplay wise
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It's combat reminds me a bit of DeathSpank, remember that? But with far more solid reaction to your hits and far more interesting abilities for your character. The mutations are pretty damn cool.
 
Budi

Budi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,883
Finland
Nice to see good reviews. Though honestly it's not a game I would probably be interested if it wasn't from Double Fine, but now I'll keep my eyes on more reviews.
 
9-Volt

9-Volt

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,881
Man there are just too many Diablo-likes coming out in a short period of time. This, Oninaki, Torchlight 2, Darksiders Genesis even that new Asterix game.

But I trust Tim Schafer more than Tokyo RPG guys so RAD is a priority for me.
 
Rhaknar

Rhaknar

Member
Oct 26, 2017
42,589
9-Volt said:
Man there are just too many Diablo-likes coming out in a short period of time. This, Oninaki, Torchlight 2, Darksiders Genesis even that new Asterix game.

But I trust Tim Schafer more than Tokyo RPG guys so RAD is a priority for me.
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Oninaki is nothing like Diablo. Hell the only game in there like Diablo is Torchlight.

People throw around "X-like" way too loosely these days.
 

Deleted member 6235

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,447
hey it's that dog said:
Before you get any abilities or power ups or whatever, does hitting an enemy with your basic attack feel good?
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Extremely good!

spineduke said:
Cool , yes! One more question, does the game have looping?
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Looping you mean as loops that roguelikes generally have? dying, coming back again, getting different abilities and etc?

if it's that, yes it has


Rhaknar said:
Oninaki is nothing like Diablo. Hell the only game in there like Diablo is Torchlight.

People throw around "X-like" way too loosely these days.
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Darksiders Genesis is vaguely like Diablo, but yes, RAD has nothing to do with it, besides being isometric.
 
Zombine

Zombine

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,231
Granjinha said:
PC



I'm terribly sorry, i'm not sure since i'm playing on PC.



It's combat reminds me a bit of DeathSpank, remember that? But with far more solid reaction to your hits and far more interesting abilities for your character. The mutations are pretty damn cool.
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Sold on mentioning DeathSpank. I really miss that excellent series!
 
OP
OP
Cecil

Cecil

Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,447
Ultimadrago said:
I never paid attention and thought it was coming out much later! Going to play it, Cecil?
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Oh yeah, most definitely.

I beta tested it, and while I was sceptical at first, it won me over. DF made some really good changes during the beta where they changed the types and quantity of enemies to make the game flow really good.

My only really concern that remained was how punishing melee combat was against bosses, but it felt really good against more regular enemies.

There's a jump button as well, so you can make pretty sweet jump attacks .

And the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic.
 
Renteka-Bond

Renteka-Bond

Chicken Chaser
Member
Dec 28, 2017
4,271
Clearwater, Florida
Glad to see it review well. Was in the Beta as well and had a decent time with it.

I have a good amount of Eshop money sitting, so I'm thinking about getting it there, but I'd like to see a review for it first, cause it looked a little rough. If not, I'll grab it on PC before release for the Preorder stuff. Happy to support Double Fine.
 
GDGF

GDGF

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,313
I need to see it running on switch again. Hope they put the time needed in.
 
OneBadMutha

OneBadMutha

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,059
Reviews are good enough for me. Looks like my type of game. Love Double Fine. Only wonder what the chances are that it's coming to Game Pass.
 
Piston

Piston

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,165
Giant Bomb wasn't super high on this in their impressions during Bombcast this week. They said the combat felt sluggish and options were pretty narrow to start. So I was surprised to see universally good scores here.

Maybe it opens up a bit and feels better as a roguelike the more you unlock.
 
Waffle-Stomper

Waffle-Stomper

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
839
double fine/namco/mega64 is doing the release live stream on twitch tonight!

I got invited to the beta but I didn't have an opportunity to help out :(
still excited nonetheless
 
Jakisthe

Jakisthe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,573
Am I the only one who read that title and briefly thought it was about the giant robot game on PS2?
 
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