Bethesda Softworks (the publisher behind great titles like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls), has released the official launch trailer for the much-anticipated Rage 2. Developed by Avalanche Studios and Id Software, the game which is the sequel to Rage (released in 2011 for seventh generation consoles) is a high-wire, open-world first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic 2165.
Rage 2‘s launch trailer is a colorful, fast-paced, cathartic and humoristically narrated, 3-minute affair filled with explosive combat, a slew of villains and monsters, and features a cast of over-the-top, gritty, and comedically-inclined characters. And, for reasons that may be purely artistic, a lot of the gameplay footage is in reverse – leading to a quite interesting conclusion.
The game, which had slipped in and out of active development since around 2012 due to the focus on various projects, was revealed on May 14, 2018, and will be released on May 14, 2019, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Gameplay-wise, it features a range of vehicles, weapons, abilities, customizations, and a unique “overdrive” capability. The open-world has jungles, wetlands, and tundras, and it will be free to explore in its entirety from the start of the game.
Unlike the first Rage, the second will have a stronger emphasis on story/narrative. Rage 2 director Magnus Nedfors stopped by VG24/7 to divulge some insight about the making of Rage 2. He explained that the game will have a story but that the ‘free open-world’ aspect of the game will still be at the forefront of the experience. In alignment with that objective, he said the open-world was designed so that it would not be “at service to [the story],” rather, there will be a focus on smaller stories “to compliment [the] open-world.”
If Rage 2 manages to hit the right notes just as the original did back in 2011 and score a few quality points in the plot department, it may just go down as one of the best games of 2019.
Watch some exciting Rage 2 gameplay footage below.
