Double Fine is back, and this time, they’re bringing their patented style of wit and humor to a genre I’ve never seen them do before. This should be interesting.
The largely 80s-inspired, synth-backed and very colorful Rad has been given a release date of August 20. The title is a rogue-like, and is helmed by none other than Lee Petty, the man behind some of Double Fine’s best contemporary work: the sci-fi Metroidvania platformer Headlander and the incredibly unique puzzle title Stacking. It’s exciting to see how this will play out, given that Rad is Double Fine’s first attempt at a proper rogue-like.
Double Fine has released an official reveal trailer, which you can see below.
The trailer starts off with the establishment of the in-game world, which is a pretty straightforward one. The world is in shambles after being "twice destroyed." This means it's up to you to bring back peace and prosperity.
Cue the 80s synth music. The game looks and sounds good, with your character traversing the ruins of a desolate planet destroyed by what looks like a nuclear apocalypse. Rad plays out with an isometric, over-the-top camera. Your player character is armed with a bat, and travels the wastelands killing various mutants.
What makes this game special is the fact that you can trigger mutations, which gives your player special powers (at the cost of becoming some sort of monstrosity). The trailer showed some mutations available in the game, like turning your head into a cobra's that can instagib some enemies from a range, getting a mutated giant arm that allows you to throw projectiles, or legs that let you dodge quicker and place tendrils on the ground. As a bonus, you also get access to underlings, which you give birth to like a spider. It’s quirky, it’s colorful and it looks like a Double Fine title – what’s not to like?
There were a whole host of mutations shown in the video, and I think that will be the main draw here. I, for one, can’t wait to try it out, and if the past is any evidence, Lee Petty of Double Fine has done it again.
Rad is set to be released on August 20 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC. You can opt into a closed beta right here.
