Rad

Developed by Double Fine, – most known for their work on Brutal Legend and Psychonauts – RAD has that trademark cartoony flavor dripping in every corner of this simple yet challengingly addictive rogue-like adventure. You’ll start out with four of eight children to choose from for your journey, as the town elder – the only character who gets a breathing apparatus during the post-post-apocalypse – asks one of the children to embark into the wild, irradiated lands to save the town. You’ll willingly be “remade” using ancient technology that allows you to absorb radiation and mutate to become more...

For those that love roguelikes or for those that have been looking to give the genre a try, you can't go wrong with RAD and experiencing yet another imaginative title from Double Fine.

RAD is a fantastic roguelike that creates a world worth fighting for and a game well worth playing over and over again.

However you feel about Rogue-like games though, there’s no denying how intoxicating RAD can be. Even if you’re unlucky enough to die in the first few minutes, you’ll want to dust yourself off and jump straight back into the fray. Daily challenges and leaderboards add another element to the game if you’re into chasing high scores, but for me the real draw is just seeing how far I can get. With multiple endings to uncover, there are plenty of reasons to keep jumping back in, too. Dying frequently may be frustrating, but RAD‘s mutation system and trippy 80s vibe make it a unique adventure that’s ...

Rad is about what you expect from the modern rogue-like game in terms of features and structure.  If you dig the 80's aesthetic, or rogue-likes in general, there's a game that you can sink many hours into here.

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.

RAD has that unique Double Fine touch. While combat wavers between difficult and unsatisfying, mutations and exploration create that "one more run" magic. It's a solid experience that will satisfy any post-apocalyptic enthusiast.

To its credit, runs are never wasted - cumulative attempts will unlock more shop items, weapons and game modes for future characters, and after each level you have the option to bank your money so future characters can withdraw it, or pay on credit. There are lots of secrets, and the possible combinations of mutations available can make runs very different. Enemies are well distinguished from each other, and when things are going well, it feels good to play.

RAD is a lot deeper than it looks at first glance, and a lot more challenging too. Both are good things, and the procedurally generated layouts and mutations guarantee that variety will always be served. Sometimes you’ll play for minutes and other times for hours – I’m about eight hours deep so far – but the more time you spend with RAD, the more likely you are to click “New Run” when you finally die.

RAD is, for better or worse, like many of Double Fine’s other titles: A game with a great premise and aesthetic bogged down by technical issues and incongruent gameplay mechanics.

Neon flair can't stop Rad's painfully average action.

I live, I die, I live again.