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RAD RODGERS (PS4)
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Publisher: THQ Nordic.
Developer: Slipgate Ironworks. Released: February 2018. Genre: 2D Platformer; Run 'n' Gun. Other versions: XONE; SWI; PC. Posted 4th July 2021. By Tom Clare © 2021 |
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A cursory glance at Rad Rodgers’ box art reveals what appears an almost total embodiment of the nineties run ‘n’ gun, drawing instant comparisons with Amiga blaster Ruff ‘n’ Tumble. However, whilst catering for a serviceable amount of blasting, jumping and item-collecting, the result is strangely unsatisfying. This is likely a legacy of the game’s unremarkable mechanics, unmemorable level design and disappointingly noticeable catalogue of bugs and blemishes.
After a night of gaming, young Rad Rodgers gets sucked into his TV by a vortex. He ends up in a game and what’s more, his console Dusty has come to life and attached himself as a snarky side-kick. As well as dispensing bits of wisdom, Dusty comes with the added benefit of being voiced by Duke Nukem himself, Jon St. John. Expansive 2D environments see Rad collecting four key pieces to unlock the exit at the end of the level. Along the way, he’ll collect all the staples of a nineties-throwback action game: gems, extra lives and weaponry power-ups.
The game offers a few bright spots visually, but lumbers under bloated, unexciting level design
There are ten stages (though the blurb claims there are only seven), each interspersed by a mini-game. These include a couple of lacklustre pinball tables (better than the one found in Duke Nukem Forever, but that’s not saying much), a few dull memory tests and some reasonably enjoyable pogo-stick challenges.
As for the main levels, there’s plenty of death-defying jumps, a liberal dose of climbing and the occasional puzzle to get your teeth into. It’s got the basic ingredients of the games it’s aping, but a lack of quality means it comes across more like a pastiche. Rad Rodgers is the disheartening culmination of mediocre mechanics and a lack of ideas. The jungles, waterfalls and volcano environments that populate the adventure fail to evoke any excitement and at times, it’s a slog just dragging yourself through the game. Rad controls okay. The physics are just about acceptable, though I did get stuck in the scenery a handful of times. The shooting is boring, as the range of enemies is limited and dispatching them proves a chore. All too quickly, the levels feel like they’re going through the motions and this isn’t helped by the fact they’re often lengthy, bloated endeavours.
As for the main levels, there’s plenty of death-defying jumps, a liberal dose of climbing and the occasional puzzle to get your teeth into. It’s got the basic ingredients of the games it’s aping, but a lack of quality means it comes across more like a pastiche. Rad Rodgers is the disheartening culmination of mediocre mechanics and a lack of ideas. The jungles, waterfalls and volcano environments that populate the adventure fail to evoke any excitement and at times, it’s a slog just dragging yourself through the game. Rad controls okay. The physics are just about acceptable, though I did get stuck in the scenery a handful of times. The shooting is boring, as the range of enemies is limited and dispatching them proves a chore. All too quickly, the levels feel like they’re going through the motions and this isn’t helped by the fact they’re often lengthy, bloated endeavours.
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It falls to Dusty to tackle some mini-challenges in cyberspace, filling in missing blocks or items for Rad to utilise in the main level. Whilst the principal idea is a nice one, the sidekick’s sequences are ones to forget, with bland close-quarter combat and staid hazard-avoidance further breaking up what little impetus the game had. At least Dusty delivers some fun lines here and there.
Despite having debuted on Steam more than a year earlier, the PlayStation 4 version remains patchy, with a multitude of small bugs and careless mistakes. The visuals are colourful but often indistinct, with some of the effects and background details really suffering as a result. None of the character models looks particularly good, save perhaps for the final boss. The map screen marks the one clear highlight of Rad Rodgers’ presentation, hinting things might have gone better with a 2D animated appearance as opposed to pseudo-3D. The trophy list is a complete mess, with a significant number of them broken and seemingly bricked. Additionally, a trophy for collecting all the gems in the game popped for me when I was nowhere near achieving this feat.
Despite having debuted on Steam more than a year earlier, the PlayStation 4 version remains patchy, with a multitude of small bugs and careless mistakes. The visuals are colourful but often indistinct, with some of the effects and background details really suffering as a result. None of the character models looks particularly good, save perhaps for the final boss. The map screen marks the one clear highlight of Rad Rodgers’ presentation, hinting things might have gone better with a 2D animated appearance as opposed to pseudo-3D. The trophy list is a complete mess, with a significant number of them broken and seemingly bricked. Additionally, a trophy for collecting all the gems in the game popped for me when I was nowhere near achieving this feat.
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Sadly, changing characters and weapons doesn't make the platforming or shooting any better
It’s unlikely you’ll return to replay it on the harder setting, for the same reason it’s a struggle to get through the last four or five stages: there’s very little motivation to do so. There’s a bunch of hidden hats to collect, though the update patch means you can’t collect them all. Unlockable characters offer nothing new, save for a new melee/special attack. There are some leaderboards for those interested in speed runs, but I found no incentive to return after a single playthrough.
Rad Rodgers could have been a real blast-from-the-past, but short of ticking a few of the more obvious boxes, it never really delivers any telling contributions of its own. The shooting, platforming and exploration all function but none of them stand out, whilst a number of technical flaws and a messy trophy list mean Slipgate Ironworks’ platformer-shooter feels incomplete, its potential unfulfilled.
Rad Rodgers could have been a real blast-from-the-past, but short of ticking a few of the more obvious boxes, it never really delivers any telling contributions of its own. The shooting, platforming and exploration all function but none of them stand out, whilst a number of technical flaws and a messy trophy list mean Slipgate Ironworks’ platformer-shooter feels incomplete, its potential unfulfilled.
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VERDICT
"Rad Rodgers is the disheartening accumulation of mediocre mechanics and a lack of ideas, whilst a number of technical flaws and a messy trophy list mean Slipgate Ironworks’ platformer-shooter feels incomplete, its potential unfulfilled." OVERALL: 4/10 |