Rage is the first significant first-person shooter from id Software since Doom 3, marking the introduction of the id Tech 5 game engine. The main feature of Tech 5 is the use of Megatexture technology, which allows for more efficient use of limited memory. As a result, Rage is the first id game designed primarily for consoles.
Rage occurs an indeterminate amount of time after an asteroid smashes the Earth and obliterates all life. The player is a member of the “Ark Project,” a vast project that occurred before the meteor’s impact and placed vital persons in underground pods. The pods were designed to retain these VIPs in stasis until the impact’s effects subsided, after which they would be released to repopulate the world. The player awakens as the solitary survivor of their wrecked pod, many decades after society has begun to rebuild. As a result, the player sets out to help whichever towns they come across while avoiding The Authority. This mystery ruling agency seeks to capture the player to collect the nanites implanted in their bodies as part of the Ark Project.
The Wasteland is an overworld that connects settlements and other playable places. The player has access to buggy-style vehicles to traverse the wastelands and the ability to participate in specific races and vehicle combat. Players accept missions from friendly NPCs and job boards, drive to the correct location, and utilize specific FPS abilities to destroy any foes and recover essential trinkets from the enemy’s lair. When not receiving damage, the player’s health regenerates, and if they are knocked unconscious, they have a limited charge of defibrillators (activated via a brief minigame) to revive themselves.
There is no character advancement, and the player learns no new skills. They can, however, buy and upgrade both vehicles and weaponry. A one-time armor selection also allows the player to select one permanent boost. Objects can be looted throughout the Wasteland’s mission zones and are explicitly labeled in the player’s inventory as garbage, usable, or crafting supplies. Crafting can be done from anywhere if you have the correct formula and the requisite parts, which can be purchased or obtained. Lockpicks, ammo, bandages, lethal boomerangs known as “Wingsticks,” and more elaborate hardware like sentry turrets and controllable RC bomb cars are among the items manufactured.
The player can earn money by participating in several minigames scattered across the wastelands. Participating in a racing circuit, an arena battle called “Mutant Bash TV,” and a simplified holographic board game is among them. A collectible card game is also included, in which the player can discover new cards buried among the wastelands. Before each contest, the player constructs a deck and pits it directly against their opponent’s cards.
Rage does not include classic “Deathmatch” multiplayer. Instead, competitive multiplayer is solely based on vehicle-based modes identical to the main game’s. Players pilot armed buggies against their opponents in numerous racing and collection activities. Players can level up in multiplayer, gaining access to new vehicles, weapons, and boost items. Cooperative multiplayer allows you to play several “Legends” online or locally split-screen. These short stories are based on characters and locations from the single-player campaign that have no bearing on the drive.
