Jagged Alliance: Rage!

Lore & Background

Jagged Alliance: Rage! takes place 20 years after the events of Jagged Alliance. The player controls a team of mercenaries tasked with infiltrating an island to save a fellow mercenary and to take out the island's dictator. Unlike previous games in the series, only a small group of mercenaries are available: four out of six mercenaries can be selected, all of whom are returning characters from Jagged Alliance 2. The game is the first in the series to incorporate survival game elements, adding a new layer to the tactical gameplay.

The game was announced on August 14, 2018, with a planned release in fall 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. In September 2018, the release date was set for September 27, 2018, but on September 26, 2018, the game was delayed to December 6, 2018. Cliffhanger Productions, based in Vienna, Austria, had previously developed Jagged Alliance Online. HandyGames, the publisher, is part of the THQ Nordic network.

Reception for Jagged Alliance: Rage! was mixed or average according to Metacritic. Critics noted that the game had good ideas but suffered from poor execution and technical issues. Some reviewers found it fun but frustrating, while others considered it the closest thing to Jagged Alliance 2 in a trimmed form. Multiplayer.it included the game on their list of worst games of 2018.

Reader's Guide

Jagged Alliance: Rage! represents a notable but divisive entry in the Jagged Alliance series. Its significance lies in its attempt to streamline the classic tactical formula while introducing survival mechanics and co-op play for the first time. The game's reception, however, was mixed, with many critics pointing to technical issues and strange gameplay elements as detracting from the core experience. Reviewers such as Corey Gavaza of GamingBolt suggested the game could have benefited from additional development time. Saúl González of Vandal described it as a return with good ideas but poor execution, recommending it primarily for hardcore fans or those playing with friends. Chris Bratt of Rock Paper Shotgun found it hard work to enjoy, noting that positive traits were often paired with frustrating problems. Conversely, Martynas Klimas of Strategy Gamer praised it as the closest thing to Jagged Alliance 2, delivering a trimmed experience that retains the need to manage mercenaries' health, gear, and carrying capacity at a less complex level. The game's legacy is thus one of ambition tempered by execution flaws, with its co-op and survival elements marking a departure from series tradition, but its technical shortcomings preventing it from achieving the acclaim of its predecessors.

Did You Know?

• Jagged Alliance: Rage! is the first game in the series to feature survival game elements.
• The game includes two-player co-op multiplayer.
• Only four out of six mercenaries can be selected, all returning from Jagged Alliance 2.
• The release was delayed from September 27, 2018 to December 6, 2018.