Rad Rodgers, a nostalgic platformer reminiscent of classic DOS-era games like Commander Keen, has recently been confirmed for Xbox One and PS4 by THQ Nordic.
On March 31, THQ Nordic announced they had acquired the Rad Rodgers IP. Slipgate Studios, formerly Interceptor Entertainment and developer of Rad Rodgers, revealed that work on an Xbox One version, in addition to the PC and PS4 versions already in development, has begun. An early portion of the game, Rad Rodgers: World One, is already available on Steam and GOG.
Rad Rodgers is a little boy obsessed with video games. One night, he falls asleep after a long gaming session and wakes up to find that his old game console has turned itself back on. In a flash, Rad finds he is the protagonist of his very own video game.
“Dusty”, a sentient, potty-mouthed retro game console, is Rad’s sidekick. The two traverse several different worlds. World One takes place in a jungle that has been corrupted. Rad and Dusty must save the jungle’s denizens and bring life back to “The Elder Tree”, another foul-mouthed character.
There are power-ups and weapons throughout. Two of the guns are “The Bolt Blaster” and “The Phoenix Cannon”. The Bolt Blaster is a serviceable sidearm with unlimited ammo, but is the weakest. The Phoenix Cannon is much more powerful and shoots a large bird whose wings engulf enemies in flames.
Slipgate has promised five other weapon power-ups as well, but are currently keeping them, and other power-ups, under wraps.
The team has announced that hidden “Easter eggs” lay throughout for achievement hunters and perfectionists.
The music is being composed by Andrew Hulshult, whose work you may have heard in the recently released Bombshell and in 2013’s Rise of The Triad remake. He incorporates synthesizers into a retro-inspired midi soundtrack. He has spent three years as the main composer for 3D Realms.
Rad Rodgers is another case of a successful Kickstarter campaign coming to fruition, and I am beyond excited for it. Jazz Jackrabbit and Commander Keen bring back memories of me spending the summer at my aunt’s house playing around on her computer – I loved those games back in the day. With the amount of talented people leading the development, I am very optimistic for this one.
Check out the trailer:
