Many of the older gamers among us think back to the 8- and 16-bit era with regret. Back then, developers were not trying to make the most realistic looking games, but it was the gameplay that came first. The vast majority of the games that appeared at that time were shown in 2D and many were platformers, mixed or otherwise with a different genre. These titles are nowadays almost no longer made, while there are still many who still like games of this kind. This group will also be very happy with the arrival of Rad Rodgers, who focuses on these gamers.
Just like before
Rad Rodgers knows how to hit the nail right from the start. The developer has looked closely at what made platformers so fun and applied this in Rad Rodgers. Gamers who grew up with these kinds of titles will immediately feel at home. The combination of platform and shooting action feels like a title from the aforementioned 8- and 16-bit era and it also plays just as well. The jumping and shooting works fine and ensures that you can go into the adventure without any problem and in every level you can search for four keys to get on. Platforms are sometimes interrupted by a kind of side-mission, in which you play as the console of Rad and here you have to try to regain platforms that are missing in the levels. There are also secret rooms to be found and collect collectibles. So there is enough variation available, which will not only appeal to the older gamer.
There are also different types of ammunition to find, which makes the killing of your enemies a lot easier. You should think of a kind of flamethrower or a machine gun. You will especially need this with the bosses, who offer you a nice challenge. You have a limited number of lives, you are through this, then you will have to start all over again at the beginning of the level. However, the level of difficulty of the game is just right, so you will not get frustrated and start happily again. You also get when you score a level and you can compare that with other gamers via the online leaderboards. This is a nice extra, because you can try to improve it when you finish the game.
Different levels
Nevertheless, it must be said that the level design is not of the same level everywhere. Finding the four keys to get further is certainly a very nice activity, but occasionally you get to play parts that feel pretty generic and that is a bit of a shame. Fortunately, most of the levels are well cared for, with fun platform action and some small puzzles, but sometimes they are broken up by sections that feel very like a simple padding. There are also occasional platforms placed, of which it seems that you can not make it if you jump, while that is indeed possible and that sometimes also the other way around. Fortunately, it also applies here that it is sporadic, but this does lead to a slight decline.
Stuttering
There is, however, a point that causes the game more damage. The game has the greatest difficulty in smoothing the image smoothly. There is a constant hitch when you are walking. Every second skips the screen for a moment and that is not only sloppy, but it also distracts. Your eyes simply can not get used to the stuttering of the image. Your eyes just do not get the screen sharp and it constantly adjusts itself which can be tiring. Also the Boost mode of the PlayStation 4 Pro can not solve this problem. Hopefully this will be resolved with a future patch, but of course you have nothing to do with that.
For the kids
What the game does very well is the graphic decoration. Here a modern approach has been chosen and a lot of work has been done. Normally you do not have to expect a lot from games from small developers in this respect, but in Rad Rodgers everything looks just very neat, from the various characters to the backgrounds. Everything is full of detail and just looks like one of the larger developers is behind this. Also everything is very well animated and that together makes for a beautiful whole. You would almost think that the game was based on a cartoon series for children and that the graphics were taken one on one.
Conclusion
Rad Rodgers will not only satisfy the older gamers among us, but the younger generation will certainly enjoy themselves with the game. There are some points here and there that can be improved and the stuttering scrolling does lead off, but the game has enough in-house to come up positive. This is because the game for the most part is worked out very well and is taken care of. The gameplay is a lot of fun, the game is graphically fine for an indie and Rad Rodgers has great humor. There is also extra replay value by the online leaderboards that compares your score of each level with the rest of the world and encourages you to improve it. So if you're hungry for an old-fashioned platformer / shooter, Rad Rodgers will certainly satisfy this hunger.
Pros
➕ Graphic very well cared for
➕ Tasty old-school gameplay
➕ Nice rough humor
➕ Extra replay value through online leaderboards
Cons
➖ Stuttering scrolling distracts
➖ Not every level worked out equally well
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