Developers keep trying to bring back Jagged Alliance, without much success. There was the misguided MMO, Jagged Alliance Online, in 2012; the scaled back remake of Jagged Alliance 2, Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, also in 2012; and finally the Kickstarted Jagged Alliance: Flashback in 2013, which wasn’t very good either. Now there’s Jagged Alliance: Rage, developed by the same studio behind the MMO. It was announced last month and now there’s some gameplay footage to go along with it.
Rage is set 20 years after the first game, in a jungle full of drug-fuelled enemies. You drop in with a team of battered veterans who, along with gun-toting foes to worry about, must deal with dehydration and psychological trauma. It sounds a bit grim, in stark contrast to the cartoon aesthetic.
Over on the official site there are a few more details, including character biographies for the three revealed mercenaries. Expect two-player co-op, adventure elements mixed in with the tactical shenanigans and ‘rage skills’. The latter are unique abilities that get increasingly more powerful as fights continue.
Will this be the game to finally live up to the ‘90s originals? I’m not going to hold my breath.
Jagged Alliance: Rage is due out on Steam on September 27.