‘Rage: Mutant Bash TV’ Review

The creators of Doom, ID Soft, have pushed the limits of first person shooters for the PC in the past, but have now taken mobile shooters to a new realm. Rage: Mutant Bash TV is the first mobile game built on the Rage engine to use 60 frames per second and the iOS retina display. Needless to say, the visuals are stunning, but how does the rest of the game pan out? Read on for Game Rant’s full review.

Although Rage: Mutant Bash TV only consists of three levels, the small price tag of $1.99 is worth the peak into the next generation of mobile gaming. From the get go the game has a lot going against it, as rail shooters (no control of movement, just aim and shoot) have received mostly negative comments. However, the speed of the game will wire gamers to the the screen. Including open world movement would become ridiculous, not to mention reducing the skill needed to get a high score.

Playing through a level, zombies will come out of every nook and cranny and while holding them off t here will be money bags, assault riffle ammo, shotgun ammo and health to collect. Additionally, there are targets placed in random locations that increase the score. Attempting to manage all of the objectives at once makes Rage: Mutant Bash TV becomes an adrenalin fueled arcade rail shooter.

Rage: Mutant Bash TV is an arcade game, so there doesn’t need to be much of a story. Moreover, it also appears to be created simply to showcase the new Rage game engine and preview the full Rage game due out late next year. The introduction video gives you a bit of insight as what the game will entail and what will be coming in the future, but aside from that, Mustant Bash TV is just a mutant bashing frenzy.

The second season of Rage: Mutant Bash TV will supposedly feature a racing game mode (previewed in the opening game video), but there is no information on whether or not it will be a similar game type. These short and sweet arcade games published by Bethesda do appear to be leading up to the full mutant apocalypse in the PC game, Rage.

The mutant enemies encountered in Bash TV fall under two categories: throwers or melee fighters. There are various melee attackers, some slow and others rage induced crazies that need to be eliminated quickly. The throwers act as a nuisance more than anything, as you can side step anything they throw. Mix in some melee attackers though and it becomes hectic when you have to dodge large axes and bricks at the same time, which the touch controls limit you from doing.

Rage: Mutant Bash TV‘s controls overall are great and the button layout works well. Because you don’t have to worry about moving through the levels, the accelerometer is used well for taking out mutants and targets. There is also an option available to use the touch screen to drag the crosshair around, but it’s not very effective. While there are no calibration settings for the accelerometer, it works great as long as you are sitting up straight.

Overall, Rage: Mutant Bash TV is a beautiful game, but still falls short in longevity. As levels are played more, the mutant spawn points also make themselves apparent, which takes some of the fun and skill out of the game. There is still a lot going for the three levels, and for those without retina display enabled iOS devices, the game is only .99 cents. For those who are fans of Doom and impressive graphics, Rage: Mutant Bash TV is the game for you.

Rage: Mutant Bash TV is currently available on iOS devices for .99 cents and $1.99 for the HD version.