Rage in Peace Review

Introduction

Developed Rolling Glory Jam, Rage in Peace is a 2D platformer in the same vein as I Wanna Be the Guy. You take the role of Timmy, an emotionally stunted 27 year old, who has learned that he is going to die before the end of the day. Fortunately for Timmy, the grim reaper has decided to give you the chance to get back home to fulfill your dream, that being dying in your sleep. Unfortunately, you’ll have to traverse through a bevy of obstacles and hazards as you try to make it to your bed.

Story

In Rage in Peace you take the role of Timmy Malinu. You are 27 years old, work as an actuary, and are perhaps the most emotionally numb person on the planet. Pretty much the only thing close to interesting about you is what your dream in life is; to die at home, in your pajamas, asleep. For better or worse that dream is about to come through.

While riding the elevator up to his office at work, Timmy is visited by the grim reaper, who has some good news ad some bad news. Bad news is that You’re going to die today. Good news is that you’re being given the chance to get home and fulfill that dream of yours. Worse news is that the universe itself seems to be conspiring to see you decapitated before you get there.

Timmy is forced to escape the building he works at, and traverse several different environments to finally make it home, including desert tombs, harsh jungles, and you’re own mind. As you make your way through you’ll meet a collection of quirky characters who may or may not help you, all the while philosophizing about life, death, and the meaning behind both of them.

The story of the game primarily focuses on Timmy and why he is the way he is. As you progress through the game you’ll see flashbacks of his memories as he starts regaining them. What starts out as your standard quirky comedy evolves into tragic, but touching story. The story is less about where you’re going, but how you get there.

Gameplay

As mentioned before, Rage in Peace is primarily a 2D platformer, with the core gameplay revolving on trial and error. The gameplay will vary as you progress, introducing new mechanics every now and then. The game is soul crushingly difficult, and in many cases the only way to get through levels is to bash your face against the brick wall that is the game.

The gameplay seems to primarily takes inspiration from games like I Wanna Be the Guy. That means you get killed if anything touches you, and a lot of surprise deaths. Whether it will be spikes popping up out of nowhere, easter island heads on skateboards zipping through the level, or ghosts popping out of computers, chances are the only way you manage to gt past these obstacles the first time around is if you can see into the future.

Unfortunately this is also where the first of the game’s problems come in. While at the beginning of the game this can provide a nice laugh, it very quickly strains one's patience. This is especially the case in later levels, when you just reach the end of a stage only to die to something you’d have no way to be prepared for.

That’s not to say there isn’t any skill involved with the game, and in many ways that’s what makes the last example that much more frustrating. While you can memorize when a hazard is coming or where it’s triggered, avoiding them is a whole nother matter. Fortunately, the game is pretty generous with its checkpoints. Unfortunately, some of the hitboxes in the game can be a bit wonky, with the player getting hit even when you’re sure you avoided something and falling off platforms you should have been safe on.

As mentioned above, the game does try to very up the gameplay at certain points. This has both benefits and some issues. The good part is that these are usually well done, and for the most part none of them feel like they were just shoved in to extend the game. The bad part is that there are so many that the game, especially in it’s second half, feels like it can’t decide what it wants to be.

Throughout gameplay you can also collect little items called momentos that give a little backstory on Timmy. Other than this they serve no purpose, and story wise they don’t really add much either. The one interesting thing to note is that if you pick one up you have to stay alive for a certain amount of time, and then it’s collected permanently, even if you die and start the section over again.

The game also provides tow alternative modes to play the game in. The first, unsurprisingly, is a speedrun mode. The key difference between this and the regular game is that this one skips the cutscenes, and grades you based on your final time at the end of each act. The second, being pilgrimage mode, is basically the same as the main game, except you can’t die once. While the first of thee can definitely provide some fun, the latter has no purpose but to provide bragging rights to anyone crazy enough to complete it.

Graphics and Sound

Visually the game is great. With a deceptively simple artstyle the game manages to build great environments and some genuinely beautiful shots. The designs for the various hazards in the game are consistent with the zone they’re apart of, though there are a noticeable amount of reskins of certain types. The one thing I would have to criticize is the death animation, which is always Timmy getting beheaded. While the game does explain at the beginning that’s how he’s supposed to die, but in many cases it just feels like a way to avoid making unique death animations. It’s especially noticeable when you die to things that there is no way it should behead you.

The soundtrack for this game is amazing, so much so that I would say it’s the main highlight of it as a whole. Featuring tracks from various indie bands, including Monkey Melody, as well as some original instrumentals, the music for this game is insanely solid. The only thing I would say against it is that there is such a variety in the styles used that they sometimes clash a bit in the overall, though they are generally placed in appropriate acts.

Sound also plays a key role in the gameplay in certain cases. Listening to sound cues to avoid certain hazards is a requirement, and trying to do without will make progressing through the game even harder than it already is. The sound design as a whole is well done.

Conclusions

As a whole package, I would recommend Rage in Peace for its touching story and amazing soundtrack. While the gameplay has some issues, the former aspects of the game are so strong that they will push most players through the frustration to reach the end of Timmy’s story. Otherwise, the game is a solid, if slightly flawed, platformer game that can provide a challenge to people looking to burn some time.