V’s Rage Preview – V for Video Game Vendetta

V’s Rage by bit ManiaX, Newbix Team

V’s Rage is an upcoming arcade-style adventure game following the exploits of its titular protagonist, V. Leaping between action genres at pace, V’s Rage features levels inspired by everything from side-scrolling beat-’em-ups to space shooters.

Offering a somewhat bizarre narrative of a stressed housewife getting sucked into a “cursed” video game, V’s Rage draws on archetypes and a couple tropes from 80s anime for its story.

V’s Rage establishes its narrative with a few simple images: V returns home to find her house a mess, her husband lazing about gaming, and her children causing chaos. After an exhausting night cleaning up, she finally gets to sleep, only to find herself trapped in a video game. Armed with a frying pan, she sets out to fight her way free.

Brawling and Biking

The first level introduces the game’s take on traditional side-scrolling beat-’em-up action; the combat is snappy and quick, but in its current state it feels like it’s lacking a little impact during attack animations. The screen can become chaotic pretty quickly, and hammering foes into oblivion can start to feel a bit like Whac-a-Mole. There are plenty of enemies to fight off, ranging from more conventional brawlers to bike-riding menaces.

Speaking of bikes, V’s Rage also features high-speed bike segments, and these are good fun. Enemy hit-boxes can be a little inconsistent but these speedy levels make for enjoyable and challenging moments throughout the game, although some additional abilities to spice up the mounted combat could further differentiate it from the beat-’em-up segments.

V for Variety

On-rails shooter segments and side-scrolling air/space shooter levels help to add something a little more varied to V’s adventure. The air and space combat, in particular, offers a refreshing break from the more terrestrial action of the bike and on-foot levels.

The on-rails sections can become quite manic with plenty of threats hurtling toward the screen, but it is a nice throwback to the days of arcade on-rails shooters, a genre less prevalent these days even in the indie scene.

All of these differing genres are implemented to a fairly basic level; the ground combat is pretty straightforward, with attack, block, and jump actions being the only commands available. The on-rails and bike combat sections are both similarly simple with the space levels having a little more variety in terms of enemies and weapon upgrades. All in all, V’s Rage strives to be a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none.

The Verdict:

V’s Rage offers an action-packed bundle of genres thrown into a somewhat surreal world that revolves around its furious protagonist, V. Armed with her deadly frying pan and eponymous rage, V makes for a memorable central character. Anime-inspired visuals and a playful soundtrack serve as a backdrop to this strange setting, providing perhaps one of the only consistent threads throughout the game.

Releasing in September, V’s Rage has a few rough edges to smooth, and it would be great to see some of its genre explorations pushed a little further with some more robust detail. Nonetheless, this is one to watch for fans of classic arcade action.

A demo for V’s Rage is available via Steam.

Watch the trailer for V’s Rage below:

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