Jagged Alliance: Rage! Interview

Cliffhanger Productions’ upcoming attempt to revive the Jagged Alliance series, Jagged Alliance: Rage! is currently slated for a December 6, 2018 release. But even though the game is roughly a month away at this point, we still don’t know much about its mechanics. If you’d like to remedy that, you should check out this GamingBolt interview with Cliffhanger’s head of studio Michael Paeck that touches on the game’s roster of mercenaries, their unique features, the game’s difficulty, and more.

An excerpt:

What are some of the major gameplay changes that we’ll be seeing in Jagged Alliance: Rage?

Overall the biggest changes is that you are fighting against a huge army with just a small group of Mercs, with no HQ support you are on your own staying alive out there.

On the strategy level, the game is quite similar to previous titles and remains to offer a deep strategic challenge with plenty of options on how to approach a target. You can invest additional AP to aim more precisely, change stances, use elevations, etc. But there are also new additions like special skills that are unique to each character, or new stealth features, e.g. you can kill enemies instantly if you manage to sneak behind them without being noticed.

On the tactical level there are major changes since you are cut off from your HQ, and therefore you must try to survive and escape from the island. This results in different economics where you manage various survival aspects. So you take care of your group on a more personal level, which will link you much closer to your small group of mercenaries. This is for example thirst that can lead to dehydration, or wounds that bleed and can become inflamed or even crafting weapon mods from parts.

Can you elaborate about some of the survival and adventure elements players can expect to see in the game?

Survival example: If your characters get wounded and catch a shrapnel, there is a chance of getting an infection if the shrapnel isn’t removed from the body. An infected wound will lower the overall performance of that Merc. All Mercs also have a hydration level, which dictates how well they can perform in combat and how well their immune system works.

Adventure: Over the course of the game your characters meet several NPCs they can talk to via multiple choice. Without spoiling the story, there are situations where the player has to decide whether to help an ally or stay out of it. Further there are plenty of funny dialogues when you Mercs start picking on each other.