There are video games made to accompany movies and there are video games that take a movie’s lore and make something new out of it. Mad Max belongs to the latter category. The game uses the lore of the movies, but is a self-contained experience in itself. This is good, as the story remains unspoiled, so after playing the game and watching the movies, the game is perhaps the best introduction one can have to the franchise. Also, Indians will love the fact that this is a driving game where all vehicles are right hand drive.
Before playing Mad Max, it’s a good idea to understand the context of the game. That way one might understand its quirks better. Max is driven mad by the loss of his wife and daughter in the days of the Fall some 20 years before the game begins. He seeks to cross a place he calls the Plains of Silence where he hopes to find peace. The location of the game’s world is in Australia. Since Max has been alive since the days before the Fall, that makes him a middle-aged man in the game. Curiously, this backstory is partly told through pictures, though watching the movies is recommended to know more.
The post-apocalyptic wasteland in Mad Max is a little different from those usually seen in games. There are no plants to be found and water is extremely scarce. It’s a dead world and the survivors are deemed the unlucky ones. Even animals are limited to lizards and mice, and just one Dog. Humans have degenerated into uncivilised tribes and have turned cannibalistic. The notion of family has disappeared and practical survival concerns have taken precedence. Humans have become a commodity and are made to serve certain purposes to continue living. While some appear to show mutations, there aren’t any actual mutants to be seen. Remnants and reminders of Human Civilization can be found everywhere in the form of derelict structures and wrecks. The ocean floor has become exposed following the receding of the sea.
Gameplay in Mad Max is divided into two parts, on-foot with Max alone and in-vehicle with the Magnum Opus. The Magnum Opus is the primary vehicle Max will be using throughout the game, though he can drive any vehicle he can get inside. Max moves a bit lethargically and his sprint isn’t much faster than his normal walk. Since ammunition is scarce in the world and you can’t carry too much of it, melee is the preferred mode of combat. The combat system is similar to the one used in the Batman Arkham series with basic attacks, parries and counters whose effectiveness is based on timing. Unlike Batman, Max isn’t quite an expert in martial arts and this reflects in his fighting style. His moves are more brutish and unrefined and there is a fury meter that builds up with successful combat moves and gets unleashed as a bonus damage mode once filled. Max also isn’t very good at parkour and jumps from heights can cause him to take some damage and limp around a bit before recovering. Max also cannot jump very high though he manages to roll quite well. This may seem like a hindrance, but makes perfect sense when one realises that Max moves exactly like the middle-aged hardened survivor he is.
Max’s health can be replenished either by drinking water or by eating from one of the food sources around the world. Water must be stored in your canteen and doesn’t restore too much health in Mad Max. Food can be found in the form of cans of dog food, maggots from corpses or by killing a rat or lizard that replenish a lot of health quickly. The canteen can be refilled at various water collection areas around the world. Entering fury mode can also regenerate some of Max’s health. These resources are also scarce in that some water sources may not have enough to fully refill your canteen and the other food sources aren’t so easily found lying around. There is no replenishing health mechanic, nor can Max heal during a fight, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to the Health meter.
Quite a few open world adventure games usually start with the player character at the peak of their abilities before taking it all away and forcing you to rebuild from scratch. Mad Max only teases you with a cutscene before letting you play the game. The cutscene has Max losing his beloved Interceptor or Black on Black along with his other belongings and making a mortal enemy by nearly killing Scabrous Scrotus, the son of Immortan Joe. He ends up following Scrotus’s discarded dog who has now taken a liking to him to meet a cast out blackfinger named Chumbucket. Chumbucket may seem even more deranged than Max, since all he raves about is this ultimate car he’s building called the Magnum Opus. Max decides to aid him so he can later use the car for his own selfish reasons of crossing the Plains of Silence. And so it comes to pass that the lone wolf Mad Max finds some solace in the company of his newfound allies. What becomes of this chance at normalcy is the story of the game.
Mad Max’s story is a closed loop. Those who wish to truly roleplay Max will want to only stick to the main story missions unless the game asks something more of them. Basically, do what is necessary to survive. As Max himself says to an NPC in the game, “Why should I do anything for you?” However, there will come a moment when the game will give you hope only to snatch it away soon after. The open world has plenty of opportunities and distractions. It’s divided into four main regions, though the boundaries of these regions aren’t restricted by invisible walls. One could easily unlock most of Max’s abilities by finishing up the sidequests in the first region itself. Avalanche must be lauded for the way they have built this game staying true to the minor details of the lore and for having made areas outside the usual bounds of the game world.
Every region of the world has a stronghold where Max can go to rest, heal and switch vehicles. Each of these strongholds has their own leader and they can be improved by completing certain projects. Regions are divided into territories, each of which has some threats that Max must take care of. Since Scrotus is the main antagonist, you can find the tools of his oppression in every region such as Scarecrows, Sniper Towers, Minefields, Convoys and Camps. Scarecrows are static structures built to inspire fear and mark territory and can be easily destroyed with the Magnum Opus. Sniper Towers are similarly destroyed though they house a sniper that can shoot back and kill Max in a few shots. Convoys are made up of one target vehicle with several others to defend it that follow a fixed route around the map. Minefields must be cleared with the help of the Dog to detect the mines that Max must then manually defuse. Camps are major areas and are of three types, namely oil wells, oil transfer camps and Stank Gum camps. The objectives are different for each camp and there are optional objectives for collectibles. You must destroy the pump in an oil well, the storage tanks in an Oil Transfer camp and the warriors in a Stank Gum camp (Stank Gum is the trusted lieutenant of Scrotus). There is also a boss camp called a Top Dog Camp in which you face off against a mini boss to unlock a paint scheme for the Magnum Opus. Besides these, there are optional scavenging locations where Max can find collectibles and loot. While the Camps and Scavenging locations need Max to be on foot, the rest can be completed while driving the Magnum Opus. Max can also talk to some dwellers in the wasteland either to gain an optional quest or to gain some intel or scrap. He can also give water to thirsty wanderers, who will then reveal a scavenging location on the map.
The main currency of Mad Max is Scrap, though you get it in really tiny amounts from most sources. Scrap can be collected from camps and scavenging locations, from destroyed scarecrows and vehicles, from hijacking and returning scrap-carrying vehicles to strongholds, from loot crates that one might find in a storm and from building a Scrap Crew project in the strongholds. Other collectibles include History relics, Scrotus insignia, Project parts, Car bodies and High Value Cars. History relics are old photos and signs from the days before and during the Fall that serve to tell some of the back-story of the game. Project Parts are needed to build various projects in a stronghold. Scrap is used to purchase upgrades for Max and the Magnum Opus and to build certain projects in the Stronghold.
Regions are revealed with the tower mechanic in Mad Max, though this takes the form of a hot air balloon that one must then use binoculars to spot the areas of interest from. These balloons require fuel to ascend and the rope that pulls them down is also powered by a fuel-guzzling generator. This allows for some puzzle opportunities to add to the gameplay challenge. There are also races called Death Runs that can either be a choose-your-own-path dash to a location, a fixed checkpoint route requiring you to bash barrels at each checkpoint or a survival run where Max must fend off attacks from other vehicles. A bomb is planted under the vehicle so failure to reach the destination within the time limit can lead to an explosive death for Max. The race can also be failed by prematurely exiting the vehicle or by destroying it, or losing out to one of the opponents or missing a checkpoint. There’s an additional challenge time for each race that earns Max a Griffa token and a level in his Legend progression. Different Vehicles have a different Death Run location and each location has only one type of Death Run.
Mad Max has some RPG elements in the form of various character upgrades for both Max, the Magnum Opus and Max’s passive abilities. Max’s passive abilities are unlocked by purchasing them with Griffa tokens that can be traded with a wandering mystic called Griffa in the game world. Each token earned raises Max’s legend by one level and each of Max’s Legend ranks has ten levels, except the final one, which can go on increasing infinitely. A Griffa Token is earned each time Max completes on of the game’s challenges, some of which are repeating. These challenges are a great way to explore all the possibilities offered by the game, though some can get grindy over time. Upgrades for Max and the Magnum Opus are restricted to Max’s current legend level or by some mission objectives. Some upgrades are purely cosmetic. While the Griffa story plot starts off mysterious and intriguing, with the mystic digging into Max’s psyche, it ends rather abruptly when Max has reached the peak of his potential and unlocked all abilities and Griffa disappears from the world without even acknowledging this. It’s a rather odd loose end in an otherwise tight story experience. Curiously, some sidequests in the game fail to acknowledge your progress in the main story and may appear as odd when you receive them.
Amongst the various projects Max can build in a Stronghold, perhaps the Cleanup Crew is the most useful one. It adds convenience to the gameplay in that Max no longer needs to exit the Magnum Opus every time he destroys another vehicle to collect the scrap it drops. Other projects can restore Max’s health, refill his ammo or water canteen, refuel the Magnum Opus and reveal all scavenging locations on the map. The Dog is also available if you complete the sidequest to fetch him, though it’s only attached to a specific vehicle and doesn’t serve as a companion in battle.
Vehicular Combat is the core of Mad Max’s gameplay and it’s brilliantly executed. You can build your Magnum Opus according to the type of combat you prefer, be it ramming other vehicles, grinding them to bits with your wheels, blowing them up with Thunderpoons, using the Harpoon to take them apart bit by bit, using the shotgun to shoot vulnerable areas or sniping them from a distance. Enemies get tougher as you progress through the game’s areas with cars getting armour that requires you to change tactics. A lot of gameplay features are tied up with the main storyline of the game, so you must progress till at least a third of the game’s story before you have the full freedom of the game’s open world. Tutorials are given in the form of textual hints, though some new weapons do have a little testing event before you can use them freely. There are some specific configurations of the Magnum Opus to be built called Archangels that each serve a specific purpose, but it’s likely that you will end up playing the game with the car customised the way you want it.
There are three main antagonist factions, namely Scrotus’s War Boys, the Roadkill and the Buzzards and each has a few similar fighter and vehicle types that require similar tactics to defeat. This can make the game feel boring to a certain extent. While the lore of the movies mentions two wheelers, there are none to be found in the game, nor do you encounter a functional War Rig or some of the more exotic vehicles from the movies. Max can hijack most of the vehicles that he comes across and each has a different handling characteristic that changes based on the damage it has taken. Missing wheels do affect the behaviour of a vehicle, as does its weight and the terrain it’s on. The game’s terrain has some road like areas frequented by the treads of vehicles’ tyres and there are vast expanses of sandy or rocky terrain to traverse as well. Vehicles do handle according to the terrain they are on in terms of acceleration, speed and boosting as well. Explosions can also cause vehicles to move differently adding a twist to the Barrel Bashing Death Runs. The Magnum Opus itself will behave differently depending on the upgrades installed. Convoy Missions are perhaps the most challenging even for those who have mastered vehicular combat and it’s quite fitting that the climax of the game features the most challenging Convoy mission of them all.
It’s quite curious that Mad Max chooses to arm Max with disposable shivs, but doesn’t give him a permanent melee weapon. Melee Weapons in the game must be looted from the ground or gained by defeating enemies. They are not long lasting though, and break down after a few hits. The game also has some explosive throwable weapons though these are single use and have a limited range. Max can also use fuel tanks as explosives. The amount of fuel in a fuel tank seems to be random and can only be determined when refilling a car or Balloon. Max will helpfully just drop empty cans, and he can store just a single extra can in the back of the Magnum Opus. Sadly, he can’t store a melee weapon or an explosive one, despite there appearing to be more than enough space for one.
Mad Max restricts the movement options for Max by marking areas that allow traversal with yellow paint. The same is used to indicate other interactable objects in the environment, though collectibles have their own unique glow. Thankfully, Max has no special vision to spot such objects in the environment, so you are forced to search around more thoroughly. Enemy camps have a Buffing system in the game, which affects both their external defences and the ferocity of the combatants within. These are on a timer during which you can destroy the defences or kill the War crier to prevent the buffing from happening. Those looking for a challenge might want to let the enemies be buffed, but those looking for an easier approach would do well to scout ahead and eliminate these buffing inducers.
The graphics of Mad Max are quite gorgeous with exquisite detailing and the game renders cutscenes in-engine. The game has some really gorgeous and believable skies. Weather effects are quite well done with dust and send being blown around with fierce lightning strikes in a raging storm. Particle effects also add to the immersion with stones being kicked up when Max sprints on gravel or rocks being thrown around after impacting with the Magnum Opus. The explosions and fire effects are worth special mention, since they are quite a bit over the top and curiously, Max isn’t singed even when standing right next to a raging inferno. The music has a sombre note though it readily picks up the pace when in combat. However, it doesn’t get annoyingly repetitive, as it’s quite subdued. Sound effects are quite spot on with breaking bones sounding just as satisfying as scraping metal.
Mad Max isn’t a perfect experience though, with quite a few bugs and glitches. Some have even reported glitches that break progression. Some menus can randomly get stuck and become unresponsive. Object interactions might not complete despite holding down the button for the required amount of time. Max might sometimes randomly be thrown around and die. Once, even a storm glitched with none of the particle effects showing but the debris was still mysteriously popping in and flying around. The game added a promotional new vehicle, but that ended up removing the specific Death Run as a fast travel location. A stronghold failed to show as fully upgraded despite having all projects built. One oversight that the developers seem to have had is that Max cannot flip over overturned vehicles. Fast Travel is also slightly restrictive in that it only lets you move with the Magnum Opus rather than the vehicle you’re currently driving and the choice of fast travel locations is rather limited, since you can only travel to strongholds, Balloon locations and Death Run locations that have been visited and completed and these aren’t located conveniently enough to let you reach any part of the map quickly and easily.
In conclusion, Mad Max is a brilliant open world experience that requires a bit of effort on the gamer’s part to fully appreciate. Fans of the franchise may love some things and miss others, but this game serves as one of the best introductions to the franchise for newcomers. This is a rather unique doomed world that’s distinct from other post-apocalyptic scenarios in its lack of flora and fauna and emphasis on the degeneration of the human species. The core gameplay is quite fun when it comes to vehicular combat, but it can get a bit annoying when it comes to the melee aspect. This is a game that adds its own twist to the familiar and expected, which may throw off some, but then the wasteland is harsh and unforgiving, so adapt to survive else ye shall perish.
