Do you remember the days of classic 2D games like Contra and Mega Man? Those times where you needed to learn how to react fast and shoot even faster to survive the hail of challenges those games threw at you. However, maybe those days are far behind you and you’re in need of a more modern 2D action adventure and platforming title. Then why not try out Rad Rodgers? With tough levels, adult humor and tons of enemies to kill and jumps to perform, Rad Rodgers is made for the more modern gamer.

Rad Rodgers is a tough 2D side scroller that definitely wasn’t made for those unfamiliar to action platformers. Players will need to control a young boy named Rad as they fight various baddies and survive against tons of tough hazards such as spikes, laser beams and of course tough enemies. Think you’re confident in your 2D skills? Time to put them to the ultimate test in Rad Rodgers!

One night when the young Rad fell asleep after being told by his mom to turn off the games for the night, something peculiar happened. A vortex opened up and swallowed Rad sending him into the game world! Joined by Dusty—Rad’s gaming console now alive and ready to curse his thought out—the two will need to find a way for Rad to win the game. Rad and Dusty might not be heroes but they do have one thing in common; Both of them are made for games and are ready to prove their skills in Rad Rodgers!

You’ve probably heard many of us here at Honey’s Anime HQ talk about the golden age of gaming. We remember fond times of playing some awesome—but very hard—games from the past like Contra or even titles from the early PS2 days like Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil. These games each incorporated fun action but equally fun 2D platforming. That’s why when we got a review copy of Rad Rodgers for the PS4—also available on the PC—we were more than ready to see what developer Interceptor Entertainment had ready for us. Let us see how this M rated 2D action, adventure and platforming title turned out in our review of Rad Rodgers.

In Rad Rodgers, play as young Rad who has been transported into a game world alongside his now very much alive game console called Dusty. The two will need to jump, shoot and swing their way through various landscapes in order to escape the game world they’ve been sucked into. Thus, it’s pretty obvious what you as the player will be doing in Rad Rodgers. However, what makes Rad Rodgers stand out from the millions of other 2D platforming titles? Let us begin by describing what Rad and Dusty can do first to better explain.

Rad is armed with a gun that can lock onto enemies and use various types of bullets—like flying fire birds and giant beams—to take down the various foes before him. Rad also has Dusty who can swing his mighty arms to act as a powerful melee. Players will also need to solve various puzzles using Dusty—who can enter rifts in the game to navigate various mazes—and climb their way through dangerous areas. The goal is to find 4 pieces of a door key to open the end door of each area. This is where Rad Rodgers truly shines thanks to mostly brilliant level designs and a slew of challenges trying to survive the enemies and hazards Rad Rodgers throws at you.

Exploration is also one of the excellent elements in Rad Rodgers. There are tons of secrets—like hats and artwork collectibles—to find and even secret areas to find. Rad Rodgers also challenges players as levels aren’t super simple. Players will need to jump over water hazards, spikes traps and a slew of other old-school and semi-modern level traps. Rad Rodgers might kick you down often causing you to lose your hearts and lives—which in turn makes you restart the level from the beginning—but you will want to try again and again till you beat the level. That concept is what makes Rad Rodgers a great 2D title.

What makes Rad Rodgers even more enjoyable is the hilarious—and mature—comments between various NPCs and the duo Rad and Dusty themselves. Dusty will tend to laugh or curse at you if you take damage from enemies and the NPCs tend to love saying some rather awkward comments. Expect some very expletive heavy comments but equally be prepared to be so surprised hearing them when they happen that you’ll laugh in surprise. Rad Rodgers is M rated for a reason and it shows from every comment and action taken by the “heroes” themselves. Even Rad—despite being a kid—says some rather surprising comments but that is a good mirror to how modern kids who play games online tend to act.

Visually, Rad Rodgers is a beauty to behold. Environments are colorful and enemies—the few types there are—are very vibrant and unique. The same can be said of the music within Rad Rodgers. Be prepared to blast your speakers up as the music plays like we did here at Honey’s Anime. Rad Rodgers might be old-school in some ways but the music and visuals are definitely more modern.

Rad Rodgers hits most of the right notes, that much we can say but it equally falls short in some areas. The biggest weakness of Rad Rodgers is the level design sometimes can feel almost unfair. There are times we took damage from simple jumps or enemies you can’t hit without jumping on them and it led to our deaths more time than we’d like to count. Then as much as we liked the enemies in Rad Rodgers, there aren’t that many of them. Expect to see the same types over and over again in the dozen or so levels. This isn’t a huge issue but it is noticeable nonetheless, especially seeing as how Rad Rodgers is pretty short in terms of length.

Rad Rodgers is a prime example of how modern-day platformers can be done right while using elements from yesteryear. The challenging high intensity and action keep you constantly on your toes while the banter makes you laugh as you’re facing death time after time. While the platforming at times does falter slightly as does the action, Rad Rodgers is a quick title with a lot of fun to be had. If you love old school 2D platformers but equally want a mature one with some foul-mouthed dialogue and silly banter, then you’ll like Rad Rodgers. Just be prepared for a tough title is deceptively childish in design and theme. Rad Rodgers isn’t for kids folks, this is for tough gamers who like their platformers tough.

Rad Rodgers really impressed us here at Honey’s Anime. While it’s not perfect, Rad Rodgers is more often than not a ton of brutal but exciting fun. We love the times where we felt we were at fault for dying but equally cursed Rad Rodgers for having areas that seemed almost made to make you lose a life or a heart. However, we fully recommend mature players download Rad Rodgers if you think your modern day 2D platformers are just too easy. What are your thoughts on Rad Rodgers? Comment down below to let us know and for all your gaming needs like reviews, previews and articles, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime.