100% achievements (with bugfix mod)
9/10
Filled with a kinetic energy and rawness felt in few games released since, Mad Max is a diamond forgotten in the back of most people's libraries.
The beautifully vast yet decayed future Max is left to suffer alone in frames the simple yet brutal story while enforcing the ravenous, destructive and immensely fun gameplay loop of bashing together apocalyptic cars and invading towering, rusted fortresses. Movement and driving is snappy and polished, combat is simple but satisfying, and the various tools and weapons within Max's growing arsenal gives you many choices on how to tackle the next (often literal) roadblock. The Magnum Opus is a canvas for player expression, with lots of upgrades to scavenge and unlock, and rebuilding the various allied strongholds- all while seeing them physically grow- is a treat.
Exploration, while sometimes repetitive in nature, is never repetitive in it's creativity of scenery and locations- each camp being uniquely hewn into the rocky landscape or forged from the remainder of the ruins of civilization. The world (again) is gorgeous; few games make me stop and stare at the endless sky as intensely, or fear the looming storm in the distance as much.
For a title and movie series so focused on rage and hate, it still can't help but have moments of serene beauty with an atmospheric depth that surpasses many of its contemporaries both then, and now. The thematic nature of rising from what was once a deep, sunken seabed to the peaks of mountains atop a broken world is riveting both visually and conceptually, and the experience as a whole left me feeling a wistfulness and excitement that I won't be parting with anytime soon.
Tip: install Reshade and find a mod to toggle HUD. The desolate beauty of the world is far more captivating with a seamless view. Maybe turn on some classic rock... and for those curious as to what lies beyond the dunes, there are some mods for that, too.
