Off the Shelf Media

The Mad Max franchise is one of the most unique and well-known action franchises to ever exist. For completely good reasons as well. Each movie is dominated by practical effects, nonstop action, and the definition of a solemn anti-hero in the form of Max. 

George Miller crafted the universe all the way back in 1979 and has not stopped since. Although the second film, The Road Warrior (1981), originally titled Mad Max 2, cemented the franchise for American and global audiences, the more recent Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) reinvigorated the cinematic universe into pop culture. Those two more recent films continued the mythos of the post-apocalyptic world as being told as individual legends; as such, the timeline is more vague and offers endless possibilities for future storylines. The massive success of Fury Road, along with the campfire tales-style storyline, offered the perfect opportunity for a videogame to come about. 

The game we got was simply titled Mad Max. It is easy to see that the direction for most of the game was based on the movie that was released the same year. While also maintaining its own independent storyline from the entire franchise. The scale of the playable world, enemies, and locations work well with that movie because of how much was shown with nonstop gasoline-fueled violence. 

Gameplay: 1

The gameplay is good. Nothing comes off as unique, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The game was not an attempt at redefining the industry, thus the elements within the game work well without much discovery required or really any tutorial. The game does offer tutorials in the menu, but anyone familiar with third-person shooters will feel at home. While the loop is satisfying, it can feel repetitive.

These elements all work well in a Mad Max theme. You do not find health packs but rather scavenge for water and ‘food’ wherever possible in the barren wasteland. Ammo is not abundant either, which leads to the two types of combat in the game. Players will spend most of their time behind the wheels of their “Magnum Opis.” The word ‘their’ is absolute here. 

Customizing and finding upgrades for your car dominate the gameplay in the best way possible. Combat feels like how the movies present it: nothing short of brutal. Fueling your car with gas is a requirement, but more as an ammo type than a functional necessity to progress, given how abundant the resource is between points of interest. Driving is simple and summoning your car is convenient, but that does not mean the combat is easy. It might begin to feel easier as players progress, but each new section comes with better-prepared enemies and in greater numbers. It can quickly turn your car into a burning roadside attraction if players are not careful.

The other part of the game is played on foot in classic WB beat ‘em up combat. A simple attack/parry system that almost warps Max’s fist to an enemy’s face. Those portions of the game are simple, and even if players find themself in a bind, the shotgun, shanks, and environmental weapons offer even more avenues for coming out alive. These moments offer a nice break from exclusively using their car and are never so long that they feel boring. 

During your time on foot and behind the wheel, you will come across scrap, a lot of scrap, that is the main currency for upgrading your character and car. Some will be level-locked behind certain missions being completed, but they are incredibly linear. Players will also find themselves accumulating “Griffa Tokens” after completing certain milestones, such as doing car jumps and specific methods for destroying cars and enemies. 

I never personally looked up what specific challenges to go for, and simply playing the game, I accumulated enough to fully upgrade Max using the tokens. These upgrades require you to search out Griffa across the map and interact with him. The dialogue is always direct and precise with Max and usually focuses on his desires, past, and how he embraces the relentless post-apocalyptic world. These upgrades usually focus on the things Max interacts with in the world, such as health from food, increased loot and combat strength. 

It is the most common gameplay loop for third-person role-playing games (RPGs) nowadays. Players find a high tower (hot air balloons in this case), which reveals locations on the map, and then take over enemy outposts for loot and to diminish enemy patrols. Again, it works, but not particularly groundbreaking. You can also come across convoys that are comprised of several enemy vehicles with higher armor and weaponry, being led by a specific truck that offers hood ornaments when defeated. It is probably the most unique aspect of the game that also translates directly from the movies. It is a great feature, but it also serves as a small source of frustration for me. Those avid readers of our will know why the WB Nemesis System from a previous article of mine on Middle-Earth™: Shadow of War™.

The first title, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, was released in 2014, a year before the Mad Max game. It makes absolutely no sense why the same system was not implemented in this game as well. The Convoys are by far the hardest part of the game, often times I was unable to win in a single go, leaving my car to sit and wait for repairs and try again after chasing the remaining convoy down. This would have been the perfect opportunity to expand on the most unique gameplay mechanics that hold true to the movies, while also using a completely unique mechanic that only WB holds the patent to use. It feels like a swing and a miss that could have truly made the game more dynamic. This is probably the reason the game did not have much of a cultural presence, even though it was a genuinely good adaptation from the movies, while most importantly, being fun to play. 

Story: 2

The Mad Max franchise is not known for its incredible dialogue; in fact, if anything, it is known for the broken English the denizens of the wasteland have adopted. That does not mean the storytelling is vacant. 

The few pieces of dialogue you discover reel players back into the harsh contrast between the old world before the apocalypse and the present. Max’s own interactions, sticking true to the movie, always feel reluctant to help, only as a means to what he wants to keep moving on. The narrative is not movie quality; it is far simpler, but does enough delicately to be in line within the same universe. The few interactions with Griffa and the historic relics drive this home; without them, the story would feel lazy rather than deliberately simple. Do not play expecting a story as compelling as the movies, but knowing the bare-knuckle gameplay keeps your hands on the controller. 

Atmosphere: 2

It is always a good sign when other elements are brought up in different sections during our review. It is evidence that the features interact with one another, so the game is closer to being seamless. It feels like the world offered in Fury Road, not only because of the enemies and familiar location, but also the environmental hazards. Steep cliffs, sudden sand dunes, and landmines collide into a familiar setting that makes gameplay genuine to the film and also fun to come across. 

Then, there are the sandstorms. Randomly, while exploring the map, players will find their car of character under threat of intense winds, flying debris, and lightning. It feels literally taken from the movies, and while not as visually appealing as that scene, which actually makes it nearly impossible to see, it forces nothing short of excitement the first time it happens from the developers implementing it as a gameplay feature.

One fair bit of warning: the cars are loud. It is difficult to talk in chat while playing if you are behind the wheel. If there were a setting for just engine rev, this wouldn’t be a problem, but sadly, one such does not exist, and you would have to lower all of the secondary volume to overcome it, which, if you do that, you are not playing it right. It’s a game about big engines, big explosions, and wall-to-wall combat, so expect to not hear something while you play. 

Value: 2

Originally, the game was priced at $60, and that was frankly too steep. Since its release more than a decade later, the price hovers around $20, which is far fairer. If you are a fan of driving games or the Mad Max franchise, it is an easy purchase to make. 

Really, anyone who likes third-person RPGs will have a good time. The driving is simple, but if you hate driving games, you might not like the title. The lack of narrative is actually a plus for more casual gamers who want to breach the void into different games because it is simple to follow. 

Duration: 1

It takes 30 hours to beat. It can probably be done in around 15-20 hours without trying to platinum it and if players streamline doing the story. There really is no incentive to replay the game. I did because of how satisfying the gameplay is, and I wanted to give this title the most honest review possible. 

The gameplay is satisfying enough not to be boring, but one portion in particular always feels like a chore more than a game: clearing minefields. They are fantastic as an obstacle, exploring the map and entering random car chases, but taking the dog to each site in a region to bring down the threat level is not fun. It is boring and frustrating to get there in the non-upgradable dune buggy.

Total Score: 8/10

In today’s market, it is an easy purchase to make for only $20. The amount of content is surprisingly deep in terms of locations, car upgrades, and cars to collect outright. The biggest downside of the game is the lack of the Nemesis System. Had it been implemented, it could have really made the game endless and broken up the repetition in a unique way that only the publisher was capable of doing. That being said, I cannot recommend this game enough. To put it another way, it is probably the best 8/10 game you will come across.