Jagged Alliance: Rage! is a turn-based strategy game about old, broken mercs

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20 years in the field takes a heavy toll.
 

It's been awhile since we've had a new Jagged Alliance to play with, and the last one, the Kickstarter-funded Flashback from 2013, was not very good. But THQ Nordic isn't giving up: The publisher announced today that Cliffhanger Productions is working on a new game in the series, Jagged Alliance: Rage!, set 20 years after the original.

Jagged Alliance: Rage! will take place on a remote tropical island, but instead of having access to a full-blown mercenary company, it's just you and a few buddies squaring off against a drug lord's personal army. The upside is that you're all seasoned badasses; on the downside, you're old, broken down, and suffering from the psychological toll of your chosen lifestyle. Legendary merc Ivan Dolvich struggles with alcoholism arising from the death of his nephew, for instance, while ex-Ranger Kyle Simmons is a master of stealth and leukemia survivor whose health has never fully recovered.

How this will be reflected in the game remains to be seen: The teaser at first seems to suggest that it will have some deeper meaning, but at the midway point flips into more of an Expendables-esque "we've still got it" attitude: "We don't know old," and all that. The updated Jagged Alliance website doesn't say much about it either, except that characters will have "strong personalities with [their] own skills, desires, and personal conflicts."

The game itself will feature turn-based tactical combat, as you'd expect from Jagged Alliance, "mixed with adventure elements," which is less clearly defined. Along with the debilitating effects of age and mileage, characters will also have access to unique "Rage" skills that will grow more powerful over time. Singleplayer and two-player online co-op action will be supported.

Jagged Alliance: Rage! will be the first game published by HandyGames, THQ Nordic's mobile and indie-focused label. A release date hasn't been set, but it's listed on Steam as "coming soon."