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0 Into The Radius 2 is out in Early Access! This is the gritty sequel to, yes, you guessed it, Into The Radius. Developed and Published by CM Games, you are once again venturing into the Pechorsk Security Zone. This time, however, you don’t have to go alone!
Anomalies Are Everywhere
Were you a fan of the first iteration of Into The Radius? Are you going to head back out and dive into the treacherous environment littered with anomalies? Good luck!
Gameplay
For those who have played the first game, you will be instantly at home in Into The Radius 2. CM Games has tried to keep it as similar as possible to allow that familiarity. For those new to the whole world, then let’s dive into what makes Into The Radius a great little franchise.
When you first fire up Into The Radius 2, you are taken through a nice little tutorial. Even when you feel like you’ve been released into the main game, there are still little help elements dotted about. These little hints help round out your experience pretty well. You get taken through all the basic elements, using your flashlight, movement, reloading weapons, ensuring the safety is off. This one is super important so definitely take note! And yes, I learnt this the hard way.
Essentially, you are tasked with exploring the Pechorsk Security Zone to find out more about the anomalies. These anomalies are effectively your enemies in the wilderness. Your job is to face the dangers of the Radius and report back to the United Nations Pechorsk Special Committee (UNPSC). Carrying out missions to find artefacts that can be used to further learn more about what is happening and give a better future for humankind. Sounds good right?
Weapons
CM Games have stated that the incredibly realistic weapons are one of the big selling points for Into The Radius 2. They were right too! The first weapon you get to grips with is a very basic pistol. This pistol has a safety switch, sliding chamber, magazines and bullets that can be individually loaded into the clip. So as you can tell, the mechanics are thorough.
During your tutorial, you get a glimpse into the guns available as you progress through the game, achieving higher ranks. These range from sub-machine guns to rifles, with several add-ons such as sights and suppressors. Pick your loadout wisely, as you need to be quiet whilst out on a mission.
Equipment
As well as weapons, you also need to adorn yourself with specific equipment. I’m pleased to share there has been an upgrade on this from the first game. With you now having control of your loadout. An encumbrance feature has also been added to ensure that your character never becomes overloaded.
During your tutorial, you are given a basic tactical vest with smaller pockets for items. This can be upgraded further down the line, but only if you have the right security level. Along with the vest, you also get a backpack to store goodies. Whilst you don’t need to take this out with you every time, it does come in handy. Particularly if you want to store some items for later use. If you want to be a bit lighter just leave the backpack at the base. The same inventory management system is used in Into The Radius 2 as its predecessor, whereby you just have to put an item into the backpack. There is no grid-based placement.
Builds
Your build in the game comes down to a combination of things. Comprising of a helmet, tactical vest, backpack and weapons in your hands. You need to ensure that you make the right choices so the game has an overall encumbrance for your character. It’s worth noting that everything your player holds, does add to your overall encumbrance. This has a knock on effect on your weapons. As whichever weapon you use, as well as the number of clips you carry, adds to your encumbrance.
As your encumbrance gets higher you start to become slower and your hunger gets higher. Just as in the world outside of VR, the more you carry, the more you are going to need to replenish your energy. Your vest and backpack also have a capacity. Luckily this capacity doesn’t effect your encumbrance. That is unless you start filling it more than its capacity. But who would do a thing like that?
I’ve said encumbrance a bit too much, so let me try to put it simply. If your backpack weighs 200, only that weight will go towards your overall. However, if that backpack can hold 1000 and you go above that, its going straight to your hips.
It is always a challenge in VR games to try and give a sense of weight, so all elements within Into The Radius 2 are given a load point. This tries to imply that even if an item is inherently light, if its an awkward shape or difficult to carry it may well have a higher load point. This way you start to feel all aspects while out in the wasteland.
Anomalies
Through your time with Into The Radius 2, you are going to come up against a few different types of anomaly. These vary but are all dangerous in their own ways. You need to keep your wits about you whilst traversing the Radius. From mimics to electrical anomalies, you have to decide how to handle each situation. Do you shoot first at the mimics, taking the chance of alerting other dangerous entities in the area? Or do you try and work your way around to stay as quiet as possible? However you choose to handle the situation, you need to be slow and methodical in your movements.
As mentioned right at the beginning, you don’t have to venture out on your own. With Co-op in Early Access, and 4-player co-op on the full release, you can take on the Radius in packs. Team up with your friends and make your way through to find out what actually is going on. Games are always better with friends!
Graphics & Audio
Graphically, Into The Radius 2 is pretty good. With nice environments, all rendered nicely with enough foliage to make them difficult to traverse. Playing through Virtual Desktop using my Quest 3, the game ran smoothly, with only a couple of stutters in my playtime. I put these down to the network connection in my office as opposed to anything else. My favourite part of the graphics was the ever-present giant orb in the sky, just watching, waiting.
The sound work in the game is great. There are plenty of audio queues to give you an indication of nearby dangers. The weapons all sound like you would expect to go along with the meticulous level of detail in the game.
Longevity
With the game in Early Access, CM Games has given a rough indication as to what you can expect. However, there isn’t an indication as to when they are aiming for the full 1.0 release. So we could be in Early Access for some time. This isn’t a bad thing, as this allows the developers to keep adding more bits and pieces to the game and to fine-tune it. However, the game itself has been released into Early Access at quite a high price point, £33.50 on Steam currently. This is quite high for an Early Access game, but with the success of the first game I’ve no doubt that the game will justify that price point.
In terms of actual game time, I believe this game has the potential to be massive. A great excuse to get your friends together to venture out and discovering more together. All from the comfort of our own homes. I am yet to try this in co-op but I’m hoping that will change in the coming days once I can round up my VR buddies.
Final Thoughts
Into the Radius 2 builds on certain elements of the first game to give an overall more immersive experience. All the while keeping some of those successful mechanics that fans of the first game loved. Whether you venture into the Radius on your own, or (eventually) with 3 friends, you are greeted with a gritty experience. Delivering danger at every corner causes you to think about each and every move and balance risk with reward.
If you are a fan of the first, then Into The Radius 2 should be well on your radar to pick up, even in this limited Early Access state. Stay safe out there!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this preview.
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