Raze
- Genre Action games
- Players 1
- Session 10 min
- Price Free
- Updated
Raze came out in 2010 and was designed by Addison Rodomista and Justin Goncalves, the pair who later formed Sky9 Games and went on to make Strike Force Heroes. You can see the family resemblance, but Raze is faster and rougher. Fighters are lanky armoured figures with jump jets, the arenas are industrial decks, toxic plants and glowing green training rooms, and the soundtrack switches tracks by level. The game begins by asking you to create a profile. Apart from a name and a look for Quick Match, you pick a personality from a list, Silent, Alien, Angry, Gamer, Zombie, 1337, Military, Robot or Noob, and your character shouts matching lines during fights. The profile also keeps a running record of kills, deaths, headshots, suicides, best kill streak and accuracy. The campaign is split by alliance. Human has fifteen levels, starting with Training Day and ending with Final Battle, and finishing it unlocks the Alien side. The About screen says upgrades and online play were ideas saved for a sequel.
| W A S D or arrow keys | Move; W or Up in mid-air fires the jump jets for a double jump |
|---|---|
| Space | Jump |
| Mouse | Aim around your character and left click to shoot |
| 1 to 0, Q and E, Enter and Shift | Select a weapon by number or cycle through the ones you carry |
| P or Ctrl | Pause; Tab shows the scores |
How to play Raze
- Read the controls card and press Play, then Create Profile. Choose a name, personality and look, and press Save and exit.
- Pick Campaign, then the Human alliance, and start Level 1, Training Day. It is a one-on-one deathmatch to five kills against a training bot.
- Follow the green notice boards. They teach the double jump, swimming and how to collect weapons and health in the VR room.
- For a free match open Quick Match and choose a mode: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Elimination, Team Elimination or Juggernaught.
- Set the number of opponents, difficulty and score to win, pick a map with the arrows and press Start.
Tips
- Quick Match also offers a damage multiplier, an Ego Mode switch and a weapon filter. Lower damage makes matches longer and easier to learn.
- Bots fight each other as well as you. Waiting a few seconds while two of them trade rockets is often the safest way into a crowded room.
- The shield bar next to health absorbs damage first, so pick up shield boosts before charging a group.
- If Raze stutters, open the pause menu and slide Graphics toward High Performance. The same menu has a Screenshot Mode that hides the HUD.
- Ammo crates matter: a pistol clip holds only eight shots, and an empty gun in a firefight is a quick respawn.
Questions about Raze
How do I unlock the Alien campaign?
Finish the Human campaign. The alliance screen shows Alien as locked until then.
Is Raze related to Strike Force Heroes?
Same designers, earlier game. Raze has no soldier classes, but it already had bots, campaign stages and a quick match setup.
What does the personality setting change?
Only the lines your character says during a battle. Silent turns them off.
Can I play Raze on a phone?
No. It needs keys to move and a mouse to aim, so it only works properly on a computer.
