Has there ever been a trailer for something you initially had little or no interest in that intrigued you enough to become interested? That has happened a few times for me, and the Gameplay Overview Trailer for Mad Max was one such trailer. The presentation of the gameplay was frank and painted a picture of the game for me that made me curious about how it would turn out. It being developed by Avalanche Studios also made me a bit more interested, given some of its other open world work. One thing potentially worth noting is that I have never actually seen a Mad Max film, so it is very possible that there are some references in the game I do not get. I am familiar with the premise of the franchise and the game is separate from the films, but set in the same universe, so I doubt this will be an issue.

The story of the game starts with Max driving his Black-on-Black Interceptor across the wasteland, being chased by a group that eventually overwhelms him. The leader of this group, Scrotus, then appears, beats you unconscious, steals your car, and leaves you for dead. Not wanting to die yet, Max gets up, grabs onto Scrotus' land mover and fights him, plunging a chainsaw into his skull. In response, Scrotus hurls Max from the vehicle, starting Max on his journey to reclaim what was taken. All of this, by the way, is told by an opening in-game or in-engine cinematic (the graphics are the same as the rest of the game) that you have no control during.

Mad Max has received an M rating from the ESRB for intense violence, blood and gore, strong language, and use of drugs. They are all there so it definitely deserves this rating. While the use of drugs I do not believe I captured in any media, I am quite confident I captured the others, so if such content is inappropriate for you, there is a chance this review is as well.