Rage 2 is still several months away from launch, but there's a lot of open world left to introduce players to before May. As such, Bethesda has released a lengthy 9-minute-long trailer that's nothing but pre-beta gameplay featuring the player combing the open world, taking on what obstacles lay before them. The trailer also serves as an excellent showcase of Rage 2's unique physics-based combat. Between the explosions, slams, and launches, Avalanche Studio's Just Cause flair really stands out.

The trailer starts off with Mr. President, Rage 2's ranger protagonist, fighting through a series of enemies to open an Arc. This Arc calls back to Fallout's Vaults, only instead of people inside, there's a new ability for the player to unlock. The Arc gives the player the ability to slam into the ground while mid-air, knocking back or outright obliterating enemies beneath them. This is just one example of Rage 2's unique physics-enabled gameplay.

That physics-empowered action is put on full display in the next section of Rage 2's trailer, in which the player takes on an enemy outpost. The player combines their gravity grenade, which can both pull enemies into its well of power and launch the player over gaps, with their slam to devastating effect. The player also has a shotgun that can launch enemies into the air or off of cliffs, as opposed to the normal shotgun that just erases enemies in the straightforward way that shotguns do.

Rage 2's arsenal of exciting weapons is on full display, making clear that while Avalanche Studios has brought over many of the physics-based tools that make the Just Cause franchise so exciting, it's also maintaining the stylistic and violent design that id Software created with the original Rage.

While the front half of the Rage 2 trailer does tease some of the open world's potential, showing how the game's map is packed full of outposts and encounters just short distances apart, the second half of the trailer doubles down on the scope of the map. The player mounts a flying vehicle and flies off into the distance. While flying, the player passes by any number of towns, outposts, enemy caravans, and curiosities that Bethesda is saving for players to discover in the final game.

To wrap up the trailer, Bethesda has two final surprises. There's an exciting encounter with a giant mech, which spouts flames, drops mines, and can be dismantled piece by piece. The bigger surprise, however, is what must be a story teaser. A leader speaks to a gathering of soldiers, promising the start of a "cleansing" and the rebirth of The Authority. Rage fans will recall The Authority as the game's primary antagonist. Expect more information on that tantalizing teaser soon.

Rage 2 releases May 14 on PC,  PS4, and Xbox One.