Road Redemption

Genre: Arcade Racing / Action / Roguelike

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Splitscreen), 2-10 Competitive (Online)

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Review:

Road Redemption is a game that aims to be a spiritual successor to the classic, Road Rash, taking that game’s combination of Arcade-style Racing and Action elements, and adding in some modern Roguelike mechanics to bring the game into the modern age. This game was released on PC in 2017 and ported to multiple consoles, including Nintendo Switch, in 2018.

The presentation here feels somewhat Mad Max-inspired, which is perhaps appropriate, given the sort of game this is. That means a lot of dry, dusty stretches of highway rusty metal and rotting wood structures, and characters with thick Australian accents. The visuals are decent, but do feel a bit bland and samey, especially in early parts of the game where you’re dying and restarting the opening area until you’ve gotten a better feel for the game and upgraded your character some.

On that note, these new Roguelike elements do a lot to keep players coming back to the game, despite its high difficulty – the promise of being able to build up your character and be even stronger in the next run makes it sting a bit less when you wipeout and need to start over again. The co-op split-screen gameplay here is also excellent, and doesn’t seem to sacrifice anything from the single-player experience – players can tackle each level’s goals independently or try to work as a team.

Having said that, I do have some issues with the gameplay here, and it mainly comes down to the core mechanics. Players are usually trying to fight off enemies while also racing and adapting to the twists, turns, and obstructions on the road. However, this sort of multitasking is not easy, and time and again it will lead to players crashing while trying to tussle with enemies. When players get weapons like guns, this becomes even more demanding on the player, who much now keep from crashing on a fast-paced chase while aiming a reticult at a moving target. I feel like this sort of thing is quite a lot to ask of the player, and I don’t doubt that many will be so frustrated with this that they’ll give up on the game.

In the end, Road Redemption takes a classic game and revives it with not only modern visuals, but some modern Roguelike and co-op elements that fit the old Road Rage formula like a glove. Having said that, the amount of multitasking players are asked to do here feels like it’ll be overwhelming for most players, so definitely be warned that this isn’t going to be a game for everyone.

tl;dr – Road Redemption is a modern re-imagining of the classic game Road Rash, with players racing a motorcycle down a freeway and fighting off other bikers along the way. It’s a unique formula that’s made even better with modern visuals and Roguelike elements, but the way players are asked to multitask racing and fighting feels like it’s far too demanding for most players. As a result, this game is sure to have its appeal, but only to the narrow target audience of players who can manage this game’s balancing act.

Grade: C+

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