Written by Patrick Orquia
Title: Road Redemption
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Genre: Action, Racing, Arcade
Number of Players: Up to 10 players
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Nov. 06, 2018
Price: $19.99
Also Available On: Steam, PS4, XB1
It’s hard to argue if we are now living in a dystopian future, or it is about to begin. Dystopian futures have been a topic of countless fictional stories in TV, movies, and, of course, in video games. Road Redemption is set in one, where you play as a member of a motorcycle gang out to get an assassin who has recently killed a leader of a big weapons cartel group. Killing this assassin will win you a big bounty, but the problem is, you are not alone. Hundreds of other bounty hunters are seeking the same prize, and it is up to you to be them all to it.
In the game, you control your motorbike, riding from one point to the next on a seemingly endless cross-country highway, mostly devoid of private vehicles. It’s just you and hundreds of other motorbikers. The game has 3 areas to cross, with each area containing a number of different levels. Your main goal is to reach the finish line intact, and to do so, you have to whack and slash and shoot at your opponents. There are other specific goals per level, like killing a specific number of enemies, finishing the level within top 5, etc. You have a number of different weapons to use, such as guns, swords, crowbars, bats, explosives, etc., each with their own use. Blunt weapons are used to wear down enemies (until their helmets are off), swords are used to decapitate helmet-less opponents for instant kill, guns to shoot enemies from afar, and explosives to take out multiple enemies at once. Your felled opponents drop loots, such as money, health, or extra fuel (needed to do speed boosts, etc.). Opponents have symbols on top of their head for whatever lot they are going to drop, such as a red cross for health, dollar sign for money, etc. It would be overwhelming to duke it out alone against hundreds of opponents. Luckily, you are not alone. Because you are part of a motorcycle gang, you have your gang fighting along with you, and they are there to help clear the way and fight the opposing gang. Just don’t try to hit them, which is easier said than done, because it’s quite hard to hit your opponents while going on very fast speeds, let alone distinguishing friends from foes.
After each level, you get to upgrade your equipment, health, attack power, and nitro meter with the money you earn. The levels get harder as you progress, so upgrading your gears and attributes will help in increasing your chance of surviving. These levels are also procedurally-generated, but nothing too crazy. They just change enough to lessen the repetitive gameplay. Oh, by the way, you start from the beginning again when you eventually get killed. No saving from level to level. But, if you earn enough XP, you get to unlock persistent upgrades for your succeeding runs, such as higher health, high attack power, etc. You can also unlock the ability to start at certain levels to lessen the grind.
If the main campaign is not for you, you can try the Quick Play mode, which consists of straight-up races, for solo play or against your friends locally. Winning in first place will unlock new levels, 16 in total. These levels are set in different environments that you will encounter in the main campaign, such as the Mad Max-like highway in the desert, snowy mountainside, rooftops, etc. There is also an online mode where you get to race against other players around the world. Connecting would be hard at times and finding opponents even harder, but it’s there if you want it. I’d rather play the offline mode instead, if I were you.
Overall, Road Redemption is a descent action racing game, with enough challenge and variety in level design and gameplay to keep you on your toes. The roguelite elements surely help, but it generally lack polish in presentation. There is also the controls that are not as responsive as I wanted them to be, the occasional frame rate drops, and mediocre soundtrack. But if you want a quick break from all the other games that you are playing on your Switch, this game is a good choice, especially at its price point. So start your engine, put your game face on, and motorbike your way to glory. Remember, kill or get killed, that is the rule of the highway.
PROS
- Good visuals despite the overall lack of polish
- The roguelite elements keep you on your toes and make succeeding runs easier
- Good enemy AI
- Fast-paced action from start to finish on every level
- Has a good variety of weapons, motorbikes, and characters to unlock and use
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