Road Redemption for PC review: A simple yet surprisingly fun motorcycle racer

The 1991 Sega Genesis game Route Rash remained a fan favorite thanks to its unique premise: motorcycle racing with the added objective of chirapsia other drivers to death with melee weapons. Fast forward to modern times, and developers Pixel Dash Studios and EQgames have modernized this formula with Road Redemption.

Featuring simple yet deep mechanics, fun missions, and a competent multiplayer experience, Road Redemption overcomes its graphics and map-design flaws and solidifies itself every bit a quality title.

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Entrada and multiplayer are a blast

Route Redemption'due south campaign lacks any semblance of storytelling, but that'southward OK, that was never this game's focus. Instead, the value in the campaign lies in the objective-oriented missions and customization for your grapheme.

Each level of Road Redemption gives you a different task to complete. Some levels require you to win by reaching a location before other drivers. Others chore y'all with assassinating a specific target, such as a biker leader protected by a posse of cronies. Some will even claiming you to kill every enemy on the road.

Completing levels earns you money, which you can employ to upgrade and customize your grapheme to adapt your playstyle. Hungry for kills? You can max out your weapon impairment and other offensive stats. More of a defensive player? Upgrade your armor and counter-attack skills.

This variety is what keeps the singleplayer from feeling banal. Each level will test your abilities to bulldoze, slash, and smash in dissimilar means, and it'southward oh and then satisfying to finally beat that level that you've been stuck on. Once yous beat the campaign, you tin can also hop into multiplayer and play confronting random players, or your friends, in a variety of game modes.

Gameplay is unproblematic but deep

The beauty of Road Redemption's design is the way that it takes Route Rash's premise and expands on it with a plethora of moves and skills. While the objective is simple — drive up side by side to other drivers and impale them — the way in which you accomplish that is where the game really opens up.

Everything from direct combat to utilizing your environs is viable. If fighting another biker with melee attacks, at that place'due south an arsenal of parries, counter-attacks, dodges and other moves that you have at your disposal to deal (and avoid) damage. If you struggle with this, and then you tin can opt to impale people by pushing or bumping them into map obstacles. Everything from oncoming traffic to concrete walls is a potential tool for you to employ.

There are two types of weapons in the game: blunt and sharp. Blunt weapons knock around other bikes and tin can pop off the helmets of enemies, while sharp weapons do higher damage and can decapitate foes who aren't wearing head protection. In addition, in that location are as well special items. My personal favorite is the sticky bomb, which you lot tin attach to enemy vehicles and watch the fireworks.

Ultimately, Road Redemption's simplistic concept contains a surprising amount of room for strategic thinking. The only issue with the gameplay is that the maps are rather repetitive. Though there are a variety of them, they all unfortunately feel very like and none of them have any features that carve up one from the other.

Visuals and performance are nothing special

Road Redemption takes a chip of a stride back in the graphics department. While the game doesn't wait bad, it does look below boilerplate. When it comes to music, though, Road Redemption has an enjoyable soundtrack of difficult stone music that acts as a perfect properties to the vehement gameplay.

Performance is as well solid, and the game runs very well. There were a few hiccups here or there, but nothing to be worried about.

Route Redemption for PC review conclusion

Road Redemption, despite having a few flaws, even so impresses with its sound gameplay mechanics, strong customization organization, and corking performance.

Pros:

Splendid gameplay mechanics.
Well-made singleplayer and multiplayer.
Good music and performance.

Cons:

Beneath average visuals.
Uninteresting map design.

Road Redemption is available now on Steam for about $twenty.

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This review was conducted on a PC, using a copy provided by the publisher.

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