It’s been quite a year for racing game fans, with a magnitude of big titles already being released on consoles.
All the sub-genres from arcade, simulation and even kart racing have had fresh games to keep fans on their toes. But it’s been a couple of years since fans have been treated to a new futuristic racing game.
Which makes the release of Redout 2 even more highly anticipated as fans can finally fill their anti-gravity needs.
Redout 2 is the sequel to 34BigThings Redout which was released in 2016. It’s an anti-gravity science fiction racer set in the year 2560, where players compete in the Solar Redout Racing League by piloting one of a selection of ships on several different tracks.
The game was praised for its visual style, soundtrack and modes. Redout 2 looks to build upon that success by taking everything up a gear.
Visually Redout 2 is a psychedelic spectrum of brazen colours that looks fantastic at high speed.
All the different coloured elements from the track to the boost streams flow well with one another creating a stunning science fiction experience.
The ship designs are very unique from each other and play to their characteristics, however, they aren’t much different from what fans of the genre have seen in past games.
The tracks are simply stunning, with each bombastic design offering a vastly different experience, that is just breathtaking at high speed.
Each track not only grants the players a cinematic experience when racing but acts as a guide for the planet you are on showing off all the finer details that make up their aesthetic.
Redout 2 is a visual spectacle that will leave players in awe as it is one of the best-looking science fiction racing games.
Redout 2’s soundtrack is a great mix of electronic, synth and rock melodies that elevated the racing experience. But Redout 2 really shines in how each soundtrack feels like it’s really part of the world it's portraying.
Like the theme for the Mariana Trench: Ahti stage sounds really eerie and ominous compared to the bold and almost malevolent theme on Tantalus.
It features a fantastic mix of artists from the legendary Giorgio Moroder and acclaimed talents such as Zardonic and Dance with the Dead.
Redout 2 offers three main modes for players to get stuck into, Career, Arcade and Multiplayer. They are all packed with extensive features and their own unique challenges.
The Career mode is the main crux of the single-player experience and probably the best way for players to ease themselves into the game as they work their way through the different levels of challenges.
This mode does a good job of pacing the players' progress and helping develop the needed skills to take on the more difficult races and opponents.
Arcade mode jumps straight into the action, allowing players to use the majority of the tracks and ships from the get-go.
This mode is split into six-race types for the players to pick from which are Race, Arena Race, Last Man Standing, Speed, Boss and Time attack.
It's actually impressive that the developers have fitted this many different modes into the game, with all of them offering a vastly different experience.
Last Man standing and Arena Race were the standouts for me as their thrilling challenges really forced me to improve my gameplay to even stand a chance of competing.
Multiplayer mode is where players can take on their rivals in online races but it's locked until you complete part of the career mode, which I think is a good idea.
Redout 2 is a tough game that has a high skill ceiling for players to master. But the game does a great job at getting players accustomed to how it works at a steady pace.
Redout 2 has a unique control system that uses both analogue sticks to control your ship.
This works with the left stick controlling the steering with the right stick allowing players to access the strafing function.
The strafing function will help players to drift through sharp turns while staying in control.
It can feel very weird at first and even take a while to master but once players get the hang of this system the game will feel like a breeze.
Redout 2 also has another quirky control scheme which comes into play when needing to land on the track after a jump.
This works by pressing the d-pad to position the ship carefully on the track, it sort of feels like playing an aviation game.
This is much harder than it seems and requires a lot of precision and succinct timing.
Players will also need to manage their health which will result in their ship being destroyed if completely drained.
Luckily the game will auto-restore the ship’s health during the race if players can avoid crashing or overheating their ship.
Players will have access to three different types of boosts to help them pass their opponents with the caveat being that overuse of these will result in overheating and eventually destroying your ship.
Redout 2 has a lot of controls and features to focus on during each race, which may be daunting at first for newcomers.
The game features up to thirty-six different tracks, each having a reverse mode option taking the tally up to seventy-two. Each of the tracks has different conditions that make it unique from others offering varying levels of difficulty.
There are several ships to choose from, each having different stats that cater to various styles of play.
Even more, can be unlocked in the career mode to increase the already huge roster.
Customisation plays a huge role in Redout 2 allowing players to change their ships functionally and aesthetics, after unlocking various different parts from success in races.
The customisation is really deep but there are some aspects that can feel a little convoluted at times.
Verdict 4/5
Redout 2 is an impressive anti-gravity racer that is visually stunning but does have a somewhat steep learning curve.
Fans of the genre will simply love the amount of detail the developers have poured into this title however it can be tough at times, even brutal for casual players.
But those who master the control mechanics and deep customisation system will be rewarded with a rich experience that futuristic racing fans have been waiting for.
Redout 2 is out now for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PC
