Redout: Space Assault might sound kind of familiar. That’s because it’s a strange little prequel to Redout, a WipeOut-style racing game that released a few years back. I remember playing it and reviewing it on PS4 a few years back. I found it to be an OK, if forgettable game.
Now here in 2021, we’re getting a prequel that swaps out the futuristic racing for… space combat. OK…
There’s something you should know about Redout: Space Assault. It started out as a mobile game for Apple’s game subscription service, and this here is a port of that game. Hence the pocket-money price and the simplistic gameplay.
Rather than zipping around tracks at breakneck speed. Redout: Space Assault takes players a couple of hundred years backwards within the Redout universe, because everything has a universe these days…
The story is… well, I don’t know or care. It’s told through in-game dialogue with no cutscenes. The voice acting isn’t terrible, but I always find it hard to connect to any story when its delivered in this format, though I do appreciate that there’s actual voice acting instead of endless text to read.
You play as a fighter pilot and your main tasks are survive, collect coins, upgrade your ship with those coins, and shoot bad guys. I left ‘shoot bad guys’ until last on that mini-list, because you don’t really shoot the bad guys. Sure, there’s a button to fire your missiles, but it’s all automated. You don’t need to aim, you don’t need to worry. All you have to do is spam R2 and make sure you dodge out of the way of incoming fire. It’s very simple and it harkens back to the days of Space Harrier and Starfox, but with less control.
You’re rarely able to control where you’re going in Redout: Space Assault. Instead, most missions take place on a set route that you automatically follow. You have boosters to go faster, and you have the ability to slow down, but what’s the point? It’s essentially an on-the-rails “shooter” for most of the time. There are a few missions that give you free rein to explore a battlefield, but these are few and far between, and generally not very exciting.
Graphically, I’m surprised. It looks and runs great, but this was once a mobile exclusive, so you’d expect nothing less. Still, I was impressed by the graphics at times, but let down by the fact I couldn’t really enjoy it due to the restrictive nature of the game.
I’m not sure what the thinking is behind Redout: Space Assault. It seems like a weird fit to try to tie-in what is a very average arcade shooter to an average anti-grav racer. Maybe this is better on mobile where expectations are lower. Still, for 7-8 quid/dollars, you could do a lot worse, or you could do better with a game on sale.
Redout: Space Assault PS5 Review
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Overall - Not Bad - 5/105/10
Summary
It’s understandable that 34BigThings would want to trade on the name that made them, Redout, but I’m not sure this spin-off prequel is the right way about it. Fans of the original Redout game will no doubt be disappointed in the flip away from futuristic racer to mundane arcade shooter.
There’s some simple fun to be had but don’t go jumping into this one expecting any depth unless you want broken ankles.
Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.
Reviewed using PS5.
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