When the original Redout was released on Switch a few years ago, it stood out from other Wipeout-like racers due to the dual-analog control scheme. Redout 2 retains this unique control set up, along with other elements from the original, for better and worse.

This futuristic racer does not show any mercy, demanding perfection literally at every turn. If you watch my stream embedded in this article, I couldn’t even clear the third tutorial stage after several attempts. While challenges can be rewarding when overcome, it feels like Redout 2 is trying to make you rage quit.

A lot of the challenge and uniqueness comes from the control scheme. All the pointer-finger buttons control speed, boosts, and breaking, but moving requires the use of both analog sticks. The right stick is used to strafe, which is weird for a racing game, and the player also has to worry about the pitch of the vehicle. In my tutorial stream, I magically fell through the stage multiple times because I am assuming the nose of my vehicle wasn’t aimed in exactly the right direction. In time, this becomes more complex as you start unlocking new parts for your ship. In short, this isn’t exactly a high speed racer you can pick up and play.

All of the game’s features are not immediately accessible either. In order to play online, you need to at least finish the B League tier. The Season Challenge and Community tabs on the front page are also grayed out (at the time of this article, the game has been out for over a couple weeks). The main career mode will also test the patience of the player because in order to unlock level 2, you need to master level 1. And mastering level 1 will probably require numerous attempts until you memorized the track turn by turn. 

For most of the game, you don’t race against other vehicles or even their ghosts. Instead, beating the timer earns medals. The track design also plays into this. Instead of having wide open tracks that can accommodate 30 racers like in F-Zero, each track is narrow making it easy to slam against walls.  There are no Mario Kart-like weapons either. Instead, the player needs to manage boost power and overheating.

Redout 2, with its complex control scheme, wealth of unlockables, and demanding gameplay is like a simulation version of a futuristic racer. It is not that it is bad. It is just that effort to make any sort of progress far outweighs the reward.

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By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz

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