Road Rash debuted for the Sega Genesis in 1991. Sequels and ports to other consoles would continue until the year 2000 as the last game in the series, Road Rash: Jailbreak was released to the original Sony Playstation. It was the perfect motorcycle racing combat game, full of hard nosed fighting and a pulse quickening race system that kept making the player go for “one more try” to get first place. Though a few video game companies have tried to emulate the style over the last 15 years, nobody has really gotten it right (or even close in some instances). That is until Road Redemption came along.
Information
Game Rating: Mature
Size: 5.51 GB
Release date: 12/19/2018
Developer: Pixel Dash Studios
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Well, go on then. We have a game to get to. Does anybody really remember the plot line to Road Rash? Basically, there were illegal street races and in order to get all of the cash, you had to win them. Oh and beat people up, that’s about it really. Future releases would add something about gangs and other nonsense but nobody payed it much attention.
Road Redemption does actually have a plot line once you boot up the game’s Campaign mode. I swear, don’t laugh at me. Let’s see here, I should have a screen shot some place. Ahhh, here we go.
Uneasy peace indeed, darn that masked assassin! Anyway, that’s the story and we are sticking to it. Or rather, sticking a C4 explosive to the side of his bike and blowing him to kingdom come. Once we get close enough to him anyway, but that will take a lot of stages and much combat racing.
Graphics
As one is racing along and swinging a pipe to anybody who gets in the way, one might not take the time to look at the scenery and take in the various locales that Redemption has provided us. But the developer has taken the time to really detail out these various surroundings and give them plenty of depth. At first, the player will get a huge taste of the desert land and vast landscape.
However, once the first races are over, we are treated to a beautiful winter landscape and other locales with many tiny bits of detail. After a while, one could even want to venture off onto a shortcut or the beaten path as it were to take a look (however, on the rooftops it is best not to stray). The player would be rewarded with picturesque visuals but then probably die and fall to their certain doom.
If I had to choose something to knock against the graphics, it would be the text or anything in the menu system that is written without a visual. I have lasik but yet I had to get up from my couch and take a look at some of the options and skill trees to make sure I was picking the right one. I’ll be frankly honest, some of these screenshots I had to sharpen the pictures in order to make it readable. Maybe it’s the font, or maybe its the fact that the skill tree has a ton of choices, but it can be difficult at times.
Sound
The best moment in Road Rash for the 3DO was firing up the game and hearing Rusty Cage by Soundgarden blaring through the speakers (may Chris Cornell rest in peace). While Road Redemption doesn’t have that kinda of “A” quality music, it does sport a pretty nice soundtrack full of metal/hard rock riffs that you will want to turn up to eleven. It goes well with the game and even though it doesn’t want to make me go and find the cd (or download it off a digital platform of my choice as the case is these days), it doesn’t get old quickly.
The sound effects are also well placed as every tap of the gears, slice and explosion comes through very well. I never felt that those sounds were out of place or not in sync. I sometimes wanted a little more oomph but that could have been from the music that was occasionally overshadowing it. I will say that the siren from the cop car or bike were a little underwhelming (it doesn’t have that oh shit factor like Rash did), but that’s a minor complaint at best.
Gameplay
The game play to Road Redemption plays out fairly simply. One has the usual right trigger to put your foot on the gas pedal. Hit it twice in a row for a quick burst of nitro and then let off when one wants to stop milking their reserves. A couple of buttons are provided for attacking in either direction. One can even change their weapons as there are four slots (picked by the directional pad) to choose from. How one carries a bat, sword, an uzi, and some C4 explosive while trying to drive is beyond me.
There is also a kick button which doesn’t provide as much damage but pushes the opponent’s bike away from you and hopefully into an oncoming truck. There is even a grab button where you do your best GTA impression except on the back of a bike. It’s a deep system (sometimes too much as I rarely ever think about grabbing somebody), but works easily as you work through decapitations and deflections in often the same breath.
The original Road Rashes were vehicular combat arcade racing games. That’s all they ever were. Sure, you could buy upgrades but it was mostly a means to an end. Road Redemption’s quick play area is probably a good representation of this as you race on the various stages and as you beat the various stages, new tracks, riders and bikes are unlocked for you to use. With a few more tracks, this sucker could probably stand on its own and in its current form it still provides many hours of enjoyment.
However, the game’s real focus is within the rogue-lite system that makes up the campaign mode. Yes, death is permanent and the player has to start back at stage 1 with almost nothing to show for it. But in true rogue-lite fashion, experience can be given (in an use or lose it scenario) to purchase upgrades ranging from health upgrades to weapon improvements to even level skips and new rides.
This makes the game slightly easier and more rewarding as time goes on and things open up. The game starts off very hard but as your skill adapts and the tree gets unlocked, the stages will slowly get easier and the player will progress further. That is until you get to the rooftops or the cpu starts hitting back twice as hard as you do.
I should also mention that the game’s races are completely randomized. Yep, the track (the same environment but a different layout), riders and stages are different each time you play them. Stage 1 might a race or it might be where you have to take out 5 to 7 riders before you cross the finish line. Later on, you will find stages with survival and beat the clock qualifiers.
A player might zoom right through the first two stages, but then tripped up by the third stage before barely completing the fourth. Another run might give you a rough second race but an easy fifth (and then a disastrous sixth). It can be tough and a crazy ride. But it can also be a lot of fun.
Replay
The game’s campaign mode will take you a good bit of time. My guess is if you are really good, it will probably take about 25-30 hours to beat with the default character, Dutch. If you are like me, you can probably tack on about 15-20 more. The quick play mode is probably a 5-10 hour job, it is just a matter of placing first which each track will take probably more than a few tries.
Of course, that would probably be enough for most people. But one can also add in the campaign plus mode and then beating it with every character it could think of (Santa Claus and Shovel Knight included). There is even a multi-player option if you wish to knock other Xbox Live game players off their bike. One could spend a very long time with this game.
However, I haven’t even mentioned the achievements. There are 50 included for the usual 1,000 achievements points. Some are simply accumulation achievements as you rack up hits with the bat (The Batman) or samurai sword (Road Ninja). There are also plenty of achievements for the Quick play levels as a gold (1st place) in each one will net you 15 to 50 gamerscore.
That’s not all of course, there are also achievements for getting to (not necessarily through) each of the game’s major areas. Beating the campaign also gets you a tiny achievement as does the campaign plus mode. Then once you do that, there are also achievements for beating the game with each of the many characters. Go Pumpkinhead!
I do have to mention though that the achievement counters do seem a little glitchy. Point in fact, the 1,000 kills achievement (Murder Face) has not moved past 19% on my bar for quite some time. I am fairly sure that I am not quite up to 1,000 kills that the achievement requires, but I am certain I am way past the 190 mark in dealing death to my fellow bikers. Hopefully this is either fixed or I hit 1,000 (and pop the achievement) so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Summary
After 15 plus years, we finally have a successor to the Road Rash crown. It’s name is Road Redemption and it will be hopefully picked up by lots of new and old gamers. The $20 price tag might scare some, but there is a ton of content here which could easily keep you interested for a very long time. In fact, if this had been the Xbox 360/PS3 era, I’m certain that this would have a retail copy and not be relegated to digital only.
Furthermore, the graphics and sound are both top notch and will keep you strapped to the seat of your motorcycle (at least until somebody knocks you off). While I did find some issues with the font and text and also some glitches in the achievements, none of these are keeping me from playing. I would also think that in this day and age, we should see a patch in the next 1 to 3 months addressing these issues. I heavily recommend this game to all people who remember Road Rash fondly and motorcycle racing enthusiasts. You just might want to keep a helmet on though, okay? Enjoy.
Disclaimer: The reviewer received a digital copy of the game from the developer as a result of supporting their Kickstarter back in 2013 (yes, 5 years ago). He played it for about a dozen hours which included racing through all sorts of odd places including one where cars fell out of the air and then drove him off the road. He also beat people with a pipe, a sword, a bat, and even a candy cane. Thankfully, through a little experience and blunt force trauma, he also managed to gain 11 of 50 achievements.
| Graphics: |  (9.0 / 10) |
| Sound: |  (8.0 / 10) |
| Gameplay: | (9.0 / 10) |
| Replay: | (8.0 / 10) |
| Overall: |  (8.5 / 10) |
