It’s been a long, hard road travelled since its original Kickstarter debut way back in April 2013, but after a lengthy stay in Steam’s Early Access section, Road Rash-esque retro revival Road Redemption is ready to ride off into the sunset. As of October 4th, the full game is complete, out now and available via Steam & Humble.
Prefer your racing to be a little more sportsmanlike? We’ve got you covered.
If you’re not familiar with Road Rash… It’s okay, you’re forgiven. It was an early EA-developed (Electronic Arts, not Early Access) series running from 1991 to 2003 about illegal motorcycle races. Racing was only half the game, though. The rest of the time, you were swinging pipes, chains and other weapons in an attempt to make sure that you’re the only one crossing the finish line, making you winner by default. It was loud, it was dumb, it was fun and it was 90s as hell.
Road Redemption unapologetically builds upon that foundation, although with a few new twists of its own. The concept here is that you’re the leader of a gang, completing missions – such as races, assassination contracts, robberies, etc – for money and fame, and investing your ill-gotten gains into upgrades for you and your crew. Rather than using pre-set tracks, the game has procedurally generated environments, meaning that you’ve got to improvise, too.
By all accounts, the game is good, solid fun. Positively reviewed, selling decently and well stocked with players for online multiplayer, either competitive or cooperative. I’ve been meaning to take a shot at this one for a long time, but something has always gotten in the way at the 11th hour – perhaps now’s the time to give it a proper shakedown. Oh, and you might have heard that Shovel Knight is in the game. He is. And accompanied by a great metal cover of the Plains Of Passage theme.
Although let’s be honest here: Shovel Knight is in everything now.
Road Redemption is out now on Steam and Humble for £15/$18, with a 10% launch discount for the next few days.