Redout - Review

Redout - Review

One of the first titles I ever played on my PlayStation 3 was WipEout HD and it was back in 2011, but from there it was immediately passion at first sight. I was not yet familiar with the world of console gaming, I certainly knew the big names like Kratos in the God of War series (while I saw my cousin playing on PlayStation II) or Altair in Assassin's Creed, passing through Gran Tourism in the world of car simulation and Call of Duty and Crysis for the most successful FPS, but nothing that could make me think of the world of those so futuristic races, which would have conquered my heart from the first moments forever. After over 100 hours of full gameplay in just under a month, to conquer that coveted Platinum, the hardest I've ever gotten, I put this title aside for good, if not for a few occasional games to brush up on old memories. Having found Redout in the Steam library was therefore a real thud to the heart. Over these 7 years, approaching far and wide in the immense videogame landscape, and seeing it transform from many points of view, I felt the great lack of a title of this kind, and it is precisely in this context that the 34BigThings team has chosen to create a new and small masterpiece. Redout was born with the intention of being a tribute to the sacred monsters of racing such as F-Zero, WipEout, Rollcage and POD. Let's go therefore to discover and analyze every detail of this title, to discover an "indie but that is not so much indie, since it looks more like a triple AAA title" (just to mention some opinions of colleagues within the staff of Resources4Gaming).





Redout - Review

A reality

Redout has been designed to deliver a new fast, tough and satisfying driving experience, imbued with that vertigo that is the essence of the arcade racing genre. So how does this title appear to those who approach a genre like this for the first time? Of course, the first important observation to make is that 34BigThings' guys from Turin managed to give Redout a real soul, which does not appear as a copy of the old glories, but manages to offer original elements, renewed and above all in step with the times. The game was in fact also designed for a not so distant virtual reality and, if it is currently only available for PC, it is already preparing to arrive on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Yes, because it must be clear that the gameplay that characterizes this type of arcade racing must be faced exclusively with a Pad in hand. Despite having debuted on PC via Steam, the use of the keyboard is highly discouraged, resulting uncomfortable and not very usable, as it is a gaming experience that was born exclusively for joysticks., and it is for this reason that I will deliberately not include this feature among the negative points of the review, as in this case the desktop gaming computer becomes, as old fans already know, a mere tool to bring reality to as many gamers as possible. that Redout wants to offer, thus becoming (the PC) a gaming platform on a par with the home consoles of Sony and Microsoft.


Redout - Review

Simplicity is synonymous with harmony

The title does not include an initial tutorial, so those who are faced with such a genre for the first time, may feel a little discouraged, but with our controller in hand we are ready to enter this world, and already from the main menu it seems to already feel at home. In a very classic and clean style, we will immediately have the opportunity to start trying our hand at the Career to become the best pilot of Redout, and which will make us take the first steps to learn about the various game mechanics. In itself, in fact, the structure is very simple: there will be a choice of six class 1 hulls (to begin with) present in our garage, with well-diversified characteristics and suitable for different situations and different driving styles. As you advance in level, we will have the opportunity to purchase the various enhanced versions that will be unlocked by continuing in the game, up to class 4, the last, for a total of 13 ships available and obtainable. In addition, each class will be further upgradeable, with small but significant improvements.


Subsequently you move on to the choice of Powerups to be combined with your vehicle, bonuses aimed at improving performance in the race. We will have two slots to fill, the first usable for the active Powerup (which we will have to manually activate during the race) and the other for the passive one, which offers permanent advantages. Each Powerup can then be further enhanced in turn, for a total of four levels: needless to say that the higher their level, the more significant their influence in the race will be. Later we will see how in many events they will be the turning point of the race. In the box at the top right instead, we will have the opportunity to constantly monitor our career progress, keeping an eye on the level, the class of the current ship (necessary to access some types of events rather than others) and finally your budget, which will be the only source of money for any improvement we would like to make to try to be more competent in the various tracks. Furthermore, from time to time we will be offered contracts which, respecting certain conditions, will make us earn money and / or convenient Powerups for free.


Redout - Review

Ready to become the true champion?

Let's get to the real heart of Redout: the events, which will lead us to the discovery of extraordinary scenarios, including breathtaking jumps and truly mind-boggling speeds. Each event will be accessible, as you may have guessed, with a certain class of the ship, thus not being able to expect to compete with a fourth class hull in an event reserved only for those of two. This allows you to make each race unique in its kind, in terms of difficulty and performance. The sector offered by Redout is really varied: we will have a total of 10 race modes, which we will slowly face in our climb. Let's take a quick look at each of them, from the most classic to the unedited ones.


- Time Trial: It will be necessary to beat the record time, there will be no opponents and no distractions: alone against the clock

- Speed: A Time Trial in which extra turbos are placed on the track. If you stay above the indicated speed, seconds will then be subtracted from your final time.

- Survival: You will have to deal with many obstacles placed along the track. There is no respawn and you have to cover as much distance as possible before time runs out.

- Instagib: A Time Trial with no second chances: the damage is considerably increased and there is no respawn.

- Stroke: The most classic, to compete towards the final finish line. In this mode the use of Powerups will be allowed.

- Pure running: A classic race, but this time without the help of Powerups. It will be useful for training the fundamental driving dynamics.

- Arena race: A race with no respawn and the first to complete the race, or the last surviving ship, wins.

- Elimination: At each round, the last competitor is eliminated. It will be important to find the right balance between speed and endurance.

- A score: A long race in points. Hitting turbo, staying in the front, setting record laps and not exploding are ways to score more points.

- Boss: A long Race event that takes place on the five tracks of the racetrack of each location, connected through portals.

The various modes will put your adaptability to the test, having to continuously face different situations: you will go from very fast races, in which only speed is what counts, to longer ones, where it will be essential to keep the resistance of the hull high. , to be able to reach the final goal. The choice of each single Powerup will then be fundamental, which will guarantee you different performances according to your needs in a given event: you can increase the efficiency of stability on the path, or focus everything on speed during a chase. Career Mode will offer 75 events to play through throughout the game; some modes stand out less than others, resulting slightly improved, because they are less dynamic and more cumbersome, even if in the end it could be a matter of taste.

Redout - Review

Driving at very high speed ...

Going to analyze the driving HUD, we will be able to constantly check our speed ... and when you see what numbers we are talking about, you will understand how fast you will actually go, but don't worry because this is just the beginning! As we continue with the game, we will be twice as fast as we started. We will also find the classic health indicator and the energy bar, necessary to activate the turbo and the various upgrades equipped and, in addition to the data relating to the stopwatch, also a graph at the top that will show the various distances in the race between the participants. The only note that could be made is the lack of a minimap that can show the path in advance, to be able to predict the curves and mentally set the ideal trajectory in advance. However, a problem that is partly solved by the countless signs along the road for sharp bends or sudden zigzags, thanks also to containment barriers (guard rails) arranged on almost the entire perimeter of the track, whose color indicates whether we are in approaching a curve (turning red), a slight deviation (orange) or straight section (green). By starting to memorize the various maps lap after lap, and allowing yourself to be helped by the signs, it is still possible to anticipate the most critical points and try to overcome them in the best possible way.

During the race, it may happen that you lean on these barriers, especially when cornering, which, in addition to significantly reducing your speed, will also make you lose some health. Unlike WipEout though, in which the lost life points were unrecoverable, except through some sporadic bonuses along the way, here to regain health "it will be enough" to travel at high speed, without entering into conflict along the way with opponents or along the various barriers; among the various Powerups we will find the right solutions to facilitate the regeneration of the conditions of your hull. Another aspect on which Redout detaches himself from his inspirers, is the lack of weapons and / or upgrades obtainable along the track; we will only be able to take advantage of the Turbos placed in the circuit to get a slight charge during our race, but nothing to put the opponents in difficulty except with the starting Powerups.

Redout - Review

… And the right hull choice will make the difference!

The ships available will be suitable for every need and driving style, from the more resistant but less fast ones, to those that sacrifice a little grip in favor of acceleration and max speed. The advice we can give you is to find a hull that compromises, managing to guarantee an excellent structure, stability and speed. Despite being graphically impeccable, with a truly futuristic and compelling design, the hulls are a bit lacking in details and details. Here too, everything turns out to be very clean and simple, but nothing prevents (perhaps in a future update) the team from choosing to add some further refinement. Driving, for those not used to racing of this type, could be a bit cumbersome and not very fluid. In reality, taking a little hand, you will notice how you will stop carambulating between one barrier and the other, managing to make more or less clean paths. Another piece of advice I would like to give is to go to the Options and to the Control Scheme, select on Arcade. This important driving method will include the use of aero-brakes, which allow you to have total control of the vehicle, without which it would be impossible to achieve certain performances.

Redout - Review

On the hunt for the lost medal

Redout, as stated by the developers themselves, is a title that is very demanding in terms of difficulty. It will not be easy to get back into the top three, let alone finish first in an event. To advance, however, it is necessary to conquer at least the bronze medal in some event, in order to unlock new races and new tracks. The silver medal, with a little commitment, will be obtained without too many problems, perhaps with the right determination and concentration. The gold medal, on the other hand, in many cases will remain only a mirage; even when you think you have the right turn, at the last corner you could be overtaken, destroying the advantage built over the opponents for the entire duration of the race. This is due to a particular algorithm created by the developers, able to adapt the difficulty of the other participants to your driving style. In fact, if you find yourself in the last positions, it is possible to notice how the system slightly slows down the opponents in front, but when you find yourself at the head of the race, it will be impossible for you to win it alone, having to face up to the last meter, the opponents behind you, who will become slightly faster to be able to give you a hard time. You must have absolute control of the ship and an almost total knowledge of the track, having clear every meter of the circuit in order to make the cleanest lap possible; with the right Powerups, lots of tries and a little luck, you should be able to aim for the highest title too.

Redout - Review

Dream trips

The game circuits with which we will have to deal will not be very many, we are talking about 20 tracks grouped in four different settings, let's discover them together:

Cairo

- Calima: We will whiz through the former financial district, heading out of the city towards the desert.

- Khamsim: we will face the tight curves of the ancient Medina and we will rise above the slums of the slums.

- Simoom: We will run through the slums and into a narrow rock canyon, before the last jump over the pyramids.

- Sirocco: we will challenge the sandstorms of the vast desert and whiz around a huge oasis.

- Ghibli: a demanding circuit that will feature many twists and a very long straight, where we will reach speeds over 1300 km / h.

Alaska

- Highway: we will dive into a gigantic ice cave and then climb an iceberg before the final stretch towards the finish line.

- Explorer: full of straights, we will learn to control the inclination of our ship and we will face ups and downs.

- Airborne: a spectacular route between jumps and narrow passages inside a ship graveyard.

- Vertigo: one of the most technical circuits in the league, with lots of tight corners and a thrilling final spin.

- Spin: a challenging circuit, full of horizontal and negative G's.

Abruzzo

- Bridge: a long, fast track that features sweeping curves, S-curves and some swirling sections.

- Maritime hills: we will compete along the coast, in a tubular section and through the woods, with a couple of jumps in between.

- Mountain road: we will climb up the mountain, below the huge tree, to then dive into an incredible underwater section.

- Quick Pass: We will curve through the trees, around and through the swamp, before the last two long jumps.

- Unmanned: in this track it will be difficult to say which side is the sky and which side is the earth! One last final leap between the giant roots will often put you in trouble if faced at maximum speed.

V

- Falangi: we will sail across the bay, compete in the volcanic crater, returning back to finally dive underwater.

- Deep Dive: we will dive inside the volcano and discover the abandoned mining complex that lies inside it.

- Underground tour: a long and dangerous journey that will lead us to the heart of the mountain.

- Magma chamber: a twisted and crumpled circuit on itself, built entirely in the magma chamber of the volcano.

- Inferno: a long track that runs along the coast, with a short submarine section, and we will deal with the most exaggerated jump of Redout!

At crazy speeds, we will immerse ourselves in spectacular and sensational settings; it will be a real bath of colors, crossing the green forests of Abruzzo, up to the red-hot rivers of lava in the heart of an undefined volcano. Between long jumps, twists and very fast straights, it will be really difficult in the first moments to maintain concentration and not lose your head in some part of the track, turning into one more opportunity to admire every detail of the scenarios created. In addition, during the Career, we will have the possibility to choose on which track to race, leveling up and enriching our budget. The real gem will be coming across long and tiring Boss events (see above), which will allow us to cross each of the five tracks of a single racetrack in a single event, connected through portals in deliberately challenging points. Here the watchwords will be calm, concentration and precision. We will have races ahead of over fifteen minutes, with long and interminable laps that will put our endurance to the test.

Redout - Review

Constant fluidity 

The graphics engine used boasts the brand new Unreal Engine 4, which offers support for Steam VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, with a frame rate of up to 200 fps, so it will not suffer in any case from a sudden loss of frames. In addition, the developers have chosen to use a very particular but functional approach: a low number of polygons in the face of latest generation graphic effects, to maintain the right fluidity of the game, also because at over 1000 km / h it will already be really challenging. do not lose sight of the route, imagine the panorama around! Redout hits 60fps quite quickly at maximum details, with a PC with 5 GHz i2,6, 8GB of RAM and GTX 960, but to get to frame rates of 120 will certainly need a more powerful platform. Personally, I tested the title with an i5 4690k at 3,5 Ghz, 8GB of RAM and a R9 280x Vapor-x, reaching a frame rate over 100, managing to fully enjoy the fluidity of the title with settings set to the maximum.

Redout - Review

Beyond the wall of sound!

The audio sector that will accompany each single track is truly sensational, on a par with the old cousin titles: high-paced tracks that will send you the right amount of adrenaline to tackle every corner of your race. The choice was accurate, the characteristics of the track seem to reflect those of the background notes: in the snow-covered tracks of Alaska we will be accompanied, for example, by a delicate and crystalline female voice, or in the Volcano (the setting that literally left me in mouth open) from a very pungent and emblematic music. An OST certainly worthy of note, to put on your car stereos… as long as you refrain from the desire to push the accelerator to the sound of techno! Veterans will remember the music by Ed Rush and Optical that accompanied us on WipEout; if not at the same level, those of Redout will be able to convey the same intense emotions.

Redout - Review

Hey, is anyone there?

Online mode is well maintained, but sparsely populated at the moment, finding us still in the first days of the official debut. An excellent meeting point for all fans of the genre who want to challenge each other to know and overcome their limits. You will have the opportunity to carry out exciting races for up to 12 players, choosing the number of laps and the most suitable setting. P.Excited, however, there is no mode to play locally, thus allowing two users on the same platform to compete against! Further improvements or additions by the developer team could make the servers popular, especially in view of the future arrival on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Redout - Review

Drawing some conclusions on Redout, 34BigThings guys seem to have taken care of every little detail. In fact, in addition to the small notes already addressed in the course of the review on the questionable aspects, Redout is a title that works, and it works well too. Its usability is maximum (with a Pad in hand) and it is possible to understand it from the first moment. Once the game has started, it will be a continuous of “ready, set and go!”, Where the only thing that matters is just getting to the finish line at any cost, and maybe even in front of your opponents. The proposed difficulty is a further note of value, which, however, can be analyzed from two points of view: if on the one hand you risk silencing the fun without numerous attempts to perfect your driving, on the other it could become frustrating for those who simply want to compete every now and then and continue in the game without too many ambitions. With perseverance and determination Redout will give you many satisfactions.

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