Road Redemption hands-on: Nostalgia isn’t enough to save poor execution
Road Redemption, the spiritual successor to Road Rash, is out now for Android. It’s more or less a direct port of the PC game released in 2019, albeit with a significant graphical downgrade. If you’re unfamiliar with the title, Road Redemption is a racing combat game where you’ll smack, shoot, and kick rival bikers as you ride to victory. It’s a fun idea, but the attempt to capitalize on nostalgia leaves much to be desired.
Many of thebest racing gamesoffer spectacular graphics, extensive customization, and multiple game modes. Road Redemption, on the other hand, is an eyesore, with limited customization and only one game mode (there are technically multiple, but more on that later). Thankfully there are no microtransactions, just a paid upgrade to the full game that’s eight bucks.
I recorded the above video after a few hours of gameplay. A short tutorial explains the controls, and then you’re off! Unfortunately, I felt I had seen it all after about two hours. It was a disappointing experience, and my time was not improved by a game-breaking bug that forced me to reinstall the title. The campaign’s save mechanic is also confusing, so I lost my progress multiple times after closing the game. I think this was an intentional roguelike mechanic, but it also may have been another bug.
Road Redemption offers players two diverse ways to play. Campaign (where you’ll attempt to get to the finish line fast while knocking around other bikers) and Quick Play (where you’ll try to get to the finish line fast while knocking around other bikers). Apart from some dialogue and unique upgrade options in the Campaign mode, nothing significant separates the two options. Offering the player upgrades for completing races and knocking out other bikers encourages you to try new tactics, but all they do is increase your various stats by small intervals. It’s boring, and the lack of visual indicators makes it tough to tell you’ve changed anything.
Reinstalling the game was the only way to add a “Yes” option to this screen.
Of course, before you reach the riveting world of Road Redemption’s upgrade menu, you’ll have to sit through dated graphics that belong in 2010. While there certainly is a case to be made for lowering the quality to accommodate as many phones as possible, the “Ultra” quality option is laughable with jaggies everywhere, and is capped at 30FPS. The graphics have no reason to be this low, especially when thePC version offers crisp visuals and spectacular special effects. In an era when graphically intensive games like Genshin Impact run like butter on the best Android phones, Road Redemption’s poor visuals and lack of graphical settings are inexcusable.
The shoddy graphics could be excused by exciting gameplay, but this area is severely lacking as well. The fast-paced violence of Road Redemption is cathartic, but it’s akin to eating too many chips. Nice to have in small amounts, but too much in one sitting, and you’ll wonder why you ever thought buying a tube of Pringles was a good idea. Clunky animations also take some of the impact out of the violence, as your character bumps awkwardly off walls and obstacles. It’s also a toss-up whether colliding with obstacles will cause you to crash or merely slide off your bike.
Left: Graphics quality set to “Low,“Right: Graphics quality set to “Ultra.”
To beat your opponents into last place, you have numerous weapons at your disposal. you’re able to bludgeon rivals with wrenches, shoot them with guns, or even stick C4 to their vehicles. The most satisfying method of disposing of enemies is to grab them by the collar. Once you’ve caught someone, you can steer them into an oncoming car with predictable results. Yet the experience grows stale fast. Once you’ve chopped one Mad-Max extra’s head off, you’ve chopped them all off.
Still, if you enjoyed the PC version and are thinking this mobile version could be just as fun, ensure to grab one of thebest Android controllersbefore you begin. The touchscreen controls are insufficient for comfortable play, but my Xbox controller made the experience bearable. However, Road Redemption offers multiple options to suit your playstyle if you are stuck with touch controls, which is helpful.
Overall, Road Redemption is a disappointing experience in which its reliance on nostalgia isn’t enough to save it from dated graphics and repetitive gameplay. Instead, browse our list of thebest Android gamesfor an experience that won’t leave you wanting.
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