F-Zero and WipEout defined the futuristic racing genre in the 1990s. But despite the high demand for sequels, it’s been ten years since the last WipEout game (we’re not counting the WipEout Omega Collection re-release of WipEout HD and WipEout 2048) and almost 20 years since the last F-Zero.
Fortunately, indie developers are filling the gap with tribute titles that pay homage to WipEout and F-Zero while adding fresh ideas to modernize the genre.
Redout was born in 2016 from Italy published The indie studio 34BigThings is one of the most revered of these tribute games. Capturing the spirit of WipEout and F-Zero combined with innovative controls and a unique art style, Redout was followed last year by space combat spin-off Redout: Space Assault. Redout 2 goes back to basics and offers what the franchise does best: insanely fast, WipEout-inspired anti-gravity racing.
Code provided by the publisher. Tested Version: PlayStation 5
Obliterated
Redout’s difficulty left no room for error, and the sequel is no different. What makes Redout 2 more challenging than other anti-gravity racers is the manual controls.
When using both analog sticks, steer with the left stick and shoot from side to side with the right stick. If that’s not enough, tilting the right stick up or down will adjust the ship’s pitch to track height and optimize speed. Additionally, the D-Pad controls roll when skimming jumps in low gravity sections.
There is a steep learning curve and juggling the different mechanics is overwhelming at first. But once you learn to simultaneously steer and tilt to navigate sharper turns, the dual sticks provide the precise control you need to handle Redout 2’s scintillating speed.
Adding to the difficulty is a boost system borrowed from MotorStorm. Boost for too long and your ship will start to overheat and lose health. Lose all your health by overcharging or taking too much damage and your ship will explode.
Additionally, the Standard Boost can be stacked with a temporary Hyper Boost that charges over time for an additional speed boost. However, Hyper-Boosts must be used sparingly – if you activate them at the wrong time, you’ll end up banging into the nearest wall.
Despite the high skill cap, Redout 2 is more welcoming to new players than its predecessor. After completing the mandatory tutorial that teaches you the basics, the game will automatically assign AI difficulty and apply assists based on your performance.
Featuring six AI difficulty settings and sliders to adjust penalty, Pitch and roll assists, Redout 2’s versatile difficulty settings can be configured for any skill level. It’s worth experimenting with the assists, gradually turning them off until you find settings you’re comfortable with.
Unlimited rewind and manual respawn also reduce the difficulty for new players. You’ll often use these tools on tracks with no barriers that protect you from falling off the edge.
However, the tutorials don’t do a good job of explaining the complicated controls. For example, the third tutorial level, which must be completed before unlocking the campaign, is virtually impossible to conquer unless you stack the boosts – something the tutorial never explains.
This harrowing difficulty spike is reminiscent of Driver’s incredibly difficult Parking Lot Tutorial level, and means some impatient players will likely not get past the first few tutorials. It’s also an odd design choice that the difficulty settings can’t be adjusted until you’ve completed the first three tutorials.
Insane Speed
34BigThings calls Redout 2 “the fastest game in the world universe” – and that is no exaggeration. Redout 2’s relentless speed is exhilarating, aided by the aforementioned Boost system and rock-solid performance on PlayStation 5 with a smooth 60fps frame rate that never falters. Even the entry-level ships are breathtakingly fast.
Excellent audio design further enhances the sense of speed with the visceral sound of ship engines and a dynamic soundtrack that mixes music tracks together as speed increases.
Featuring a selection of dance and electronic artists including Zardonic, Technical Hitch and Dance With The Dead, Redout 2’s original pounding electronic soundtrack is serviceable, but generic, and compared to the originals WipEout games lack memorable tracks. The constant warning sounds of engines overheating and health regenerating can also crunch after a while.
After experiencing the thrill of hitting 2,000km/h in Redout 2, other racing games feel as slow as a milk truck missing a wheel and running on dead batteries. Aside from the boost pads scattered around the track, weapons and powerups are removed from the original game, requiring you to rely on skill, reflexes, and memorizing the track.
Wealth of content
With over 250 events to complete, divided into three speed classes plus a final invitation round, the career mode is surprisingly long. With extra stars you can earn by completing additional challenges and later events that require a certain number of starts or unlocks, the career won’t end in a hurry and will keep you busy for hours. The campaign mode is arguably too long, but the variety of environments and race types coupled with an ever-increasing level of difficulty keep it fresh and engaging.
Besides the standard race and time trial modes, the arena races add an extra adds level of challenge by removing respawns, while Last Man Standing eliminates the last-placed player each round, increasing in speed each round. Speed mode adds more turbo boosts to the track by awarding points for staying above target speed for as long as possible, while Boss mode is an endurance test that seamlessly connects multiple tracks.
As you progress through the campaign, Redout 2 introduces new environments. There are 36 tracks in total (each can be played backwards) and ten locations. That’s already double the number of locations the original game had at launch, and more content is coming in future expansions. Combined with the extensive career and the variety of race types, Redout 2 offers a comprehensive package and a wealth of content at the asking price.
Most tracks feature exciting banked turns and dizzying loops designed to increase speed and Test to maximize response times, the circuit layouts can be the same. Each location is unique and presented in a vibrant art style, from the lush landscapes of Mount Fuji and the underwater reaches of Mars to the lava-filled Tartarus Mines.
To provide context for the anti-gravity races, each Redout 2 environment has a unique mythology, explained briefly in voice-over during track introductions, but a proper story mode with characters and cutscenes, the narrative would have fleshed out if Redout 2 had a bigger budget.
There’s also an emphasis on vehicle customization. After choosing one of 12 ship chassis, everything from the engines and stabilizers to the rudders and intercoolers can be upgraded. Alternatively, ships can be personalized with custom liveries, but there is no livery editor.
Performance improvements are incremental but required in later events as the AI gets tougher. The downside is that there isn’t an in-game currency system to buy upgrades with, so you can’t choose the parts you want to install until you’ve unlocked them.
Outside the single-player games Campaign and Arcade mode, Redout 2’s online multiplayer supports up to 12 players. Stability issues with the matchmaking system can cause disconnects, but online races in Redout 2 are otherwise smooth and frantic with no performance issues.
However, restrictions affect the online experience. At the time of writing, unranked races lack server browsers and ranked matches will not be added until later this year. Unfortunately, there’s also no local split-screen multiplayer.
Redout 2’s steep learning curve is blazingly fast and brutally difficult, and it’s not for everyone. But for anti-gravity racing veterans who love a challenge, Redout 2 is a worthy spiritual successor to WipEout, ushering in a new generation of anti-gravity racing.
RacingGames Rating: 8/10
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