Redout is the current-gen answer to Wipeout, with a more significant emphasis on speed. An ‘On the rails’ third-person space shooter was out of character following Redout: Space Assault‘s Apple Arcade debut. Fast forward a couple of years and Redout: Space Assault is making its console debut.
Redout Space Assault
Space Assault follows a maverick pilot through a series of assault, fact-finding and exploratory missions. A modern-day answer to Star Wing seems like a fantastic idea, but the art is in the execution.
Redout Space Assault is presented beautifully with a buttery smooth frame rate with zero frame drops noticed playing the Xbox One version on Xbox Series S, which is how it should be for an Apple Arcade port. The menus feel a bit basic with mobile gaming ‘click and play’ aesthetic overall.
That Character Design? Really?
The character designs also leave a lot to be desired. It was disappointing to see CBeebies themed portraits pop up in a well-presented dog-fight.
Redout: Space Assault‘s sound engineering is noteworthy, however. Space Assault isn’t aiming for realism here, but the sound effects do the game justice. The voice acting is also spot on, avoiding the usual wooden pit-falls that some British voice actors entertain.
Out of Control?
Redout Space Assault‘s on-the-rails gameplay is taken very seriously, to the point where the game more or less plays itself. Whilst it’s essential to dodge enemy-fire, players will find themselves spamming fire buttons due to homing mechanics.
There is a loose upgrade system which allows players to spend in-game currency on upgrading shield, missiles, speed and more. The only issue is that the impact of said upgrades falls flat in-game.
Spotting Patterns
After the first 30 minutes of gameplay, pilots will start to pick up on enemy movement patterns. With enemies presenting themselves as cannon fodder, this combination leads to minimal challenge or satisfaction.
