Road Redemption

Road Redemption's combat is a good but short-lived bit of manic fun, but it didn't offer enough to keep me engaged through the majority of the 13 hours I put into it, and I'm honestly not sure if that would change even with the addition of more to do.

A scrappy tribute to the long-lost Road Rash series whose raw spirit just about overcomes its shortcomings.

For as much as I loved Road Rash, it would be hard to go back to after playing Road Redemption. This feels like the worthy successor Road Rash has always deserved. It was a little gem of a series lost in time; the only thing missing is the corny FMV cutscenes.

Road Redemption feels like a PS2 arcade racer, for better and for worse. The high speed violence is fun to play in the decent roguelite campaign, online, and single races, and a cheesy tone keeps it down to earth. Visually, it's a generation behind, the controls take some getting used to, and there are undeniable performance problems, but there's a certain boldness and "screw you" vibe that somehow overrides these issues. If you're looking for a straightforward game to let loose in, this is a deeply flawed yet surprisingly enjoyable biker brawler.

When it all comes together, Road Redemption can offer some of the most thoroughly entertaining and over-the-top racing action you'll find on the Switch.

While Road Redemption is far from perfect, it taps the popular rogue-lite experience to create an enjoyable spiritual successor to Road Rash. It’s very rough around the edges, but the cost of entry is on the lower side of things. If you’re itching for that classic motorcycle brawler experience, it's more than worth the purchase.

Road Redemption delivers exactly what it promises – an accurate recreation of decades-old racing games that maybe weren't all that hot to begin with. If you legitimately love and have continued to play Road Rash all these years, by all means, give Road Redemption a shot. You'll probably enjoy it. If the 16-bit era was before your time, or you haven't touched Road Rash since you returned it to Blockbuster Video in 1993, be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Road Redemption delivers a thrilling, violent racing experience that blends speed with chaos, featuring a Roguelike system that constantly pushes you to replay. Its main drawbacks lie in the steep difficulty curve at the start and some repetition after long sessions, but it remains highly entertaining—especially when played with friends. And since it’s free this week on the Epic Games Store, it’s an opportunity you definitely shouldn’t miss.

Graphics, controls, camera and gameplay unfortunately became a quick time sink port after a successful PC release several years ago. Nostalgia alone could not redeem Road Redemption on Android.

Road Redemption isn’t what I hoped it would be, and that may not be entirely the game’s fault. Nostalgia can be a cruel mistress. However, the flaws on show here do prevent the game from standing up on its own, and although it can be fun and engaging sometimes, I would recommend waiting for a price drop before picking it up.