Redout 2 Preview – Put It All On Red

Last week, I had the chance to check out Redout 2, touted as the fastest anti-gravity racing game around. I can say with confidence that it probably is, in fact, the fastest anti-gravity racing game around, but that it’s also surprisingly accessible for inexperienced racers.

The team said that they were inspired by F-Zero, and like many of us, they were sick of waiting for a new one. I could really feel this inspiration when I played through a couple of races with them, but despite this, Redout 2 is still very much its own unique game.

There are similarities, sure, but it’s primarily in the exceptional Boost mechanic. You have two different boosts: a small one that can be done at pretty much any time, and a big one that goes on longer and has a cooldown. Boosting increases your Overheat gauge, but even when it’s full, you can keep boosting at the expense of your health. Once your health is empty, be it from excessive boosting or crashing a bunch, you explode. You’re put back on the track, but you’ve lost valuable seconds in the race, making boosting a matter of risk vs reward.

You can have an AI co-pilot who controls things like your strafe, which is great for players who may feel overwhelmed by how much you can choose to control while driving. There are lots of options in the settings menu to change how your vehicle handles, so anybody can find a style that works well for them. These little additions, as well as a quick and comprehensive series of tutorials, make Redout 2 feel accessible for anyone.

There are even neat little lore drops on the loading screens. I was told that the story carries on from the previous Redout game, and it seems like a good deal of work went into making an interesting background to these high-octane races, which I can appreciate.

As soon as the races started, the call went silent. Instantly, we were all drawn into the race, all of us becoming both competitive and completely enthralled. Boosting ahead of others, or laughing when someone (usually me) goes flying off the course in a dramatic manner was incredible, and I can see this game doing well when it comes to racing with friends.

Of course, if you prefer to play on your own, there are plenty of options available to you. There’s an Arcade mode that lets you aim to get the best times possible on your own, as well as a Career mode that has you race across various locales while unlocking parts for your vehicles. I didn’t get too deep into either mode, but the bit that I played showed me that there’s at least some neat variety in the gameplay modes.

I had a blast, even after flying off the track or overheating and exploding as I excitedly used way more Boost than I had. If you’ve ever enjoyed games like F-Zero or WipeOut, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Redout 2. It’s fast, easy-to-learn, and hard-to-master, but most of all, it’s really fun.