REDOUT 2 (Nintendo Switch) Lite Review: Another Hideous, Lazy Switch Port

Nintendo Switch Review Code Provided by Saber Interactive

Perhaps one of my more anticipated games of the year was Saber interactive and 34BigThings’ futuristic racing title, Redout II. The game offered hyperspeed racing with an original and unique world surrounding it. Having played it for a while now, the final product is an unfortunate one, especially for those gaming on the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay

When it comes to the gameplay itself, I was actually pretty impressed with everything at play. The ships are insanely fast, and there are actually more controls to them which made gameplay deeper than I’d originally thought. There are two types of boosting, you can make your ship strafe left and right which makes turning smoother, and there’s a health bar for your ship that’s affected by the use of your boosting.

When it came to the tracks, they too are extremely unique and really lent themselves perfectly to the controls that the game gives you for your ships. There are many twists, turns, loops, and jumps that you’ll need to master in order to make it through races.

This leads me to what can make this game an unbearable experience for players not all that familiar with this type of game. It is an intense game, even on the easiest difficulty. This made the game feel almost unplayable at times as the game really doesn’t offer much room for any kind of miscalculation in the objectives you have to complete in order to proceed. I mean, there is a rewind feature in-game that allows you to redo your mistake, but it’s still a lot that can alienate its own players with how difficult it really is.

Audio and Visuals

While this game may look good on other gaming platforms, it’s a smudgy, blobby mess on the Switch. This is one of the worst-looking games I’ve seen on this thing, by far. I’m used to ported games looking as if they’ve been smeared with vaseline but this looks as if you poured a bucket of water on top of a chalk drawing. It’s just bad.

As far as audio goes, it’s fine. It’s nothing to write home about and will be the last thing you’re focused on while you try to achieve anything as the game actively works against you with its horrid visuals and extreme learning curve.

What It Could Have Done Better

As I’ve pointed out, this game is just really hard, even on its casual setting. While I really liked the idea of its gameplay, the restraints set forth by how objectives are placed within the game can make it feel impossible to complete. Additionally, the game just looks ridiculous overall.

Verdict

Redout II is, unfortunately, the most disappointing game I’ve played in 2022. It’s a title that had incredible potential and was released as a game that only its most hard-core players will enjoy while delivering half-baked visuals on the Nintendo Switch. There’s not much redeeming this one.