It’s safe to say that Redout 2 hasn’t had the best of launches.
Emerging on PC as well as PlayStation and Xbox Consoles last month, a number of bugs, glitches and technical issues were overshadowed by the game’s brutal, seemingly mistuned gameplay. You know there’s something wrong when even making it past the tutorial is a grave challenge. And so with the Switch version of Redout 2 arriving some time later than the others, it’s disappointing that nothing seems to have changed.
You can read our more in-depth thoughts about Redout 2 here – most of what we said about the PS5 version still applies. This is an ultra-fast anti-gravity racer with an epic career mode as well as online multiplayer and more. Numerous changes make it feel fresh to its predecessor, too, though not everyone will get on board with them. There’s more of a focus on boosting, for example, and initially you’ll only have access to one vehicle that you’ll need to develop to be competitive.
As ports go, the translation to Switch has gone well. All the content is here, and while the visuals have taken a noticeable hit, they’re still impressive. The fact that they’re a bit blurry at times is redundant when everything’s mostly a blur because of how fast you’re going anyway. Most surprising is that the framerate holds up well despite the visuals and the intensity of the action. There are some drops, sure, but you don’t notice them all that much.
Ultimately, it’s the complexity and challenge of Redout 2 that will determine whether it’s a hit or miss with players. This really is a tough-as-nails racing experience, aimed at those who mastered the original Redout or are adept at anti-grav racing games in general. But even then, changes to the boosting system, as well as having to manage things like your pitch, may be too much additional faff for some. Everything’s made a little bit more tricky on Switch, too, especially when playing handheld due to the small screen and cramped buttons.
Related: The Best Racing Games on Nintendo Switch
Still, with quality racing games being rather scarce on Switch, Redout 2 is very much worth considering despite its issues. There’s a lot of game here, and if you’re willing to put the time in to master it, you’ll get a hell of a lot out of it. There are many assists you can enable as well, as the expense of giving up some control. It’s just a shame that 34BigThings hasn’t taken the time to make this a more accessible and balanced experience.
