Redout: Space Assault

Italian developer 34BigThings is shifting gears a bit with Redout: Space Assault. A prequel to 2016's spaceship racing game, we're now being treated to a (heavily) Star Fox-inspired experience. Strap in as a young pilot, fight the resistance, and blow your ship up a lot.

Its limited control scheme means that Redout: Space Assault is never particularly difficult, but it does throw up a few challenges – particularly when you’re facing off against huge enemies that require you to unload a lot of firepower upon them. Keeping pace can be tricky, even more so if they come to a standstill; you’ll end up flying past them and turning around in order to keep shooting, and trying to control the camera in these moments is frustrating to say the least.

While there is plenty to like about Redout: Space Assault, it just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the iOS outing. Mechanics issues, not to mention sporadic difficulty spikes, plague the progression through the campaign and rob players of what could've otherwise been a memorable experience. Buckle up, because it's coming in for an extremely bumpy landing.

Gamers have been clamoring for a new Star Fox game ages. Yes we did technically get a new iteration with Star Fox Zero in 2016 for the Wii U, but the less we talk about that trainwreck, the better. Still, there’s been a noticeable void in the entertaining, space-themed, rail shooter genre. Then low and behold, 34BigThings decided to try and fill that void with Redout: Space Assault. In the past, they had tried to recreate the fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, futuristic racing action of the ...

In no way, shape or form could Redout: Space Assault be considered required playing. It's simplistic and more than a little disappointing for what the developer can actually produce. That doesn't mean it's without any merit, though. Folks looking for a new Starfox type game will find plenty to enjoy here so long as they know that there are some lumps in the gravy. When it's hitting its mark, this is an extremely exciting game. When it stumbles, though, it stumbles hard. For the budget price, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon, but there isn't anything here to justify more than that one...

Redout: Space Assault is an action shooter for the Nintendo Switch. Set in deep space, you pilot a craft that must stave off pirates and rebels who stand in the