Redout 2 Review (PC): All About Hypnotic Speed

In my case, the market I'm talking about is the Steam service. Looking back, getting a gaming laptop almost three years ago was a smart decision. While the Lenovo Legion I'm running now did set me back three times as much as a normal laptop would have cost, it feels nice to see it doing alright with most modern video games. Although I'm not the type of avid gamer that will buy and play every single game that is launched yearly, I do have over 80 titles in my library at this point.

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough

But nothing has been as intense as the game I've just recently played. When you read the description of Redout 2, you aren't fully aware of the scale of it all. The company that developed this game and its predecessor, Redout, is called 34BigThings. Just as with Milestone, this is also an Italian-developed brand. If you think about Assetto Corsa, Kunos Simulazioni is behind that title. I guess it's only natural that these gaming studios have popped up in Italy. After all, just think about Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati, Aprilia, and Pagani!

But lining up all those names still won't prepare you for the hypnotizing experience that is Redout 2. The developer calls it "the fastest racing game in the Universe." And once your copy is downloaded and all set to go, you will begin to understand why that's not just a marketing statement. If you're familiar with the original title, you probably know that Redout has been around since 2016. The anti-gravity racing game was set in the distant future - the year 2560, to be more precise.

If you started playing video games more than 20 years ago, you'd know that it draws inspiration from titles such as F-Zero or Wipeout. Having played Redout 2, I would even add Star Wars Episode 1: Racer to that list. But, as you would expect from a game that is now over 20 years old, it is nowhere near as complex as Rideout 2 is. Once inside the game, you get a strong feeling that you'll be able to enjoy hundreds of hours of racing without getting bored. And, if you happen to be as serious about racing as some people are, you can double or triple that time if you plan on mastering the game.

Now, a word of advice: if you've never played any of the above-mentioned games before, do yourself a favor and head on over to the in-game Rookie Academy. You need to get to grips with the basics of maneuvering your futuristic vessel before hoping to win any kind of race. Right off the bat, you can reach speeds of up to 621 mph (1,000 kph). So you'd better have some good hand-to-eye coordination, or at least start improving it as you go. Going through the first two tests in the Rookie Academy felt rather easy for me, but then things became slightly more difficult.

Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death

One thing I can say is that if you're a science fiction fan, chances are that you will love this game. Racing around the universe will take you through some pretty spectacular places, but you'll have to slow down if you want to take in the sights. I don't remember ever coming as close to a Black Hole in a video game as you do in Redout 2. Racing there comes with unique challenges dictated by the huge gravitational pull of the mysterious sky object. But fret not; the early tracks you get to race on are much more forgiving.

The things you might struggle with at first are the ship's boost options. Getting up to speeds over 559 mph (900 kph) is easy in Redout 2. Going through corners at that speed that's a different story. Additionally, hitting one of the two boost buttons might backfire on you if you're not cautious enough. At first, when you see the "Overheating" warning, the first impulse is to slow down. But crossing the finish line last will prompt you to risk it all and dabble on the borderline of blowing yourself to smithereens.

While playing the game, I suddenly felt the urge of slowing down and enjoying the environment. At that point, I realized that I hadn't even considered using the brakes before. As interesting as the surroundings may look, I feel that most users will be playing the game for the sheer sense of speed alone. So it's no wonder that there's even a game mode that focuses on your trap speed. This mode requires you to stay above the speed thresholds to score points. If you're going to play this mode, don't go straight to the Black Hole circuits before learning how to control your ship.

If you do, you'll feel like you're trying to juggle with knives after drinking coffee mixed with an energy drink. The farther to your right you go, the more difficult the tracks become. Jumping from one part of it to another can be quite tricky, especially if you can't even see where you're going. At the end of the day, this game mode might feel like the easiest one. If you're feeling lucky, you should try the Arena Race: a challenge with no respawns.

I imagine that if racing in the distant future will ever look like this, the fastest pilots in the galaxy won't be fighting to get a spot in an Arena Race format. I decided to try it out in a zero-gravity environment - the Lunar City. To make things even more exciting, I opted for the maximum number of opponents: 11. I only lasted for 30 seconds in the race. Seeing as the winner is the first ship to the finish or the last ship "alive," this mode is going to require some extraordinary skill for a successful outcome to be achieved.

Redout 2 will keep you glued to the screen until you manage to win all the races. Remember, kids, don't drink and drive: jump in your anti-gravity ship and race around the Universe!

Redout 2 will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, and PS4. If you're a Nintendo Switch kind of player, you'll have to wait for the July release.