Redout: Space Assault | Xbox Series X Review

One of the most memorable franchises from my childhood was Starfox. I spent countless hours blasting Andross’ army in my Arwing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Since then, I’ve been trying my hardest to scratch that itch again. I had high hopes for Redout: Space Assault from developer 34BigThings, as it looked like a high-def version of a series I adored. Despite adding rougelike elements, which I love, it doesn’t quite satisfy like I had hoped. But it’s still a competent and fun little shooter; I just wish it grabbed my attention a bit more.

Columbus in Space

The story is pretty standard sci-fi fare here. You play as a starfighter pilot by the name of Leon Barret in the year 2395. The inhabitants of Earth are fleeing the planet in search of new places to colonize. Unsurprisingly, other lifeforms in the galaxy aren’t too happy about this and attempt to thwart your efforts.

To be direct, there’s nothing too deep here story-wise. There really doesn’t need to be after all, right? This is an arcade space shooter at its core, so I don’t fault the game for its shallow plot.

Greetings, Starfighter

Much like the above mentioned series, Redout: Space Assault has you navigating Leon’s ship through a predetermined flight path. Think of it as an on-rails shooter, but in a spaceship instead. You’ll encounter increasingly-difficult enemies as you head for the end checkpoint of each level.

The controls are very slick and work well, but I miss the feeling of flight pitch. As you move, your ship always starts in the same position facing forward. It doesn’t feel like the nose of your craft raises or lowers as you move. I didn’t realize this was something I craved in this type of game until I played this one. It gives Redout much more of an arcade aesthetic than I was anticipating. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for in the least.

The gameplay gets more interesting after your start completing levels. How well you perform on each stage decides how much in-game currency you earn. You can purchase upgrades for your ship to make your next run that much easier. It reminds me of Sky Force Reloaded, but from a different perspective.

Unfortunately, the weapons just don’t feel nearly as satisfying as I had hoped. Taking down enemies felt more like a chore to take down than I expected. I never found a weapon that really felt good, and that’s vital for a game of this type. Still, the upgrades made things much easier as I went along. I just never felt super compelled to keep going.

Gorgeous on the Surface

One thing that Redout has going for it is its visuals. The colors are very crisp, and the ship and enemy designs are very cool. I quite enjoyed seeing what each level would throw at me in this regard. And to be fair, this is what initially drew me into the game.

What’s frustrating is the way the levels are designed. As expected, you’re pulled through a predetemined path with no freedom to roam. Occasionally, you’ll need to navigate through tight spaces, but it’s difficult to know the correct path. More often than not, I received damage by running into invisible walls or the environment itself simply because it wasn’t clear which path the game wanted me to take. It appears the only way to really know is by repeated playthroughs of each level, which the game clearly wants you to do.

Redout: Space Assault Final Verdict

This is another example of a game that I think is decent, but left me feeling uncompelled to move forward. It plays more like an arcade game that you pick up and play for a quarter’s worth of time rather than see it through to its conclusion. It’s by no means a bad game. On the contrary, it does exactly what it sets out to do and is fun in short bursts. I just wish it pulled me in with more interesting weapons or story. It serves as a good sales pitch for Chorus, a much better experience that I’d highly recommend.

To hear me talk more about Redout: Space Assult, be sure to listen to Episode 330 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on an Xbox Series X copy of Redout: Space Assault provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Mac.