Do a barrel roll!
If there is one thing 34BigThings is good at, it’s making games that feel a lot like a similar game in the genre. Sometimes, that comes off as a lame copy, but with the Redout series, they seem to know what they’re doing. Redout was a futuristic racing game that really pulled at the heartstrings of F-Zero fans, and Redout: Space Assault is really trying to convey that other Nintendo franchise that the company seems to have sent out to pasture – Star Fox.
In Space Assault, players take on the role of Leon, who is a recon space pilot during a big push towards the colonization of Mars. This brings other factions into the mix, because there are a lot of resources just floating in space ripe for the taking. Mix in a little space politics, full on raids, and some Maverick style moves and there you have Space Assault.
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC
MSRP: $9.99
Price I’d pay: $9.99
Taking a page straight out of Star Fox 64, Space Assault has players controlling a space fighter jet in mostly on-rails levels shooting standard shots, lock-on shots a la Panzer Dragoon, and doin’ barrel rolls. As soon as I took over the ship, I felt like I was 13 again playing the Star Fox 64 demo at my local EB Games.
The action is fast, the gameplay is flashy, and the levels are mapped out very well. There are even a few segments that give the player more freedom to maneuver. It’s never the levels of Star Fox’s dog fighting arenas, but it is a nice change of pace. In between missions, players can upgrade and customize their ship using currency earned through the missions. These feel very incremental, but in the grand scheme of things, it never really mattered, I always felt slightly overpowered on the normal difficulty.
One thing I feel that could have been better was the story and the presentation. I’m going to be honest, maybe I’m an idiot, but I went through the entire first level thinking I was a certain character, only to figure out halfway through the second level that I was someone else based on the radio transmissions that play throughout the game. On top of that, I did have multiple incidents where the dialog was still playing and the level would just end without actually finishing the dialog. Like, a good two sentences were left. It just felt a bit off to me at times.
Even with the small faults it has, that doesn’t keep Space Assault from being a great time. The action is both familiar and fun, the visuals are pretty great, and at the price of 10 bucks, you can’t really beat it. I had a great time with Redout: Space Assault; it brought back some old fond memories and let me feel like an ace space pilot with some simple controls that anyone can pick up and play. If you’re a fan of Star Fox, this is one that you don’t want to miss.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
