Road Redemption

this is exactly what it looks like. if you're old enough to have lower back pains, you're old enough for this to be worth it for the nostalgia alone.

Two reasons to play this game:
1. Nostalgia about Road Rash games.
2. Roguelite gameplay with skill tree.


Two reasons not to play it:
1. Phsics, mechenics, controls... basically everything sucks. It feels like an unpolished indie game.
2. Dont expect it to be a racing game. The racing part is what you want your brain to do on auto-pilot while you focus on fighting and health/nitro management.


Notes:
First time in my life I have seen that the splitscreen mode can detect multiple screens and have each player get a full screen. WTF.


Conclusion: strong buy, for nostalgia, action and roguelite addiction

Road Redemption: Road Rash for the Old Gamer Soul
If your childhood was defined by the high-pitched whine of a 50-pound CRT monitor and the ritual of blowing into Sega cartridges until you were lightheaded, Road Redemption is going to feel like a warm, violent hug. It’s the spiritual successor to Road Rash we’ve been waiting for since even we don't realise, and it manages to capture that "dangerously fast and deliciously chaotic" vibe without making me enter a 24-character password just to save my progress.
The "Office Zen" Gaming Loop
After a 9-to-5 at the office dealing with passive-aggressive emails and spreadsheets that haunt my dreams, my brain is basically fried by 6 PM. I don't have the mental bandwidth for a 100-hour RPG epic or a tactical shooter where a 12-year-old from halfway across the world screams at me for "throwing the match."
I just want to swing a lead pipe at a rival biker while doing 130mph.
What’s brilliant is how it respects my time. It’s the perfect "short break" game—you can jump in for 15 minutes between chores, knock a few enemies into oncoming traffic, and jump out feeling refreshed. But here’s the kicker: the story and rogue-lite progression are actually hooking. I’ll sit down for a "quick palate cleanser" and suddenly it’s midnight, my back hurts, and I’m telling myself "just one more upgrade." It works just as well for a deep-dive Sunday session as it does for a post-work decompress.
Nostalgia Overload & Boss Rants
This game is a love letter to the era of Full Throttle, Skitchin’, and Carmageddon. The physics are gloriously ridiculous—kicking a rival into a canyon still feels as satisfying today as it did on a Sega gamepad in 1994.
However, some of these bosses are absolute trolls. There is nothing quite as testing for a middle-aged man’s patience as chasing a boss for five miles just for him to hide behind a shield or some "modern" invincibility mechanic. I don’t have time for your defensive maneuvers! Just let me hit you with the sledgehammer so I can go to bed!
The "Old Man vs. Tech" Mystery: The Legend of Samby Wamby
I have one genuine gripe that makes me feel like I’m finally losing my edge: I actually paid for the character naming feature. I had it all planned out. I wanted the wasteland to tremble at the name Samby Wamby.
But for the life of me, I cannot see my name anywhere on the screen! I’ve squinted at the HUD, I’ve dug through the menus (which are apparently designed for people with much better eyesight than mine), and I still look like a nameless grunt. Either the UI is hiding it from me, or the purchase just didn't trigger correctly. It’s a bit of a letdown—I spent good money to see "Samby Wamby" conquering the leaderboards, but I’m still just "Generic Biker #4." Maybe it’s just me having a "where are my glasses" moment while they're on top of my head.
The Breakdown
Pros
Instant Gratification: Perfect for blowing off steam after a long office shift.
Old-School DNA: Feels exactly like Road Rash and Twisted Metal had a baby.
Hooking Progression: The "one more run" loop is incredibly addictive for long sessions.
Cathartic Combat: Nothing beats the sound of a pipe hitting a helmet at high speeds.
Cons
UI Confusion: If you're like me, you might struggle to find where your custom name goes.
Boss Trolling: Some bosses rely on annoying shield mechanics that test your blood pressure.
Graphics: It’s not "next-gen" gorgeous, but it captures that gritty 90s aesthetic perfectly.
The "Samby Wamby" Bug: Still can't see my name! Technology is a mystery.
Final Verdict: For those of us hitting 40 who remember when games were about fun rather than "live-service roadmaps," this is a gem. It’s fast, it’s brutal, and it’s way cheaper than a mid-life crisis.
9/10 — Now, excuse me while I go find my glasses.

Rough around the edges but fun for an evening if you have someone playing along with you. Vehicle combat games are hard to make fun, but it's pretty close
a phone number for the developer showed on screen and I drunkenly called it, to my surprise he answered. I didn't know how to react so I said 'hell yeah' and hung up.

Alright, the history here is I played Road Rash as a kid in the 90s with friends. I've had this game on my radar since it released, but I never pulled the trigger because I wanted to play with friends. Now, my son is old enough to appreciate this game and it's "split screen". I figured it would be a good game for him and me to bond over.
This game AUTOMATICALLY splits the screens between multiple monitors. Like what?! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, if you have a multi monitor setup and want to play with friends, this is the game to get. Invite some friends over or let your kids have a sleepover and play on mom or dads multi monitor PC and boom, instant fun.
Time to setup? Whatever your download and install time is
Time to get multiple players setup? Hit A on your controllers
Time to have fun? Depends on who figures out the controls first
Hell yes, great job by the devs, I'm so sorry I never supported you sooner or at full price, but for $2.99 plus tax, it was basically a convenience fee. GET SOME!!!

Road Redemption isn't deep, it doesn't have a compelling story and asides from the player character, all notable NPCs are named %gang% leader and the main antagonist is just named the assassin. But that's not why anyone plays Road Redemption, Road Redemption is just a fun dopamine generator. As some other reviewer put it, it's like a mash up of Mario Kart and Mad Max.
The core game play loop is simple, you drive motorcycle fast and bludgeon your rivals, and you can change out your method of violence with a variety of weapons asides from the simple blunt instrument. If you've played any style of arcade racing game, then nothing here should surprise you.
In the campaign it's not just racing, the game will randomly choose the game mode, which could include taking out X number of enemies, just beating the clock or just surviving to the finish line. There are three biomes (Desert, Winter and ruined city), each biome has a variety of maps, oh and there's the special roof top racing mission.
The main mechanics are easy to learn and you can pick up the basics in under 30 minutes, while taking a few hours to become overly proficient. It took me about 8 hours, across many campaigns, to finally take down the assassin.
In the base game, you only have the 20 level campaign and a quick race mode. The quick race mode leaves a bit to be desired, so your means of dopamine hits can be limited, depending on how much time you want to spend on a session. The DLC has an endless mode, which adds to the offerings.
Despite never being mentioned on lists of games to play on the Steam Deck, this has to be one of my favourite Steam Deck games, it just fits perfectly for mobile gaming.
Lastly - Road Redemption is one of the first couch co-op games that I played that actually offered the ability to use multiple monitors to give each player their own screen. Although we couldn't figure out how to configure it and just rolled with what monitor assignments the game forced on us.
Arcade vehicular combat, Road Redemption offers no more and no less than that.

I forgot to leave a review to appreciate this game.
After all this time, I just realized this simple feature is actually rare in other games, multiplayer SPLITSCREEN WITH DUAL MONITORS. I think this really really deserves more appreciation, the implementation is pretty simple too.