If you look at the current state of the film industry, there is one horrid trend that seems to be spilling over into the gaming world: remakes and re-releases. Not a week goes by that we don’t see a trailer or announcement that another classic game or movie is either being rebooted, remastered, or getting updated in some small way in an attempt to make something old and stagnant look and feel like it was made for modern day. Some of these releases succeed in taking advantage of new technology or ideas to improve on the original experience (Hitman 2 including the previous game’s levels with new features and upgrades is an excellent example of this), whereas others simply repackage the original content with some shiny new box art and hope you throw your hard-earned cash its way (we’re looking at you Darksiders). Sadly, Redeemer: Enhanced Edition falls closer to the latter than it rightfully should.

The title follows the same narrative of the original game titled Redeemer, which was released back in 2017 on Steam, placing you in the sandals of Vasily (who looks like he could be Krato’s stunt double for God of War), a retired Russian operative who is living the quiet life as a monk; that is, until the former organization he worked for comes knocking (read: blowing stuff up) at his new home. The story is conveyed through a series of stop motion comic book inspired panels that feel entirely too similar to the origins of Marvel Comics’ Wolverine. Often times it feels like you missed some larger chunks of the story, as it acts like this is a long-running series that you should’ve been following from the start opposed to a debut. Thankfully I am versed in the history of the popular X-Men hero and could easily piece in that the primary antagonist is basically Sabretooth, with some cybernetic enhancements.

Featuring hack-and-slash gameplay that feels eerily similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance series, you’ll spend your time working your way through linear levels clearing out enemies using your hands, found weaponry (including both melee and a small arsenal of guns), and the environment itself to destroy the small cast of enemy forces in some of the most over the top, violent ways possible. Initially, it’s a solid experience that offers the right amount of gore and just enough depth to keep you interested, but this sadly loses steam after the first few levels once the realization that the game never evolves past this theme hits. The enemies all follow the same patterns and even when new types are introduced, they rarely deviate from the cycle of parry, attack, execute, and repeat. While there are some optional stealth segments included, the enemy AI makes it feel like an afterthought due to the fact most of the enemies have the awareness of either Helen Keller or Professor X; completely ignoring the screams of you gutting their bestie in front of them, or hearing you slit their throat silently from across the map, making the entire level aware of your presence.

As you progress through 16 levels, you will earn XP and collect scrolls that allow you to level up Vasily’s abilities. Ranging from small upgrades to the weaponry (adding silencers, upgrading clips, adding penetration) and additional melee attacks (additional combo options, earning more health from executions), there are quite a few options found within the upgrade menu, but they rarely change the experience in any noteworthy way. Offering short reprieves from the repetition each time some of the more meaningful upgrades are unlocked, these upgrades result in a game that is entirely too easy becoming that much easier. On the normal difficulty, I found myself growing disengaged by the midpoint of the game and only found small challenges peppered in during the boss and mini-boss encounters, even after kicking the difficulty to the max.

Outside of the rather short narrative, there’s little to do once the credits have rolled. By completing certain levels you’ll unlock Arena Mode for them, which is just what it is advertised as – a wave-based mode that challenges you to fight off wave after wave of enemies within a small area. If couch co-op is your thing, the option is present for both modes, but adds little to the overall value since the gameplay remains largely unchanged. Once you’ve seen both of what these modes have to offer (which can easily be done in an afternoon), there is little to no reason to return to the game unless you’re aiming for the in-game Trophies or Achievements.

Taking into account this was a remaster of an older game, I noted that the visuals and audio design are extremely dated, but wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it until I saw the original was released two years ago, when it would’ve been dated even by 2017’s standards. The backdrops and character models look on par with the previously mentioned Marvel series from the past few console generations at best, often failing to meet that standard on many occasions. The worst offenders are the zoomed-in executions that happen regularly, often emitting glorious fountains of blood from all the wrong places. Imagine clapping your massive hands against the sides of your worst enemy’s head, only to have it disappear and blood shoot out of nowhere from five feet behind them. There are probably hundreds of these various forms of executions, and many do the job in conveying the carnage that is taking place on the various battlefields, but more often than not, they are plagued by similar types of glitches. The bugs don’t end there, as I found myself having to restart huge sections of the game when Vasily would awkwardly roll outside of the boundaries of the level, locking me in limbo or a constant state of falling, or in some cases, dealing with stuttering that appears to be due to framerate issues throughout entire levels, even when Vasily is the lone asset within the boundaries of the screen.

At the end of the day, Redeemer: Enhanced Edition is a dated release that offers small amounts of fun though its brief narrative that succeeds in working as a throwback to the 3D brawlers from a few generations back. It’s not a particularly awful game; it’s just not a very good one either. When you take into account the myriad of bugs as well as the higher than average price point (double the original version on Steam), it’s hard to recommend the game in its current state at full price and would recommend it only if you’re a die-hard brawler fan looking for something to kill an afternoon… and can acquire it at a deep discount.

5 out of 10

Pros

• Tons of Unique Executions
• Couch Co-op is Available
• Over-the-Top Gore

Cons

• Dated in Every Possible Way
• Overly Buggy
• Lack of Content
• Very Repetitive

Redeemer: Enhanced Edition was developed by Sobaka Studio and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment. It is available on NS, PC, PS4, and X1. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Redeemer: Enhanced Edition, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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