I want to say I love Rogue Trooper Redux as much as Arkady does. And in truth, I love the original, and I’ve played the new PC release. Both are excellent. The Nintendo Switch port of this remake, however, is a different story. It’s not demonstrably bad, it’s just clearly kind of a rushed job which makes RTR look visually unappealing and below even the original’s fidelity. And the original came out 11 years ago… this is our Rogue Trooper Redux Switch review.
The core of the game is still solid. As one of the best but probably most underappreciated third person shooters of its time, Rogue Trooper’s controls and action stand the test of time, even if the sort of linear gameplay has become a bit archaic at this point. Rebellion is known for its third-person cover mechanics, and Rogue Trooper Redux highlights where the studio started making its name for itself.
The story is based on the 2000AD comics of the same name out of England, and falls firmly into the sort of campy sci-fi milieu you’d expect for a game starring a shirtless blue supersoldier. But, hey, I like that camp and the jokey dialog and over the top drama make for a hell of a romp here.
The variety of ways you can approach any mission in the game is what earns its notoriety – a freedom that Rebellion would later use in its Sniper Elite series, the latest of which still sits on my Best of 2017 list. Were it not for the upgrades, crafting, and variety of ways you can get out of situations, Rogue Trooper Redux would fall into the “just another shooter” category. But its strange setting and the little touches that make it a customizable experience play towards making this 11 year old game still feel fresh.
Now, where the Switch version of Rogue Trooper Redux falls flat, is in its visuals. Yes, I know the Switch is a lower power machine compared to its contemporaries, and I also I know that it most games look better when docked for the Switch as the resolution is upgraded a bit. That said, RTR looks plain awful in handheld mode, and in docked mode, while it looks better, Anti-aliasing is completely missing and it shows on the scenery in a very obvious way. I’m not a graphics snob, as the Switch is probably my favorite current generation console, but it’s clear that Tick Tock (the studio that handled the port) was unable to push Rogue Trooper Redux on the Switch as far as Bethesda has proven it’s capable of doing with Doom.
If you’re going to choose between RTR on the other consoles or the PC, and the Switch? The only reason to choose the Switch is if you simply must have the game in a portable fashion. It’s not that it plays poorly, it’s that it’s so clearly a downgraded version of the revamped game, making it a zero-sum equation if you know what I mean. It looks far more like the Rogue Trooper of 2006 than the one from 2017. Enemies and gunfire feel weak and impactless compared to the PC version, making this the poorer of the Redux versions.
Still, the gameplay is frenetic, the humor is on point, and the camp is awesome as it ever was. If you’ve never experienced Rogue Trooper before, now is definitely the time. Just be sure you know what version is best for you. I’ll be sticking with the PC, myself.
Overall Score – 6.5/10
Pros:
- Same great third-person shooting as 2006
- Campy and fun story
- Rogue Trooper in your hand!
Cons:
- Visually just doesn’t look great in handheld mode
- Controls can sometimes be unwieldy
