Road Redemption takes a swipe at Road Rash with its combat-heavy Kickstarter

While Criterion have made some vague noises about the possibility of a modern Road Rash reboot, developers DarkSeas are already speeding into the distance, brandishing a lead pipe. Their Kickstarter project, Road Redemption , leans heavily into the Road Rash theme with two-wheeled tussles aplenty. I'm not entirely sure what's so redemptive about smacking a biker in the face with a metal chain. Maybe the pitch video can fill us in.

Nope! Still, while the footage shows a game clearly in the early stages of development, the combat already has an appropriately brutal look. I even gave a sympathetic wince at the mid-air katana neck slice. The inclusion of firearms does cause a raised eyebrow, but the developers say that aiming at speed will be tricky and ammunition scarce.

DarkSeas are promising a selection of melee weapons, firearms, multiple mission types and a biker gang-based story that has you climbing the ranks, taking territory and setting up drug distribution routes. On top of this, they also plan to make the game open-source soon after release - letting people play with the code and assets to make mods or create entirely new games of their own.

Road Redemption has raised over $36,000 with 27 days left to achieve the $160,000 target. DarkSeas have also revealed that the iconic Road Rash cattle prod will be a backer exclusive to those who pledge $115 or more. Which seems a shame, although doubtless this version won't come with hilarious cartoon shock effects.