Road Rash-style combat racer Road Redemption hits Kickstarter

In the absence of an official Road Rash game from Electronic Arts, DarkSeas Games is taking it upon itself to revitalize the the motorcycle combat game with Road Redemption, a Kickstarter project currently seeking $160,000 in funding.

"Road Redemption is the experience that we've been dying to play for over a decade," reads the team's Kickstarter pitch for its unofficial Road Rash-inspired game which promises "state-of-the-industry combat controls, insane crashes, destructible environments, AI, ragdoll physics and online multiplayer."

The developers say Road Redemption will feature the "challenging, skill-based gameplay that defined gaming on the Sega Genesis, 3DO and Nintendo 64" and a "complex and rewarding combat system designed, from the ground up, to offer a great experience on mouse and keyboard." The game's combat features a mix of melee based combat, firearms and explosives, with ammunition said to be a scarce commodity.

The project does not have the involvement of designer Dan Geisler, the programmer and co-designer of the original Road Rash games who recently took to Reddit to express his interest in revisiting the classic franchise. Geisler told Polygon today that he's still moving forward with his own Road Rash-style game and "fully supports" DarkSeas Games' efforts to develop their own vision.

According to the Road Redemption Kickstarter, the game will be developed in the Unity 4 engine for Windows PC, Mac and Linux, and will consider a port of the game for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Support for Oculus Rift is also planned as a possible stretch goal.

Road Redemption's planned release date is listed as July 2014.