Developer: Whiteboard Studios
Publisher: RedDeerGames
Platform: PC, Switch
Tested on: Switch
I See Red – Review
We missed out on Whiteboard Games’ I See Red when it made its debut on Steam back in late 2022. Thanks to RedDeerGames, however, the game has now made the jump to the Switch, which seemed like a good opportunity to give the monochromatic roguelike a spin. Our immediate impression is that this is one stylish game, but looks aren’t everything, of course. Is there more to I See Red than meets the eye?
Story
We initially had to look elsewhere to understand what was going on, as I See Red immediately drops you into the action without giving you any in-game backstory. Even the blurbs on the game’s pages on the Nintendo eShop and Steam store don’t tell you a whole lot. All we know is that we’re put in the shoes of Matthew Taurus, a once-righteous policeman turned vengeful outlaw. According to the two phrases of backstory we get, Matthew is consumed by rage and thirsting for justice, hunting down those responsible for his unimaginable pain and the day he lost everything. Of course, it’s difficult to relate to a character like this if you’re not given more information about those lost ones or what happened. Gradually, new bits of information become available as you progress through I See Red, but we found it difficult to care about our one-dimensional protagonist.
Graphics
The monochromatic retro visuals, where the only color you see is red, are the main selling point of I See Red, hence the game’s title. It’s a gimmick that definitely draws attention, and it helps with hiding the overall lack of visual variety present in the game. Most of the game is shown from a top-down perspective, with cutscenes giving a better look at the action. In these scenes, it’s clearer that I See Red embraces a visual style reminiscent of the PS1, with low-poly models moving around sterile corridors. Despite the game’s simplistic visuals, however, performance isn’t up to snuff, with lots of stuttering and frame drops. In-game text is also ridiculously small and hard to read, making it difficult to discern information.
Sound
The droning music that plays as Matthew goes on his killing spree is equally repetitive as it is forgettable. While you’re playing the game, you’ll grow tired of hearing the techno music over and over again, and as soon as you’re done, you won’t remember the tunes. The over-the-top sound effects do have some punch to them. That’s a necessity in this case, as the lack of voice acting makes it so that I See Red’s soundscape has no depth otherwise.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, I See Red opts for style over substance. What you’re getting here is a fairly standard roguelike top-down twin-stick shooter. You control Matthew’s movement with the left stick and aim your weapon with the right stick. Matthew’s standard firearm is a pistol that has infinite ammo, but it doesn’t deal a whole lot of damage. Fortunately, other weapons are scattered all around, and you’ll constantly be picking up more powerful guns, discarding and swapping them as their limited ammo is consumed. Additionally, our protagonist is able to dash and use a grappling hook to grab enemies and launch himself at them, as well as pick up items like grenades and explosive barrels, which can then be hurled. Over time, Matthew’s rage builds. Once this reaches a critical point, he goes berserk. For a limited time, Matthew becomes faster, takes less damage, and deals more damage with melee weapons. Our hero uses this skill set to navigate maze-like levels filled with enemies, with a boss waiting for him at the end. Supplementing the above are enhancements for Matthew. By collecting a substance known as Printing Matter, you’re able to purchase permanent cybernetic upgrades for both yourself and your weapons.
Referring back to that eShop blurb that we mentioned when talking about I See Red, we were somewhat confused about the game being described as a roguelike. While there are certainly roguelike elements to be found here, I See Red strays away from what we’d consider ‘core’ roguelike mechanics. The most egregious deviation from the genre comes from the level designs. The layouts of levels aren’t procedurally generated. In fact, they don’t even change between runs, so you’ll revisit the same areas over and over again as you try to inch closer to a boss. The core idea of trying and failing a run, only to come back stronger, is definitely present in I See Red, thanks to the aforementioned Printing Matter. While this does mean that subsequent runs become easier as you become stronger, a lot of the game’s potential is lost in that you have to revisit the same areas over and over again. The levels do have branching routes, but eventually, you’ll figure out the shortest one and make a beeline for your target. A lot of the fun of procedurally generated levels comes from not knowing what to expect, but I See Red seemingly doesn’t understand this. We can’t wrap our heads around how a game where the aim is to kill enemies in brutal, violent ways with a bloodthirsty protagonist hell-bent on revenge turned out to be so repetititve and dull in practice.
The final nail in I See Red’s coffin is the game’s control scheme. There is an aiming assist feature, but it’s inaccurate. We often found that we were aiming at enemies, but our grappling hook prioritized items near them instead. Rotating Matthew while moving is clunky and sluggish. We often found it quicker to switch to a melee weapon and simply beat the crap out of an enemy instead of shooting. Fortunately, the whole ordeal isn’t very long, even with the game’s “die and start over” approach in mind. I See Red kept us engaged for a couple of hours before we felt like we’d seen everything. The game lacks the replayability that is a hallmark of most roguelikes. The only incentive to return to the game is to complete the database in Matthew’s ship, but like the majority of other stuff that I See Red has to offer, that seemed like a pointless ordeal.
Conclusion
Over the years, we’ve encountered plenty of games that relied on a single gimmick. It’s the first time, however, where said gimmick is purely visual, and even then, it’s not a very good one. This is a game that makes a good first impression, mostly because of that atypical color scheme, but it’s all downhill from there. I See Red wants to be a roguelike but fails to stick to what makes a roguelike good. The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive, the story isn’t clear, and the audiovisual presentation quickly loses a lot of luster.
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