Dark Future: Blood Red States (Classic)

So the idea is great. You are a brain in a jar...located in this super garage and you control these cool weaponised cars remotely. The problem I had with the game is....i was finishing the mission and as I finished it...the game crashed. Erasing my progress. I checked the reviews and it seems like a common problem. So the idea is cool....you pause the game to input the controls to your vehicles...unpause....you get the idea. After completing the missions you can upgrade the cars and refuel and all that futuristic jazz. But like I said...the game crashes and deletes the progress. Which sucks big time. Fixing the game would make the game very enjoyable. But for now it's a hard pass.

[h1] Tactical racing game set in post apocaliptic world. Take on missions to get some dough and become no#1 renegade in Dark Future. Missions include: escort, eliminating bad guys and gang wars. Gameplay is done in real time and each action have shortcut assigned somewhere on your keyboard however if situation get out of control switch to tactical mode, having enough time to make crucial decisions. Protecting multiple vehicles is not smooth as butter and some missions might get a bit intense especially boss battles. After each successful mission upgrade your junk. Improve engine to carry more addons, get better weapons or gear. Improvements like shields (front, side and rear), front weapon, turret which can hit anything around your car and if you want to leave a small surprise behind, rear weapons including mines, bombs and other nasty stuff. How much vehicle can carry is determined by engine which can be upgraded to carry more weight. On the contrary levels are a bit bland without any interesting scenery, they lack some more variety on the road and overall around. After a while game also gets repetitive. Music is ok - you can dance. Game lack in more vehicle customization, predetermined slots without much modification - something in the vein of Mad Max would be nice. Overall Dark Future seems to have some nice idea going on, but it's hindered by lack of more stuff. [b]6/10[/b] [/h1]

Can be fun, but then it crashes to desktop after every third or fourth mission and doesn't record the progress of that mission. At this point they aren't looking to patch or fix anything, so thumbs down.

The game just closes itself due to "No Steam connection." Literally unplayable.

Games not bad for what it is. however with the amount of time that this has been full release there is no reason my game should crash every 3-5 mission in a season

Honestly might be the worst game I've played/tried to give a chance in years if not ever, will be brief/run-down but I'll try get the gist of the major issues. However will stress I'm not a Games Workshop fan/know about the origins of this series so my issues could well be 'I just don't get it' and on me, only the final 2 ---negative points for-sure apply in that case. [h2] What's good: [/h2] [b]+[/b] [h2] Noteworthy points: [/h2] [b]~[/b] Offers (super slow/redundant, but easier) turn based and real time gameplay on a 4-lane runner so it's kind of unique, really it's just a Temple Run / Sonic Dash / Asphalt - like with vehicle combat. [b]~[/b] Progression system is a risk VS reward system of trying to clear a run before costs of fuel get too high but also having to upgrade your vehicle enough to handle the final missions. [b]~[/b] Steam Achievements are tracked in game but don't unlock automatically, you have to restart the game to get them. [h2] Now what's bad: [/h2] [b]-[/b] Mission objective text-box is right in the center of the screen and the only reason you need to manoeuvre the camera is to see around/behind the mission objective text box. Here's the fun part, the exact same information is duplicated on the top-right of the screen with the progress, so the text box in the middle blocking your view is redundant. [b]-[/b] Available missions are RNG generated so if you have a campaign objective of say "do X number of Y type of mission" you have to wait for a good cycle and waste your time until then. [b]-[/b] The (default Unreal Engine?) physics cause all sorts of issues, whether enemy targets get stuck off-track or you flip upside down and have to pay to reset. [b]-[/b] Default key binding is a disaster, WASD for moving? yeah fine so the weapons will be on the right side of the keyboard right? right? or at least E and F? nope try the numbers 1, 2 and 3 directly above! Oh and even better your abilities are on F2 and F3 so by default (can rebind) you'll be playing twister with your hands or frantically playing one handed ([strike]and not in the way you might want[/strike]). Sure with rebind not a big issue, but shows the devs didn't really care. [b]-[/b] Minor thing, but the 'tips' in the menus are the typical "hello fellow kids" kinda goofy, kinda jokey, self referential, never actually related to the game drivel all bad games have. Can we please get back to games that are at least sincere and don't treat themselves as some flippant joke? Also loading screens can hang and make you think the game has crashed, but in my experience all crashes are after mission clears instead... [h2] and finally what's awful: [/h2] [b]---[/b] Crashes every hour if not more, 6 times in ~5 hours of playing today, does so AFTER a mission is complete and does not save anything - so you lose progress 100% of the time it crashes. The dev also vaguely hints at driver issues on the players end in old forum posts despite being commonly reported issue so take this as a "they know, they just don't care" issue. [b]---[/b] Will fry your GPU in windowed mode, pegs it to 100% usage no matter the settings. You [i]must[/i] run in windowed mode and ideally limit the FPS as V-sync is also, you guessed it, broken and does not work. Again often reported issue in the forums left unaddressed. Not the sort of game I'd usually play but can't lie and say wasn't interesting to figure out, if you purely want a moderately unique game that may be messy to figure out has some merit but otherwise just couldn't find anything to respect within it. If I was cynical I'd think the devs just took a free license and grafted it on to a just-out-of-school mobile game template to make a game as fast as possible and have it maybe-sell, [i]if[/i] I was cynical.

The AI tries to always stay behind you so it just turns into you both being stopped or going incredibly slow trying to shoot each other in the back. Tried at least 4 different times to get into but it's just bad.

Dark Future: Blood Red States, developed and published by Auroch Digital, is an ambitious hybrid that fuses high-speed vehicular combat with deliberate tactical decision-making, all wrapped in a grim, satirical vision of a collapsing future America. Drawing inspiration from Games Workshop’s Dark Future setting, the game imagines a near-future world where society has fractured under environmental collapse, rampant corporate control, and unchecked gang violence, turning highways into lethal battlegrounds where survival is a paid service. The setting is one of the game’s strongest elements. Rather than presenting a traditional post-apocalyptic wasteland, Dark Future: Blood Red States frames its world as a decaying version of modern America, where infrastructure still exists but law and order have eroded almost completely. You take on the role of a road mercenary, accepting contracts that involve escorting vulnerable convoys, intercepting rival vehicles, stealing data, or simply wiping out hostile gangs. The narrative is conveyed through mission briefings and text-based flavor writing that leans heavily into dark humor, cynicism, and exaggerated dystopian satire, giving the game a distinctive tone without relying on cinematic storytelling. Gameplay unfolds primarily on sprawling multi-lane highways, where real-time vehicular combat is constantly unfolding. You steer armed vehicles through traffic, debris, and enemy formations while exchanging gunfire at high speed. What elevates the experience beyond a standard arcade combat racer is the inclusion of Command Mode, a tactical pause system that slows time and allows you to issue precise orders. In this mode, you can select specific enemy targets, reassign drivers, activate defensive systems, or reposition your vehicle strategically before resuming full-speed chaos. This mechanic creates a compelling push-and-pull between adrenaline and analysis, forcing players to think carefully rather than simply relying on reflexes. Vehicle customization and progression play a central role in shaping how each mission feels. Your car is not just a means of transportation but a modular combat platform, capable of mounting a wide variety of weapons, armor, and support systems. Front-mounted cannons, side turrets, ramming spikes, and defensive shields all change how you approach encounters, encouraging experimentation with different builds. Upgrades earned through successful missions allow you to refine your loadout over time, making long-term planning just as important as moment-to-moment execution on the road. Mission design offers a steady mix of objectives that test different skills. Escort missions demand careful positioning and threat prioritization, while interception jobs emphasize speed and firepower. Some contracts require maintaining proximity to a target vehicle for hacking or data theft, adding tension as enemies close in from multiple directions. While the core mechanics remain consistent, procedural variations in enemy composition and environmental conditions help keep encounters from feeling entirely predictable, even if repetition can emerge during extended play sessions. Visually, Dark Future: Blood Red States strikes a balance between clarity and spectacle. Vehicle models are detailed and satisfyingly weighty, explosions feel impactful, and the environments—ranging from desert highways to industrial zones—provide enough variation to maintain visual interest. The interface leans into a utilitarian, retro-futuristic aesthetic that reinforces the tactical nature of the game, though it can feel dense at first. Learning to read enemy indicators, weapon cooldowns, and system statuses is part of the onboarding process, and mastery of the UI is essential to long-term success. Audio design supports the game’s atmosphere effectively. Weapon fire, collisions, and mechanical sounds carry a sense of brutality that reinforces the danger of highway combat. The electronic soundtrack complements the dystopian tone, providing a driving rhythm that underscores both action-heavy sequences and quieter moments of planning. While the game relies primarily on text rather than voice acting for storytelling, the writing’s sharp tone and dark humor help maintain engagement between missions. The game is not without its shortcomings. Its hybrid design means it occupies a niche space that may not appeal to players looking for either a pure action racer or a deep turn-based strategy experience. Some may find the pacing uneven, as periods of intense combat are followed by slower stretches of planning and setup. Additionally, while mission variety is respectable, the overall structure can begin to feel repetitive once optimal strategies and loadouts are discovered. Ultimately, Dark Future: Blood Red States succeeds by committing fully to its identity as a genre-blending experiment. It offers a distinctive take on vehicular combat by demanding both sharp reflexes and thoughtful tactical planning, set within a bleak yet darkly comedic vision of the future. For players who enjoy strategy layered onto action and appreciate worlds that blend satire with brutality, it delivers a memorable and engaging road-war experience that stands apart from more conventional driving or combat games. Rating: 6/10

One of my all time favorite games. no matter what else i play, this is always the game i come back too. Awesome real-time strategy / driving game with some very cool slow-mo moments.

A real-time-strategy car combat game. You'd swear this wouldn't work but it's actually quite fun. Gameplay is fun and chaotic, enemies are suitably threatening without overwhelming you. What I enjoy most about this game is that you actually have direct control over your car - you don't have to use the slow-down-time-to-give-orders thing, you can just use WASD and the number keys.