Developer Games Workshop used to put out a variety of games other than their Warhammer franchise in the old days. Some board games such as Fury of Dracula and Talisman also belong to them. Dark Future - a game of car combat - is also among their collection. In Dark Future, most of the USA has turned into a desert - or the Big Empty as it's called in the game - and the highways are full of "gangcults". Now, it has been adapted into a digital version called Dark Future: Blood Red States, which is a rather weird mix of racing game, strategy, and Carmageddon.

Dark Future
Dark Future - a game of car combat

You will control a car armed with tons of guns and a sidekick car, in case you have hired one. In addition, when it comes to giving commands, you can choose to do so in real time or in slow-motion mode. With this, when things become hectic, you'll be able to take a bit longer to plan your moves.

In Dark Future, you can do many things to deal with the enemy. For example, road spikes can be put down on the road in order to attack the opponent who is behind you, or you can lock on to a target ahead, get behind them, and blast them with your guns.  Furthermore, cars can be equipped with grenade launchers, mines, shotguns and so on. Of course, you always have the option of simply ramming someone with your car as well.

Dark Future Weapons
Cars can be equipped with grenade launchers, mines, shotguns and so on

Between missions, you can buy upgrades, but do be careful to maintain the balance between the weight of new weapons/armor and your speed. Another concern is fuel. The longer you play, the higher its price is. If you run out, it’s game over.

Dark Future is split into several runs (or seasons). In these runs, you'll be able to play as a specific character with their own story. If you want to unlock more plot, you'll need to complete various tasks such as making a certain amount of money or going against a gangcult. Some of it is pretty funny too, hinting about an alternate timeline where Richard Nixon became President about a decade earlier than he did in real life, leading to disastrous results. These ideas are pretty similar to Fallout, even though the original Dark Future board game came out years before Bethesda's hit RPG.

Dark Future Story
You'll have the chance to play a specific character having the own storyline

The levels in Dark Future are randomly-generated and they can include running barricades, hacking cars, blowing up tankers, or escort missions that are probably everyone's least favorite. Unfortunately, even though the game does add mutators to increase variety such as enhancing the power of opponents or forcing you to play without slow-mo, these stages become quite repetitive after a while.

In order to complete certain targets, there are many missions you have to play. For instance, I am in a case that I have to make a purchase of a level three upgrade. However, the shop only goes as high as level two. What can I do now? I could keep going until the shop finally unlocks what I need. Nonetheless, in my opinion, Dark Future is not attractive enough for me to play for a whole week. Instead, it is more suitable as a change of pace, a game that you play to take a break from another game.

Dark Future: Blood Red States can be found on Steam at a price of Rs 490. If you are interested, be sure to check it out!