Redfall is an open-world, co-op first person shooter from Arkane Studios Austin, the studio that birthed titles like Prey and the Dishonored franchise.
The game is set in the island town of Redfall, Massachusetts; which is under siege by a legion of vampires led by four vampiric big boss’ who have blocked-out the sun and have cut-off the residents from the outside world.
Not to worry though players get to choose from four characters with their own stakes in the game’s narrative to take the town back. (Get it? Stakes!)
In no specific order that’s Layla Ellison, a biological engineer with newfound TK abilities. Devinder Crousley, the internet-famous paranormal investigator with state-of-the-art vampire hunting gear. Remi De La Rosa, a combat engineer with the ability to hail a robot companion (Bribón) and heal the team; And lastly Jacob Boyer, the stealthy marine with access to a crow to scout the area and a psychic sniper rifle.
Compared to similar cooperative FPS titles like Left 4 Dead, Back for Blood, and even Dying Light or Far Cry; Redfall takes that sort of playstyle and adds their own Arkane twist to the mold.
This is visually evident through the overall art style of the game, giving us that concept-art, watercolor aesthetic we’ve come to love from the folks at Arkane.
I personally felt it in the narrative, the cutscenes, the character models; The Arkane DNA is definitely there.
Of course to directly compare this game to something like Dishonored or Deathloop, is inadvertently missing the point here.
Redfall is Arkane’s take on the 4-player co-op FPS genre, and not exactly the next narrative-driven solo epic like the titles I’ve just mentioned.
It’s a multiplayer game at its heart, and the map is large to accentuate the open world aspect of the game. Co-op players can even separate and go out on their own to explore, completely untethered from their teammates. The game also features cross-platform support across all the recent Xbox’s as well as PC through either PC or Xbox Game Pass. With Xbox users still able to opt for a physical copy if they wanted.
Also make sure you’ve got a stable internet connection, because this vampire first-person shooter is gonna need it.
Unfortunately, the word on the street is that the game will require an internet connection to play, so if you don’t have a reliable connection, it might put a damper on your gaming experience. In a recent FAQ post, it was confirmed that an internet connection is a must-have to get the most out of this game.
Redfall gameplay
With the must-know details out of the way overall, how was the actual game?
Well I got the chance to play an early build of the game so that goes to show that there were some bugs like enemy units just frozen in space after I had slayed them, but nothing that really made the game unplayable as a whole.
The demo I played took place about 30% into the main story, tackling the Addison Mansion mission. I took out some vampire nests and reclaimed safehouses that yes, you can fast-travel to. I got the chance to explore the island and even got my butt whooped by some vampire general who got hailed by some vampire scout unit I didn’t slay in time.
Altogether I did have a fun time playing and can see a lot of 4-player co-op FPS fans have the same experience once its released.
This might not be the one for players who are fans of a more realism-focused graphic style. But if you are someone who can play with the right suspension of disbelief with 3 other friends who can do the same, Redfall is looking like a winner. We’ll just have to judge the replayability of it when it comes out on May 2, 2023, exclusively for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
So what do you guys think of Redfall? Let us know your honest and proper opinions below.
