In the balmy days of June 2022, the annual summer gathering that focuses on the future of the Xbox division was in full swing. Microsoft, true to form, seized this grand opportunity to lay out its intentions for the future. Amidst the general excitement and anticipation, the company presented a bold new promise, a beacon of hope, to its loyal fanbase.
A community that, to put it mildly, had been left feeling a tad underwhelmed, having been left devoid of any exclusive releases throughout the year 2022. This sense of dissatisfaction was further exacerbated by a string of highly anticipated announcements which had, one after the other, inexplicably vanished into a void of silence and delays.
Microsoft’s leadership was acutely conscious of this issue. They fully recognized that their faithful customers, who had enthusiastically purchased their new generation Xbox consoles, were not quite receiving the recognition or reward they deserved. Consequently, Phil Spencer, the affable face of Xbox, made an assurance from the stage. He pledged that all the upcoming games showcased during that eventful evening would be delivered to their fans within the coming 12 months, with no room for backtracking.
As we stand today, we know that Microsoft’s ambitious plans didn’t quite pan out as intended. Nevertheless, it’s indisputable that the sentiment amongst the Xbox fandom towards the Redmond-based corporation has seen a significant upturn. Gamers demonstrated their unwavering patience, embracing the delay of anticipated games like Starfield and Forza Motorsport with a resilient, jovial “it’s alright”. It was a refreshing change to witness Xbox finally stepping out of the shadows after years of relative obscurity. Together with Sony and Nintendo, Xbox is now firmly on the gaming landscape, contributing significantly to the release calendar with its first-party productions.
Naturally, most could anticipate that Redfall might struggle to hold its ground against the towering presence of gaming legends like Final Fantasy XVI and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But, in the thick of this competitive gaming season spanning May and June, few could have predicted that Xbox would roll out one of the most underwhelming exclusives since the infamous Crackdown 3.
Our detailed review of Redfall will shed light on both the few bright spots and the many glaring shortcomings of Arkane Austin’s latest venture. We aim to unravel how the very same developers who crafted the immersive worlds of Dishonored’s Dunwall and Prey’s Talos I station ended up with a decidedly mediocre vampire shooter that barely scratches the surface of the studio’s established standards. Rest assured, you won’t need to worry about bringing your stakes to this vampire party; Arkane’s vampires, unfortunately, fail to leave a mark.
Table of Contents
A Concept Rich in Potential, Yet Hindered by Disappointing Delivery
A retrospective glance at the previous works of Harvey Smith and Ricardo Bare provides an intriguing insight into the possibility of Arkane Studios venturing into the territory of open-world shooter games. This notion is as thrilling as it is mildly intimidating. Arkane has carved a reputation for itself in crafting genuinely unforgettable environments in the gaming world.
More importantly, these virtual realms possessed a unique quality – the capacity to morph and adapt to fulfill the player’s every spontaneous intuition. It felt as though the map was your canvas, shaping itself to reflect the imaginative pathways you envisioned moments earlier.
The Daunting Challenge of Translating the Magic to an Open-World Setting
The task of transplanting this captivating magic to an open-world framework would undeniably necessitate an immense commitment of time, resources, and creative energy. While our hearts yearned to explore an unbounded, open-world Dunwall, the disappointing reality is that this ambitious aspiration was structurally impossible to achieve.
The first impression of Redfall reveals a game of similar scope to Arkane’s earlier works, but with one crucial difference: its borders are forcefully pulled and stretched to mold them into an open-world format. The outcome of this forced transformation? An experience that feels watered down and out of step with the modern-day expectations of open-world video games.
Lost Opportunity and a Dystopian Premise
The situation is genuinely disheartening when one considers the highly promising narrative upon which Redfall was initially founded. The game’s setting is an American island, bearing the same name, located in Massachusetts. Anyone who has followed the game’s promotional trail would know that this island is under siege from a swarm of blood-thirsty vampires. In a distinctive twist from the standard Stokerian vampire narratives, Arkane’s game roots the origin of these vampires not in a biblical curse, but in a more chilling, modern phenomenon: capitalism.
Indeed, these vampiric transformations are the perverse outcomes of experiments conducted by a ruthless pharmaceutical company, Aevum, whose relentless pursuit of power and profits knows no ethical boundaries. In a twisted hierarchy, the company’s top brass are the first to undergo these transformations.
Despite the originality of this narrative framework, we were deeply disappointed to find that Arkane’s storytelling relied heavily on progressively piecing together the happenings on the island and within Aevum. This approach struggles to mask the fragmented, generic, and hastily constructed storyline, leaving the players feeling detached from its plots.
A Linear Path Lacking Thrills and Suspense
The narrative quickly settles into a predictably linear path, guiding us through the progressive cleansing of Redfall’s two open-world maps, but fails to evoke the suspense or intensity that one might expect from a horror-themed plot. Adding to this irony is the absence of cinematic narratives in the game. For reasons unknown, the developers chose to depict pivotal moments in the story through static slides featuring immobile characters with voiceovers.
We weren’t necessarily anticipating a grand cinematic experience from a game centered on vampire hunting, but some of the design choices and the overly formulaic main missions that repeat for each vampire overlord swiftly drained any potential excitement or engagement, leaving us to grapple with a gameplay riddled with glaring flaws, albeit sprinkled with a few interesting concepts.
Arkane and the Shooter Genre: A Delicate Dance
There’s no place better to commence our journey than with the thorny issue of the shooting mechanism in Redfall. Those familiar with Arkane’s style will know that shooters aren’t typically the studio’s forte, and this becomes evident when playing Redfall. The game’s gunplay leaves much to be desired, lacking precision and failing to provide a gratifying experience.
Engaging the Enemy: Varying Degrees of Satisfaction
The excitement of an in-game skirmish is largely dependent on the opponent you’re up against. On Redfall Island, you encounter numerous humans who’ve pledged allegiance to the vampires. When engaging with these foes, traditional firearms like pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles prove highly effective. However, combat against these human adversaries has been one of the least satisfying aspects of our Redfall journey. This can be attributed to the lackluster AI of these opponents and the fact that the weapons lack the satisfying impact one would hope for in the heat of battle.
Conversely, combat against the nocturnal creatures of the game – the vampires – is a vastly different story. Employing one of the three specialized vampire-slaying weapons against these night-dwelling adversaries delivers exceptional feedback. The delightfully designed vampire creatures, crafted in Arkane’s signature style, contribute significantly to this satisfying experience.
Special Tools for a Challenging Foe
Vampires are, without a doubt, the most challenging foes to eliminate in Redfall. To stand a chance against these formidable enemies, players are equipped with a specialized set of tools designed to turn any creature with fangs longer than 2 centimeters into dust. These include the stake gun, UV beam, and flare gun. Utilizing these tools will not only make Buffy proud but will also provide you with a fighting chance, even against the most powerful vampires.
The AI of the vampire opponents is a marked improvement over their human counterparts. However, their variety in terms of skills and attacks during combat is what truly sets them apart and makes them engaging foes. Despite encountering all varieties of vampires halfway through the game, their diverse skillsets ensure that every encounter feels unique and challenging.
The Unique Gameplay Model of Redfall
Contrary to many modern games, Redfall does not fit into the mold of a typical looter shooter. However, the gear scattered across the American town does influence the skills and stats of your weaponry. It’s worth noting that Redfall lacks many of the subsystems typically found in open-world shooters. There’s no crafting system, limited aesthetic customization for weapons, and no opportunities for character-specific gear customization.
Arkane’s recipe for Redfall might seem basic at first glance. However, the four unique characters available for exploration in the game – Jacob, Layla, Dev, and Remi – add a level of depth to the gameplay. It’s unclear why Arkane made such a drastic design choice, but it seems that the unique abilities of each character have been adapted from those in Arkane’s previous works.
The Power of Character Abilities
The unique abilities assigned to each character in Redfall are perhaps the game’s saving grace, adding a much-needed freshness to the gameplay, albeit in fewer numbers than one might hope. Each of the four survivors offers distinct gameplay models, providing a level of replayability. Jacob, for example, is skilled at becoming invisible and attacking enemies from a distance with his ghost rifle. In contrast, Layla and Dev have the ability to scale buildings quickly, a trait we often missed while playing as Jacob. Remi, meanwhile, plays a more supportive role, with abilities more suited for cooperative multiplayer.
Each character’s power can be further refined and customized via a skill tree, albeit not as complex as one might prefer. While Redfall may lack the opportunity for players to express their creativity through gameplay as compared to previous Arkane’s titles like Dishonored, the distinct character abilities and their interactions with the world and foes still manage to offer a unique experience.
Unveiling Redfall’s Glittering Yet Flawed Facade
Redfall exudes a certain magnetic charm that initially draws you in, much like a moth to a flame. However, it doesn’t take long to discover the game’s underbelly of disappointing gameplay mechanics.
As I ventured around the game world, scavenging resources and embarking on side quests, a disconcerting pattern began to emerge. Each mission felt like a reiteration of the previous one, a constant cycle of go-fetch tasks. The necessity of journeying to a particular location, retrieving an item, or conducting an investigation, only to retreat to the safety of the firehouse to provide an update was all too familiar.
Some quests would downright leave you puzzled. One such task required me to exit the base, trek a mere 50 meters, deposit my item, and make a hasty return. That’s it. This is the mechanism that drives the narrative forward, manifested in a series of moving yet static images. While it’s safe to say these quests are not thrilling, labeling them as unimaginative and devoid of finesse might be putting it mildly.
The game’s narrative delivery and overall humorous atmosphere detach you from the plot’s gravity. Seemingly major events such as kidnappings fail to incite urgency or concern, primarily due to the narrative’s lackluster execution. The story progression feels designed for multiplayer gameplay, with missions that seem as though they’re intended for large-scale, cooperative player interaction. This perception is perhaps one of the most glaring downsides of the game. While you carry out specific tasks and discover new weapons, the sense of achievement is negligible, making the gameplay feel somewhat empty.
Underwhelming Gameplay and Lack of Challenges
To say that Redfall lacks challenging gameplay would be an understatement. In as little as three hours, you can equip yourself with weapons so powerful that you can dispatch Cultists with a single shot and vampires with two.
The in-game mechanic of a colossal vampire launching an attack after you’ve exterminated too many of his brethren does little to enhance the game’s difficulty. The monster’s aggression is displayed as a distinct red bar. After felling this formidable foe, the bar resets, and you’re back to square one. The pattern repeats itself ad nauseam until the end of the game.
You’ll encounter various restricted areas throughout the game map. A red fog indicates instant death if you dare to venture into it. On the other hand, a blue, shimmering force field sets the stage for more vampire battles. The game attempts to spice things up by introducing different types of vampires, each with unique abilities. Nevertheless, most of these foes present little to no challenge, and you’re left questioning why the game has transportation methods, like scooters and vehicles, that are inaccessible.
The Weaponry and Heroes: An Untapped Potential
Redfall offers a broad array of weapons, some of which are quite aesthetically pleasing. The sniper rifles pack a punch, especially with well-aimed headshots, and the heroes’ unique skills are cleverly conceived. However, the simplicity of the gameplay renders these weapons and skills nearly redundant. As a result, you can neglect using your special skills without any significant consequence.
On occasion, you’ll come across intriguing weapon variations that are enjoyable to use. Yet, their impact is severely diminished due to the gameplay’s mundanity. Upon returning to the firehouse and discovering more monotonous missions, you may realize the game has run its course. The narrative fails to hold your interest, and the gameplay mechanics are revealed in their entirety within the first few hours.
Falling Short on Technical Aspects
Redfall’s AI characters fail to impress with their lackluster design and lack of convincing facial expressions. Coming across ordinary civilians who offer no missions or items and respond with a simple “hmm” to any attempt at conversation is immersion-breaking.
Despite running Redfall on a high-end system, the game performance was erratic. Initial high frame rates took a plunge during certain game sequences, accompanied by regular micro-stutters. Graphical inconsistencies were rampant, with superb lighting and shading effects juxtaposed with disappointing, blurry textures.
Occasional glitches, like getting stuck in textures and abrupt game crashes, further marred the experience. The absence of a responsive, interactive environment was the final blow. The game world felt rigid and lifeless, devoid of any destructible elements, rendering it more like a giant, static model than an immersive, dynamic world.
Diving into the World of Redfall: A Quicker Dip Than Expected
In the onset, it appears as if Arkane has ingeniously designed Redfall to encapsulate one of their signature open-map adventures into an expansive, open-world setting. However, on closer inspection, the world of Redfall reveals itself as rather barren, with a paucity of activities to engage players and incentives to drive exploration.
The narrative of Redfall unfolds through roughly two dozen primary missions, cleverly engineered to enable a variety of approaches, a hallmark of the studio’s style. However, aside from these core missions and a handful of simplistic secondary ones, the island doesn’t provide much in terms of diversions for those players who enjoy wandering under the moonlight.
There are essentially only two other activities in the open world, both of which become obligatory as the game progresses. These additional activities don’t add much depth to the overall gameplay, often feeling like mandatory tasks rather than exciting opportunities for exploration.
The Suburbs of Redfall: Vampire Neighborhoods and Hideouts
The first additional activity involves methodically eradicating vampire infestations in Redfall’s neighborhoods, a task that follows a predictable pattern. While exploring, you can discover shelters, which provide a safe haven to replenish medical kits and ammunition between shootouts.
From these shelters, you receive a pair of missions specifically geared towards liberating the neighborhood from the vampire influence. Successful completion rewards you with the skull of a vampire general, a crucial item required to unlock the dens of the game’s bosses in the Redfall narrative.
The second task centers around vampire nests, a feature that feels tailor-made for cooperative play but can also be tackled solo. These hideouts are simplistic, randomly-appearing dungeons that have a growing radius of influence, strengthening the enemies within it. To maintain gameplay progress, you’re invariably required to clear the map of these hideouts at some stage. The upside is that they yield a considerable amount of equipment and resources upon completion.
An interesting twist presents itself at the end of this activity. Once you’ve destroyed the heart of the nest, you’re on a one-minute countdown to collect all the rewards strewn around the final chamber. This gameplay mechanic lends itself well to cooperative play.
Lack of Variety in Gameplay and Co-Op Complications
However, these additional activities don’t sufficiently justify the existence of an open world, nor do they make up for the somewhat flawed cooperative gameplay. At times, Redfall gives the impression it was designed for cooperative play; for instance, it’s impossible to pause the game, even when playing solo, a fact we discovered during a showdown with a supreme vampire.
Conversely, the fact that story progress is only saved by the game host, coupled with a lack of level balancing for players, suggests a lack of consideration for developing systems that facilitate and enhance cooperative play. Therefore, despite its initial appeal, the purpose and intended mode of Redfall remain ambiguous, leaving players to find their own enjoyment within its expansive yet barren world.
The Technical Aspects of Redfall: A Disappointing Sacrifice
The technical aspects of Redfall have stirred quite a bit of discussion, particularly around the console frame rate, which is firmly locked at 30 FPS. We’d love to tell you that this sacrifice was necessary to deliver a visually spectacular open world on the Xbox Series S|X. However, the harsh truth is that Redfall, both on Microsoft’s flagship console and PC, is regrettably technically inferior in nearly every aspect. This spans from visual effects and the quality of three-dimensional models to animations and lighting.
Moreover, the 30 FPS frame rate on consoles isn’t consistently maintained in every situation. There are occasional hiccups with sporadic drops in the frame rate, although it’s worth noting that this isn’t a significant issue.
The Game World: A Lackluster Scenery
The most glaring issue in Redfall is the game’s world appearance, which falls drastically short of the immersive masterpiece that was Prey’s Talos I station. Six years after the events of Morgan Yu, the city that takes center stage in Redfall comes off as a cluster of buildings that lack personality. This blandness is underscored by the constant recycling of assets and a noticeable lack of attention to detail.
Given that world-building and immersive environment design is Arkane’s forte, our expectations were naturally high. Unfortunately, this time around, the studio has delivered a world that feels cold and impersonal, hardly ever rewarding the players’ desire to explore. This lack of reward and incentive for exploration is a serious misstep in an open-world game, where the joy of discovery and the thrill of the unknown should be paramount.
It seems that the game’s technical sacrifices, including the decision to lock the frame rate at 30 FPS, do not offer a justified trade-off. The outcome is a visually underwhelming game world that doesn’t motivate players to explore its breadth and depth. For a game from a studio known for its captivating and detailed world design, Redfall disappoints on several fronts. The hope now is that subsequent updates and improvements may address these shortcomings and bring the game closer to the high standard that players have come to expect from Arkane.
The Review
Redfall
Redfall, the latest venture from Arkane Austin, falls short of expectations and fails to live up to the studio's established standards. Despite the potential of a unique concept and the reputation of the developers, the game suffers from disappointing delivery in various aspects. The open-world format feels forced, resulting in a watered-down experience that fails to meet modern-day expectations. The narrative, although promising at first, becomes fragmented and lacks finesse, leaving players feeling detached. Gameplay mechanics, particularly the shooting mechanism, lack precision and fail to provide a gratifying experience. While the unique character abilities offer some freshness, the overall gameplay feels underwhelming and lacks challenge. Technical aspects, including graphics and world design, are also disappointing. Redfall ultimately falls short of its potential and leaves players wanting more.
PROS
- Unique Concept: Redfall introduces a promising and original narrative framework, setting vampires as a result of modern capitalism rather than a traditional curse.
- Engaging Vampire Enemies: The vampire adversaries in the game are well-designed and offer engaging combat encounters, with diverse skills and challenging gameplay.
- Unique Character Abilities: Each of the four playable characters has distinct abilities, adding depth and replayability to the gameplay experience.
- Interesting Weaponry: The game offers a broad array of weapons, some of which are aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to use.
- Cooperative Gameplay: Redfall supports cooperative play, allowing players to team up and face challenges together.
CONS
- Disappointing Narrative Execution: Despite the promising concept, the storytelling in Redfall relies heavily on fragmented and hastily constructed narratives, leaving players feeling detached from the plot.
- Lackluster Open-World Design: The open-world format feels forced and lacks depth, with a lack of activities and incentives for exploration.
- Underwhelming Gameplay Mechanics: The shooting mechanics lack precision and fail to provide a satisfying experience, while the overall gameplay lacks challenge and becomes repetitive.
- Technical Issues: Redfall suffers from technical problems, including erratic performance, graphical inconsistencies, and occasional glitches that negatively impact the overall experience.
- Barren Game World: The game world lacks personality and attention to detail, failing to reward players' desire for exploration and discovery.
