If you’re a fan of the Dishonored games, chances are you were excited to see what Arkane could do with their newest game franchise, Redfall. Unfortunately, Redfall seems to be Arkane’s answer to the disaster that was Fallout 76.
What is Redfall?
Redfall is a cooperative first-person shooter game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is set on an island in Massachusetts that has been overrun by vampires, and players take on the role of a group of survivors who must work together to fend off the vampire threat and uncover the mysteries of Redfall Island. Players can choose from a variety of unique characters, each with their own abilities and playstyles, and must work together to explore the island, scavenge for resources, and fight off hordes of vampire enemies.
Redfall features both single-player and co-op modes, with up to four players able to play together. The game also includes a variety of weapons and gadgets, as well as upgradeable abilities and perks that allow players to customize their characters to suit their playstyle. The game aims to offer an immersive co-op experience set in a rich and mysterious world, with challenging gameplay and a focus on teamwork and strategy.
Broken promises
This all sounded great in theory, and gamers worldwide were hyped for a new game that could potentially bring the quality of a Dishonored game through a new IP, including co-op for those who want to play with friends. It was supposed to feel like a mix of Left4Dead and Borderlands, a looter-shooter game with vampires in a whole new universe. Redfall was going to bring us something new and innovative in the recent drought of triple-A launches. But unfortunately, the game was released as a buggy, unoptimized, and un-inventive mess, lacking any innovation and creativity in its gameplay.
Reception has been rough
At the time of writing this post, Redfall had a Metacritic score of 62 and a Steam rating of “Mostly Negative” with only 29% positive reviews. Even worse, it was released on consoles with a 30fps limit, all while coming in at a $70 price point and releasing around the corner of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. It’s safe to say that this game is doomed to fail at this point, and they likely knew that even before its release.
On a positive note, Redfall is out on game pass, which means you can try the game for free if you’re already subscribed to the Xbox game pass service. However, this felt like another warning sign for the game’s fate, as most new games are typically not given away for free through subscription services, but rather added over time as they grow older and most players who were going to purchase them already have.
Redfall’s announcement of an early game pass release felt like an indication that the developers were aware of the game’s likely poor reception and wanted to try and save it from total failure. This game had the potential to be a success story, but instead, we’ve been given yet another disappointing triple-A release in what seems like a never-ending pattern of buggy releases and broken promises.
AAA games continue to disappoint
The gaming community has grown tired of these subpar releases and is demanding more from triple-A game developers. If this trend continues, I wonder if triple-A companies will be able to maintain their high production costs as more and more gamers stop buying their games.
In conclusion, Redfall may have had potential, but it failed to deliver. It’s a lesson to the game developers to focus on delivering quality games, rather than rushing to meet deadlines and hoping for the best. As for gamers, it’s a reminder to be cautious when investing time and money in new releases. Let’s hope that future releases are better and that our hope in AAA games can be restored with time.
If you want to try out Redfall regardless, you can buy it on Steam for $70 or try it through Xbox Game Pass. You can also check out my youtube video discussing the game.
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