Redfall received its first look at actual gameplay. We were given a great look at its combat, characters and locations throughout Redfall.
Combat
The typical guns were featured: a shotgun, sniper rifle, assault rifle and a silenced pistol, but they all looked and sounded great. Each gun sounded so meaty, and you could easily feel the power from each. From the recoil to their sound, it seems that Arkane has nailed the gunplay aspects. We didn’t see a huge variety, but Production Director Ben Horned explained to Xbox Wire:
“Our weapons are an interesting twist on the genre,” says Production Director Ben Horne. “We have loadout options players already know and love, like rare shotguns and sniper rifles, all with randomized weapon traits to make each drop feel like one of an endless potential of combinations. In addition to that, some of our weapons are unique vampire-hunting weapons — like the Stake Launcher or UV Beam — that can be used tactically to eliminate the vampire threat.”
Of course, gunplay is only half of the overall combat. It’s too hard to tell how each character interacts with one another during the flow of combat. We see a couple instances, but I really need to get a deeper look at the synergy between each character.
Like most Arkane games, the wide open-areas give a great sense of encouraging experimentation with its combat situations. Arkane has always prevailed in creating immersive sims, but I was a bit unsure with how they would do this in a multiplayer game. It appears a lot of that experimentation is still there; it just involves another player or two.
Characters
The vampire-slaying team up features a bevy of classes of which were previously unknown. From the trailer and the Xbox Wire post, there are four classes to choose from:
- Layla Ellison: A biomedical engineering student who interned at a research facility, where something went very wrong, leaving her with intense telekinetic abilities.
- Jacob Boyer: An ex-military sharpshooter turned private contractor. Strange happenings on Redfall have left Jacob with a mysterious vampiric eye and a spectral raven that’s never far from his side.
- Remi de la Rosa: A brilliant combat engineer who has spent her life on the frontlines. With the help of her robot cohort, Bribón, she’s determined to help rescue Redfall’s survivors.
- Devinder Crousley: A cryptozoologist and aspiring inventor. Armed with weapons of his own creation, he’s on a mission to prove himself.
Each class features upgradeable abilities, and from what we’ve seen, they all look quite unique to one another. I can’t wait for an in-depth look at each character and their upgrade trees.
Environments
Let’s get this out of the way; Redfall looks gorgeous. As dark and gloomy as the overall premise is, the game features a surprisingly colorful palette, a nice change of pace for so many games feeling the need to go back to the PS3/Xbox360 days of darker tones. The lighting system does wonders to help spotlight how alive the environments feel.
I’ll admit, I was one of the many that was dismayed when Arkane said they were making a cooperative game. I didn’t think they’d be able to inject the Arkane DNA into something that wasn’t a single player sim. Well, I’m glad to say I was wrong. The game looks incredible, and I can’t wait to dive in with a few coop partners.
Redfall is set to release in 2023.
