Redfall: A Tale of Two Games, Neither of Which Is Great
Redfall, the latest offering from Arkane Studios, the acclaimed developer of immersive sims like Dishonored and Deathloop, is a perplexing mishmash of genres and design philosophies. It attempts to be both an intense, emotional, and political immersive sim about vampires and an endlessly replayable co-op, open-world shooter. Unfortunately, these ideas don’t mesh well, and the result is a game that fails to excel at either.
Single-Player: A Promising Start That Quickly Loses Steam
Redfall’s opening moments are captivating. The game’s setting, a small Massachusetts fishing town overrun by vampires, is both visually striking and thematically resonant. The story, which explores themes of class inequality and the dangers of unchecked power, shows promise. However, as the game progresses, the narrative falters, becoming more predictable and less engaging.
The open-world design is equally disappointing. Redfall’s world feels empty and repetitive, with little in the way of interesting locations or meaningful side content. The missions, which mostly involve killing vampires or collecting items, quickly become monotonous.
Multiplayer: A Subpar Experience That Fails to Deliver
Redfall’s multiplayer mode is arguably more fun than the single-player campaign, but it’s still far from perfect. The game’s design concessions to accommodate multiplayer, such as glorified slideshows for cutscenes and soulless NPC-like dialogue, detract from the narrative experience.
Furthermore, Redfall’s multiplayer is plagued by a host of technical issues, including frequent crashes, disconnects, and graphical glitches. The lack of dedicated servers also leads to lag and other performance problems.
Technical Woes Compound the Problems
Redfall’s technical issues extend beyond the multiplayer mode. The Xbox Series X version of the game runs at a choppy 30 frames per second, and both the console and PC versions suffer from frequent crashes and graphical glitches. These issues make it difficult to fully enjoy the game, even when it’s working properly.
Conclusion: A Disappointing Misstep from a Talented Developer
Redfall is a disappointing game that fails to live up to the high standards set by Arkane Studios’ previous work. The game’s confusing design, repetitive gameplay, and numerous technical issues make it a difficult recommendation, even for fans of the developer or the genre.
It’s clear that Arkane was ambitious with Redfall, but the game ultimately suffers from trying to be too many things at once. The result is an unfocused, unpolished experience that fails to deliver on its potential.
