Friday, July 16, 2021
Arkane is delivering a new take on vampires in this co-op FPS.
Arkane's long-rumored vampire game has finally made its debut as Redfall, a new co-op FPS from its Austin studio. While Arkane has historically stuck with immersive sims, this looks to take the DNA we all know and love from its best Xbox games and give it a nice twist. As Co-Creative Director Ricardo Bare says, their "focus remains on deep world building and inventive game mechanics." We'll run through everything you need to know about Redfall ahead of its release on Xbox and PC. Judging from what we've seen so far, fans are in for a bloody good time.
Redfall: What is it?
The quaint island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the island off from the outside world. Trapped with a handful of survivors against diabolical enemies threatening to bleed the town dry, choose your hero from a diverse roster, grouping up with others to create the perfect team of vampire slayers.
Forgoing its usual singleplayer immersive sim design, Arkane is crafting an open-world co-op FPS that can be played either alone or with up to three other players. Players will be able to choose which character to play as, and each offers up unique skills to help destroy the legion of vampires plaguing the town.
Redfall: Gameplay
The gameplay in Redfall should play out similarly to previous Arkane titles, except with its own mechanics. In its open-world setting you'll be able to explore the environment, collect and customize new gear, and upgrade your hero's abilities. Should you want to go in guns blazing or choose a stealthier approach, you can do so.
Arkane boasts that the "ever-changing" setting will react to your choices and actions, which is par for the course for this studio. Not only will you be facing off against a hoard of vampires, but you'll also contend with human cultists who have grown to worship the monsters in the hopes that they'll be accepted into their ranks.
We haven't seen any official gameplay from Redfall yet, so that's all we know at the moment. We should see more as we get closer to its 2022 release.
Redfall: Story and characters
We don't know too much about the story in Redfall, but we do know that the vampires you'll be facing aren't your typical ones. The ones in Redfall were created after a scientific experiment went horribly wrong, according to Bethesda. They then eclipsed the sun and transformed into various archetypes, like the Angler, who can use a psychic harpoon to drag you away from your friends. And as I mentioned earlier, you'll be dealing with insane cultists who have begun to worship the vampires as well. It's clear that there's a lot going on in this once quaint town.
As for your squad, you'll be able to play one of four characters:
- Devinder Crousley: Someone has to be the crazy conspiracy theorist of the group, and that's Devinder. Described as an internet-famous paranormal investigator and amateur cryptozoologist, he's on a mission to figure out the truth behind the vampiric invasion of Redfall.
- Layla Ellison: A whip-smart biomedical engineer, Layla suffered an accident at a mysterious research facility that left her with telekinetic powers.
- Remi de la Rosa: Being a part of an elite Navy rescue unit, Remi always wants to do what's right for the people around her. With her robot companion Bribon, she hopes to save Redfall's survivors.
- Jacob Boyer: One of the strangest of the bunch, Jacob is ex-military who was sent to Redfall as part of an elite private security force just before everything went sideways. He's been left with a vampiric eye and a spectral raven thanks to what supernatural forces are at play.
Teammates can try various loadouts of characters to see what works for them best, so you aren't just stuck to one character or set of weapons and abilities. There's a ton of customizable weaponry to find across the island.
Arkane hasn't stated whether Redfall will have a typical story campaign, but judging from what we've learned so far it seems to have some type of narrative that people will play through. It's also unclear if there will be side missions of any kind.
Redfall: Is it singleplayer or multiplayer?
The last few releases from Arkane have been singleplayer, but it's upcoming games look to buck that trend. While Deathloop has blended singleplayer and multiplayer, Redfall is a full-fledged four-player co-op game (though Arkane has taken to describing it blending singleplayer and multiplayer seamlessly). Thankfully, you won't be forced to play with other people if you don't want to, and you can go it entirely solo.
Redfall: Release date and platforms
Redfall will hit Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC in Summer 2022, and it's releasing into Xbox Game Pass on day one. It looks like it will only be for current-gen Xbox systems because Xbox One was not mentioned. However, that doesn't rule out a potential cloud release as Xbox head Phil Spencer has stated his intention to ensure that older Xbox One users aren't left out from newer games in the coming years.
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