Redfall Preview: Promising gameplay mechanics but a potential stagnant gameplay loop

When Redfall was first revealed nearly two years ago at E3 2021, it was largely overshadowed by Xbox and Bethesda’s other offerings. 

Arkane Austin’s new IP appeared to offer a generic take on the vampire formula that has been overdone since gaming’s inception and, frankly, it seemed more like a gaming calendar filler to keep players entertained until something bigger and better came their way later in the year (cough, Starfield, cough)

After attending a recent behind-closed-doors preview of Redfall, I can confirm my fears were valid—sort of.

Chaotic Beginnings

The build that we were playing for Redfall began a few missions into the main game. Those attending the event were given the chance to wander around the world freely but we were instructed to take part in at least one main mission to get a feel for how the story develops over time. Being an open-world area, a lot of your squad will go their own separate ways, which is nice freedom to have but the world is pretty difficult to get your bearings in at first. When you try to set up a quest to follow, there is no marker or in-game function to help take you in the right direction. The only way to know if you are going where you are supposed to go is to walk, open up the map to see if you are heading the right way, and then continue on foot.

What stuck out at first when exploring the map were the different enemy types and the unique ways in which you have to kill them. Vampires, for instance, can take damage with regular bullets, but to actually kill them you need to wield a weapon with a stake through their heart, otherwise, they will just get back up again. At first, I thought these unkillable vamps were a bug, but then I realized my weapon had no stake attachment, meaning I had to swap to a weapon that did in order to slay them for good. If you don’t have a stake or any weapon that can deal elemental damage, then you’re out of luck, so it pays to be prepared when choosing your weapon loadout.

Gun but maybe just Run

Redfall’s combat is also a lot more complex than anticipated. Enemy movements are chaotic; whereas in most games you find yourself shooting at NPCs in a line, you’re forced to react to your foes as they teleport around the map and test your reaction speed. These enemies hit hard and are unforgiving if you don’t keep on your toes.

While this is all well and good, one massive problem sticks out more than anything else. You can go through ammo very quickly. Vampires don’t drop ammo and additional ammo or places to restock aren’t plentiful. Every bullet you use has to count, and when an enemy can spawn literally anywhere and anytime, nowhere is ever safe.

This leaves you to either head back to your main base of operation in the main map or via a Safehouse, an area you can unlock which grants an additional fast travel location and a place to rest, as well as allowing you to restock your ammo for an obscene amount of cash. If you don’t do that, then your only option is to rely on Melee attacks which won’t keep you alive for very long.

Final Breath

By the end of the session, I was more optimistic about Redfall than I previously had been, but there were some major concerns I simply couldn’t shake. Arkane Austin’s co-op FPS feels fun, but walking around the map doesn’t feel enjoyable, nor does it feel rewarding to explore with very few resources to gather—at least at first glance. But considering the limits of the preview, the final experience could be a lot different.

Redfall seems to purposely lock you in a stagnant loop to go against the final boss of the area’s story mission, find three small mini-bosses, and then use their remains to unlock the boss of that area. Rinse and repeat.

We have seen issues with games like Back 4 Blood, where it’s fun with friends but is very dull by yourself and Redfall seems to be stepping worryingly close to what was on offer there. If the gameplay is repetitive and offers little to do in its massive open world, then I fear players will put a stake through this game early and put it out of its misery.