Redfall is the latest game from Arkane studios, the makers of DEATHLOOOP. The studio was acquired by Microsoft as part of the deal that brought in Bethesda. Redfall is the first game from the studio since the acquisition and expectations were high. Which brings us quickly to the main theme of this Redfall review on Xbox Cloud Gaming: your satisfaction with Redfall is all about expectations.
Many AAA gamers in the community were clearly expecting the game to be something different than it is. But, if you can appreciate Redfall for what it actually is trying to be, there is a lot of beauty in the game and a lot of fun to be had! Let’s get to the review:
The Environment
The game takes place in the vampire infested town of Redfall. It is a New England town similar in spirit to Cape Cod. It is gorgeously crafted in an impressionist-like (or impressionist-lite) artistic-style that just looks really pleasing and fun to play in. It’s a similar-ish art-styling to Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
A lot of people were expecting a true-to-life graphical styling like COD or The Division 2. It definitely isn’t that, and I can see why people might be disappointed if that is what they were hoping for. But, the environment is definitely beautiful for what it is. If you are able to appreciate the environment in Tears of the Kingdom, for example, you shouldn’t have any trouble enjoying this.
It’s Campy. It’s Fun!
The best way for me to describe the story is “campy.” It’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The story and mission are there to keep the game play going with over-the-top characters, various stereotypes and sometimes ridiculous situations.
It reminds me a little bit of the story telling and characters in a campy TV show like Stranger Things.
The gameplay is, in short, fun as heck. The game really shines when going around seizing bases, emptying vampire nests and performing missions with your friends in online co-op mode. The gun-play is super fun and the campy vibes are extra fun. It’s oddly satisfying to take a shotgun to a cult member and to finish vampires off with a stake.
As a co-op shooter game, I’d place it as more fun than Rainbow Six: Extraction but not quite as fun as World War Z: Aftermath.
A lot of people have already mentioned the game’s rough edges. Every once in a while, an enemy indeed doesn’t act with much intelligence. It’s easy to make a meme out of these instances, but the game does offer plenty of challenges and tough boss-fights. My crew and I (average gamers) died plenty of times while playing (Dozens! I’d say).
Rough Edges
That brings us to our next discussion: rough edges. There are definitely a few. But, like the AI behavior, I think they’ve been generally overblown in other reviews. We never had the game break, stop or freeze on us while playing.
To me, the biggest rough edge is that, as a First Person Shooter (FPS), you can get your camera (aka your face) a little too close to objects/textures to the point where they become blurry. I guess if you put your face right up to a wall in real life, it will look blurry as well. But, it gives the game a bit of an unpolished feel at times. This issue wouldn’t exist if the game had a third person view.
That said, the game and all the side missions are 100% playable, and you are bound to have a lot of fun with it if you are brave enough to try it out for yourself.
Is it Worth $70?
Simply put: No. Everything I’ve said about the game so far has been fairly positive. Without a doubt, it’s a fun game. But, I do think they priced it incorrectly. At $40 or even $50, I think this game provides a lot of value. But, $70 is the new 100+ hour AAA game standard. I don’t think there is quite enough content in the game and replay value here to hit that mark.
Of course, you can also play the game for free as an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber – including via the cloud. It makes a great addition to the subscription, in my opinion. As part of a 500+ game subscription, it raises the overall value of Game Pass.
Let’s get to the scores!
Redfall
Summary
Redfall is a game that is campy and fun. It has a beautiful graphical environment that is similar in spirit to the Borderlands series. It’ll keep you and your gaming crew highly entertained for a fair number of gaming sessions, but not for years to come. It has some rough edges and is not worth $70, but it does increase the value of the Game Pass subscription. And, it is definitely worth your time.
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Great review. Exactly as I felt. I completed the game and loved it for what it was. BUT it only took me about 10 hours which is definitely not enough value to justify $70. That said, shopping around can get the title at a lot less and of course there was no additional cost for Game Pass subscribers. There does need to be a reckoning in the industry on what constitutes a AAA/full price game however – especially after the pitiful Gollum.