The new co-op shooter Redfall (PC, Xbox Series) will celebrate its release on May 2nd and MeinMMO was already able to stroll through the open world full of bloodthirsty vampires for about two hours. Editor Maik Schneider had fun in this world. However, he also believes there is still a lot to be done before the release.
Publisher Bethesda and developer Arcane Studios invited us to the hands-on event, and in a hidden, quaint pub in a Berlin backyard, I immediately felt the vampire vibes.
I was allowed to play the new open-world co-op shooter Redfall for about two hours and then have a short interview with Game Director Harvey Smith.
I’ll summarize what you can expect from the game, what I liked, and where I see weaknesses.
At the play event, we were to explore the open world and complete a mission. Some of the gameplay clips we processed in our video:
A co-op open world awaits you
What kind of game is Redfall? A mysterious vampire plague afflicts the quaint town of Redfall, sealing the area off from the outside world. The story forms the foundation of the new co-op shooter for up to 4 players.
You fight in the open world with insane weapons and the well-thought-out abilities of the four playable characters against the ubiquitous bloodsuckers, collecting heaps of loot and unraveling the complex story behind the events in Redfall.
You can always choose whether your fights begin with a bang or whether you want to earn a better starting position through stealth passages.
At release, 4 characters will be available to you, each coming with their own skill tree and unique abilities. You loot and level up to the top of the strange food chain in the once idyllic American small town.
For more information on the story and another look at the characters’ abilities, I recommend the story trailer of Redfall:
The open world is a highlight, the characters the stars
What did I like? Looting and leveling with crazy weapons and characters that bring their own skill trees? If you think of Borderlands, you’re right. Redfall changes the formula of the popular shooter series and has its own identity.
But as a die-hard Borderlands fan, I feel the parallels, even if Arkane’s Creative Director Ricardo Bare compares Redfall more with Far Cry.
I liked that. Borderlands has worn itself out over the years, Redfall shakes up the market and doesn’t need to hide. I was able to look at two skill trees in detail and saw a lot of potential for creative co-op combos and different builds.
The characters are impressive and are the highlight of Redfall. But the open world comes in a close second.
The world is very atmospheric, in single player at night it is almost oppressive, dark and creepy. Enemies lurk everywhere and since stealth mechanics are also part of Redfall, in a direct confrontation, I am usually at a disadvantage, but with a little sneaking, I can already take out many opponents before open combat.
This “thrill” is somewhat lost in co-op mode, which Game Director Harvey Smith confirmed to me in the interview. However, in its place comes the cooperation and use of abilities.
The whole surrounding convinced me immediately: Story, characters, and abilities make you crave for more, the environmental storytelling pulls you into the game and I feel like the savior of the city because I am freeing Redfall step by step from the vampire plague.
In shooter gameplay rather average
What didn’t I like? At the play event, we were supposed to take a look at our weapons first and give the chosen characters a few skill points. The developers had prepared a build that starts in the middle of the game.
After soaking up the abilities of the class, I was pleased with the stake thrower and curiously inspected my UV weapon. Then I eagerly exited the menu and received a little shock. The controls with mouse and keyboard felt terrible, sloppy, and imprecise.
Then I discovered the controller at the test PC, switched to my usual input device, and fiddled a bit with the settings. This improved it a little, but my first impression of the gameplay was ruined.
The first battle made up for some of that. The different weapons provide variety in the shooter gameplay, and the executions of weakened vampires provide a brief “wow” effect.
However, the shooter gameplay itself felt “bloodless”, if you forgive me the pun. The gunplay does not convey the usual feeling of power and action that I know from a Battlefield or Call of Duty.
The unusual controls intensified this effect. In addition, the enemies are partly real bullet sponges, which further reinforces the feeling of weak weapons. Abilities and executions provided the fun. As soon as it came to shooting, Redfall was rather mediocre.
Another point of criticism is the enemies. The normal vampire enemies are everywhere in the open world and teleport with incredible speed. They suddenly appear behind me, evade placed stakes, and surprise with unforeseen maneuvers.
As soon as they attack, all that is forgotten. I was attacked dozens of times with the same slow melee strike pattern, and a step back was enough to dodge. There wasn’t much excitement, and the normal vampires only became dangerous when suddenly there were too many of them.
Conclusion: Lots of potential with flaws in the foundation
Redfall has everything for a huge co-op hit. It expands the Borderlands formula with innovative ideas and offers a large, atmospheric open world.
But in the play test, the shooter fails in the fundamentals: The gunfights were hardly fun for me, and the controls felt strange.
Moreover, only bosses and special vampires apparently offer interesting attack patterns. The enemies I constantly encountered were just cannon fodder and are meant to make me stealth through the town instead of tackling every fight, as a seasoned shooter soldier like me usually would.
In co-op and on higher difficulty levels, elite vampires mix in among the normal enemies, bringing a special effect – for example, giving other nearby vampires a shield. This adds a bit of dynamism to the battles.
Currently, I am very conflicted.
On one hand, I see a world I want to explore. Characters I want to bring to max level to cause chaos among the vampires. On the other hand, the shooter gameplay could not convince me at all.
I will keep you updated on Redfall on MeinMMO. Currently, I would not recommend the title without reservations. But the potential is there, and there is still a bit of time until the release on May 2nd.
What are your thoughts after reading the playtest? Leave a comment on the topic. If you want to read another playtest article, check this out: Steam: Coreborn wants to be the WoW of survival MMOs – We played it.
