At E3 2021, Bethesda introduced Redfall. The new co-op shooter for PC and Xbox has somehow disappointed several fan groups, but our author Schuhmann believes: It has a lot of potential.
Why are people so disappointed with Redfall? The problem is a leak from September 2020. Back then, a user claimed: The new “The Elder Scrolls 6” carries the subtitle “Redfall”. He described the new Elder Scrolls in detail.
- The expansion takes place 6 years after Skyrim
- It happens between High Rock and Hammerfell
- The expansion will offer epic battles between warring factions
It was later seemingly confirmed when Bethesda’s parent company Zenimax squabbled with a novel author over the rights to the name “Redfall”.
Since then, some fans of The Elder Scrolls 6 were sure: The new Elder Scrolls is called “Redfall” and they had already ideas about what the game could be like. The Elder Scrolls VI is always a huge title for Bethesda: At E3 2018, it was announced, but very little was shown.
When the E3 conference 2021 of Bethesda aired, many were waiting for the developers to ultimately present the big new RPG The Elder Scrolls 6. However, there was a Redfall, but it was something completely different.
Blood, Death, and Strawberries instead of The Elder Scrolls
This is what Redfall really is now: The actual Redfall could hardly be further from “The Elder Scrolls”. The studio “Arkane Studios” (Prey, Wolfenstein Youngblood), known for single-player games, has presented Redfall, a co-op shooter for 1-4 players, which appears fast-paced and colorful in the first trailer.
With a “in-your-face” attitude, the game appeals more to fans of Borderlands or Buffy: The Vampire Slayer than to those interested in a serious RPG.
With humor of the kind “Dead vampires taste like blood, death, and strawberries,” it quickly becomes apparent that the theme is not taken too seriously. The visuals resemble colorful shooting rather than horror. The opposing vampires have superpowers, and the heroes are not quite from our world, using robotic dogs, big guns, or purple shimmering magic.
This is now the problem: Just like “The Elder Scrolls Online” and “Fallout 76” before it, apparently, the next multiplayer title from Bethesda also starts with a burden. Because the fans had:
- Wished for a new The Elder Scrolls 6 with Redfall
- Or wanted an atmospheric single-player RPG from a new “Arkane” game with vampires.
With the poppy look and co-op game concept of Redfall, classic Bethesda fans initially have little to connect with. The comments under the new announcement trailer mainly revolve around Elder Scrolls 6 and the fact that Redfall has nothing to do with it.
They also want gameplay before they let themselves get carried away with applause.
This is the good part: Although we don’t have gameplay yet, I’m already drawn in by the visuals of Redfall and the humor of the trailer.
In the cinematic trailer, you can already clearly see which traits and skills the classes will eventually have:
- Layla is apparently a mage with telekinetic powers
- Jacob looks like a sniper with stealth capabilities
- Rebi seems like a pet class with her robot
- The curious Deviner apparently relies on heavy weaponry
After the trailer, I feel like killing a lot of vampires in a 4-player group while chatting nonsense on voice chat.
I believe a co-op game for PC and Xbox Series X could be a lot of fun, and the game hits exactly my taste in terms of tone and visuals.
I will definitely keep an eye on the game, even if it’s not a new Elder Scrolls.
