Redfall is a new shooter from Bethesda and the studio Arkane, which has released three very successful games: Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop. However, the reviews for their latest title are far from good. It currently holds a score of 62 on Metacritic, with several reviewers even giving it only 40 points.
What kind of game is this? Redfall has everything a shooter hit in 2023 needs in its fundamental description: an open world, loot, a co-op feature for up to 4 players, vampires, and a lot of humor. Upon its original presentation, some compared the game to Borderlands, which can score with similar content.
However, even at the beginning of the year, there were signs that Redfall might not meet the high expectations. MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider was able to play the shooter for nearly two hours and praised the characters but criticized the mediocre gameplay.
He hoped that a lot would change by the release on May 2. But that does not seem to be the case given the current reviews.
Here you can watch the launch trailer for Redfall:
“It feels rushed, unfinished, and unsatisfying”
What do the first reviews say? The current best rating comes from DualShockers. The website gives it an 8.5 out of 10 and praises especially the open world, the abilities of the characters, and the “sparing use of map markers,” which is supposed to spark the sense of exploration. Criticism here is mainly directed at the lack of character development.
Additionally, there are two ratings of 80 from XGN and VGC, before the numbers drop significantly.
- PCGamesN awards 70 points and writes: “As long as you don’t mind the really ridiculous AI that makes the game a bit mindless, Redfall is a good co-op action game, but it makes me sad because Arkane could have delivered an immersive vampire-hunting simulation.”
- GamesRadar gives it only a 5/10: “In the end, Redfall does not meet Arkane’s usual standards. It feels rushed, unfinished, and unsatisfying.”
- At Gamesport (4/10), it doesn’t sound any better: “Arkane tries to inject its own style into the genre, but the result is a damn mess.”
The review from Gamereactor UK also reads brutally, as they awarded 4 out of 10:
Redfall is a huge disappointment, as there are parts of the game that still show a hint of Arkane’s brilliance. The map has potential, but there is simply nothing to do in it. The story is sometimes exciting and shows that the concept of small-town America meets vampires is still very lively and good. But this game is sometimes a complete disaster. It does very little to keep you playing, and even when you find something that is fun, the terrible and downright pathetic performance does everything to kill that passion within you.
What do other reviewers say? Some testers are not far enough with Redfall to give a complete review. Bethesda only sent out the test version of the shooter on April 28, and the story campaign alone is said to provide at least 20 hours of gameplay.
PCGamer has therefore only published a preliminary “Review in Progress”. So far it says: “Redfall is exactly what I feared: a lifeless multiplayer shooter without the playful, systemic creativity of an Arkane single-player title. After about 40 hours of gameplay, I am not even sure that I would recommend it to Game Pass subscribers – 77 GB is a large download for such a boring first-person shooter.
With our colleagues at GameStar, the review is also delayed due to the holiday on May 1. However, a preliminary conclusion should still come today.
Why do the reviews hurt so much? Arkane, the development studio, is usually known for big successes.
- Prey scored 82 on Metacritic
- Dishonored 1 scored 91
- Dishonored 2 scored 88
- Deathloop scored 89
A 62 does not fit into that picture at all.
What do you think about Redfall? Did you buy the game or will you still do so? Or do the bad reviews scare you off too much?
