Godfall in the test: The Tin Knights of the Coconut - colorful knocking with a shallow story

Godfall was announced as the very first game console-exclusive for the Playstation 5. The graphic potential of the third-person role-playing game could already be recognized in early moving images. One positive point in advance: Godfall also looks extremely good in the final version on the PC. We have tested this version for you and reveal whether the game has other strengths or whether the weaknesses predominate.

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Table of contents

1 All that glitters is not gold 2 Zoff among tin brothers 3 Cobblers, stick to your last 4 A little loot, is always good

Not all that glitters is gold

With a brightly colored look, loads of particle effects, reflections on swords, floors and all other objects, the title definitely sets graphic highlights. In addition, there are beautiful background landscapes in the three playable worlds. Except for a few, really short stutters, Godfall runs flawlessly at over 100fps. From a purely visual point of view, the three areas (earth, water, air) certainly offer variety, but the problems already start in the respective sections: The developer studio is far from exhausting the potential that the title could offer. Too often and monotonously we have to fight our way through generic groups of opponents.

From insect-like creatures to classic close-range and long-range fighters to chrome-plated tin predators a la Horizon: With every enemy at Zero Dawn, we had the feeling that we had seen them once or even several times in other games. While there are collectible Codex entries that go into a bit of the history of the creatures, Godfall completely misses out on being different from other games in the genre. Of course we are in a fantasy world in which not everything has to make sense, but the creatures and beings we face appear so incoherently placed in the game world that the question of "why?" came up more often when playing through. A little more background story would certainly have done the game good and might even have been interesting. The sanctum. Here you not only get information about the next missions, but you can also unlock armor and improve your equipment. Source: PC Games

Zoff among Tin Brothers

Since it was already about a little history and the emphasis is clearly on "little", we come to the main problem of the game. The story is summarized in three lines: In Godfall we slip into the role of the Valorian Orin, a semi-divine warrior in chrome armor. In a chic opening sequence, we see our hero lose a fight against his power-obsessed brother Macros and almost die. From then on, Orin swears revenge. Anyone who expects the story to go deeper into characters or game world in the 20-25 hour adventure will quickly be disappointed. After each completed mission we come to the sanctum - our base. There is on the one hand the Seventh Sanctum, a kind of oracle that informs Orin of the next orders and on the other hand a faceless armorer who ... well, is just present and every now and then offers a few clever words. You can also unlock new armor in the sanctum between missions. Each of the twelve valor cuirass, as the armor in Godfall is called, has its own advantages. For example, one class offers a higher chance of being poisoned while another increases fire damage. Apart from the fact that at this point one again waits for innovations in vain, one only slightly notices the different elemental damage in combat. On none of the three levels of difficulty did we have any noticeable advantages or disadvantages when playing through the various armors. The battles against the level bosses are among the highlights in Godfall. Solaris, for example, has one or two fiery surprises ready for you. Source: PC Games

Shoemaker, stick to your ledges

As already mentioned, the game calls itself a "looter-slasher". At this point Godfall can also convince. The combat system works great and even after 20 hours of play it is still a lot of fun jumping into various groups of opponents with the sword first. The main focus is clearly on the offensive. And this is where Godfall finally differs from many other titles in the genre. Of course we still have to use our shield every now and then to block or evade with a skilful slide at the last moment. But the distribution of blows is clearly in the foreground. We have five different types of weapons at our disposal: double blades and long swords offer quick action, while war hammers, polearms and great swords tend to provide the necessary penetrating power. In spite of the powerful tools, your adversaries always present you with great challenges.

On the one hand, some creatures can take a beating, on the other hand, opponents with healing abilities are among the enemies in between. Highlights are also the battles against various mini bosses and level bosses. These are well staged, varied and usually end in beautiful particle effect fireworks. Should Orin ever bless the time, the game offers you fair respawn points on the easy and medium difficulty level, without losing progress in boss fights. However, it happened several times after our death that the health bar of the bosses regenerated itself as if by magic when they met again and we had to start all over again. At the most difficult level, however, the mission is deemed to have failed after the third death and you start again in the sanctum. What's in there? There is loot not only from defeated enemies, but also from numerous boxes that are standing around in the game world. Source: PC Games

A little loot is always good for you

As it should be for a "looter-slasher", the loot must of course not be neglected either. We get all kinds of useful things or a lot of useless things from defeated enemies as well as from opened chests. Especially when we return to old areas to collect enough seals for new missions, the inventory will be flooded with unusable items. Fortunately, Godfall (buy now) is not stingy either. The very extensive skill tree keeps you happy on the one hand and the skills also affect the style of play on the other. Source: PC Games rare or legendary items. Because let's be honest, aren't we all happy when a golden shimmer can be seen on our screen? With Orin you can collect not only weapons but also life stones, rings, lucky charms, amulets and banners, all of which increase your three main attributes, power, vitality and spirit. By recycling older items, you can also upgrade and enchant the newer and better items in the sanctuary's armory. In addition, a huge skill tree with 25 categories, each of which you can improve internally five times, provides the necessary support. Incidentally, Godfall also works perfectly in multiplayer mode with up to two friends. However, there is no real team play here, as the game does not even have a revival feature. Instead, you spawn a new one right next door after you die. The common sword action still offers entertainment.

My opinion

By Michael Grünwald

editor

[email protected] Turn off your brain and get into the fray As a real friend of rather gloomy settings, I have to honestly acknowledge that Godfall looks great with its bright, bright colors. Take a break and admire the surroundings, there definitely had to be that much time every now and then. I found the offensive gameplay a nice enrichment compared to other games in the genre. The fighting itself also worked perfectly. But unfortunately, even good features wear out quickly if there is no variety. In addition, there is a poor revenge story, which you felt you had to torment yourself through in thousands of games. Godfall would have had the potential to be a strong action RPG, but unfortunately it hardly exhausts it. However, there are days when you don't want to think too much about what exactly you are playing and Godfall is made for days like that. Godfall (PC) 7/10

Graphics - Sound - Multiplayer - Pro & Contra Terrific graphics Fights that are challenging and still create a good mood. Weapon classes that differ noticeably fade revenge story hardly any ideas of your own generic 0815 opponents character classes that are too little noticeable Further pros & cons ... Conclusion Wonderful graphics, gripping fights and yet only a 0815 game