Redfall, gameplay analysis at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase
Redfall
Redfall has opened the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase with a first video that finally reveals the mechanics of the vampire-based shooter currently in development at Arkane Austin, as well as several details on what we can expect in 2023 from this experience for Xbox Series X | S and PC.Just like in Deathloop, once again at the center of the story there is an island cut off from the world, Redfall precisely: a horde of bloodsuckers has found a way to activate a barrier that does not it only closes the boundaries of the scenario, trapping its inhabitants, but it also prevents the sun's rays from passing through, creating a sort of eternal twilight in which the creatures of the night can move freely.
At the command of four survivors other than the Usually, armed to the teeth and endowed with special abilities, will we be able to rid the island of this deadly plague? Let's try to understand how many possibilities there are with our analysis of the gameplay of Redfall.
Setting
Redfall, the sun "obscured" by the vampire barrier Taken from the pre-beta version of the game, The Redfall gameplay trailer shown at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase opens with a panoramic sequence that focuses on certain areas of the city, clearly at night, while the narrator of Layla tells that according to some rumors there is something not goes to the church: witnesses have seen blood in the baptismal font and the parish priest has disappeared."My brilliant plan was to investigate the story ... alone", continues the girl, as we see her entering the church, armed with a rifle. The exploration of the room confirms the suspicions: there are more and more abundant traces of blood leading to the attic. Discovering these clues as we wander around with the first-person view brings to mind survival horror situations such as those described in the Resident Evil Village review, even if the hues appear much less gloomy here.
Fights
Redfall, the protagonists proceed arms in hand Climb the stairs, while the stains multiply and on the walls appear written made with blood, we meet one of the perpetrators of the massacre, a vampire who whispers strange verses while suspended a few centimeters from the ground. Approaching silently does not work: the monster senses our presence and launches into the attack, which gives life to the first fight in the demo.Redfall is a title geared towards a four-player co-op, but it is possible to face the campaign even alone. However, the approach changes, which in this case will push us to focus on stealth actions and investigative mechanics rather than on face-to-face clashes, which would often see us in clear inferiority, as opposed to very powerful creatures.
The thickness of the gunplay is immediately perceived: we are inside an Arkane game, not in a Left 4 Dead clone, so every single opponent can give us a hard time and we will have to try to avoid his attacks. In the video, a few rifle shots are enough to highlight the enemy's heart and make it explode with a last attack, but immediately two more vampires arrive.
The key here also seems to be to inflict enough damage on them to stun them. to the point of seeing their red heart in transparency, then somehow finish them off. A rule which, however, does not seem to apply to special attacks, as evidenced by the bullet fired by one of our comrades, the former sniper Jacob, who came to give us support. "Come on, let's find the others and get away with it," says the character, ending the sequence.
Story and characters
Redfall, Layla and her telekinetic barriers At this point Layla is back to tell how Redfall looked like it came out of a postcard, an enchanting island on the coast of Massachusetts, with its characteristic neighborhoods and the old lighthouse, but then something happened: people began to disappear, and those who did not passed on the side of the enemy. Today whoever walks the streets of this place is either a vampire or a cultist trying to become one: almost all the others are dead.The vampires who invaded the island, however, are all. other than stupid: they found a way to block the sun's rays and drain the water, isolating the city and turning it into a death trap for the few survivors, including the four protagonists of the adventure: the aforementioned Layla Ellison and Jacob Boyer, as well as Remi de la Rosa and Devinder Crousley.
Redfall, the characters in action As mentioned above, the characters have special abilities: Layla has acquired through an accident the telekinetic powers that allow her to create barriers or mechanisms and hit enemies, Jacob has received a kind of supernatural eye that allows him to perceive certain tracks and increase his marksmanship, Remi is a brilliant scientist who has created a small, but powerful robot and infin and Devinder is an inventor capable of building special weapons, particularly traps.
Apparently the group is looking for information on how to free the island, but it will only be possible to find them inside the lairs vampires. For this we will have to organize expeditions to infiltrate them and find what we need, possibly facing the enemies where they discover us and putting into practice spectacular choral actions to win these clashes. And the side quests? Often they revolve around the liberation of prisoners around the map, but we hope that it is not limited to this.
Preliminary sensations
Redfall, a nightly confrontation Comic rather than disturbing, characterized by the now well recognizable Arkane style, Redfall seems a really interesting title, able to guarantee a full-bodied and exciting open world experience, with an extra gear represented on the one hand by the special abilities of the characters and how these can intertwine in group actions ; on the other hand by the different approaches available, in particular if you choose to face the adventure alone.This aspect could make the game different from the other cooperatives, allowing a single player experience but with certain, uh, stakes: vampires are powerful enemies and there are many different types, so fighting them is challenging and doing it alone can be impossible in certain cases. In short, on the one hand an incentive to opt for the game's "seamless" co-op mechanics, on the other a different and tantalizing way to approach the campaign.
Redfall promises an experience in perfect Arkane style, characterized by a solid combat system that can count on many facets: from the special abilities of the four protagonists to the possibility of conducting stealth actions or engaging in frenetic open-faced battles, differentiating the approach also and above all depending on whether you play in cooperative or alone. We expect something more than a traditional open world from the island that is the backdrop to the adventure: even in this respect, Arkane Austin's title could really stand out.
