I Dunno, We're Actually Enjoying Redfall - Despite Its Issues

Okay, hear us out: Redfall isn't that bad.

We previously reviewed Redfall on the PC, and - spoiler - it didn't necessarily review well. Rightly so. If you haven't read it yet, we'd suggest reading that before sitting down with this article. Although, chances are you've read all about how the world isn't getting on with Arkane's latest outing.

With that being said, now that more members of the team have had the chance to sit down and play the vampire-infested looter-shooter from Arkane, it's about time we talk about some of the things some of us are enjoying.

It's probably worth pointing out that Redfall doesn't do anything particularly well. Everything it does, it does at a mediocre level and that's fine. That can still be enjoyable, but it's certainly not going to win any awards on that front. 

So, let's start off strong. One of the first things that stood out to me in Redfall was its setting. Graphically, it's not the best-looking game on the market right now but you can't deny that the town of Redfall is awe-inspiring. The Autumn feel, neon signs on every storefront, the eerie 80s-like setting; what's not to love? Yes, it could be busier, but there's certainly something there. 

It's the perfect setting you might argue for Redfall's main antagonists: the vampires.

Personally, anything with vampires takes me back to my days of watching Buffy for hours upon hours, and now I can actually stake a vampire! I'm fulfilling a childhood dream - well, almost.

Of course, there are endless issues with the enemy AI; the vampires themselves are... interesting, for lack of a better word. That being said, the staking mechanic has been absolutely nailed. It's incredibly satisfying to plunge your stake into the vampire's heart and watch it crumble before your very eyes, and the varying animations are also done great too. 

An interesting mechanic Redfall also possesses is the trust system. Essentially, the more you play with each character, the more that they will build a relationship and eventually 'trust' each other, making this a really unique way to gain a little backstory into the personality of the characters you're playing with - assuming you put in the time.

It's really interesting to see two characters gradually progressing in conversation, and it's something I've not seen many (if any) other games do effectively.

Redfall has been very clearly designed with co-operative play in mind, and this is broadly how I got to experience the game. Truthfully, would we be enjoying the game as much as a solo experience? No, probably not. That's the beauty of gaming though, isn't it? It helps to bring people together, and we've had so much fun playing through the game with friends and partners not because it's a great game, but because why wouldn't exploring an eerie town, killing vampires in cool ways be fun? 

One final thing I want to touch on is the mission choice that Redfall offers. Something I hate in open-world games is the constant fetch quests or kill quests that I have no choice but to do to progress in the main story. Although Redfall's story isn't a memorable one, having the ability to choose between a select few missions in order to progress so that I can choose one more to my liking is fantastic - and for those who like to do every mission there is, you can simply go back and do all of the choices if you would like to. 

We know Redfall is far from perfect, but we'd be lying if we didn't admit we are enjoying some aspects of Arkane's latest (if not greatest) outing.

Obviously we appreciate that the game is marred in controversy, and we think a lot of that is due to Xbox players simply waiting far too long for a good exclusive.

Hopefully, the drought is almost over. Maybe Starfield and its saucy dialogue options can save the day. In the meantime, we're going to keep enjoying our co-operative Redfall experience for what it is; flaws and all.