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Redfall Preview: A bloody fang-tastic FPS experience

See what we did there?

There’s something to be said for games that don’t reinvent the wheel — they’re easy to get into and give more room for creativity in storytelling and gameplay. You don’t need to learn a whole new system; you can just pick up and play. This is exactly what Redfall does. Blending the familiarity of the open-world FPSes with themes of science and vampires makes for an outing that is already a successful take on the Borderlands-esque horror genre. I’ve always been a fan of vampires, enjoying both Twilight and Morbius unironically, so I was thirsty to sink my teeth into this preview.

Developed by Arkane Austin, Redfall is the cheeky younger sibling to Prey and Dishonored. An enthralling story pulsates through the body of a polished action-adventure piece that lets players choose and refine their experience to their preferred playstyle.

Redfall puts the player in the fictional island town of Redfall, Massachusetts. It’s been taken over by vampires who have blocked out the sun and turned the ocean into a giant wall – nobody gets in and nobody gets out. Isolated from the rest of the world, the inhabitants of Redfall are unable to get help from outside the town, leaving the survivors to either fight or die.

The vampires in Redfall were created after a science experiment went awry. To defeat them, players can choose between four different vampire slayers, each with their own unique abilities and memorable lore. The characters themselves are entertaining and fleshed-out, adding to the experience and making the player curious as to who they are and what motivates them.

Jacob Boyer is the mysterious, cloaked hunk of the group. His background as an ex-military mercenary means he’s serious, brooding and an expert in long-range weaponry. He was sent to Redfall on a mission as part of a private security force, but has been separated from his squad. He’s the perfect character for players who prefer to deal damage from afar. His abilities include a spectral raven that scouts for enemies and a cloaking device that lets him become invisible for a short period of time. His ultimate ability, Heartstopper, is where we see his vampiric eye come into play as his shots become more accurate and lethal, letting him take out multiple enemies at once.

Layla Ellison came to Redfall to study biomedical engineering, but during a clinical trial, something went wrong, leaving her with telekinetic powers. She’s sassy and feisty, with abilities that are perfect for defending and supporting allies. She can summon a telekinetic lift to gain access to hard-to-reach areas. She can also summon a telekinetic umbrella that acts as a giant shield. But her ultimate ability is one for the girlies. Her Vampire Ex-boyfriend ability allows Layla to summon her ex-turned-vampire to fight for her. Who needs to break a sweat when you have a man to do your dirty work for you?

Devinder ‘Dev’ Crousley is a paranormal investigator and cryptozoologist who has amassed a large internet following. He studies and hunts cryptids with the help of his own inventions – weapons and devices that let him track down the supernatural. The release of his book brought him to Redfall for a book tour that quickly went south as the vampires attacked. Dev’s abilities are focused on area of effect (AoE) attacks and crowd control. He can throw a javelin that emits AoE chain lightning, shocking enemies. His ability, Translocate, allows him to teleport by throwing an invention to a different area. His ultimate, Blacklight, petrifies vampires and blinds humans within its radius. In addition, his witty comments and burning desire to create content will keep you entertained for hours.

Combat engineer, Remedios ‘Remi’ De La Rosa, is in Redfall to save the citizens of the town. Working as a coast guard, she was in Redfall when the town was isolated by the vampires. Her ‘C4 Charge’ ability is an explosive that can be thrown in an arc to deal AoE damage. She also has a robot companion that she built herself named Bribón. She can send him to a location to distract enemies, letting allies move past areas or relocate without needing to engage in combat straight away. Remi is primarily a support character as her ultimate, Mobilize, creates a healing zone for herself and allies.

Each character has an in-depth skill tree that allows for more customisation depending on your playstyle. In addition, each character has proficiency in different weapon types. So while any character can use any weapon, different categories of weapon are better suited to certain characters.

The weapon categories in Redfall include classics such as assault and sniper rifles, shotguns and pistols, but these weapons are ineffective when it comes to finishing off the fanged menace. Players will need to stab them in the heart with a stake, or set them on fire to fully kill them, or they’ll keep reviving themselves. This mechanic adds depth to the game both in terms of combat and lore in a way that feels smooth and makes sense. For players who are afraid to get too close to enemies in video games (me), it definitely forces you out of your comfort zone in a good way and encourages you to switch up your playstyle during battles. Not only that, but there’s something really satisfying about sprinting up to a stunned vampire and staking them in the heart.

Speaking of enemies, vampires aren’t the only monsters plaguing the town of Redfall. When the vampires first isolated the town, some humans looked to them as immortal gods and started a cult to worship and protect them. It was interesting walking around the eerie town and listening in on their conversations about whether or not they’d made the right choice to be on the side of the vampires. The inclusion of the human cultists also makes combat more interesting. It adds enemies that are less powerful, but more abundant, and allows for a variety of enemy configurations.

Often, the humans are the trash mobs surrounding one or two vampires, similar to mini-bosses. The cultists are also a valuable source of ammunition, weapons and medical supplies. Vampires don’t need bullets and bandages, so it’s unlikely that they’ll drop any. Instead, they drop charge orbs for your ultimate ability. The character ultimates don’t recharge over time, so this system means that players need to explore the open world and fight vampires in side missions to be able to use their ultimate abilities more frequently.

The preview had us playing through the Addison Mansion mission from the main story. There was also the option to play through a variety of side missions, including destroying vampire nests, securing safe houses and even fixing up the popcorn machine in the firehouse – the main base. The Addison Mansion mission showed that the bloodsuckers aren’t just supernatural creatures of the night, but instead a longevity experiment gone wrong. Humans tried to become god in an attempt to live longer, but it came back to bite them – literally.

In true Arkane fashion, the story is interesting and original, and the gameplay lends itself to a variety of playstyles. Going in guns-blazing or stealthing around are both viable options as you uncover the mysteries of the town. The characters are unique and entertaining in their own ways, but none of them feel overpowered or weaker than the others, meaning that all characters can be enjoyed in the solo campaign as well as in co-op, where they will compliment each other.

Redfall is spooky, clever and captivating. Fans of Arkane and even newcomers to the world of gaming will be impressed with the skillful weaving of storytelling, ideas and gameplay that the studio has brought to the genre of open-world FPS games. The vampire-slaying experience is so satisfying and rewarding that you won’t want to put the controller down. An expertly crafted and frightfully supernatural experience awaits those who enter the town of Redfall.

Expect Redfall from 2 May on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. The title will also be part of Xbox and PC Game Pass.

Redfall

2 May 2023
PC Xbox Series S & X
 

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About the author

Courtney Borrett

Courtney is a journalist with a passion for video games and anime. She loves cozy, story-driven games, but also finds inspiration in the strange and downright weird. She has a love-hate relationship with League of Legends. When she's not watching anime, you can find her tweeting about it instead.