Arkane Studios is on a roll with last year's Deathloop now available on Xbox Game Pass, and now all eyes await the studio's next project: Redfall. Redfall is an open-world cooperative first-person shooter that was initially announced in 2021 as an Xbox (and PC) exclusive. Arkane Austin is developing it as opposed to the main studio in France. While Redfall was initially scheduled to release this year, its release date has been pushed back to sometime within the first half of 2023. The added time promises to provide the game with the extra coat of polish it needs, and thankfully Arkane Austin has started to pull back the curtain on the upcoming vampire shooter.
Arkane Austin is taking a unique approach to the standard four-player cooperative shooter formula, with Redfall taking cues from Borderlands and Left 4 Dead. Drawing on Borderlands for inspiration bodes well for players who favor Gearbox's penchant for role-playing and looting, and this has gamers eager to learn what weapons they'll be able to take against Redfall's vampire hordes and the humans who align themselves with it. It's easy to assume that genre standards like shotguns, pistols, and sniper rifles will make the cut, but this wouldn't be an Arkane game without creative twists.
Staking a Claim Against the Vampires of Redfall
The game promises to provide weaponry that walks the line between high-end military tech, old shotguns, and handcrafted weaponry specifically made to eliminate vampires. One weapon already piquing interest is the various stake launchers found in Redfall. Gameplay footage has already revealed an assortment of weaponry from assault rifles, silenced handguns, a visceral-looking sawed-off shotgun, and the aforementioned stake launcher. Arkane has also stated that the vampires themselves can be used as a weapon, messing with the game's AI and using them against the human enemies you'll cross paths with.
While the vampires in Redfall differ from other games, they also harbor similarities to vampires of video games past. In Arkane Austin's world, a stake through the heart is still an efficient way to dispatch a foe. Each weapon will have a unique stake attached to it as a bayonet, and something as innocuous as a flare gun becomes a handheld grenade launcher, eliminating groups of vampires in one shot. Weapon customization and upgrades will be offered, with the stake launcher relying on items players find in the wild, like harpoons, broken guitars, or even a garden gnome.
Becoming a Vampire's Worst Nightmare
Another creative way that Redfall seeks to differentiate itself from other games like Back 4 Blood is through the unique skills each playable character has. As revealed in previous Redfall gameplay trailers, the squad of four heroes doesn't fit conventional archetypes of the genre. There is no "tank" or "medic"; instead, there is Jacob, Layla, Remi, and Devendir. Each one of them brings something unique to the table, and they all feature upgradable abilities to go along with the upgradable loot. Jacob specializes in stealth and can turn himself invisible to surprise enemies. Layla features telekinetic abilities, including making elevators for verticality and an umbrella shield that can fire off energy. Remi has a cute robot companion who can damage enemies with bullets, among other means. Devendir has gadgets, including a blacklight that can freeze vampires and another piece of kit that can create electricity for large areas of damage.
It's no secret that a lot is riding on Redfall, and Arkane, Bethesda, and Microsoft are eager to avoid an Aliens Fireteam Elite-like mistake. The unique talents of each protagonist and Arkane's penchant for intricate levels that encourage multiple approaches to a scenario set the table for a unique take on the cooperative shooter genre. It takes courage to launch a new IP, especially one that seeks to carve out its own niche in a crowded field, but Arkane Austin seems well-equipped to handle that task. As the 2023 release date moves closer, more will be revealed, and there is already a lot of promise, especially regarding the unique weaponry of Redfall.
Redfall releases in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.