Much remains to be unveiled of Arkane Austin's upcoming co-op shooter Redfall. For most, it has always seemed like Left 4 Dead but with vampires, although with its own unique approach of course. Yet as Redfall's 2023 release nears, more specific information is being shared drip by drip. One new revelation is particularly intriguing. It's confirmed that character progress in Redfall is restricted, meaning players can't swap out characters mid-campaign, nor can they re-spec.
An IGN interview with Arkane Austin studio director and Redfall co-creative director Harvey Smith provided insight into the unique focus on solo progression the co-op game will be employing. Left 4 Dead players will be familiar with the game's ability to swap between characters match to match as they play through the campaign. Redfall, however, has much more thorough progression systems for its characters. As such, Redfall players are locked into whom they're playing.
Smith explains that if players choose Layla as their character, they're "bound to Layla through the campaign mission, side missions, the whole flow of the game, to the endgame." If players want to play a different character, they can, but they'll have to start a new save for that character and progress from the start of the game with them.
In this regard, Redfall is less like Left 4 Dead and more like Borderlands. Players will choose a character and play through the game with them, acquiring loot and customizing their abilities as they progress. However, that's not entirely correct, either. Smith also confirms that there will be no re-specs in Redfall. In other words, if a Layla player doesn't like their powers and wants to change them, they have to start over with a new Layla. A given player may have multiple Laylas at different levels of progression, each with different powers.
A balance between Left 4 Dead's characters, each with their own personality and look, and Borderlands, where each character has their own extensive progression paths, seems to be Arkane's goal. It wants that long-term progression, but it also wants players to swap out characters instead of dedicating to a single choice.
Arkane's decision-making is certainly interesting. The decision not to allow character swapping makes sense, as each character has their own progression paths in Redfall. It wouldn't make sense to swap them level-to-level without first unlocking the necessary progression. Not allowing re-specs is odd, however, and seems designed to encourage spending extra time replaying content. Perhaps there's more to the situation than meets the eye. Much about Redfall remains to be said.
Redfall releases in the first half of 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN