There's something about playing a game set on an island. The knowledge that the island's shores are the limit of the playspace offers a certain comfort that games with more invisible borders don't offer. From liberating the island of Tsushima from Mongol occupation in Ghost of Tsushima to developing an island community in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the island life is pretty irresistible.
It makes sense, then, that the upcoming Redfall is the second Arkane game in a row to take place entirely on an island, after Deathloop's Isle of Blackreef. Players died and died again trying to break the loop of Blackreef, and soon they'll link up with friends (or go it alone) to hunt down vampires in Redfall. Deathloop and Redfall's islands share some similarities, but they also differ quite obviously in a few ways.
Deathloop's Time Loop Island vs. Redfall's Vampiric Cult Island
For one, the weather and climate differs greatly between the two. Deathloop's Blackreef sits somewhere in the polar sea, and this is made most clear by the blizzard that hits the island in the afternoon portion of the loop. NPCs are always complaining about how they're going to be freezing for eternity. On the other hand, Redfall is an island town in Massachusetts. The game appears to take place during autumn, as evidenced by the red, orange, and yellow leaves on trees, so no parkas are necessary.
Perhaps the most glaring difference between the two is that Redfall is not stuck in a timeloop as far as fans know. Deathloop's core mechanic is that Colt cannot leave Blackreef until he's killed all the Visionaries, breaking the loop. The most recent trailer for the game establishes that the four main characters in Redfall are similarly trapped on the island, but the cause is unknown.
Arkane games are known for their atmosphere and tone, and like Deathloop, Redfall's tone is as strong as ever. The Isle of Blackreef is imbued with an eerie loneliness. That loneliness is dialed up by the chill of the arctic locale, but it's best executed in the island's jagged shape. Rocks jut out of the ground, forming stark shadows on the snowy ground. Giant mechanical contraptions litter the island's geography, and Colt sneaks around through underground passages to get from area to area. In Redfall though, the story is built around a group of four newfound friends. And Redfall itself (despite being infested with bloodthirsty vampires) is a quaint New England fishing town. Trailers offer glimpses at a carnival, a movie theater, a lighthouse, and an old-fashioned downtown area.
While the time-loop story of Deathloop offered players more of a thriller experience, Redfall will likely lean a bit more into the horror elements of hunting down vampires. Players can expect to see a spookier aesthetic decorating the town of Redfall. Deathloop's Blackreef was composed of four separate locations: Fristad Rock, Karl's Bay, The Complex, and Updaam. Redfall on the other hand, will be entirely open world. Players seemingly won't have to return to a hub like Deathloop's underground passages to reach a different part of the island; they can just go. Much of Deathloop's style also came from its modernized 1960s aesthetic, but Redfall appears to be set during present day.
While Deathloop's main driving factor was the mission to kill all the Visionaries, the island had plenty of Eternalists for Colt to take out. It looks like Redfall will be following in the footsteps of its predecessor. The vampires are the main threat of the game, but the vampires seem to have amassed a literal cult following, and Layla can be seen taking one out in the Redfall announcement trailer from last year. It remains to be seen exactly how similar these islands will be, but players can be sure to expect a lot of stylish gameplay, as it is Arkane's specialty.
Redfall releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.