E3 is always the perfect time for big game developers to reveal exciting new titles, and E3 2021 didn't disappoint. Microsoft, for instance, delivered on some hotly anticipated games with trailers for the likes of Starfield and The Outer Worlds 2. Another game it revealed comes from Bethesda and Arkane Studios, who's still a few months away from releasing Deathloop. Arkane's next game -- developed by Arkane Austin, the branch of Arkane responsible for great games like Dishonored and Prey -- is Redfall, a multiplayer co-op vampire hunting FPS that rings faintly of the Left 4 Dead franchise. Although the game is far from launch, it already looks like a fresh take on the vampire genre.
Vampires could use the kind of revival that Redfall promises. There was a time a few years ago where vampires were at their apex, domination action movies and showing up frequently in games. More recently, vampires have fallen off a little bit compared to other fantasy creatures. They still crop up as the stars of the show in titles like Vampyr, but they're not leading the charge like they used to be. If the vampire genre wants to make a comeback, then creators and fans of the genre need to follow in Redfall's wake. New takes on vampires and experimentation with the genre's formula could result in some creative and compelling games.
Redfall's Perspective on Vampires
The vampire is a fantasy and horror classic. For centuries people have told stories about blood-sucking humanoids like Dracula who fear the night and boast incredible supernatural powers. Redfall doesn't stray away from that basic formula completely, but there's a few major changes. For instance, in Redfall, vampires are the result of science. A botched experiment created these bloodthirsty monsters, who've developed remarkable abilities and are only getting stronger. There's still supernatural forces at play in Redfall, but a healthy dose of sci-fi shakes things up a bit.
The behavior of vampires in Redfall is also pretty different from traditional depictions. Oftentimes, vampires are reclusive and mysterious, and sometimes operate alone. In Redfall, vampires work as a horde, openly marauding in the streets throughout the night. Whereas traditional vampires are looming, elusive threats, Redfall's vampires are in the player's face and believe in power in numbers. That makes them a much more formidable threat. Redfall's heroes have a big task ahead of them. Hordes of vampires are sure to be much more powerful and intelligent zombies, so there's definitely some intense combat ahead.
Building on Redfall's Momentum
If the hype around Redfall means anything, there could be more vampire games coming up someday to meet demand. Fortunately, there's already rumors about a Legacy of Kain remaster coming up. Legacy of Kain was a vampire-centric franchise most active from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Rumors about a Legacy of Kain remake have been around for a while, but Redfall's appearance is a good sign for the game's future, and could serve as an inspiration for new Kain games. It's worth mentioning that there's also new Vampire: The Masquerade games on the way, which will go a long way in helping Redfall bolster vampire media while offering a different perspective on the genre.
Bethesda and Arkane are the perfect studios to deliver on Redfall's ideas. It's a combination of a few familiar genres and game styles that results in something a little experimental. Between Microsoft's backing and the talent within Bethesda and Arkane, Redfall is already poised to be a very influential title. The tide might turn again in the favor of vampire media. Not every new vampire game needs to be Redfall, of course; in fact, rather than imitating it, other studios should get the message that there's more than one way to handle these beings. Ideally, Redfall will be a stepping stone that refreshes several genres at once and helps give vampires a second life.
Redfall releases in summer 2022 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.