There has been much debate online today about Redfall. Review embargos, which admittedly can vary for numerous reasons, can sometimes be a sign of a publisher’s confidence in a title. There was already concern about the upcoming vampire-hunting looter-shooter when news broke that the game would not play at 60fps at launch. But then the review embargo being so close to release day and the fact that the few reviews that broke the embargo early (before being promptly taken down) were negative had fans concerned. Now, just hours away from the game’s release, the embargo has officially lifted and we have the scores. Here are the reviews are saying about Arcane’s latest project:
Attack of the Fanboy | 3.5 out of 5
- In no way is Redfall groundbreaking — but sometimes all a game needs to be is fun to play, and Arkane has created an experience that is a hell of a good time. Is it Arkane’s best game? Probably not. But there is so much to love here as the gameplay is addicting, intense, and will pull you back for another session. While the game could have benefited from the ability to upgrade weapons, more sidequests, and quality in-depth cutscenes for storytelling, what the game does right, it does with flying colors.
engadget | Unscored
- Redfall is not fit for public consumption. It may not give you salmonella, but Arkane Austin’s vampire-infused world is unpolished, underpopulated and littered with glitches. From the jump, there are signs the game would’ve benefited from another delay before launch day. That’s not to say Redfall is a bad game filled with terrible ideas, but in its current form, it’s difficult to see the brilliance among the bugs.
GameSpot | 4 out of 10
- Ultimately, Redfall is a game that should not have been released yet. Its litany of bugs hampers the gameplay loop of exploring its world with friends, and that loop itself feels compromised by elements that are poorly executed and ill-suited to the team implementing them. I can’t pretend to know whether Arkane chose to make a loot-shooter or was assigned to make a loot-shooter, but I can tell you what it feels like: one of the best game studios in the world suddenly made toothless.
GamingBolt | 5 out of 10
- Redfall feels entirely out of character for Arkane, a studio that has always prided itself on developing unique, systemically dense games that provide experiences that have almost no peers in the medium. While it does retain hints of the studio’s formula, it dilutes it too much with rote and uninspired gameplay and design choices, resulting in a blend that feels like it’s neither here nor there. Then you have the technical and control issues, which further mar the experience, while the narrative shortcomings prove to be another stake to the heart. It’d be unfair and inaccurate to say that there’s nothing to like here – there certainly is – but in what’s probably a first for Arkane, the bad ends up outweighing the good.
Noisy Pixel | 4 out of 10
- Redfall is an anomaly because a game with this good of a team behind it can’t possibly be this bad, and yet, it is. There are these drips of looter shooter, RPG, and multiplayer elements sprinkled throughout, but none of them work together, delivering a messy and almost incomprehensible experience. Still, gunplay and exploration stay consistently fun, thanks to the satisfaction of taking down enemies and the level design. That being said, the single-player campaign is dull, but the multiplayer campaign could provide bouts of fun comprised of laughing at the strange AI behavior or the fact that no one can find keys to a door.
Polygon | Unscored
- If this tone takes center stage in the back half of the story, combined with plot developments that add some momentum to the proceedings, it may be easier to overlook the game’s weaker aspects and appreciate it as a compelling narrative work. At this point, though, the town of Redfall is sucked too dry of liveliness for players to be invested in whether its vampires triumph or not.
Press Start | 6.5 out of 10
- It’s hard to criticise how Redfall runs when hosting a four-stack of slayers. Granted, the map is small, sparsely populated, and the game doesn’t deliver the hottest textures I’ve seen lately, but a solid netcode is something worth crediting. Of course, things like host-only progression, a seeming lack of level scaling, and persistent frustrating ready-up delays do make teaming up a far less appealing prospect. I think Arkane’s inexperience in developing a co-operative experience definitely cuts through with Redfall.
VGC | 4 out of 5
- Redfall is a compelling adventure with killer combat and an atmospheric setting in which you can easily lose a weekend. Even though it feels watered down by Arkane’s systemic standards, it’s an ambitious, primarily successful experiment full of narrative nuance and unique ideas. Hopefully, Redfall’s shakeup of the genre will pave the way for more inspired looter shooters in the future and, selfishly… another immersive simulator?
Xbox Era | 8.5 out of 10
- Redfall is fantastic in most ways. A few baffling design decisions around its co-op implementation and some frustrating technical issues hold it back. It is fun as hell solo, and ridiculously so in co-op. With a little post-launch support it is going to become something special. This may end up being Arkane’s worst-reviewed title ever, but it is going to be their most successful. Alone or with friends Redfall is a game any fan of the genre should play.
The reviews are mixed for Redfall. While there are a few postive points to note, mainly the setting of the vampire infested American town, most of the reviews point to poor performance and a plethora of bugs being the root of the game’s downfall. Several reviews also talk about the game’s lack of the signature Arcane charm and character. Replaced by a diluted co-op shooter. That being said, the game is a Day One Xbox Game Pass release, which means millions of players can pickup the game when it’s ready after sufficent patches and updates have gone through. Our own coverage of the game will be published in the coming weeks and despite the harsh reviews, we are still looking forward to checking out the game. What do you think about Redfall and do you plan on picking it up? Let us know down in the comments.
