The near future is a fairly bleak proposition. Whether it’s the erosion of our basic rights, a virulent pestilence that continues to lurk in the background, or a vicious bunch of supernatural creatures intent on removing all of your red drippy stuff, it doesn’t feel as though the human race has much to look forward to. In Bethesda’s Redfall it’s definitely the third option, as you take on a brood of vampires across an isolated island in either single or co-operative play.
Things have gone horribly wrong in the town of Redfall. This once pleasant patch of Massachusetts has now been overrun with bloodsuckers, supported by a batch of deluded cultists. The enigmatic Hollow Man and the terrifying Black Sun lead the coven, their plan ensuring that no one is leaving the island, creating walls of seawater that has separated the landmass from the mainland, while the sun has been blocked off by a permanent eclipse. It’s up to you to fight them off and unravel the mystery, but you’re thankfully not entirely alone in Redfall, as you soon set up a base of operations with a number of survivors who’ll aid and support you as you all try to survive this location-specific apocalypse.
Redfall offers four distinct characters to play as, each of which has their own unique supernatural abilities to help despatch the undead quicker than an Amazon driver with a weak bladder. Jacob Boyer is a former special forces sniper who’s acquired a ghostly raven companion and the ability to cloak himself. Layla meanwhile utilises telekinesis to attack and move around the island. Hailing from the UK, Dev is an inventor who brings a bunch of technology to the conflict, and finally, Remi is a combat engineer with a penchant for explosives.
The four protagonists are handy enough with your standard firearms, whether that’s pistols, shotguns or assault rifles. There’s also a few pleasant surprises amongst your arsenal like a flare gun whose fiery discharge can finish off an unwary vampire or two, or the UV Cannon that’s capable of turning your enemies to stone. However, it’s the character’s special abilities that offer up the opportunity for something a bit different, setting themselves, and Redfall, apart from the open-world shooter crowd.
The first character I spent time with was Dev, and his cobbled-together tech really gives him a serious edge in combat. His electric rod attack can freeze multiple enemies in place while causing them damage, and his Translocate beacon lets you skip here and there with ease, making it an effective tool for traversing Redfall or in the midst of combat. I often set it as an escape route going into tougher battles and it made for a great last-ditch way of avoiding death. His final ability is the Blacklight, a handy move that allows you to unleash a burst of UV light that just like the cannon turns vampires to stone, or blinds the less bitey enemies you face.
Redfall has a real Stranger Things-meets-Buffy vibe going on, as you sneak around avoiding shady cultists while unravelling the work of the shady Aevum Therapeutics corporation and the wider mystery at play – In typical Arkane fashion, you can generally play to a style of your choosing, whether that’s being sneaky and avoiding combat or heading straight into the action, shotgun blazing.
Oh, and you’ll remain constantly terrified of the floating, long-fingered bloodsuckers that punctuate the action. They are as intimidating as you would hope, soaking up a heap of damage and then needing to be finished off with a stake or an unhealthy dose of fire. They’ll taunt you, whispering all sorts of psychologically damaging statements, and overall, you’ll do your best to avoid facing them unless you really have to.
The atmosphere is suitably sinister, and when the sky darkens you really start to feel frail and vulnerable. That’s somewhat undone by the questionable intelligence of both the cultists and their vampire overlords. It feels as though their range of vision is too short, and their willingness to give up on a suspected sighting is often laughable. They’ll still give you a decent challenge in combat though, and gunfights are definitely a highlight, but the AI is a weak link in the game’s otherwise well-constructed atmosphere.
The combination of open-world and supernatural foes has become increasingly wearisome in the last few years, and immediately after playing through Dead Island 2 I wasn’t particularly looking forward to Redfall. However, Arkane Austin should never be underestimated for putting their own spin on a genre, with Redfall offering enough surprises and memorable moments so far to set it apart from the open-world crowd.
Keep an eye out for our updated review later this week, once we’ve delved more fully into the co-op experience and offed many, many more vampires.
