Redfall has some issues but overall was a fun time. Starting with the negatives, I absolutely hate that the game cannot be paused. This is the worst thing the game does. If I need to take a break, but am in the middle of a mission, better hope no one finds me crouched in a corner. Redfall keeps the modern open world philosophy of having bland, repetitive side missions. Luckily there are not that many but every safehouse has two side missions. The first repeats four or five mission types; the second is always go kill a vampire. Repeating open world tasks that usually can be ignored permeate the second half of the game. Vampire nests and rooks are annoying and usually not worth doing. Unfortunately, you cannot skip rooks, but at least you know when they are coming. Finally, traversing the world got old quick, but again I have this issue with most open world games. Mostly my complaints can be leveled against most open world games. Redfall would have been better as a linear story.
I actually enjoyed when the game delved into Arkane storytelling. This mostly happened when finding ways to kill the vampire gods where I would explore areas finding out about their backstories. The combat was usually light or nonexistent, but the atmosphere was on point. I actually enjoyed the variety of vampires and guns. Granted a good stake launcher got me through most missions, including boss fights (the game is pretty easy). I like the idea of the safehouses and hubs, but they were definitely underutilized.
As for middling things, the side characters were mostly forgettable, but that's on par for most Arkane games. The combat was repetitive and not too challenging. Keeping up with Arkane tradition, the AI was also not too great, but it did its job.
I know most people bring up the bugs, but I was lucky and did not encounter too many. The big ones for me was that a side quest was not accessible because the NPC would never give it to me; the exclamation point was over his head, but he kept giving generic lines. In another instance, my buttons stopped working, except for movement and shooting; unfortunately, I was trying to collect stuff. The last big bug was a mission required environment was pitch black, like it was colored black; I had to fumble around until I found the key item I was looking for. Other bugs I encountered were mostly animation quirks (arms bending backward, T-posing NPCs), so overall, I guess I was lucky.
Overall, Redfall's biggest issues come from being a paint by number open world shooter. Every once in a while, Arkane's masterful atmosphere and environments would show up, but those moments were too few. Redfall is an average game that is still fun to play. When the combat hits right and everything works, it can even be a blast.
I actually enjoyed when the game delved into Arkane storytelling. This mostly happened when finding ways to kill the vampire gods where I would explore areas finding out about their backstories. The combat was usually light or nonexistent, but the atmosphere was on point. I actually enjoyed the variety of vampires and guns. Granted a good stake launcher got me through most missions, including boss fights (the game is pretty easy). I like the idea of the safehouses and hubs, but they were definitely underutilized.
As for middling things, the side characters were mostly forgettable, but that's on par for most Arkane games. The combat was repetitive and not too challenging. Keeping up with Arkane tradition, the AI was also not too great, but it did its job.
I know most people bring up the bugs, but I was lucky and did not encounter too many. The big ones for me was that a side quest was not accessible because the NPC would never give it to me; the exclamation point was over his head, but he kept giving generic lines. In another instance, my buttons stopped working, except for movement and shooting; unfortunately, I was trying to collect stuff. The last big bug was a mission required environment was pitch black, like it was colored black; I had to fumble around until I found the key item I was looking for. Other bugs I encountered were mostly animation quirks (arms bending backward, T-posing NPCs), so overall, I guess I was lucky.
Overall, Redfall's biggest issues come from being a paint by number open world shooter. Every once in a while, Arkane's masterful atmosphere and environments would show up, but those moments were too few. Redfall is an average game that is still fun to play. When the combat hits right and everything works, it can even be a blast.
TheYeti
11 months ago