Vampire slaying is the new thing, but will it actually stick? Here are what people have to say about Redfall, their reviews, and their first impressions of the hands-on preview.
Around a week or so ago, various people were invited to a hands-on preview of Redfall's current build. There, everyone was given 90 minutes, or an hour and a half, to try the game out for themselves. Although playable as a co-op game, they were only able to try out the game as a single-player game. Interestingly, it was also around this time that Arkane said that they were actively looking into making the game playable offline. After checking the game out for 90 minutes, here are their reviews for Redfall.
VGC called the game an “utterly engrossing single-player experience“. They praised the game's gunplay, and that they were “pleasantly surprised with just how competently its blend of guns and ghouls holds up as a single-player experience.” They also enjoyed the fact although players had access to various weaponry, the game still stayed “true to the original myths”, in that players need specialized UV and Stake weapons to fully kill vampires. Overall, they mentioned that Redfall is “shaping up to be the studio's strongest shooter to date”, although they did bring up that hardcore fans of Arkane's games “may be a little disappointed at its less system-driven approach”.
IGN, on the other hand, started their first impressions by stating that “killing vampires in Redfall feels good.” They said that although Redfall was different from the other games that the studio had made like Prey or Dishonored, it was still definitely an Arkane game. They brought up that Arkane had a good track record with stealth games. However, although stealth is a part of Redfall, players shouldn't expect it to be like Dishonored. They also mentioned that although open-world games aren't exactly what Arkane usually does (saying that Arkane typically hand-crafts their campaigns and stories), it's still a game worth playing.
PCGamesN lovingly called the game “Far Cry 2, but with vampires” in their review. They called the combat clean, and something that was very similar to FPS mechanics that players were used to. For them, although the gunplay was not all that innovative, the combat itself was good. This is true, especially thanks to the game's fierce vampires. They talked about how they initially had a hard time clearing out some of the hives in the game, as they were not used to the game yet. However, once they got a hang of it, they easily cleared them out. Their biggest qualm, however, was that they tried the game out solo. They mentioned that the game “will really come alive with a group of players.”
PC Gamer in their review said that it felt like a “sad stumble from iconic studio Arkane“. They were surprised by the fact that they were playing it solo, as it was a game that emphasized its co-op gameplay. Harvey Smith, the creative director, assured them that it was meant for solo as much as it was for multiplayer, but the reviewer did not feel the same way. In their words, it was “caught between two identities – lacking something when played alone, but not well suited for playing with friends either.” They wrote that the game felt empty, totally different from Arkane's Dishonored. Throughout the hands-on preview, they did not feel excited and said at the end “not once did it get my blood pumping”. They only hoped that they didn't get to see the game's best side.
Is Redfall worth it?
At the moment, it's not easy to say if the game is or isn't worth it. The version of the game that the reviewers played was still an early build, and they only had 90 minutes to test the game out. However, it did seem to be a common consensus that this game feels and plays better when playing with friends. Although Smith said that the game is meant for solo as much as it is meant for multi-player, it would seem like the game's full potential will only come out if people play in a group.
It is, however, a game that you will want to play if you are a big fan of killing vampires, Arkane Studios, or both. Let's just wait and see what people will say about the full game once it comes out.
That's all for people's reviews and first impressions from the Redfall hands-on preview. Redfall comes out on May 2, 2023, on Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, and PC. For more gaming news from us, you can check out our gaming news articles.
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