Among the games planned for 2023 on Xbox, a certain Redfall holds an important place in the hearts of gamers. Arkane Austin’s new game is eagerly awaited by part of the community, curious to see what this renowned studio will be able to offer us this time. In an interview recently published in the columns of
GamesRadarwe learn a little more about the game, and what it means to the studio.
A Far Cry with Arkane sauce
Selling its games has always been difficult for Arkane. This was the case with Prey, and more recently Deathloop, the studio struggles to explain the concept of its productions, and Redfall seems to be no exception to the rule.
When it was announced in 2021, the cooperative FPS was very quickly compared to Left 4 Dead, but according to Ricardo Bare, creative director of Arkane, it is rather on the side of Far Cry that we should look:
It’s totally understandable that someone would come to that conclusion. There are four playable characters, you can play together in co-op, and you’ll be battling the undead. But, when it comes to how you play and experience Redfall, it’s not like those games at all. Redfall is more like getting into Far Cry
[…]
Redfall sometimes feels like what you would get if you mixed Arkane’s creative values with Far Cry 2 or STALKER. It’s the kind of game we’ve been wanting to make for a long time.
If the comparison may scare some people, keep in mind that the world of Redfall remains more condensed than the large open worlds of Ubisoft games. There are no vehicles in Redfall, the game is more laid back and encourages exploration.
In terms of freedom, there’s what you’d expect from other open worlds, but Redfall is a ‘walking’ game – the scale and pacing are a bit slow in that respect. We want you to slip through a cornfield at night in the fog, hear the vampires whisper in the dark. You might spot a farm in the distance and sneak into it, only to find it’s full of cultists and a few trapped survivors you can save. This is the kind of atmosphere that reigns in Redfall.
A game that arouses curiosity
Redfall looks very different from Left 4 Dead. If the game makes sense in cooperation, it can also be played solo. In this configuration, there will be no AI companions coming to help you.
Overall, the title encourages the player to test new things and get lost in its open world, also arousing their curiosity.
We wanted to know what it would be like to wander an open world of Arkane and see where every little road will take you.
You’ll want to see if you can enter a barn you’ve found, climb a burning watchtower you’ve spotted in the distance, or try to enter a house to read all the notes strewn inside.
Harvey Smith points out that you will always have the freedom to approach situations, missions, and different places with the same curiosity and the same ingenuity as in Dishonored or Prey. While it has a base where you can talk to NPCs, get side quests, and choose story-related missions, Redfall also and especially shines when the player roams the streets as events unfold there. take place.
Some of Redfall’s strongest moments come from wandering around, absorbing the world, and getting swept up in the action for a moment. This is the atmosphere we sought to create from the start.
This systemic open world pushes the player to adapt his approach. This is particularly the case of the day / night cycle, which can for example vary the number of enemies and force you to review your strategy.
Provide a satisfying weapon feel
If the title supports all styles and allows for example a stealth approach, it is Arkane’s game being the most focused on shooting. In this sense, Ricardo Bare explains that the teams had to dwell on the feeling of the weapons and also consulted the studio behind DOOM to get their opinion.
There’s a certain level of work you have to put into a shooter to reach a minimum level, because you’ll inevitably be compared to every other shooter on the market if your guns don’t feel good.
[…]
We have benefited from the advice of some of our colleagues [ndlr : de chez id Software] ; the people who worked on Doom have come to give us feedback a number of times, things like that, and we’re pretty happy with the outcome.
Redfall will offer several types of weapons. The most interesting will be the special weapons for hunting vampires, which can for example have stakes at their end or be equipped with flares and UV rays. In addition to weapons, the game has a system of powers that will be interesting to combine between the characters forming your squad.
While it’s true that this is more of a shooter than any other game we’ve worked on, a lot of the fun comes from the powers of each of the heroes. Whether you synergize Remy and Jacob or play alone, using the powers, combining them and improving your character is a lot of fun.
Depending on the companions selected, you will be able to develop certain relationships as a bonus in order to obtain in-game advantages.
We have a very dynamic dialogue system where depending on which heroes you put together in combination, they will talk to each other and get to know each other. And we have a mechanical system where the more heroes play together, the more intimate their lines of dialogue become and ultimately they will get a buff called “Trust Buff”
These new elements should allow more players to understand the concept of Redfall.
Remember that the game is planned exclusively for Xbox Series X | S and PC and should be released during the first half of this year. Its release date should soon be announced by Microsoft, while the latest rumors suggest a launch in early May. It will be available directly in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
