Redfall offers a compelling mix of Dishonored, Borderlands, and Buffy

When people think of the acclaimed developer Arkane Studios, stealth-action adventures like Dishonored or Deathloop probably come to mind. These kinds of "immersive sims" are known for letting players maneuver through a "clockwork world" where characters go about their daily lives and players complete larger, open-ended objectives. So it's a bit of a surprise to see the developers shifting to a more direct kind of looting and grinding-action RPG with the horror fantasy of Redfall. After spending time with a single-player preview build of Redfall, I could still make out some hints of Arkane’s signature open-ended style amid the vampire slaying. But it's still a noticeable shift from the bleak worlds of Prey and Dishonored, with a team of charismatic vampire hunters that bring the vibe of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer to the gameplay of Borderlands.

Welcome to Redfall

The titular town of Redfall has come down with a bad case of vampires and human cultists. Together, these forces have created a supernatural eclipse that blocks out the sun, allowing the forces of the night to retain control of the town at all hours. Armed with tricked-out guns and makeshift vampire-killing weapons, your ragtag crew of supernatural experts has been sent in to retake the town while also uncovering the town’s mysterious history. While Redfall feels stylistically and mechanically distinct from Arkane’s usual pedigree, it was interesting to see how much of the company’s familiar design was present in a game. "If you look at our library of games that we've made, we definitely have immersive sims as a legacy, as those are part of our creative values, but if you look at each game, they're not exactly like each other," co-director Ricardo Bare told Ars.

"We try to do something a little bit different each time, and this time we were like, ‘What if we took our creative values that we care about, deep world-building and expressive game mechanics, and let you play with a friend?’" Bare continued. “That part was very challenging for us to tackle. Plus, vampires are just cool. We wanted to do Arkane's spin on vampires." What intrigued me most about Redfall's environments was the more open-ended and spacious take on Arkane's "clockwork world" design. Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop are all divided into highly compartmentalized and intricately designed levels and buildings. The different sandbox zones of Redfall, on the other hand, allow for more room to move around and explore. I appreciated that Redfall evokes the vibes and aesthetic of the dread-filled towns in Stephen King's Salem's Lot or It. During my preview event, I spent a lot of time getting the lay of the land, checking out the docks and downtown areas of Redfall to uncover vampire hives and secure safe zones. That exploration involved the requisite side quests and story missions (including one memorable task set in a haunted house guarded by vampires), but wandering also led me to break into secure areas of the town to find journals and hidden stashes of loot. Exploring in Redfall blends elements of a stealth-action game with the pacing of a looter-shooter. You can use your character's skills to sneak up on enemies and pick them off individually or stick with your arsenal to take out the vampires and cultists in hectic firefights. There's no preset way to go about it, and I was impressed by the variety of opportunities. Redfall is still identifiable as an Arkane game in its approach to uncovering narrative and gameplay tricks, though the story beats are often presented during active gameplay rather than as control-breaking cut scenes. But now there’s also the added pull of a game like Borderlands. That comparison extends to a wild set of weapons, including a stake thrower that provides an incredibly fun (if basic) way to tear through vampires. Hopefully, more complex gear and skills will reveal themselves further through the story.

Bare told Ars that Redfall was built from the ground up for cooperative play and that the developers “didn't want co-op to feel like something that was tacked on.” That means there’s “no special [co-op] mode or anything like that; you're literally able to experience the full story together with a friend, which is what we wanted. "But that being said, if you're playing single-player, you can take more time to invest yourself in the world, to read that note, and explore those areas as you want,” Bare continued. “If you are playing co-op, and with four players, you can just swarm across the map and everyone would be howling and having fun. It will support that faster pace, and the difficulty scales up."

Building the team

The character roster in Redfall features some familiar RPG archetypes, each with a few added twists. Jacob is an assassin-type character who can use a cloaking device to sneak up on targets and summon a ghost raven to attack enemies at a distance. Layla is a psychic who can grab objects at a distance and cast a shield to protect herself and the team; Devinder is an online personality who uses jury-rigged gadgets to teleport across distances. And Remy is a combat engineer who can call upon a robot companion to blow up foes and boost the team's combat skills. Each character is fully voiced, offering unique exposition throughout the game's plot. And more characters are planned to be added after the game’s launch. During my preview time, I chose to play as Devinder, as having a teleport skill is something I always appreciate in an Arkane game. I used his skills to leap up on rooftops to land an instant kill on roaming vampires with a heavy stake thrower, all while cleaning up the accompanying humans with my assault rifles.

One of my favorite moments from the preview was when I managed to face off against an elite vampire in a crowded town square. The roaming vampire was hanging out in front of the movie theater with his human familiars, all fully armed and ready to throw down for their undead master. Using Devinder's teleportation, I got up to the rooftop to prepare for an attack, but I was suddenly spotted by another vampire, who immediately used blood magic to suck energy from me at a distance. This alerted the group nearby, leading to an extended firefight, which I finished with Devinder's super ability: an electromagnetic attack that stuns nearby foes. It was a thrilling engagement, and it showed the game's open-ended combat and traversal at its best.

Bumping back against the night

Now that I think about it, it’s a bit surprising that vampires haven’t been featured as video game villains as often as zombies or other tropey supernatural monsters (Castlevania aside). From what I played, Redfall is looking to make up for that with a game filled with bloodsuckers and their chaotic powers. And it’s all anchored by a well-designed town that evokes references to classic horror fiction from John Carpenter, Stephen King, and Jordan Peele. One of Arkane Studios’ greatest strengths is in crafting worlds that entice you to explore further. While the opening hours felt like a soft start for Redfall, the game’s approach to vampire slaying is already aiming to capture that kind of enticing world in a thrilling and promising action game My interest is piqued, and I look forward to revisiting its world with some friends when the game launches on Xbox Series S/X and PC on May 2.