>
Redfall, the upcoming co-op FPS from the studio that brought us Prey and Dishonored, is on track to release this year – so get your garlic ready.
Arkane Austin’s new IP has you battling vampires in an open-world post-apocalyptic urban environment that’s delightfully suffused with a retro horror aesthetic. But you don’t have to take on these vampires alone (unless you want to), as Redfall lets you team up with up to three other players to unravel why these toothed creatures are there in the first place.
You get to choose from four heroes, each with their own unique abilities that complement each other in different ways, and you have access to a range of vampire-hunting weapons that would make Buffy ashamed.
Ready to sink your teeth into Arkane’s co-op shooter? Read on for everything we know about Redfall so far.
Redfall: get to the point
- What is it? A co-op first-person shooter from Arkane Studios
- When can I play it? The first half of 2023
- What can I play it on? Xbox Series X|S and PC
Redfall release date and platforms
Redfall will be released in the first half of 2023 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.
It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. While it skips the last-gen Xbox One, anyone who has yet to upgrade to Microsoft’s latest console can also access it via Xbox Cloud Gaming (provided you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription).
Arkane’s co-op shooter was originally set to release in “Summer 2022,” but Bethesda announced (opens in new tab) in May 2022 that the co-op shooter was delayed to the “first half of 2023”. The announcement also revealed that Starfield has been delayed. According to Bethesda, these delays were because the teams at Arkane Austin and Bethesda Game Studios have “incredible ambitions for their games, and we want to make sure you get the best, most polished versions of them.”
Redfall trailers
Latest trailer
The latest trailer for Redfall, entitled ‘Into the Night’, was released in October 2022 – just in time for Halloween. This trailer highlights some of the blood-sucking vampires we’ll be up against in Arkane’s co-op shooter, including “the crafty Angler to the ever-watchful Watcher”. Check it out below.
More trailers
We’ve included some key Redfall trailers in this article, but you can find all the Redfall trailers released so far at Bethesda’s official YouTube channel (opens in new tab).
Redfall story and setting
Redfall’s website gives us a brief summary of the game’s story, setting, and the larger-than-life characters that inhabit the world.
The game’s vampiric enemies are actually science experiments gone horribly wrong. These creatures have sealed off the city of Redfall from the rest of the world by blocking out the sun.
The vampires are joined by a human faction that worships them, as seen in the debut trailer. As such, it seems that we’re often dealing with both types of enemies – and maybe a few more – at the same time during gunfights.
Redfall gameplay
Redfall is a story-driven, open-world first-person shooter where you can choose from four playable heroes, each with their own unique personalities and abilities, to take on blood-sucking vampires. These skills can be upgraded as you progress and you can also experiment with different playstyles and equipment. Here are the four characters you can choose from – and their descriptions according to Bethesda:
- Layla Ellison: A biomedical engineering student interning at a research facility, where something went terribly wrong, giving her intense telekinetic abilities.
- Jacob Boyer: An ex-military sniper turned private contractor. Strange happenings on Redfall give Jacob a mysterious vampiric eye and a ghostly raven that is never far from his side.
- Remi de la Rosa: A brilliant combat engineer who spent her life at the front. With the help of her robot cohort, Bribón, she is determined to help save the survivors of Redfall.
- Devinder Crousley: A cryptozoologist and aspiring inventor. Armed with weapons of his own creation, he is on a mission to prove himself.
According to the official website (opens in new tab)Redfall will “seamlessly blend single and multiplayer options, allowing the player to venture into the darkness alone or team up with up to three friends for four-player co-op”.
The use of the word “seamless” implies that a drop-in co-op system could be implemented in Redfall, allowing players to join someone else’s game without having to return to the main menu. Arkane has confirmed that when playing co-op, players will be able to play as any character, regardless of whether a teammate has already selected them. That means you can all play as Layla, for example, if you want to. For players who prefer solo play, the official website states that you can build your characters around solo play, for both.
According to Bethesda, the types of vampires you’ll face in Redfall include “sneaky vampires that grab you and separate you from your team,” “colossal vampires that can tear you and your team to pieces,” and “Divine vampires that are powerful enough to darken the sun”.
However, it’s not just vampires to worry about. These vampires have developed a small army of cult members, described on the Redfall website as “well armed and ready to die for the vampires”. After setting up bases and patrol routes over this island, you need to be careful.
Redfall’s website also states that the game’s open world will be “ever-changing” and will be an “environment that reacts to your choices and actions”. Between cultist bases and “twisted psychic spaces” called Nests, there’s plenty to take care of before the island becomes safe again.
Redfall news and rumours
How similar is Redfall to other Arkane games?
At the 2022 Xbox Games Extended showcase, Bethesda’s Pete Hines explained Redfall’s similarities and differences to developer Arkane’s previous work. In particular, Hines explained that while Redfall has co-op elements, there’s still an enjoyable single-player experience to be had.
“On the face of it, it’s a first-person shooter that you can play alone or with up to four players and so, you know, you could immediately say it’s not a single-player game, so it has to be very different,” Hines said. “And don’t get me wrong, there are definitely ways it’s different, but as people play the game, and even as they see more of the game, I think they’re going to start seeing all those things. about an Arkane game they love and appreciate.”
“If you want to play a game on your own and get a great Arkane story, you can absolutely do that in Redfall, but you can also do things you haven’t been able to do in an Arkane game, like experience it with friends and discover how the whole can become more than the sum of its parts, like playing each character’s skill,” Hines continued. “I think the more people appreciate that, you almost want to try playing Redfall in a number of ways. You might want to play it a little bit alone, or play with others, and it’s a game that lets you do one or both things, however you like.”
Comparisons with Left 4 Dead
During the Xbox Games Extended showcase, Bethesda’s Pete Hines also discussed comparisons between Redfall and co-op shooters like Left 4 Dead.
“When you look at combat footage you might look at Left 4 Dead or Back 4 Blood or one of these things and think ‘oh I see multiple characters facing a bunch of enemies and so it’s the same game,'” said Hines. “But I think that would be a disservice, that it’s all the things that happen between the fight and the fight itself, mixing different skills and abilities in the way you do… those are the kinds of things Arkane brings that really that extra special element that makes their games so captivating.”