In Redfall, each character has their own set of abilities. That same design philosophy might also be the reason why I’m drawn to Redfall. This is one aspect that made transitioning from Overwatch to Apex Legends feel both familiar and new. Each character has their own detailed story and abilities that make them feel genuinely unique. And, to be completely honest, that has been the dedicated driving force behind its presence. While there have been countless battle royales to enter the market, Apex Legends has proven its lasting power with new maps, weapons, and a diverse cast of selectable characters. If you’re in my inner circle of friends, it’s no secret that I have a certain fondness for Apex Legends. That is, unless you have the right team to splash damaging light and drive these creatures back into hiding. It’s something that hasn’t been fully explored outside of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise and all of its moving parts. I feel like this provides a deeper threat level when approaching enemies. I mean, they did block out the sun and create an artificial drought after all. Redfall will instead deploy an intelligent cryptid, setting vampires on the ground and offering up an enemy that is still alive despite craving the inviting warmth of human blood. It has simply been: bad creature, kill player. However, there was never a feeling of sentience among these creatures. Tanks can vary from The Boomer (or the Tank) seen in Left4Dead 2, to more massive creatures, like the Beast in Earthfall (see above). Aggressive grunt types overwhelm the player, a mid-tier tougher enemy disrupts the party, and tanks can kill the mood entirely. Melee or shoot the wrong creature, though, and that could be the end of your session. In these types of online games, your goal is to withstand the brunt force of the enemy swarm and achieve an overall level goal. This is especially the case when you start to look at similarities between enemy classes. But the execution of these enemies in-game always seemed like a copy and paste kind of job. Even Earthfall (which was good, and I don’t care what people say) did this, albeit with aliens. Games like Left4Dead and Back4Blood include mostly brainless swarms of the undead or the like. One of the main features that sets Redfall apart from its previously mentioned inspirations could be its use of enemies. In the description for Redfall, Bethesda describes it simply: “ Redfall blends single- and multiplayer options seamlessly, allowing the player to venture into the darkness alone or to squad-up for up to four-player co-op.” Which, despite possibly implying a GaaS model, does at least offer up a story that can be played solo without the social responsibility of engaging teammates in the traditional service sense. Luckily for Redfall, the game features a single-player option to appease my fellow socially anxious acolytes. Now, every aspect of online life seems to be begging for your attention and monthly subscription-based contribution. That was before video games evolved and the phrase “Games as a Service” (GaaS) was coined. In my younger gaming years, I often found myself devoting hours to a game’s story or challenging myself to get through beat ’em ups without using a continue. I never really thought I would be the multiplayer-only type. Here are three features I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into Redfall when the game launches next year. However, after gameplay was finally revealed during Microsoft’s summer digital presentation, I found myself more and more excited to fry, dismember, and UV-blast these creatures of the night. At the same time, though, it’s hard to not associate Redfall with the games that most likely inspired it.īack4Blood, EarthFall, Evolve, and Left4Dead all seem like worthy inspirations. I was admittedly intrigued by a monster-fighting game specifically focusing on vampire lore, which is much different than battling swarms of zombies or hulked-out mutated tanks. When I first caught sight of Redfall, a co-op action game that features first-person shooting and vampires, I really didn’t think too much of it.

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