Since it was revealed, many have compared the open-world game of Redfall to Valve’s Left 4 Dead. Both have four player co-op and hordes of fantastical undead enemies, but that seems to be where the similarities end. Developer Arkane has made it clear from the start that this still has a few of the immersive sim roots the studio is known for, and many will be delighted to know that the world design of games like Dishonored and Deathloop is something Arkane may return to after Redfall.
Looking ahead to the Redfall release date, Arkane has recently made it clear that the co-op vampire shooter will play more like Far Cry than Left 4 Dead. The team behind Redfall made it clear that the open-world of the small Massachusetts town is meant to facilitate a larger sense of freedom than Arkane’s previous games, but the studio has now also made it clear that the level design of Dishonored – “sealed” off levels – is something Arkane will more than likely return to.
“We will eventually probably go back to the very sealed kind of like immersive sim environments,” director Harvey Smiths says. “You know, there’s still time to make… I have three or four more games in me, I hope. And so we will, at some point, I feel like we’ll pendulum back to what people know us for.”
So don’t worry Dishonored and immersive sim fans, Redfall most likely isn’t a complete change in direction for Arkane. The studio instead wants to trade the more sneak-orientated stealth games of its past for co-op open-world action, for Redfall at least.
“I mean, like, why couldn’t we do what we do open world? You know, why couldn’t we?” Smith tells GamesRadar. “And then you get into it, and you’re, ‘you know, oh, well, there’s a reason why everybody doesn’t do this.’”
Open-world games have been all the rage for what feels like decades at this point, so it’s no surprise that Arkane wants to put its own spin on the incredibly popular genre. I personally prefer the condensed playgrounds of Arkane’s smaller levels, but having four players exist in those simultaneously may get a bit cramped, so larger open-world spaces make sense for Redfall.
You can get one of Arkane’s best immersive sims for (basically) free at the moment, as Prime Gaming is giving away Dishonored 2 codes for subscribers. Dishonored 2 is an absolute all-timer of a game, so if you’re a Prime subscriber I cannot recommend it enough for your GOG library.
While you wait for Redfall, why don’t you check out our list of the best RPG games on PC right now? Arkane is no stranger to including RPG mechanics and progression in its games, so there’s sure to be something here you’ll love. Or you can spend no money with our list of the best free games instead.
