Redfall: Xbox exclusive will be “closer to Far Cry” than Left 4 Dead according to the makers

Game News Redfall: Xbox exclusive will be “closer to Far Cry” than Left 4 Dead according to the makers

Arkane’s new project

Microsoft will finally offer real exclusives this year, logically starting with the release fall red. Arkane’s new software, which we recently owed to Dishonored, Prey, or even Deathloop, should act as a small revolution for the studio. More ambitious than its predecessor, Redfall needed to offer an open world cage shooter experience, while a compromise between the two genres was too difficult according to studio director Harvey Smith.

We may have to choose between open world and cooperative multiplayer. But if Redfall reaches the level of quality we dream of, then it will be a completely different monster. It’s really good, this game really offers a lot of cool stuff. – Harvey Smith, director of Arkane Studios Austin

As soon as the game was revealed, a large number of members of the gaming community compared the software Left 4 Deadco-op shooter reference. The comparisons are “very understandable” according to the game’s creative director Ricardo Bare, but nonetheless misleading. To him, Redfall is closer to a title like Far Cry.

It’s totally understandable that someone would come to that conclusion. There are four playable characters, you can play co-op and fight the undead. However, in terms of how to play and experience Redfall, it’s not at all like those games. Redfall is closer to Far Cry. – Ricardo Bare, creative director

Rich open world…

If Redfall is closer to Far Cry than Left 4 Dead, it might be for its open world. But where Far Cry primarily offered exotic settings, Redfall will offer more familiar territory, anchored in Massachusetts in the United States. A novelty for Arkane, who usually aim to create more original environments – the city of Dunwall for Dishonored, the space station Talos I for Prey, or even the sixties-inspired island of Blackreef for Deathloop.

When we started Redfall, we wanted to reach a familiar place the first time. We wanted to take a familiar setting and explore it in depth. Redfall Island is a place where, after hours of exploring, you feel like you know it the same way you know Talos or Dunwall. When I say we want to “stretch” this is what I mean: What happens if we take all of our experiences – and our creative values ​​- and put them together in an open world? – Harvey Smith

Redfall will bet primarily on its open world – ambitious, rich, immersive and addicting. A cooperative shooter that goes off the rails of the genre to offer an experience like never before, defined by its permissions. Take on a series of main or side quests, explore the map, fight freely… the choice is up to the players.

We have a main base where you can talk to NPCs and do side missions. You can also walk over to the mission table and select a story mission. Or you can also really care and go all out; choose a direction, shoot anything that moves, and navigate the living world we’ve created. -Ricardo Bare.

… and spacious

Not only rich in activity, the open world built by Arkane must also be broad, not as big as the current open world. The studio prefers to work on the density of its world rather than its width to offer a variety of situations and buildings. In addition to the day/night cycle, Redfall’s map is divided into two sections: an urban first, inspired by the “small” towns of the American East, and a more rural second, with crops, farms, and vegetation.

I think we’ll eventually return to more compartmentalized immersive worlds. But we’re curious what finding an open world would be like according to Arkane and see where each small road takes you. You’ll want to see if you can enter the warehouse you see, or climb up the watchtower you can see on the horizon. Or go into a house to read all the notes inside. (…) Some of the highlights of Redfall come from exploring, absorbing the world around you, and occasionally getting caught in the middle of the action. This is the atmosphere we wanted to copy from the start – Harvey Smith

Compared to the open world of the Far Cry license, Redfall’s open world will be much smaller. For example, excluding any vehicles. A conscious creative choice that allows Arkane to build an immersive horror setting.

In terms of freedom, it’s got everything you’d expect from an open world, but Redfall is a game played “on foot.” The scale and rhythm are slightly reduced in this sense. We want you to sneak through the cornfields after dark in the fog, while you hear vampires whispering in the dark. Maybe you’ll spot a farmhouse in the distance and sneak inside, only to find bigots and survivors in need of rescue. That’s the kind of vibe Redfall has. – Ricardo Bare

Redfall is expected for the first half of 2023 on PC and Xbox Series.