The first Xbox Series X|S exclusive to cost $70 isn’t the grand showcase of the console’s power everyone hoped it would be, with serious design and technical issues plaguing Redfall at launch.
Redfall sucks. Granted, in a game that places vampires front and centre that was always going to be the case, but it seriously sucks. Both on a technical level and in terms of fundamental game design elements, it’s become increasingly clear to players during launch week that Microsoft should have delayed the game.
Two-and-a-half years into the Xbox Series X|S generation, players who have invested in this console eco-system should expect better, because so far Redfall ain’t it – and fears over Starfield’s status have already started to permeate.
Despite how bleak it’s looking for Redfall currently, though, all hope need not be lost. Because after sinking a fair bit of time into the co-operative shooter both on our Mirror Redfall Gaming livestream stream and in my own time, there’s a couple of changes developer Arkane Austin could implement to make it a vastly improved experience.
At present I couldn’t recommend anyone play Redfall even though it’s included in Xbox Game Pass. That said, here are six problems with Redfall that, if fixed, would make the game not perfect, but still infinitely better.
Implement an aim assist on console
Yes, I know. While there’s an argument that FPS games play much better on PC, Redfall has been heavily marketed as a major console exclusive on Xbox. The problem is that, compared to other tight-feeling shooters like Destiny 2 and even Call of Duty, Redfall simply doesn’t make guns feel good to use. Lining up your sights feels floaty, movement in general feels stiff and pulling the trigger lacks the sort of impact you’d expect from the act of pumping vampires full of lead.
One way that the shooting in Redfall could be improved is by implementing some sort of aim assist, which from what I can tell, currently either doesn’t exist or is incredibly minimal. This isn’t ideal when enemies tend to fly, float, disappear and jump around at a fast pace. Just as you line up a shot, poof, the vampire you’re aiming at has gone out of frame. However, giving console players a hand with a light aim assist would go some way to make the shooting feel stickier to enemies and less like a chore.
Introduce proper cutscenes to better highlight story
Nowhere does Redfall feel cheaper and less like actual first-party AAA game than in how cutscenes are handled – there aren’t any. Main missions are picked up back at your firehouse hub base, after which you’re treated to a slideshow of sorts that does very little to convey the stakes of the vampiric situation that’s going on. Rather than keep me invested about what my character has to do next, these ‘cutscenes’ just feel like filler, as the camera moves around drab diorama-like scenes that feel like action should be happening – only there isn’t any.
It’s a crime that Redfall’s CGI TV advertisements – which depict character models shooting and, you know, moving – look better than what’s in the actual game. This lack of animation and general polish also translates during in-game story moments, too. One mission had me enter a film reel into a projector, at which point I expected to see a fully animated character moving around on screen. But nope, it was just another slideshow constructed using (unabashedly beautiful) paintings. It’s clear to me that in terms of important narrative beats, plenty of corners were cut.
Don’t hide the ping system behind level 5
Any co-operative shooter, be it primarily PvP or PvE, will only ever benefit from having a ping system. After all, rather than vocally calling out where enemies are pouring in from over chat, placing a personal marker so that everyone can see it works as a good shorthand to explain the urgency of the situation. Redfall clearly understands this because it does indeed have a ping system. The only problem is that the ping system doesn’t unlock until level 5. This is admittedly early on, but long enough to make those first few hours incredibly frustrating when playing online.
This is exactly what happened to me and my gameplay partner when first diving into Redfall. Various times as the vampires started to swarm, it was immensely difficult to try and call out in what direction they were coming from. Imagine how elated we were to be given a ping system at level 5. Such elation was quickly cut short, however, when we realised the ridiculousness of this choice. I mean, even Warzone 2 and Fortnite gifts players with a ping right from the off.
Make healing a simple button tap
Incredibly poor enemy AI aside, the action in Redfall is fast paced. That means you’re constantly having to bob, weave and pull back so as to not get overwhelmed by vampires. You take damage remarkably quickly when enemies do land a hit, meaning you end up chewing through your maximum limit of five health packs. The problem is that using a health pack isn’t as simple as pressing a button. No, instead you have to hold it down, which forces you to stop reloading or firing your gun and leaves you open to attack.
Making healing just a single tap of the button would do a lot to alleviate much of this frustration. And while this design choice could very well be an intended way for Arkane to keep the pressure on, the fact that med packs also heal you so little – which results in spamming as your total health grows – is enough indication to me that it’s probably an oversight, just like how capping the full amount you can carry to five seems insane. The way health is overall handled left me scratching my head several times. You don’t want to know how much health packs cost to purchase…
Populate the world with meaningful loot
Calling Redfall a loot-shooter, akin to something like Borderlands or The Division is a bit of a stretch. Because for as much junk as you pick up during every session, the only real items worth grabbing are the gauntlet of weapons found in crates or dropped by enemies; it’s easy to quickly find your backpack stuffed to the rafters. Finding new guns is good – especially when they’re an interesting type, like the stake launcher – but aside from this almost everything else is worthless.
Everything you pick up, be it a pair of binoculars, toilet paper or bleach doesn’t serve an actual use in and of itself; it all just tops up your currency upon pick up. Rather than letting players, say, customise their weapons using the different materials they find, it all just gets dumped into this homogeneous number that slowly (and I mean slowly) ticks up.
Other loot-shooters find cool ways to make the loot meaningful, as opposed to just another way to buy guns. I already have guns! I’m swimming in them. And very rarely can I pick one up or purchase one that’s worth swapping into my loadout.
