It's safe to say that Redfall has had a rocky start. It may have just been released, but Arkane Austin's vampiric FPS has already struggled to sink its teeth, with a muted reception from critics and players alike so far. While Redfall has some interesting ideas, the overall consensus seems to be that it fails to pull them off in any meaningful or engaging way. And as a new experience that's being measured against Arkane's previous line-up of immersive sims, many believe the latest co-op shooter doesn't meet the same level of quality the studio is known for. In our Redfall review, GamesRadar+'s very own Sam Loveridge said that it's "ultimately not up to Arkane's usual standards. It feels rushed, unfinished, and unsatisfying to play".
The response to Redfall has already sparked a lot of discussion surrounding the state of the game at launch. But its underwhelming performance has also stirred up thoughts around what this could mean for Microsoft and Bethesda's other highly anticipated release: Starfield. With fans expressing their worries about the upcoming space-faring RPG, it's clear that Starfield is going to be under even more pressure than it was already to deliver later this year. As it is, I can't help but feel that this ever-mounting anticipation is far too heavy for any one game to carry. With each passing month, Starfield is being put up against so many expectations that I fear it's going to have a hard time measuring up to them.
