

That said, if you choose to ignore a nest, you could be in for a tough time later as its influence spreads to cover more ground, while also making enemies harder to kill. Then there are other things like vampire nests, which you can clear out to get loot and experience. I mean really, who likes hearing nosferatu whisper in your ear about drinking your fluids? In one mission, I even had to resort to smashing all the TVs in a house because the vampires use them to broadcast creepy propaganda to convert more cultists to their side. Not only does the town of Redfall look like a realistic seaside town (you know aside from the crimson skies and vampires flying around), it's also spooky and atmospheric, and actually gave me chills and goosebumps. Then there’s the world itself, which feels alive and fleshed out in a way that many open-world games fail to. However, I spent most of my time playing as Devinder, who holds the curious role of being an occult influencer in “cryptozoology”, while also having an interesting mix of both melee and AOE attacks thanks to his electric spear and UV staff that stuns any vampires in its range. Alternatively, there’s mercenary Jacob who slays foes from afar using his sniper rifle, cloaking device and mystical “Undead Eye,” or Layla, who has special telekinetic abilities that she can use to create shields or launch herself (or party members) into the air for elevated attacks. There’s robotics engineer Remi, who uses her mechanical companion Bribon to distract enemies while she blasts away. Sadly, while I didn’t have a chance to play them all, Redfall’s cast offers a lot more personality than your typical roster of vampire slayers. And if you’re a fan of a particular combo, you can also craft and customize weapons to suit your playstyle. On top of that, as a looter shooter, there’s a variety of weapon rarities (from standard to unrivaled) with bonus traits like being able to reload faster or having increased accuracy while moving. So alongside your trusty stake, you’ll also have access to things like stake launchers, flare guns and even a high-powered UV beam rifle which adds a new dimension to typical gunplay. That’s because, in addition to your standard range of pistols, shotguns and sniper rifles, you’ll have to rely on updated interpretations of iconic vampire killing weapons too, especially since bullets only weaken vampires before you properly finish them off. But more importantly, the mashup of sci-fi and supernatural in a contemporary setting has some really neat impacts on gameplay as well. This gives high-ranking vampires powerful psionic abilities that elevate them to near god-like status, which they’ve used to convert some of the surviving townsfolk into a cult. Instead of ancient monsters, these vampires are the result of a science experiment gone wrong. However, these aren’t your standard bloodsucking ghouls.

Set in the fictional island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, your goal is to cleanse the land of the growing vampire invasion. After getting a chance to go hands-on with a preview build of the game, I’m really excited to see more of how Arkane is adding its own flavor to that formula. But with Redfall, by drawing inspiration from a number of its previous titles, alongside other standouts in the genre, Arkane Studios has added fun new twists to the typical fps survival game. It seems like every major developer is working on an open-world shooter with co-op and RPG elements.
