Redfall is one of the more memorable games of the current generation, but not for a good reason. It was released in May 2023 to an overwhelmingly negative reception, failing to deliver on any promises made in the run-up to the game’s launch.
I was turned off at release, but when I revisited Redfall later in 2023, I was pleased to find a pretty good game waiting for me that I thoroughly enjoyed. Ultimately, the game died a death, support ceased, and the studio that developed the game, Arkane Austin, was shut down.
I maintain that we were too harsh towards Redfall.
Can You Still Play Redfall?
One of the chief concerns about Redfall amongst those who enjoyed the game was that, being an always-online title, it would inevitably be lost to the abyss when Arkane Austin was shut down.
In May 2024, it was revealed that Redfall would get one final update containing an offline mode, much to the jubilation of fans worldwide.
It’s therefore still possible to play Redfall, and as I’m an advocate for the open-world, vampire-slaying RPG, I’d say that you should at least give it the time of day. In December 2023, I penned a breakdown explaining why Redfall was now worth playing, and since then, the title managed to evolve a little further.
It won’t get any more updates going forward, but the product that’s there is stacks better than it was at launch.
In September 2023, months after release, former Bethesda legend, Pete Hines, suggested that people would still be playing Redfall ‘ten years from now’, which was a fairly misguided take.
But what’s stopping you from being one of the people still playing Redfall two years after release? That anniversary is here, and the game is waiting to be judged.
Managed Expectations
It’s not appropriate to go into Redfall expecting something incredible, but there’s a meaty enough open-world environment to explore that’s packed with activities, even if the gameplay loop is a relatively run-of-the-mill thing. It’s not a drastically challenging game, and it has some nice combat mechanics, if that’s what you’re looking for.
The progression paths are simple, but enjoyable, and the art style is pleasing enough on the eye. I was surprised to see the size of Redfall, which is split into two maps, both unique from one another. It’s not one of the hyper-daunting games that’ll take you 100 hours to finish, either.
I managed to secure every achievement in Redfall, which is something I’m quite proud of. I even roped in my wife to help me complete the multiplayer-focused achievements, and she agreed that the game had been given a bad rap.
Let me know in the comments what you thought about Redfall and whether you’d consider giving it a try, or hit us up on the Insider Gaming forum.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
After the last update the game became more enjoyable to play. Also harder to play. I beat it alone before update but now need help via multi-player