Redfall is Not Being Done Justice

The announcements and showcases for RedFall have been underwhelming, and I’m doubtful about the quality of future Microsoft games.

Redfall is a game by Arkane Studios that only releases on the Xbox Series X|S and PC. It would release on PS5, but Microsoft bought and now owns Bethesda, and Arkane Studios is under Bethesda. Recently, RedFall by Arkane Studios has been going through some rough patches. With all the seemingly bad press coming out for the game, it feels like Arkane is just shooting themselves in the foot.

Always Online Single-Player Mode

One of the first things that occurred with the game was that even though the game was able to be played entirely in single-player mode, the game still required you always to be online. So if you didn’t have an internet connection for a little while and wanted to play RedFall - you wouldn’t be able to. That started to make me feel like maybe I shouldn’t play this game because that’s not something I’d want to support. It also got me thinking that perhaps they always have it online because it’ll be a live service game with micro transactions, new skins, weapons, etc.

Thankfully, I was wrong about it being a live service. Arkane retracted their original statement about the game being continually online. They mentioned that they wanted to track the stats of single-player gameplay from us when we play so Arkane could better understand how the players are interacting with the game offline, especially if they want to tweak something if players aren't using a weapon or keep repeatedly dying in a particular area. Redfall's game director Harvey Smith said: "It allows us to do some accessibility stuff," Smith said. "It allows us for telemetry, like - if everybody's falling off ladders and dying, holy shit that shows up. And so we can go and tweak the ladder code. There are reasons we set out to do that that are not insidious." I understand where he is coming from, but there must be an easier way to do that without always making the entire game online. I'm happy they are switching their stance.

Terrible Previews

So although things fine was for a while, it seemed like RedFall couldn’t catch a break. Arkane/Bethesda had creators/reviewers preview the game, letting them play and create content to show the gameplay, graphics, and more. Sometimes IGN gets the first dibs on sharing that content with IGNFirst. One of the gameplays they did was, for lack of a better word, awful. At first, I thought people were exaggerating about it being terrible gameplay and making them regret thinking about purchasing the game. But when I saw it, it felt so off.

The person playing at first was doing okay, then it seemed like they became a robot and malfunctioned! Every time they faced an enemy, they would shoot them for a split second and then run away. They’d run out to the field and throw random bombs around the area, not aiming them at no particular enemy. They also most definitely LEFT THEIR TEAMMATES TO DIE! I get it. Playing games can sometimes be nerve-racking, especially when it’s brand new. I was like that, playing games like Dark Souls. But I know for Redfall, you should feel like a strong individual, especially in an FPS.

That isn't the first time a game journalist fumbled their game preview. I still remember when that journalist from VentureBeat was trying to play Cuphead and couldn't even get past the tutorial for a good minute. It was unbelievable. Anyways, to get back to RedFall - that should be the end of its woes, right? After that, they should be able to bounce back. WRONG.

30FPS Only

Last week, Arkane announced that when RedFall releases - it will have only one graphical setting at launch for the gameplay. They focused on the Quality mode being available at release. So for Xbox Series X, that means 4K resolution with 30FPS, and for Xbox Series S, that is 1440p resolution with 30FPS. They then mentioned that a performance mode with 60FPS gameplay would be a game update for both Xbox Series X and S consoles.

That news made a lot of people, especially on Twitter, feel off about the release. To some, it’s the question: is the game ready to be released if it doesn’t have both modes like current generation games? I agree with that sentiment because it feels like they should delay Redfall to ensure they have the main components of it ready and not rush anything.

I am also a bit confused because the Deep Dive of Redfall was shown in 60FPS, but I guess that was PC gameplay. I would’ve thought they would show gameplay from the Series X. Some people don’t care what graphical setting they are playing on, they want to play the game comfortably, and games are usually set on quality mode. Maybe that’s why Arkane focused on releasing that one first because it’s the version that looks the best.

What About Starfield?

Starfield is one of the most anticipated games that will release later this year on September 6. Bethesda themselves are developing and publishing the game with the help of Microsoft. The game's scale is vast, with 1000+ planets to explore. But if Redfall is going through issues like this, does that mean Starfield will be dealing with 30FPS at launch and may have to be always online as well? Bethesda and Todd Howard (the creator of Fallout and Elder Scrolls) have sold us bad releases and false promises. So I hope Starfield can avoid getting hit with that same issue.

I hope they delay Redfall and release it when they feel ready so it can have all the graphical modes. I got used to playing games at 60FPS, but I want to try Redfall out, so I’ll deal with it. Hopefully, there isn’t that much of a difference! I hope this is all just bad press and that the game is fantastic. I want to be excited about Xbox exclusives. The last time I felt that way was with Hi-Fi Rush, and I like that to continue!