2023 Preview: Can Redfall translate what fans love about Arkane immersive sims to co-op?
When Arkane fans talk about their games, , the stories they tell are very rarely things you’d notice on a normal playthrough. It’s the email on a computer in Prey that you’d have never noticed if you didn’t trawl through every piece of readable text, which then informs you of a side quest or an unmarked bit of lore across the ship.
While Redfall can be played in both single-player and in four-player co-op, we’re yet to see just how the experience is going to change depending on if you find a group of pals to go vampire hunting with you. Is this a traditional Arkane game, that you happen to be able to play in co-op? We’re not so sure.
There’s also a worry that with the co-op element in mind, the rewards for meticulously combing through every inch of the world, which has been another constant in the Arkane games, might not have the same focus as it previously had. We can see how it might get frustrating for players if every few steps they have to ask their friends what they are doing while they’re all scattered to the wind rifling through drawers.
While much of Arkane’s decisions surrounding the co-op element have been warmly welcomed, the fact that player progress is only relevant for the host of the game is a sticking point for fans. It’s difficult to get invested in something when your feel like your progress is essentially ephemeral.