Redfall, the ambitious, supernatural, and critically panned co-operative shooter from doomed studio Arkane Austin, got one last patch before Bethesda Softworks and Microsoft sends its developers to the bread line.
The game’s fourth title update most notably includes an offline mode, which allows players to play offline, even if they are in a session and suddenly are disconnected. The inclusion is seen as a means of keeping the game playable should Microsoft/Bethesda Softworks unexpectedly close down Redfall’s servers the same way it closed down Arkane Austin earlier this month. The single-player offline mode means solo players can now pause the game to take a leak, make a sandwich, or whatever.
Redfall’s final patch is live. Months of work by the team on this, the ReVamp version, and a Herculean effort by all involved over the last few weeks. Big systems refactor, more encounter types. Have fun, always. https://t.co/ZOBYXMI8jx
— Harvey Smith (@Harvey1966) May 30, 2024
Additional features introduced with the final patch include a new type of vampire nest to burn out, as well as a “Community Standing” feature that works within Redfall’s network of safehouses. That opens up a new skill tree for the player character, most of which is unlocked by opening Safehouses, completing the missions associated with them, saving civilians, and killing an Underboss. Community Standing has six ranks and 39 different rewards in all for those who are committed to the public service of exterminating the undead.
That’s the assumption, anyway. Arkane Austin said “there will be no full patch notes for this update,” so players are left to figure out the rest for themselves.
Why did Redfall fail?
Redfall launched May 2, 2023 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game pits the player, as a heavily armed paranormal investigator, against a vampire incursion into a New England seaside town. Redfall was supposed to be one of the titles that drove players to Xbox Game Pass, where it launched day one, but it never caught on.
Critics waved off the repetitive nature of Redfall’s single-player campaign, and its gameplay, and torched the incomplete feeling of its story and aesthetics, especially coming from Arkane, the studio behind Dishonored. Phil Spencer, the chief executive for Microsoft’s Xbox division, would later apologize for Redfall, saying even a delay wouldn’t have helped it make a stronger appeal to Xbox players.
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