Arkane Studios is popular for its single-player, story-driven experiences. Between Arkane Austin and Arkane Lyon, the developer is most recently responsible for games such asDishonoredandDishonored 2,Prey, andDeathloop. Arkane has a reputation of introducing abilities that its protagonists wield in incredibly inventive narratives, andRedfallfollows that pattern. However, the significant difference betweenRedfalland Arkane’s previous gamesis thatRedfallis a four-player multiplayer game.
WhenRedfallwas announced as a four-player multiplayer shooter, fans were understandably quick to begin comparing it to other multiplayer shooters. Indeed, multiplayer shooters have been a trend in modern gaming lately, where players can queue with their friends online with a party of three or four players. That said, it is important to remember that whileRedfalldoes have an emphasis on multiplayer gameplay, it is still an Arkane game. As such,Redfallcannot afford to abandon Arkane’s story-driven roots, which need to shine through still in its multiplayer features.
RELATED:Redfall’s Open World Needs to Play to Arkane’s Strengths
Arkane’s Single-Player Games Are Able to Focus on Story
In its single-player games, Arkane is able to flesh out the player’s experience with a variety of options. Branching narrative paths that are affected by gameplay are common, even if it only creates a binary “low chaos” and “high chaos” ending system as it did inDishonored. Moreover,Preywas able to generate an eerie science-fiction experience where the player’s exploration through Talos 1 forms the basis of the adventure.Arkane’s open-world environmentsare certainly ripe with exploration as players can discover log notes with unending lore to read, or find countless items with different ways to interact with them.
For example,Deathloop’s open world has day-and-night cycles as well as repeating events and a ton of means with which players can seek out their goal. Most Arkane games are shooters, thanks to their first-person perspective and a gun or two in the player’s inventory, though a lot of them do not actually include a lot of gunplay in their action. As far as the narrative is concerned, the game may be much more cut-and-dry than Arkane fans would hope.Redfallseems to go all-in on shooter mechanics, and as a multiplayer game that raises some concerns.
Redfall’s Concern is That It May Lose Arkane’s Flavor
The worry here is that having an emphasis on multiplayer elements could detract from what makes Arkane games special. Based upon what has been shared fromRedfallalready, the game looks to have many firearms at players’ discretion as well as weapons that are specifically used against vampires.
Therefore,gunplay inRedfallis a paramount feature.Redfallrisks feeling like it was made by a different developer since it focuses so much on shooter gameplay and four-player co-op. IfRedfallis still able to tell an engaging narrative with the same emphasis on exploration as previous Arkane games, it will hopefully maintain what makes Arkane such a gripping and creative developer.
Unfortunately,Redfallhas already been confirmed to only have a single ending, which leaves less up to interpretation in terms of how narrative paths could potentially branch out. BecauseRedfallis a multiplayer game, it makes sense that its protagonists would not have drastic outcomes, since they all need to be playable. One protagonist cannot suddenly die within the events of the story, for example, since that would suffocate the multiplayer. Arkane could spin the tropes of multiplayer gameplay into its unique narrative formula and surprise fans, but either way it cannot simply substitute a compelling narrative for multiplayer co-op mechanics.
Redfallis expected to launch in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Redfall DLC Could Mix Things Up By Adding a Playable Vampire
