Redfall | Critical Consensus
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Redfall released yesterday, Arkane Studios' first Xbox exclusive since Microsoft's surprise acquisition of its parent company Bethesda (and the first AAA Xbox exclusive period in quite a long while).
This created some commotion, as the title was initially in development for PlayStation 5 too, but this version was dropped after the acquisition. This prompted scrutiny about whether Microsoft broke its promise to the EU about Bethesda exclusives (long story short: it didn't).
Redfall was initially announced at Xbox's 2021 E3 conference and due to release in the summer of 2022. It was pushed back to 2023 in May last year.
Despite these delays, it looks like Redfall didn't quite reach the right level of polish, with the title settling for a 63 score on Metacritic at the time of writing. Prey, developer Arkane Austin's previous title, has a Metascore of 84.
"Redfall is not the game I expected it to be," said Sam Loveridge in her 2.5/5 review for Gamesradar. "What I hoped for was a multiplayer game injected with Arkane's single-player prowess, with a touch of viscera, a hint of blood, and lots and lots of teeth.
"After all, this is the studio that brought us the dark and brilliant Dishonored series, the sci-fi intellect of Prey, and the detective thriller of Deathloop. I wanted this to be Arkane's take on vampires, and while they are cool blood-suckers, it's a disappointment, and there's not much here that would make you think the same Arkane is involved."
In an unrated review for Engadget titled "Good enough for Game Pass," Jessica Conditt added in her strapline that Redfall "isn't early access, but it sure feels like it."
"Redfall is not fit
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