While Redfall fell short of the mark earlier this year, Arkane has continued to tune and update its vampiric shooter with updates. And a new one today adds a few very welcome additions, including a Performance Mode for Redfall players on Xbox Series consoles.
Game Update 2 adds a Performance Mode for Redfall on Xbox Series X|S. While the notes don’t list it, Arkane had previously stated this would be a 60 FPS mode. A welcome bump in frames, that also coincides with some PC performance and stability improvements.
On the gameplay side, Redfall adds a big improvement to its stealth gameplay. Players should now be able to sneak up on and take down both Cultists and Bellwether mercenaries if they’re holding a staked weapon. Previously, the stealth in Redfall could be generously described as a sneaky hockey check. Now, the survivors of Redfall seem to have figured that if it’s good enough to stab a vampire, it’s probably effective on people, too.
Raising the stakes
Elsewhere, Arkane is tackling improved enemy AI, various quality-of-life fixes for characters (especially for pet hero Remi), and ammo distribution. Several improvements have been made to the default Aim Assist and Dead Zone tuning, which Arkane recommends players dig back into if they’re using a controller.
All of these updates seem like welcome additions, though it’s hard not to wonder if it’s a little late. Redfall had one of the most notably rough launches of the year. Its player counts have dipped significantly, and as I wrote in my review at the time, you have to wonder how much here is salvageable. Seeing some improvements focused around its more compelling, typically-Arkane areas like stealth and the non-conventional stake weapons, as well as a Performance Mode, is encouraging.
Either way, Bethesda’s asserted that Redfall won’t be left out to dry. The video game industry does love a redemption arc; Cyberpunk 2077 is more than enough proof, alongside the likes of No Man’s Sky or Final Fantasy XIV. Those are usually accompanied by massive investments, in time and production, the type of thing most companies wouldn’t go for. Will Redfall get that chance? Can it do the same? We’ll have to see as its post-launch cycle continues to play out.
