It’s no secret that Arkane Studios specializes in slow, methodical storytelling. something we’ll see in its new vampire FPS game, Redfall. Some players may be put off by a rich, drawn-out narrative, but Arkane Austin producer Harvey Smith likes the slow, steady approach to team action.
When I asked Smith about Starfield, the elephant in the room when it comes to Bethesda’s 2023 lineup, one of the main factors he says sets the two games apart (apart from the obvious: the one is in space, the other has vampires) is Arkane’s methodology approach to acting.
“You know, I played Forza Horizon 5 not too long ago on Game Pass,” he tells me, raising a slightly confused eyebrow – imagine a Nintendog when you said random words to him. We talked about Starfield, where the hell does Forza fit into all of this?
“I’ve never played a Forza game before, and this giant plane is flying over Mexico, and they’re throwing cars from behind. I’m sitting there, the whole house is rumbling because of the sound design, it’s so good and I blew it up and I’m driving these cars while they’re falling out of a plane like ‘that’s bullshit.’ *Mad King!’ – and is the first three minutes Game.”
“(While I was playing) I was thinking about our games, and they start very slowhe told – Game News, letting out a chuckle. “The Dishonored start and you’re in jail and they bring you a piece of bread and you sit there like ‘what the hell?’ there are rats and guys who insult me. Then you eat the bread, and there is a note.
“It’s a slow start, and different people like different kinds of games,” he continues. “We tend to appeal to thoughtful, introspective, exploratory people at the pace of gamers who want a rich narrative that they have to infer. A lot of people who play (Redfall) completely, like a friend who comes to play it for 20 hours or whatever, will say something like “it took me a while to realize there’s a deep story being told here, but this is not the case”. you put my face constantly; I have to deduce it.
“We’re covered,” he says with a smile, and his positivity is contagious. As someone who prefers slower-paced story games (Dragon Age, Plague Tale, the list goes on), Redfall, while action-packed, has a story I want to explore. There’s a plot here, an experiment gone wrong at the cost of so many lives: As I said in my Redfall gameplay preview, Arkane draws you with a blood-smeared carrot on a sharpened stake, leaving you on your hunger.
Redfall’s release date is set for May 2, so if you’re intrigued by Arkane’s newest adventure, be sure to prepare for Armageddon by flexing your demon muscles in some of the best vampire games. After all, practice makes perfect.