You have heard of loot shooters like Borderlands and Destiny. Now make way for the very first loot slasher, Godfall. With loot-based games,the grind is part of the gaming experience, though there is always a balance that is tricky to achieve between storytelling and combat. As one of the first launch titles for next-gen consoles, Godfall seems to have tossed its hat into a very empty ring. Does this game live up to its hype or does this god fall?
- Developer: Counterplay games
- Publisher: Gearbox Publishing
- Price: ₹3,999 on PC ; ₹4,799 on PlayStation 5
[Insert very generic story here.] Yes, Godfall’s tale is a threadbare excuse to push its worldbuilding — a vehicle to push beautiful environments with which we would associate a deity’s realm . You play as Orin, the last of the Valorien Knights and a fallen king, Betrayed by his brother Macros, Orin has to marshal his strength and find a lot of loot to defeat his brother and his generals.
While the story feels like it was lifted from Marvel’s version of Asgard or the plot of Black Panther, the character designs are interesting, especially those of Orin and Macro, whose armours and masks reflect mythologies of Egypt and the Azetecs. The story has a predictable pace, with deliveries of lore doled out with the same zest as a bored guide at a run-down theme park. The gameruns through the motions, instead of creating something special with its narrative.
Screenshot from video game Godfall
The gameplay is a mix and match of styles from Monster Hunter to Devil May Cry series. However, Godfall hinges upon the Valorplate armour system which imbues Orin with elemental abilities as well as their own progression systems. These look fantastic and, together with the five different weapon types, you can really mix and match to find your fighting style.
Fighting in Godfall is tied to its loot system; the more style, the more loot you get. For example, you can take advantage of weak points or find breaks in enemies’ armour to yield more rewards. You could also accrue the enemies’ health into one big explosion for style. All of these guarantee better drops and add a layer, albeit a thin one, of strategy to the fight. But if you just want to chill out and fight, the battle system has a familiar set of combos, parries and blocks you can leverage.
Screenshot from video game Godfall
Repetition, repeated
Where things fall apart is in the levels and repetition the game makes you go through. There is a handful of large levels, and although they are beautiful to look at, they are not varied. The worst part is that the game will make you play it repeatedly. Enemies are easily beaten and if you die, you start right back where you left off. Finishing the game unlocks the endgame, except here, you get to replay all those missions again, in those levels you have been in, with different objectives.
Being a launch title on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, Godfall looks gorgeous. The world of Aperion has a godlike glow, and the graphics are worthy of the admission fee into this game. Despite the stock situation for the next-gen consoles, you can still play Godfall on PC, if you have a beefy enough rig.
Screenshot from video game Godfall
Godfall is, at best, a first game in a series. While it is a decent step forward with its competent battle system, the repetition will give you massive buyer’s remorse. This should have been a free-to-play game like Warframe. If Godfall does interest you, we suggest you wait and watch until bargains come around or this game becomes free-to-play.
The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel
