Godfall review
Godfall is a new looter-slasher from Counterplay Games, showcasing the next generation of PlayStation if you managed to play it there, but it’s also out on PC too. The game looks absolutely beautiful, and it’s fun at first… however scratch below the surface of the initial fun and you might be searching for a while if you’re looking for a game with any depth.
Godfall looks fantastic first of all. There are gold, jewels and armour everywhere as well as an impressive array of weapons, mainly blades and knives. The environments will no doubt catch your eye, but unfortunately, the gameplay isn’t as well polished as the swords. Past that initial gorgeous aesthetic, there’s not really much else to it, unfortunately. Much like other loot-based games like Destiny, you’ll have loot dropping left, right and centre. However, a shallow endgame, as well as repetitive action probably, won’t keep you coming back for more.
In terms of the story, it’s lacking in that department also. Players take on the role of Orin and you’re warring with your brother, but beyond that, it’s hard to decipher any real meaningful story interaction. If the story is thin, then the combat is at least a little meatier. Weapons have a weight to them and the combat does initially feel fun, but after a few hours with the game things quickly become stale. There are swords, hammers and other blades. You’ll see plenty of them as the game isn’t worried about showing you with loot, however, there’s almost so much that I don’t really know what to get excited about and what to ignore.
This doesn’t have the depth of something like Demon Souls or Ghost of Tsushima and the battles can start to feel formulaic very quickly. On the plus side, the game is easy to pick up and play. This may be it’s the greatest strength actually, rather than be a Destiny style game where you sink 100s of hours into it, this could be a snackable action game where you can pick up and put down after a few minutes. It’s entirely possible to play for hours on end and chase endgame loot, but there’s not really much of an endgame to play once you are there. In regards to controls, you can hack and slash, as well as defend with parry moves that do feel really satisfying. There are combo moves which combine a few light attacks into a heavy attack, but the combat doesn’t go much deeper than that.
There are collectables in the game, but none of them are remarkable at all and quickly forgotten. The enemies you fight all tend to look the same and don’t take much time to figure out how to beat them. Levelling in the game satisfying as games now have learnt how to tap directly into our brains to provide that quick boost of endorphins as we manage to get to the next level. Beyond the levelling process through the skill tree feels bland and predictable.
I’ve briefly talked about the weapons and I should touch on the armour too. Here they are called Valorplates. Much like other looters these Valorplates allow you to personalise your character, however, they are a real grind to level up and include all kinds of materials from the game. I know what it’s like to travel around the moon collecting helium filaments, only to level up a gun, so I’m not new to this. But this felt a little obtuse and too much for me.
Godfall promised so much, but in the end, didn’t really deliver on that promise. The game is fun in short bursts, but this isn’t going to be your next hobby game which you might have been hoping for. It’s beautiful looking and the art department has done a wonderful job, unfortunately, the narrative and the gameplay just isn’t there. It feels like it’s coming in a little hot, perhaps to be done in time for next-gen. If you wanted to pick this up and reach the end game this could be done in a few hours, and beyond that, there’s not really much to keep you sticking around after. It’s a shame, as I was looking forward to this one… but this is definitely more Anthem rather than a Destiny.
Developer: Counterplay Games
Publisher: Gearbox Software
Platforms: PC, PS5
Release Date: 12th November 2020