Today marks the release date for the long-awaited Redfall from Arkane Austin, Bethesda, and Xbox, with the game now playable and available via Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and PC. The review code for this one came in hot over the weekend, so we're not quite done with our adventure through the sleepy vampire-infested town of Redfall, but so far, it's a disappointing outing for the studio known for great games like Dishonored and Prey.

This is not to say that it's outright bad or not worth playing, its just that its ambitions as an open-world sandbox looter shooter thing mixed with Arkane's immersive sim sensibilities fall flat. Which, yeah, is disappointing. Often in strange, baffling ways too.

Throw in technical shortcomings and a feeling that this was released long before it was "ready," and you've ultimately got something that feels like mechanics, structure, and systems in search of a game - a fun co-op game. But hey, it's out now, so be sure to jump in and play for yourself if you're keen on taking out a few vampires.

Here's the launch trailer, which does reaffirm one of Redfall's strengths - its art direction.