Godfall: Is The Game Worth It Now?
The third-person melee-oriented looter-slasher Godfall was initially released to pretty mild reception. The game on release wasn't necessarily bad, but while Godfall's take on the looter-shooter genre has been generally praised, other aspects of the game left players wanting.
With the Lightbringer update on August 10, 2021, Godfall got a bit of an overhaul, remedying many of the problems that players had with the game initially – though the much-needed changes come almost an entire year after release. Whether the game is worth jumping into now, though, is ultimately an individual choice.
Pro: Several Major Updates Have Made The Endgame Better
Since its initial release in late 2020, Godfall has received a number of major updates that aim to improve the experience from the beginning to the end. The Fire and Darkness DLC, for example, adds an entirely new area for players to explore, while the free Lightbringer update overhauls Godfall's endgame experience with new events and challenges to reduce repetitiveness – there's even a basic matchmaking system for those without real-life buds to bring with them.
Fire and Darkness adds a fourth world to explore, the Fire Realm, to complement the game's other three element-themed areas of Earth, Water, and Air. The new zone comes packaged with all-new monsters, quests, and challenges for players. Lightbringer, meanwhile, introduces new itemization, a challenge encompassing all four realms, and a Curse system to make endgame content all the more challenging.
Con: Content Gets Repetitive After A While
One of the most consistent criticisms of Godfall has been its mission system that tends to feel tedious instead of progressive. Most quests are in one of two camps; either kill this big bad dude and his hordes of enemies, or go talk to a specific person to continue the storyline (and likely end up killing a big bad dude anyway).
It's a problem that most looter-shooters (looter-slasher, in this case) have. Even iconic and well-known games like the Borderlands series or the Destiny franchise have a problem with quests and missions feeling repetitive.
Pro: Combat Mechanics Are Pretty Satisfying
One thing that's for certain in Godfall is that combat mechanics are incredibly fun, which in turn helps to balance out the repetitive nature of the main story. The development teams at Counterplay Games did a great job taking inspiration from other third-person melee games like Monster Hunter and Dark Souls to create a robust combat system.
There's enough variety in weapon choice and playstyle that going back through the game on new characters is as rewarding as getting through endgame content. There are a few issues that still need to be sorted out, but for the most part it's surprising how well looter-shooter gameplay translates to a sword-swinging fantasy setting.
Con: Progression, In General, Is Slow And Grindy
A problem that just about every game designed for long-term play is that progression tends to feel grindy. One can spend weeks or even months getting to Level 50 in Godfall while having to bear through some of the most repetitive gameplay sequences – it gets a bit better in the endgame, at least.
In essence, the tedious nature of questing in the game is not unique to Godfall, but it's disappointing to see a game with such an original take on its genre still suffering from the same problems as its contemporaries.
Pro: It's The Only Looter-Slasher Out There
The main draw of Godfall over similar games like Destiny 2, Borderlands 3, and Warframe is the game's completely unique take on the genre. Instead of equipping more and more futuristic armor and weapons, Godfall is grounded in a gorgeous high fantasy setting with hardly any options for long-range play.
This means that instead of hanging back and taking out enemies one by one with a powerful gun, you'll have to charge in with your two-hander and heavy armor to take on the hordes up close. The highlight of the game is its combat, and it pretty much nails melee on the head.
Con: The Narrative Is A Bit Uninspired
In addition to the repetitive nature of the gameplay itself, Godfall's story feels like something we've all heard before. Essentially, it's a story revolving around the player being the only one who can curb the end of the world, which isn't anything new in the high fantasy genre.
It takes a lot of inspiration from classic Hero's Journey tales, as well as more political stories like Game of Thrones but with much less nuance. There's not a lot of mystery or surprising twists in the progression of the story, especially to those who are very familiar with the common tropes of the fantasy genre.
Ultimately, It's Not For Everyone, But Worth Checking Out
For the most part, the problems with Godfall have been overblown by players on the internet who were hoping for something more than what they got initially. With the Fire and Darkness DLC and Lightbringer update out, though, the game is worth checking out if you've never experienced something like it before.
However, players who have already experienced the majority of what Godfall offers will find little new to captivate them in these two new updates. Ultimately, it's a game that's well worth checking out at least once for its innovative take on a saturated genre, but don't be surprised if it starts to feel tedious after a while.
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