I'll just come out and say it: I love loot games. Sure the genre might be a bit over-saturated these days. The onslaught of mobile loot games and gotcha games specifically designed to exploit the human mind’s most addictive tendencies don't help either. I don't mind drooling over brightly colored loot if the actual gameplay accompanying that addiction is good. Godfall may not light the world on fire, but it's a flashy way to break in your shiny new PS5, and the gameplay feels pretty damn good.
Godfall (PC, PS5 [reviewed])
Developer: Counterplay Games
Publisher: Gearbox
Released: November 12, 2020
MSRP: $59.99 (PC) / $69.99 (PS5)
I wanted to focus first on the look and feel of the game. On that note, it's important to mention I reviewed Godfall on the PS5, but it's also available on PC. Godfall isn't breaking any new ground for the loot/action genre, but it does still look and feel next-gen. The haptic feedback of the Dual Sense controller gives the combat some unique flair. When you swing a giant sword you can literally feel the whoosh of the vibration. It's a simple but satisfying complement to the combat in the game and another exciting reminder that the Dual Sense controller adds some nice physicality to games moving forward.
Nothing out there looks quite like Godfall, and yet, it looks a bit like everything. The art direction here puts the shiny in your shiny new game console. Everything seems to shimmer with a next-gen vibrancy and glow. There are some really interesting creature designs. A giant demonic crocodile lurks in the underwater realm. The first major boss is a towering witch-like apparition with spider limbs that stab you and throw you to the ground. It's a beautiful game to behold on PS5 and it really does feels next-gen. The art direction sort of feels like a smorgasbord of fantasy design tropes melding together for one big fantasy-sci-fi melting pot. Everything is so goddamn vibrant though, and for better or worse that makes it a great showcase for your brand new PS5.
Godfall has a fairly straightforward take on the loot/action genre. Combat plays out slowly, more deliberately paced than your typical third-person action-adventure game but it has a nice feel. The game has a ton of skills you can use to take down your enemies. The primary skill in the game is the ability to shatter your enemies. You can build up a shatter meter on enemy health bars that allow for some interesting extra ways of dealing higher amounts of damage. Hitting enemies with R1 allows for a light attack that builds up a meter over the health bar while you do damage. If you then land a heavy attack you can shatter the enemy health bar with a satisfying explosion. As you shatter enemies across the games many striking realms; loot rains down in a flurry of vibrant colors to tantalize that addictive part of your brain. Finishing a boss will leave the battlefield littered with several glowing green, blue, gold, and purple pieces of loot. Finding a new legendary weapon is a thrill and the game has a solid upgrade system that allows for some fun customization. You can forge/enchant your weapons, armor, and accessories using items you find throughout the games many quests to upgrade that tasty loot into even more powerful gear. It's nothing revolutionary but it's a nice upgrade loop that works well with solid combat. Overall the game just feels fantastic to play! Game feel is extremely important to me and Counterplay Games nailed the feel of the combat here.
The normal difficulty here is a bit all over the place. Most of the game leans toward the easier side of things. When you die you can continue the fight with no real negative consequences. Even mini-bosses can simply be approached again and they generally seemed to keep all damage I had inflicted in the prior altercation. On a rare occasion, I would quickly return to a boss and see it had returned to full health. The game doesn't really make it clear why this was happening, unfortunately. Generally, speaking bosses and enemies kept the damage I inflicted if I returned quickly after death. Perhaps this was related to how quickly I returned to the mini-boss and maybe certain abilities they had. The major bosses however proved a much more enjoyable challenge. These larger foes had gigantic health bars with checkpoint markers. If you perish after taking a boss down past these markers you will return to that spot in the fight after death. These fights were much tougher and I can't imagine trying to finish them in one go. Toward the end of the game, I did hit some frustrating difficulty spikes that forced me to grind for a few hours to beat some late-game zones. I was enjoying the game so it wasn't a deal breaker, but it was also a bit frustrating. I was happy to see the developers included an easy difficulty option so the game can be accessible to mostly anyone, as well as a hard difficulty for those seeking a greater challenge.
The narrative unfortunately didn’t work for me. None of the characters or performances in the game left any impact on me whatsoever. I tried to dig into the lore but it just didn't seem as interesting as something like Dark Souls, or Destiny. I would love to see a potential Godfall 2 embrace a more mysterious style of storytelling. The soundtrack was surprisingly compelling, featuring a triumphant title screen theme that also plays when you level up.
Counterplay Games is filled with developers that worked on games like Overwatch, Bioshock Infinite, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Diablo 3, and much more so the studio is brimming with talent. . I reached out to the developer in hopes of obtaining a review code because it seemed like Godfall might be a sleeper launch title. I truly enjoyed my time with this game because in many ways it turned out to be the exact experience I was hoping it would be. Godfall doesn't have an in-game social space like the tower in Destiny and I think that says a lot about the game direction. This wasn’t an oversight. Godfall isn't trying to be the next big live game or something you play for months and months on end. It’s a fun little launch game you can hack and slash your way through in a week or two and have a good time, all while showcasing the incredible visual power of your new PlayStation 5. The pricing here is the real dilemma for me. Godfall like most new next-gen games is seventy dollars. The price adjustment is still something as a reviewer and gaming analyst I’m adjusting to.
Verdict: Godfall isn't a revolutionary loot game, but it is a damn good one, and a gorgeous launch game to boot. I have no problems recommending it to fans of the genre, but I think most people will be more comfortable checking this game out in the thirty to forty dollar range. It might seem a bit generic at first glance ( and the name probably isn’t doing the game any favors), but don’t let that turn you off. If you are a fan of loot heavy action games Godfall is worth your time and money.
Buy It
Author: Morgan Barnes
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher]