One of the very first games officially announced for the next-gen PS5 wasGodfall, a game described as a “looter slasher.” Akin to that ofDestinyorBorderlands, CounterPlay Games is crafting an epic fantasy game all about slashing monsters with the coolest gear players can find. Various weapons and legendary armor sets, called “Valorplates,” are designed to mesh together to create a highly customizable experience tailored to every play style. In practice, though, much of the gameplay shown hasn’t entirely proven that concept.
The biggest thing about loot games, other than having satisfying gameplay, is the loot progression and customization. InGodfall, the weapons and Valorplates are meant to be the source of that progression. So far, the only gameplay shown in major conferences this year has been strictly combat and exploring the game world. The only information about loot progression, Valorplate augmentation, skills, and abilities has come from word of mouth. This game is a PS5 launch game, and yet very little has been seen from these systems.
Godfall’s Severe Lack of Information
There’s been plenty of combat and world exploration gameplay shown ofGodfall, but that’s about it. None of the intricate systems of loot progression and abilities, as described in interviews with development about the game, have been shown physically in-game.Gamescom’s Opening Night Live had a teaser forGodfallthat was legitimately only 30 seconds long, had zero in-game music or commentary from a developer, and only showed off one piece of armor. This kind of content is already expected from a game likeGodfall, but for that to be the game’s only appearance during ONL is concerning.
Now granted,Godfall’s CounterPlay Games also had a bit of a deep-dive interviewin Opening Night Live’s post show. Again, this was another case of showing off combat gameplay, with only a description of the loot progression and abilities coming to the game. Players have not yet seen any elements of HUD UI, the constellation-like skill trees as described by game director Keith Lee, nor any of the special attributes from different Valorplates. For a game all about gathering loot and customizing play styles, there’s a serious lack of information on how exactly to do so.
Justifying Godfall’s Loot Grind
Godfall’s biggest pitfall is going to be justifying its use of loot grinding and ability progression throughout the game.Godfalldoes have an endgame, so it’s not meant to be an evergreen game as a service, but the core gameplay systems are still shrouded in mystery. It’s almost September,meaningGodfallis due out to PlayStation 5 in three months, give or take. The intricate progression that’s tied to the core of the game still hasn’t been shown running in-game, period. Hearing from word of mouth about a core gameplay system is never a good sign.
Granted, there’s still time for ironing out some of the kinks, but at bare minimum players should at least have a general idea orvisualization as to how progression functions inGodfall. This lack of information should be concerning for invested fans or those who are mildly interested in playingGodfalllater this year. There should be a general framework shown off how these systems are meant to justify the loot grind, bit where’s been plenty of developer descriptions of how these systems will work, nothing running in-game has been shown publicly.
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Loot is Godfall’s Biggest Potential Pitfall
Just to clarify, that’s no criticism on the gameplay itself.As a co-op brawler,Godfalllooks like it could be genuinely funto oppress bosses with well coordinated attacks from teammates. The idea of equipping different epic armor sets to mix up play styles and combat roles adds elements of depth to the dungeon crawling and boss fights that could be interesting. It’s just that there’s a huge blind spot when it comes to how these play styles are changed with different Valorplates and weapons,
This is a severe blind spot for any game that’s marketing its main gameplay loop as the requisition of gear and customizing abilities. There’s a chance that this could change soon, assumingGodfallreceives another State of Play presentation dedicated to the game itself. Either that or more Gamescom coverage brings this information to light, but considering CounterPlay’s game director already did an exclusive interview, it’s not likely. For now, with little known about the actual progression in-game, players don’t have a concrete idea as tohow the grinding and exploring for loot is justified inGodfall. That’s not an encouraging sign for a game likely coming out in three months.
Godfalllaunches holiday 2020 for PC and PS5.
