Godfall – Can it Compete with Genre Titans?

Godfall, the three-player co-op action RPG developed by Counterplay Games and published by Gearbox Publishing, releases for PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows late 2020. With its emphasis on fighting enemies for loot, Godfall puts itself toe-to-toe with popular looter titles such as Monster Hunter, Destiny, and Borderlands. Devs say it’s a mix of Destiny and Dark Souls with a splash of Monster Hunter for inspiration. Godfall will feature melee combat with sparse ranged abilities tied to cooldowns, making it a looter slasher.

Mechanics and Playstyles

Godfall features a high fantasy setting split across five realms: Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit. The environments shown depict ancient castle ruins, magic forests, mountains in the sky, and other unique twists on the fantasy setting. The aesthetic is interesting enough to rival those of Destiny and Dark Souls, but may not be for everyone. Players select one of three major classes tied to armored suits named Valorplates (players can unlock others suits by collecting them in the gameworld). Counterplay promises a sizable selection of these Valorplates.

Tying classes to armor is a familiar concept, seen in games such as Monster Hunter and Warframe. The ability to change specs by equipping different armor is a large part of them, and is an asset to Godfall. Being locked into a specific class can feel limiting, and this design accounts for player freedom. Players will get to explore different playstyles on the fly, figuring out which to use against each enemy. Augmentations may be looted from enemies or found in the world to further enhance each Valorplate’s abilities.

Consider Dark Souls’ gameplay with progression and loot mechanics from games like Monster Hunter and Borderlands. Godfall hopes to achieve challenging combat where players team up against strong singular enemies and weaker “trash” mobs. Counterplay chooses to avoid button mashing, instead promoting slow and tactical fights involving well timed parries and enemy avoidance. The game is tuned around co-op multiplayer and bosses will be tough even for a full group of people. Be ready to play cat-and-mouse with dangerous enemies, beat up tanky ones, and use aoe for group encounters.

There will be plenty of melee combos as well as imbued attacks with elements like fire and electricity. Enemies flash red before dangerous abilities, a cue seen in many souls-like titles. Godfall seems to have the makings of a fun action game, possibly standing alongside games such as Sekiro and God of War in terms of combat. However, to go toe-to-toe with online looter giants like Warframe or Destiny, it must have equally captivating looting and gearing systems. 

Can It Compete

Warframe has 70 different playable suits and it’s likely Godfall will adopt a similar system, adding more suits over time, that is, if they’re adopting a games as a service model. In this day and age, most looters are games as a service, ranging from Borderlands’ online co-op and dlc, to games like Destiny with hub worlds and raids. Games as a service model games have one thing in common. They keep players coming back.

It’s unknown whether Godfall will feature a hub world or dungeon-like content, like many service model games. They could implement a gathering place for players to interact, change equipment, and launch missions from. Counterplay stated it has taken a good amount of inspiration from Monster Hunter, which features a similar hub system as a staging point to launch co-op missions. Things like this help the world feel connected and allow an interesting interface for all the inevitable loadout customization looter RPGs are known for.

The game’s fusion of soulslike melee combat, 3-player co-op, and loot gearing systems are what set it apart. Godfall can make an impact if it delivers on the core gameplay promised so far. It’s in a unique position to appeal to a demographic ranging from Dark Souls and Soulslike fans to Monster Hunter, Borderlands, and Destiny fans. While it may not attract shooter fans, it may pull in enough interest from RPG lovers to do well. It definitely stands out in a crowd.

It rests on Counterplay’s shoulders to not hold back any punches. As the game releases, devs should watch and make necessary hotfixes while beginning work on necessary patches. If they show support and build a strong community, Godfall has huge potential for success. In fact, it could be the title some gamers have been waiting their whole life for. Stay tuned for Sony’s coming PS5 event, where more Godfall news is sure to be revealed.

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