Godfall has now been out for over 6 months, and it seems fair to say that the game hasn't been as well-received as many would have hoped. The action role-playing game was intended to be one of the first large-scale, true next-gen exclusives, showing off all that the PlayStation 5 had to offer. While visually stunning, Godfall fans were left?mostly disappointed.
Updates have since been released to address issues with Godfall crashing, and the game now looks a lot more stable than it did at launch. Unfortunately for Godfall fans who didn't enjoy their first experience of the game, the updates have brought little to the game in terms of content. Likewise, for fans who were hoping?Godfall's upcoming Fire and Darkness DLC?would provide a reason to return, it's looking likely to fall in the same trap as Borderlands 3's DLC.
Borderland 3's Huge DLC Mistake
Borderlands 3 has?had 4 DLC packs since its launch, but none have looked to capitalize upon the success of class-based DLC in Borderlands 2.?Both Krieg and Gaige DLCs afforded the player all-new abilities and skills that previously weren't present in the game. Gaige's Mechromancer class, for example, allowed the player to put skill points into her Anarchy ability which seriously shook up the gameplay of Borderlands 2. The ability?gave the player progressively worse aim but with huge boosts to damage dealt, which added a fun new element for fans to attempt to master.
Class DLC in this sense really motivates the player to check back in with?a game that they maybe didn't enjoy the first time around or simply grew tired of. If a DLC is aimed at restoring a game's player base, it has to offer the player something entirely new. The innovations to gameplay Borderland's Krieg and Gaige brought provided the player plenty of motivation to jump back into the game because they made the game feel fresh.?Krieg even received his very own story DLC in Borderlands 3, with?Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck?due to his extensive fandom.
Now, it's worth mentioning that this has been called a case of fan demand vs. actual usage. Similar to how Sony has said that backward compatibility features are highly demanded but rarely used, it seems that these DLC characters were highly popular but rarely used. It may make sense from a business perspective, but at the same time, the key phrase there is that they were still highly popular.
Godfall DLC Should Make?Good With Fans
All things consider,?Godfall's Fire and Darkness DLC could have been the perfect opportunity to beef up the game?by introducing new classes. A variety of classes are important to the overall feel of a game, with a new variation potentially changing the entire experience. In this sense, Godfall could have benefitted from a ranged class, such as an archer, to change up the gameplay loop somewhat. It can be difficult when hacking and slashing in Godfall to see where enemy attacks are coming from, and even harder to?take on a group of enemies with the linear input queuing. Implementing an archer build could?allow the player to dispatch large groups of enemies before going in to finish the job, thus removing?both of these issues.
A class DLC would have also brought with it the opportunity to introduce a character for the players to identify with, making them care about their?journey. Krieg made the player think about Borderlands psychos in a way they'd never done before, showing them that Psychos are capable of deep thought and emotion just like the vault hunter. Krieg had one of the more touching stories in the Borderlands franchise, which is?likely the exact kind of story Godfall could use.
Godfall?is available now on PC and PS5, and a PS4 version will be released on August 10, 2021.