Today's State of Play stream from PlayStation ended with an extended look at Godfall. A new l0oter-slasher from Counterplay Games and Gearbox Publishing, Godfall is being developed by a team that's full of AAA veterans that have worked on everything from Gears to Call of Duty to Destiny 2. The game was one of the first games announced for the next generation. Coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 and PC via the Epic Games Store this holiday season, Godfall brings speed and fluidity to Dark Souls-style weapon combat. The developers have stated that there's a focus on offense rather than defense, both with the weapon styles players choose to use and the powers granted by their mythic Valorplate armor sets.

Godfall takes place in a high fantasy setting split into the elemental realms of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit. Players take on the role of one of the last of the Knight's Order, choosing from one of three character classes and equipping epic suits of armor known as Valorplates. Via drips of information from social media, the developers have already revealed that Godfall lets players wear twelve styles of Valorplate and wield five types of weapons against over ninety different enemies.

Godfall Game Director Keith Lee (no, not that one) went into great detail about the combat during the nine-minute gameplay walkthrough. While the game is definitely loot-driven, Lee emphasized that Godfall is equally driven by player skill. The team wants players to feel equal accomplishment in mastering the various weapons styles and in finding rare weapon drops after a hard-fought battle. Combat often has players fighting multiple enemies at once and rewards those who stay aggressive and close the gap whenever possible.


During the trailer, Lee made a point to reiterate that Godfall isn't a live service game full of microtransactions. This means that there's a full campaign ready for players on launch day. However, players can also expect additional endgame content if they're interested. Basically, even if Godfall has found some obvious inspiration from modern titles, the style harkens back to the days before Destiny and its ilk. Instead of new tiny missions spread across months of updates, replayability comes from mastering different weapon classes and Valorplate combinations as well as collecting even better loot for your preferred playstyle.

As the PlayStation 5 draws ever closer, it feels like Godfall hasn't yet found a way to appeal to the masses. However, for those who enjoy the breed of character action games that hasn't been seen in a decade, Godfall looks like it could be a return worth waiting for. The focus on weapon combat has players throwing around plenty of comparisons, but Counterplay Games and Gearbox Publishing seem to be looking to the past for something fresh that some players may have never seen before. In a game that's all about gameplay, the hype will come when players first pick up the controller, and that could lead to Godfall being a sleeper hit amongst the PS5's launch lineup.

Godfall is coming in Late 2020 to PlayStation 5 and PC via Epic Games Store.