Spoilers for Redfall AheadAs gamers make their way through the titular seaside town in Arkane Studios’ supernatural shooter,Redfall, they’ll quickly learn that two secretive organizations are squarely at the heart of the mysterious events that led to its downfall. Though the connection between the Bellwether mercenaries that have set up shop throughout thevampire-ravaged neighborhoods of Redfalland the undead foes that stalk its citizens is initially hazy, it soon becomes clear that both groups of enemies have deep links to the game’s corrupt Aevum Therapeutics biotech company.
Uncovering the ties that bind these two seemingly disparate organizations together reveals a tale of greed and corruption that stretches from the Aevum boardroom to thevampiric wasteland of Redfall. Players are introduced to both the private military contracting company Bellwether and the Aevum Therapeutics company early on inRedfallwhen they are tasked with investigating the crash site of two Bellwether helicopters. Upon reaching the crash site, gamers learn that Bellwether and its founder have nefarious plans for Redfall and its citizens.
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Bellwether is Redfall’s Mysterious Mercenary Army
From documents uncovered at the crash site, it is revealed that Bellwether is operating under orders from Elias Kurz, the founder and principal investor of Aevum Therapeutics. The Bellwether operatives had been sent to retrieve Aevum research data and several of the company’s VIPs from the vampire-filled town, with orders to leave no witnesses to their actions. Progressing further through the story, players learn that Bellwether has been conducting surveillance ofRedfall’s Vampire Godssince the town was first overrun.
By monitoring, capturing, and torturing the cultists that serve them, the Bellwether operatives hoped to learn the Vampire Gods’ true identities. As players continue to make their way through the game, they’ll not only gather an arsenal ofRedfall’s various weaponsfrom fallen Bellwether operatives but also discover why the mercenary group is so involved in the supernatural ongoings in the town.
Sifting through the memories of the Vampire Gods, gamers discover that Elias Kurz was the driving force behind Aevum’s exploitation and eventual murder ofRedfall’s Young Woman.Eager to control the power of her blood even as his plans crumble around him, Kurz dispatched Bellwether in a last-ditch effort to regain control of Aevum’s unethical and otherworldly research and keep the biotech company out of the spotlight.
Aevum is the Corrupt Company at the Center of Redfall’s Vampire Invasion
Kurz’s company, Aevum Therapeutics, and its research into the mysterious Young Woman is eventually revealed to be the primary catalyst for the evil events that befell the town of Redfall. By using thehealing powers of the Young Woman’s blood inRedfall, Aevum had been able to create cures for a wide range of diseases at the cost of her deteriorating health. As the company continued to grow, it faced increased scrutiny into the source of its miracle cures and the Young Woman’s existence was in danger of being revealed.
With regulators and reporters close to uncovering the ghastly truth behind the company’s success, the founders—except for Kurz—chose to drain the Young Woman of the last of her blood to take her power for their own. This greedy act transformed Aevum’s founders into the terrifying Vampire Gods that torment players throughout the game and served as the catalyst forplunging Redfall into its Black Sun’s darkness. Though these menacing monsters are defeated by the game’s end, the location of Kurz and the infernal research he helped fund remain unknown.
While the concept of corrupt military contractors and evil biotech companies has become somewhat of a video game trope over the years,Redfall’s story incorporates both archetypes well. The supernatural shooter continues to be excoriated by critics and players, but by setting the game’s bloody narrative against a backdrop of corporate greed and lust for power, Arkane ensures that at leastRedfall’s story remains interesting even when the gameplay fails to impress.
Redfallis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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