Every last detail we know about Godfall, the PS5's flagship launch title

Godfall will be among one of the first PlayStation 5 launch titles when Sony’s next-generation console launches during the 2020 holidays. The all-new is a collaborative effort between indie developer Counterplay Games and the studio responsible for Borderlands, Gearbox Software.

The PS5 launch title’s release is only a few short months away, and Gearbox offered an in-depth look at Godfall’s gameplay during the most recent Sony State of Play on August 6.

The title is being described as a “looter-slasher” set in a “high-fantasy” universe, which sounds a lot like a more mythological Borderlands where the guns are replaced with swords and hammers. Counterplay CEO Keith Lee described Godfall as a marriage between looter-shooters like Density 2 with the monolithic beasts and jaw-dropping scale of classic RPGs.

“We’re innovating with Godfall to provide a fresh take on action RPGs by rewarding skill-based offensive gameplay and making every hit matter,” he said in a statement. “Namely, we want to feed into that yearning for the next best piece in your character build, so we plan to provide plenty of loot to players to ensure there’s a meaningful impact to gameplay and playstyles.”

From release date to gameplay, here’s everything else we know about Godfall.

When is the Godfall PS5 release date?

Godfall is set to ship during the holiday season of 2020, which is when Sony announced the PS5 would launch as well.

Both launch times remain vague and game release dates are always subject to change, but it seems pretty obvious that the intention is for Godfall to launch alongside the PS5 to demonstrate the console’s enhanced graphics.

Will Godfall be available on any other consoles?

The original reveal trailer for the game shown during the 2019 Game Awards confirmed that Godfall will only be available on the PS5 and on PC. Sorry Xbox fans. Counterplay CEO Keith Lee told PlayStation Lifestyle that the developer decided to make the upcoming title a Sony exclusive because of the PS5’s “exceptionally powerful SSD” and the haptic motors that will be built into the console’s controllers.

“Our combat is kinesthetic in nature, so the new controller’s ‘adaptive triggers’ and haptic feedback will make moment-to-moment combat feel exhilarating and visceral,” he said.

Will Godfall have multiplayer gameplay?

Yes, but it’ll only be an online co-op mode, Gearbox revealed during its gameplay walkthrough. Gamers will be able to either play the game solo or jump into a shared campaign with a maximum of two other players.

Unless Gearbox states otherwise, this announcement suggests there won’t be an option to play local split-screen. That means anyone you want to play with will need their own copy of the game, but this focus on online co-op will allow players to quickly jump in boss battles or missions they need to complete to acquire a certain weapon or piece of armor.

“Godfall is designed from the ground up for co-op,” explained Lee. “We’ve ensured that you can play with friends with mixed levels, in addition to being able to ‘hot-join’ without needing to queue up and wait.”

Is there a Godfall trailer?

Yes, Gearbox has released a handful of game trailers for the PS5 title.

The first debuted late in 2019 and revealed the game for the first time:

The second was released in June 2020 when Sony revealed the design of the PS5:

And most recently, Gearbox released an in-depth walkthrough of some of Godfall's weapon classes in August 2020:

What are the weapon classes in Godfall?

There are five types of weapons players can equip in Godfall, and each comes with different speed and damage stats along with unique abilities and combos that fit various situations and playstyles. The classes are: Longswords, Dual-Blades, Polearms, Two-Handed Warhammers, and Two-Handed Greatswords.

Each type of weapon can be further customized to improve its stats, but Gearbox offered details on two of the five weapon classes and one core defensive mechanic.

Dual-Blades

The fastest weapons class that’s best against many unarmored targets or a single target. They’re reminiscent of Kratos’ Blades of Chaos from God of War.

These dagger-like swords will let players perform a quick combo by executing four consecutive light attacks. This flurry of slashes can then be ended by performing a heavy attack, known as Blade Cyclone as a combo finisher.

The swords come with two more signature abilities. Inner Focus is a rage mechanic that slowly builds up charge and then powers up the Dual-Blades for a short period of time once activated. Mortal Coil pulls an enemy towards a player like a hook, which is great for singling out a dangerous target in a pack of enemies.

Longsword

This larger weapon focuses less on elaborate combos and more on timing based on its ability cooldowns.

Much like the Dual-Blades, Longswords have their own quadruple light-attack combo and a heavy attack finisher, which is a bit slower. This class has at least two signature abilities.

Spectral Flurry is an uninterruptible series of slashes that deals damage to enemies in an area. Spiral Technique eviscerates all enemies in a straight line either killing them or stunning them depending on their health pool.

Shield

No matter what weapon players have equipped, they’ll have access to their shield that enables them to stop enemy swings and create openings for deadly counter-attacks.

Players can block incoming attacks to avoid damage or perfectly time their shield block to parry enemy attacks, which will activate Shield Strike and stun them for a short period of time. The Shield can also be thrown to stagger enemies from afar and return to players like a boomerang. If they tap the shield button again as the shield is returning Wave Attack will be performed, which deals damage in an area around the player.

Finally, double-tapping the shield button activates Petrifying Slam that stuns enemies in a radius and opens them up to being one-shotted or executed if the player is able to attack them before they recover.

What could the Godfall story be about?

We've only received hints of what Godfall's plot could be about, but based on the genre of the PS5 launch title it's starting to look like its story will play second-fiddle to its satisfying combat and replayability.

The new IP's trailer have been scant on its lore, we know that players will strap on the steel boots of a Valorian Knight. These god-like warriors can equip Valorplates, armor that further increases their skill in combat as they journey to battle a "mad god" that is expected to be the main antagonist.

Counterplay's Lee stressed that these armor sets will play a major role in the game's story, which reemphasizes just how much the game will be centered around looting and killling enemies.

“You play as one of the last remnants of an exalted Knight’s Order intent on stopping the apocalypse and preserving the last vestiges of their world,” said Lee. “You will be able to play all three of the heroes you see by acquiring and donning their armor sets, known as Valorplates.”

While there's still a lot to learn about Godfall, it seems geared towards hack-and-slash fans over those looking for an engrossing narrative experience.

Will there be microtransactions?

Lee confirmed that Godfall would not have any microtransactions during its combat overview.

"Godfall is a complete package," he said. "All loot and gear in-game are acquired or unlocked through gameplay. There are no microtransactions, no waiting for content, it's all in the game on Day One."

Godfall will be released for PS5 sometime in late 2020.