Killzone: Mercenary
Developer/Publisher: Guerrilla Cambridge/Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: September 10th, 2013
Beginning near the end of the original Killzone, players take control of Arran Danner, a member of an elite mercenary unit. Happily fighting for the ISA — so long as they pay the bills — Danner helps liberate the besieged planet of Vekta, driving the Helghast back to their home world. Two years later, a routine mission to extract the Vektan ambassador and his family from Helghan goes awry. Escaping only with the ambassador’s ten-year-old son, Danner learns the boy may be the key to winning the bloody conflict between the ISA and the Helghast, and both sides will stop at nothing to gain control of the child. Killzone: Mercenary features a campaign filled with questioned loyalty and betrayal, as for the first time in the series players will find themselves fighting alongside the hated Helghast. This was a bold choice that developer Guerrilla Cambridge made that really sets the game apart from the rest of the series.
The game controls amazingly well. I was a bit worried about using the small analog nubs, thinking they would be much too short to accurately function. However, I was pleasantly surprised how well I was able to acclimate to the control scheme. If I had not been staring at the relatively small Vita screen, I could have sworn I was playing a shooter on the PlayStation 3.
One thing I know many people will wonder about is touch controls: Are they gimmicky or do they actually fit the game? I actually enjoyed the touch controls for Killzone: Mercenary. A quick tap to switch weapons, a swipe of the screen to melee an enemy, using the rear touchpad to zoom a rifle scope; they all felt very natural and did not impede gameplay at all. Those truly uncomfortable with touch controls can turn them off in the settings, so don’t let the fear of touch controls keep you from this game.
As tight as the controls feel, the graphics look nearly as good. While I was surprised at how well the controls worked out, I was genuinely amazed by Killzone: Mercenary’s visuals; I honestly felt like I was playing an early to mid-gen PS3 game. That isn’t to say the game was graphically flawless. There were several cases of pixelation, usually revolving around fires of explosions. Characters also had a problem with their mouth movements matching the words coming out of their mouth outside of cutscenes, but this a problem not many are going to notice.
Speaking of cutscenes, most of the details are told to the player through mission briefs that feature static images of the characters speaking and a few 3D maps or videos, making actual cutscenes rare. Despite my story synopsis earlier, the campaign of Killzone: Mercenary is in no way story heavy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The action is the focus of Killzone: Mercenary, and it is fun. Missions can be handled however the player sees fit. Enjoy fire fights? Go in with guns blazing and mow down the enemy. Prefer stealth and discretion? Equip a weapon with a silencer and sneak up on Danner’s adversaries. Stealth provides greater rewards than brute force, like cash bonuses and the chance to procure intel, but won’t be the same as running in with a shotgun. The need to alternate strategies keeps the combat from getting stale.
Cash is earned for performing certain actions. Killing enemies will earn a small amount of cash, while killing an enemy with a headshot or over a long distance will earn more. The amount of cash earned is used in the game’s progression system. The more cash a player earns, the higher their rank. Just like most progression systems, higher ranks means more perks, such as loadouts for multiplayer. I won’t get into the multiplayer yet, but I do love that experience, cash, and kit earned in the single-player campaign or multiplayer transfers over to the opposite mode. This way, if a player has gotten used to using one weapon, they don’t have to abandon it once they finally begin multiplayer or vice-versa.
Speaking of kit, cash earned is used to purchase new weapons, armor, and other kit from Blackjack, the in-game weapons merchant. This is important because there is no on-site procurement in Killzone: Mercenary. Players can pick up ammo dropped by enemies, but weapons must be purchased and equipped from Blackjack terminals. Luckily, the terminals are spread liberally through the world, making it simple to switch to a different weapon when one is needed…for a price, of course.
There is a wide selection of weapons, featuring the usual suspects: sniper rifles, assault rifles, light machine guns, SMGs, shotguns, and even a tranq pistol. The only complaint I have with the weapon variety is the lack of customization. If a player wants to go the stealth route by using a silencer, a weapon either comes pre-equipped with one or it doesn’t. Players can’t add silencers, scopes, or other upgrades to the weapons. While there is such a large variety I don’t think it ultimately matters, it would have been nice to be able to customize weapons just a little bit.
I briefly mentioned intel as one of the potential rewards for favoring stealth over action. Instead of just finding a briefcase lying around in the middle of no where, intel in Killzone: Mercenary is earned by either (a) finding a terminal and completing a hacking mini-game, or (b) sneaking behind an officer and “interrogating” them for intel. Be careful, however: Other enemies will still patrol looking for Danner during the middle of a hack or interrogation, and they aren’t nice enough to wait for him to finish before they start shooting, unlike some games. This intel serves as both background information and as collectibles to encourage replay of the single-player campaign. There are fifty-four pieces of intel to be recovered, many of them challenging to acquire. I felt myself driven to procure as much intel as possible and I’m actually aching for a chance to jump back into the campaign to grab what I missed my first time through.
Don’t think that intel is the only collectible in the game, however. Like many other shooters, medals can be earned for distinguished service. There are basic “earn 25 kills with this weapon” medals, to medals for completing the game on a certain difficulty, and even medals for completing levels without alerting guards or using demolitions more than a rifle. These earn bragging rights and extra cash to use on kit. Some will cross between single-player and multiplayer modes, while others are specific to one mode or the other.
The biggest collectible in the game are Valor Cards. There are 52 cards in a deck of Valor Cards, and players will have their active Valor Card updated each day. These cards represent a player’s ability to collect cash as compared to the other “mercenaries” playing. The suit of the card earned represents the type of weapon the player is favoring, (Diamonds for SMGS, Spades for sniper rifles, Clubs for assualt and light machine gun, and Hearts for secondary weapons) and increasing in value from two all the way to the ace.
Cards can be added to the collection by ranking up, collecting intel in the campaign, or picking them up off a killed soldier in multiplayer. Big cash rewards are earned for making a hand (like four-of-a-kind) or eventually a full deck. This is just another great way that Killzone: Mercenary has a symbiotic relationship between its single-player campaign and its multiplayer.
I’ve spent so much time talking about gameplay elements, I almost forgot to talk about the sound. Effects are clear and crisp with some nice audio/visual touches. For example, I could hear a sniper fire off a round from across the map, hear the shot flying through the air, and finally see the impact a heartbeat later. Minute details like this helped increase the level of immersion in Killzone: Mercenary.
Voice work was very good. I particularly liked the amount of chatter that would go on between troops. Enemies would actively call out the player’s position, shout insults, and growl threats. Listening to the soldiers just idly chat back and forth before battle was equally enjoyable. Just like the previous sniper example, the chatter is one of those little things that makes Killzone: Mercenary feel more alive.
If there is a “weak” point to the sound, it is the music. I’m not saying that the music was bad; it just wasn’t memorable. The score served its purpose: It set a stressful, tense tone to the action. There just wasn’t anything that made me thing, “Wow, this is a great piece. I have to download this soundtrack.”
Lastly, what is a good first person shooter in this generation without multiplayer? I spent so long talking about the gameplay elements of the single-player campaign because they transition almost completely to multiplayer. As I said before, all weapons available during the campaign are available in multiplayer, and players will never have to purchase a gun they loved in the campaign for the multiplayer. It will be waiting.
The six maps currently available are ripped directly from settings during the campaign and should be instantly familiar to anyone that has taken the time to clear single-player before jumping online. Even interrogations make their way to multiplayer — if the player sneaks up behind another competitor and interrogate them, the player is rewarded with temporary power ups, such as the ability to see enemy troop locations on the map.
I’ve spent a good amount of time in the game’s multiplayer and never experienced any lag. At no time did I feel like I was killed because someone had a bad connection. The action was as smooth and consistent as the single-player, which is saying a lot. Although the Vita can only handle eight players on a connection, there was always plenty of action, so I don’t think anyone will mind.
One problem some players will have with the multiplayer is the lack of variety. There are only three modes of play, with two of them being free-for-all and team based deathmatch. The final mode is really eclectic and interesting, however. Warzone is a mode that features 4v4 action, but instead of cash/points being earned by simply killing the opposing team, the match goes through five phases. Each phase allows the team to earn points in only one way. The modes are Bounty Hunter, where opposing player Valor Cards must be collected to score; Hacker, where points are earned by securing VAN-guard capsules earned during battle; Interrogator, as the name suggests involves earning points by procuring intel from interrogating enemy players; a second round of Hacker; finally finishing with Body Count, a straight up fight to the finish. The team with the most points after all five phases wins. So while there are only three modes, the final mode adds a lot of variety in a short timespan.
I cannot recommend Killzone: Mercenary enough. It features a four to five hour campaign that encourages the player to return to find extra intel and complete new challenges. The graphics, even with the bit of pixelation, are gorgeous for a portable system. Sound effects and voice work add life and authenticity to the sci-fi setting. The eight player multiplayer may be short on variety, but it is never short on fun and there are plenty of matches to be had. Killzone: Mercenary isn’t going to be remembered for its story, but very few shooters are. Instead, it will be remembered for incredibly tight gameplay that is easy to pick up and play on the go. It is well worth the price of admission. Buy it today!
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By Travis Tucker
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