Game Review--Killzone Mercenary (PS Vita)

Finally--the shooter the Vita needed and the one it deserved.  It was a privilege to play it, and now it's my honor to praise and dissect one of the greatest games for the PS Vita thus far.  One of the only first-person shooters for the Vita, it stands tall as a shining example of the system's hardware capabilities.

Note that as with my review of the God of War Collection, also for the Vita, all photos that appear were taken by myself using the built-in screenshot feature for the PlayStation Vita.


Production Values

 

The graphics look amazing for a 2013 Vita release.  The detail and pixel clarity is especially apparent when you interrogate enemy captains and hold your face right next to theirs.  Since the game is in the first-person format, that means you witness their facial animation details up close.  The Vita games I have played during the brief time I have owned the platform don't have terrible graphics, but this stands out from the limited selection I have played.  Sound represents another valuable component to a well-crafted shooter experience.  Thankfully, Killzone Mercenary delivers in that regard as well.

The overall production value is impressive, with a great depth of content and a fantastic gameplay presentation.  The visuals, voice acting, and multiplayer ensure this will likely be remembered as the most impactful and masterful shooter for the system.  But the polished production values do not conceal the eventual monotony of the gameplay that may bother some players.

 

Gameplay

With controls that exploit the twin analog sticks on the PS Vita well and awesome science fiction weaponry, the gameplay succeeds in providing an exciting and memorable experience.  Touch gestures can sometimes become annoying (they are necessary to complete all melee attacks), but I didn't encounter many problems with the other controls.  At last, a great handheld control system for shooters!

One of the best parts of the game is purchasing, summoning, and using special devices called Van-Guards.  The player can access things like an invisibility generator, an energy shield that protects your front and deactivates when you fire your guns, a drone that can be controlled remotely, and a devastating aerial beam that vaporizes enemies.  Activating a Van-Guard system called the porcupine missile launcher and tapping on the touchscreen to launch projectiles at enemies is so enjoyable that I had to mention it here.  Unlocking the game's entire armory not only will use the many units of the game currency (Vektan dollars) you will obtain, it will pop a trophy that will immortalize your accomplishment for your PSN account!  Cycling through all of the weapons and gadgets to test them can offer an alluring incentive to continue earning Vektan dollars and killing enemy soldiers.

The game's greatness regarding the visuals and controls, though, cannot forever delay recognition that the gameplay itself, while fun and full of incentives like trophies and alternate objectives, is generic first-person material that in and of itself will not stand above or out from other games in its genre.  Without the Killzone name and some special weaponry, the gameplay would not seem distinct from that of other series.  Potential players might want to know that in advance.

 

As you play, you earn the aforementioned Vektan dollars for various actions, including stealth bonuses, headshots, difficulty multipliers, and acquiring ammo from deceased troops.  Topping off the experience, the multiplayer has a reliable server and a unique mode called Warzone, a team-based mode which varies objectives throughout five separate five minute periods.  Defeating opposing players is fun and engaging, as any multiplayer shooter should be.  Basically, the general gameplay is satisfying and well-executed.


Story

The story occurs alongside events from other games in the franchise, which I have not ever played.  The Killzone universe revolves around a war between humans from the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance and their humanoid Helghast foes.  Honestly, since I have only just introduced myself to Killzone and this game seemed to assume the player possesses familiarity with the series story and history, I don't know if the Helghast are humans or aliens that resemble humans in their anatomy and shape.  They wear imposing combat suits that cover their entire bodies, even their faces, as they conceal their heads with masks with orange/reddish eyes.  Because of this I did not know their actual species.  Playing for the first time, I didn't see why I should or shouldn't align myself with a particular side and I noticed deep moral flaws in the leaders of both.

You play as a mercenary who enters the game working for the ISA, eventually work for the Helghast as things unfold, and conclude the game by being targeted by both factions.  No, despite being a mercenary, your character is not motivated exclusively by money like some other characters are and does not defect or switch allegiances because he feels like it, but he sometimes has little actual choice in the matter due to the circumstances.  The story does not have the quality of a more lengthy, unified narrative, but it's passable.


Intellectual Content

There are minor puzzles and collectibles in every mission, but nothing too sophisticated is present.  While a certain NPC (non-playable character) complains about the evil of the Helghast exterminating innocent civilians and the player's character seems to develop a stronger moral sense by the finale, the ethical dilemmas and burdens of war aren't really explored very deeply.  I wish the game had emphasized the destructive toll of war and the deception both sides of a conflict will often intentionally engage in for the sake of victory more than it did, but perhaps other games in the series more effectively convey this.


Conclusion

While Killzone as a franchise is simply not as overwhelmingly epic as Sony's God of War series and not as astonishingly unique as the Uncharted games also released by Sony, it still managed to excel in producing an amazing shooter for the PS Vita, a portable system that needed a truly competent shooter after the incredible disappointment that Black Ops: Declassified resulted in.  Remember how I criticized that game to death in my review?  Oh, what's that?  You don't remember reading it?  Well, here's a link [1].

As of this time, I have unlocked 36 out of the 53 trophies and hope to attain my third platinum trophy from this game.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a trophy is a game achievement (like "Kill 500 enemies", "Complete all levels without dying" or "Headshot 10 enemies in a row"; these are generic fictional examples and are not actual trophies in the game) for a PlayStation console or the Vita.  Before the summer ends I plan on obtaining all of the remaining achievements.  As my first Killzone game, Mercenary delivered an excellent handheld first-person shooter and has become one of my favorite Vita games.


Content
1. Violence:  Well, this is a Killzone game.  The title itself sounds violent.  There is little gore that I noticed, but plenty of killing, melee attacks, and some blood.  Nothing is graphic.
2. Profanity:  Characters sometimes use "d-mn" and sh-t" in their dialogue, but the profanity is not particularly strong and is not constant.
3. Nudity:  The ESRB rating for the game includes "Partial Nudity" as one of the reasons it is rated M, but I did not encounter any nudity in the game.  If there is any at all, it is likely not overt or very visible, as I missed it every time.


[1].  http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/game-review-call-of-duty-black-ops.html