ONCE UPON A TIME…
The plot in Killzone Mercenary is set just after the events of the original Killzone, and you play the role of, quite obviously, a mercenary. Let’s just set the expectation now – it’s an FPS so story will not be the strong point in this game. Working for the ISA, you have to undergo a number of pretty standard missions involving lots of mindless killing, and blowing shit up, but unlike most FPS games, this game takes a different approach.
QUIET… *BANG!* …GO LOUD!
Most FPS games don’t really offer you a stealth approach, but as you enter most areas in Mercenary, you’ll notice that enemies and completely unaware of your presence. [Apparently gunshots between floors are too quiet for fellow Helghast to hear.] There’s often a way to clear an area of all enemies without actually alerting them, but if you make a wrong (or noisy) move, your cover will be blown and you’ll have reinforcements trying to take you out almost immediately.
It’s not quite the level of stealth you would come to expect from a series such as Metal Gear Solid, but it’s an adequate attempt at changing the genre into something you normally would not expect. If you’re hell-bent on completing the game as stealthily as possible you can always reload checkpoints, but I spent most of my time going loud through the campaign. However, stealth melee kills are pretty damn fun… there’s something about knowing the enemy doesn’t even have a chance that I find quite satisfying.
TOUCH, SWIPE, TAP!
I love my Vita, and I’m pretty vocal about that. It’s by far my favorite handheld (I still love you too, 3DS!), and a big part of my love is the fully functional touchscreen. It’s like a big phone, but with awesome games. Killzone Mercenary uses the touchscreen for a myriad of actions including simple tasks like reloading your weapon and to interact with various things in the game. You’ll need to twist switches to activate bombs and do a handful of random swipe motions to complete some close-quarter-combat maneuvers to take down your Helghast foes. There’s one variation where you actually melee your enemy right between the legs, impaling your knife straight up into his… well… you know. Painful thought, but pretty fun and gruesome kill.
EN GUARDE – VAN-GUARD!
Stealth isn’t the only new feature added into Killzone Mercenary. You can now purchase new weapons, equipment, and a perk known as a VAN-GUARD system. All purchases are made using in-game currency, not real money. A quick note of something I dislike here – say you own three types of grenades, but you want to change your loadout since you can only carry two at once – it charges you each time you want to swap or change your loadout. Why the hell should I have to pay each time when I had to purchase the weapon in the first place?
SEXY, SLICK VISUALS
One thing that you’ll see when you first start up the game, it’s damn beautiful on the Vita’s OLED screen. Damn beautiful. Killzone Mercenary takes handheld graphics to a new level and basically looks like a PS3 game in the palms of your hands. The lighting is gorgeous, and the level of background detail never ceases to amaze you as you are introduced to each new level.
TAKE YOUR SKILLS ONLINE
The online portion of Killzone Mercenary isn’t amazing, but it’s solid fun. While the loadouts and VAN-GUARD systems extend to the multiplayer, the actually modes themselves don’t offer much variety. You’ve got three modes including Mercenary Warfare, Guerilla Warfare, and Warzone (which was by far my personal favorite in Killzone 3, and again in Mercenary). Without the special names, the game simply offers free-for-all and team deathmatch, plus Warzone… not really that much when stacked to most FPS games that offer multiplayer. The biggest problem with the multiplayer is the lack of an actual matchmaking service, so trying to find a full game is rather challenging, and it hurts the overall experience.
FPS ON A HANDHELD – YAY OR NAY?
Killzone Mercenary is a great game, but it doesn’t offer a ton of content in the long-run. The campaign can be completed in a little under four hours, and the online lacks a variety of modes. However, what it does offer is a beautiful console-like experience that you can take with you anywhere you go (except maybe swimming?), a basic but very entertaining online experience, and a gratifying single-player campaign. Killzone Mercenary offers a much more enjoyable experience than any other handheld FPS game we’ve played.
| Rating | Description |
| 8.0 | Gameplay Fun touchscreen controls, enjoyable action in the campaign, and decent multiplayer, but not groundbreakingly amazing. |
| 9.0 | Graphics Quality lighting, and well-detailed environments, but would have loved to see more large-scale variety in the levels. |
| 7.5 | Sound Standard music to accomapny the action, and what you'd come to expect in FPS sound effects. |
| 8.0 | Final Score |
