Red Faction: Guerrilla is actually a third game in Red Faction series which started in 2001, but you don’t need to know anything about that. You can still fully enjoy destructible environments, third person guerrilla style action and a very smooth online multiplayer for up to 16 players.
MEET ALEC MASON
Story starts after the events of Red Faction II. Earth Defence Force or EDF was once a liberator of Mars, but it has now become an occupying force. Free Mars is over and people are living under mashall law. People need hope and a small group of rebels are trying to make a difference. Alec Mason is a mining engineer who gets a transfer to Mars. Soon after his arrival Mason’s brother Dan is brutally murdered and a group of Red Faction guerrillas rescue Alec from execution. So whether he likes it or not, Mason is now a member of Red Faction insurgency. It’s time to perform a number of guerrilla style missions in order to liberate Mars from oppression.
There are a few well made cutscenes, but mostly your missions flows forward via radio chatter. Still the pacing is great, because all key scenes are shown as a good cutscene and not just by using a plain voice or text.
A DESTRUCTIBLE SANDBOX
What makes Guerrilla special is its destructible environments. Pretty much any structure can be blown to pieces with right tools in hand. This makes combat a little different, because cover is at best a temporary solution. Unfortunately you can’t destroy the actual ground, but still Guerrilla sets a new standard for destructible environments in video games.
IN GTA STYLE
Single player campaign is divided into six different sectors. Mason has to liberate each of them and this is done by raising the morale of the sector and decreasing the control level of EDF. Both of these things are done by performing guerrilla actions scattered throughout the map and/or destroying EDF property. Killing civilians decreases morale so you always need to think ahead and watch where you are shooting.
Campaign has only 20 main missions in total, so most of your time is spent doing side quests and navigating the environment. Guerrilla actions come in few different forms, but they all are variations in eliminating EDF soldiers and/or destroying buildings. This means that the gameplay can get repetitive so I urge you to play in small doses.
Mars is a big place and most of the time you will be travelling from place to place using different cars. Controlling these things can be a bit tricky, but nothing you can’t get over with. In time this navigation gets easier, since you learn to teleport between safe houses.
RPG ELEMENTS
In modern style Alec Mason gains new abilities and weapons along his way to liberate Mars. Buying new equipment and upgrading old ones keeps you going and at the same time makes Mason a more efficient guerrilla. But even he can’t take the full wrath of EDF: plan ahead, execute your mission and then get out fast. In short this game urges you to play like a guerrilla.
SAVE SYSTEM DONE RIGHT
Game uses autosave, but you can still save manually pretty much anytime and anywhere. If you happen to die in a mission your progress will not usually vanish and you just spawn to a nearest safe house. This way you can try different things and take risks, because almost everything you do keeps things going forward.
NICE LOOKING MARS
Red Faction: Guerrilla is made by the same company that did Saints Row 2, but somehow Guerrilla manages to look better, sound better and in general work better. Graphics are mostly red and in close inspection it can look a little boring and grainy, but character models, movement animations and vehicle physics more than make up for it. In general the world of Mars reminds me of Wild West from the movies.
Music fits the action extremely well and is an essential part in creating an adrenaline-filled atmosphere while performing a raid or trying to escape EDF’s wrath. Sound effects on the other hand are not that special, but they do their job well. Voice acting is executed with professionalism and especially the voice of Alec Mason is well done.
WRECKING CREW AND ONLINE PLAY
Aside from the campaign there’s an offline multiplayer called Wrecking Crew and it can be played with one controller. It’s meant to be played in parties and the goal is to just smash everything. Of course there are a number of limitations in weapons and time limit. This is for players who are true fans of destroying things offline.
Competitive multiplayer is for 16 players and modes are variations of things you’ve come to expect: Deathmatch (Anarchy), Capture & Hold (Damage Control), Capture the Flag and so on. What makes multiplayer so great that everything works great and because of the experience system you are constantly gaining levels and new things to play with.
Power weapons are scattered throughout the level much like in Halo or Gears of War, but so are the different backpacks. These things are powerups that temporarily give you certain abilities: Fleetfoot allows you to run faster, Vision allows you to see through walls, Stealth makes you almost invisible and so on. This combination of lots of different game modes, backpacks, power weapons, destructible buildings and an experience system all help together to give a unique multiplayer experience.
IT’S A SUCCESS
I didn’t expect anything from Red Faction: Guerrilla so it was a very pleasant surprise: everything works smoothly, story is interesting and well told, destroying buildings is fun and the online multiplayer manages to bring something new to the table. I give thumbs up for this game. Now go out there and liberate Mars.