Killzone Shadow Fall Review
Developer Guerrilla
Publisher Sony
Platform PS4 Exclusive
Release Date Out Now.
You really can’t have a brand new Sony console launch without a Killzone game in the mix and from its first announcement back at E3 everyone knew that Killzone would be pushed hard to be a launch title. Has this led to Shadow Fall being rushed out the door though?
The answer is yes, but only slightly. It just lacks that final polish to bring it in line with its two previous versions. Perhaps another month or so polishing would have been good but it really was important to have it to launch with the PS4.
The Killzone franchise first appeared on PS2 and saw two further sequels follow on PS3. It even got some pretty decent ports to both PSP and PSVita. With the launch of the PS4 Sony wanted a game that would showcase the new graphical power the console is capable of and if there is one thing Guerrilla does well it’s stunning graphics.
Killzone has always had a solid following of loyal fans but this year as a launch title it had the chance to push on and become what Sony has always hoped it would be. The studio took a few risky decisions in terms of level design and gameplay that do pay off but they also seem to skimp on the same level of quality we are used to.
That is not to say ShadowFall is in any way a bad game, it really isn’t and was very enjoyable throughout. I just noticed some small slips such as the mismatched lip syncing and small things like when I threw my knife and killed and enemy it magically appeared back in my hand. I could still even see my knife stuck in the enemy’s head, then right before my eyes it just vanished into thin air. These are small that are only noticed because it is a series known for its quality and perhaps if they had another month to do another few passes it would have reached those heights.
The story is good but not amazing you are not caught up in an all-out conflict this time but rather a stand off between two enemies. At the end of Killzone 3 Helghan was rendered uninhabitable but not completely uninhabited. The survivors were taken to the planet Vekta which was then split in two by a giant wall separating the two warring factions reminiscent of the aftermath of the second world war.
Neither side trust the other and send spies on constant espionage missions behind the enemy lines. This is the tone for the game, rather than all out conflict we have a lot of stealth missions, you are in small squads or alone. This takes the game in a new welcomed new direction. Overall the story is entertaining if perhaps it gets a little silly in places and it makes some wild leaps to move the story along that could of been handled a bit better.
Visually the game is incredible, Sony wanted a game that would show off the new power the PS4 has at its disposal and who better than Guerilla to be able to craft a visuall masterpiece. Everywhere you look from the bright open cities to the industrial complexes the game is a joy to watch.
The approach to level design is the best thing about Shadow Fall, while still linear overall it does a very good job of offering choice to the player on how to approach objectives.
A very solid but not amazing single player campaign is surpassed by the brilliant multiplayer mode. The ever popular Warzones return, these effectively allow you to create you own game modes. You can choose the parameters for the maps, weapons, health regen, basically you make the game mode you want to play. This allows for great community integration and Guerilla have promised to look at the most popular community Warzones to possibly be included in the game full time.
This will take some time to get into fully but like all Killzone titles the multiplayer is where it will live on and its loyal fans will ensure it lives on for quite some time yet.
Overall: Perhaps not the blockbuster both Sony and Guerilla had hoped for but a very solid launch title none the less. It faces stiff competition from COD and Battlefield for the FPS share of the market but brings something neither of those two do.
Score 4/5
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