The demo introduced a couple of new game mechanics and also showed-off how the game is more non-linear in terms of gameplay choices. The forest level was gorgeous, plenty of trees, military bases and of course Helghast to kill. The playable demo that was at E3 let players take part in a jungle/forest level. This is a first-generation title for the PlayStation 4, and it looks amazing, so it’s quite scary to think or even imagine what later-generation games will look like after developers have truly mastered and harnessed the power of the PlayStation 4. The only unfortunate thing is that the game will not be running at 60 FPS, but instead Guerrilla Games has told me they will try to get it locked at 30 FPS. When I first saw the game reveal demonstration my jaw hit the floor due to the epic scale that the game manages to pull off, beautiful visual art-style and gorgeous particle effects such as explosions and bullets flying everywhere. I have to say that Killzone: Shadow Fall is undoubtedly the prettiest game on the PlayStation 4 along with Infamous: Second Son. Even though Killzone: Shadow Fall has changed its art-style completely the game still looks and feels as a Killzone title, which is a good thing.
Also, what’s nice about the visual presentation is that the developers have decided to move away from the dark and gray color pallet that Killzone 2 and KIllzone 3 carried and instead they introduced more vibrant and colorful universe. Killzone: Shadow Fall has a very distinct style, right away you can tell that the game has its own look and feel to it. It’s an interesting vision and definitely gives the game’s a unique world of its own. Since the game is set 30 years in the future Killzone: Shadow Fall presents itself in a totally new different way by introducing futurstic sky scrappers and floating buildings scattered across the planet. Two major factions are divided by a wall in a middle, however, a war breaks out between the Helghast and the people of Vekta, and this is where the story starts to take place. The game is set 30 years in the future after the events Killzone 3. So how does Killzone: Shadow Fall feel and play, as opposed to it’s previous predecessors? Let’s find out.
However, the series biggest issue is the linear pace and gameplay of the campaign that dragged the fun into the boring zone. The Killzone franchise was always well-known for it’s visual fidelity and addicting multiplayer ever since the release of the Killzone 2 and 3 on PlayStation 3 a few years back.
And this is where Killzone Shadow begins to show its problems.Killzone: Shadow Fall was first unveiled at the PlayStation 4 reveal back in February. The puzzles throughout the game generally have you picking up an object and placing it into a slot to unlock doors or open new areas to explore. Once you get past those first two chapters though, the game begins to actually tighten up in gameplay and so it is very much worth getting through it. We found ourselves stumbling about trying to find non-existent checkpoints and there is some back tracking to be had as well, which is something that Killzone has not been known for in the past. Killzone: Shadow Fall is a game that clearly prides itself on wide open areas for combat, but in the early game, this is actually detrimental to the experience, with the game failing to in many cases tell you exactly where to go next. The game is set over nine chapters of varying length, but one of the most puzzling things about the game is that the first two missions are some of the poorest in the game and some of the most frustrating.
If you have played a Killzone game in the past, all you are really gaining by moving to the PS4 system and this game is increased visual fidelity, but considering that Killzone has in many cases always been a showcase for the power of the systems on offer, this is of no surprise. As you would expect, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a first person shooter with a few puzzle elements thrown in to mix up the gameplay.