"One Piece of Metal for Everyone" - Review of Red Faction Armageddon
If you live on Mars, be sure that one fine day everything will go to hell. There will be a company of archaeologists with deep pockets, a cool loner, and an ancient temple that one must not enter under any circumstances. The consequences are quite predictable: an ancient evil will emerge, represented by the planet's native inhabitants, who will mercilessly sow chaos and panic among humanity. What more could you want for the setup of a good Hollywood action movie?
In general, Red Faction Armageddon should not be compared to the previous installment of the series – Guerrilla. If you enjoyed the adventures of Alec and the “Red Brigade” back in the day, then “Armageddon” might evoke completely different feelings and emotions. I've already read many comments about the game's linearity, corridor-like structure, and confusion. So let's try to accept Armageddon for what it is, somewhat forgetting the third installment of Red Faction.
Everywhere
After all, Armageddon is primarily a pure action game. To prove this fact, let's go through the main genre points: a brutal main character with the appearance of a “tough nut” - check; a blue-eyed fighter-girl who knows the basics of firearm shooting - check; a cruel villain with charismatic looks - check; a black sidekick - check; a raging boss whom we can punch in the nose - check; a horde of hellish creatures charging from all sides - check; giant walking robots that disregard aesthetics and morality - of course; ponderous philosophical speeches by characters - absent. Don't expect unexpected plot twists in the new Red Faction script: the storyline is strictly linear, and its chapters are quite predictable. Although there are a couple of interesting moments in the story.
The face of Mason’s girlfriend turned out to be a little too cute. Girls like that don’t live on Mars
Nevertheless, what happens does not seem completely absurd and nonsensical: it is quite logical that Darius Mason (the unfortunate protagonist, grandson of hero Alec from Guerrilla) just wanted to make some money, and the circumstances aligned in such a way that his clever actions led to something wrong. And all this running around “fix the water pumps”-“collect batteries” – is just an ordinary attempt to justify himself before the citizens of Mars (this is a response to gamers' cries “why is such a cool guy tackling such lowly problems”).
It's no secret that the Mason family has accumulated a ton of enemies during their long time on the planet. It should not be surprising that this time, routine workdays did not go smoothly. Moreover, the diameter of the arising problems has multiplied several times, as we now deal with an entirely atypical adversary for Red Faction. Adam Hale, a character with a quite striking appearance, decides to bring Mars under his control, loudly and confidently proclaiming that the true masters of the planet have arrived. Realizing that he can't achieve anything positive with his cultists, Hale seizes the “Terraformer” - a device that regulates the climate on Mars. The outcome is already well-known – now the surface of the “red planet” is uninhabitable, which forced people to move into the underground, building a vast system of tunnels.
Now we will have a blast since there's metal galore here
From All Corners
But the main problem facing humanity is an army of monsters, insects that had been in a deep slumber until Mason's actions disturbed them. However, the protagonist's interference with their peaceful lives forced the creatures to wake up and come out to hunt. If they were exclusively herbivorous, it would be alright, but nature has made sure of that: there is no vegetation on Mars, so please feed on some meat.
Thus, people found themselves in a trap: the already cramped tunnel corridors are filled with swarms of bugs of various sizes and masses. Darius has no choice – as a descendant of true heroes, he must put an end to chaos and disorder. The journey will take us to various places, including the long-awaited surface of Mars.
With the change of location comes a change in gameplay – now it has become not only more dynamic but sometimes monotonous. In some locations, metal objects are missing, which dealt a serious blow to the use of the magnetic gun. And, by the way, it is what makes Armageddon stand out from its competitors. One shot from it is aimed at a hefty piece of metal, the next at an annoying bug, for example. In the end, a building/beam/other will crush the opponent, and you, without batting an eye, will preserve the valuable ammunition for other weapons. Which, by the way, accumulates sufficiently.
An action movie – it is still an action movie, no matter where you are. A scene in the style of John Woo
The single-player mode carries itself precisely due to the variety of available weapons for the player, which cannot be overlooked. The most basic weapon – an assault rifle, shotgun, and a couple of pistols. It’s far more interesting to send opponents to the afterlife using the singularity gun (which creates a temporary black hole), the already mentioned magnetic gun, the bolter (a sniper rifle with a biometric sensor to help locate enemies), grenade launcher and other creations of the human mind. Darius can carry four pieces of weaponry with him, not counting the abilities available to him. The inherited Nano Forge helps restore the structural integrity of the level after a good tussle. A bridge collapsed? A ladder broke? No problem, just activate the “nano-forge,” which will restore the object to its original state in a few seconds. The Nano Forge, by the way, can work at large distances. Just press the corresponding button to launch a “repair grenade” into play.
Often Mason senses the closeness of impending troubles
Moreover, we will also get to upgrade the protagonist, enhancing his various attributes (accuracy, health, etc.), or studying special abilities that work on the energy of the “nano-forge.” Force push, temporal shield, tossing the enemy into the air and more – all these skills will occasionally save our lives. There are still plenty of bugs, and we are alone.
Speaking of bugs. It would have been inappropriate for the developers to toss just a couple of types of these monsters into the tunnels, hence there are at least nine types of creatures. The weakest among them – slugs - are small but very mobile and fast. You can easily lose sight of them once, only to find the slug company swarming right behind you. Devourers are annoying as they jump from place to place and spit some acidic goo. Gigantic organic beings like monoliths not only grant additional health to nearby bugs but also throw dangerous liquid blobs at uninvited guests. However, the most trouble for Darius comes from the beasts – large armored monsters who are dangerous both at range and in close quarters. The key upon encountering this type is to keep your distance, lobbing grenades, firing rockets, and throwing metal at their feet.
Looks a bit like Doom 3, doesn’t it?
Let's Turn Up the Heat Together
The multiplayer mode of Red Faction Armageddon could easily have met the fate of its sibling from Dead Space 2, that is, become abandoned just an hour or two into gameplay. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the potential of “Infection.” This whole campaign with a barely noticeable glimpse of a story is merely preparation for the online game, as all the “single-player” upgrades will be carefully transferred to cooperative mode. The task in “Infection” is simple and banal – survive at any cost. Four players (that’s the maximum) are thrown onto a selected location, where they must withstand dozens of waves of creature attacks. Naturally, the first waves will be repelled by any team. So if Armageddon's multiplayer seems incredibly boring to you – don’t despair. Reach the tenth wave, and that’s where the real challenges begin.
In the lobby, it is allowed to choose the difficulty of the upcoming match, purchase available upgrades, and change the “dog tag” of your in-game ego. Before the game starts, we select weapons from the given list, after which we begin, in fact, to survive. Gradually, new armaments will unlock, not least of which are flame throwers and laser pistols. The magnetic gun will come in handy in case of running out of ammo with plenty of enemies around. But one of its primary functions is to knock down large monsters, like the beasts. The Nano Forge is tasked to swiftly restore invaluable cover. Ammo will be strewn across locations, however, be sure that ammo almost always falls short. And this is precisely why in “Infection,” playing with friends is essential: in Armageddon, cooperation and interaction among team members are vital.
A team of brave souls ready for survival
It’s hard to overestimate the usefulness of a flamethrower
Soaring Impressions
Red Faction Armageddon is a very ambiguous game. The single-player mode does not win against its competitors absolutely anything, offering us a banal plot. Technologically, the project is good only in physics, facial animations, and lighting. Let’s not forget the level textures are shrouded in pitch darkness. The gameplay is, to be honest, monotonous. Throughout the seven hours (!) of gameplay, all we do is shoot off the limbs of carnivorous bugs. The soundtrack also does not reach the level of AA (although atmospheric motifs occasionally appear in the music). It would be fine if all this madness could be captivated by vibrant characters and their dialogues among themselves, but here too we find little to cheer about: conversations between Mason and S.A.M. (Situational Assessment Module) will infrequently bring a smile to the player's face. So what’s the outcome; a regular passable game? Not at all, my friends. The matter lies in its charm. Some will be immediately put off by Armageddon, while others will be lured into completing it until the end. I have already written two paragraphs of praise about the multiplayer, but I am ready to write more and more. If you are a fan of teamwork, communication, and dynamic events, then the new Red Faction is undoubtedly your choice. This is how I believe I have confused many readers of this review. Should you buy the game or not? Think for yourselves. Or wait for reviews from other Gamer.ru authors, *whispers* who will indeed appear in the feed.
P.S.: the destruction mode did not merit my attention in the text, so I will amend that in the postscript. Its essence is this: within a limited time, you need to destroy a selected level, earning as many points as possible. Each map comes with its own leaderboard, which updates daily. The full potential of heavy weaponry finds its application precisely in “destruction.”
7.7