The vistas are beautiful. |
The larger set pieces can become quite hectic. |
It poses the kinds of questions the industry usually shies away from, provokes thoughts and possibilities in the player without coming down on one side or the other. It doesn't dictate a political agenda or force any one opinion down your throat but exposes the main character to a number of individuals, each with their own very different takes on important, moralistic decisions, and leaves it up to the player to then process those and reason them out. By far and away it's one of the most mature demonstrations of storytelling we've had in this industry. We're not talking about just sticking a decision prompt on screen and asking the player to choose from two difficult choices, but instead different players taking away very different emotional responses from the same series of events. Had it been in book form it's the kind of story you would write essays about in school and it makes for great repeated viewing as the multi-layered elements work on numerous levels.
The storyline doesn't pull any punches, but neither is it exploitative. Just an honest introspection into man's baser natures. |
Managing exposure to fire from different heights is essential to survival. |
Sand also plays a dynamic role in the game with sandstorms sweeping in mid-combat and reducing visibility to just a couple of metres. The result is fairly dramatic but is used sparingly throughout the campaign and is not really a factor in any of the larger battles described above. There are also sections where the sand poses an environmental hazard and the player can use it to trigger avalanches that kill groups of enemies. This is sadly hardly utilised and is never used as an obstacle for the player, making for a somewhat disappointingly plain element that is far too limited and scripted in its execution.
You can give rudimentary targeting commands to your teammates but the team orders end there. |
Admittedly there is a levelling system in place, with better perks available later on, but the initial weaponry is sufficient in strength to ensure new players stand a fair chance and the end result is a game far more about utilising the level layouts and flanking mechanics effectively than it is about gun superiority. Thanks to the wide variety of routes, large amount of cover placement and high element of verticality some quite complex, detailed layouts have been fitted into a relatively small space. The sandstorms can also really turn things on their head mid-battle forcing a sudden change in tactics and making for a very tense few moments, leaving a completely different dispersal after they've hit. It's refreshing to see such a return to tightly designed, multi-layered combat and all the more surprising that it's come from a title viewed via the third person and one with a cover system to boot. This is thanks to the fact that the cover layouts have been carefully designed not to over dominate and to have their weakpoints. The multiplayer mode is a heavily tactics orientated affair with fast adaptation, and tense team based gameplay.
It's an emotional journey, but sensitively handled, and an essential experience for any shooter fan. |
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Score: 9/10