If you thought the battle lines were clear, you’ve not seen the whole story. Developed by Guerilla Games Cambridge, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Killzone: Mercenary for PlayStation Vita—a new first-person shooter in the acclaimed Killzone series—throws players into a deadly firefight as part of a ruthless Mercenary faction, one taking on paid contracts from not only the dangerous ISA but the vicious Helghast as well.
As the first handheld entry in the series to retain the console titles’ first-person shooter gameplay, Mercenary promises to combine an epic single-player campaign with a substantial multiplayer offering. In Killzone: Mercenary, there is no good. There is no evil. There is only the mission... And the money.
Spanning key events of the Killzone trilogy, Killzone: Mercenary explores themes of greed, revenge and conscience against the epic canvas of full-scale military invasion. It’s the story of a young boy torn between two factions desperate for victory at any cost.
Story
Arran Danner, veteran UCA soldier now a mercenary-for-hire, helps deliver a crucial blow to the Helghast in the liberation of Vekta and is hired once again to spearhead the ISA counter-attack against Helghan.
But a seemingly routine mission to evacuate the Vektan Ambassador and his family from Pyrrhus leaves Danner in the middle of a deadly power struggle for the life of the Ambassador’s young son.
As the invasion unfolds, it becomes clear that the boy’s fate could change the course of the war and both sides will do whatever it takes to get hold of him, forcing Danner to question whether the price of victory can sometimes be too high, no matter how big the pay check.
Key Messages
A console-style Killzone campaign in a portable package: Comprised of 9 single-player missions—each nearly an hour in length and playable on one of three difficulty settings—Killzone: Mercenary delivers on the power and promise of PS Vita as the optimal handheld platform for first-person shooters.
Breathtaking technical and visual showcase: Built on the same impressive engine technology as Killzone 3 for PlayStation®3, Mercenary conveys the series’ instantly recognizable, dark futuristic visual style using an assortment of stunning effects.
Full-fledged Multiplayer Suite: Designed to provide a fast-paced experience across a wealth of compelling modes— Mercenary Warfare, Guerilla Warfare, and Warzone—Mercenary delivers a substantial multiplayer package.
Enhanced Player Customization: Cash earned during the single-player campaign or ranked online matches can be spent on new guns and equipment which are available for use in all modes. These hard-earned advantages incentivize play and allow for a wide range of load-out customization.
PlayStation®Vita Key Features
Tilt: Gyro aiming for all weapons (optional)
Front touch screen: Brutal melee, interrogations, swap weapons, equip Grenade, VAN-Guard deployment, hacking interface
Rear touch pad: Adjust zoom level of sniper scopes, tap and hold to initiate sprint (optional)
Microphone: Multiplayer voice chat (through Party app)
Q&A
Q. How long has it been in development?
A. We started quite a while ago with a relatively narrow team utilizing the KZ3 engine and all tools associated to the Vita. Once that was done, we ramped up and started fully developing Killzone: Mercenary. The timeframes are similar to the previous Killzone titles.
Q. How big is the team working on KZM?
A. The core team in Cambridge is about 60 people, and we have some people in Amsterdam leveraging the existing knowledge of the Killzone franchise and the technology behind it.
Q. Will there be a special edition? What are plans for DLC?
A. There are no plans at this time.
Q. Will there be a multiplayer Public Beta?
A. Yes, more details following at a later date.
Q. Which of the Vita’s unique features does KZM use?
A. Most importantly the twin sticks for shooter controls, and its processing power to produce console- quality visuals. Secondary are touch controls for brutal melee and various actions like swapping weapons, changing zoom level of your radar, etc., and tilt for precise sniper aim.
Q. What is Mercenary about?
A. You play as a mercenary, a new faction in the Killzone universe. Every action earns you money, the more skilled you play the more money you earn. You have a single bank account so anything you earn/buy in SP you have in MP and vice versa. You can spend your money at an arms dealer called blackjack on weapons and gear and fully customize your player character to match your play style. Every encounter in the game supports the way you prefer to play; guns blazing or stealth. We have adjusted the AI to respond and behave intelligently. Also what is cool about not belonging to the ISA or HGH is that we will have you play on BOTH sides.
Q. What can you tells us more about the art?
A. The entire art team was really excited about having a handheld platform that could show off the KZ3 engine to its full extent. We wouldn’t have to make any sacrifices to get to the quality our artists want to work to. At the same time it was very nice to be able to return to some of the locations of the previous games in the franchise. Some of those we’re from the days of the PlayStation 2 and the PSP, now we could finally make those how we always imagined them without having to tone down our vision because of limitations in the hardware.
Q. How many missions and how long to complete?
A. Killzone: Mercenary features 9 single player missions, each takes 30 to 60 minutes to complete (varies by player skill), so about 6 to 9 hours for a straight play-through of the game.
Q. Are there different difficulty settings?
A. Each mission is playable on 3 different difficulty settings, with increasing difficulty offering a greater financial reward for completion of the mission.
Q. What about replayability?
A. On completion of the initial play-through of a given mission, 3 mission challenge modes become unlocked. The mission challenge modes add an additional layer of objectives for the player to complete when they replay the mission, encouraging different play styles.
Q. Does Mercenary have multiplayer?
A. The multiplayer experience has been designed to provide a fast paced experience with maps tailored for eight players. Killzone Mercenary will provide the player with a diverse range of weapons, grenades, armour, and special VAN-Guard devices with which the player can customize their multiplayer load-out slots. This customization supports the tactical element of the game; will you armor yourself up and go in like a tank, or take a more precise approach and assassinate enemies stealthily?
As with the single player experience the special VAN-Guard weapons charge as you earn money, in multiplayer we add to this through the deployment of supply capsules. These devices are fired into the environment with a fully charged VAN-Guard weapon, if you can get to it before anyone else it can be a game changer. The supply pods therefore become dynamic hotspots on the map keeping the action moving.
Every day we track the rate at which players are earning money, in turn we award everyone in the community with a rank which we present as a valor card. The valor card plays a key role in multiplayer where players drop their card upon their death. Dropped valor cards can be collected, earning the player money and adding the card to the player’s collection. If you can complete a suit or the whole deck, then major rewards are given.
