Killzone: Shadow Fall is a beautiful game.
It’s apparent even in the first few seconds of the prologue, as torrential rain hammers against the walls of your high-rise before its ambient lighting is accosted only by the neon orange lens flare of an approaching Hellghast trooper. Everything looks refined. Everything looks pure and untarnished.
As the game opens up and the expanses ahead of you change and vary from heavily cultivated forests to darkened, daunting spacecraft holds, Shadow Fall really comes into its own as the most aesthetically pleasing game of the Playstation 4’s release. And so it should be, after all, this is the poster child for the PS4’s early days, and this is the game that will draw many of the comparisons when this fresh console generation comes to a slow and steady halt in just under a decade.
Shadow Fall was even bundled in with the console itself, going as far as to warrant its own stylized packaging, such is the faith that Sony put in Guerilla Games' FPS to drive home the power of the PS4 and become the front runner for its early assault on the console market.
It was a clever move on the part of Sony. After all, what’s more likely to create a lasting impression on a consumer than near-perfect graphical presentation that shows just how much games have been improved in one single leap forward. And for that purpose, Shadow Fall has its place, but where in amongst the swathes of similarly improving shooters does this game fit? Well, therein lies a problem.
The plot of Killzone: Shadow Fall revolves around ‘The Wall’, a superstructure that has been erected for the sole purpose of keeping the Vektan’s and Hellghast from spilling over into each other’s turf. And, as well as its significance in regards to the plot, The Wall is also a perfect visual metaphor for the awkward marriage of graphical fidelity and FPS association that Shadow Fall struggles to overcome.
In essence, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a game that strives to be the go-to shooter of its kind, and yet its appeal rarely extends beyond it being a notably good looking one.
Returning to the plot, and the world of Vekta is now at risk after its leaders allowed their defeated enemies to colonise half of the planet in the hope that it would end the threat of war between the two factions. This, of course, was a mistake. Taking control of a Shadow Marshall who’s early life saw him forcibly removed from his home by the Hellghast, your story is centred around missions on both sides of The Wall as you try to keep the peace as best you can and avoid another planet-shattering war.
Missions are varied enough, but never really extend beyond the norm for an FPS. You’ll be briefed at HQ in suitably technological fashion, before the game abruptly cuts to the mission start without taking a breath. In this sense, the pacing of Shadow Fall feels more like selecting different scenes on a DVD menu rather than being a part of a slowly unraveling story.
In one mission, your objective is to attach C4 to an anti-aircraft gun, whilst in another you have to search a seemingly abandoned ship floating in orbit. Neither the presentation of these missions nor their application is anything you haven’t seen before, but, as is the growing trend in the genre, you do have a decent amount of leeway to go about your business and approach the task from all manner of directions. And aiding you in doing so is your resident drone sidekick, the Owl.
With four distinct settings that each allow for a different action, the Owl can attack enemies, stun enemies, shield you, hack terminals and allow you to rappel down steep inclines. This is a game where you’re regularly outnumbered, and being a Shadow Marshall is all about working alone, but thankfully the Owl helps deflect some of that soul-crushing loneliness suffered by many an FPS protagonist. Its usefulness when deployed in combat is rarely in doubt, but in some cases it seems like you need to be in the perfect circumstance in order to utilize it. You may want it to attack, only to be just out of range, or you may want to rappel and find yourself unable to do so despite being on an incline, and after time, this begins to become a little bit infuriating. Its whirs and beeps are comforting though, and in many missions where the enemy assault just didn’t seem to want to relent, the Owl picked me up by the shoulder and eased me forward. Not literally of course, but maybe an Owl with arms is will find its way into the next Killzone title.
Yes, traversing tundra with the Owl bobbing buoyantly overhead is comforting, and you’d think that being able to direct its attack, when combined with hitting the first blow would be enough to give you the advantage in battle, but even on easier difficulty this simply isn’t the case.
The enemies of Shadow Fall, and there are a lot of them, tend to direct their attack in one of two ways; extremely close quarters or completely out of range. For the latter, Snipers do their duty at the best of times, but it almost always seems like you’re never rightly equipped to deal with them. Instead, you’re forced to run around the edge of the battlefield and weave in between their dancing laser sights, hoping not to get struck and killed from afar. For the majority of the time though, your enemies will be in touching distance, and due to a distinct oversight in their pathing, skirmishes tend to always pan out the same way. Once you’ve tripped an alarm, enemies will funnel directly towards you in droves, shooting as they come and even endeavouring to get close enough to melee you to death. This is the kind of AI behaviour that was prevalent in games a decade ago, and it certainly isn’t befitting of this games ambition.
But, as I mentioned previously, this is a game that prides itself on its looks first and foremost, and if you’re willing to overlook the flaws in storytelling and certain gameplay incongruities, then sticking along for the ride may very well be worthwhile.
Graphically, Shadow Fall is pristine and stunning, but what’s just as impressive is the design.
When you’re on the Vektan side of the wall, you really feel like you’re a part of a utopian society. Buildings range from clear to white, amber and blue hues illuminate the skyline and the technology on show from the aircraft to the digital signage all paints Vekta as the perfect, graceful marvel of a city that it strives to be. Conversely, New Helghan is dark and unforgiving place that is so different to Vekta, it seems a world apart rather than just a wall apart. Slathered in liquid black and orange highlights, dwarfed by jagged buildings, razor-sharp angles and gothic architecture, New Helghan really is a Helghast home away from home, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this side of the wall is where the bad guys reside.
This is a design ethos that extends all of the way to multiplayer too, as arenas ranging from rooftops, to trenches, to derelict, charred war-zones all have a distinct feel and character about them. Each map also tends to bring a different staple of FPS multiplayer to the table too. Narrow choke points, long sight lines and defensible positions are all represented in a collection of colourful, neatly conceived maps that go towards broadening the appeal of the game beyond that of a less than memorable campaign.
The format of Shadow Fall multiplayer is that of your standard FPS class-based style. Slickly designed menus mean that selecting a game-mode to launch or viewing your lifetime stats is as easy as the push of a shoulder button, whilst anybody in your chat-party will instantly join your game alongside you for a superbly streamlined experience.
Rarely dropping from 60 frames per second, gun-play is smooth and unhindered whilst the graphical superiority of the single-player campaign also translates well. A constant flow of challenges and unlocks keep things interesting, whilst a varied set of weapons all available to you at the start of your multiplayer career means that you can instantly begin chopping and changing your class load-outs to best suit your style. Gadgetry from the single-player also makes it through too, as one-way shields and radar pulses keep the action flowing without it ever seeming like a directionless series of minor conflicts like was the problem in some of the latter Call of Duty titles. With only 22 unique weapons and three types of player class though, there may not be enough depth to tide you over for as long as you would have hoped.
At its best addictive and rewarding, Shadow Fall multiplayer is solid and wholly playable, but even here it’s evident that the game is battling with its need for establishing itself in its own niche. There’s no open-scale warfare like Battlefield, no vehicular combat like Halo and even no VR visor like Blacklight, so where exactly does Shadow Fall take its place on the FPS mantle? It may be a fairly competent shooter in its own right, but it’s one that doesn’t seem to have enough confidence in itself to mount a serious challenge alongside some of the other shooters that will grace the Playstation 4 over the next few years.
And as in life, you’ll find it hard just trying to get by on your looks.
It's been 10 years since Killzone: Shadow Fall arrived for PlayStation 4 early adopters, and there's no sign of another sequel.
Sadly it was dumped by Guerrilla to focus on Horizon games only. Mainline, VR and Multiplayer.
lmao sadly? Are you pretending to have actually played the series lol Sorry bud, no Killzone on Xbox.
They brought out 4 main games and 2 spin offs: one on PSP and one on Vita. That's a decent run for any series. I also understand that Shadow Fall wasn't a success commercially despite it coming out at PS4 launch, and as a big Killzone fan even I couldn't get into it, so I think Sony/Guerrilla could see it was time to move on.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love another Killzone game in the vein of KZ2 but it's just not happening. Hell, I'd even take a remake or remaster of the first 3 games.
I'd hardly say it was "dumped" though, it spanned 3 console generations and 2 handheld generations.
@obscured:”Sadly it was dumped by Guerrilla to focus on Horizon games only. Mainline, VR and Multiplayer”
Happily it was dumped by Guerrilla to focus on Horizon games only. Mainline, VR and Multiplayer( edited to reflect the writer true feelings and allegiance)
Kill zone was a FPS far ahead of its glitched competitors with nauseating bad camera angles, 10 years old screaming curses like a drunk sailor and bot aiming assist.
“Sadly”?
The Horizon games were among the best games of all time. Killzone Shadowfail wasn’t.
True, but damn the memories of KZ2 multiplayer. Still no MP as fun as that to this date.
And Sony as a whole dumped the FPS genre so they wouldn't have products competing with COD and (until purchase) Destiny.
I loved the KZ2+3 campaigns and MP in 2. There could be so much more done with the franchise. Horizon although good, I wish they'd go back to this wonderful IP. Take a break from Horizon please.
Agreed dude, I would absolutely love a reboot of the series, one can only hope that either resistance or killzone makes a return.
Have nothing but great memories, especially of the first 3 games, but all 4 were show stoppers graphically.
To making it a successful reboot they have to change that buttons layout! Make it playable like the cod button layout. Otherwise I’ll skipping it again.
And that's the reason why many fps games failed. Instead of being original and catering to it's fans, they tried to make it like cod. No, kz doesn't need cod button layout. It needs to be like it was on kz2 or balanced liked kz3.
I think Kill Zone would do great in Sony's LS push. As well as MAG reboot and bring back Resistance into LS.
Killzone games were so polished. The gameplay was just simple joy. MP was one of the best experiences.
I remember KZ3, just staring at how awesome they animated the water and then getting wasted because of it.
The Amsterdam-based studio reflects on its humble beginnings, beloved franchises, and growth through the years.
Up there with the top tier in the industry. Love Guerrilla Games - Horizon Burning Shores is simply STUNNING.
Same. They nailed it with Horizon. The trouble is I also want a new Killzone! Can't I just have it all?!
I have yet to play Burning Shores as I just started Forbidden West (bought at launch, just unwrapped last weekend LOL) and playing on PS5.
man...I still can't believe the graphics especially now I'm playing it on my LG OLED. that graphics and with stable performance backing it up, GG really is the master of their craft!
32.7M sales in the Horizon franchise! With 8.4M coming from Forbidden West alone! Truly a hugely successful game and franchise as a whole. Looking forward to Horizon III
One year after realease HZD sold 7.6 million.
https://www.noobfeed.com/ne...
So not a drop off.
Unless you're saying a HFW should have sold as much now as HZD sold in 5 years?
It's been 3 games, this includes Call of the Mountain. Also no, its a great improvement over HZD.
lol you are comparing:
HZD: 28 February 2017 - May 2023 (6 years+)
HFW: 18 February 2022 - May 2023 (1 year+)
We will see if it surpass original number.
@shane, 2 full main games, 2 DLC add ons, 1 VR spin off game, oh and a an official LEGO set.
Not too bad for an ip that's only been on market for 6 years
Wow, very impressive. I didn't know the numbers were so high for Forbidden West. Still playing through it myself
Yooo, when I first saw that Killzone 1 footage at E3, my friends my brothers and I were like, Holy shit! When it came out, it didn't look exactly like it, but we sunk so many hours into 1 & 2.
I even liked Killzone: SF, it was a spectacle to look at, and even today it looks good. I hope they make a new one. Can you imagine how that will look, and they can get some modern FPS pointers from Bungie.
Such a wonderful studio. They deserve all their success.
The Decima Engine is absolute 🔥 I'm just mad they have abandoned Killzone.
They are probably working on mutiple projects. One of them is Horizon 3, but another is a multiplaer game and probably somehting else.
In August, online servers for several PlayStation games will shut down, leaving their multiplayer functions unplayable.
whrere on earth is the next killzone, im soooOOO thirsty for some proper weighted, (but still fast when running/sprinting) fps gamplay, it felt sooso so good on ps3, with that, lets be honest, very small, quite uncomfortable sixaxis dualshock controller, that was just too small for western sized hands, ok for japanese kids i suppose was the point>??
now with PS5 controller, it would be totally masterfull.
I hear you. I want some NEW Killzone, especially on PS5, with the PS5 DualSense controller with that ever so impressive DualSense of an experience Haptic feedback!
Knowing how far Guerrilla has come since Horizon: Zero Dawn, Killzone can only benefit greatly from their ever growing talent!!
I think Sony has given up on their exclusive shooters. They haven't released a remaster for the Resistance series or a new SOCOM game either. I don't think Guerilla is in a rush to make Killzone since they have Horizon now too :(.
All I want is for them to build Killzone 2 with multiplayer included from the ground up, keep the gameplay the same, and I'll be happy.
GG with KZ3 and Shafowfall haven't been able to match KZ2 so I don't really have faith in another sequel.
Unfortunate that KZ2 came out during COD era where every game that didn't pay like Modern Warfare was deemed garbage. KZ2's multiplayer is definitely an all time great.
I'd love KZ2 multiplayer again. I also think they could easily incorporate a mode to compete with Battlefield style game modes
KZ2 was one of maybe a handful of games I actually put time into online. What a blast!! And the campaign was excellent as well. I certainly miss that dark world. Still ashamed I never buttoned up that Platinum.
A remake of Killzone 2 with the same grittiness and feel on PS5 would be f*cking incredible. The SP and MP were just perfect. I played the sh*t out of that game. Would happily pay a lot of money for that.
Honestly, I don't like FPS games. They're not for me, but I do agree that there was something about KZ2 multiplayer that even someone like me enjoyed.
Sony really needs to get better about tearing down servers. I don't like that they shut them down.
@Michiel1989
"since when was kz2 deemed garbage?"
As with anything, things don't get the appreciation it deserves until way after it's release.
KZ2 got a lot of flak for it's weighty controls that many mistook for input lag. People didn't like that it wasn't a twitch shooter like CoD. You also had people saying things like "it feels like you're controlling a midget", "enemies take too long to die" (you can't pray and spray in kz2. You have to shoot in bursts for your shots to be more accurate), people complained about the sniping, etc.
This led to a lot of changes in KZ3 that turned the vets off like reducing the amount of variables for bullet damage, getting rid of spawn grenades, etc.
@DarXyde
I don't think there's much Sony or any other company in that position can do much different about it... Keeping servers running simply cost money, these gomes don't generate none anymore, so eventually they need to pull the plug.
KZ2 was definitely better then KZ3, but the third one still had strong suits. It’s been many years but I remember something about Shadow Fall being made by a team at GG that did NOT do KZ2 and KZ3 multiplayer which is why it felt different. I remember when I found that out it made a lot of sense about Shadow Falls multiplayer feeling so off.
Horizon zero dawn sold more copies than all of the killzone franchise combined including spin offs on handheld. I guess that's the reason why won't see killzone from guerilla soon. There is at least one more mainline horizon coming out and their second team is working on horizon VR I believe. So it's gonna be a while unless another studio takes over.
I've been playing a lot of Killzone 2 on rpcs3 with a duelsense combined with the ability to remap controls to a modern standard and bump the game to 60fps it shows that we really need a remaster to probably the best killzone game to date although shadowfall technically beats it in the graphics department art style was so different that they are incomparable
Killzone went to the same place as Socom and Mag, more money in 25 hour single player games with no servers to maintain. Socom was literally the reason I bought a PS2, Resistance FOM the reason I bought a PS3, all gone now.
Killzone has never been weighted correctly, the jumping never worked.
A new properly-weighted shooter in the Killzone series would be great. More like Killzone 1 and 2 than SF.
I think the issue comes from the fact that the Helghast side is sympathetic while looking like Nazi stormtroopers. The Trump age has led artists to avoid this look entirely.
The sixaxis felt fine in my hands since they're small, but the ps5 really made me feel the difference. So ergonomic.
Killzone 2 was/is so good and it still looks good today. The multiplayer was fun as well. If they make a new Killzone I hope it is the style of Killzone 2.
I wish Sony didn’t abandon Resistance and Killzone. Those are some of my favorite series on PlayStation. If they’re not gonna make anymore, then maybe a remastered collection of each could be negotiated.
KILLZONE 2 was my reason for buying a PS3. If a new KILLZONE or RESISTANCE was coming out in 22 I would try to buy a PS5 immediately.
SSOD2 would be big for Sony. The only reason they would be interested in it is if they can turn it into a live service game.
In which I can see that happening.
For anyone trying to understand @Lightning77’s comment, they had a typo, this should clarify:
SOD2
Superoxide dismutase 2, mitochondrial, also known as manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase, is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the SOD2 gene on chromosome 6.
After 5 killzone games including portable Sony felt it needed a break I wouldn't say its abandoned however I believe we may randomly get a ps5 remaster with improved lighting to test the waters and eventually a full blown new game after all you can't just leave shadowfall on that ending
Horizon is priority now its a mega franchise for them maybe after Horizon they might revisit.
I refuse to play for online play but there is one game that would make pay for it and that's Resistance Fall of Man. That's the only game that would make me throw my principles out of the window without feeling ashamed of myself.
Remember in the mid 2000’s when nearly every developer started to do FPS or linear third person? Now nearly every developer wants to do open world exclusively because it’s the easiest type of game to leave things out and then expand upon the world with DLC.
So many fond memories of both Shadowfall and Mercenaries Vita online! Shadowfall's SP may have been weak, but the MP was still a ton of fun. I had a lot of time in both, and it's especially tough seeing the Vita's best mp experience get shut down.
RIP my old friends.
In my opinion, I thought the single player games was really decent too and was treated quite harshly by the critics, but then, I think the Killzone franchise as a whole was kinda under rated by the critics. I always enjoyed the story in these games and I liked the slower, more deliberate gunplay too.
I remember getting my PS4 on day 1 and the first game I installed was Killzone Shadowfall, my workmates and I would play it for hours on end, the mode whish switched between game modes was brilliant.
Agreed, was quite underwhelmed with it, even the graphics didn't look that good to me.
Killzone 2 had a much bigger impact.
The review is good, but I can't disagree more with your score. I know, your "scale" is more like : 6 = sufficient, but without the scores your review sound more like: go buy this game!
It's a matter of perception and in these days, a 6 is a terrible score!
I mean, if I will got a 6 as score in a test I would be *really* disappointed!
So, like a real life, a game to be considered "good" need at least a 7 and your review sound more than a 7 for this game!
Anyway, good review!
I'm sorry but if you say the graphics are top notch and best so far it should get a ten imo, of course to each person their own reviewing style.
I have never really liked any of the killzone games, even the first one had me so excited for awesome things on ps2, and just made me feel like I wasted my money.
Killzone 2 has super fun online, but the campaign was AWFUL just like killzone 1. 3 tried too many un-needed gimmicks, but kept some decent multi-player, and 4 looks VERY beautiful, but it's campaign makes any of the crysis games look like a godsend, and the crysis series of games doesn't really have that great of plot-lines, but take your pick of any one of the killzone titles, and guaranteed, you'll find it's lack of value/lasting importance is even more abysmal. I wish they would stop making them honestly. The will never be the "Halo-killer" that the back of the first game's box claimed them to be... They always have been pointless wastes of not only the gamer's finances and time, but more importantly, the developer's time and resources, that they could be applying to a new IP, and would more than likely be able to create a new and exciting experience instead of sequel-itis, even tho the series never really deserved any sequels in the first place... It's sad really, and I know that it was recently announced that KZSF had a good amount of sales... But let's be honest, how many people were gonna want to play Knack and ONLY Knack? That's why it sold well, people want some damn games to play with their console!!!
There's not enough games for either of the next gen systems, and that is a fact.
@Caesar - Can't reply for some reason.
Yeah, fair enough, my mistake, but there's always room for improvement. What makes KZ:SF so special now might be a bit more commonplace towards the end of this gen.