Enormously fun, but painfully flawed
Red Faction Guerilla does one thing very well; it does one thing better and more enjoyably than almost any game in the past. Stuff falls over very well, buildings crumble, towers crash to the floor, and bridges fall. When it focuses on the pure joy of destructibility, Red Faction is one of the most amusing times I have had this year, but as is sometimes the case, it tries too hard to be a different game.
The story is there, somewhere buried under the ruble. From the opening cinematic on it is in a hurry. No real explanation behind the fiction. Mars is once again under the steel boot of another oppressive regime, replacing one tyrant with another. So much could have been done with a simply rebellion tale, but the story is never fleshed out, The Red Factions goals and ambitions are never fully explained, it is just an uprising. The evil corporations are repressing them, so off to war we go. The main Character Alex Mason joins up with no real notion of what he is getting into, suddenly finding himself there one true hope. There is something about Nano technology, and a race of nomadic humans, but none of it is the focus here. The story goes largely ignored throughout.
The Geomod technology pioneered in the first Red Faction has been reinvented for the new era. Every object and structure is fully and completely destructible. Every concrete pillar can be smashed; every piece of steel or support beam can be blown or crushed to fragments. Take out the support of a structure and watching it fall, remove one side of a tower forcing it to crash into an adjacent building. It is all wonderfully done, a very impressive feat of physics. I spend many an hour with my trusty hammer bashing away, seeing how each hit brought huge structures to the ground.
When it stops being about destruction Red Faction becomes utterly mediocre, everything about it is bland and unoriginal, A shoehorned open world, huge but utterly devoid of character, one dusty martin landscape after another. Standard gun combat is weak and at times frustrating, ammo stockpiles are painfully low, reload three times and dry, the quick enemy mas making short work of me. Guerrilla could not be a more fitting title; any attempt at open combat is met with hugely unfavorable odds. Get in, blow shit, up get out. Unfortunately in an apparent attempt to add variety and length, many of the open world mission don’t make great use of the technology, there is no place in this game from timed races or escort mission. But in the endeavor to be GTA on mars many missions devolve into fire fights or defensive engagements, not fully utilizing the incredible tech on display.
Despite all its faults and missteps, I spent much of my time with an enormous grin. When not faced with silly escort missions or overwhelming opposition, when given the time to demolish an enormous structure, the game shines. There is a puzzle element to controlled demolition, taking down an apartment building to reach the snipers of the roof, or simply piloting one of the insanely powerful Mechs, walking through a building. It is mesmerizing, a pure and simply joy to witness. Can’t find a doorway? Make your own! Bad guy’s garrisoning a structure? Drive a truck it, bring it down.
It is more an impressive game than a great one. I can only hope that the Geomod tech will be utilized in the future, with a more focused game, not attempting to become GTA, this could have been something incredible. Red Faction Guerilla is technically remarkable and hugely fun when it does what it does best, but marred by weak gameplay and poor level design.
