Red Faction: Guerrilla

Overview

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a third-person action game developed by Volition and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 2, 2009. It was later ported to the PC on September 15, 2009 by Reactor Zero. The game was re-Mars-tered for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2018. The game focuses heavily on destructible environments in an open-world campaign taking place on a terraformed Mars. Up to 16 players can also play online competitive arena-based multiplayer on several game modes with focus on special backpacks that grants the wearer a unique power.

Set fifty years after the original Red Faction (and completely skipping Red Faction II), the game revolves around the newly reestablished Red Faction movement, the resistance force of Mars who attempt to liberate it from the oppressive Earth Defense Force (commonly known as the EDF, former allies of the Red Faction movement). The player controls Alec Mason, an honest miner who witnesses his brother's death at the hands of the EDF and unwillingly becomes an EDF bounty, which prompts him to join the Red Faction movement. With the help of the mechanic Samanya and the rest of the Red Faction movement, Alec must overthrow the EDF's reign on Mars and prevent retaliatory destruction of the entire world.

Singleplayer

Game play centers around freeing the areas of Mars from the EDF through a number of means including destruction of important buildings, side missions (Guerrilla Actions), and story missions. In order to clear an area, the main missions for that area must be completed and the EDF's control must be reduced to zero. Control can be reduced by two means; Destroying EDF buildings or by completing Guerrilla Actions.

There are various Guerrilla Actions:

• House Arrest - The player must rescue hostages from the EDF and return them to base.
• Guerrilla Raid -The player is tasked with aiding the Red Faction in ridding an area of EDF soldiers. To do this, players must advance into the area and clear out the building. Another guerrilla will then plant a bomb inside the key building, which will destroy the building.
• Transportation - Steal a specific vehicle and return to base within the allotted time.
• Demolition Master - Timed mini game centered around destroying specific targets under preset conditions.
• Heavy Metal - The player is required to kill a certain amount of EDF troops/vehicles given the destructive vehicle.
• EDF Assault - Given over the radio, Mason must help the Red Faction protect an area by killing all the EDF that attack.
• Steal Convoy - Given over the radio, the player must intercept an EDF convoy, steal the targeted vehicle, and return it to base.
• Destroy Convoy - Given over the radio, the player must intercept an EDF convoy and destroy all the targets.
• Interception - Given over the radio, the player must chase down the target, retrieve the intel, and make it back to base.

There are also varying types of EDF buildings to destroy. How to go about their destruction is completely up to the player. These types of buildings include:

• Low importance Buildings - These buildings can be identified on the mini map by their red outline. These are usually unguarded but offer a little control loss.

• Medium Importance Buildings - These buildings are marked with a blue marker on the map and offer a significant amount of control loss when destroyed. Certain medium structures belong to a set, such as smokestacks or wind turbines. How heavily guarded a medium importance building or structure is usually depends on its location; however, destroying one will always raise the alert level.
• High Importance Buildings - These buildings are specially marked and well guarded against attack, but offer the greatest amount of control loss.

• Propaganda - Unmarked billboards and signs that can be destroyed for both control loss and morale boost (and the Free Your Mind achievement/trophy).

Another factor in the campaign mode is the morale level of a sector. The morale meter determines how well the population supports Mason and how willing they are to fight the EDF. A higher morale means more support from fellow Red Faction members during confrontations with the EDF, and a higher salvage bonus upon the completion of story missions. Morale can be raised by destroying propaganda, completing actions, completing missions, and by killing a large amount of EDF troops. However, morale can be lost by the deaths of friendly troops and innocent civilians, either by Mason's hands or by the EDF's hands. Morale is also lost each time the player dies.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the collection of salvage. Salvage functions as the currency of the Red Faction, and is implied to hold great value on Mars due to lack of resources. The salvage collected will go towards the purchasing of new weapons and upgrades at a safe house. New equipment and upgrades unlock as the player progresses through the game and completes guerrilla actions. There are four main sources of salvage: story missions, guerrilla actions, EDF vehicles, and EDF property. While not all EDF property will drop salvage, any property that is NOT owned by the EDF will never leave salvage behind when destroyed (except for propane tanks and other explosives).

During the single player campaign, players are able to find various collectibles/destructibles. These include:

• Ore Deposits - there are 300 of these spread across the in-game world. They are shown as orange dots on the minimap. Destroying an ore mine rewards the player with a small amount of salvage points. Mining every ore in the game unlocks the Working the Land achievement/trophy.
• Radio Tags - there are 36 hidden radio tags to find in the in-game world. They are shown as green dots on the minimap. Upon collecting a radio tag, the player will hear a short audio message played. For every 3 tags collected, a M.O.A.B. is generated and it's location is marked on the map. Collect all of them to unlock the Lost Memories achievement/trophy.
• Propaganda Signs - there are 50 of these signs to find in the game. They're usually found alongside roads and are quite easy to spot. Upon destroying a sign, the player will gain a small morale boost in that particular sector. Destroy them all to unlock the Free Your Mind achievement/trophy.

Levels

Parker

• Better Red Than Dead
• Ambush
• Start Your Engines

Dust

• Ultor Echo
• Rallying Point
• Industrial Revolution

Badlands

• Access Denied
• Catch and Release
• Emergency Response
• Air Traffic Control

Oasis

• Blitzbrieg

Freefire Zone

• The Guns of Tharsis

Eos

• The Dogs of War
• Death by Committee
• Hammer of the Gods
• Meeting the Marauders
• Emergency Broadcast System
• Manual Override
• Guerrillas at the Gates
• Mars Attacks

Multiplayer

The multiplayer component focuses on the absolute destruction aspect of the game. Everything but terrain is destructible and modes and maps are built around that. Due to this that the map will look very different at the end of the round as opposed to the beginning of the round. The game mechanics almost completely abolish camping, since all cover can be destroyed. Vehicles have been entirely excluded from multiplayer, which makes the experience more hectic because of the smaller maps.

To get into a game, players select a game mode and are taken into a lobby. Once there, they are shown who they will be playing with, the current map, and the settings of the match. The game often changes up the settings to provide a new experience. For example, the player could find himself in a match where the health has been lowered, friendly fire has been turned on, and unlimited ammo is activated. The game also changes up the starting equipment, so players could start the match with powerful weapons or a sledgehammer and nothing else.

The player is able to earn experience points during each match. When a game ends, the player is shown a stats screen that shows them how well (or bad) they did, and also shows a bar that fills up with the points they earned. If it completely fills, the player unlocks something. The unlocks come in the form of new characters to play as, new game modes, new sledgehammers, and/or bonus XP events. The bonus XP events occur when the player does something unique during a match. Bonus XP events can include killing the top player on the other team, killing enemies without a backpack equipped, recovering to full health after being near death, and much more.

Modes

• Anarchy - Anarchy is a free-for-all deathmatch mode which pits all players against each other in one of many maps. Depending on the options chosen, the leader for the match may be highlighted. In addition, this is one of the few modes where players aren't put into teams (Red Faction, EDF, etc.), but instead display whichever character they chose for that type.
• Team Anarchy - The same basic mechanics of Anarchy apply in Team Anarchy, except players are split into two teams for a team deathmatch. In Team Anarchy, there is no leader highlighting, and characters are now split into factions rather than playing as a certain character.
• Capture the Flag - A traditional capture the flag mode that is seen in many modern shooters. Once the enemy's flag is retrieved, it must be returned to the opposing base. If the player's own flag is missing, the enemy's flag cannot be captured. Various customizable options appear only in this mode, such as returning flag upon touch and how long a flag stays after being dropped (five seconds to a minute).
• Damage Control - Damage Control is a unique twist on the conquest game mode. In each map, there are three control points. Players are given the Reconstructor (a weapon which can literally rebuild structures) and must reconstruct the control points for their team. Enemy control points first must be destroyed, and then recaptured using the Reconstructor.
• Demolition - In Demolition, one player on each team is designated as the Destroyer, and then must destroy everything in sight, gaining points for the team. Killing the enemy Destroyer will delay their destruction for nine seconds, until a new Destroyer is randomly selected.
• Siege - Siege is an Assault-type game mode, which splits players into two teams, one attacking and one defending. The defensive team is tasked with protecting several structures, while the offensive team must knock them down (gaining points for their team). This is the longest mode, as it takes twenty minutes rather than ten (each team gets a round). In addition, several maps that Siege takes place on are unique to that mode.

Maps

Unlike other open-world games, Red Faction: Guerrilla uses special designed maps for its multiplayer component.

Backpacks

The game also features a power-up system called backpacks that can either be picked up from dispensers throughout a map, or as part as the initial spawning load out. Only one Backpack can be equipped at a time, but they can be switched out at a rack. When a player dies, their backpack is returned to its rack.

• Concussion - Sends out a shockwave which will blast debris away and knock down or kill any enemies within the attack range.
• Firepower - Gives the player a significant damage boost to any weapon or explosive for a limited period of time.
• Fleetfoot - Gives the player a speed boost for a short period of time.
• Jet Pack - Fly around the map with a limited amount of fuel. The fuel regenerates when inactive.
• Rhino - An invulnerable attack directly forward, which can destroy structures and enemies.
• Stealth - Allows the user to become nearly invisible to enemies for a period of time.
• Thrust - An invulnerable attack directly into the sky or down to the ground, which can destroy structures and enemies.
• Tremor - Produces an earthquake-like effect that causes destruction to any structures near the player as well as making aiming difficult for nearby opponents.
• Heal - Regenerates the user's health and the health of teammates in the vicinity.
• Vision - Allows the user to see the highlight of enemies through structures but not through rock.

Wrecking Crew

There is an offline only multiplayer game mode known as Wrecking Crew. Wrecking Crew features several different modes, all of which are based around causing as much damage with a set amount of resources (such as ammo, time, or both). At the beginning of the game the players individually pick their own weapon and backpack to start out with, and after each match the person who causes the most destruction chooses the weapon and backpack load-out for the next round.

Weapons

Pistol Arguably one of the more powerful weapons in the game, the pistol is a semi-automatic weapon found on most multiplayer maps. Issued by the EDF in the single-player, the weapon can be found from either EDF soldiers or from guerrilla safe houses. While players may initially assume that due to its semi-automatic qualities the pistol is worth discarding quickly, it is ideal for headshotting EDF soldiers due to its comparable accuracy.

Assault Rifle Another one of the earlier acquired weapons in the game, the assault rifle is the default weapon for both single-player and multiplayer. Found across all maps in multiplayer and collected from EDF soldiers or the resistance movement safe houses, the assault rifle is powerful against infantry units, but weaker against vehicles and buildings (although the melee attack can slightly damage structures).

Remote Mines An incredibly important weapon in the destruction aspect of Red Faction: Guerrilla, remote mines are available from the start of the game. These mines can be thrown and attached to surfaces, enemies, and vehicles, and then detonated at a button's press even if the player has switched to a different weapon. Although only two can initially be placed simultaneously, this can be upgraded in the single-player, reaching over a dozen remote mines simultaneously.

Sledgehammer A key weapon in both the single-player and the multiplayer, the sledgehammer is the default melee weapon. It cannot be switched out for any other weapon, and is constantly accessible. Despite merely being a hammer, it can destroy buildings, kill enemies in one hit, and blow up vehicles with ease, making it one of the most versatile weapons in the game (additionally, the achievement "Best Friends Forever" is awarded for 100 sledgehammer kills in the single-player). In the multiplayer, the sledgehammer retains its core role, but is constantly upgraded throughout the progression of levels, eventually granting players with the ostrich hammer (although an upgradeable aspect is also present in single-player, it is more prevalent in the multiplayer).

Arc Welder An electric-based weapon, the Arc Welder allows players to electrocute multiple enemies to death simultaneously. Named the Arc Welder due to its ability to "arc" the electricity from one enemy to another, the weapon is also capable of killing enemies who are inside of vehicles. The weapon can eventually be upgraded to be able to differentiate friendly non-playable characters from enemies, although this only occurs in multiplayer when friendly fire is turned on.

Proximity Mines Similar to the remote mines, proximity mines serve essentially the same purpose, but to a different end. Proximity Mines cannot be thrown, but rather planted anywhere on the ground. Upon being triggered, the mines explode and instantly kill whoever walked over it. This weapon was altered with a patch by Volition (along with the Rail Driver), lowering the max number of simultaneous planted mines from four to two.

Rocket Launcher A powerful explosive, the rocket launcher is unlocked later into the game in single-player. The weapon is also available in multiplayer, but its scarcity is due largely to its shear explosive power (able to kill most enemies in one hit, destroy buildings quickly, and blow up vehicles). In the single-player game, rocket launchers can be upgraded to fire multiple projectiles simultaneously, carry more ammunition, or even lock on to vehicular targets. Later in the game, the rocket launcher is attached to some more heavily armored vehicles.

Peacekeeper A close-range fully automatic shotgun, the Peacekeeper was traditionally used for crowd control by the EDF before adaptation to the warfare that ravages Mars in the game. The weapon can be picked up off of dead EDF soldiers, and is found commonly in most multiplayer modes and maps (whereas the weapon is much weaker than the single-player counterpart).

Grinder One of the more unique weapons in Red Faction: Guerrilla, the Grinder is able to fire razor sharp disks. While these disks are incredibly powerful against infantry units, they require a brief cool down period before another disk can be fired. The fire rate is slightly better in multiplayer, although later upgrades to the weapon in single-player allow for higher ammunition capacity, lowered cooldown times, and even explosive disks.

Nano Rifle One of the few weapons that directly relate to the plot of Red Faction: Guerrilla, the Nano Rifle originates from the Nano Forge, which is found in one of the game's single-player missions. This weapon disintegrates whatever it hits, although it doesn't immediately disintegrate humans or vehicles (this takes multiple shots), and can be upgraded for better weapon capacity and power against vehicles. In multiplayer, the Nano Rifle is one of the rarer weapons. Rather notably, the Ultor Corporation logo can be seen on the Nano Rifle. This is a reference to Saints Row 2, another game published by THQ.

Enforcer A heat-seeking weapon, the Enforcer fires streams of bullets into whatever target is in the general area. Due to the heat-seeking capabilities, the weapon damage is slightly reduced. The weapon can be found much more commonly towards the end of the game as the difficulty is raised and more enemies carry the weapon.

Thermobaric Rocket Launcher Available late into the single-player game after being developed by the Red Faction, the Thermobaric Rocket Launcher is an incredibly powerful explosive with low ammunition count and high recoil. The rocket is devastating when compared to other weapons in the game, able to take out many buildings in a single hit. The Thermobaric Rocket Launcher has a few other features the original rocket launcher doesn't, such as the ability to remotely detonate rockets in mid-air, as well as upgraded weapon capacity with purchased upgrades.

Gauss Rifle A portable version of the mounted turrets found on many EDF vehicles, the Gauss Rifle is very effective at long range. This weapon fires electromagnetically charged particles that are capable of even destroying buildings, although this weapon is hampered by its lowered ammunition and limited power at closer range.

Singularity Bomb Similar to both the Proximity Mines and Remote Mines, Singularity Bombs are timed explosives that create a gravity well. This gravity well proceeds to suck in anything surrounding it, including buildings, people, and vehicles. After absorbing the immediate surroundings, all of the energy is released, causing an explosion. These bombs are very rare in the single-player, and can only be found in certain EDF caches, while in multiplayer this weapon is found on many of the included maps.

Sniper Rifle The sniper rifle for the Earth Defense Force, this weapon is a traditional sniper rifle capable of long range attacks, and even one shot kills. Useful for attacks against infantry units, the sniper rifle is not nearly as effective against buildings or vehicles, only causing minimal damage. The weapon's secondary ability is naturally an optical zoom, allowing players to see targets from far away.

Rail Driver Similar to the sniper rifle, the Rail Driver is another long range weapon for the EDF faction, with some other unique features. The rail driver's most unique feature is the ability to see through walls and vehicles, coupled with a much longer range. This is balanced with weaker projectiles, and the fact that some environmental obstacles (e.g. rocks) cannot be seen through with the rail driver.

Reconstructor A multiplayer-only weapon, the Reconstructor is used specifically for the Damage Control and Siege game modes. The weapon is true to its name, as it can rebuild damaged structures (making it a key component of both of these game modes, although it can be used in other modes). Not merely a reconstructing tool, the weapon can be used to deal minimal damage to enemies. Despite the infinite ammunition capacity, the reconstructor can overheat.

Shotgun One of several Marauder weapons, the shotgun is a close-ranged weapon that is incredibly effective against infantry. Despite being of crude and archaic design, the shotgun also features a bayonet that improves its melee ability.

Gutter Another Marauder weapon included in the main game, the Gutter is very similar to the default Sledgehammer. The Gutter is a long, sharp spear that is more powerful than the sledgehammer, but also slower. Due to the size and general reach of the Gutter, it is often viewed as a formidable replacement to the sledgehammer.

Demons of the Badlands Weapons The Marauder and EDF weapons included in the expansion pack are only available in said expansion pack, and some aren't even available for player usage. Only a few EDF weapons are introduced in Demons of the Badlands, particularly the Subverter (a submachine gun similar in form to the Pistol, but similar in power to the Assault Rifle). Additionally, the melee tool in Demons of the Badlands is known as the Ripper Pickaxe, and was originally used in the Ultor mines (a second Marauder weapon is known as the Impaler). In contrast, a variety of Marauder weapons are introduced. Spike Mines are almost exactly the same as Remote Mines, save for differences in appearances. The Missile Pod is a version of the Rocket Launcher with a higher rate of fire, but slightly lowered damage. In the same vein as the Gauss Rifle, the Spiker is essentially a version of the Marauder Harpoon Turret found on many Marauder vehicles, but for portable usage.

Downloadable Content

Red Faction Guerrilla features three downloadable expansion packs, each covering a separate game mode. The Xbox Live Marketplace also released special avatar clothing on February 4, 2010, including Alec Mason's outfit, Marauder gear, and EDF/Red Faction logo t-shirts and hats.

Demons of the Badlands

The first DLC expansion, Demons of the Badlands, was released on August 13, 2009 for $10.00 (or 800 Microsoft Points) and introduced a new prequel mini-campaign set three years before the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla. Players control the Marauder Samanya as she, along with the heartless and cruel Vasha, lead a Marauder revolt against the EDF in the once peaceful area of Mariner Valley.

The campaign, which takes place in Mariner Valley, includes several new weapons (including the Spiker, the Missile Pod, the Subverter, and the Spike Mines), three new vehicles, three new story missions, 11 new "Marauder Actions" (similar to Guerrilla Actions), and several important EDF targets to wreak havoc on. The concept of salvage as currency is removed altogether in the campaign, as upgrades and new items are unlocked with the completion of the mission and Marauder Actions. The concept of morale is also removed in the campaign.

Ten new achievements/trophies were introduced in Demons of the Badlands that can only be unlocked during the mini-campaign.

Multiplayer Pack

The second DLC expansion, the Multiplayer Pack, was released on September 17, 2009 for $7.00 (or 560 msp), adding eight new maps and two new game modes to the multiplayer portion of Red Faction Guerrilla. The new modes, Bagman and Team Bagman, which has players or teams fighting over the "bag" pickup, are taken from Red Faction II.

New Maps

• Puncture
• Broadside
• Compound
• Division
• Equilibrium
• Gradient
• Haven
• Remnant

Smasher Pack

The final DLC expansion, the Smasher Pack, was released on October 1, 2009 for $5.00 (400 msp), adding eight new maps and one new game mode to the Wrecking Crew mode of Red Faction Guerrilla. The new mode, Behemoth, requires players to cause as much destruction as they can inside one of three walker vehicles.

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows Vista®/XP
• Processor: 2.0 GHz Dual-Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
• Memory: 1 GB RAM 15 GB free hard drive space
• Video Card: 128 MB 3D Video Card w/ Shader Model 3.0 Support (Nvidia GeForce 7600/ATI Radeon X1300)

Recommended System Requirements

• OS: Windows Vista® for DirectX® 10
• Processor: 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
• Memory: 2 GB Available System Memory
• Video Card: 256 MB 3D Video Card w/ Shader Model 3.0 Support (Nvidia GeForce 8800/ATI Radeon HD3850)

Other Requirements: Games for Windows Live client required.