Review of the Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered

Another clbadic THQ resurrects on the jewels of Sony and Microsoft. After the return of the War in the Warmastered Edition of the first Darksiders, it is the turn of this Red Faction: Guerrilla released in 2009 by the hand of Volition . Led by this remaster (or better, re-Mars-ter) boys from Kaiko Games responsible for the aforementioned Warmastered

The title is presented with an updated graphics engine: new filters shadows and lighting effects, as well as native 4K support ; will it be enough modern graphics to not feel the 9 years on the rump?

March Forever

About 50 years after the events of the first Red Faction, in Red Faction: Guerrilla we will be called to free Mars from the oppressive yoke of EDF (or Earth Defense Force). As Mason, we will join the rebels of the Red Faction, who by guerrilla actions will affect the morale and resources of the invaders, gradually reducing their sphere of influence to chase them once and for all from the red planet.

basic premise that does not leave too much room for the imagination: we are the good, the bad; there is not much else to add, but it's okay. Concentrated in pre-rendered short films (which do not like good wax, including low-resolution images and scratchy dialogues) and during briefings, plot excerpts act primarily as a glue between a mission and the Another, bringing us to travel far and far to the desolate and dusty lands of Mars.

Changes in perspective

Red Faction: Guerrilla naque during the open world boom, this period began the debut of the last generation in which every triple A to go out has to necessarily include among its features an enormous explorable game surface, whether to enjoy the benefits of better hardware, or surf the wave of success of a certain GTA, which a few years ago had broken all records of sales on the black monolith of Sony. For Volition, with its success with both Saints Row, the transition to the new set-up was almost natural, and Red Faction from traditional FPS turned into sandbox in the third person.

Worlds open, however, since 2009 much evolved Particularly appreciated, the big houses have gained notoriety and have learned over time to design more and more coherent universes, varied and attractive. Compared to an Assbadin's Creed Odyssey or a Just Cause 4 randomly, Red Faction: Guerrilla seems a little subjugated by current standards both in level design as in the game offer

On paper, Mars is certainly a fascinating place, but what we find before us is a sterile and discrete expanse on which a handful of populated centers (primarily military outposts); in general there are not many NPCs on the screen, let alone vehicles, and more generally there is a certain lack of life on the surface of the red planet (and no, "by the force, we are on Mars "). To give charisma and thickness to the title, Volition is the engine that also characterizes its ancestors: Géo-Mod .

The Martian Arts

Updated to version 2.0 specifically for Guerrilla (and later to 2.5 for later, Armageddon), the Geo-Mod allows you to manipulate ( read demolish) in an extremely detailed manner anywhere on the map: buildings, barracks, hangars, power plants, bridges; all, but all, the buildings can be shaved piece by piece you want them to explode with explosions, pierce them from one side to the other with a truck launched at full speed, or weaken the load-bearing walls for hammering, until the rest of the structure does not crack under its own weight and collapses under a shower of cement and metal (eye to head).

You do not know how amusing and smashing it is ; the game is aware of it and bases most missions supporting this philosophy. The main objective of the raids will not be EDF itself (which will sweep away however our position at first sound), but its centers of power, which will be destroyed using a very spectacular arsenal. The gunplay with rifles and laser guns is functional, but nothing compared to the vast sample of demolition tools, including radio-controlled charges, rocket launchers, mines, armored vehicles, mechs and a fighter. high tech rifle. By excavating through the rubble, we will accumulate materials that we can convert into new equipment and improvements

The map of the game is quite large and hosts many secondary missions, such as saving hostages, steal vehicles, attack or defend outposts, and are almost entirely optional. Completing them allows you to unlock exclusive weapons and round up pocket money, but you can do without it, focusing on demolishing key EDF structures and on key missions. In this way, it is possible to quickly advance along the chapters of the history and different areas of Mars, making the experience of an adventure with a steady pace which lasts between 15 and 20 hours ; on the other hand, longevity is considerably longer, but the risk of getting bored increases first. In any case, the package is reinforced by the presence of the "Badlands Demons" extension, the "Demolition Team" mode and the online multiplayer.

A coat of paint (red)

Polygonal complexity and the "fluctuating" physics engine (more than ever recognizable during questionable driving phases) remained virtually unchanged, but The use of more defined textures and expedients such as specular maps, post-processing, shadows and more defined lights mask the signs of time . The impact is good, but we would have also appreciated a greater care for the interior (the buildings seem to be prefabricated bare, built for the sole purpose of being overturned by the player), or maybe be an unusual detail in the levels; a colorful filter does not make a "new" place and the rare variety of environments does not benefit a title in which we often travel from one end of the map to the other

The PS4 version that we tested was transformed into resolution 1080p at 60 frames per second; rather solid performance, with declines during the most hectic moments (understandably, considered the mess that can be created on the screen), but still within the limits of playability. However, three crashes forced us to restart the software in the middle of a mission, which forced us to start all over again (and just in case it would be the most laborious). On PS4 Pro, the title can also be set to native 4K resolution, sacrificing at the same time the frame rate, reduced to 30.

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