mercenary trades in the claustrophobia and heavyweight physicality of killzone 2 with a futuristic and tech-savvy sheen communicated by means of brighter environments and a domineering user interface. the contrast is generally in accordance with the venal impulses of mercenary's campaign; 2's approach to the war theater, marked by excessive grime, endless soot, and the threat of red eyes piercing the veil of dust, is perhaps better suited for the life of a grunt soldier.

still, it was a surprise to see how many of the little flourishes animating killzone at its best (by which i mean 2, and pretty much only 2) were present in mercenary. movement is still largely bulky and encumbered; this is still a shooter that rewards hip fire; weaponry is animated so as to give the impression that at any perilous moment they could malfunction completely, their power too great for feeble hands. even so, mercenary reflects a more digital approach to warfare, denoted largely by the extensive tools at your disposal, the reduction of all enemies into incoming profit, and the portable nature of the vita itself. if the medium is the message, then mercenary, which seamlessly blends together a very traditional control scheme with touchscreen controls in a convenient portable environment seems to demonstrate a kind of uncanny trait not quite present in some other shooters. given that the narrative crux of the game is in part to protract the war so as to establish a foothold in its gun-for-hire market i don't think im necessarily wrong to point that out; it feels casually inhumane in a way killzone 2 doesn't.

of course, it should be said that, for better or worse, the work of a mercenary seems to present fertile grounds for video games on which the foundation can be set for harmonious interactions between systems and narrative. with combat and commerce fueling every exchange players can ensure they're earning more profit to accrue more resources by partaking in constant battle. the loop of growth and accumulation bolsters the loop of running and gunning, and as portable games promise wanton fun and endless playability, it's only fitting that a mercenary premise was chosen for a spin-off. the dev team seems to have shown full consideration for this by structuring the campaign through allegiance osmosis, setting the games battles to coincide with key events in 2 and 3, and reusing assets where it can be deemed necessary. all told, it's a game that checks the boxes, but not one that necessarily inspires or compels. it's telling that despite being the games amoral center the game makes implicitly clear that you, as the player character, are fighting for, ostensibly, the right thing. both sides of the conflict aim to bring a quick end to the war through means of crimes against humanity; you taking a stand against that should be read as self-preservation and enterprising behaviour rather than fighting for any lofty ideals, but the introduction of a little shitkid you have to protect kind of relents and signals that your deeds are rooted in heroism more than anything else. of course it's all a pretty schlocky premise to begin with but it's nice when things commit to what they already are rather than try to have their cake and eat it too. compare this to the mercenary work of something like ace combat zero, where your allegiance to a particular faction never changes most likely because they remain the highest bidder, but your actions within that frame of time - whether you were a consummate professional or a destructive tyrant - are constantly contested and questioned in-universe, with neither approach representing a clean or savoury stance on combat.

solid romp overall, just barely enough to actually like. visuals somehow still hold up with a certain charm to them but mission structure usually devolves into the same three things