14 DAY TRIAL // Killzone: Mercenary, the upcoming first-person shooter for the PlayStation Vita, retains the already trademark feeling of the franchise, as developer Guerrilla Cambridge tried to replicate the weighty controls from Killzone 2 and 3 in the new game, while adding a bigger emphasis on stealth.
Killzone games have delivered some great shooter experiences across different PlayStation devices, including the PS2 or PS3 but also the PSP many years ago.
Now, the franchise is getting ready to make its debut on the PlayStation Vita, as LittleBigPlanet Vita dev Guerrilla Cambridge is going to release Killzone: Mercenary this year on the handheld platform.
We have already heard a few details and even admired a new video plus some great screenshots of the high-quality experience.
Now, the studio's Piers Jackson has talked with the PS blog about replicating the "weighty" experience from previous games in the new one.
"So much of it is in the acceleration curves on the controllers," Jackson said about the special feeling.
"Obviously, as we were using the Killzone control input system, a lot of that came over for free. We needed to rebalance it slightly for the PS Vita stick inputs – which are slightly different than the DualShock – but that is the feeling you expect from Killzone; that weightiness. If you don’t have that, you’re not making a Killzone game. It was imperative that we kept it."
What's more, Jackson also emphasized the new mechanics added in Killzone: Mercenary, like the in-game shop from where you buy new weapons, but also the bigger emphasis on stealth.
"The shop is the biggest one for us really – the fact that you can go into a level kitted out however you want. You can then purchase new weapons as you go, to tailor the experience as you see fit," he said.
"Stealth is another big one – we have light stealth in the game. If you’re being quiet and using silenced weapons the AI will not pick up on you. If you kill a trooper and the body is left lying around and another enemy finds it, they’ll come and hunt you down. We’ve extended the AI to cater for additional play-styles."
Killzone: Mercenary is out later this year on the PS Vita and you can expect to hear much more about it in the following months.