Despite being given a 7.5 by our very own Anthony Severino, Killzone: Shadow Fall for the PS4 has fallen behind Killzone: Mercenary, Killzone: Liberation, Killzone 2, and Killzone 3 on Metacritic, where it currently enjoys a 74.
To discuss the reviews for Killzone: Shadow Fall a little bit, Lead Designer Eric Boltjes had an interview with Aus Gamers:
Well to be honest, when the reviews first came in, we were a little bit disappointed, because I personally feel that this is the best Killzone we’ve ever made; I honestly feel that. You’re right, we did try a lot of new things, we tried to innovate the gameplay, and we did try to make a different Killzone than before.
[…] And the reviews, they are mixed… we’re doing something different, and it’s really interesting in that a lot of people are saying we’re not different enough, and [what] the other side is saying is “what they’re doing is too different from the original Killzone.” It’s interesting, but I’m still really proud of what we’ve made.
We’re a launch title, and it’s the first time ever that Guerilla has done that. It’s a new direction, new core features; we’ve got a 12 hour campaign, we’ve got a fully-loaded multiplayer experience, all on day one on the new platform. I think overall we’re really happy with that we’ve done, and I hope that people [who] play the game see that and can enjoy the experience that we created.
Boltjes continued by revealing how Guerrilla Games wanted to explore the theme of “who is the bad guy in a war?” Because of this, “We needed something that was slightly slower in pace, and allows you to kind of explore the world and look at the implications of your actions essentially.” Eric believes that it’s an “interesting thematic,” but added, “Maybe to an extent, other people were expecting another non-stop rollercoaster ride. This Killzone is slightly different than that, and in that sense, it’s a deviation from the previous Killzones.
Highlighting one of the negatives from the community, Boltjes pointed towards the multiplayer and how you can create your own custom games:
Some of the reviews and some of the feedback has been like “well they can’t make up their minds, so they went for this wishy-washy, you guys figure it out approach”, which is really interesting, because it’s actually a lot harder to create custom games and the whole setup we did, that it is to create a specific set of modes. So I felt that was a bit of an odd response, because we felt like we’re empowering the player, and we’re really reaching out there. Luckily, a lot of people actually do get it, but that response was a bit surprising from some channels.
Do you agree or disagree with the reviews for Killzone: Shadow Fall? Let us know in the comments below.
