Homefront: The Revolution is the sequel to the 2011 shooter that pitted players against each other in a completely devastated America, fighting for survival and freedom. Now, almost five years later, the team at Deep Silver and Dambuster is attempting to deliver a successful follow-up. However, early beta tests and brief hands-on sessions have already suggested that there are still some significant issues to be resolved.
“Made in North Korea”, environmental zones and secondary tasks
Arms exports are commonplace, especially when the technology from other countries is simply superior. The American government likely thought so too when it purchased its entire military equipment from the North Korean APEX corporation. Unfortunately, the mountain of debt eventually became too large, and the payments could no longer be made. And as if that weren't enough, the North Koreans also integrated a backdoor into all the systems, allowing them to disable the entire arsenal with a single click. That's how easy a hostile takeover can be. Since then, the population has been oppressed and tormented by the "Korean People's Army," or KPA, and its American collaborators.
This setting is already familiar from the previous game. However, there aren't really many other parallels. In "The Revolution," we play as new recruit Ethan Brady, who arrives in Philadelphia as part of the underground revolutionary movement. Right at the beginning, we await the arrival of revolutionary leader Benjamin Walker, whom we already know from the first game. However, the meeting is ambushed and Walker is captured, while we manage to escape. So now we face two major tasks: liberating Philadelphia from foreign rule and rescuing Walker.
The backstory in the predecessor was already quite compelling, and this remains true in the revolution. The struggle against oppression is palpable, coupled with a hefty dose of typical Hollywood-style American patriotism. However, the story rarely offers any truly significant surprises, relying instead on the usual "it's all over" moments and grand "we can do it!" speeches. The various characters we encounter along the way are well-developed, especially when their differing perspectives lead to heated clashes. Unfortunately, the game lacks genuine suspense and the opportunity to choose between brute force and clever tactical warfare. You'll find yourself constantly thinking, "Why are you so stupid, just going in guns blazing instead of thinking things through?" Furthermore, there's no real antagonist, no standout general, or any character similar to those found in other shooters. As a result, the story doesn't truly resonate and instead feels like a simple exercise in progressing from one mission to the next. A more comprehensive narrative arc would certainly have been beneficial.
Unlike the linear gameplay of the original Deep Silver, this game offers players a taste of open world. Within each city district, there are different zones. In the red zones, war rages. Intruders are fair game, airships track our movements, and the entire environment has been bombed. Here, we can sow chaos alongside other revolutionaries, destroy drones, or eliminate enemies at will. We can also roam the streets on a motorcycle, using it to infiltrate fortresses or evade soldiers. In contrast, there are the yellow zones, where civilian life takes place. While these zones are also scarred by war, they have suffered little destruction. Here, total surveillance prevails, with cameras and drones tracking our movements and units patrolling the streets.
Our missions take us to all parts of the city. These missions mostly consist of capturing enemy bases and command posts, supporting allied groups, or acquiring information and resources. We're also frequently sent to special areas, such as the city hall or the shipyard, where we operate in stealth fashion and usually have to complete our tasks without our weapons. There's some variety here and there, but overall, the missions are quite similar. Nevertheless, boredom rarely sets in, as the enemy units and robots constantly present new challenges. The balancing of the armed forces is extremely well-balanced—not too difficult, but not too easy either—making the game very enjoyable. When we're not busy with one of the missions or jobs that promise rewards for certain achievements, we're busy gathering raw materials and valuables from storage depots and derelict buildings. These materials are not only very useful for crafting grenades and other equipment, but they're also quite rare! Financial constraints are commonplace, which means you have to invest a lot of time in acquiring new weapon attachments or modifications. On the plus side, the arsenal is quite manageable. There are a total of five firearms, which can be fundamentally altered with modifications. For example, you can quickly turn your crossbow into a flamethrower or your assault rifle into an LMG. In a revolution, creativity is key!
The feeling of resistance, details and flaws
In our search, we constantly have to pay attention to hidden symbols and approach the solutions cleverly, as not every path is easily accessible. Climbing also plays a major role. It's just a shame that the imprecise and underdeveloped mechanics often make this more difficult than it needs to be. Besides the hidden clues, the feeling of being outmatched is a key element of the atmosphere. If you charge headlong into a large group of enemies, you generally won't have time to think. Finding cover, hacking devices—that's what it's all about! The David versus Goliath feeling is clearly evident, also reflected in the weapon designs. Unfortunately, frame rate drops, annoying bugs and glitches, and imprecise controls repeatedly cause problems. They make particularly intense combat sessions less than enjoyable. Generally speaking, from a technical standpoint, the title is far from revolutionary. Other games, even older ones, are significantly more advanced. It's a shame, because a lot falls short as a result. Particularly problematic: Every automatic save causes the game to stutter. A complete deal-breaker! It's also annoying when teammates are standing in doorways or passageways and simply won't move, preventing you from proceeding.
What causes additional problems in combat also leads to headaches off the battlefield. While the various areas each possess their own charm and are distinguished by a few unique details, these are quickly lost in the uniform design of the districts. Streets and buildings rarely stand out, resulting in one neighborhood looking pretty much the same as the next; everything is gray on gray. Not much of it is memorable, making you feel like you're not actually in Philadelphia; it could just as easily be Buxtehude. However, other aspects shine all the brighter: the character models are beautifully rendered thanks to the CryEngine, and facial features look particularly impressive in the cutscenes. Brady's movements and actions are also pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, the German voice acting is well done, featuring well-known voice actors such as George Clooney. During exploration, the numerous hidden clues, which guide you to rewards and objectives and are well integrated into the overall cityscape, are also a striking feature. The lighting and shadow effects, which are particularly noticeable during the transition between day and night, are well-implemented and offer several advantages when it comes to stealth. However, the character movements are less impressive, for example, when they are shot or hit by an explosion. They simply collapse instead of reacting to the damage. The game clearly lacks graphical finesse in this area.
Positive point: The resistance mode
Once we've had our fill of the story, we can join forces with up to three comrades in Resistance Mode to oppose the KPA and complete missions for the resistance. These range from stealing supplies and escorting transports to securing and defending bases. A particularly good feature is that the more missions we complete, the more skills and equipment we can unlock. These enhance our construction abilities, improve our teamwork, or give us an advantage on the battlefield. The various skills can be unlocked and organized using a skill tree. Since this personal development significantly increases the enjoyment of the game and also provides a real boost to long-term motivation, one quickly wonders why this feature didn't make it into the story mode. It's not exactly well-planned. In Resistance Mode, you're also constantly reliant on the help of other players, whether for fire support, marking enemies, or reviving them. Everyone quickly finds their role in the team and performs it effectively. All these factors make Resistance Mode almost more enjoyable than the actual campaign.
Developer: Dambuster Studios
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release: May 20, 2016
Official website: www.homefront-game.com
[asa2]B00KS3LWXI[/asa2]
