8Bit/Digi

Back in 2009; THQ made a bold decision to take the Red Faction series (a linear first person shooter) and transform it into an open world guerrilla warfare game. The result was Red Faction: Guerrilla being one of the best titles in the series and one of the most iconic games of its kind. THQ Nordic has remastered it and brought it to the PlayStation 4 as Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered.

As the title states, Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered is an HD remastered version of the game famous for allowing players to alter the world by blowing everything up. The original was an almost flawless masterpiece and a great example of a title jumping genres. Re-Mars-Tered brings the game to the PlayStation 4 with sharper graphics and smoother gameplay functions.

Welcome to the Red Faction

A recap of the story; Guerrilla takes place 50 years after the events of Red Faction in which the Earth Defense Force (EDF) took total control of Mars and established martial law. A new Red Faction is established and wages a Second Revolution in an attempt to free Mars. Players take on the role of Alec Mason, who is forced into the conflict when the EDF kills his brother and brands him a terrorist.

On paper, the story was not bad but the execution made it feel generic. According to the backstory, the EDF was forced to impose martial law due to pressure from Earth nations but in the game they act more like generic goons with no real character. With the exception of Alec Mason, nobody in the resistance stands out or is worth remembering. Compared to the first game, this plot delivery feels like a downgrade and its something a remastered edition can never fix.

Regarding the gameplay – I’ve always felt that the original Red Faction: Guerrilla has hardly aged or shown signs of being a dated game. The design and graphics are still visually stunning while the gameplay mechanics are user friendly. Re-Mars-Tered is a remastered game that is done well as it fixes a lot of the issues that would bother anyone who is obnoxiously nit-picky.

In terms of what has changed, Re-Mars-Tered dose feature better visuals that make what is being displayed much cleaner. The controls have been slightly tweaked to function much smoother than before.

Better Red Than Dead

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered feels more like an attempt by THQ Nordic to see if gamers really want another Red Faction game. To this I say, please do so and don’t make the mistakes made with Armageddon. The series is so rich in world building that a new entry could focus on the aftermath of the events in Guerrilla or take players back to Earth like with Red Faction 2.

Also if you missed out on the original game then Re-Mars-Tered will also be an opportunity to give it a chance. It’s an open world game that allows players to blow things up, what is there not to like?

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered brings everything that made the original game an icon to the PlayStation 4 with a few upgrades. Fans will enjoy having to liberate Mars once again while new gamers will get the chance to blow-up anything their heart desires.

Disclaimer: Evolve PR provided the game that was used in this review.

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Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered (PS4)

9

Excellent

9.0/10

Pros

• You can still blow everything up.
• Sharper visuals and more functional controls.

Cons

• Some rendering issues.