Mona Sax (alternate)

Lore & Background

Mona Sax is a contract killer who was thought dead two years prior to the events of Max Payne 2. She is unexpectedly reunited with Max Payne at a warehouse owned by Russian mobster Vladimir Lem. Later, Max tracks her to an abandoned funhouse. Mona is arrested by the NYPD for being a wanted suspect in the murder of a senator but escapes during a Cleaner attack on the police station. She works with Max to hunt down those responsible. The game's narrative centers on Max and Mona's relationship, which is inspired by tragic love stories from film noir. In the canonical ending, Mona is shot by Vladimir Lem and dies in Max's arms.

Reader's Guide

Mona Sax is playable in several levels from the second and third chapters of the game. She has access to the same weapons and bullet-time abilities as Max. The player can enable bullet-time, which slows time and changes the screen to a sepia tone. Mona can also perform a shoot-dodge maneuver, which activates bullet-time while in mid-air without depleting the bullet-time meter. She can be armed with a secondary weapon such as a grenade or Molotov cocktail, and can pistol-whip enemies when near them.

Did You Know?

• Mona Sax is voiced by Wendy Hoopes.
• Mona is a contract killer, not an FBI agent.
• An alternate ending where Mona survives is unlocked by completing the game on any difficulty and then selecting 'New Game' with the 'Dead on Arrival' difficulty setting.