Cover System

Lore & Background

Nine years after the events of the second game, Max Payne, a former NYPD detective, finds work as a private security contractor in São Paulo, Brazil, but becomes entangled in a plot involving death, corruption and betrayal.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered the asphalt outside the abandoned warehouse. Max pressed his back against a concrete pillar, the cold seeping through his soaked trench coat. He could hear two men shouting in Portuguese, their footsteps echoing on the metal catwalk above. He didn't have a clean shot—not yet. He leaned out, just a fraction, and saw the glint of a rifle barrel. He pulled back as a burst of bullets chewed the edge of his cover. 'Alright,' he muttered, 'let's make this interesting.' He waited for the next reload, then rolled out of cover into bullet-time, two pistols blazing. The cover had bought him a second. That was all he needed.

Reader's Guide

A new feature to the series is the cover system, which allows players to gain a tactical advantage, and avoid taking damage from enemies. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system can be used as assistance against enemies. Players may take cover behind objects during firefights, using it as a tactical advantage and to avoid taking damage from enemies.

Did You Know?

• The cover system was introduced in Max Payne 3, not in the original Max Payne (2001).
• The game features interactive cutscenes which transition seamlessly into continuing gameplay; however, loading screens do occur between chapters and when transitioning between major areas, often masked by cutscenes or br
• Max Payne 3 introduces a 'Last Stand' mechanic, granting players a grace period when health is fully depleted that allows the player to kill the enemy that last wounded them in order to remain alive, so long as the playe