Killzone: Liberation
An isometric Killzone spin-off for the PlayStation Portable.
Killzone: Liberation is a 2006 isometric shooter developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. A spin-off of the Killzone series, it is the only installment released on that platform and takes place two months after the original game. An emulated version with enhancements was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2023.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Director
- Mathijs de Jonge
- Series
- Killzone
- Platforms
- PlayStation Portable
- Released
- 31 October 2006 (NA)
- 3 November 2006 (EU)
- 8 November 2006 (AU)
- Genre
- Shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game uses a top-down isometric view, differing from the first-person perspective of the original Killzone on PlayStation 2, and blends shooter and dungeon-crawler elements. Players control Jan Templar, who can operate heavy machine gun turrets, a tank, a hovercraft, and a jetpack. Certain levels allow the player to give orders to a 'buddy'—either teammates Rico and Luger or rescued characters such as three VIPs in the first chapter and Evelyn in the fourth chapter. Money cases collected as pickups unlock new weapons from caches, and once enough money is amassed, V2 upgraded versions of those weapons become available. Completing challenges within specific limits—such as shooting a set number of targets without hitting civilian ones—earns bronze, silver, or gold rankings and unlocks upgrades to Templar's abilities, including increased carrying capacity, stronger close-quarters combat, faster actions, unlimited ammunition, or improved health. The infrastructure online multiplayer servers have been shut down, but before that, players could use ad-hoc connections. Multiplayer offered team selection between ISA and Helghast, character choice, and modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch Duel, Capture the Flag, and Assault. Deathmatch Duel required downloading the chapter five mission. Infrastructure was available only as DLC and not included out of the box; the game also supported headsets for online play.
Plot
Two months after the events of Killzone, the Helghast still control large parts of the planet Vekta, and the ISA is losing ground. Helghast General Armin Metrac, acting under Emperor Scolar Visari, uses brutal measures to seize the initiative and strengthen his position. Metrac and his subordinate Colonel Cobar successfully capture three key ISA figures: Minister of War Heff Milcher, scientist Evelyn Batton, and General Dwight Stratson. Player character Jan Templar is sent on a covert operation to rescue the hostages, assisted by his battlefield friend Rico Velasquez and partner Shadow Marshall Luger. After a series of military operations, Templar pursues Cobar, who has taken Milcher and Stratson. Cobar kills Milcher, but Templar defeats Cobar, who was piloting a personal walking tank. Before dying, Cobar reveals there is a traitor in ISA command, but Stratson finishes him off before he can name the traitor. Templar then assaults Metrac's mountain fortress with Luger's aid, fighting elite Helghast warriors and a giant cybernetic unit before killing Metrac in a final showdown. Templar locates Evelyn and escapes with her as the fortress is destroyed. The outro sets up Killzone 2, with Visari speaking of nuclear weapons intended for use on ISA forces.
Release
The game was originally intended to have downloadable content on its release day, but technical difficulties delayed the promised downloads. On 30 May 2007, a free downloadable upgrade was released, adding online multiplayer support with two new maps and a new game mode, as well as Chapter 5 of the single-player campaign. As of 2011, the DLC files were no longer available from the Killzone website, but in June 2011, Guerrilla republished them for US and EU versions through the Welcome Back Program.
Reception
The game received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. 411Mania scored it eight out of ten, praising its intense shooting action and tough enemies, while noting that frequent deaths are mitigated by minimal backtracking, and highlighting ad hoc multiplayer and co-op. The Sydney Morning Herald gave it four stars out of five, calling it a smart and challenging blend of action and strategy. Detroit Free Press awarded three stars out of four, criticizing the short single-player campaign and lack of online mode, but noting that multiplayer maps are explosive fun with a friend. The game won IGN's award for Best PSP Offline Multiplayer Game of 2006. In 2018, GamesRadar+ ranked it the 24th best PSP game of all time.
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