Killzone: Shadow Fall
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Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Killzone: Shadow Fall
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a worthy game to purchase alongside your PlayStation 4.
It's all the more frustrating that Shadow Fall fails to establish that identity, because it gets so close in its early design and themes. It sets up an open-ended tactical shooter in a cynical world of sci-fi realpolitik - and then bottles it, taking the easy escape route of another suicide mission into empty spectacle. There's a lack of confidence here that contrasts starkly with Guerrilla's dazzling, sure-footed command of the new hardware. It's a game that any new PlayStation 4 owner will be proud to show off - but it won't be one they remember by the time PS5 rolls around.
Cleverly progressive one moment and tediously predictable the next, next gen Killzone has all the same strengths and flaws as the older games – just now with even better graphics.
Sure, Killzone: Shadow Fall has its lulls, but it's a mostly enjoyable experience from start to finish. This is no doubt the PlayStation 4's strongest exclusive launch title.
I had more fun with this entry than any other game in the series
Killzone: Shadow Fall's multiplayer plays to the series' key strengths. It's too bad the campaign forgot to turn on the heat.
That absence of meaningful evolution might be Killzone: Shadow Fall's biggest sin. For all the next-gen bluster of its visuals and the repeated blunt-force attempts to ram a message home, Guerilla's first shot on the PS4 retreads shooter cliches, and poorly. In a launch lineup crowded with shooters, Killzone: Shadow Fall sits at the bottom.
The campaign is a real drag, but Shadow Fall's multiplayer props up the package with its fun, configurable action.
