Killzone: Mercenary is a first-person shooter video game developed by Guerrilla Cambridge and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Vita, released in September 2013. It is the second handheld game in the Killzone series of video games, and fifth overall.
Taking place throughout key events and locations of the first three installments of the Killzone franchise, Mercenary follows the story of Arran Danner, a mercenary hired by the ISA.
Mercenary was met with positive critical reception for its quality as a portable-console first person shooter. Praise was given to the game's controls and visuals, while criticism was aimed at its story and campaign length.
Gameplay
For the first time in a Killzone campaign, players can fight alongside Helghast forces as well as ISA specialists, carrying out missions that regular soldiers cannot. As a mercenary, players are free to decide which tactics and load outs they will use to fulfill their contract; employers will reward players with money if successfully completed. The game utilizes the PS Vita's touchscreen and rear touch panel.
Plot
Setting
Killzone: Mercenary takes place on the planets Vekta and Helghan, locked in an interstellar war. The game is set in between Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 and revisits many of the key events of Killzone, Killzone: Liberation, and Killzone 2 from the perspective of Arran Danner, a mercenary hired to execute operations for the ISA. He is supplied by mysterious weapons dealer Blackjack, and is aided at times by his boss Anders Benoit.
Story
The game starts with the Helghast invasion of Vekta. Mercenaries Arran Danner and his partner Damian Ivanov are tasked by their boss – Anders Benoit to arrive in the Vektan city of Diortem on a mission to rescue ISA Admiral Alex Grey from Helghast forces using location information gained by the Vektan Ambassador – Sepp Harkin. Danner and Ivanov fight their way through the Vektan Halls of Justice where she is being held. They witness Helghast Colonel Kratek attempting to execute her, but manage to extract her safely. The two then make their way to a downed Helghan cruiser which is attempting to escape with stolen ISA weapons technology. The cruiser also has the transmission codes for all of the Helghast forces so obtaining the codes is vital to the ISA. Danner hacks into the cruisers computers and obtains the codes, however whilst sabotaging the cruiser power supply Ivanov is caught in a booby trap and sacrifices himself to destroy the ship. Despite the casualty the mission is deemed a success.