The Red Faction series debuted in 2001, and we’re now revisiting Red Faction Guerilla Re-MARS-tered, a remastered version of the fourth entry in the five-game saga. In a similar vein to the excellent Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, THQ Nordic continues its tradition of creatively named re-releases.
Red Faction: Guerilla, originally launched in 2009, receives a re-release ten years later featuring enhanced graphics and audio. During my time playing it on the Nintendo Switch, I was particularly impressed by its visual fidelity. The remaster includes a noticeable upgrade to lighting effects, textures, and other elements. Furthermore, users with a capable home theater system can expect robust bass and immersive surround sound.
However, the game exhibits a similar issue to what I previously noted with Borderlands: despite the graphical improvements, the AI of enemy characters remains rudimentary.
A key highlight of Red Faction Guerilla – Re-mars-tered is the ability to destroy nearly every structure in the game world. Demolishing buildings on your opponents with grenades provides a distinct sense of satisfaction. The game also allows players to commandeer vehicles and use them to crash through buildings, barricades, and enemies.
The missions generally fall into categories involving destroying enemies or structures, or retrieving items. This reveals a potential drawback: similar to my experiences with GTA, sustained, serious gameplay can be challenging. The temptation to create widespread destruction and evade law enforcement often takes over.
Red Faction: Guerilla re-MARS-tered performs admirably on the Nintendo Switch, in both handheld and docked configurations. The docked mode offers an enhanced experience by allowing connection to a larger display and a home theater audio setup. However, even with a quality pair of headphones, the handheld experience remains enjoyable.
In conclusion, I can confidently recommend Red Faction: Guerilla – Re-mars-tered. Despite its original release being a decade ago, the enhancements are significant, and it provides a thoroughly entertaining experience, especially considering its price point.
