The last generation of consoles, namely the Xbox 360 and PS3, saw all sorts of new first-person shooter franchises baying for attention in an overcrowded market. One of them that at least managed to remain memorable and earn a follow was that of Homefront thanks to a storyline that helped it stand out - a plot reminiscent of the movie Red Dawn.
Despite a mixed reception to the original and its publisher THQ going under, a sequel Homefront: The Revolution is set to release this year from developer Crytek. The game takes place four years after the events of the original occupation by Korean forces, following protagonist Ethan Brady as he stages a resistance movement against the invasion forces in the city of Philadelphia. Differing from the first game, Revolution features open-world gameplay with multiple districts to explore. A new Homefront: The Revolution trailer released today which offers a better idea of what these areas are.
This latest video goes a long way in explaining not only the different zones in Homefront's game world and how it’s necessary to get the oppressed population on your side with their hearts and minds to ignite the revolution. Along with the trailer, a sequence of new screenshots portray the before and after effects of this. So have a closer look at screen 1 vs. screen 2, screen 3 vs. 4, and screen 5 vs. screen 6.
Players will progress through each district one by one as and each becomes more difficult, offering different kinds of missions in order to represent the increasing effectiveness of the uprising. There is the Red Zone, where the resistance is starting to make their presence known by taking out sniper positions, ambushing armored patrols, and establishing new safe houses.
The Yellow Zone appears to be where most civilians live and players are able to free prisoners, broadcast propaganda and convince the oppressed to fight back. Finally, after conquering the first two zones, the Green Zone is next. The heavily guarded, high value targets in this area will force you to use all the skills learned throughout the game. Additionally, the developer has detailed the game's new Merits system. This will be used to unlock combat gear to customize characters in the co-op Resistance mode.
The first look at Homefront: The Revolution didn't earn much enthusiasm but as more and more information and footage releases it is increasingly becoming a title to anticipate. The open-world gameplay might not exactly be revolutionary in of itself but the scenario of fighting an invasion on U.S. soil using those systems and Crytek's expertise does offer something unique.
Homefront: The Revolution releases May 17, 2016 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.